November 2019 update photos at the below link. Thank you for keeping us posted on the changes at the mall, Philip Hudman
A special thanks to Philip Hudman for providing updated photos and information from the Marshall Mall in Marshall Texas. Some changes are going on right now with Boot Barn moving into a larger location and Hobby Lobby going into the old JCPenney space. Parts of the interior mall have been sealed off making the interior much smaller than before.
As you can see, the former JCPenney to the far right has been boarded up and appears to be under construction. The Boot Barn sign has been moved to the new location.
Inside of the mall.
This corridor has been blocked off. This is the corridor where Boot Barn is moving to. I hope they are going to cover this part of the mall up better.
As you can see, this corridor has been blocked off too, but more store spaces are still open to the public here.
The lighting inside of the mall looks much nicer than in my previous visits.
The updated storefront to Stage looks very nice as well.
Hopefully the changes to this mall will improve business for the interior tenants. Unfortunately, it looks like not many are left. Thanks again Philip for letting me use these photos and information for the blog.
It is sad to see portions of this retro mall closed off, but at least it's still open and at least the open parts are well-maintained. That said, I agree that the partitions in the mall corridors are very cheap looking. Even Greenspoint Mall put in a much better effort. Hopefully that's just a temporary measure.
ReplyDeleteDid the Stage name replace the Bealls name at this mall? The Stage signage on that storefront almost looks like retro 1960s department store signage (like the old Wards' logo) even though it's new.
Anyway, thanks for the update. It's always interesting to check out these small town East Texas malls.
Yes Stage replaced Bealls. Bealls stores little by little are being renovated and changed to Stage stores.
DeleteThe fact that this tiny mall was in a movie makes it even more interesting.
Marshall Mall was one of the Ainbinder malls. Kmart on one end, Bealls in the middle, and JCPenney on the other. It opened in 1979 or so. They were small market malls, and in most cases, the small market just couldn't support so many specialty stores. Marshall was no exception. This mall opened to much fanfare, pulling Bealls and JCP from downtown, and a few smaller stores were also in the mix. There was Toy King, Peanut Shack, Radio Shack, and a catalog merchant called United, plus Waldenbooks. Next to Kmart was Mr Gattis.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this mall was never full. Stores would come and go rapidly, and without warning. Kmart would abandon ship in 1991 or so. JCP, of course, left last year in the mass small store abandoning.
The worst part is that the only other retailer that was in this neighborhood at the time was a Gibson's Discount Center. Walmart, Kroger, Safeway and others built further north of this area.
To say this mall was a waste isn't completely accurate. Several offices and schools have taken advantage of mall space. Blue Cross has occupied the Kmart store for several years.
Someday, Marshall might get better, but I doubt it. A similar mall in Palestine was worse off, and it was built with a Safeway at the end.
Looks like this mall has been demoted to a shopping center.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/news/hobby-lobby-and-ollie-s-to-open-in-marshall/article_c54a0e36-49a0-11e8-9ae6-57f466f75e58.html
Hobby Lobby and the first Ollie's in Texas will be moving in soon.
It is good that the mall property is progressing forward instead of falling into disrepair. Hopefully the new stores will open up into the mall to help the few remaining stores.
DeleteOllie's is an interesting, quirky store. I'm glad to see that one is popping up in the region. We'll see if they ever make their way to Houston.
DeleteYes, that would be awesome. A competitor to Big Lots with some weird and random items.
DeleteI checked out this mall recently and took some new photos which I've linked below. Ollie's and Burkes Outlet have moved in but they have taken up most off the mall space. What's left is a hallway to Stage with some offices on the side. The Factory Connection store moved to a shopping center near downtown.
ReplyDeletehttps://photos.app.goo.gl/iJGqNusSk7CQEYZF6
Wow, they have pretty much closed off the entire mall. They have really done a great job refilling the mall spaces. Since Stage stores is converting all of their brands into Gordmans, I wonder if this store will make the cut. Thanks for the update, can I add the link to your photos to my article?
DeleteI visited this mall about a month before they announced the conversions so I hope it stays. Yeah feel free to use the photos. I've been thinking of taking photos of a couple of other malls like the former Vista Ridge but have been short on time lately.
DeleteI added your link to the post, thank you for letting me share them. Those are some very good photos.
DeleteIs Vista Ridge in Marshall or Longview? I heard that the area near downtown Longview and the old Kmart used to be a busy shopping corridor for the city.
On Vista Ridge I was referring to the now named Music City Mall in Lewisville. Speaking of Longview the former Sears in the mall has been slated to be converted into two other stores. Also it appears that work has begun in the University Mall in Nacogdoches. Possiblity major work in the Belk wing.
Deletehttps://q1077.com/more-stores-closing-whats-next-for-university-mall-pictures/?trackback=fbshare_mobile
I see, I have not visited that mall yet. Deadmalls by Jeff and company visit that mall from time to time.
DeleteThanks for sending the updates. That closed off section of University Mall had some vintage storefronts. I wonder if the Citi Trends is expanding of if another store is going into that corridor. Either way, it is done.