Florence Mall: Florence, SC

The Deep South, unlike other parts of the country, never was featured often in industry retail photography during the golden age of retail. It is difficult to find quality photos of old stores and shopping centers in these places, but a few exist. One mall oddly stands out: Florence Mall in Florence, SC.  What is curious is that this mall seems to have been featured in a couple postcards when it opened, thus preserving the memory of the long-demalled center in its glory days. As one of the first malls in the state, it was never a large mall, but it had high visibility as an oasis for travelers en route to and from Myrtle Beach: a drive with long stretches of nothing in between.  Located in a small city, this open-air center opened in on August 30, 1965 along U.S. 76 featuring department store anchors Belk and J.L. Coker Company as well as grocery store A&P and a Roses (five and dime).  JCPenney would not arrive at the mall for two more years, but it would become the mall's largest anchor tenant.

Another curious thing about the mall is its striking similarities to the original Richland Mall in Columbia and Tri-Cities Mall in Forest City, NC.  Were they all built by the same developer?  The developer of this mall was a partnership of Alexander Corporation and Masten-Langston Realty of Charlotte.  Downtown merchants were highly displeased with the opening of this mall, and they sought to steal some of the thunder by converting a portion of West Evans Street into a pedestrian mall in 1967.  However, that project was too little, too late as JCPenney was already in the process of moving to Florence Mall with Coker's and Belk already at the mall.  While the downtown mall would ultimately be removed, another mall rose up and overtake Florence Mall much sooner.  In all, Florence Mall was able to dominate the market for about 14 years until it was supplanted by larger, enclosed Magnolia Mall, which opened in 1979. Considering how much smaller it was than Magnolia Mall, it's not a surprise it lost its anchors, but the funny thing is it never really died.

Postcard image by Ernest Ferguson of the mall in its prime followed by an image posted in the Charleston News (now Post) & Courier showing the mall's Belk store.

People have asked if a mall still exists, and photographer Mike Kalasnik is about to find out.

A low fence did not hold back Mike Kalasnik from checking out what was beyond.

Scenes like this are why the old malls were so much better than the malls of today...a moody mix of dark tones and peculiar placement of skylights with trees and plants growing to them.  Belk was originally on the right.  Photos by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

According to the Florence Morning News, two years after Florence Mall opened, the mall underwent a major expansion that added 126,000 square feet.  This addition, which opened on August 17, 1967, brought in the forementioned JCPenney along with 20 additional stores and a Piggly Wiggly on an outlot on the west side of the mall.  Piggly Wiggly would later take over half of the old JCPenney years after JCPenney departed.  The former Piggly Wiggly today is subdivided among a Sprint store, Game Stop, Jos. A Bank, and other tenants and is unrecognizable.  In addition, Belk added 10,000 square feet to their store.  This addition brought the mall's square footage up to 288,000 square feet.  It was this addition that solidified the mall's position in the market while finishing off downtown Florence as a shopping destination.

While no actual picture is available, here is an add from the Florence Morning News showing us its classic "Funky P" store as it looked when it opened on August 17, 1967.

This Penney's ad not only shows an architectural drawing of the store, but also includes some awesome Penney's branded electronics.  JCPenney phased out electronics in 1985.  (Florence Morning News, August 17, 1967)

This ad here is golden.  Not only does it show us how AMAZING the original mall sign was, but it also gives us a glimpse of the old "Funky P" mall entrance that remained at this location until 1980 meaning that this store operated as JCPenney a mere 13 years!  (Florence Morning News, August 17, 1967)

Even Penney's Auto Center makes a cameo in the grand opening article.  It does not appear to still be standing and is most likely where Wells Fargo is today. (Florence Morning News, August 17, 1967).

Belk expansion ad.  This appears to have been just before the introduction of the big "B". (Florence Morning News, August 17, 1967)

Porter's Gift Shop apparently moved from downtown to the mall during the 1967 addition and continued to operate there years after JCPenney and Belk departed closing sometime after 2012.

During the 2000's, the interior mall courtyard was mostly closed off to the public.  However, most people do not realize that much of the old mall is still there with the mall portion hidden from the public behind an "employees only" notice.  Essentially, instead of converting the mall into a strip, the owners of the mall turned the mall inside out as basically a square strip surrounding a mostly walled-off mall corridor that now functions as a break area for employees and a back entrance for vendors, thus it is no longer open to the general public.  They achieved this by filling in all but one entrance corridor with stores.  How often are these malls hiding from our view that were supposedly redeveloped?

No 60's mall is every complete without a few faux-Colonial touches.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

About to enter the mall.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Looking back from the main mall to the one remaining entrance wing.  Compared to the 1960's photo, the overhead walkways look completely different now.  The entrance wing that still exists is on the NE side of the mall.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Looking northeast to the north end of the mall where the "MERRY CHRISTMAS" banner and Belk entrance off to the right was posted.  In the background is now a wall for Ross, which filled in part of the mall corridor.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

The wood-grained ceiling and update of the overhangs was most likely done sometime in the 1980's as a means of trying to renovate the mall back into legitimacy.  It clearly did not work to save the interior mall.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Walking toward the former location of JCPenney.  The planter itself might be original.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

The curious thing about Florence Mall is that it did not follow the usual pattern of older open-air 1960's malls in that, while it died as a mall, it remains a major retail center as part of the retail corridor supporting Magnolia Mall nearby.  By filling in the main entrance corridor and making the other entryways less accessible, they have effectively demalled the center without demolishing a single structure!  Compare that to other similarly designed open-air malls like Tri-City Mall in Forest City, NC.  That mall is mostly vacant in the core despite two healthy anchors.  Also, unlike Tri-City Mall, the interior mall corridor apparently received a major update sometime in the 1980's or 1990's so that it does not resemble the postcard views of the mall with the A-frame canopies.

  Continuing toward the former JCPenney.  Cokers was originally on the left.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Mike finds a mysterious door off to the left.

Where did this door go?  Was this the mall entrance to the original Cokers or was it something else?  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

To the right, Mike finds what appears to be the southwest mall entrance corridor opened up.  It was sealed off after the 2000 "demalling"

Once upon a time, shoppers came upon the mall entrance to Funky P.  Today, a few mall employees come across a giant concrete slab with an overhang covering an emergency exit.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Looking away from the former JCPenney back into the main mall.  Why is the mall on the left suddenly a void here?  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

The loss of the interior mall was slow, but the anchor losses came very quickly.  When Magnolia Mall opened, Belk, JCPenney and Roses all fled to the newer, larger mall.  Belk and Roses left in 1979 while JCPenney left in 1980.  Coker's was sadly left behind, apparently unable to afford the move.  By 1982, they threw in the towel and closed the entire chain.  The loss of Coker's was not exactly a small deal.  It was a department store that had been in business since 1865, and it had locations in Sumter, Myrtle Beach and a half-block long flagship store in Hartsville in addition to the Florence Mall store.  While not much is known about the store today, it was one of several prominent department stores in South Carolina that found they were unable to compete with the influx of larger, improved chain department stores and enclosed malls.   Coker's was sold at the mall, but it is not clear what it was immediately after it was sold.  The loss of anchors did not mean that all of the empty stores anchors remained vacant, however, as it was still located on a hot retail corridor close to the new mall.  This meant that the once dominant mall was, for a few years, repurposed as an ancillary mall.

Cokers ad from 1975 from the Charleston Times (Post) & Courier.

  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

This one skylight is located near the "employees only" entrance in the main mall.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

A very South Carolinian planter scene complete with palmettos.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Piggly Wiggly (former JCPenney) with the former store entrance rather obvious based on architectural cues.  Redbone Alley takes over part of the store in the second photo.  Photos by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Something to remember is that, despite its small size, Florence Mall was a pretty substantial mall for its day. The mall included a national department store, five-and-dime, two grocery stores, a local department stores, and a regional department store. This also resulted in many stores having both interior and exterior access making the stores easy to fill when the mall itself began to fail.  Belk was replaced by Peebles, and the vacancy left by JCPenney was later replaced in part by Piggly Wiggly in 1985. It is not certain about how long A&P remained, but it likely remained in the mall up until A&P pulled out of the market in the 1980's.  It is not clear what else was there in the interim, but it did appear that the vacancies remained high in the mall throughout the 80's and 90's.  Peebles most likely closed by the 2000's, consolidating with a nearby store that is today Goody's.

Blink and you miss it.  This is the narrow corridor that Mike found to access the real Florence Mall (what's left of it).  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

The back side of now-closed Porter's Gift Shop is the approximate location of the arched doorway found in the mall.  What was this originally?  This is inset next to the former JCPenney on the left.  On the right (not visible) is the former Coker's.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Cici's Pizza takes up part of the former Belk and covers up the northern mall entrance corridor.  This is the precise location of the "MERRY CHRISTMAS" banner next to Belk, but facing in the opposite direction.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Piggly Wiggly from this angle gives no indication of its former life as JCPenney.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Dress Barn fills in tenant space next to the one remaining interior entrance corridor.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Rugged Wearhouse is owned by Gabe's (formerly Gabriel Brothers) and Shoe Carnival filled in former mall space and the front entrance corridor.  Photos by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

In 2000, the mostly dead mall got its makeover by turning the mall inside out.  By that point, what stores were left mostly had parking lot access and closed off their access to the mall itself chosing instead to face the parking lot.  This resulted in a closure of the mall around 2008 to the public with the rest of the stores filled with mostly big boxes.  It helped that every anchor except for JCPenney was a smaller inline store.  Thus, quite a few anchor changes took place since 1979.  Peeble's later closed and was replaced by Ross, which uses part of the original mall area for storage and deliveries.  Coker's is today Stein Mart, which means it is possible this was an early location of Stein Mart (opened in the 80's).  T.J. Maxx also came to fill the A&P slot that had previously been subdivided into smaller stores.  Redbone Alley took over the vacant half of the former JCPenney next to Piggly Wiggly, and the former Rose's became Ulta.  Other stores would follow turning a dead open-air mall into a very healthy, but oddly shaped strip mall.  What was done was what needed to be done, but it is a shame these stores cannot open up into the courtyard to give shoppers an option to relax in the middle of shopping.

Stein Mart had originally operated as Coker's Department Store from 1965-1982.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Ross was Belk from 1965-1979 and was Peebles for an unknown period after Belk left the mall.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Ross's delivery entrance is what was originally the northern entrance to the mall corridor with Belk on the left and A&P on the right.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

T.J. Maxx was formerly A&P and faces the front of the mall.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

Petco, Ulta Cosmetics, and JoAnn Fabrics are under construction in this view.  JoAnn filled in what was a front mall entrance corridor next to JCPenney.  Ulta was originally the Roses location.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

The mall's logo being an asterisk is highly appropriate since it is a *mall.  Photo by Mike Kalasnik taken February 3, 2012.

In a sense, Florence Mall has come full circle.  While new tenants filled in much of the mall's old space, many smaller tenants remain vacant in the middle of the closed-off mall.  Today, that interior mall is being marketed for office space while the exterior is the healthiest it has been since the 70's.  Meanwhile, nearby Magnolia Mall is starting to struggle from the troubles with the department store industry.  Both Sears and JCPenney have left the mall leaving only one traditional department store left with Belk.  These vacancies at Magnolia Mall may again pull stores from Florence Mall who will be seeking deals from desperate mall managers.  While it is good that the mall was not actually torn down, it would be nice to see what was there one day opened again to the public: perhaps in a time after larger superregional malls like Magnolia have run their course.

Grand opening ad with full list of original tenants.  Notice that JCPenney is not listed.  It did not arrive for nearly two more years.  Image from the Charleston Times (Post) & Courier.

Downtown's reaction to the construction of Florence Mall.  Image from the Charleston Times (Post) & Courier.



A crudely-drawn map produced in 2013 showing the approximate original anchor line-up in the mall and orientation of corridors.

Crosscreek Mall/Greenwood Mall: Greenwood, SC

The Carolinas can definitely be described as overmalled, and South Carolina is no exception even with a more sparse selection of malls than its northern neighbor. It seemed that every town of any size in both North and South Carolina had at least one mall by the mid-1980's. Greenwood is one of those towns "of any size" with a population of a little over 23,000 in a city with about 69,000 residents in the county grouped into a trade area of nearly a quarter million people. At the time that Crosscreek Mall, now Greenwood Mall, was built, Greenwood County was experiencing a population boom with a growth of 16%. The county has continued to grow since then, though at a far more modest pace.

Crosscreek Mall first opened in August of 1979. Built by Jim Wilson & Associates, the mall was your typical small city mall of that period with two major anchors and two ancillary anchors all on one level. The line-up included Gallant Belk and JCPenney as its two major anchors. Its two ancillary anchors included Meyers-Arnold and Wilson's Showroom rounding off the mall as a fairly solid, if not small, one-level mall. I do not use the term "junior" anchor because the other two anchors were close to the same size as Belk. Meyers-Arnold was between Belk and JCPenney fronting the mall while Wilson's was in the rear.

Normally I do not lead off photos with pics of mall entrances, but these are curiously the best design-wise that this mall has to offer. The JCPenney's reflective entrance casts a gold hue against the gaudy colors of the mall, but its steps, ramps and garden underneath are a sight to behold. Belk has this likewise. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Detail of the garden area next to Belk reveals that floor tiles in the ramp areas are original. I'm assuming the rest of the flooring was probably terrazzo or brown brick-patterened linoleum. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.


More detail of plants and ramps outside of JCPenney. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.


Even more with some of the steps. The planters form a circular area in the middle near the entrances to JCPenney and Belk. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

For a mall that has never changed its shape at all, the mall has seen a ridiculous amount of anchor shuffling since it opened. The first anchor changes at least were related to corporate restructuring of the anchor tenants and not anything to do with the mall itself. This came initially with the buyout of Wilson's by Tennessee-based Service Merchandise (their first major acquisition) in 1985. A couple years later, major regional chain Meyers-Arnold became another location of the rapidly expanding Atlanta-based Upton's chain. Despite this, the mall would see very little change otherwise until the end of the 1990's.

Coal mines have canaries and malls have Chick-Fil-A. As long as the mall has a Chick-Fil-A, the mall is doing fine. When Chick-Fil-A closes, the mall closure is imminent. The city has one other Chick-Fil-A nearby, but it is drive-thru only suggesting that the quirky chain is committed to the mall. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

With a big carpeted empty circle in center court, it is clear that something is really missing. Whatever it was, the mall's original name alludes to something quite impressive. Now, it just looks like a place to to do a dance number or yoga session. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Here is a slightly different angle of center court, which has been a bit more difficult to get to since Upton's remained vacant for so long and Sykes Enterprises is clearly not open to the public. Chick-Fil-A is bound to love them, though, from 12-2. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

In the early 2000's, Crosscreek Mall became Greenwood Mall when it was purchased by Hull Storey Gibson. They have been creative in their attempts of keeping this mall viable, but I give them the most accolades for keeping this one of the very few malls in their portfolio to retain a few original design features such as the indoor gardens in front of JCPenney and Belk and the sunken area in center court (which I presume once had an impressive fountain). This is one feature that does make the mall stand out from others that have been renovated into total blandness within their portfolio. The mall is also laid out at a slope with ramps and steps in the Belk, JCPenney and center courts effectively placing JCPenney at the high end of the mall and Belk on the low end.

The Belk wing of the mall looks reasonably healthy from this angle. Rue 21 seems to have become the default small town teenage store offering lower priced clothing than stores like American Eagle and Hollister. In suburban metro areas, they are usually found in upscale strip malls. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Empty stores like this are proof that many tenants have been vacant for quite some time. Stores like this were probably closed in the early-to-mid 90's never having been updated a single time. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Another dated, empty storefront is found along the entrance wing adjacent to the store above. 1979 and diagonal slatted wood seem to go hand in hand. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Hull Storey Gibson last renovated the mall in 2002, but their purchase of the mall likely came on the heels of the previous owners failing to re-tenant two dead anchors. This came as a result of the bankruptcy of Service Merchandise in 2002 and closure of the Upton's chain in 1999, neither related to the state of the mall itself. Service Merchandise in particular was never filled by another retail store. It instead became Sykes Enterprises, a call center. Upton's, however, finally got retooled after a long vacancy as a new TJ Maxx. The Meyers-Arnold/Upton's space was better positioned for re-tenanting with street frontage along the front of the mall facing SC 72. The Service Merchandise/Wilson's anchor does not have street frontage, which contributed to the difficulties finding a retail tenant. I wonder, though, if the owners tried to lure a theater to fill the void.

Shoe Department Encore forms the east end of the big-box trio fronting the mall. If this is the encore, then I guess the first showing was a smaller inline store? Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Here is a view inside of the store from the mall. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Hey, dude, you wanna go and check out what's in Service Merchandise? SYKE!
Photo by Dustin Ransdell

It seems today that Greenwood Mall, as it is called, has lost much of its luster. While not a dead mall, the mall still has about a 20-30% vacancy rate for its inline tenants. If not for the pull from Columbia (Columbiana Mall) and from Greenville (Haywood Mall), this mall might be doing better and received a true expansion. In the past year, the front of the mall has been turned into a partial small strip with TJ Maxx opening in the Meyers-Arnold space with Michael's added to the left of it and Shoe Department Encore on the right. All three tenants also maintain mall entrances as well. Two other tenant spaces have been designated as well: neither with direct access to the mall. This means passersby would tend to mistake the enclosed mall as a strip mall. While the mall itself holds its own (it still has Chick-Fil-A, for instance), a shopper should not expect much variety in the stores. I guess I can say at least they found a way to keep the anchors filled, and it is indeed a stronger mall for Hull Storey Gibson.

If the mall leaves you with an empty feeling, you're not alone. But judging by this empty storefront, you almost are. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Exit right this way if you're bored with this mall. I take it you probably are unless you're reading this post for the history. If that's the case, you'll keep looking to see what this place looks like on the outside. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

This appears to be the front mall entrance closest to JCPenney. It received a cheap remodel that makes it hard to tell how to even get inside. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

In my opinion, the future for this mall is an eventual de-mallling. The mall seems successful enough anchor-wise, but it really fails to be the draw necessary to keep a roof on it for another decade. In a sense, the mall is curiously being "big boxed" without removing the mall itself. While this design may increase sales per square foot, it is hiding the fact that there is still a mall behind it. Another issue with the mall is that the mall is landlocked, so an efficient use of space is paramout. In my view, the mall layout is the biggest problem. Because of that, I am going to offer some suggestions in how to make the mall stand out better and still keep the big box modifications.

This vintage beauty on the back side of the mall, however, leaves no doubt on how to get inside. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

These shots so construction along the front to convert the Meyers-Arnold and adjacent space into a big box-mall combo. I guess the owners decided a "stripped-down" approach was best. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Another view of construction with TJ Maxx in the center and Michael's on the left. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Shoe Department Encore was already open at the time this photo was taken. Photo by Dustin Ransdell.

Shoe Department Encore with adjacent mall entrance. Photo by Dustin Ransdell

First, the new TJ Maxx store should be closed (yes, despite just opening) and moved to the back of the mall where Sykes is now, but using somewhat less of the Sykes location's footprint meaning the mall can extend further back into the anchor to add more inline stores. The current TJ Maxx store should then be reconfigured as a new main mall entrance with at least one junior anchor type store on one side (Old Navy, Books-A-Million, Forever 21) and a popular sit-down restaurant on the other (perhaps Lizard's Thicket of Columbia might want to branch out here, but even IHOP might work). The front entryway should also not be built on the cheap. Make it elegant and showy with glass, a two-level atrium, bright color trim and a building material besides stucco: preferably a mixture of brick and stone. Put some funky colored lights hanging down in the atrium to show up strongly at night. The center court should also be reconfigured to have a central focal point to attract returning customers (yes, this means put a nice, terraced fountain, artwork and more elaborate decoration in the sunken area). The existing front mall entrances next to Belk and JCPenney would then be closed off and given to each department store to expand their stores, making the stores more of a draw on their own. Also, replace the carpet with floor tiles in different patterns to make the mall seem more vibrant. Carpet makes malls seem quiet and sleepy. The result would be more interest in the mall itself, a better layout and TJ Maxx would not mind as much moving to the back of the mall with more direct access to the front. Make sure, of course, to place the TJ Maxx sign next to the mall entry, and rename the mall back to Crosscreek Mall since the name is more appealing.

The mall map shows a large "exterior unit available" on the back of the mall between Sykes and JCPenney. I'm assuming this new Sears Dealer Store must be it. Photo by Dustin Ransdell

Belk had a definite model they were using for stores in 1979 for smaller stores with this copper awning. This is one of the least inspired ones. The entrance on the back side of the store is sealed off but still has the awning. Photo by Dustin Ransdell

I am not too Syke-d about anchors being taken over by call centers, but I am psyched about creating bad puns based on the name. Photo by Dustin Ransdell

Here is another prototype: JCPenney's plain white "greenhouse" look. This design endured into the early 1980's. This mall reminds me of when builders sell a set list of models of houses they can build on your property. Does the Cape Cod look not do it for you? Well try the Westbrook! It's only $10,000 more! Photo by Dustin Ransdell

I don't like the sign, nor the name, but clearly I have no authority on such matters so all I can do is complain. Oh well... Photo by Dustin Ransdell

To sum things up, Crosscreek Mall is a mall that is simply outmoded and outdated, not dead. Maybe it will never be full again, but a little planning could go a long way into making it more of a shopping destination. A better design and better layout could attract a better tenant mix keeping customers in the market happy enough not to drive to Greenville and Columbia as often for shopping. While the mall has done a decent job staying viable, and it is more attractive than most Hull Storey Gibson malls, at 33 years some additional creative efforts could give Greenwood residents a mall they could be a source of pride for the area.

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