Northpark Mall (Mississippi)

Center Court, June 2010

Northpark Mall is a two-level enclosed regional shopping mall on County Line Road in the city of Ridgeland, Mississippi, across from the state capitol of Jackson, Mississippi. The mall opened in 1984 with four anchors — Jackson-based McRae's, Gayfers, D.H. Holmes, and J. C. Penney. Northpark also has a cinema located in the back of the mall, originally a 10-screen operation, which later expanded to a 14-screen state-of-the-art setup under Regal Entertainment Group's United Artists Theatres brand.

Northpark's initial success took most of the remaining business from the struggling Jackson Mall, south of the Madison-Hinds county line, which had opened in 1969 with three anchors. J. C. Penney and Gayfers were two, both relocating to Northpark in 1985, while Woolco closed prior to Northpark's opening. Jackson Mall has since been redeveloped as a medical mall, providing health care for the inner city urban poor.

Northpark Mall's current direct competition, Metrocenter Mall, was built in southwest Jackson in 1978, also with four anchors — McRae's, Gayfers, D.H. Holmes, and Sears. All D. H. Holmes stores would eventually be acquired by Dillard's in 1989, with the Little Rock-based chain assuming locations at both Northpark and Metrocenter. While Metrocenter was Mississippi's largest mall and remains so today, it began to suffer in the late 1990s due to the perception of crime in the city. The newer Northpark, in suburban Ridgeland, rode the economic boom.

In the midst of a volatile local market, a downturn came at Metrocenter in April 1999 when its Gayfers anchor closed due to the Dillard's buyout of Gayfers' parent company, Mercantile Stores. Another blow came in 2004 when Dillard's announced they were closing its Metrocenter location, and consolidating operations to its Northpark properties — anchor spaces at the ends of the mall's north and south wings, acquired via D. H. Holmes and Gayfers.

A third anchor conversion came in March 2006, as all McRae's stores, including the store at Northpark and Metrocenter, were rebranded by Belk. Both the McRae's and Proffitt's chains had been purchased by Belk in late 2005. Belk of Metrocenter Mall was closed in August 2009. This will boost patronage at the Northpark and Dogwood Festival locations.

Anchors

• Belk (205,000 sq ft.), formerly McRae's
• Dillard's (North) (155,276 sq ft.), formerly Gayfers
• Dillard's (South) (150,000 sq ft.), formerly D. H. Holmes
• J. C. Penney (177,449 sq ft.)

External links

• NorthPark Mall Website
• Northpark Mall (Mississippi) on Twitter
• Northpark Mall on Facebook
  • Simon Property Group
• Jackson Medical Mall

32°24′05″N 90°07′46″W / 32.40145°N 90.12956°W / 32.40145; -90.12956 (Northpark Mall)Coordinates: 32°24′05″N 90°07′46″W / 32.40145°N 90.12956°W / 32.40145; -90.12956 (Northpark Mall)