Phoenix Village Mall; Fort Smith, Arkansas
It’s rare that we encounter a shopping mall in such a terrible condition as this one. We were headed south in March 2008 and enroute we discovered the gem of Phoenix Village Mall. Opened in 1970, Phoenix Village Mall was not only the first mall in Fort Smith but also the first in all of Arkansas. Unfortunately, though, after several decades of co-existence with Fort Smith’s other mall, Central Mall, Phoenix Village has died a slow, protracted death and is currently waiting for its date with the wrecking ball.
Fort Smith is a regional manufacturing center, transportation hub, and anchor city of a large area of west-central Arkansas and east-central Oklahoma. With a population of 80,000 and almost 300,000 in its trade area, Fort Smith is the largest blip on the radar between Little Rock and Oklahoma City.
Most of Fort Smith’s current retail scene is along the Rogers Avenue/AR 22 corridor, home to many strip malls, box stores, and chain restaurants as well as Fort Smith’s current successful mall, Central Mall. However, a secondary retail strip exists on the south side of town along Towson Avenue, and at the intersection of Towson and Phoenix lies the nearly-defunct Phoenix Village Mall.
Phoenix Village Mall’s history dates back as far as the late 1950s, when local developer Jewel Morris began looking for a site to consolidate his two furniture stores. He settled on a site on the northwest corner of Towson and Phoenix and purchased the land from a ”General Store” owner who was puzzled why anyone would want to locate a store so far from downtown. By the 1960s, another developer, Howard Gentry signed on, and the two worked to develop a 100,000 square-foot center for the growing suburban population. This center opened in 1961 anchored by TG&Y discount store and a Piggly Wiggly supermarket.
The center proved a success, so Morris and Gentry decided to expand and purchased 35 adjoining acres to the site, which more than quadrupled its footprint. During the process, 35 houses were relocated to nearby Pocola, Oklahoma. They proposed a suburban outdoor “Village” concept, which consisted of a U-shaped set of buildings, but quickly discovered that they could be even more daring and scrapped those plans. Instead, they set out to build the state of Arkansas’ first enclosed mall.
In 1969, the first anchor store opened at the new Phoenix Village Mall, a Woolco store. The mall itself opened in 1970, and throughout the 1970s the mall had Beall Ladymon, two local department stores (Hunt’s and Greg’s) as well as Hancock Fabrics. In 1979, Woolco closed and was replaced with Venture, and in 1980 an expansion to the mall added 139,000 square feet, bringing the total size of the mall to 489,000 square feet. Meanwhile, the 864,000 square foot Central Mall opened three miles away, yet interestingly both malls would compete head-to-head for nearly three decades.
Phoenix Village Mall continued to be successful into the 1980s, until 1987 when a deal was struck to sell the mall to an out of state investor. The deal was to close on Black Monday, the day the stock market crashed, and the next day the sale fell through. In addition to that problem, the bank that Morris and Gentry used to finance the project called in their loan and forced them to go into Chapter 11 bankruptcy until they could secure a buyer. They lined up a buyer, but the buyer’s financing fell through as well, and the bank foreclosed. Before the buyer’s financing fell through, the buyer began encouraging stores in the mall to leave because they announced plans to tear down the mall for redevelopment. Even though the buyer ultimately went away, the damage had been done, and the mall was left with a high vacancy rate into the 1990s.
In the early 1990s, original owners Morris and Gentry once again were able to assume ownership of the mall and reinvigorate it to 92% occupancy. This success sailed on for several years, until the mall’s age and ultimately, competition, sealed its fate as a dead mall. In 1998, the mall’s main anchor, Venture, went out of business and liquidated all stores, leaving a gaping wound on the south end of Phoenix Village Mall. Stores began to defect, and in 2004 the partnership attempted to unload the mall again, and this time there were talks of wooing popular tenant Target to the site. However, financing fell through again and in November 2005 the bank foreclosed once again and the local partnership lost the mall once again, this time probably for good.
Meanwhile, in 1999 Central Mall embarked on a redesign which repositioned it as not only the best mall in Fort Smith, but the anchor to Fort Smith’s main shopping corridor which extends east of Central Mall along Rogers Avenue.
2005 also saw the rapid departure of 30 some stores, as the mall emptied out rapidly amid rumors of redevelopment and its current state of disrepair. A spring storm damaged the mall’s roof and it was not repaired; pools of water now collect in the cavernous, unrenovated interior. As of 2006, the only tenants left in the mall were a non-profit religious group, two surgery centers, a bank, and a barber shop. All of these have outdoor access, except for the barber shop which is just inside one of the mall entrances.
We visited Phoenix Village Mall in March 2008 and were amazed at the state of disrepair. It appeared the mall was being prepped for demolition, as many of the interior corridors had been stripped of their flooring and some fixtures were also visibly altered. We gained access to the mall at the only unlocked entrance, which we quickly learned was only meant to access the barber shop and the bank. There is also intact signage from the Venture store, which closed in 1998. Beyond these businesses, the corridor was blocked by yellow tape indicating the mall was closed. We attempted to take a few pictures, and even “go around” the tape, but the ”friendly” man working in the barber shop appeared and promptly kicked us out even after we requested politely to take a few pictures for this site. Sad. So, although we apologize for the dearth of interior pictures on this page, there are a few more featured on flickr. As usual, let us know what you think.
The Caldor Rainbow
November 18th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Wow, a still-standing, vacant Venture. That’s like, a holy grail-caliber find of the retail world.
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Mall Rat
November 19th, 2008 at 12:28 am
The barber kicked you out of the mall? He’s allowed to do that ???
I can see him kicking you out of his store, but he has no right to boot you from the mall
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Mr.D
November 19th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Lol…..Junk Mall
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Jonah Norason
November 19th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
30 tenants in this mall just three years ago? Wow…I’ll bet they weren’t chains.
That old Venture sign is kind of cool…but tragic.
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Bobby
November 19th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
That *has* to be a typo. I doubt this mall had 30 tenants in it back in ‘05.
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Mike
November 20th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Amazing to see an original Venture sign still there and so in tact, as if Venture was still there, despite having closed over a decade ago. I’d love to see the inside of the old Venture. I bet it is still intact with the old orange color scheme of the 70s and 80s. Man, I miss Venture – and not the Kohl’s clone they were trying to turn the place into when they shut down.
For those unfarmilliar with Venture, they were originally the discount arm of The May Company, and their prime competition was Target – they had much nicer stores than K-Marts, and Wal-Mart was still several years away. The original Venture stores were much like the Wal-Mart Super Centers of today – complete with Groceries, Auto Centers, Hair Salons, Optometrists, and even Dentists,
Also, it looks like there was another labelscar on the the old Venture – almost looks like “Hoods,” which is a small midwestern chain specializing in closeout home improvement merchandise. Also, generally a very dumpy place – couldn’t imagine one as the anchor of a mall!
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Mike
November 20th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Amazing to see an original Venture sign still there and so in tact, as if Venture was still there, despite having closed over a decade ago. I’d love to see the inside of the old Venture. I bet it is still intact with the old orange color scheme of the 70s and 80s. Man, I miss Venture – and not the Kohl’s clone they were trying to turn the place into when they shut down.
For those unfamiliar with Venture, they were originally the discount arm of The May Company, and their prime competition was Target – they had much nicer stores than K-Marts, and Wal-Mart was still several years away. The original Venture stores were much like the Wal-Mart Super Centers of today – complete with Groceries, Auto Centers, Hair Salons, Optometrists, and even Dentists,
Also, it looks like there was another labelscar on the the old Venture – almost looks like “Hoods,” which is a small Midwestern chain specializing in closeout home improvement merchandise. Also, generally a very dumpy place – couldn’t imagine one as the anchor of a mall!
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Jessica Nielsen
November 20th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
OMG. I am so glad this finally made the Labelscar page. I used to live near Fort Smith and there are so many memories around both malls. It was sad to watch Phoenix Village slowly die after Ventures left, and after a brief period of being okay, it just tanked. I used to go there when I was younger, and I remember there being an indoor play area for the children, but I think something happened to shut it down. Also, there was a creepy old antique store, too, with mostly junk inside.
There’s a little shopping area just outside of the main mall, with requisite nail and hair shops, and mexican restuarant. Also Olde Fashioned Foods is there, I think. For a little while, Home World was connected to the mall, but they went out of business, too.
So very sad…but I’m proud that it’s here to be remembered.
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Thurman
November 21st, 2008 at 2:25 am
This is an amazingly surreal place. Perpetually stuck in the 1980’s. I have been interested in taking some pictures but was afraid to even venture (no pun intended) into the decaying corridors of the mall. For example, looking through one of the entrances, I could see roof tiling caving into pools of water and debris. It made me think of Dixie Square Mall.
The lines in the parking lot are practically non-existent, as is any real activity around the mall (besides the bank). Phoenix Village Mall is just this giant white structure in silence. It’s very eerie and I’m really surprised that I don’t hear more about it on anymore dead mall site. Seriously, this place is an undiscovered treasure for urban exploration.
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Dustin
November 22nd, 2008 at 4:32 am
Wow!
Fort Smith is my hometown. I grew up in this mall.This mall hasn’t any real chain stores since the 1980’s.Phoenix Village was mostly locally owned stores thru the 1990’s and 2000’s.The stores never remodeled the store fronts.That barber in the barber shop has actually cut my hair 2 or 3 times in the past. He always liked to talk about the mall’s hayday prior to the late 1980’s.The last time I was inside of Phoenix Village Mall was June of 2002.When I was a little kid in the 1980’s,I remember going to the mall about every week,although I don’t live far from Central Mall.
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Mark
November 24th, 2008 at 11:30 am
*stares endlessly at Venture sign*
wow that is RARE!!!!!!
*looks breifly at other mall pictures*
yep, this malls definately screwed.
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Steven Wilson
November 26th, 2008 at 7:27 am
The Venture sign is an awesome find. It’s the classic version, too, rather than the newer one with the wavy lines.
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Chip
November 26th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I thought Venture was only in Missouri & Illinois. Many Chicago-area Venture weren’t that great, Target was always nicer and had better stuff. Some Venture buildings still exist, others have been torn down & replaced. At Hillcrest in Joilet IL, the old Venture is a Food 4 Less after going several other hands. One across the street from Fox Valley in now a Burlington Coat Factory. In Downers Grove (75th & Lemont Rd) is now a Best Buy. One in Westmont was torn down and became a Home Depot. The best Venture in on Army Trail Rd in Addison; this one is a decaying monster complete with faded stripes on the facade looking like the day it closed..
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Steven Wilson
November 26th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Many of the Chicago-area Venture stores were converted from old Turn-Style stores. However, some of the Chicagoland stores were original Venture stores. Venture stores were not limited to only Illinois and Missouri. I don’t remember how many states had Venture stores, but Oklahoma also had them. The one on 71st Street in Tulsa, OK was converted to a Big K (Kmart) and is now an Incredible Pizza Company location.
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Bobby
November 26th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I know some Venture stores were converted to ShopKo, like at North Park Mall in Joplin (now vacant for quite a while) and at West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau (most recently Steve & Barry’s, now vacant as well). They also had a store at Kentucky Oaks Mall in Paducah and one at University Mall in Carbondale. Both of these became K’s Merchandise and are now vacant as well.
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Pino4649
November 26th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Oh, so this is why my Flickr site got so many views. =D
Very interesting article. I’ve tried to do some research on Phoenix Village Mall, but never came up with much.
I did return to the mall a few months ago and took some new pictures. I’ll try to upload them some time. I was shocked to find all the orange mesh just inside the entrances. I guess the interiour just became too unsafe. When I took my photos there were still some old people in there walking around and the people hanging around the few businesses that were still there.
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Kevin D
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I have lived in the Ft Smith area all of my life. I have many fond memories of going to the old mall. I remember the 2 screen “Phoenix Twin” theater that was in there. They stayed open up to near 2000 as a Dollar Movie. Also everyone is commenting about the Venture store.. lets not forget that after Venture closed it was used as an Atwoods farm store up until about 2006 or 07.
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FSLive
February 24th, 2009 at 9:30 am
This is a pretty good write-up about this “mall”. Word has it that someone will be rebuilding Phoenix Village mall. I’ll be interested in seeing, and hearing, the progress on this.
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Bobby
March 13th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
The Venture later became Atwood’s, which is probably what the labelscar is.
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evagail
June 22nd, 2009 at 7:45 am
i still live in Fort Smith.i love phoniex village mall i miss being little and trick or treating there.i miss furrs there and the movies.i hung out there with my friends.also my best friend greg used to work at ventures he loved that job and he misses it.i wished i was rich cause i would buy that place up in a heartbeat i hope no one is ever stupid enough to tear the place down.i dont understand why people do that to people take something away from them like that,its just wrong.i do know they are tearing up the parking lot in that area id like to know why.
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Thurman
August 17th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
I haven’t been to the mall on an expedition in over a year but have read several articles in the Fort Smith paper about redevelopment of the area. I know that the construction crews have started to work but I don’t know what will be torn down and what will be remodelled. I really hope the main building remains standing because it is quite a relic of mall design with its arches and giant grid like box design. Long live the Phoenix Village Mall!!
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TenPoundHammer (Bobby)
October 18th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Just a footnote: The Woolco closed in 1979? That’s weird; literally every other Woolco I’ve ever found went under in 1982-1983 with the chain.
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WANETA
October 21st, 2009 at 4:46 pm
THE PHOENIX VILLAGE MALL WAS RECENTLY BOUGHT AND HAS SEEN SOME CHANGES. PART OF IT WAS COMPLETLY DEMO’ED AND THE MAJOR PART HAS BECOME INSIDE WAREHOUSE STORAGE.
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Laura
November 11th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I just discovered the website and have been reading through the archives, and I was thrilled to find this post, as I have a minor Venture obsession. It was great to see the pictures and also see other people who would were as excited about them as I was.
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Laura
November 11th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Correcting my previous post to say the “would” in the last sentence shouldn’t be there, lol.
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