Appliance Factory is coming to former Dillard's!

Appliance Factory Opening Soon sign at Fort Collins' new location (moving text blurred to avoid any confusion) - Optopolis

During 2020, Dillard's condensed their store floor down to just the east Dillard's building at the Frontier Mall, leaving the west Dillard's vacant. That is... until recently; Appliance Factory/Mattress Kingdom is opening their first Cheyenne store!

History

This space was one of the earlier anchor stores to the Frontier Mall, originally housing a J-Joslins Department store, a Colorado-based clothing store. It was being built in 1982 as confirmed by photos stored in the Wyoming State Archives; the Laramie County Property Assessor notes that it was built in 1983.

Mall entry to Dillard's when Dillard's was open - Optopolis

About fifteen years later in 1998, Dillard's bought out the J-Joslins chain (building Dillard's east not long before). This would result in one of many situations where the store floor was separated between two spaces -- this one for men's/children's clothing, kitchen supplies, seasonal products, and more; and the other primarily for women's clothing.

Around late summer 2020, Dillard's west (as it became commonly referred to as) was converted to a Dillard's clearance center, all of the departments being shifted to Dillard's east. At the start of November, the store had closed for good. You can see what it looked like in February 2021 in the video below (or if the preview doesn't load, you can click here).

Appliance Factory buys the space, begins remodel/renovation

A couple days ago, Cap City News among others reported that Appliance Factory/Mattress Kingdom, a Colorado-based appliance and mattress store, had bought the former Dillard's earlier this year and began remodeling the space.

LEFT: Appliance Factory FoCo's Grand Opening sign at Harmony/College | RIGHT: Old Dillard's West in 2023 - Optopolis

The nearest location to Cheyenne before this point has been the Fort Collins location, which opened in mid-2021 in the former Ultimate Electronics/Spotlight Music building on the corner of Harmony and College. It relocated from further south along S College Ave.

Their website states that they have 26 locations most likely including the Fort Collins and soon-to-be Cheyenne locations. Also according to the other news outlets that have previously covered this topic, the Cheyenne store is planning to open in April 2023. The location is listed as "coming soon" on both their website and Google Maps.

Update May 17th: Store begins being stocked, signage goes up!

On a previous visit to the Frontier Mall, it was noticed here at Optopolis that signage for the new Appliance Factory was being put on the mall entry!

Appliance Factory's signage on the mall entry - Optopolis

For a moment in time, passerby mall visitors could see that some appliances has already been placed on the sales floor. It appears the time is ticking for how long before the new store opens.

This store coming to Cheyenne will likely make it easier for finding appliances without waiting on shipping or going out of town. Will you visit Appliance Factory for your next potential appliance or mattress!?

Originally published: 03/06/2023 2:06 PM MT

Updated: 05/17/2023 2:29 PM MT, added new info about the store.

Updated: 11/21/2023 at 7:23 PM MT to add newly discovered info about the history of the store.