Fort Henry Mall

Fort Henry Mall is a regional enclosed shopping mall in Kingsport, Tennessee, serving the city and surrounding communities. The property opened on March 10, 1976, at the intersection of Fort Henry Drive and Memorial Boulevard as Kingsport's second enclosed shopping mall. It was originally developed with a two-level layout and a department-store-led tenant mix, including Sears, JCPenney, Miller's Department Store, and Belk. The mall's principal competition at the time was Kingsport Mall, located roughly two miles away and anchored by Montgomery Ward and Hill's. Kingsport Mall later closed and was converted into the outdoor East Stone Commons retail center, leaving Fort Henry Mall as the area's principal enclosed regional shopping destination. The property has accommodated more than 65 stores over its history, combining national chains with local businesses. Its retail offer has included department stores, apparel, footwear, beauty, specialty retail, restaurants, and entertainment. Unlike many enclosed malls, it has not maintained a conventional centralized food court; dining businesses have generally been distributed through the mall. The property has also contained a movie theater, which became an important part of several later redevelopment proposals. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the mall was marketed under the Kingsport Town Center name and was the subject of ambitious renovation and expansion plans. Proposed work included new flooring, seating and gathering areas, a children's play space, updated façades, a clock tower, a food court, new entrances, restaurant outparcels, and substantial changes to the JCPenney and cinema areas. One version of the proposal would have increased the overall project footprint from approximately 530,000 square feet to approximately 634,000 square feet. The projected investment was described at the time as roughly $30 million to $40 million. The plans were repeatedly delayed and ultimately were not delivered in their announced form, amid management changes, tenant departures, and uncertainty over the theater project. The mall experienced significant occupancy pressure during the 2010s. Stores including Chick-fil-A, RadioShack, Waldenbooks, Dollar Tree, and numerous apparel and specialty retailers departed or relocated. Marquee Cinemas announced in 2011 that it would leave and build a separate facility, while a proposed replacement entertainment center involving Frank Theatres failed to proceed as planned. In 2016, Hull Property Group acquired the property and obtained a long-term tax incentive from the City of Kingsport intended to support redevelopment. The mall returned to the Fort Henry Mall name as part of an effort to strengthen its local identity. The theater dispute became a legal and operational issue. Hull Property Group sued Frank Theatres in 2016 over unpaid rent and contractual matters connected with the proposed theater redevelopment. Frank had stopped paying rent and received an eviction notice; a settlement resulted in its departure in April 2017, with equipment left at the property under the settlement terms. NCG Cinemas subsequently remodeled the theater and reopened it in July 2017. Mall renovations also began in 2017, including the conversion of former Belk Home space for Dunham's Sports. Anchor changes continued. Sears announced in January 2017 that it would close its Fort Henry Mall store at the end of March. JCPenney later announced in June 2020 that its store would close as part of a nationwide reduction, leaving Belk and Dunham's Sports as the principal remaining anchors. Rural King opened in May 2025 in the former JCPenney space, occupying the remaining vacant anchor location. The property continues to operate, although its tenant base has contracted substantially; the mall's own materials have reported approximately 14 remaining tenants as of 2026, including a temporary Kingsport Public Library location. Fort Henry Mall therefore represents a smaller, locally oriented regional mall that has adapted through ownership changes, rebranding, anchor replacement, and selective redevelopment rather than through completion of its earlier large-scale expansion concepts.

Fort Henry Mall opened on March 10, 1976, as Kingsport's second enclosed shopping mall. Located at Fort Henry Drive and Memorial Boulevard, it was designed as a two-level regional center with Sears, JCPenney, Miller's Department Store, and Belk as its original major anchors. The mall competed with Kingsport Mall, an older enclosed center approximately two miles away. After Kingsport Mall closed and became the open-air East Stone Commons complex, Fort Henry Mall became the principal enclosed regional mall serving Kingsport. Over time, the mall hosted more than 65 stores, including national chains and local merchants. Its tenant mix covered department stores, apparel, shoes, beauty, specialty goods, restaurants, and entertainment. The property did not develop a traditional centralized food court, with restaurants and snack businesses instead spread through the building. A cinema operated as an important traffic generator and later became central to redevelopment plans. A major repositioning effort was discussed from the late 2000s onward. The project was associated with a temporary or promotional name change to Kingsport Town Center and called for new floors, seating areas, a children's play area, updated architectural treatments, a clock tower, a food court, new entrances, restaurant outparcels, and expansion of the JCPenney and cinema zones. Proposed plans varied, including a new or expanded JCPenney building, a promenade and courtyard, a two-story cinema-side atrium, a food court, a dining terrace, and an increase in the overall project area from about 530,000 to 634,000 square feet. The announced cost range was approximately $30 million to $40 million. The work was repeatedly postponed and ultimately abandoned in its announced form. The mall's difficulties were reflected in store closures and relocations. Chick-fil-A, RadioShack, Waldenbooks, and Dollar Tree departed around 2009–2010, while later losses included Aéropostale, Kirkland's, Shoe Dept., Charley's Grilled Subs, Justice, Deb, Hallmark Cards, MasterCuts, and Christopher & Banks. The Belk Home and Kids operation was consolidated with the main Belk store, and vacant areas intended for a food court did not receive the proposed conversion. The cinema plans also changed repeatedly. Marquee Cinemas announced in 2011 that it would not renew its lease and intended to build a separate facility. In 2012, Frank Theatres proposed a 12-screen entertainment center with an IMAX auditorium, bowling, laser tag, bumper cars, and a restaurant. The project did not break ground. After Hull Property Group acquired the mall in 2016, the owner and Frank Theatres became involved in litigation concerning unpaid rent and contractual obligations. Frank had stopped paying rent in March 2016 and received an eviction notice in October. A settlement led to its departure in April 2017. NCG Cinemas then remodeled the theater and reopened it in July 2017. Hull Property Group's acquisition also marked a renewed effort to stabilize the property. The company obtained a 20-year tax incentive from the City of Kingsport and began renovation work in mid-2017. Dunham's Sports entered the former Belk Home space. The mall restored the Fort Henry Mall name, presenting the change as an effort to reconnect with the surrounding community. Anchor erosion continued when Sears closed in 2017 and JCPenney announced its closure in 2020. Belk and Dunham's Sports became the remaining principal anchors until Rural King opened in May 2025 in the former JCPenney space. By 2026, the mall's own website reportedly listed only about 14 tenants, one of which was a temporary Kingsport Public Library location. The mall remains active, but its history is now defined by a transition from a traditional department-store regional center toward a smaller, locally oriented retail and service property.

• 2025

  Rural King opens

  [1]Fort Henry Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Rural King occupies the former JCPenney anchor space in May.

• 2020

  JCPenney closes

  [1]Fort Henry Mallen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney leaves the mall as part of its nationwide store-closure program.

• 2017

  Sears closes and the theater changes operators

  [1]Fort Henry Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears closes in March; Frank Theatres exits in April; NCG Cinemas reopens the remodeled theater in July.

• 2016

  Hull Property Group becomes owner

  [1]Fort Henry Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Hull Property Group acquires the mall and receives a long-term city tax incentive for redevelopment.

• 2012

  Frank Theatres proposes entertainment-center redevelopment

  [1]Fort Henry Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A proposed 12-screen complex with IMAX and additional entertainment uses fails to begin construction.

• 2011

  Marquee Cinemas announces departure

  [1]Fort Henry Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema operator announces that it will leave the mall and pursue a separate facility.

• 2009

  New interior lighting installed

  [1]Fort Henry Mallen.wikipedia.org

  New lighting was installed in mall hallways and courts in November.

• 2008

  Kingsport Town Center name begins appearing in marketing

  [1]Fort Henry Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Advertising and mall-door signage begin using the Kingsport Town Center name during preparations for a proposed repositioning.

• 1976

  Fort Henry Mall opens

  [1]Fort Henry Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The two-level enclosed mall opens on March 10 with Sears, JCPenney, Miller's Department Store, and Belk as original anchors.

A community-serving regional shopping mall focused on department-store, sporting-goods, farm-and-home, specialty-retail, dining, and entertainment uses in Kingsport and the surrounding Northeast Tennessee market.

• Department store · 1976

  Belk

  Belk is one of the mall's original anchor tenants and remains a principal department-store presence. Its merchandise historically spans women's, men's, and children's apparel, accessories, beauty, home goods, and seasonal products. The former Belk Home and Kids area was consolidated into the main Belk operation during the mall's period of attempted reconfiguration.

• Sporting goods · 2017

  Dunham's Sports

  Dunham's Sports occupies space formerly associated with Belk Home and provides sporting goods, athletic apparel, footwear, outdoor equipment, hunting and fishing merchandise, and related seasonal products. Its arrival was part of the selective renovation activity undertaken after Hull Property Group acquired the mall.

• Farm and home retail · 2025

  Rural King

  Rural King opened in the former JCPenney anchor space in May 2025. The farm-and-home retailer typically combines agricultural supplies, hardware, tools, outdoor goods, workwear, automotive products, and seasonal merchandise, giving the mall a large-format anchor with a different proposition from its former department-store tenants.

• Cinema and entertainment · 2017

  NCG Cinemas

  NCG Cinemas operates the mall's movie theater after taking over the venue formerly associated with Marquee Cinemas and Frank Theatres. NCG remodeled the theater and reopened it in July 2017, preserving an entertainment use within the mall after earlier expansion and cineplex proposals failed to materialize.

• 2010You have to believe it to see it

  Kingsport, Tennessee

  Promotional signage presented the planned Kingsport Town Center renovation and expansion as a major future transformation, highlighting proposed new entrances, interiors, a food court, children's area, and entertainment improvements.

  Outcome. The advertised redevelopment was repeatedly delayed and was ultimately not completed in the proposed form.

  Source

• 2025

  Rural King fills the former JCPenney anchorStrategy

  Background

  JCPenney's closure in 2020 left a large anchor space vacant.

  Action taken

  Rural King opened in the former JCPenney space in May 2025.

  Aftermath

  The mall regained a large-format anchor with a farm-and-home retail focus.

  Source

• 2017

  Theater operator is replacedStrategy

  Background

  Frank Theatres did not complete its proposed entertainment-center project and became involved in a rent and contract dispute with the mall owner.

  Action taken

  Following a settlement and Frank Theatres' departure, NCG Cinemas took over, remodeled the theater, and reopened it.

  Aftermath

  The mall retained a cinema use, but the previously proposed IMAX, bowling, laser-tag, and other entertainment expansion did not proceed.

  Source

• 2016

  Hull Property Group acquires the mallM&A

  Background

  The mall had experienced tenant losses and stalled redevelopment plans under earlier ownership and management arrangements.

  Action taken

  Hull Property Group purchased the property and pursued a city-backed tax incentive to support renovation.

  Aftermath

  Renovation work began in 2017, the Fort Henry Mall name was restored, and Dunham's Sports was added, although occupancy continued to decline.

  Source

1. 1Fort Henry Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Fort Henry Mall official websitekingsporttowncenter.com