Tanger Outlet Center in Williamsburg Has Been Sold

For nearly three decades, the signs have read "Tanger" along Interstate 80 in Iowa County, but that's about to change. Outlet Resource Group of Chicago has purchased the 28-year-old shopping center that first opened in 1991 with only 22 stores, and is changing the name.

Outlets Williamsburg will be the center's new name and, even though the ink is barely dry on the deal, the change is already reflected in places like Google Maps and Google Earth. The shopping center also has a new website.

New owner, Outlet Resource Group, also runs shopping outlets in Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Utah. They also operate centers in France, Germany, and Panama.

Tanger Outlet Center in Williamsburg was the first outlet mall in Iowa. The location along Interstate 80 is just six miles north of the city of Williamsburg. It was one of several locations considered along the busy interstate between Iowa City and Des Moines.