When developers unveiled details of the proposed regional shopping center in southeast Des Moines in 1972, they called it Army Post Plaza.

By fall of 1975, when the center opened, its name had been changed to Southridge Mall.

Now, nearly 50 years after the mall opened at 1111 E. Army Post Road, part of its original name is returning. New owner Travis Mansfield plans on calling the center Southridge Plaza.

“Technically, it’s really not a mall anymore,” said Mansfield, who in December acquired a large portion of Southridge and several adjacent lots for $4 million. “Everyone we’ve talked with wanted to hang on to the Southridge name.”

Mansfield, whose background is in information technology, has scant experience in development or operating a retail center. His lack of experience doesn’t phase him. When the Iowa native launched his online auction company in January 2021, he didn’t know much about that business either.

The company, NativeBid-Des Moines, began in 10,000 square feet of leased space. In less than a year, it was out of room and relocated to Southridge in space that originally was occupied by Younkers department store.

A cousin introduced Mansfield to the online auction business. Fishing poles were being sold on the website the day Mansfield visited it.

“I don’t really fish, but I loved the experience of buying a $150 rod and reel set for $7,” said Mansfield, who with his family relocated to Central Iowa from Kansas City about five years ago. “I had to go drive down to the warehousing part of Kansas City to pick it up. And I felt like it was in the secret club. And it was fun.

“The rod’s hanging on my office wall. I’ve never used it.”

Mansfield toyed with the idea of starting an online auction business for several years. He reached out to several companies to see if they were interested in parting with excess merchandise.

“One day, for whatever reason, we got a reply back from Overstock.com,” Mansfield said. “They said they were going to send one semi-truck load. I said, ‘Great. Let’s do this.’”  

We recently caught up with Mansfield and learned more about NativeBid and his plans for Southridge. The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

After you got the response from Overstock.com, what things did you need to do to launch NativeBid?

I had already found the auction software I wanted to use and we fired it up. It isn’t fancy now, but it was very not fancy in the beginning. Then I realized that we needed a warehouse. I wasn’t going to ask my wife if we could do it out of our garage, so we found some space to rent. My sister came over from Omaha to help out. We opened boxes, took pictures of the items and posted them on the website. That was Jan. 1, 2021.

How did you get the word out about NativeBid?

I had put a Facebook post out … and said, “Hey, we’re a new auction business in town.” We created an event for [NativeBid’s first] auction. We had 500 users register in the first week. We’ve never had another week like that. But I felt then that there was some demand for what we were wanting to do. We had a link to preview some of the items we had, which was furniture.  

Tell us about the first auction.

We didn’t know at all what we were doing, but the first auction did fairly well. We had about 1,200 registered users and maybe 200 bidders. All but a few items were sold.

How did NativeBid connect you with Southridge?

We had filled out a 10,000-square-foot space. One of our customers, who noticed we were bursting at the seams, told us about the old Younkers building. I came out and visited it, and within a couple months we had a very basic lease agreement that was contingent on us buying the building within a couple years. And that’s pretty much what we did. … I thought we would lose a lot of customers. We moved 12 minutes east from where we had been located and we kept most of our customers.

Explain how you came to buy the remaining parts of Southridge that Macerich owned?

(After Mansfield began leasing the former Younkers building, Macerich Co. contacted Mansfield about becoming master lease holder of the interior section of the mall. The California-based company had acquired the shopping center in 1998. A stipulation of becoming the master lease holder was that Mansfield had to ensure the mall met all safety and building codes, which included repairing a portion of the roof. He passed on the offer.)

During the time Mansfield was considering the lease offer, we were able to show some people the spaces. I was surprised that not a single person said, “I would never put my business here.” It was just the opposite. I heard things like, “This is close to where I want to be. I want to be in this area.” We heard it over and over again.

(Over the next couple of years, Macerich hired an engineering firm to do a structural and electrical view of the mall. Much of the mall was structurally sound. One section had to be blocked off to the public because of problems with the roof, Mansfield said. Macerich sold some parcels including the former Sears property, which was bought and redeveloped by Genesis Health Clubs. The remaining parts of the mall and several undeveloped lots have been for sale for several years.)

It was very close to being sold at one point, and I knew what that amount was. Some parcels had been sold off, so I did some simple math and came up with a number. I subtracted a little off of that number because I knew that the city was going to make us do some fixes.

There are millions of dollars that will need to be spent to improve the infrastructure, the roof, parking, roads and all of those types of things. We leaned on our bankers and others, and in the end it made sense to buy Southridge but it was close. The bankers didn’t immediately say, “Of course we’ll do this.”

Why do you think you can turn this center around when other people with years in this type of business haven’t been able to do it?

This needs to be treated like a garden. Every day, there needs to be input into it by the people that actually work here or have some real vested interests in it, like me. Walking around the property and talking with and getting to know the tenants and understanding their wants and dislikes. Going out and meeting potential tenants and actually hearing their stories. It’s got to be looked at with new eyes and maybe a different voice. We need to reach out to the community and ask, “What do you want here?” Apply some common sense to get some things that can actually work here.

There’s a lot of demand for sports and things that keep people active. We want it to be family-friendly. We want it to be a destination.

I think the most important part is going out and finding partners – tenants, investors, different people who want to build something great here, because people will. I’m confident about that.

What is your vision for the empty spaces inside the center?

A lot of those spaces will be aggregated into larger spaces. We have some sports-type businesses that want to look at the Younkers space. We have had several businesses looking at the spaces. And when I say they’re looking, it’s not like they’re coming by with a real estate agent and saying, “Give me your best price.” They are saying they want to be here. And that’s great.

We’re not going to end up with 30 stores in here again. I think it’s going to be defined by an event or a store or a service.

What are some of your immediate plans?

We’re going to be removing 100 or so trees this spring. We’ll replace them with something that makes more sense.

We’re going to open Dragonfly Park [an indoor adventure park with trampolines and ninja warrior obstacle courses] in the old Younkers building.

What advice do you have for people thinking about launching a new business?

Do it. For me, I wanted to know what I was capable of, what I was made of. I had done the same thing most of my life and I wanted to know “what can I do?” This is an opportunity for me to find out.

What’s the biggest lesson that you’ve learned?

Don’t underestimate yourself. If you feel like you’ve got what it takes to make something happen, then that’s about 90% of it. If you think you’re that person, then figure it out and start that chain of events happening that gets you to the next level. Start small to get you to the big thing. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Be humble. It’s not going to happen fast for most people, and that’s OK. If you’re not doing it for the enjoyment of actually just doing it, then it’s probably not going to be a success.

Whom have you turned to for help?

My wife, many times. She’s a good dose of reality for me. My extended family. They’ve owned successful businesses and have talked about the hard times a lot.

Where do you see Southridge Plaza in five years?

I think that when people think of Southridge Plaza they will get a smile on their face. I see some new restaurants, some local and regional, and some national. I see some destinations, some repurposing of the theaters and parking lots that will be sporting and entertainment venues. I see a family destination.

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At a glance

Age: 47

Currently lives: In Waukee

Family: Wife, Nina, and two sons, ages 9 and 6

Education: Attended University of Iowa, 1997-2000

Work background: Information technology manager, Keokuk County State Bank, 2006-2010; IT manager, Randy Reed Automotive, headquarter in Kansas City, Mo., 2010 through December 2024; general manager, Studio-R Signs, based in Overland Park, Kan., 2018 through December 2024. Began NativeBid-Des Moines in January 2021 and Native Real Estate LLC in August 2024. He manages both businesses.

Other activities: Spending time with family.

Contact: travis.mansfield@nativeforbusiness.com

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Southridge Mall

1111 E. Army Post Road, Des Moines

Beginnings: In March 1972, Des Moines-based General Growth Properties announced plans for a new regional shopping center on about 150 acres at Southeast 14th Street and Army Post Road. Development costs of the center were estimated at over $17 million. The center originally was going to be called Army Post Plaza but General Growth changed the name to Southridge Mall.  

Opening: The mall opened on Oct. 15, 1975. The 450,000-square-foot center included Younkers department store, numerous smaller retail stores and restaurants, and 3,600 parking spaces. An estimated 1,100 people worked at the center.

Other anchors: Sears opened in 1977, Montgomery Ward in 1978, Richman Gordman in 1982, and Target in 1992. JCPenney relocated from downtown to Southridge in 1994, replacing Richman Gordman, which closed.

First sale: Macerich Co., based in Santa Monica, Calif., acquired the mall and its over 1 million square feet of space in 1998. Around 2016, Macerich invested $35 million in the mall, converting part of it to an open-air center with a courtyard and outside access to most stores. Des Moines Area Community College opened a satellite campus at the center in 2013.  

Recent history: UnityPoint built a medical clinic on a vacant lot on Southridge’s east side, and a vacant retail building was converted into an outpatient clinic for veterans. Bank of America built a new branch office at 1109 E. Army Post Road, and a portion of the mall that had been home to Sears was redeveloped by Genesis Health Clubs. In July 2023, Mercy Clinics bought three parcels at 1101 E. Army Post Road. In late 2021, NativeBid-Des Moines began leasing space in the former Younkers store.The web-based auction company bought the 105,000-square-foot building in May 2024.

Recent sale: In late 2024, Native Real Estate LLC, managed by Travis Mansfield, acquired 14 parcels from Macerich Southridge Mall LLC for $4 million. The parcels total about 80 acres.The total value of the property acquired by Mansfield is over $25.1 million. Mansfield is changing the center’s name to Southridge Plaza.