Metrocenter Mall (Jackson, Mississippi)

MetroCenter Mall; One Metro Place

The front of Metrocenter
Location	Jackson, Mississippi, United States
Coordinates	32°17′59″N 90°15′6″W / 32.29972°N 90.25167°W / 32.29972; -90.25167Coordinates: 32°17′59″N 90°15′6″W / 32.29972°N 90.25167°W / 32.29972; -90.25167
Opening date	March, 1978
Developer	Cadillac Fairview
Owner	Cannon Management, City of Jackson
No. of stores and services	85
No. of anchor tenants	2
Total retail floor area	1,153,723 sq.ft.
Parking	7,200 spaces
No. of floors	2
Website	Shop Metrocenter Mall

Metrocenter Mall is a regional shopping mall in southwest Jackson, Mississippi, USA. The largest shopping mall in Mississippi,^[1] it is composed of 1,250,000 square feet (116,000 m²) of retail space on two levels. Despite this mall opening with four anchors; its only remaining two anchors are Sears and Burlington Coat Factory. Jackson Public School District is in the works as a third anchor. Metrocenter Mall has the only Sears outlet in the Central Mississippi region and the first of two Burlington Coat Factory locations in the state. The mall is bound by Interstates 20 and 220, and U. S. Highway 80. In December 2009, the City of Jackson bought the former Dillard's property at the Metrocenter Mall as part of their plan to redevelop the US Highway 80 corridor. In July 2010, the former Belk building has been sold to a local developer and mix use space is underway, consisting of retail, office, and restaurant space on both levels. After the past few years under the management leadership of Grubbs and Ellis, the mall is now managed under the direction of a local Jackson firm known as The Overby Company.

History

Metrocenter Mall, developed by Jim Wilson Developers, opened in 1978 with 120 shops on two levels. The anchors included Jackson-based McRae's, along with Gayfers, Sears, and D.H. Holmes. Two of the department stores had upscale restaurants — McRae's included Widow Watson's, while D.H. Holmes offered its Potpourri Restaurant. Metrocenter also once had a Service Merchandise and a 4-screen United Artists theater in outparcels. The new mall took away much of the business of the older Jackson Mall, built in 1969 with J. C. Penney, Gayfers and Woolco as its anchors. That property has since been redeveloped as a medical center providing health care for the urban poor.

For years, Metrocenter enjoyed success even after the 1984 opening of Northpark Mall, in Ridgeland, 15 miles (24 km) north of Metrocenter and across the Hinds-Madison county line from Jackson.

Rebrandings

The mall's south anchor, D.H. Holmes was acquired by Dillard's in 1989 and its Potpourri Restaurant was closed. In 1999, Dillard's acquired Gayfers and after announcing the store would remain open, it was closed the same year. In 2006, McRae's department store was sold and rebranded to Belk. Sears is the only anchor that has remained the same throughout the mall's life.

Decline & Redevelopment

Metrocenter began to decline in 1999, when Dillard's acquired Mercantile Stores, the parent company of Gayfers, and closed the Gayfers located in the mall's north anchor space. By 2004, Metrocenter south anchor Dillard's closed its former D.H. Holmes store, leaving Sears and McRae's the remaining anchor stores. Within the next two years, McRae's was acquired by and converted to Belk. The long-closed Widow Watson's restaurant, once part of McRae's, eventually became Brittyanna's, an upscale soul food fine dining restaurant that has since closed.

By 2007, Metrocenter had long experienced a steady pattern of tenant businesses vacating the mall and its surroundings for more affluent areas. A significant reversal of the trend came on August 31, 2007, as Burlington Coat Factory opened in the lower portion of the former Gayfers anchor space to great fanfare, drawing patrons more than 90 miles (140 km) away. Statistics show traffic had increased at the mall by as much as 3,000 cars per day.^{[citation needed]} Due in part to the recent closings of several national tenants, such as Waldenbooks, Lane Bryant, New York and Company, Sbarro Italian Eatery, Sports Avenue, Kay Jewelers and now Steak Escape, the mall maintains no more than 50% occupancy. According the National Association Shopping Centers, a dead mall is classified with occupancy rates below 85%. A few locals have replaced the spaces vacated by national chains, for example, a locally-owned hamburger restaurant, known as 4-Real Grill, replaced a vacant McDonalds location inside the mall.

Changing demographics in the Jackson metropolitan area, as well as perception of dangers within the mall's corridors have contributed tremendously to substantial shop vacancies and anchor relocations/consolidations to the outskirts of the city.

On June 5, 2009, Belk announced that they would be closing the Metrocenter store in mid- to late-August 2009 to focus its efforts on nearby stores at Northpark Mall in Ridgeland and Dogwood Festival Market in Flowood.^[2]

In December, 2009, the Jackson city council voted 6-1 to purchase the 170,000-square-foot (16,000 m²) former Dillard's anchor store for $39,500. The city hopes to renovate it and spur a revitalization of the area.^[3]

In July 2010, after sitting vacant for nearly a year, the former Belk building was sold to a local developer and will consist of retail space on the bottom level and Jackson Public School District offices on the upper level.

In October 2010, despite hope for a revitalized Metrocenter Mall, it continued to lose national chains such as Victoria's Secret, MaxRave, Foot Locker, Shoe Show, and Bath & Body Works.

In December 2010, Development firm Watkins Partners announced intentions to move forward with development plans Project Retro Metro and will start in January 2011 converting the former Belk department store into a mix use of food court, restaurants, city offices, and retail space. David Watkins, President of Watkins Partners, said "Metrocenter has bottomed out; its so close to being a dead mall without being a dead mall" but he believes his plan will stabilize the mall and has plans to eventually purchase the entire mall.

By January 2011, the city of Jackson announced intentions to relocate city offices such as area police presinct, water and sewer, public education, public access television studio, and parks and recreations departments into 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m²) of lower level of the former Belk department store. The food court, restaurant, and retail space would occupy another 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m²) of the 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m²) of space on the lower level.^[4]

Project Retro Metro

Project Retro Metro is the current name given the redevelopment project of Metrocenter Mall to begin in January 2011. In July 2010, a local developer has purchased the former Belk department store with retail, food court and other professional office space in the works. Also, the redevelopment project consist of indoor water theme park, movie theatre, 250 room hotel, apartment space, additional retail space and parking garages to accommodate the current anchors Sears, Burlington Coat Factory and the additional tenants.

Metrocenter Area

Metrocenter area is the geographical area surrounding the Metrocenter Mall. This has area has seen a steady decline, primarily around the Highway 80 corridor and portions of the Robinson Street/Highway 18 corridors with fierce competition from newew malls outside of Jackson such as Renaissance at Colony Park, Dogwood Promenade and Northpark Mall. A local group, headed by former mall manager Nina Holbrook, is working to try to change that. In recent years, the Metrocenter Area lost prominent national and local tenants such as Kmart, Toys R Us, the East Ford auto dealership, Campo's Electronics, Sherwin Williams, Putt Putt Golf, Pizza Hut, Hollywood Video, Rex Appliance Stores, Hoopers Audio Video, The Steake Shoppe, El Chico Mexican Restaurant, Shoneys, Merchants & Farmers Banks, and Hardees. However, some national and local retailers have either remained in the area or has since located to the area. The former Kmart is now home to the Furniture Zone and KJ's Superstore. The former Toys R Us is now Beauty Supply Warehouse, a national tenant. Suit City has taken residence in the former Sherwin Williams while a church is expected to renovate and move into the former Campo's Electronics store soon. A pawn shop and car audio shop has taken residence in the former Hardees Restaurant. Burlington Coat Factory replaced Gayfers, Dollar General built a new store in 2009 near the mall. The former Paradise Pools & Spas is now home to Fantasia's Hair Salon and Over The Rainbow, a retailer aimed toward gay and lebsian patrons. Saks Operations Center remains an icon east of the mall proper. Metrocenter Area Coalition has also worked to bring a new Nissan dealership to a closed Nissan dealership east of the mall. A local church, New Horizon Church International, has also purchased a former shopping center east of the mall, once anchored by Walmart and Jitney Jungle grocery store. The church is located inside the former grocery store and has announced plans to bring more commercial businesses back to the shopping center. In early 2010, east of Metrocenter also in South Jackson, California based developer Jessie Wright purchased the long abandoned Jackson Square Shopping Center and work is underway to convert the center into an outlet mall.

Anchors

• Sears (west anchor; 224,136 sq ft.) - the chain's only full-service location in the area.
• Burlington Coat Factory (88,432 sq ft.)
• Metro Business Park (east anchor, 250,000 sq ft) - former Belk; city offices, retail and food court.

Former anchors

• McRae's (east anchor; 228,114 sq ft) - location became Belk, closed 2009, sold to developer.
• D. H. Holmes (south anchor; 173,565 sq ft) - became Dillard's in 1989, closed in 2004; location currently vacant, building sold December 2009.
• Gayfers (north anchor; 176,863 sq ft) - closed 1999; lower level became Burlington Coat Factory in August 2007, vacant upper level to be subdivided into smaller retail stores.
• Belk (east anchor; 250,000 sq ft) - closed upper level in 2008, store closed in 2009; to become Metro Office Park in 2011 to house city offices, offices, restaurants and retail space.

References

1. ^ http://www.metro-marketplace.com/overview.php
2. ^ http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=10485018&nav=menu119_2
3. ^ http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20091229/NEWS/912290335/City-may-buy-former-Metrocenter-Dillard%5C-s
4. ^ http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/city_to_metrocenter_jatran_saved_for_now_122910_/

External links

• Metrocenter Mall official website
• Metro Marketplace official website