West Town Mall to get big makeover, fifth entrance

Over the next few months West Town Mall will get an updated look and a fifth entrance to the mall proper, but the mall and all its stores will remain open during the work.

Mall Manager Robert O’Grady announced the renovation Thursday morning at a “tile breaking ceremony” in front of the internal J.C. Penney entrance.

The new entrance will run from the lower level of the mall’s parking deck into the food court, and the food court itself will be renamed “The Dining Pavilion.”

New floors, landscaping, signs

The mall will get new flooring throughout, along with LED lights inside and in the parking lot, new landscaping and signs, and carpeted seating areas, while the food court gets new tables and seating, according to a news release. The chosen color scheme is rust, slate blue, and shades of gray, judging by samples set out at Thursday’s event.

"It's a pretty extensive renovation,” O’Grady said.

Improvements will start near Dillard’s and work toward the J.C. Penney end of the mall, he said.

"The process is essentially underway right now," O’Grady said. Workers are aiming to have it done by the end of May.

He wouldn’t disclose the cost of renovation, but said it will not affect the rent paid by mall tenants. No stores need to be closed or moved during the work, O’Grady said.

"There should he be no interruption of business for any of our retailers,” he said.

The facelift will not only refresh the mall’s look for shoppers, but will demonstrate the commitment of mall owner Simon Property Group to the community and to the continued success of West Town Mall, O’Grady said. That should help in attracting new stores, he said. O’Grady said he’s negotiating with a couple of potential new mall tenants, though he couldn’t give their names.

Without giving a number, O’Grady said the mall currently has few vacancies.

Before a crowd of about 40, including representatives of several mall stores, O’Grady asked three people up on stage Thursday morning: Mark Field, senior vice president of chamber development for the Knoxville Chamber; Steve Blackwell, the mall’s director of operations; and Kippy Price, mall director of marketing. Donning hard hats and safety glasses, the three smashed two floor tiles with hammers to ceremonially mark the start of renovations.

Simon Property Group owns or manages 212 malls and shopping centers, including four in Tennessee, according to the company’s website. West Town is the only mall Simon operates in Knoxville.

The mall at 7600 Kingston Pike has more than 150 stores, of which more than 40 are exclusive to the Knoxville area, according to the mall’s website. Its anchor stores are Belk, Dillard’s, J.C. Penney and Sears, plus a nine-screen Regal Cinemas.

Much of the main building dates back to 1972, according to Knox County property records.

“I've been doing this (mall management) for almost 30 years and typically shopping centers are renovated about every 20 years,” O’Grady said.