The future of Raleigh Springs Mall is still being decided

From first sight, the Raleigh Springs Mall can seem a little deserted.

Located on Austin Peay Highway in the Raleigh area, the mall has stood for more than 40 years, being developed in 1971 by what is now known as the Simon Property Group. In the past it held four anchor stores, such as JC Penney, Sears and Goldsmith’s, and also a movie theater in the ‘90s. Raleigh Springs was once the dominant mall in Memphis. However, things have certainly changed.

“It’s dead,” said Keisha Harris, a woman who has been shopping at the mall “basically all her life” as she describes. “There aren’t a lot of stores anymore.”

And Harris’ comments hold truth to them. There are only 18 spaces in the mall that are being used. Some of the stores still standing are places such as Lenscrafters, Citi Trends and Hibbett Sports. There is even a church called the Spirit of Life that is located inside of the mall. 

Walking through the shopping mall, however, there are a lot of stores that are closed off and have gates blocking the entrances. At least 25 former spaces are not being used, including all of the anchor stores that used to hold business in the mall.

“Unfortunately, we, the citizens of Raleigh, started going over to the Wolfchase Mall and looked to other pastures,” said Kevin Brooks, vice president of the Raleigh Community Council, a non-profit organization.

“To tell you the truth, we don’t utilize the Raleigh Springs Mall, and we allowed it to go down by not utilizing it.”

One employee, Tony Moore, who has been working at the Lady Foot Locker there for four years, mentioned the increase of security being needed for people drifting in the vacant stores. 

“There has been a lot of changes in security. They’re working on securing the mall more, since there are more empty stores, so people just won’t be coming in.” 

Indeed, there are safety issues with the absence of tenants becoming more of a problem.

The decrease of tenants, however, is not the only problem the Raleigh Springs Mall seems to have.

In November of 2012, demolition began on the part of the mall that used to be JC Penney. The demolition process is incomplete, and there is a gap in the walls that one can see from the inside. The building is drab white inside and out, and there are areas in the mall that are not very well lit and low in temperature. If the mall is taken care of, these problems could possibly be fixed. 

The mall might undergo some major changes soon, and maybe the mall could change for the better. Redevelopment plans by the Housing and Community Development Department are being made up for the mall to turn it into a civic center. Not only will there be retail stores, but also other services are entering the site. 

“There’s gonna be good revitalization in the area, because they’re still gonna have commercial interest and retail stores,” said Brooks. “There’s gonna be good redevelopment and it looks really nice.”

The redevelopment could start as soon as next year, and will feature a new Raleigh Springs Library, a skate park, and a farmer’s market. It will also have a walking trail and a possible amphitheater on the site. Much effort is being put into this project to ensure that the area does not lose this once thriving business.

Moore said is confident and optimistic about the mall’s future, and hopes to see that it will get better. “I can see them bringing it up, but they have a lot of work, so it really depends on how much time the city is going to give them to keep on working with it,” he said. “I just want to be on the front end of it when it gets back to where it’s supposed to be.”

Brooks has similar sentiments, and talked about what he wishes for the future of the Raleigh Springs Mall and the community in general. 

“Basically, we need to revitalize Raleigh,” he said. “Unfortunately, Raleigh has gone downhill somewhat, but it’s still a good and very vibrant community, and we’re gonna turn it around.”