RiverTown Crossings New Stores for Fall 2026: Opening Timeline

"When we first started driving the property, we could feel the parking garage move underneath the car." That's how Poag Shopping Centers CEO Poag described his first impression of RiverTown Crossings in a WOOD TV8 interview published October 1, 2026. The garage he means is the deck near Barnes & Noble. It's still standing, and that one structure explains most of what's happening at Grandville's mall right now.

Two things are happening at RiverTown this fall, and they move at very different speeds. Inside the building, empty storefronts are filling quickly with small, specialized shops, and several open within the next six weeks. Outside, the new restaurants everyone wants are tied to a demolition that hasn't started. If you live a few minutes from Rivertown Parkway, here's the timeline that matters.

Why The Restaurants Are Stuck Behind A Parking Deck

After structural engineers looked at the deck, Poag's team decided demolition was the best option. Their plan is to replace it with surface parking and two new outlots for restaurants. The hard part is getting permission. Poag counts seven anchors on the property, including the department stores, Dick's Sporting Goods, Barnes & Noble and Celebration Cinema. A change that big needs approval from every one of them.

"When you have department stores and anchors, which we have seven of on property... you have to get the approvals of everybody in order to move forward on a dramatic change like that," he told WOOD TV8.

He hopes demolition can wrap up in 2027. He also said there's "a lot of strong interest from some restaurants that have just been on hold, waiting for us to move forward with the demolition." Depending on how fast construction goes, he said those restaurants could be open in 2028, "in theory."

The empty department-store boxes are a separate issue. Poag said his company doesn't own the former Younkers, Macy's and Sears spaces. He still sees the Sears space as an opportunity, but nobody has agreed on a purchase price that makes it workable. Anything that changes the mall's exterior footprint depends on other parties.

Interior leasing doesn't need anyone else's approval, and that's where the activity is.

What's Opening Inside, In Order

On September 28, 2026, WOOD TV8 listed the incoming tenants. Two of them have firm dates. The rest gave a season.

1. MooZoo Slime Shop: grand opening October 17. It sells handmade slime and has a "slime bar" where you make your own.
2. Sweet Kisses Bakery: opening November 15, with custom cakes and other treats.
3. Summit Comics & Games: this fall. The shop already has a Lansing location and carries comics, board games, action figures and trading cards.
4. Katie's Heart & Home: a second location opening this fall in time for the holidays, with Christmas subscription boxes, decor and gifts.
5. Kako Claw: this fall. WOOD describes it as a "family-friendly entertainment experience" built around claw machines.
6. Addiour Perfume and Ventrora Perfume: both this fall.
7. Cell Repair Xpert: moving from its current mall kiosk into a full storefront this fall. It repairs phones, tablets and gaming consoles.
8. Snack'd: this winter, with snacks, drinks and candy from more than 40 countries. It already has stores in other Midwest malls.
9. JD Sports: this winter, with sneakers, streetwear and athletic apparel for men, women and children.

According to RiverTown, those new leases add up to 33,208 square feet. Spread across the ten tenants WOOD named, that's about 3,300 square feet per store. A single anchor box is many times bigger. The mall is filling up with shops that can sign a lease and open within a season, without waiting on six other parties.

Poag also said the mall would soon be 89% leased and that more deals are in the pipeline. WOOD's September story counts ten incoming tenants on top of Throw It Back Dirty Soda, which had already opened. That matches the eleven announced tenants Poag referred to in the October interview.

The Theater Was The First Bet, And It Shows

The current wave of leasing follows a bigger investment made earlier. Poag Development Group, since rebranded as Poag Shopping Centers, bought RiverTown in 2024. One of its first big spending decisions was Celebration Cinema. The upgrades cost more than $5 million and added heated recliners, a "C Premium" auditorium and a restaurant and bar in the lobby.

That restaurant is Oscar's, which opened in late April 2026 serving dinner, beer, wine and cocktails. According to Poag, the theater is now "doing exceptionally well," and "the traffic is increasing dramatically." More people coming in for movies helps make the case to small retailers. A slime bar, a claw-machine venue and a comics shop all depend on families and groups who stay a while. "It's about bringing families. It's about bringing kids," Poag said.

Where The Food Is Showing Up In The Meantime

The sit-down outlots are years away, but new food is still arriving at RiverTown and nearby, in smaller formats. Here's where each place stands as of early October 2026.

Throw It Back is the first permanent storefront for a business that serves the viral mix of soda, syrup and cream. When it signed, owner Cara Balcom told WOOD TV8, "My dreams have come true!"

Dave's Hot Chicken is going in at 3148 44th Street SW, next to Dublin Jerkey & BBQ. WOOD TV8 reported on July 30, 2026 that it would likely open in October, November or December. Franchisee Max Piet told WZZM 13 that Grandville offered "a growing retail corridor and convenient regional access."

Raising Cane's is less certain. It was approved for the former Sears Auto Center site at 3980 Rivertown Parkway, and in October 2025 the company said it hoped to open in "late fall 2026." We couldn't find a newer report on construction or an opening date. For now it's a planned opening.

October Is Already Booked

The mall is also using free events to bring people in, and October's schedule is full. MLive reported the lineup on October 7.

• Saturday, October 10, 1-3 p.m.: The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Pop-Up Experience takes over center court on the lower level, with hand balancing, unicycle, breakdancing, German Wheel and an appearance from Robo Pup. Four winners get a family four-pack of tickets to the circus's October 29 to November 1 run in Grand Rapids. You have to be there for the drawing to win.
• October 24-25, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.: The Harvest & Harmony Fall Market fills the mall with local makers, small businesses and handcrafted goods.
• October 24, 1-3 p.m.: Beau Fairman carves pumpkins live, with apple cider, apple doughnuts and jazz. His finished pumpkins become a seasonal photo display. Cider and doughnuts are available while supplies last.
• October 31, 5-7 p.m.: Boo Bash brings mall-wide trick-or-treating, a DJ and a costume contest with categories including Best Kid Costume, Best Family/Group Costume and Best in Boo.

Boo Bash also includes a Jingle Ball giveaway with iHeartMedia. One winner gets two tickets to Jingle Ball in Detroit, a one-night hotel stay, a $300 gift card, gas for the drive and dinner for two. You enter on-site by scanning a QR code, entries close October 31 at 11:59 p.m., and the winner will be announced November 2. No purchase is necessary.

Santa dates aren't out yet. The RiverTown Crossings holiday page says to check back in November.

One Finished Project Up The Road

One nearby project that started earlier is now done. Grandville's upgrades at Mill Race Park, 3370 Carlton Park, were planned to add a playground, picnic pavilion, walking trail and Buck Creek overlook. A Michigan DNR project-status report dated August 19, 2026 lists the "Buck Creek Trailhead at Mill Race Park" as "Project completed," with the city preparing its final grant paperwork. If you want somewhere to go between a Saturday at the circus pop-up and dinner, the new overlook is a few minutes away.

Here's how the fall calendar lines up. MooZoo Slime Shop opens October 17, the fall market runs October 24 and 25, Boo Bash is October 31, Sweet Kisses Bakery opens November 15, and Dave's Hot Chicken is expected sometime before the end of the year. The restaurant outlots on the parking deck site are still waiting on demolition and every anchor's sign-off.

New shops and restaurants opening near Rivertown Parkway are part of what a Grandville address offers, and they're part of the local picture I look at when I price a home here. If you're curious what your place is worth this fall, Tony Hernandez can put together a valuation built on real Grandville comparables. Get your free home valuation and we'll go over the numbers together.