El Con Mall - Tucson, Arizona - Shopping Mall

El Con Mall is a shopping center situated East Broadway at Alvernon in Tucson, Arizona. Store opening hours are 10am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and 12 noon to 5pm on Sundays but the mall is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. It is approximately eight miles from Tucson International Airport, and there is plenty of parking available at the mall.

Initially opened as an outdoor mall adjacent to a hotel known as the El Conquistador Hotel in 1960, it later became the first enclosed shopping center in Tucson and is now 1.2 million square feet with just 10 stores, restaurants and a cinema complex. The hotel was demolished in 1967 and replaced by another department store and it was the following year when the mall became enclosed. Joseph Kivel, developer of El Con Mall, later opened another shopping mall in Tucson called Park Place in 1975, and after his death 20 years later, both malls were sold to his nephews, and their wives

Many businesses have Bilingual employees since El Con Mall is a popular shopping spot for Mexican visitors. Over the past few years a number of stores such as Macy's and Dillard's have moved out of the mall, which is why much of it is unoccupied. Several stores and restaurants have been added around the mall.

In and around the mall are four large department stores, which are Home Depot, JC Penney, Ross Dress for Less and Target. Penney situated at the North side of the mall also contains a number of services and departments such as eye tests and glasses as well as hairstyling salon and a portrait studio. Clothing is mainly to be found at Ross Dress for Less, although sportswear and equipment can be purchased at Champs Sports. Apart from the hair salon at Penney there is a gentlemen's barber on the west side of the mall called El Con-tinental Barber.

Electrical entertainment equipment such as computers, phones and MP3 players can be purchased at Radio Shack at the south west side of the mall. Shoppers can find gifts at The 4 Poster Warehouse opposite to Ross Dress for Less. To the northeast of the mall is the Bridgestone/Firestone Tire Center.

There are several dining options here including In-N-Out Burger and Claim Jumper to the southeastern side of the mall. Chick-fil-A is situated behind Target, whist Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill is located alongside Radio Shack and Play N Trade next to Office Depot. Visitors can also purchase snacks and beverages at Starbucks near the Office Depot.

Visitors can see the latest cinema releases at the Century 20 El Con Multiplex Cinema, which is situated between Penney and Home Depot. This is one of a few cinema complexes in Tucson including Century Park 16, Century Gateway 12 and Century Park Place 20. Customers can get more information about the mall and local area from the Mall Management Office, which is located at the west end of the shopping center.