Indian Mall
Encyclopedia
Indian Mall was an enclosed shopping mall
located at the Highland Drive-Caraway Road intersection in Jonesboro, Arkansas
, United States
. It was located just north of the junction of U.S. Route 63
(future Interstate 555
) and Arkansas Highway 1.
For more than thirty years, Indian Mall was the only shopping center serving its region. The nearby opening of The Mall at Turtle Creek
in 2006 drew many tenants away from Indian Mall, including the Dillard's and JCPenney anchors. Indian Mall then became a dead mall
, losing all of its tenants except for Sears, an insurance office and a GameStop
which remained for close to two years. As of February 2008, the mall has been closed off except for Sears, and will be redeveloped.
). Indian Mall derived its name from the name of nearby Arkansas State University
's mascot.
The mall first opened as a small shopping center with Blass (a chain owned by Dillard's
; the store was later re-branded Dillard's), TG&Y
, Sears, and a supermarket called Stimson's. J. C. Penney
was added in 1976. TG&Y closed in the 1980s; Dillard's then moved its men's wear and home goods to the former TG&Y space. The supermarket space was converted to a food court
in the 1980s as well.
Indian Mall was used to host various events including athletic team appearances and signings as well as fundraisers for different organizations across the state and country.
In 1998, shortly after the Westside Middle School massacre
, Indian Mall received significant press coverage, as the location where Rev. Phillip McClure, a local pastor, started ministering to people.
Until 2006, Indian Mall was the only mall serving northeastern Arkansas. It featured a variety of national chain tenants, including The Gap
, Waldenbooks
, Sam Goody
, KB Toys
, and Dollar Tree
.
; the Indian Mall would then be converted to non-retail use under this plan. Meanwhile, David Hocker & Associates, a company based in Kentucky, was also proposing a new mall, called The Mall at Turtle Creek; this proposed mall was also to feature Dillard's among its anchors.
Due to a variety of issues, Warmack's Southern Hills Mall never materialized. However, The Mall at Turtle Creek
did open in 2006, including a new Dillard's and a new JCPenney among its anchors. As a result, JCPenney closed its store at Indian Mall, and the Dillard's at Indian Mall was converted to a clearance center (with the Dillard's Men's store closing entirely). Similarly, many of the older mall's tenants re-located to the Mall at Turtle Creek. The site where Southern Hills Mall would have been built has since been put up for sale.
representatives and the security department. Soon after the Champs store was victim to a looting.
This was the only incident reported after the security department was laid off. The few remaining
housekeepers took on security duties in securing the mall in the evenings.
In August 2007, MBC Holdings entered into talks with the Warmack Company to purchase the Indian Mall. MBC Holdings plans on destructing most of the site and then developing it into additional retail space. The deal is contingent on several areas. One is the city of Jonesboro's willingness to allow more retail development and plans for the stores that still occupy the Indian mall and have multi-year leases.
MBC Holdings LLC closed on the property in late 2007. They will proceed with design plans to tear the existing structure down beginning in mid-2008. More than $50 million will be invested in the property, to redevelop it as The Shoppes at CaraLand. February 22, 2008 saw the closure of the mall itself, with only Sears and an insurance office remaining open.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located at the Highland Drive-Caraway Road intersection in Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was located just north of the junction of U.S. Route 63
U.S. Route 63
U.S. Route 63 is a long north–south United States highway primarily in the Midwestern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 in Ruston, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 2 in Benoit, Wisconsin, about east of Duluth, Minnesota. It is not related to U.S...
(future Interstate 555
Interstate 555
Interstate 555 is a future Interstate Highway that is slated to connect Turrell, Arkansas at Interstate 55 to Jonesboro, Arkansas at Highway 91. I-555 is currently under construction as U.S...
) and Arkansas Highway 1.
For more than thirty years, Indian Mall was the only shopping center serving its region. The nearby opening of The Mall at Turtle Creek
The Mall at Turtle Creek
The Mall at Turtle Creek is an enclosed shopping mall located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. It is notable for being the only enclosed mall to open in the United States in the year 2006. Currently, the mall features JCPenney, Dillard's and Target as its main anchor stores, with Barnes &...
in 2006 drew many tenants away from Indian Mall, including the Dillard's and JCPenney anchors. Indian Mall then became a dead mall
Dead mall
A dead mall or greyfield is a shopping mall with a high vacancy rate or a low consumer traffic level, or that is dated or deteriorating in some manner. Many malls in the United States are considered "dead" when they have no surviving anchor store or successor that could serve as an entry into or...
, losing all of its tenants except for Sears, an insurance office and a GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
which remained for close to two years. As of February 2008, the mall has been closed off except for Sears, and will be redeveloped.
Mall development
Indian Mall opened in either 1967 or 1968 as a shopping destination for Jonesboro and northeastern Arkansas. It was also the second mall in the state (the first being Phoenix Village Mall in Fort SmithFort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
). Indian Mall derived its name from the name of nearby Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...
's mascot.
The mall first opened as a small shopping center with Blass (a chain owned by Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
; the store was later re-branded Dillard's), TG&Y
TG&Y
TG&Y was a five and dime, or variety store, chain in the United States. The chain was named for its three founders: Rawdon E. Tomlinson, Enoch L. "Les" Gosselin, and Raymond A. Young. The initials were ordered according to the age of the three, with Tomlinson being the oldest. Founded in 1935,...
, Sears, and a supermarket called Stimson's. J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney
-External links:*...
was added in 1976. TG&Y closed in the 1980s; Dillard's then moved its men's wear and home goods to the former TG&Y space. The supermarket space was converted to a food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
in the 1980s as well.
Indian Mall was used to host various events including athletic team appearances and signings as well as fundraisers for different organizations across the state and country.
In 1998, shortly after the Westside Middle School massacre
Westside Middle School massacre
The Westside Middle School massacre was a school shooting that occurred on March 24, 1998 in Westside Middle School in unincorporated Craighead County, Arkansas, United States, near Jonesboro. A total of five people, four female students and a teacher, were killed. Ten people, nine students and...
, Indian Mall received significant press coverage, as the location where Rev. Phillip McClure, a local pastor, started ministering to people.
Until 2006, Indian Mall was the only mall serving northeastern Arkansas. It featured a variety of national chain tenants, including The Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
, Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks , operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware as well as a children's edutainment chain under Walden Kids...
, Sam Goody
Sam Goody
Sam Goody was a music and entertainment retailer in the United States and United Kingdom, and was owned and operated by Trans World Entertainment which also runs FYE, Saturday Matinee, and Suncoast Motion Picture Company. It specialized in music, video, and video game sales...
, KB Toys
KB Toys
K·B Toys was a chain of mall-based retail toy stores in the United States. It was founded in 1922 by the Kaufman brothers. K·B operated 605 stores in 44 U.S. states, Puerto Rico as well as Guam. It was privately held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts...
, and Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree, Inc. is an American chain of discount variety stores that sells every item for $1.00 or less. A Fortune 500 company, Dollar Tree is headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia and operates 4,010 stores throughout the 48 contiguous U.S. states. Its stores are supported by a nationwide...
.
New mall proposals
As early as 1994, rumors circulated on the arrival of a newer, larger mall to serve the expanding city. Two mall proposals eventually surfaced, one of the proposals being made by Indian Mall's owner, Warmack & Company. Warmack's proposal, dubbed Southern Hills Mall, was to feature a similar tenant roster to the Indian Mall. Southern Hills Mall was also slated to include newer, larger stores for JCPenney, Dillard's, and Sears, in addition to a new TargetTarget Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
; the Indian Mall would then be converted to non-retail use under this plan. Meanwhile, David Hocker & Associates, a company based in Kentucky, was also proposing a new mall, called The Mall at Turtle Creek; this proposed mall was also to feature Dillard's among its anchors.
Due to a variety of issues, Warmack's Southern Hills Mall never materialized. However, The Mall at Turtle Creek
The Mall at Turtle Creek
The Mall at Turtle Creek is an enclosed shopping mall located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. It is notable for being the only enclosed mall to open in the United States in the year 2006. Currently, the mall features JCPenney, Dillard's and Target as its main anchor stores, with Barnes &...
did open in 2006, including a new Dillard's and a new JCPenney among its anchors. As a result, JCPenney closed its store at Indian Mall, and the Dillard's at Indian Mall was converted to a clearance center (with the Dillard's Men's store closing entirely). Similarly, many of the older mall's tenants re-located to the Mall at Turtle Creek. The site where Southern Hills Mall would have been built has since been put up for sale.
Closure and redevelopment
In April 2006, Warmack and Company made the decision to cut jobs and eliminated all customer servicerepresentatives and the security department. Soon after the Champs store was victim to a looting.
This was the only incident reported after the security department was laid off. The few remaining
housekeepers took on security duties in securing the mall in the evenings.
In August 2007, MBC Holdings entered into talks with the Warmack Company to purchase the Indian Mall. MBC Holdings plans on destructing most of the site and then developing it into additional retail space. The deal is contingent on several areas. One is the city of Jonesboro's willingness to allow more retail development and plans for the stores that still occupy the Indian mall and have multi-year leases.
MBC Holdings LLC closed on the property in late 2007. They will proceed with design plans to tear the existing structure down beginning in mid-2008. More than $50 million will be invested in the property, to redevelop it as The Shoppes at CaraLand. February 22, 2008 saw the closure of the mall itself, with only Sears and an insurance office remaining open.