MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Longtime Memphians can attest to the fact that retail shopping in the Bluff City has gone through lots of changes over the years.
In the 1950s, it was the hustle and bustle of shopping downtown – mostly along Main Street. Then came Southland Mall, built in 1966 in Whitehaven with its iconic fountain. Five years later, Raleigh Springs Mall opened followed in 1981 by the Mall of Memphis with its iconic skating rink, and Hickory Ridge Mall.
Then in 1988, Oak Court opened and became the crown jewel of local malls – with a fashionable facade that fit nicely with the look of east Memphis neighborhoods along the Poplar corridor. But like all the other enclosed mall, Oak Court eventually hit on hard times.
As the Daily Memphian reported last week, Oak Court will be sold at auction on the Shelby County Courthouse steps later this month. The hope is that whoever buys it will continue operating it as a mall – rather than spend millions to tear it down.
Oak Court was the crowning achievement of Memphis developers Ron Belz and Henry Turley. The mall stood out thanks to its décor and location, but crime, major changes in shopping habits and other factors hurt Oak Court’s image. And its current out-of-state owners filed for bankruptcy last year. So what happens now depends on an auction. Let’s hope the news is good.