Foothills Mall (Tennessee)

Foothills Mall is an indoor regional shopping mall in Maryville, Tennessee, and the only traditional enclosed shopping mall in suburban Blount County. Opened in 1983, it was developed to provide the area with a broad concentration of department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, and entertainment in a single regional destination. The property is also connected commercially with Foothills Plaza, an adjacent open-air complex containing additional restaurants and a Publix grocery store. The mall's original anchor lineup reflected the retail structure of the region at the time of its opening. It included Maryville-based Proffitt's, the regional department store Miller's, JCPenney, and Sears. Over time, the original anchor portfolio changed substantially as department-store companies disappeared, consolidated, or reduced their physical footprints. Proffitt's ceased to exist as an independent banner, and its former space was subsequently occupied by Belk. Miller's, later associated with the Hess's department-store operation, also disappeared; the former building was demolished in 2011 to make room for a new movie theater. Sears remained at the property for much longer but closed in February 2019, after which the building was later removed and replaced by a Publix Super Market. Foothills Mall underwent a renovation in 2006, helping refresh the interior and support its continuing role as a local and regional retail center. The mall's tenant mix has since combined traditional apparel and department-store retail with restaurants, entertainment, services, and nearby grocery shopping. According to the available reference material, the property has approximately 70 stores and restaurants. Its customer base is primarily local residents and shoppers from surrounding communities in Blount County and the wider Knoxville metropolitan area. The mall experienced another major anchor transition in the early 2020s. On June 4, 2020, JCPenney announced that its Foothills Mall location would close in October 2020 as part of a nationwide plan to shut 154 stores. Following that closure, AMC Theatres, Belk, and TJ Maxx were identified as the mall's remaining principal anchor occupants. The former JCPenney site was subsequently redeveloped rather than left as an unchanged department-store box. In 2025, BJ's Wholesale opened on the location after the entire building was demolished and rebuilt. The project also added a BJ's Wholesale gas station and auto center, broadening the site's function from enclosed-mall retail toward a hybrid shopping, grocery, fuel, and automotive-services destination. Foothills Mall therefore represents the continuing adaptation of a mature regional shopping property. Its history has been shaped by department-store turnover, physical redevelopment, entertainment additions, grocery expansion, and the arrival of a warehouse-club operator. Although its anchor composition has changed repeatedly since 1983, the property remains an active commercial center for Maryville and nearby communities.

Foothills Mall opened in 1983 in Maryville, Tennessee, serving the communities of Blount County and the surrounding Knoxville metropolitan area. It was established as an enclosed regional shopping mall at a time when department stores were central to the commercial identity of suburban shopping centers. The initial anchor lineup included Maryville-based Proffitt's, Miller's, JCPenney, and Sears. These stores gave the property a broad department-store foundation, while smaller specialty shops and restaurants filled the interior mall corridors. The property remained the only indoor shopping mall in suburban Blount County. Its location allowed it to function as both a conventional local shopping center and a regional destination for residents of surrounding towns. Adjacent Foothills Plaza expanded the overall retail environment with additional restaurants and a Publix grocery store, giving the area a mix of enclosed-mall, restaurant, and everyday-needs shopping. The original department-store structure did not remain intact. Proffitt's, once a regional anchor with local roots, eventually disappeared as a standalone retail banner. Its former mall space became a Belk department store. Miller's, another early anchor associated with Allied Stores and later the Hess's operation, also ceased to operate under those banners. The former Miller's/Hess's building was demolished in 2011 so that a movie theater could be developed on the site. This conversion illustrated the property's shift from a department-store-led model toward a combination of retail and entertainment. Foothills Mall was renovated in 2006. The work formed part of the property's effort to maintain an up-to-date enclosed shopping environment as consumer preferences and the competitive landscape changed. Sears continued as one of the mall's principal anchors until February 2019, when its store closed. The old Sears structure was later demolished, and the site was redeveloped for a Publix Super Market, adding grocery shopping to the property's evolving commercial offer. JCPenney became the next major anchor to depart. On June 4, 2020, the company announced that the Foothills Mall store would close in October as part of a nationwide program involving 154 store closures. After JCPenney left, AMC Theatres, Belk, and TJ Maxx were identified as the remaining anchor stores. The loss of JCPenney created a significant redevelopment opportunity, and the former department-store building was ultimately not retained. In 2025, BJ's Wholesale opened on the former JCPenney site after the entire building was demolished and rebuilt. The redevelopment also included a BJ's Wholesale gas station and an auto center. This project introduced a large-format warehouse-club model and related services to a site that had previously been occupied by a conventional department store. It also demonstrated how Foothills Mall has adapted its physical footprint to changing retail formats. Across its history, Foothills Mall has moved from a department-store-centered model toward a more varied commercial ecosystem. Its current identity combines an enclosed mall with specialty retail, restaurants, cinema entertainment, off-price shopping, grocery access, wholesale-club retail, fuel, and automotive services. The succession of renovations, anchor replacements, demolitions, and new construction has allowed the property to remain an active shopping destination despite the decline of several of its original retail banners.

• 2025

  BJ's Wholesale redevelopment opens

  [1]Foothills Mall (Tennessee) — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  BJ's Wholesale opens in a newly built facility on the former JCPenney site, alongside a gas station and auto center.

• 2020

  JCPenney closure announced

  [1]Foothills Mall (Tennessee) — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney announces that the Foothills Mall store will close in October as part of a nationwide 154-store closure plan.

• 2019

  Sears closes

  [1]Foothills Mall (Tennessee) — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  The Sears anchor closes in February; the building is later demolished and replaced by a Publix Super Market.

• 2011

  Former Miller's/Hess's building is demolished

  [1]Foothills Mall (Tennessee) — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  The former department-store building is removed to make room for a new movie theater.

• 2006

  Major mall renovation

  [1]Foothills Mall (Tennessee) — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  Foothills Mall completes a renovation to update the established shopping property.

• 1983

  Foothills Mall opens

  [1]Foothills Mall (Tennessee) — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed regional mall opens in Maryville with Proffitt's, Miller's, JCPenney, and Sears as its principal department-store anchors.

A community-serving regional shopping destination combining enclosed-mall specialty retail, department-store and off-price shopping, restaurants, entertainment, grocery access, and large-format wholesale services.

• Shopping mall · 1983

  Enclosed mall retail

  The core offering is an indoor regional shopping environment with approximately 70 stores and restaurants. The tenant mix has historically included department stores, specialty retailers, food-service operators, and entertainment businesses serving Maryville, Blount County, and nearby parts of the Knoxville metropolitan area.

• Department stores · 1983

  Department-store retail

  Department stores formed the mall's original anchor structure. Proffitt's and Miller's were early anchors, while JCPenney and Sears remained important occupants for later decades. Proffitt's was replaced by Belk, and both Sears and JCPenney eventually closed as the property transitioned to other uses.

• Entertainment · 2011

  Cinema entertainment

  A movie theater was developed on the site of the former Miller's/Hess's building after that structure was demolished in 2011. AMC Theatres is identified among the mall's remaining anchor occupants after the JCPenney closure.

• Warehouse club · 2025

  BJ's Wholesale

  BJ's Wholesale opened in 2025 on the former JCPenney site. The building was demolished and rebuilt for the new large-format operation, extending the mall area's offer into warehouse-club merchandise and bulk shopping.

• Automotive and fuel services · 2025

  BJ's Wholesale Gas Station and Auto Center

  The 2025 BJ's Wholesale redevelopment added a gas station and an auto center, providing fuel and automotive services in addition to merchandise retail.

• 2025

  Redevelopment for BJ's WholesaleStrategy

  Background

  The former JCPenney department-store site became available after the store's 2020 closure.

  Action taken

  The entire building was demolished and rebuilt for BJ's Wholesale, with a gas station and auto center added to the project.

  Aftermath

  The mall area expanded into warehouse-club retail, fuel, and automotive services.

  Source

• 2020

  JCPenney store closureOther

  Background

  JCPenney announced on June 4, 2020, that it would close 154 stores nationwide, including its Foothills Mall location.

  Action taken

  The Foothills Mall JCPenney store was scheduled to close in October 2020.

  Aftermath

  AMC Theatres, Belk, and TJ Maxx were identified as the mall's remaining anchor stores until the former JCPenney site was redeveloped.

  Source

• 2019

  Redevelopment of the former Sears siteStrategy

  Background

  Sears closed its Foothills Mall store in February 2019, leaving another former department-store building available for reuse.

  Action taken

  The old Sears building was demolished and the site was redeveloped for a Publix Super Market.

  Aftermath

  The property gained a grocery component and further diversified beyond traditional department-store retail.

  Source

• 2011

  Conversion of former department-store site to entertainment useStrategy

  Background

  The former Miller's/Hess's anchor no longer served as an operating department store.

  Action taken

  The building was demolished and the site was used for a new movie theater.

  Aftermath

  Entertainment became a more prominent component of the mall's tenant and anchor mix.

  Source

• 2006

  Renovation of Foothills MallStrategy

  Background

  The established enclosed mall required an updated physical environment to remain competitive as a regional shopping destination.

  Action taken

  Foothills Mall carried out a renovation in 2006.

  Aftermath

  The property continued operating as the principal indoor mall serving suburban Blount County.

  Source

1. 1Foothills Mall (Tennessee) — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Foothills Mall official websitefoothillsmall.com