MEMPHIS, TN – Two years after a tornado shuts down businesses at the Hickory Ridge Mall, the new owners of the mall showed myEyewitnessNews.com the progress made towards reconstruction. Phase one is nearly complete. The building is intact, the carousel is up, and forty stores have signed letters of intent to set up shop. “We have been working very, very aggressively to get everything back together,” according to Jimmie Haley, with Hickory Ridge Mall. But not nearly aggressive enough for nearby businesses like Jacquard Home Fashion. In addition to recovering from the twister, Kareem Mohamad and Salti Awwad are also battling twists and turns of the economy. Business is down 75 percent from two years ago. “They went back all the way down to Hacks Cross and the whole area was shut down,” says Mohamad.
Hickory Ridge Mall General Manager Pat Jacobs says the mall is set to reopen in April. Jacobs also says when it does, it’ll provide a huge shot in the arm to the local economy. But two months, may be too late for some nearby businesses. Jacobs tells myEyewitnessNews.com most of the places in the mall will be “Mom and Pop” stores. Without big retailers and an immediate impact, Mohamad and Awwad say they’re fearful they won’t get to see the resurgence of Hickory Ridge Mall. “We keep waiting, we’ve been hearing that almost two years so far, since the tornado hit, so really we need to know is the mall going to open back up or close forever,” Awwad asks. Mohamad agrees. “If it doesn’t I guess we’ll have to call the manager and shut it down.”
The mall’s grand re-opening is set for April 2- April 4, 2010. It will feature a parade and an event that’ll promote community unity. General Manager Pat Jacobs is still looking for entrepreneurs to set up shop in the mall. If you’re interested, call Jacobs at (901)795 -8844. Jacobs says rent and terms of the lease are negotiable.
