Freedom Crossing

What Freedom Crossing does

Freedom Crossing at Fort Bliss is an open-air shopping center located on the Fort Bliss military installation in El Paso, Texas, operated as a Public-Private Venture between the Army & Air Force Exchange Service and ServiceStar Development Company. The property is described as the world's only open-air shopping center on a U.S. military installation that is open to the general public, anchored by the Exchange (PX) and Commissary alongside 50+ privately-operated national, regional, and local retail, dining, entertainment, and service tenants including Under Armour, Bath & Body Works, Texas Roadhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle, Starbucks, Subway, GameStop, The Grand Theatre, and Armed Forces Bank.

The center serves two principal customer segments: the Fort Bliss military community of more than 165,000 people with a daytime population exceeding 49,000 (active duty service members, retirees, and their families), and the greater El Paso civilian population that accesses the property through the Community Access Pass, Trusted Traveler Program, or VHIC registration. On-site amenities include a children's play area, outdoor dining patios, shaded landscape areas, outdoor seating and fireplace, interactive fountains, free Wi-Fi, and a lawn area used for community events such as Splash Bash 2026.

The business model is commercial real estate leasing. Freedom Crossing generates revenue by leasing retail and dining space to its tenants, managed through a Public-Private Venture structure with leasing inquiries handled by RJL Real Estate Consultants. The property operates daily from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM at 1611 Haan Rd, Fort Bliss, TX 79906, with marketing conducted through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, the property's website directory, and on-site events programming.

Name

Freedom Crossing

Website

https://freedomcrossingatfortbliss.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Shopping Center

akta.pro primary industry

Military / Government Base Mass Merchandisers (Exchange Stores) (CRAGABAI)

Keywords

• Open-air shopping center
• Military retail leasing
• Commercial real estate
• Military installation retail
• Tenant lease operations

Headquarters

HQ city

El Paso

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail and Dining Tenant Leases: Freedom Crossing generates revenue by leasing retail space to national, regional, and local retailers operating within the shopping center on the U.S. military installation. The center features existing anchors (Exchange and Commissary) alongside privately-operated name brand tenants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freedom Crossing at Fort Bliss operates an open-air shopping center on a U.S. military installation that is open to the public, leasing retail, dining, entertainment, and service space to national, regional, and local brand tenants. The center is anchored by the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (The Exchange) and the military Commissary, and serves both the Fort Bliss military community (165,000+ people, 49,000+ daytime population) and the greater El Paso community through the Community Access Pass program. Revenue is generated through tenant leases within the shopping center.

Product overview

Freedom Crossing at Fort Bliss is an open-air shopping center on a U.S. military installation that is open to the public. It is a single unified retail destination combining retail stores (Under Armour, Bath & Body Works, Dollar Tree, GNC, GameStop, 5.11 Tactical, U.S. Patriot), grocery (Commissary), entertainment venues (The Grand Theatre, The Battleground Gaming and Collectables), and dining options (Texas Roadhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, Starbucks, Chipotle, Panda Express, Chilis, Panera Bread, and many more). The center also includes essential services (Armed Forces Bank, The UPS Store, Pharmacy, Fort Bliss Family Dentistry, Vista Optical, Tactical Rehabilitation, Leisure Travel Services). The Exchange and Commissary serve as the primary anchor tenants, alongside privately-operated name brand retailers and restaurants. Amenities include children's play area, outdoor dining patios, shaded landscape areas, outdoor seating, outdoor fireplace, interactive fountains, free wireless internet, and lawn area for community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open-Air Shopping Center A single open-air shopping destination at 1611 Haan Rd, Fort Bliss, TX 79906, hosting more than 40 tenants across retail, dining, entertainment, grocery, and services, anchored by the Exchange and Commissary, and serving the Fort Bliss military community and El Paso public via Community Access Pass.

Quantifiable outcome

• Military community served: 165,000+ people
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Army & Air Force Exchange Service (The Exchange)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Exchange is a joint military command with two primary missions: providing quality merchandise at low, tax-free prices to the military community, and improving quality of life by providing a dividend to support Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs. The Exchange operates more than 3,100 facilities in more than 30 countries. The Exchange and ServiceStar Development Company formed a Public-Private Venture to develop Freedom Crossing at Fort Bliss.
• ServiceStar Development CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServiceStar Development Company has successfully developed more than $500 Million in open-air centers, mixed-use projects, neighborhood retail shopping centers and single tenant build-to-suits around the country. The ServiceStar team creates highly-successful projects with enduring community appeal. They formed a Public-Private Venture with The Exchange to develop Freedom Crossing at Fort Bliss.
• RJL Real Estate ConsultantsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRJL Real Estate Consultants handles leasing inquiries for Freedom Crossing at Fort Bliss. They are the point of contact for retailers interested in leasing space at the shopping center.
• National VisionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational Vision has been a solid partner with The Exchange since opening their first location in 1997 at Eglin AFB. Vista Optical locations on military exchanges serve active duty, retirees, and military families with name-brand products and state-of-the-art services at low prices.
• Santikos EntertainmentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSantikos Entertainment operates The Grand Theatre at Freedom Crossing. They stand as a leading name in the American cinema industry, ranking within the top 10 theater circuits nationwide, overseeing 27 locations across eight states.
• Damascus GamingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDamascus Gaming operates The Battleground: Gaming and Collectables at Freedom Crossing. They host local tournaments and events including tabletop events, fighting games, first person shooters, and more.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tanger Inc. Public outlet and open-air shopping center operator with a portfolio of retail centers anchored by national brands. Comparable as a broad shopping center operator with similar open-air format and tenant mix.
• Brixmor Property Group: Public REIT owning and operating a national portfolio of open-air shopping centers anchored by grocers and necessity-based retailers. Comparable as a multi-tenant open-air shopping center operator.
• Phillips Edison & Company: Public REIT focused on grocery-anchored open-air shopping centers. Comparable as a shopping center owner with similar multi-tenant, community-serving formats anchored by daily-needs tenants.
• Simon Property Group: Largest U.S. retail REIT operating malls, premium outlets, and open-air centers. Comparable as a broad incumbent in retail real estate with overlapping national-brand tenants and similar leasing economics.
• Brookfield Property Partners: Global real estate operator with a significant retail portfolio including open-air shopping centers. Comparable as a broad incumbent in retail real estate with similar leasing and asset management approach.
• Federal Realty Investment Trust: Public REIT focused on open-air, mixed-use shopping centers in dense suburban markets. Comparable as a high-quality open-air shopping center operator with similar tenant mix and community-gathering positioning.
• Kimco Realty: One of the largest publicly traded retail REITs in North America, specializing in open-air shopping centers. Comparable as a broader shopping center owner/operator with grocery-anchored, multi-tenant formats.

Direct peers

• Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS): Administers Marine Corps exchanges and on-base community services including retail, dining, and entertainment. Comparable as a military-installation retail and community gathering operator with a similar captive customer base.
• Army & Air Force Exchange Service (The Exchange): JV partner and the largest operator of military retail exchanges in the U.S. and across 30+ countries. Operates the PX/BX anchor tenants and is the most directly comparable military retail operator to Freedom Crossing's concept.
• Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM): Operates exchanges on Navy installations worldwide, providing the same retail, dining, and services model to a military community. Directly comparable as a military-installation retail destination with similar anchors and customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FreedomCrossing
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FreedomCrossingatFortBliss
• Facebookfacebook.com/freedomcrossingatfortbliss
• Instagraminstagram.com/freedomcrossing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freedom-crossing-at-fort-bliss

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freedom Crossing