Fort Henry Mall in Kingsport, TN: 49 Years of Shifts, Closures, and a New Push in 2025

A Mall You Could Walk Without Thinking

The skylight above the main hallway still lets in a steady, low amount of daylight, softened by the glass railings and a carpet that is gray and beige.

Gated storefronts are behind this area. One still has a striped awning from a store that moved out a long time ago.

People still come here, but they do not stay as long as they once did.

On Reddit, someone described it as “bright but empty,” and others have repeated this.

Even the directory is now short, with only fifteen names listed on the official Fort Henry Mall website.

Still, you might see kids with soda cups, some people walking for exercise, and an occasional visitor stopping in for the public library.

Anyone looking for things to do in Kingsport, Tennessee, might walk through without planning to stay.

And yet, something makes people pause long enough to look up at the ceiling again, where the light still comes in as it always has.

Commercial Foundations and Regional Pull

Fort Henry Mall opened on March 10, 1976, with a clear goal: to become the dominant retail space in Kingsport.

Its location at the corner of Fort Henry Drive and Memorial Boulevard made it easy to access, and the two-story design made it stand out compared to the older Kingsport Mall, a few miles away.

Early anchor stores included Sears, JCPenney, Miller’s Department Store, and Belk.

These stores took up large spaces on the edges of the building, and the inside area brought in both national retailers and local shops that changed over time.

There was no main food court, so restaurants were scattered along the walkways. By the late 1990s, the mall listed more than 65 operational stores.

Most stores were what you would expect in a mid-size regional mall: clothing chains, small stands selling accessories, and shoe stores.

Even so, the variety was enough to keep the mall occupied and the parking lots in use.

For many shoppers, it was not a stylish place, but it had everything they were looking for.

Big Promises, Bare Walls

Signs appeared in 2008 to announce changes. The mall began using the name Kingsport Town Center in brochures before starting any renovation work.

The plan was to update the interior first, then move to the exterior.

Drawings showed brick fronts, a two-story atrium, a courtyard, and a walkway with outdoor-style stores leading to a rebuilt JCPenney.

Plans included a food court near the old Belk Home and Kids area, new flooring, and a play area for children.

The cinema was also supposed to expand, growing from 11 to 14 screens, with a dining terrace above.

The renovation would cover almost every part of the 530,000-square-foot property, aiming to increase it to 634,000 square feet with added outparcels.

They expected to spend $30 to $40 million. By early 2010, the slogans stayed, but no construction had begun.

General Growth Properties stopped managing the mall, and The Hocker Group took over.

The next events were a gradual departure of tenants. Chick-fil-A and Radio Shack closed soon after Christmas 2009.

Waldenbooks closed in January, and Dollar Tree opened in July.

The area planned for dining remained unused.

As more stores closed, the lighting upgrades from 2009 looked less like real progress and more like a short-term fix.

Lease Battles and Turnover Deals

Frank Theatres arrived in 2012 with big plans for the old cinema.

They planned a 12-screen entertainment venue that would offer bowling lanes, laser tag, bumper cars, and an IMAX.

None of this construction started. Construction dates passed without progress. Summer went by, then spring, and the idea quietly faded.

By late 2016, Hull Property Group bought the mall and secured a 20-year tax break from Kingsport.

They took on not just empty stores but also a lawsuit.

Frank Theatres had stopped paying rent that March. The landlord issued an eviction notice by October.

In December, both sides appeared in court. The settlement required Frank Theatres to leave the space but keep all cinema equipment behind.

By July 2017, NCG Cinemas moved in, remodeled the space, and reopened with updated interiors.

Around the same time, Dunham’s Sports took over the former Belk Home location as part of Hull’s first physical upgrades.

Returning to its original name, Fort Henry Mall, the mall dropped the “Town Center” branding to reflect its past.

Although many national chains had left, the structure remained mostly intact. The changes were mostly in the signs and lease arrangements.

Anchor Closures and Tenant Drain

By mid-2018, the former Sears building had been demolished.

After it closed in early 2017, the entire structure was taken down, and in its place was a mowed lawn where one of the original anchor stores had stood for over four decades.

No new building was added, and the area stayed open, grassy, and visible from the street.

On June 4, 2020, JCPenney said it would close its Fort Henry Mall store as part of a larger plan affecting 154 locations.

This came shortly after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

By October, the store had closed. Belk and Dunham’s Sports remained as the last anchor tenants.

More national retailers left as well. By early 2023, American Eagle had closed, and the mall’s website showed just 15 remaining stores.

Several other chains had left earlier, such as Justice, Aéropostale, Hallmark, Christopher & Banks, and Kirkland’s.

Some units were closed off or dark inside, and old signs remained. Fixtures were usually left behind.

A few window displays still had mannequins long after the stores had shut.

Reddit and Yelp users uploaded images and comments showing that the mall remained open, though many said it seemed mostly deserted and unusually quiet.

One user noted that the escalators were missing. Another remembered the blue-and-gold carpet from the early 2000s.

New Openings and Infrastructure Plays

In December 2024, Hull Property Group said it would add more retail and entertainment options inside the mall.

They released a phased outline: add an IMAX theater, renovate the NCG Cinemas, and open a new anchor in the former JCPenney space.

Rural King started business in the anchor location in May 2025 after it sat empty for years.

The store included a 1% economic development fee at checkout, which some customers found unclear.

The City of Kingsport issued a statement days later clarifying that this fee wasn’t a city tax and didn’t go into public revenue.

The IMAX build remained underway as of mid-2025. The NCG Cinemas remodel focused on upgraded seating and a layout designed to match the expansion.

No opening date had been set, but the goal was December. Around the same time, utility work around the property showed preparation for outparcels.

Earlier proposals suggested that these spaces could be used for restaurants or small retail stores.

Public Use and Adaptive Leasing

In June 2025, the Kingsport Public Library opened a temporary location inside Fort Henry Mall.

The setup came in response to renovation work planned at its usual facility.

Rather than limit library services while the main building was being worked on, the city created a complete library in a vacant retail location.

The new library is intended to work as a complete branch.

Library services include public computers, research desks, a seed library, a teen room, and areas for children’s programs.

Shelving is set up in what used to be a large retail unit, and seating is placed near big windows.

The public can check out books and other materials, ask for interlibrary loans, and use the typical library services.

The arrangement is for 18 months, but officials have not confirmed when the main site will reopen.

The mall space allows events to continue without interruption. The setup draws traffic into a part of the mall that had been largely quiet for years.

Mixed Reviews and Lingering Gaps

By mid-2025, people still talk about Fort Henry Mall with a mix of interest and doubt.

Some point to the new Rural King and the IMAX project as signs that the place is turning a corner.

There are still photos of closed entrances and glass panels that haven’t changed in appearance.

On Reddit, someone posted a photo of the main hall, cleanly carpeted and softly lit, with a caption that it looks better.

But the comments below focused on the closed storefronts and missing escalators.

In another thread, people discussed making the mall mainly for city and nonprofit use, given the drop in store numbers.

Listings in July 2025 still include only a small set of businesses.

NCG Cinemas remains open during renovation. Belk and Dunham’s Sports hold down their corners.

Rural King fills the JCPenney spot with tools, outdoor goods, and farm supplies.

But in between, the glass and drywall stay mostly untouched. The place is described by visitors as both quiet and well-kept.

They talk about smelling popcorn near the cinema and hearing echoes in the empty halls.

Pictures show benches along the main paths and soft light from the skylights above old sign locations.

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