Boone Mall is the first indoor shopping center in the High Country

Western North Carolina

Western North Carolina is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains, thus it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It is sometimes included with upstate South Carolina as the "Western Carolinas", which is also counted as a single media market...

, located on Blowing Rock Road (US 221

U.S. Route 221

U.S. Route 221 is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for 734 miles from Perry, Florida at US Routes 19/98/ALT 27 to Lynchburg, Virginia at U.S. Route 29 . It passes through the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia...

/US 321

U.S. Route 321

U.S. Route 321 is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for 526 miles from South Carolina to Tennessee. The northern terminus of U.S. 321 is between Lenoir City and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, at Interstate 40 exit 364, which is about 4 miles west of Interstate 40's junction with Interstate 75...

) in Boone, North Carolina

Boone, North Carolina

Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, United States. Boone's population was reported as 17,122, as of 2010...

. It has two main anchors: Belk

Belk

Belk is a department store chain founded in 1888 in Monroe, North Carolina, today part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After the founding of the first Belk store, the company grew in size and influence throughout the South via the chain in the USA, with its stores primarily located in the...

 and JC Penney

J. C. Penney

-External links:*...

, and four junior anchors: Old Navy

Old Navy

Old Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...

, T.J. Maxx

T.J. Maxx

T.J. Maxx, sometimes referred to as TJ's or the Maxx, is an American department store chain owned by TJX Companies. With more than 900 stores T.J. Maxx is a major clothes retailer in the United States, whilst also operating stores in a number of other countries.-History:In 1976, T.J...

, Panera Bread

Panera Bread

Panera Bread is a chain of bakery–café quick casual restaurants in the United States and Canada that sells breads, sandwiches, soups, salads, and other bakery items. Its headquarters are in Sunset Hills, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.-Corporate history:In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co...

 and Sears.

History

Opened in February of 1983, its first two tenants were Food Lion

Food Lion

Food Lion LLC is an American grocery store company headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina that operates approximately 1,300 supermarkets in 11 Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states as well as Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia under the Food Lion, Harveys Supermarket, Bloom, Bottom Dollar...

 and Rite Aid

Rite Aid

Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....

, located on the backside of the mall. In March, the rest of the mall was officially opened, including its two main anchors, Belk

Belk

Belk is a department store chain founded in 1888 in Monroe, North Carolina, today part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After the founding of the first Belk store, the company grew in size and influence throughout the South via the chain in the USA, with its stores primarily located in the...

 and JC Penney

J. C. Penney

-External links:*...

. The original design included planters with wooden benches in the middle of the walkways; at the center was a fountain with a wooden bridge crossing over it. The first renovation of the mall happened in the mid-1990s, in which they removed the all the planters and the center fountain. A second renovation, in 2006, replaced flooring and added Old Navy

Old Navy

Old Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...

, Panera Bread

Panera Bread

Panera Bread is a chain of bakery–café quick casual restaurants in the United States and Canada that sells breads, sandwiches, soups, salads, and other bakery items. Its headquarters are in Sunset Hills, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.-Corporate history:In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co...

 and the Tower facade at the front entrance; T.J. Maxx

T.J. Maxx

T.J. Maxx, sometimes referred to as TJ's or the Maxx, is an American department store chain owned by TJX Companies. With more than 900 stores T.J. Maxx is a major clothes retailer in the United States, whilst also operating stores in a number of other countries.-History:In 1976, T.J...

 and Sears Appliance & Hardware moved into the old Food Lion location.

Built on a flood plain, the mall is flanked by three creeks: Boone Creek (front side), Hodges Creek (near Belk) and Winkler Creek (near JC Penney). As a result, the mall is prone to flash flooding from time to time, especially in the front parking area. Despite that, the mall itself has never been flooded, though has come close on several occasions.