A southern Illinois mayor says it's "heartless" that a long-struggling shopping mall will close its doors just before Christmas.

The Illinois Star Centre Mall's few remaining shops received letters Friday informing them that the Marion mall's owners would shutter the mall Dec. 16.

Mayor Anthony Rinella says the planned closure is "a heartless act" and he feels for the mall's employees and shop owners. [[402466166, C]]

The Southern Illinoisan reports that the mall opened in 1991, but has faced a decade of financial hardship.

The mall came under new ownership in 2011, but the owners' deal to sell the mall property fell through last year.

The mall's owners have now filed for bankruptcy as they sue the city of Marion for alleged misappropriation of bond funds the city paid to the mall.