Pennrose Mall has some confusion on the date it opened with the dates 1965 and March 1968 thrown out there, though I am leaning more to the latter. When opened, the mall had two anchors: Rose's and Winn-Dixie. Rose's was located in the middle and Winn-Dixie on the north end of the mall. Rose's remains as the sole original anchor. Belk Stevens came later. Today, Belk forms the south end of the mall as well and appears to be original. It is unclear when it was added, though, but it actually did not open with the mall. After all, the mall was not credited as the first Belk-anchored mall, so it most likely opened in 1969 or 1970 (Belk Beery pioneerred the concept in Savannah, GA). The Winn-Dixie, located in a very small space, was quickly outgrown and left the mall most likely in the late 1970's to a larger store on an adjacent outparcel. The replacement store remains vacant today, probably closing in 2005 when Winn-Dixie completely left North Carolina. Lastly, JCPenney came into to replace the original mall space in 1986 vacated by Winn-Dixie. However,it is unclear if anything was there in between that time. If it was anything else, it was most likely Globman's or Spainhour's closing before the rest of the chain. JCPenney itself left the mall in 2001.
Belk's mall entrance features the new logo at stark contrast to the aging center. The first photo shows the ramped section of the mall between Belk and Rose's suggesting the later addition of Belk to the mall. Photo by digital sky taken February 19, 2011 (above) and August 3, 2011 (first photo).
Empty kiosk in the mall of unknown use. Photo by Digital Sky taken February 19, 2011.
Hibbett Sports. One of only about three non-local shops in the mall. Photo by digital sky taken February 19, 2011.
Rose's is red; Belk is blue. This sign's a little dated; the mall is too. Photos by digital sky taken February 19, 2011.
Pennrose Mall features a strange configuration where the anchors are built into the east side of the mall while no anchors are situated along the west side of the mall: only smaller shops. Rose's in particular is not accessible except through the mall as well. This pretty much forces shoppers of Rose's to enter the mall, benefiting smaller shops in the mall but also making all of those shops very dependent on Rose's own success to draw traffic. Belk and the now-closed JCPenney, however, both have a side entrance which allows shoppers an alternate entry since there is no direct entrance from the front without entering the mall.
One Stop Cellular and a local florist catering to your needs. This means you can buy your phone there, get it set up and call the florist instead of ordering in person since it is such a long, harrowing walk between the two shops. Photos by digitalsky taken January 19, 2011
Rose's is on the left and Belk is down the hall. The Rose's outside entrance is to the right. Photo by digitalsky taken January 19, 2011.
Sure Save Shoe Show. Shay that ten times fasht (ahem) say that ten timsh fat...okay, forget it. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
Concrete floors, rows of lights, dropped ceilings and ancient storefronts. Photo by digitalsky taken August 3, 2011.
What is also distinctive about Pennrose Mall is the complete lack of modernization. Other than repainting, the mall is in a complete time warp with concrete floors, interior brick walls, spartan design and an over-sized front entryway. Other than the doors, there is otherwise no natural light inside the mall itself. Most malls like this were either renovated, closed or demolished by the 1990's, so finding one like it is rare in 2011. What is also notable is the metallic awning that extends just below the ceiling the entire length of the mall. To say the least, it is about as inviting as a middle school built in the era. The only real draw are the steps between Belk and Rose's, which break the otherwise straight shot of the mall. Outside, the mall features metal panels over the main two mall entrances that appeared to have originally been anodized aluminum but were painted over at least twice: puddy colored before and now a marine blue.
Looking up the north end of the mall approaching JCPenney. You can see the labelscar above. From this angle, the mall looks more like an enclosed strip mall. Photo by digitalsky taken August 3, 2011.
Mostly covered glass for JCPenney. The sign in the window reads "Closed" so that you do realize that there is glass there and you can't just walk through it. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
Reading this is like listening to a skipping record. I love it when they do this, though. Reminds me of the repeating "R" on Rich's in the 70's and 80's. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
This is what they didn't want you to see...the decaying hulk of JCPenney sitting idle since 2001. Ten years of decay really shows...I guess the heat and humidity do their work even if the ceiling is maintained. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011
Today, Pennrose Mall is in an awkward position. Nearly every major route has by-passed the downtown area, including the mall. While it retains its status as the main area of retail in the city, any new construction would quite possibly lure Belk and Rose's away, leaving the mall lifeless. Interestingly enough, the mall seemed to be doing decently up until the past 10 years and was likely fully leased up until JCPenney departed. Not counting the anchors, the mall today contains a mere 14 shops with only 7 of those occupied. Of those stores, Shoe Show, One Stop Wireless and Hibbett Sports remain the only other reason to go there with the rest mom 'n' pop stores. The mall would be very easy to de-mall into a strip mall because of this, though hopefully it never comes to that.
On the north end of the mall is this creepy labelscar for JCPenney left behind on the outside. They must have run out of blue paint before they reached this end of the mall. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
Side entrance to JCPenney. Now HOW did Winn-Dixie manage to be in a store like this? I still cannot believe it was really here, but Globman's I could definitely see in this space. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011
Rose's inside looks pretty well unchanged from the day it opened. I'm sure it smells that way, too. Photo by digitalsky taken January 19, 2011.
No luck finding those vintage blouses with shoulder pads on e-bay? Just look here, you're bound to find it! This Belk store looks about as dated as the one I saw at Tri-City Mall. Did it open as Belk Beck? Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
The doors, lobby and breezeway are just huge! Were they expecting the place to be swamped? Was it ever? Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
Pennrose Mall is also in a unique position to expand with vacant land behind it and a vacant Winn-Dixie on the outparcel. The only current obstacle is the Social Security building. Imagine just cutting a new mall wing between the Belk and Rose's into a backwards L-shaped mall wing. While hardly a SouthPark, the mall could probably support smaller box tenants such as TJ Maxx, Books-A-Million, a Peeble's or a gym. Belk could also expand into that space as well. Belk could also expand into the empty adjacent shops (gaining a new mall entrance), and the grocery store on the back side could be connected into the mall making it more attractive to potential tenants like Bottom Dollar or Just $ave. In all, this is fantasy but some of these ideas could be tried in the existing space as well.
Belk's updated logo on the mall entrance looks very much like an afterthought compared to the more appropriate older logo. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
Rose's, however, looks completely approrpriate on its entrance. In fact, this may be the best that sign has looked on any building. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
A whited out Cato sign flanks the outside of the mall showing that national chains do have a history there. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
Belk's side entrance looks more like an emergency exit. The concrete basement-like wall isn't too beautiful either. Couldn't Belk at least spruce this up? Photo by digitalsky taken August 3, 2011.
Winn-Dixie's later store behind the mall. Photo by digitalsky taken August 3, 2011.
In all reality, Pennrose Mall still exists because the town currently does not present an attractive enough opportunity to redevelop the center. It's small enough to maintain as is, too expensive to redevelop and the anchors are staying put for now with limited retail development around the city. All the mall really needs is a good way to fill the empty space, a more attractive look inside (such as a couple skylights) and a larger draw. Because of that, the most logical plan is to tie the dead JCPenney and the dead Winn-Dixie together into a strip mall component with a strong anchor tenant such as those I mentioned above filling and expanding the old JCPenney space. While outmoded, it is still small enough and interesting enough to find some creative ways to make it work. It will always, however, be a lower end mall catering to a small town that was lucky enough to get something more exciting than a boring strip mall.
Mall entrance near JCPenney with Cato labelscar on left. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
Old Belk labelscar in mall. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
More empty storefronts in the mall. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
The condition of this sign suggests it's been there quite awhile. Is this sign original? Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
I definitely cannot deny the sign looks cool, but it's also a little strange. Photo by digitalsky taken February 19, 2011.
ALSO: An additional map of the mall is forthcoming. For now, the lease plan is available online.
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GREAT writeup and awesome photos. This is something I must check out for myself.
ReplyDeleteSo I assume JCP just left town (I'm assuming if they moved Belk would have followed)? I've noticed in towns about this size the only truly healthy shopping center tends to be the one anchored by Wal-Mart. It's a shame when the mall can't support the types of chains that are usually the last stores standing (GNC/Radio Shack/Bath & Body Works)...I have a feeling once Belk eventually leaves the mall will prolly die :-/
ReplyDeleteYep I looked it up and the closest JCPenney is now in Danville VA, twenty miles away. What a sad reality. The JCP labelscar and the JCP logo in the windows is a glimpse to a mall that saw better days.
ReplyDeleteThat said, this mall is in horrible condition as is the Belk store. The Roses inside entrance looks hideous. Is that Shoe Show part of the Shoe Show chain or is it something local/generic? Either way, what an ancient outdated logo! Along with that putrid road sign this mall is just begging for wrecking balls to come.
What a bizarre little mall. Was this originally an open-air mall that they enclosed at some point? Minor renovation would really liven the place up. Skylights would be good, too!
ReplyDeleteScott
The Shoe Show here is part of the Concord, NC-based chain. The signage has not been updated. Their signs used to read "sure save Shoe Show" at one point in the late '70s and early '80s.
ReplyDeleteThey just replaced the old sign that is shown above. JC Penney closed in 2001, so Belk's is the only department store in Reidsville now, so they continue to do steady business. A couple other stores are locally owned and have been there as long as I remember. They have very loyal clients, And Hibbett does well since it's the only sports store in the area. And senior citizens use "The Hall" (our affectionate nickname for the place) for daily walking.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought with the uber-original condition of the Pennrose store (not to mention the mall itself) Belk would not have bothered to put the new logo on this location...
ReplyDelete