Grand Chute's 2026 Openings Ring Fox River Mall, and Michaels Drive Got the Biggest Share

When was the last time you walked into Fox River Mall to buy a greeting card? This year that card counter moved. Little Green Apple, the area's Hallmark store, left its spot near JCPenney for Fox River Plaza at 4629 W. Michaels Drive, according to the Post-Crescent's June roundup of mall changes.

It wasn't the only move. The Post-Crescent keeps a running photo list of Fox Cities businesses that opened or relocated in 2026. It shows two new names inside the mall at 4301 W. Wisconsin Ave. this year. It shows six more on the streets around it, and four of those six are on Michaels Drive. As you head into holiday errands, the places worth knowing near the mall are spread across a wider area than they were last year.

Michaels Drive picked up four addresses in one summer

The busiest stretch was a short run of numbers on W. Michaels Drive, and almost all of it happened between early June and late August.

Three of those four addresses sit within 42 numbers of each other. A swim lesson, a resale clothing drop-off and a gift-wrap run now happen in one parking area instead of at the mall plus a separate trip down Mall Drive.

Goldfish Swim School teaches kids to swim through classes, programs and parties using a play-based approach. Plato's Closet buys gently used clothing, shoes and accessories for cash on the spot. Its new storefront is less than a mile from the old Mall Drive one, and the Post-Crescent notes that each Plato's Closet is individually owned by local business owners. The Post-Crescent describes the Hallmark store as carrying year-round seasonal gifts, gift wrap, ornaments and greeting cards. That makes it the address to remember in November.

The newest restaurant on the strip started as a trailer

Hot Biddy's is the one Michaels Drive arrival that was never in a storefront before. Essa and Aaron Cole own the Nashville-style hot chicken business, with Tim Christensen as co-owner, and The Business News reported that the three have about 60 years of restaurant experience between them. According to the same report, the Coles ordered a custom-built trailer on April 1, 2023, and were working large city events three weeks after opening.

The owners told The Business News that the chicken is fresh and never frozen, hand-cut by Aaron, and seasoned with blends and sauces they make themselves. WFRV's May report on the plan also described the chicken as hand-breaded. The Business News reported in June that the restaurant was aiming to open by the end of July, and it opened Aug. 21. The current Hot Biddy's menu lists fried chicken sandwiches, tenders, wraps, bowls, wings and Southern banana pudding.

For anyone who has followed the truck to events since 2023, the change is simple. The same chicken is now available at a fixed address all winter, a short drive from the mall entrances.

Inside the mall, the new tenants lean toward outlets and play

The mall did add two new names this year, both in the first week of February. GAP Factory, an outlet store for the GAP brand, opened Feb. 4 between Torrid and Earthbound. PixelJoy Arcades opened Feb. 1 next to Scheels with a lineup of claw machines.

The mall also lost two longtime tenants. The Post-Crescent's April 1 report said Orangetheory Fitness, located by Macy's, closed March 31 after seven years. It had been the only Orangetheory in the Fox Cities. Taken with Hallmark's move to Fox River Plaza, those changes mean the mall has turned over about as many spaces as it has filled this year. Most of the new openings went to the plaza and side streets.

Two familiar names came back on the edges

Two of the six new spots around the mall belong to businesses Grand Chute already knew.

Great American Cookies closed its Fox River Mall location in February 2025. It reopened April 9 of this year at 4186 W. Wisconsin Ave., on the same avenue as the mall but outside it, still selling the cookie cakes it's known for. If you've been ordering birthday cookie cakes from somewhere else since early 2025, you can go back to this one.

The Pad, a video game and collectibles shop run by co-owners Schyler Garza and Peter Ozminkowski, moved Feb. 23 from 1001 N. Mutual Way to 200 N. Mall Drive. That brought it to the mall's doorstep without putting it inside. It's the same pattern as Plato's Closet, which went the other way down Mall Drive toward Michaels.

College Avenue is filling in from the east side of the area

A little farther out, W. College Avenue has its own small cluster. 7 Brew opened June 29 at 3305 W. College Ave. with customizable coffee, teas, sodas, energy drinks and smoothies. It was the Post-Crescent's report on the chain's second Fox Cities location.

Down the road at 3730 W. College Ave., the former Applebee's has been razed for a planned Raising Cane's. FOX 11 reported that the Grand Chute Plan Commission approved the site plan Aug. 18 and that no opening timeline had been announced. As of the Post-Crescent's Sept. 8 report, permits were still pending before construction could start. So for now it's a site to watch, with no opening date.

Closer to the Casaloma Drive side, Sharkey's Cuts for Kids opened July 11 at 712 N. Casaloma Drive. It serves kids from birth to age 14 with themed chairs, video games and manicures. Add Goldfish Swim School, and the kid-focused openings around the mall this year have all gone into standalone or plaza spaces.

Planning holiday errands around the new map

With the new stores spread out, a December trip to the mall area is now a loop: the plaza, Michaels Drive, Mall Drive and the mall itself. Here are the dates and conditions to plan around this season:

• Wisconsin Avenue: WisDOT's resurfacing of WIS 96 between Casaloma Drive and N. Badger Avenue runs past the mall's front door. The project's weekly update scheduled pavement markings in both directions and general cleanup for Oct. 26 to 30, and the project calendar ends Oct. 31. WisDOT notes that schedules depend on weather.
• A new turn lane at Bluemound: The project overview lists a slotted left-turn lane at WIS 96 and Bluemound Drive, plus curb-ramp upgrades and new sidewalk at selected locations.
• Thanksgiving and Black Friday: Fox River Mall's hours page lists the mall as closed Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, and open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Black Friday, Nov. 27. Individual store hours may vary.
• Santa photos: Photos with Santa are in the Macy's Wing. The booking page says walk-ups are welcome daily until closing on participating dates.
• Breakfast with Santa: The mall's second annual Breakfast with Santa is Saturday, Dec. 5, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at Northwoods Cafe. Tickets are $8, and kids 2 and under are free.

If gift wrap and cards are on your list, go to 4629 W. Michaels Drive. If the kids have swim lessons that week, Goldfish is two doors down the same stretch at 4671. Hot Biddy's is a bit farther along at 5120 if you need lunch before you head home.

Most of this year's changes are a short drive from many Grand Chute front doors. The Kelly Davies Homes team keeps track of how the area around the mall keeps changing. If you're wondering how Michaels Drive, College Avenue or the new Bluemound turn lane affect your daily routes, or how much that matters for your own home, contact us. We're glad to talk it through.