Kingsport Town Center
Encyclopedia
Kingsport Town Center, formerly Fort Henry Mall, located in Kingsport, Tennessee
is the only regional shopping mall
serving Kingsport. It was opened March 10, 1976, as a two-level mall located at the intersection of Fort Henry Drive and Memorial Blvd. It has been managed by The Hocker Group for the owner, Somera Capital Managemet. The mall has relied on 3 anchor store
s: Belk
, JC Penney, and Sears
, with an 11-screen Marquee Cinemas
.
Over 60 stores have been located in the mall. Many of the national mall chains have been operating here, as well as some local stores. There is no central food court in the mall, so the eating establishments are spread out throughout the mall.
As of early 2010, the mall had yet to see much work. By this time, the original plans would have been well underway. But due to the mall management group, General Growth Properties
, selling out their spot to The Hocker Group, the mall's plans were altered to expand and renovate. In November 2009, the mall got all new lighting in the hallways and courts throughout the mall. Then in late December 2009, Chick-fil-A
, Radio Shack
, and Walden Books all announced they would be closing for various reasons. Both Chick-fil-A and Radio Shack closed Christmas and Walden Books will be closing in January.
In July 2010, Dollar Tree
(a dollar store
) also closed and moved to another location in Kingsport. The Belk
Home and Kids store recently combined with the Belk Men and Women's store on the other side of the mall. The main Belk store was renovated, customer service was removed, and other space-saving measures took place to make room for the home and kids store to move in. The area that once housed the Belk Home and Kids store, Sugar Momma, and GNC
will be converted into the new mall food court once renovations begin.
In August 2011, Marquee Cinemas announced they will not be renewing the tenant lease and that they will be leaving the mall in June 2012. This will leave the mall without a movie theatre. Little to no work has been done on the mall, and tenants continue to leave for other sites in Kingsport or just pull out of the market completely.
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County...
is the only regional shopping mall
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...
serving Kingsport. It was opened March 10, 1976, as a two-level mall located at the intersection of Fort Henry Drive and Memorial Blvd. It has been managed by The Hocker Group for the owner, Somera Capital Managemet. The mall has relied on 3 anchor store
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s: 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...
, JC Penney, and Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
, with an 11-screen Marquee Cinemas
Marquee Cinemas
Marquee Cinemas is a chain of movie theaters operated out of Beckley, West Virginia since its 1979 inception.Currently, the chain consists of nineteen theaters in the following locations....
.
Over 60 stores have been located in the mall. Many of the national mall chains have been operating here, as well as some local stores. There is no central food court in the mall, so the eating establishments are spread out throughout the mall.
Current renovations and expansion
Starting in 2010, the mall had planned a series of renovations on both the interior and exterior. The interior renovations were expected first, followed by the exterior. Also a name change took place (in mid-2008, for mall advertisements and doors). The renovations include: new stone-paved floors; gathering places with comfortable seating; a new children's play area; a fresh, contemporary design with brick and glass façades; a new clock tower; a food court; and monumental new entry structures. Plus there are two plans for expansion, one to JCPenney (which was to be demolished, with a new prototype building built separate from the mall, but they decided that it would be too expensive). The anchor building would have been connected to the mall with a new promenade-style area with a courtyard and shops lined down a sidewalk. So now, the plan is to expand the current building and renovate. The cinema side is to be expanded out to the end of Sears. That expansion will include two-story atrium with two escalators leading to the second floor. A food court would be on the right (currently Belk Home and Kids), and a dining terrace would be atop the expansion. The cinema will be expanded from an 11-screen to a 14-screen center. There will also be 4–5 outparcels built in the parking lot, which will be mostly restaurants. Interior work was to begin in 2010, which would include the new children's play area. All work should have been completed by 2011, but that date has been pushed back. The mall did get the city to give some incentives for new tenants that may move into the mall. Signs went up all over the mall, telling everyone that big changes are on the way and also telling the new name. The slogan used on the signs is, "You have to believe it to see it". Starting in late June, the mall started using its new name in the local newspapers and Funfest brochures. But the name change wasn't supposed to happen until after the building work was almost finished. If the expansion project is completed, the mall will go from its current size of 530000 square feet (49,238.6 m²) to 634000 square feet (58,900.5 m²), which includes the outparcels. The total cost for all of the renovations and construction has been projected between $30 and $40 million.As of early 2010, the mall had yet to see much work. By this time, the original plans would have been well underway. But due to the mall management group, General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the United States. It is based in Chicago, Illinois at 110 North Wacker Drive, a historic building designed by architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White...
, selling out their spot to The Hocker Group, the mall's plans were altered to expand and renovate. In November 2009, the mall got all new lighting in the hallways and courts throughout the mall. Then in late December 2009, Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A |"fillet"]]) is a quick service restaurant chain headquartered in College Park, Georgia, United States, specializing in chicken entrées and is known for promoting the company founder's claims of Christian values. Long associated with the southern United States, where it has been a...
, Radio Shack
Radio shack
Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...
, and Walden Books all announced they would be closing for various reasons. Both Chick-fil-A and Radio Shack closed Christmas and Walden Books will be closing in January.
In July 2010, 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...
(a dollar store
Dollar store
A variety store or price-point retailer is a retail store that sells inexpensive items, often with a single price for all items in the store...
) also closed and moved to another location in Kingsport. The 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...
Home and Kids store recently combined with the Belk Men and Women's store on the other side of the mall. The main Belk store was renovated, customer service was removed, and other space-saving measures took place to make room for the home and kids store to move in. The area that once housed the Belk Home and Kids store, Sugar Momma, and GNC
GNC
GNC can refer to several things:*General Nutrition Centers*Gibraltar Nynex Communications, a former telecommunications operator in Gibraltar*Guagua National Colleges a private school in Guagua Pampanga.*Guidance, Navigation and Control...
will be converted into the new mall food court once renovations begin.
In August 2011, Marquee Cinemas announced they will not be renewing the tenant lease and that they will be leaving the mall in June 2012. This will leave the mall without a movie theatre. Little to no work has been done on the mall, and tenants continue to leave for other sites in Kingsport or just pull out of the market completely.