Jackson JCPenney celebrates grand reopening
JACKSON, Tenn. — After months of renovation, the JCPenney store in Jackson officially reopened its doors Thursday. JCPenney CEO Marvin Ellison grew up in Haywood County and flew in for the big event. The Haywood High School band played for a crowd at the grand reopening ceremony Thursday at Old Hickory Mall. “It is a little surreal to be here,” Ellison said. Ellison is a Haywood graduate and Brownsville native who said he grew up shopping at the store with his mom. “When we were buying clothes for Easter or very, very special holiday gifts, this was the key department store that we would frequent,” he said. The remodel features new floors, LED lights and a new 1,700-square-foot Sephora. “I think the new store is fabulous,” Sharon Davis, a shopper, said. The salon also got a makeover that includes a new floor, new work stations and more retail space. “It’s just like a new store. To me it’s a new beginning,” Gloria McKinnie, an employee, said. JCPenney opened 92 years ago in downtown Jackson. The store moved to its current location in 1967. Ellison said the Jackson store feels brand new. “To come back and represent this community is something I’m very proud of,” he said. Ellison said his great aunt also works at the JCPenney in Jackson. JCPenney said the remodel took four months to complete. The store stayed open during the renovation.
