Comments on: Sawmill Square Mall; Laurel, Mississippi

By: Juanita B. Williams

Juanita B. Williams — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:21:51 +0000

I know that I must visit Laurel before I leave this earth. I would like to see the barn that she was born in but,of course I know that would not happen, I know that I will be there.

By: Juanita B. Williams

Juanita B. Williams — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:13:47 +0000

@Juanita B. Williams, Laurel is the only beginning I know of in the United States

By: Juanita B. Williams

Juanita B. Williams — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:10:29 +0000

I am very interested in Laurel Ms.because my mother was born there in 1919. She was raised in Chicago but I must visit there because it seems to be my real beginning.

By: ShowchoirGirl101

ShowchoirGirl101 — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:33:25 +0000

our mall here has brand new shops now to like rue 21 and the taco place and the monogramming place. its actually a really good mall! i love it! Especially that taco place!~ YUM!!!

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:50:04 +0000

Mall opened in 1981. I was 9 years old and my Mom worked at the bookstore. Waldenbooks orginal store closed last week and Sound Shop is closing next week, also a mall orginal. I don’t remember a Record Bar- it has always been Sound Shop. Taco Place was orginally Taco Casa until about 12 years ago. Karmelkorn was changed to Popcorn place maybe 15 years ago.

By: Jarrod Gant

Jarrod Gant — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:04:51 +0000

I grew up and currently live in Laurel. I go to Sawmill Square Mall quite often and am a former employee of the JC Penney Store that helps anchor the mall. The mall is VERY outdated, and does have A LOT of regional/local stores, but it is still some fun. Especially for the area. I did have the occasion of getting to speak with the mayor about our outdated mall. According to him (Melvin Mack), the city has been working to help expand the mall and get more national chain stores. The problem is that most national stores look at the population of the city, and they do not take into account the size of the county, that looks at Laurel/Sawmill Square Mall as its shopping center. Laurel has the opportunity to have a GREAT mall, IF these stores would consider this fact. The mall did get a Rue21 that will open Feb. 26, 2009. Hopefully this will be the beginning of many more great stores. I know the assistant manager that was hired and according to him, the company is expecting the Sawmill Square Mall Rue21 to bring in two times more income that the one in Hattiesburg, MS next to Turtle Creek Mall.

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:03:34 +0000

I live in Laurel. The “Sawmill Square Mall” has gradually gone down hill.
The Belks store is very unorganized. I feel like I am trying to shop in
the salvage store. The mall itself is very out of date. It is not a safe place to go at night or the weekend nights shopping anymore. Sad but true.
Wish they could renovate and move in some decent stores.

By: ThomasH.

ThomasH. — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:14:35 +0000

I grew up in Laurel. This mall is not from the 1970’s; it was built in 1981. It has certainly faded from the fun place it was in my youth.
http://www.sawmillsquaremall.net/stores.html

That link has a map & such. From what i’ve been told, it is on the site of the old sawmill’s pond, not the actual mill, and there are some remaining buildings formerly used for drying large timbers off to one side.

By: Jonah Norason

Jonah Norason — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:59:37 +0000

Well, the link went dead and it was bought up by a Robots.txt-placing entity that unfortunately makes it impossible to search backwards via Archive.org.

I might have a JPG of it lying around, but the floorplan is basically a “crimped dumbbell” (think many early Pyramid malls) with a vague “V” shape. Penney’s and Belk anchor opposite ends.

By: Ed Ruskin

Ed Ruskin — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:11:43 +0000

Can anyone upload a directory picture? I tried that Deadmalls link and has nothing to do with the mall.

Belk and Belk Jrs.? The only other mall I’ve heard with a store and jrs. dept. next to each other is the Hemet Valley Mall (tiny mall with only 20 stores in Riverside Co. California, but that’s another tale.) with Gottschalks (local chain) and Gottschalks Jrs. or “Expressions”

Who owns the mall? Anyone knows?