Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (Outlet shopping center) |
| Founded | July 2, 1982 |
| Defunct | September 30, 2000 |
| Fate | Closed; site repurposed for educational and retail use |
| Headquarters | Niagara Falls , United States |
| Owner | The Cordish Company (until 2010) |
Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet was an indoor outlet shopping center located in downtown Niagara Falls, New York, operating from July 2, 1982, until September 30, 2000. Its distinctive design incorporated a dedicated parking structure and a connection to the now-demolished Wintergarden botanical conservatory. The Cordish Company developed and managed the property until 2010. That year, CEO David Cordish gifted the vacant site to SUNY Niagara, facilitating its transformation into a culinary school, a student-operated dining venue, and a Barnes & Noble bookstore, which opened in 2012.
History
Initially launched as part of an unsuccessful urban renewal effort, the outlet mall faced financial difficulties but achieved profitability by 1990 after substituting its original anchor tenant, Beir's Department Store, with Burlington Coat Factory and converting most retailers into outlet formats. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, it served as a prominent attraction during Niagara Falls' Festival of Lights. Nevertheless, by the late 1990s, it lost customer appeal to the refurbished Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls, as Rainbow Centre had not undergone renovations since its inception. Burlington Coat Factory shuttered its location in 1999, leading to the mall's retail closure in 2000 when all remaining tenants vacated by September. Although the Cordish Company announced intentions to redevelop the site into an entertainment venue, these plans never came to fruition. Partial access persisted due to an off-track betting facility until complete closure in 2005. The interior was stripped out in 2011; subsequently, SUNY Niagara’s Culinary Institute and Barnes & Noble commenced operations in part of the structure in August 2012. The remaining two-thirds of the building were transferred to municipal authorities for redevelopment purposes, with a proposed "Wonderfalls" resort concept planned but not initiated as of 2015.