FLORENCE, Ky. — Taking a walk through the Florence Mall on a weekday, one will find people here and there shopping or maybe eating in the food court.

What You Need To Know

  • The Florence Mall faces an uncertain future; it's nearly 45% vacant

  • The city has hired a consultant to assess next steps, said Mayor Julie Aubuchon 

  • All four anchor stores — two Macy's, JC Penney and Sears — are for sale or will be soon, the city said 

  • The property is just under 50 years old 

But they’ll also see almost half the stores are vacant, making it clear the mall is not thriving. The city has hired a consultant to determine next steps, said Mayor Julie Aubuchon. 

“We want to work with a developer who would be interested in redeveloping our mall,” Aubuchon said. “Just do an analysis of how other malls have been able to be reinvented across the country and see what worked and what didn’t work, and what can we learn from that?”

In addition to the empty stores, all four anchor stores — two Macy's, JC Penney and Sears — are for sale or will be soon, the city said. That makes change complicated, as all the parties need to agree.

“Florence will envision a new direction for that whole corridor; it could be mixed use, it could be entertainment, it could be sports-focused, it could be residential," Aubuchon said. "Really, no plan is off the table at this point."

“We don’t want to limit ourselves or box ourselves into old thinking about people’s shopping habits. Retail has evolved; entertainment districts have evolved. We want to be cutting-edge, and we want to be building a development that’s going to carry us for the next 50 years.”

The property is just under 50 years old. Its current owners, Namdar Realty Group, have seen the occupancy rate drop in recent years. According to the city, previously discussed deals to bring in new businesses have fallen through.

Aubuchon said the mall is nostalgic for many residents as its history is tied to the iconic Florence Y'all Water Tower. But she said it’ll have to adapt to the times.

“You’re always going to have a sense of community that is needed, where people want to come together,” Aubuchon said. “Experience-based retail is really where we see the trend going right now, and I think entertainment as well.”

She also said Florence is different from several other communities with malls because it has business districts throughout the city.

“If the mall goes away, that does not mean our business community goes away," she said. "I think that makes us unique." 

Aubuchon said something people tend to worry about when it comes to future development is traffic impact. She said the city would factor in how to minimize traffic congestion into any plans.

Related Stories