Now we will start our Arkansas run with the McCain Mall. This nearly 800,000 square feet property opened in April of 1973. The mall is currently anchored by Dillard's, JCPenney, Deep Discount Furniture and Mattress, and Regal Cinemas. This is the largest enclosed mall in the Little Rock area. McCain Mall is a decent mall with one main level running from the former Sears to the center court and Dillard's. From the center court to Dillard's is a lower-level food court and corridor. The JCPenney mall entrance is also located in this center court.
Out of the 4 malls we visited in Arkansas, this is arguably the least interesting one. That is not to say that this mall isn't good, it certainly has a lot to offer.
The anchor space now occupied by Dillard's opened in 1972 as Pfeifer-Blass. This is a three-level anchor store. Pfeifer-Blass merged with Dillard's way back in 1974 and changed the name of the store.
McCain Mall has a healthy mix of regional and local businesses. There are a handful of vacancies, but the mall seems to be doing well.
The mall is situated on a high point with hilly terrain.
Dillard's has a classic look to the store that has aged well over the years. Little Rock is where the headquarters of Dillard's is located.
Just like Dillard's the JCPenney has a classic look as the store is original to the mall in 1973.
Regal Cinema was the location of M.M. Cohn that was demolished in 2012. M.M. Cohn was a small anchor with just over 40,000 square feet.
Looking at the online history of the mall. It is hard to ignore the high-profile crime that has occurred in and around the mall.
June 1997; a Woman was Raped and Murdered outside of the Sears.
July 2006; there was a double homicide in the parking lot of the mall.
August 2020; a gun was fired in the mall and a man was injured.
December 2020; there was a triple shooting in a vehicle on the East side lot of the mall. One of the victims in that shooting died.
July 2021; Shots fired near the Earthbound store in front of Dillard's.
November 2022; 2 victims were killed in a car in the mall parking lot.
January of 2023; a gun was fired inside of the mall at American Eagle. This store is now closed.
With all that being said, the backside of the mall especially around Sears is a bit sketchy, but I didn't feel unsafe at any time during my visit.
Sears closed on February 2, 2020, and was quickly replaced by Overstock Furniture. Overstock Furniture changed to Deep Discount Furniture and Mattress.
A faint Sears labelscar can be seen at the right angle.
This is the entrance to the Deep Discount Furniture and Mattress Store.
A closed off restaurant space next to the mall entrance.
Now we will enter the mall.
The corridor leading into the main concourse was fairly bland. Thankfully the main section of the mall is better to look at.
Looking from the Regal Cinema court towards the former Sears. The look we see in the mall is from a 2012 renovation.
The entrance to the former Sears.
We will get a better look into the store towards the end of the visit.
The Shoe Department is the main draw in this corridor.
The dark grey/blue colors are a welcome change from the rest of the bland colors throughout the mall.
An unusual vacant storefront.
Looking down the corridor that connects to the center court.
Regal Cinema opened on September 21, 2012. The M.M. Cohn that was previously on this site closed on September 16, 2007, along with the rest of the chain.
The neon here is awesome, I bet it looks even better at night. The newer movie theaters with the bright LED lights are nice, but nothing beats a fully decked out neon cinema like this one.
Further down the bend of the mall.
Now we have our first look at the center court or main court.
Here is the mall map for reference on the layout of the mall. It is a fairly standard layout with a bend.
Dillard's first level looking into the mall.
Some vacant storefronts. The lower level near Dillard's seemed to have the most vacancies.
Entering the food court area.
Back upstairs for a look across the way towards Dillard's.
Closer to Dillard's.
More views from the Dillard's corridor.
Back to the center court area. The mall entrance hallway is straight ahead.
More of the stores and kiosks lining the center court upper level.
A wide view of the center court area and the JCPenney entrances.
Back to the middle section of the mall.
The Regal Cinema court once again with Sears in the distance.
Now for the interior of the former Sears that closed in early 2020.
I wasn't able to get a shot of the upper floor from the escalator. Lots of employees were moving around this area near their checkout which was just past the escalators on the left side.
Even though this is not a Sears anymore, it still has the same smell and design of the old store.
This view could easily be mistaken for a Sears store.
A left-over Sears era sticker still holding on.
The elevator sign still in place in the center of this photo.
The floors, the lights, the beams, the droopy ceiling tiles, it is so good to walk into this place and remember Sears.
There are a lot of great deals in this place with some cool looking pieces of furniture.
If you live in this area and want to find some deals on some furniture, I would check this place out. Add in the bonus of being inside a former Sears building in 2026.
Now for a few more exterior views before we head out.
More to come, stay tuned!
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