Sumter Mall

Sumter Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Sumter, South Carolina, serving as a retail destination for the city and the surrounding central South Carolina area. The property occupies approximately 43 acres and has historically combined department-store anchors, specialty retail, food and service businesses, and community-oriented commercial activity. Its current anchor lineup is identified as Belk, Roses, and Sykes, with the Sykes operation representing a call-center use rather than a conventional retail department store. The development was announced in 1979 by Jim Wilson with Belk and JCPenney planned as its original anchor tenants. It opened on August 6, 1980, under the name Jessamine Mall, a reference to the state flower of South Carolina. The property was also sometimes called Jasmine Mall. Early reports described strong trading soon after opening, with customers traveling from nearby communities to shop at the center. A Sears store was announced for the mall in 1989, further broadening its department-store offering. Hull Storey Gibson acquired the mall in 2000, citing Sumter's role as the retail and financial center for the surrounding area. A renovation followed in 2002, and the property was renamed Sumter Mall. Its formal reopening under the new name took place in 2003. Reported size figures have varied over time, with sources citing both approximately 431,617 square feet and approximately 345,000 square feet. The mall has also been described as one of Sumter County's larger taxpayers and employers; historical reporting stated that it paid approximately $1.3 million annually in local taxes and supported about 850 jobs. The property's tenant mix later expanded beyond traditional retail. In 2009, Sykes Enterprises announced plans for a call center at the mall. The facility opened on September 29, 2010, with South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford attending the opening. Books-A-Million was announced as a future tenant in 2011 and was subsequently built at the property. These changes illustrate the mall's adaptation from a conventional department-store-centered shopping venue toward a mixed retail, services, and employment complex. JCPenney's role as an anchor ended as part of the retailer's national store-closure program. On December 17, 2020, the company announced that the Sumter location would close in March 2021. Despite that departure, Sumter Mall remains an active commercial property with continuing anchor and specialty-tenant functions. Its importance is primarily regional rather than national: it provides shopping, services, employment, and a central gathering point for Sumter and nearby communities.

Sumter Mall began as a planned regional shopping center intended to serve Sumter and the communities around it. Jim Wilson announced the project in 1979, with Belk and JCPenney identified as anchor tenants. The development cost was reported at approximately $12.5 million. It was named Jessamine Mall after the state flower of South Carolina, although the alternative spelling or informal name Jasmine Mall also appeared in usage. The mall opened on August 6, 1980. Its initial performance was described favorably soon afterward, with shoppers traveling from surrounding areas and filling the center's stores. The opening established the property as an important retail destination in a market whose customer base extended beyond the city of Sumter. In 1989, plans for a 53,000-square-foot Sears store were announced, adding another major department-store anchor and strengthening the mall's traditional enclosed-shopping-center format. Hull Storey Gibson acquired the property in 2000. The buyer characterized Sumter as the retail and financial hub of the surrounding region, a rationale that reflected the mall's broader trade area. The property underwent renovation in 2002 and was renamed Sumter Mall. A grand opening under the new identity followed in 2003. Published descriptions of the center's physical size have not been fully consistent: one figure placed it at approximately 431,617 square feet, while a later figure gave approximately 345,000 square feet. The mall occupies about 43 acres and has been described as fully enclosed. Over time, Sumter Mall became more than a collection of traditional retail stores. Historical accounts described it as one of the county's largest taxpayers, with annual payments reported at approximately $1.3 million, and stated that it employed about 850 people. In 2009, Sykes Enterprises announced a call center for the site. The operation opened on September 29, 2010, in a ceremony attended by Governor Mark Sanford. The addition introduced a substantial service and employment function to a property otherwise associated mainly with shopping. Books-A-Million was announced as a tenant in 2011 and was later built at the mall. The center's anchor roster subsequently included Belk, Roses, and Sykes. Meanwhile, the national department-store sector changed significantly. On December 17, 2020, JCPenney announced that its Sumter Mall location would close in March 2021 as part of a nationwide plan affecting 15 stores. The closure ended JCPenney's long tenure as one of the property's original anchors. Sumter Mall remains an active regional shopping property. Its historical development reflects several phases common to American malls: an early department-store-led opening, expansion through additional anchors, ownership change and physical repositioning, and later diversification into services and employment uses. Its continuing relevance is tied to Sumter's regional role and to the mall's ability to combine retail, services, and community access in a single enclosed commercial complex.

• 2021

  JCPenney departure

  [1]Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney's Sumter Mall store closed in March as part of the retailer's nationwide store-reduction program.

• 2011

  Books-A-Million announced

  [1]Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Books-A-Million was announced as a new tenant and was subsequently built at the mall.

• 2010

  Sykes facility opens

  [1]Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Sykes call center opened on September 29, adding a major service operation to the property.

• 2009

  Sykes call center announced

  [1]Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sykes Enterprises announced plans to establish a call center at the mall.

• 2003

  Grand reopening as Sumter Mall

  [1]Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The renovated property held its grand opening under the Sumter Mall name.

• 2002

  Renovation and renaming

  [1]Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall underwent renovation and was renamed Sumter Mall.

• 2000

  Acquisition by Hull Storey Gibson

  [1]Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Hull Storey Gibson acquired the property, citing Sumter's regional commercial importance.

• 1989

  Sears expansion announced

  [1]Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Plans were announced for a 53,000-square-foot Sears store at the mall.

• 1980

  Jessamine Mall opens

  [1]Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed mall opened on August 6 under the Jessamine Mall name and quickly attracted shoppers from Sumter and nearby communities.

• 1979

  Regional mall project announced

  [1]Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Jim Wilson announced the development, with Belk and JCPenney planned as the original anchor tenants.

A regional enclosed shopping center and mixed-use commercial destination serving Sumter and nearby communities in central South Carolina.

• Department store

  Belk

  Belk is a department-store anchor offering fashion apparel, accessories, beauty products, home merchandise, and related seasonal goods. At Sumter Mall, it represents the property's continuing traditional department-store role and provides a broad product range for shoppers seeking clothing, household items, and personal-care merchandise.

• Discount and general merchandise

  Roses

  Roses is a discount-oriented general-merchandise anchor serving value-conscious customers. Its assortment typically spans apparel, household goods, seasonal merchandise, and everyday consumer products, complementing the more department-store-focused offering associated with Belk.

• Customer-support services · 2010

  Sykes

  The Sykes operation at Sumter Mall is a customer-support and call-center facility rather than a conventional retail store. Opened in 2010, it broadened the mall's commercial function by bringing business-process employment and service activity into the shopping-center property.

• Bookstore · 2011

  Books-A-Million

  Books-A-Million was announced for Sumter Mall in 2011 and subsequently built. The bookstore added books, magazines, gifts, and related media merchandise to the center's tenant mix, giving the mall a destination-oriented specialty retail component.

• 2020

  JCPenney store closureOther

  Background

  JCPenney announced a nationwide reduction of its store base that included 15 locations.

  Action taken

  The retailer announced that its Sumter Mall store would close in March 2021.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended the presence of one of the mall's original 1980 anchor tenants and left Belk, Roses, and Sykes as the identified anchors.

  Source

• 2009

  Diversification into call-center operationsStrategy

  Background

  Like many enclosed malls, the property had an opportunity to supplement conventional retail with service and employment uses.

  Action taken

  Sykes Enterprises announced a call center at the mall, which opened in September 2010.

  Aftermath

  The Sykes facility expanded the mall's economic role beyond shopping and became part of its reported anchor lineup.

  Source

• 2002

  Renovation and identity changeStrategy

  Background

  The property had operated for more than two decades under the Jessamine Mall name and was being repositioned after its acquisition by Hull Storey Gibson.

  Action taken

  The mall was renovated and renamed Sumter Mall, followed by a grand reopening in 2003.

  Aftermath

  The new identity aligned the property directly with the city it served and accompanied its continued operation as a regional retail center.

  Source

1. 1Sumter Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Sumter Mall websiteshopsumtermall.com