Old Hickory Mall celebrates 50th anniversary

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Old Hickory Mall is a staple in the city of Jackson ever since it was built in 1967.

“Old Hickory has so much history for being here over 50 years,” said Kristina Francese, marketing director for Old Hickory Mall. “And we just want to celebrate with the community.”

The original mall started as an open-air center with just Sears and JCPenney.

“The Sears store moved from downtown Jackson out here first and located out here,” said Orlandis Smith, security at Old Hickory Mall. “This was outside of city limits at the time.”

Mall employees say they have watched the mall grow and have seen stores come and go, such as the nation’s first Hard Rock Cafe.

JCPenney general manager Matthew Kent says it is interesting to think about the differences in merchandise from their original store.

“Typical things that you would need on a farm or ranch. Things like saddles, canoes,” Kent said. “JCPenney even sold airplanes at one point in time.”

A lot has changed at the Old Hickory Mall, but mall employees say the role it has played in their lives for as long as they can remember has stayed the same.

“[It] had a movie theater on the corner down there where Chuck E. Cheese is,” Smith said. “I took my kids there at that time.”

“We used to like, hang and run around this mall,” mall employee Brittney Porter-Pugh said. “We used to have some security guards, Mr. Smith. They used to chase us, but now we’re older now, and it’s kind of crazy because I’m working here.”

On its 50th anniversary, visitors say they are glad it is still part of the community.

“It’s been a big transformation over the years,” Smith said. “But thanks be to God, it’s still here.”

Mall representatives say they hope to keep the Old Hickory Mall the community-oriented center it has been for the past 50 years. They say that they are hoping to hold more events and have more live musical performances in the future.