Local Businesses Rally To Keep Temple Mall’s Spirit Alive

The Temple Mall has certainly seen better days. In the past it served as a destination for shopping, movies, and catching up with friends, but now it is now full of vacant storefronts and broken skylights.

It's Falling Apart

Parts of the mall have been left in disarray. Tornado damages from April 2024 left skylights and access points busted, and the elements have free access to portions of the building

There are non-operational restrooms, collapsed ceilings, and an abundance of vacant retailers. One of the prime anchors of the mall, Dillard's, has sat empty since 2016.

Unbelievably Unsafe

In September 2024 the City of Temple shut down the mall temporarily on safety concerns. Fire alarms did not function, fire suppression systems had their issues, and some doors were locked shut from the inside.

Although, once the fire alarms were turned on, the mall was reopened for preliminary operations, not all of the problems have been resolved. The city is monitoring the entire process to keep it safe.

All Major Retailers Gone

All three of the major anchors of the mall have gone out of business. Macy's closed in 2017, JCPenneys shut down its Temple location in 2021, and Premiere Cinemas closed in 2022

Without those retailers' customers, customers drastically decrease which makes the decision to relocate easier for those businesses that remain.

Small Stores Keeping It Open

With the flight of most major retailers there are still many local store owners trying to keep the mall alive. They are even voluntarily paying for utility services like electricity and water.

A Little Hope

There is news of hope…sort of. A Houston based company called RockStep Capital is said to be interested in purchasing the mall. The president from Rockstep Capital has already made a trip to Temple to view the property. He stated that their company wants to bring the mall back to its glory and something to be proud of again for the community.

Throwing it All Away

The plan is to redesign the entire indoor mall. RockStep Capital might remove the interior walkways and create outward facing access which they define as de-malling.

If this does happen, it will definitely breathe new life into the whole area by having an actual indoor mall, even if the original design is changed.

Many are hopeful that more positive changes are on the way for the Temple Mall. The majority of the stores that are currently in the mall are locally owned and operated, so it's a benefit to the local community and economy to shop at there.