Kingsport Town Center
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| Location | Kingsport, Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°31′45″N 82°31′14″W / 36.52912°N 82.52048°WCoordinates: 36°31′45″N 82°31′14″W / 36.52912°N 82.52048°W |
| Opening date | 1976 |
| Management | Avison Young |
| Owner | Somera Capital Management |
| No. of stores and services | 65+ stores |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area |
529,814 square feet (49,221.3 m2) (GLA) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | Kingsport Town Center |
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 Avision Young for the owner, Somera Capital Management. The mall has relied on 3 anchor stores: Belk, JC Penney, and Sears.
Over 65 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.
History
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. There were also two plans for expansion, one to JCPenney (which was to be demolished, with a new prototype building built separate from the mall. 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. The plans later changed to expand the current building and renovate. The cinema side was to be expanded out to the end of Sears. That expansion would have included a 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 530,000 square feet (49,000 m2) to 634,000 square feet (58,900 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, selling out their spot to The Hocker Group, the mall's plans were altered to expand and renovate. In November 2009, the mall received all new lighting in the hallways and courts throughout the mall. Then in late December 2009, Chick-fil-A, Radio Shack, and Waldenbooks all announced they would be closing for various reasons. Both Chick-fil-A and Radio Shack closed Christmas and Walden Books closed 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 eventually 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 to build a separate complex in June 2012. This would 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. By December 2011, the mall had gained The Children's Place as a major new store but also lost a cookie outlet and local shoe store.
By April 2012, almost no work has been seen and it seems as if the plans to remodel and expand were scraped except for the theater. It has been announced that Frank Theaters will be building a 12 screen cineplex at the mall located outside the current theater in a parking lot. This theater will not only include 12 screens but an entertainment center including a bowling alley, laser tag, bumper cars, and restaurant that will be located in the current theater space when vacated. Work was suupposed to have begun in Summer 2012. The theater was supposed to have opened in Spring 2013 and the entertainment complex was supposed to have opened a few months later.[1] As of July 2013, none of this work has been started.