Another Myrtle Beach Mall store has closed its doors as redevelopment looms
The referees have left the arena.
Foot Locker, known for its shoe-selling employees who wear referee uniforms, is no longer in operation at Myrtle Beach Mall. All the store’s signage has been removed, its inventory is gone and all that’s left is a darkened room with metal bars keeping it locked.
The athletic apparel store is the latest of many shops to shut their doors at the north-end mall. Bath & Body Works has closed, and J.C. Penney and Hallmark have announced plans to close soon. J.C. Penney is slated to close April 24 and Hallmark is advertising that most of its store is at least 50 percent as part of a liquidation, though an official closing date has yet to be announced.
Myrtle Beach Mall is in a transition phase as plans have it being redeveloped into an outdoor shopping center called “The District.” The concept is to make a Market Common-style shopping center that takes full advantage of Myrtle’s natural resources.
DDC Engineers’ Mike Wooten previously said the plans will preserve parts of the mall, which makes the redevelopment more of a challenge than a fresh start. Last month, he said designs for the project were 65 to 70 percent done but he said a timetable for the transition was unclear.
Myrtle Beach Mall Vice President and General Manager Joe Perl provided a written statement concerning store closings and the mall’s redevelopment last month.
“As a policy, we don’t comment on individual store closings, but as you know we are in the final stages of planning for a major re-development of the Myrtle Beach Mall that will have major changes and bring new and exciting tenants to the location,” he said. “We are very excited about the opportunity and will announce more details soon.”
The project first went in front of Horry County Planning Commission on Dec. 27, 2018. The mall, which opened in 1986, has 39 businesses listed in a directory on its website. Aside from J.C. Penney, the mall includes anchor businesses Bass Pro Shops, Belk and AMC Theaters.
