Turtle Creek Mall

Turtle Creek Mall is an enclosed regional shopping center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States. It opened in 1994 and became one of the principal retail destinations serving Hattiesburg and the surrounding Pine Belt area. The mall was established with several department-store anchors, including Dillard's, Gayfers, and Goody's, which began operations in October 1994. McRae's and JCPenney joined the tenant mix in 1995, giving the center a broad combination of department-store and specialty-retail offerings. By 1999, the mall had reached full occupancy, reflecting its position as a major enclosed retail property in the regional market. The center's anchor portfolio changed substantially as department-store chains consolidated or exited the market. Gayfers was converted into a second McRae's location after Dillard's acquired Gayfers in 1998. Both McRae's stores later became part of Belk in 2006, and Belk consolidated its operations into the former Gayfers space in 2010. The former Goody's anchor was vacated after Goody's closed in 2009 and was later reused by Stein Mart beginning in 2011. A Garden Ridge location was rebranded as At Home in 2014, reflecting the growing importance of home furnishings and décor retail within the center. Turtle Creek Mall has also incorporated entertainment and family-oriented uses. Chuck E. Cheese opened inside the mall on June 3, 2004, taking over the former Luby's location. In subsequent years, the mall experienced the effects of broader changes in American department-store and off-price retail. Sears announced in 2018 that its Turtle Creek location would close as part of a nationwide round of store closures; the store shut in September 2018 and the anchor space became vacant. Stein Mart filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and closed its Turtle Creek store during the liquidation of its national chain. By 2023, the former Stein Mart space had been occupied by Urban Planet. The mall's current anchor lineup is identified as At Home, JCPenney, Dillard's, Belk, and Urban Planet, alongside one vacant anchor space formerly occupied by Sears. Its positioning is that of a conventional enclosed regional shopping mall: it combines national department stores, specialty retail, home-goods shopping, apparel, food and beverage, and entertainment in a single destination. The property remains active, although its tenant mix reflects the continuing transformation of the U.S. shopping-center sector, including department-store consolidation, bankruptcies, anchor replacement, and adaptive reuse of large retail spaces.

Turtle Creek Mall opened in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 1994 as an enclosed regional shopping center. Its initial anchor lineup included Dillard's, Gayfers, and Goody's, all of which opened in October 1994. McRae's and JCPenney were added in 1995, broadening the mall's department-store offer. The center reached full occupancy by 1999, indicating strong early demand from retailers and shoppers in the Hattiesburg-area market. The mall's history has been closely tied to the consolidation and restructuring of American department-store chains. After Dillard's acquired Gayfers in 1998, the former Gayfers anchor was converted into a second McRae's location. McRae's and the former Gayfers operation were subsequently acquired by Belk in 2006. Belk later consolidated its Turtle Creek operations into the former Gayfers space in 2010, leaving the other large-format space available for subsequent reuse. Entertainment was added to the center in 2004, when Chuck E. Cheese opened on June 3 in the former Luby's location. The addition supplemented the mall's retail function with a family-oriented leisure attraction. Other anchor changes reflected shifts in the retail market. Goody's closed its Turtle Creek store in 2009, and the former anchor was converted into a Stein Mart location in 2011. In 2014, the Garden Ridge anchor was rebranded as At Home, aligning the space with At Home's home-furnishings and décor retail model. The mall later lost two major anchors because of national retail retrenchment. Sears announced in May 2018 that its Turtle Creek store would close as part of a broader group of U.S. closures, and the location shut in September 2018. Stein Mart entered bankruptcy in 2020 and closed all of its U.S. stores, including the Turtle Creek location. By 2023, Urban Planet had taken over the former Stein Mart space. The mall's identified active anchors are At Home, JCPenney, Dillard's, Belk, and Urban Planet, while the former Sears anchor remains vacant according to the cited reference. Today, Turtle Creek Mall remains an active enclosed shopping center serving Hattiesburg and the broader Pine Belt region. Its evolution illustrates the typical lifecycle of a regional mall: rapid initial leasing, anchor consolidation, conversion of large department-store spaces, the addition of entertainment uses, and adaptation to national chain closures. The property continues to combine department-store retail, home goods, apparel, specialty shopping, food and beverage, and family-oriented services.

• 2023

  Urban Planet occupies the former Stein Mart space

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former Stein Mart location is occupied by Urban Planet.

• 2020

  Stein Mart exits the mall

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Stein Mart files for bankruptcy and closes its Turtle Creek Mall store during the liquidation of its U.S. locations.

• 2018

  Sears closes

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears announces the closure of its Turtle Creek location, which shuts in September 2018.

• 2014

  Garden Ridge is rebranded as At Home

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Garden Ridge anchor changes branding to At Home, shifting the space toward home furnishings and décor.

• 2011

  Stein Mart occupies the former Goody's space

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former Goody's anchor is converted into a Stein Mart store.

• 2010

  Belk consolidates its operations

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Belk consolidates operations into the former Gayfers anchor location.

• 2009

  Goody's closes

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Goody's anchor store closes, creating a large-format space later reused by Stein Mart.

• 2006

  Belk acquires the McRae's and former Gayfers operations

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Belk acquires both relevant department-store operations following the chain consolidation involving McRae's and Gayfers.

• 2004

  Chuck E. Cheese opens

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Chuck E. Cheese opens in the former Luby's location, adding a family-entertainment component.

• 1999

  Mall reaches full occupancy

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Turtle Creek Mall is reported to be operating at 100 percent capacity.

• 1995

  McRae's and JCPenney join the mall

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  McRae's and JCPenney are added to the center's anchor lineup.

• 1994

  Turtle Creek Mall opens

  [1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed mall opens in Hattiesburg with Dillard's, Gayfers, and Goody's as its initial anchor stores.

A regional enclosed shopping mall serving Hattiesburg and the surrounding Pine Belt market, with a tenant mix centered on department stores, apparel, home goods, specialty retail, dining, and family entertainment.

• Retail format · 1994

  Department-store retail

  Turtle Creek Mall's department-store offer includes Dillard's, Belk, and JCPenney. These stores provide broad assortments spanning apparel, footwear, cosmetics, accessories, home merchandise, and other general retail categories. Their presence gives the mall a conventional regional-shopping-center structure built around multiple large anchors.

• Home furnishings and décor · 2014

  At Home

  At Home occupies the former Garden Ridge anchor space. The retailer focuses on home furnishings, décor, seasonal merchandise, storage, textiles, and related household products. Its presence represents the conversion of a former large-format general-merchandise anchor into a home-specialty destination.

• Apparel · 2023

  Urban Planet

  Urban Planet occupies the former Stein Mart space and adds a contemporary apparel-oriented offer to the mall. Its arrival demonstrates the reuse of a large former off-price department-store location after Stein Mart's national closure program.

• Family entertainment · 2004

  Chuck E. Cheese

  Chuck E. Cheese opened inside Turtle Creek Mall in 2004 in a former Luby's location. The venue adds food, games, and family entertainment to the mall's primarily retail-based offer.

• 2023

  Urban Planet reuses the former Stein Mart spaceStrategy

  Background

  Stein Mart's bankruptcy and nationwide liquidation left its Turtle Creek Mall location vacant.

  Action taken

  Urban Planet occupied the former Stein Mart location.

  Aftermath

  The move restored an apparel tenant to one of the mall's former large-format spaces, although the former Sears anchor remained vacant.

  Source

• 2014

  Garden Ridge anchor is rebranded as At HomeStrategy

  Background

  The Garden Ridge space represented a large-format retail anchor within the mall.

  Action taken

  The store was converted to the At Home brand, emphasizing home furnishings and décor.

  Aftermath

  The mall retained a major home-goods anchor while updating the retail identity of the space.

  Source

• 2010

  Belk consolidates its mall operationsStrategy

  Background

  Following the acquisition of the relevant McRae's and Gayfers operations, Belk operated more than one large department-store space associated with the mall.

  Action taken

  Belk consolidated its Turtle Creek Mall operations into the former Gayfers anchor location.

  Aftermath

  The consolidation changed the mall's anchor configuration and left the other large-format space available for later retail reuse.

  Source

• 2020

  Stein Mart bankruptcy affects Turtle Creek Mall location[1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy

  Stein Mart filed for bankruptcy and announced the closure of all of its U.S. stores, including its Turtle Creek Mall location. The former Stein Mart space was later occupied by Urban Planet.

• 2018

  Sears announces closure of its Turtle Creek Mall store[1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy

  Sears included its Turtle Creek Mall location in a nationwide group of store closures announced on May 31, 2018. The store closed in September of that year.

• 2004

  Chuck E. Cheese opens at Turtle Creek Mall[1]Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Chuck E. Cheese opened inside Turtle Creek Mall on June 3, 2004, replacing a former Luby's location and adding a family-entertainment use to the center.

1. 1Turtle Creek Mallen.wikipedia.org