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Photo by Jon Anderson
The Riverchase Galleria joined with Hoover officials on Thursday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the opening of the iconic mall.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Alan Paquette, manager of The Offices at 3000 Riverchase office tower next to the Riverchase Galleria, speaks during the mall's 40th anniversary celebration in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A cake at the 40th anniversary celebration for the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis and his wife, Stephanie, check out a scrapbook with articles about the Riverchase Galleria during the mall's 4oth birthday celebration in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A scrapbook showcases newspaper articles about the Riverchase Galleria during the mall's 40th anniversary celebration in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A scrapbook showcases newspaper articles about the Riverchase Galleria during the mall's 40th anniversary celebration in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People gather in the food court of the Riverchase Galleria for a 40th anniversary celebration for the mall in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Tommy Richardson, the senior general manager at the Riverchase Galeria in Hoover, Alabama, speaks at the mall's 40th anniversary celebration on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Alan Paquette, manager of The Offices at 3000 Riverchase office tower next to the Riverchase Galleria, speaks during the mall's 40th anniversary celebration in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Tommy Richardson, the senior general manager at the Riverchase Galeria in Hoover, Alabama, speaks at the mall's 40th anniversary celebration on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Alan Paquette, manager of The Offices at 3000 Riverchase office tower next to the Riverchase Galleria, speaks during the mall's 40th anniversary celebration in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Alan Paquette, manager of The Offices at 3000 Riverchase office tower next to the Riverchase Galleria, speaks during the mall's 40th anniversary celebration in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Jim Spahn, who served as marketing manager for the Riverchase Galleria for 17 years until 2004, speaks at the 40th anniversary of the mall in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A scrapbook showcases newspaper articles about the Riverchase Galleria during the mall's 40th anniversary celebration in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A banner celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People mill around in the food court and at the carousel at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Shoppers wall around the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Alan Paquette, manager of The Offices at 3000 Riverchase office tower next to the Riverchase Galleria, speaks during the mall's 40th anniversary celebration in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Shoppers from Blountsville, Alabama, walk through the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. From left are Ashlyn Thoele, Adelyn Weston, Carrie Hargrove and Jeremy Thoele.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A scrapbook showcases newspaper articles about the Riverchase Galleria during the mall's 40th anniversary celebration in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People gather in the food court of the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama, to celebrate the mall's 40th anniversary on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
The Riverchase Galleria joined with Hoover officials on Thursday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the opening of the iconic mall.
The Galleria officially opened Feb. 19, 1986, touted as the largest mall in the Southeast and at the time having the largest continuous skylight in North America.
Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis, standing Thursday in the food court with others gathered for the anniversary celebration, said he was a young police sergeant at the time the Galleria originally opened and worked at the mall that day.
“Crazy day, crazy day — crowds came from everywhere,” Derzis said. “It was a destination to come to Alabama. You looked up at the massive ceiling, and people — their jaws dropped. They had never seen anything like this — the atrium.”
The marching bands from the University of Alabama and Auburn University were there playing their fight songs. “It was a big deal,” Derzis said.
Alan Paquette, who served on the management team for the founder and former owner of the mall — Jim Wilson & Associates — from 1994 to 2004, said the mall was modeled after similar ones in Houston and Dallas but was expanded more.
The vision of Jim Wilson Jr., it was one of the first multi-use shopping centers with a hotel and office tower attached to it, and it even had a carousel in the middle of it, Paquette said.
“Everybody in the industry thought he was absolutely crazy,” Paquette said. “The International Council of Shopping Centers was just kind of laughing at him. (But) Mr. Wilson’s great vision was pulled out, and this was a major success.”
Paquette on Thursday recalled the glory days of the Galleria when it was “blowing and going” with tenants that included Barney’s Coffee & Tea Co., Brooks Brothers and its own post office.
“It’s a great property. It’s been great for the city of Hoover,” Paquette said. “I love the way the city has grown. This is the catalyst that helped get that going.”
Jim Spahn, who served as marketing director for the Galleria for 17 years until 2004, recalled how the Galleria was regularly mentioned in national newscasts, partly because of some of its unusual promotions that included a high wire with a motorcycle rider on it. There were visits from celebrities such as Willard Scott, Miss America Heather Whitestone, Fabio, Charlton Heston, Jane Seymour and Milton Berle.
The Riverchase Galleria was the first shopping center in the country to open its doors as early as 1 a.m. on Black Friday, Spahn said. People were lined up outside the mall at 1 a.m. for stores that didn’t open until 5 a.m., so the mall decided to open its doors and entertain them, he said.
Eventually, that idea spread nationwide, he said.
The Galleria also served as host for a multitude of cultural celebrations, from Chinese dancers and acrobats to Irish musicians and dancers, Spahn said. “The Galleria wasn’t just a shopping center. It was a stage for the world.”
It once had an annual breakfast with Santa for children with special needs, and that event attracted 80 buses in the parking lot, bringing hundreds of children from across the state, some of whom had never visited with Santa before, Spahn said.
Tommy Richardson, the current senior general manager for the Galleria, said the Galleria has been a hub for community gatherings, noting that last year the mall had more than 20 community partnership events at the mall.
One of the big ones is Buc Fan Day, in which the Hoover High football team, coaches, cheerleaders and band are introduced to the community in August just before the start of the season. The mall also has partnered with scouting organizations, the Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center and organizations that provide services for disadvantaged children.
But the bread and butter of the mall has been its retail partners, Richardson said.
There are still nine tenants who were among the original tenants at the mall when it opened, he said. Those include J.C. Penney, Cindy’s Cinnamon Rolls, Foot Locker, Lane Bryant, Chick-fil-A, Spencer’s Gifts, Victoria’s Secret, Claire’s and Zayle’s.
Homer Brown, the owner of the BumperNets store at the Galleria (who frequently is referred to by many tenants as the “mayor” of the mall, has been there for 25 years, moving to the Galleria from Brookwood Village. He started in a 565-square-foot space near the food court and now has three spaces totaling about 10,000 square feet near the old Sears site.
Bringing his concept — ping-pong tables, pool tables, air hockey tables, pinball machines and arcade games — to the Galleria was a great opportunity, Brown said.
“It’s just so cool. It’s really special,” he said.
He particularly is impressed with the security at the Galleria, including security officers and Hoover police, he said. Even though there have been a couple of high-profile shootings at the Galleria over the years, those can happen anywhere, anytime, Brown said.
“”It’s the safest mall in the world,” he said. “I feel comfortable coming in here every day, seven days a week.”
And the excitement and camaraderie of the tenants is exceptional, Brown said.
Richardson said the mall, like him, is “showing our age a little bit, but we’re still going strong.” It currently has more than 100 tenants, he said. New openings last year included JD Sports (a 10,000-square-foot shoe store), House of Diamonds, Lovisa and expanded Mountain Outfitters and Journeys stores, he said. They’re working on some good things for 2026 as well, he said.
Derzis said the Galleria was the “heartbeat of Hoover” and the economic engine that drove the city for decades, and he’s proud it is in Hoover. But over the years, the Galleria has seen a decline, the mayor said.
“The retail landscape changed — new competition, online shopping soared,” he said. “Visitor traffic has dropped, and that’s cost our city. But I want everyone to know that’s here today that this administration — my administration, our City Council — is doing everything we can to bring back the Galleria to the days that we remember. We’re not sitting on our hands.”
He and his economic development team have met with the current owner of the Galleria, and “we’re pursuing every opportunity to make sure that we can get this economic engine back and, if possible, even better,” Derzis said. “Hoover’s thriving. Look around the city. We’re growing. We’re winning. The Galleria isn’t going anywhere. The Galleria is here to stay.”
