Mayberry Mall
Mayberry Mall is a shopping center serving Mount Airy and surrounding communities in northwestern North Carolina.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Mayberry Mall is a shopping center located just outside Mount Airy, North Carolina, on the eastern side of U.S. Highway 52. It serves the Mount Airy area and nearby communities and has historically occupied a distinctive position as a regional retail destination between Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Roanoke, Virginia. The mall’s name refers to Mayberry, the fictional town associated with the television program The Andy Griffith Show, which was set in a community inspired by Mount Airy. The center opened in 1968 with a mix of department-store and general-merchandise anchors. One of its original major tenants was W. T. Grant’s Grant City. After Grant City closed in 1975, its space was converted for use by Kmart. Winn-Dixie also operated as an anchor before relocating in 1978. Belk joined the center in 1970 and became one of its enduring department-store tenants. J. C. Penney later moved into the mall in 1987, adding another major national retailer to the tenant roster. The mall’s anchor composition changed significantly in the 2010s. Kmart closed its Mayberry Mall location in 2016. On June 8, 2018, J. C. Penney announced that its store would close on July 9 of that year, leaving Belk as the mall’s only remaining traditional department-store anchor at that point. The change reflected the broader pressure faced by enclosed and small-market shopping centers as department-store chains reduced their physical footprints. On February 8, 2019, South Carolina-based developer WRS Inc. acquired Mayberry Mall from Kohan Retail Investment Group. WRS announced plans to redevelop the property, and the redevelopment was completed in 2021. Hobby Lobby opened at the mall on January 4, 2021, providing a new major tenant and helping reshape the center’s post-department-store retail mix. The reported current anchor lineup includes Belk, Hobby Lobby, and Shoe Show, with the latter operating under the Shoe Dept. brand name. Mayberry Mall is therefore best understood as a local and regional shopping-center property rather than a conventional consumer-goods brand. Its identity combines geographic service, recognizable tenants, and a name tied to Mount Airy’s cultural association with Mayberry. Its ownership and tenant changes illustrate the evolution of a small-market American mall from a department-store-led format toward a more varied retail model.
History
Mayberry Mall opened in 1968 just outside Mount Airy, North Carolina, east of U.S. Highway 52. Its name was drawn from Mayberry, the fictional community associated with The Andy Griffith Show. Because Mount Airy is widely associated with the program’s inspiration, the name gave the shopping center a locally distinctive identity while it developed as a conventional regional retail property. At opening, the mall included W. T. Grant’s Grant City as one of its original anchor stores. Grant City closed in 1975, after which the space became a Kmart location. Kmart remained part of the mall’s anchor history until its store closed in 2016. Winn-Dixie also served as an anchor tenant during the mall’s earlier years but relocated in 1978. Belk joined the center in 1970 and became its longest-running department-store presence. J. C. Penney subsequently moved into the mall in 1987, strengthening the center’s role as a regional destination for department-store shopping. The property’s market role was notable because it was described as the only shopping center between Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Roanoke, Virginia. This geographic position helped Mayberry Mall serve a broader trade area than Mount Airy alone, although its tenant mix remained subject to the same structural changes affecting many American malls. The decline and closure of major department-store and discount-store locations gradually altered the center’s original format. J. C. Penney announced on June 8, 2018, that its Mayberry Mall store would close on July 9, 2018. The departure left Belk as the only remaining anchor at that point. On February 8, 2019, South Carolina-based developer WRS Inc. purchased the mall from Kohan Retail Investment Group. The transaction was accompanied by plans to redevelop the property rather than leave the center dependent on its earlier anchor configuration. The redevelopment was completed in 2021. During that period, Hobby Lobby opened at the mall on January 4, 2021. The reported anchor lineup after the changes included Belk, Hobby Lobby, and Shoe Show, with Shoe Show operating the footwear location under its Shoe Dept. brand. These tenants gave the mall a combination of department-store apparel and general merchandise, crafts and home décor, and footwear. Mayberry Mall’s history reflects several stages in the development of smaller regional shopping centers: an initial department-store-led format, replacement of an early anchor after a chain closure, the addition and later departure of national department-store tenants, and a redevelopment intended to refresh the property for contemporary retail use. Its cultural name and Mount Airy location remain central to its identity, while its commercial profile is defined by the tenants occupying the center at any given time.
- 2021
Redevelopment is completed
[1]The redevelopment planned after the 2019 acquisition is completed.
- 2019
WRS Inc. purchases the mall
[1]WRS Inc. acquires Mayberry Mall from Kohan Retail Investment Group and announces redevelopment plans.
- 2018
J. C. Penney store closure announced
[1]J. C. Penney announces that its Mayberry Mall store will close on July 9, leaving Belk as the only anchor at that stage.
- 2016
Kmart closes
[1]The Kmart location at Mayberry Mall closes.
- 1987
J. C. Penney moves into the mall
[1]J. C. Penney establishes a store at Mayberry Mall, adding another major department-store anchor.
- 1978
Winn-Dixie relocates
[1]Winn-Dixie, which had served as an anchor, relocates from the mall.
- 1975
Grant City closes and Kmart takes over the space
[1]Original anchor W. T. Grant’s Grant City closes, and the location becomes a Kmart store.
- 1970
Belk joins the mall
[1]Belk is added as a major tenant and later becomes the mall’s enduring department-store anchor.
- 1968
Mayberry Mall opens
[1]The shopping center opens just outside Mount Airy, North Carolina, on the east side of U.S. Highway 52.
Products and positioning
A community and regional shopping center serving Mount Airy and nearby northwestern North Carolina markets, with a tenant mix centered on department-store, specialty retail, footwear, craft, and home-related shopping.
Department store · 1970
Belk
Belk is a department-store anchor at Mayberry Mall and has been part of the property since 1970. Its merchandise role includes apparel and other department-store categories, making it one of the center’s longest-standing major tenants.
Arts, crafts, and home décor · 2021
Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby opened at Mayberry Mall on January 4, 2021. The store added arts and crafts supplies, home décor, and related merchandise to the center’s post-redevelopment tenant mix.
Footwear retail
Shoe Dept.
Shoe Dept. is the footwear brand operated at the mall by Shoe Show. It forms part of the reported current anchor lineup and complements the center’s department-store and specialty-retail offerings.
Department store · 1987
J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney was a major department-store tenant that moved into Mayberry Mall in 1987. The store closed in 2018 after the chain announced its departure from the property.
Discount department store · 1975
Kmart
Kmart occupied the former Grant City space after W. T. Grant’s Grant City closed in 1975. The Kmart store remained part of the mall’s anchor history until closing in 2016.
Brand decisions
2021
Hobby Lobby openingProduct launchBackground
The mall’s redevelopment created an opportunity to add a major tenant after the departure of J. C. Penney.
Action taken
Hobby Lobby opened at Mayberry Mall on January 4, 2021.
Aftermath
Hobby Lobby became part of the reported three-anchor lineup alongside Belk and Shoe Dept.
2019
WRS Inc. acquisition and redevelopment strategyM&ABackground
Mayberry Mall was acquired from Kohan Retail Investment Group after the property had experienced the loss of major tenants including Kmart and the announced departure of J. C. Penney.
Action taken
WRS Inc. purchased the mall and announced plans to redevelop it.
Aftermath
The redevelopment was completed in 2021 and was followed by the opening of a Hobby Lobby store.
2018
J. C. Penney store closureOtherBackground
J. C. Penney announced that its Mayberry Mall store would close, following the retailer’s reduction of its physical-store network.
Action taken
The store was scheduled to close on July 9, 2018.
Aftermath
Belk became the mall’s only remaining anchor at that time.
Recent events
- 2021
Hobby Lobby opens at Mayberry Mall[1]
Product launch · Other
Hobby Lobby opened a store at Mayberry Mall on January 4, 2021, adding a major tenant during the property’s redevelopment period.
- 2021
Mayberry Mall redevelopment completed[1]
Other
The redevelopment initiated after WRS Inc.’s 2019 acquisition was completed in 2021.
- 2019
WRS Inc. acquires Mayberry Mall and plans redevelopment[1]
M&A
WRS Inc., a developer based in South Carolina, purchased Mayberry Mall from Kohan Retail Investment Group on February 8, 2019, with plans to redevelop the property.
- 2018
J. C. Penney announces closure of its Mayberry Mall store[1]
Leadership change · Other
J. C. Penney announced on June 8, 2018, that its Mayberry Mall location would close on July 9, 2018. The closure left Belk as the mall’s only remaining anchor at that time.
Sources1 sources
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