Hickory Ridge Mall

Story

Hickory Ridge Mall is a community shopping mall located in Memphis, Tennessee. It was severely damaged by a tornado on February 5, 2008. The mall was renovated and reopened in 2010.Key featuresThe mall featured more than 100 stores at its peak.With 855000sqft of gross leasable area it is considered a community "Towne Center" mall.It was opened in 1981 with Goldsmith's (later Macy's) and Sears as the anchor stores. In 1986 it was expanded with Dillard's. MM Cohn and Dawahares also operated as junior anchors. In 1997 the mall was renovated to help the mall compete with the Wolfchase Galleria mall opening that year. By the early 2000s, the mall had begun to lose tenants due to shifting demographics and a number of vacant big-box stores in the area. The Dillard's store closed in early 2006.TornadoOn February 5, 2008, the Hickory Ridge Mall was hit by a tornado. The Sears store, the Macy's store, and the mall's main entrance were heavily damaged, but despite an initial statement from management that the mall would remain closed "indefinitely" for cleanup, temporary repairs made at record speed allowed Sears to reopen on Sunday, February 10, 2008. Significant repairs and restorations will still be required, however. Several people were injured. A spokesperson for the state's Emergency Management Agency said that one person was killed; however, it was never confirmed, although three people were killed at a warehouse near the mall. Debris from the mall, in the form of insulating foam, was scattered all over the Memphis area, following the storm path northeastward at least 15mi to the Wolfchase area.