The J.C. Penney store at Walnut Square in Dalton will soon close. DALTON, Ga. -- Mary Ann Brown said Thursday that she'll miss the J.C. Penney store at Walnut Square Mall when it closes its doors for the final time in April.
"I've got four great-grandchildren and I buy more at Penney's than at any place out here," the 70-year-old Dalton woman said. "I've got a Penney's credit card, and I've got life insurance from here."
CBL LOCATIONS
Four of the 40 stores J.C. Penney will close this year are located in CBL & Associates Properties Inc. malls: Walnut Square Mall, Dalton, Ga. York Galleria, York, Penn. Regency Mall, Racine, Wis. Randolph Mall, Asheboro, N.C. Source: CBL & Associates Properties Inc.
After more than three decades as one of the mall's anchors, the store will shut down as part of another round of closings nationally by the struggling retailer. The 67,000-square-foot Dalton store is one of 40 that J.C. Penney will shutter this year, affecting 60 employees at Walnut Square and about 2,250 countrywide.
Penney's Hamilton Place mall store in Chattanooga will remain open. The retailer also continues to operate at Bradley Square Mall in Cleveland, Tenn.
Last May, Penney's closed its Northgate Mall department store, ending a 42-year presence in the Hixson market. It was one of 33 stores the Plano, Texas-based company shut last year.
While Penney's employees were not talking Thursday in Dalton, other workers at the mall said the store's departure will leave a hole.
Tania Magana of Metro PCS said Penney's accounts for most of the business on one end of the 495,000-square-foot mall, which opened in 1980.
"I hope they find a good store," she said about a potential replacement.
Sadiq Notta, who operates a phone accessory kiosk in the mall, thinks Penney's loss will drive down total sales at the shopping center.
The mall needs another store to drive traffic such as a Hollister, he said about the hip apparel retailer.
For the mall's owner, Chattanooga-based CBL & Associates Properties Inc., the Dalton Penney's is one of four stores in its retail portfolio that are closing. Stephen Lebovitz, CBL's chief executive, said in a statement the company anticipated the closures and already has made "significant progress on plans to redevelop them with new stores and restaurants that will generate higher traffic and productivity."
With the closures officially announced, the company can move forward toward signing leases and construction time lines, he said.
Dan Summerlin, CBL's director of corporate relations, said Walnut Square and the Penney's store are well located and CBL is constantly looking for ways to enhance its properties and retailer mix.
Summerlin cited the redevelopment of former Sears locations at CoolSprings Galleria in Nashville and Fayette Mall in Lexington, Ky. In each case CBL brought in new retail and restaurants, he said.
At Northgate Mall, Summerlin said earlier that the company remains in discussions with the owner of the 170,000-square-foot former Penney's site about potential uses.
Penney's spokesman Joey Thomas said the company continually evaluates its store portfolio to see if there's a need to close or relocate underperforming stores.
"Reviews such as these are essential in meeting our long-term goals for future company growth," he said, adding that eligible employees who don't remain with the company will receive severance benefits.
Thomas said the Dalton store will close on or about April 4. Penney's will have about 1,060 stores nationally after the closings.
But, Penney's shoppers in Dalton said they'll be sorry to see the store go.
"I shop here a lot because it is convenient," said Joseph Harry of Dalton, adding that it would be time-consuming to drive to Chattanooga or Cleveland to buy at Penney's.
Shopper Sharie Chestnut said she loves buying clothes for her young son at Penney's.
"There's always a sale," she said.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.