West Springfield is home to the Gateway Mall. This mall was built in 1990 and on average has 2500-3000 people shopping there every day. The constant chatter of voices, stomping shoes, wrinkling bags and crunching food is just an example of what Gateway Mall sounds like. Gateway has a variety of stores, 94 to be exact, but this does not include the dozens of small shops lined up throughout the aisles selling pukka shell necklaces, perfumes and other small products.

Gateway, as opposed to other malls, offers a Discovery Zone center, a place for kids to come play while their parents shop. To keep the children entertained Discovery Zone offers a plastic ball pit, slides, rope bridges, monkey bars and many other fun and exhilarating things to do.

Gateway mall is more than just a place to shop. Just last year they built the all new movie theater call Cinemark 17. Complete with Dolby Surround Sound (DSS) and theater like seating this is the place to go. Most of the employees of the new theater are students. These talented people are what help keep things moving well and every thing clean.

Inside the mall may seem exciting, but every year during the summer months Gateway Mall allows organizations to put on their three on three basketball tournament and go-cart races. They also let some of the top automobile companies such as Toyota, Ford, and Chevy bring hundreds of their new, smooth running cars, trucks, and vans to sell in the back parking lot. This is good business for both the dealers and the mall. People go to the mall to see the cars, or they go to see the cars and shop at the mall later.