Southgate Mall
Southgate
Mall
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
They say that people will not cross a bridge to shop. That's the only reason I can see for the existence of Southgate
Mall. Muscle Shoals is located across the Tennessee River from the larger college town of Florence, where the population
and commercial center of the area is.
But the folks in the south bank cities of Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia were not eager to use the bridges to
Florence. So, sometime, to my best guess (if anyone knows exactly when, let me know) during the seventies, Southgate
Mall was opened in Muscle Shoals' largest retail strip.
It was a small, one level building with the main corridor running east-west. Wal-Mart anchored the east end while
locally based department store Roger's anchored the middle at center court. I'm not sure if they ever intended for
another anchor to occupy the west entrance, but none ever did. At just under a quarter of a million square feet, it was
a giant in the small town.
When I first visited the mall in 1994, Wal-Mart was still an anchor and the mall was still very much alive. The outside
was painted in thick garish stripes of teal and white, very dated and nauseating even during the grunge days of the mid
nineties. There was an aquatic theme to the interior which remains to this day.
It was small, but adequate for the town. Rogers was a real draw in the middle, and Footlocker, Bookland, Blockbuster
Music and a slew of other chains had locations there.
Then, Wal-Mart built a Supercenter right behind the mall and vacated their old building. It sat empty for years until
Aronov, the mall's manager, decided to subdivide the building. A total exterior renovation was also planned.
When I last visited in late 2004, it was good to see that the blue stripes were gone from the exterior and were
replaced by a solid beige. Stores like Hibbet, Radio Shack and Cato had moved into the building, but with only exterior
entrances. On the inside, there was a jewelery place, a Chinese buffet, a Merle Norman that seemed to operate by
appointment only, and Rogers. The local department store seems to still be surviving.
More businesses have moved into the front of the old Wal-Mart while a call-center has taken much of the rest. The
mall, although empty, still seems to soldier on. And it probably will as long as it's heart, Rogers, keeps beating.
Links
-Image from TerraServerUSA.com.
-Website for Southgate Mall.
Questions, corrections, clarifications or additional info? Contact me at spaldingcm@hotmail.com.
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;)
They say that people will not cross a bridge to shop. That's the only reason I can see for the existence of Southgate
Mall. Muscle Shoals is located across the Tennessee River from the larger college town of Florence, where the population
and commercial center of the area is.
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
When I first visited the mall in 1994, Wal-Mart was still an anchor and the mall was still very much alive. The outside
was painted in thick garish stripes of teal and white, very dated and nauseating even during the grunge days of the mid
nineties. There was an aquatic theme to the interior which remains to this day.
;)
It was small, but adequate for the town. Rogers was a real draw in the middle, and Footlocker, Bookland, Blockbuster
Music and a slew of other chains had locations there.
;)
Then, Wal-Mart built a Supercenter right behind the mall and vacated their old building. It sat empty for years until
Aronov, the mall's manager, decided to subdivide the building. A total exterior renovation was also planned.
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)