Walk into the corner of Stadium Boulevard and East Highland Drive today and you’ll feel it. That weird, heavy silence where there used to be a dull roar of teenage laughter and the smell of overpriced pretzels. Honestly, it’s a bit eerie. If you grew up in Northeast Arkansas, The Mall at Turtle Creek Jonesboro wasn't just a building; it was the literal heart of the region's economy. Then, Mother Nature decided to rewrite the script in the most violent way possible.
It's gone now. Mostly.
But the story of its rise, the 2020 tornado, and the messy, slow-motion "what now?" phase is basically a case study in how retail survives—or doesn't—in the modern era. People keep asking when it's coming back. The short answer? It isn't. At least, not in the way you remember it.
The High Stakes of 2006
When the mall opened in 2006, it was a massive deal. Like, "cancel your weekend plans" big. At 750,000 square feet, it was the only enclosed regional mall to open in the entire United States that year. Think about that for a second. While the rest of the country was already starting to flirt with Amazon, Jonesboro was doubling down on brick-and-mortar.
Developers like CBL & Associates Properties saw a goldmine. Jonesboro serves as a "hub city." You've got people driving in from Paragould, Walnut Ridge, and even across the river in Missouri just to buy a pair of jeans. It worked. For over a decade, it was the place to be. You had Dillard’s, JCPenney, and Target anchoring the ends, creating this massive horseshoe of consumerism that felt invincible.
Then came March 28, 2020.
That Saturday in March
Everyone remembers where they were. It was about 5:00 PM. An EF-3 tornado ripped through the heart of Jonesboro’s commercial district. It didn't just clip the mall; it went right through it.
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If there was a silver lining, it was the timing. Because of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mall was mostly empty. Had that tornado hit on a normal Saturday afternoon in 2019, we’d be talking about a tragedy of a completely different scale. Instead, we were left with twisted girders and scattered inventory. The roof was basically peeled back like a tin can.
The Damage Report
The aftermath was a logistical nightmare.
- The central food court? Demolished.
- The specialty shops in the "middle" sections? Ruined by water and structural failure.
- The anchors? Interestingly, they fared better.
Target and JCPenney managed to stick it out or reopen relatively quickly because they owned their buildings or had different structural footprints. But the "mall" part—the interior corridors that made it a community hub—was essentially DOA.
Why They Didn't Just Rebuild
You’d think insurance would just cover it and life would go on, right? Wrong. The business of malls was already bleeding out before the storm hit. By 2020, the "enclosed mall" model was looking like a dinosaur.
Investors looked at the cost of rebuilding a 750,000-square-foot indoor space and compared it to the rise of "lifestyle centers"—those open-air shopping strips where you park right in front of the store. It didn't take a math genius to see the writing on the wall. Rebuilding a traditional mall in 2021 or 2022 would have been like building a massive blockbuster rental store in the age of Netflix.
The Current State of the Site
If you drive by today, it’s a patchwork. It's weird. You see a fully functioning Target and a JCPenney, but the middle is a ghost. It’s like a person with their chest cavity missing but their limbs are still moving.
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Recent developments have shifted toward "de-malling." That’s the industry term for tearing down the indoor walkways and turning the remaining stores into standalone big-box units. Gearhead Outfitters, a local success story that started in Jonesboro, eventually moved into the old Sears space, showing that there’s still life in the area—it’s just different.
Who is actually there now?
- Target: Still the powerhouse. It’s arguably the busiest spot in town.
- JCPenney: Hanging on and serving as a major draw for the south end.
- Dillard's: They’ve maintained a presence, though the layout feels disconnected from the rest of the "mall."
- Barnes & Noble: Still a staple for the college crowd from Arkansas State University.
The Economic Ripple Effect
When The Mall at Turtle Creek Jonesboro took that hit, it wasn't just about losing a place to buy shoes. It was a massive tax hit for the city. Jonesboro relies heavily on sales tax. When a major percentage of your retail square footage goes dark overnight, the city budget feels the squeeze.
However, Jonesboro is resilient. Retail didn't die; it just moved. We’ve seen a massive explosion of growth further down Stadium and over by the Hilltop area. If anything, the tornado accelerated a shift that was already happening. The "center of gravity" for shopping in Jonesboro is no longer a single building. It’s a corridor.
Misconceptions About the Reopening
Let’s clear something up: there is no "Grand Reopening" coming.
I see people on Facebook all the time claiming a new developer is going to put the roof back on and bring back the fountain and the 2000s glory days. It’s not happening. The future of that land is almost certainly mixed-use. Think medical offices, maybe some high-end apartments, and definitely more "outparcel" restaurants.
The era of walking laps in the AC at Turtle Creek is over.
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Real Lessons from the Turtle Creek Era
What can other cities learn from Jonesboro? First, don't put all your eggs in one retail basket. Second, the "anchors" are called anchors for a reason—they stayed grounded when the rest of the ship sank.
If you’re a business owner in the area, the play isn't to wait for the mall to return. It’s to follow the traffic patterns that have emerged since. The "Turtle Creek" area is still the busiest intersection in Northeast Arkansas, but the shoppers are looking for convenience, not an "experience" inside a dark hallway.
Actionable Steps for Navigating the New Jonesboro Retail Scene
If you're looking to shop, invest, or just understand the area, keep these points in mind:
- Check Store Entrances: Most surviving stores at the mall site now have exterior-only entrances. Don't expect to walk from one to the other through a hallway.
- Look North and South: The retail growth has pushed toward the Hilltop area (near the hospital) and further south toward Valley View. These are the new "hot zones" for new franchises.
- Support the Locals: Many of the small boutique owners who were inside Turtle Creek have moved to Downtown Jonesboro or the Greensborough Village area. They need the support more than ever after losing their primary storefronts in 2020.
- Watch the Zoning: If you're into real estate, keep an eye on the city council meetings regarding the mall's acreage. The transition to "mixed-use" zoning will be the final nail in the coffin for the old mall identity—and the start of something much more modern.
The story of the Mall at Turtle Creek is basically the story of Jonesboro itself: hit hard, a bit broken, but refusing to stop moving. It’s not a mall anymore. It’s a construction site for whatever comes next.
Reference Note: Details regarding the 2020 EF-3 tornado damage and subsequent retail shifts are based on local reporting from KAIT8 News and The Jonesboro Sun, as well as commercial real estate data from CBL Properties filings. Arkansas State University’s economic briefs also provide context on the regional tax impact of the site’s transition.