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Greenwood Mall

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Greenwood Mall is an enclosed regional shopping mall in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with department-store anchors, specialty retailers, dining, and entertainment.

Last updated August 25, 2026

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Overview

Greenwood Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It developed as a major retail destination for the city and the surrounding south-central Kentucky trade area, opening in phases beginning in 1979. The first phase opened on September 12, 1979, with JCPenney, Ben Snyder's, and more than 50 inline stores. Construction had begun in 1977, and the property expanded and changed its tenant mix repeatedly as national department-store chains, specialty retailers, and entertainment operators adjusted to changing retail conditions. The mall's anchor history reflects the consolidation and repositioning of American department-store retail. Castner Knott moved its Bowling Green operation from Bowling Green Mall to Greenwood Mall in 1980. Sears later opened an approximately 87,400-square-foot store at Greenwood in October 1987 after plans to relocate from a freestanding downtown location. Ben Snyder's was acquired by Hess's in the late 1980s, and the Greenwood store was converted to the Hess's nameplate before closing in 1993. The former location was demolished and replaced by a two-story Dillard's, which opened in 1996. Dillard's subsequently moved into the former Castner Knott building after Dillard's acquired the Castner Knott chain in 1998, while the newer Dillard's building became a Famous-Barr store in 1999 and later adopted the Macy's nameplate in 2006. Greenwood Mall also expanded its specialty-retail offer. A front-end expansion in 2001 added LifeWay Christian bookstore and Old Navy, with Old Navy opening in August of that year. The mall added or relocated numerous fashion, beauty, sporting-goods, home, footwear, and entertainment tenants during the 2000s, including Charlotte Russe, Vanity, PacSun, Forever 21, Bath & Body Works, Steve & Barry's, Ulta Beauty, Shoe Show, and Chuck E. Cheese. In July 2006, Dunham's Sports opened its first Kentucky location at Greenwood Mall. The property also developed a food court and continued to use anchor wings and inline space to refresh its tenant mix. The mall entered another period of anchor transition in the late 2010s. Macy's announced that it would close its Greenwood Mall store, and Belk opened in the former Macy's space on October 13, 2017. Sears announced in October 2018 that its Greenwood Mall location would close as part of a nationwide store-closure program; the store ceased operations in early 2019. Several long-standing specialty tenants also departed between late 2018 and 2019, including Forever 21, Express, F.Y.E., Gymboree, and Crazy 8. New and replacement tenants continued to appear, including Cinnabon in November 2018 and, according to the cited reference material, a Dunham's Sports store in the former Sears space on December 12, 2025. The current center is described as having approximately 67 stores and three principal anchors: Belk, Dillard's, and JCPenney. Its tenant mix includes specialty retail, beauty, apparel, sporting goods, food-service, and family entertainment uses. Greenwood Mall functions primarily as a physical retail and leisure destination rather than as a consumer-products brand, and its identity is tied to serving the local and regional market around Bowling Green.

History

Greenwood Mall was developed in Bowling Green, Kentucky, during a period when enclosed shopping centers were becoming important regional retail destinations. Construction began in 1977, and the mall opened in phases. Its initial phase began operations on September 12, 1979, with JCPenney and Ben Snyder's as anchors and more than 50 inline stores. Castner Knott, which already operated in the Bowling Green market, moved from Bowling Green Mall to Greenwood in 1980. The property continued to grow through anchor additions and replacements. In 1986, plans were announced to move Sears from a freestanding downtown Bowling Green store to Greenwood Mall. The new Sears opened in October 1987. Later that year, Hess's acquired the Ben Snyder's chain and converted its stores, including the Greenwood location, to the Hess's name. Hess's closed the store in March 1993. The building was demolished in late 1995 and replaced by a two-story Dillard's, which opened in September 1996. Castner Knott expanded its own mall presence around the same time by adding a second floor and opening a separate home-goods store near the food court. Dillard's acquired the Castner Knott chain in 1998. After the acquisition, Dillard's vacated the building it had opened in 1996 and moved into the former Castner Knott building. Dawahares, a Lexington-based Kentucky retailer, replaced the Castner Knott home store in August 1998, while Dillard's reopened in the former Castner Knott space in January 1999. The earlier Dillard's building reopened as Kentucky's second Famous-Barr store in March 1999 and was converted to Macy's in September 2006. Greenwood Mall added more specialty-retail capacity through a front-end expansion in 2001. The expansion included LifeWay Christian bookstore and Old Navy, which opened in August. In February 2004, additional stores such as Yankee Candle and Chuck E. Cheese were reported as coming to the center. Dunham's Sports opened in July 2006 as the chain's first Kentucky location. Other stores added or relocated during the mid-2000s included Charlotte Russe, Vanity, PacSun, Forever 21, and Bath & Body Works. Steve & Barry's opened in the Sears wing in early 2008, remained after an initial round of chain closures, and closed in 2009. Ulta Beauty later replaced Dawahares, and Shoe Show replaced Steve & Barry's. The late 2010s brought further tenant turnover. Macy's announced that it would close its Greenwood Mall store, and Belk replaced it, opening on October 13, 2017. Sears announced in October 2018 that it would close the Greenwood Mall store as part of a nationwide closure plan; the store ended operations in early 2019. The period also saw departures by several long-term tenants, including Forever 21, Express, F.Y.E., Gymboree, and Crazy 8. Cinnabon opened in November 2018 in space formerly occupied by Leroy's Jewelers. The cited reference describes Greenwood Mall as an active enclosed shopping center with about 67 stores and three principal anchors: Belk, Dillard's, and JCPenney. Its current offer combines department stores with specialty retail, beauty, sporting goods, food service, a food court, and family entertainment. The reference material also records a Dunham's Sports opening in the former Sears space on December 12, 2025, indicating a later reuse of one of the mall's former anchor locations.

  • 2025

    Dunham's Sports opens in former Sears space

    [1]

    The reference material reports that Dunham's Sports opened in the former Sears location on December 12, 2025.

  • 2019

    Sears ceases operations

    [1]

    The Sears store closed in early 2019 after the chain announced its closure plan in 2018.

  • 2017

    Belk replaces Macy's

    [1]

    Belk opened on October 13 in the former Macy's space.

  • 2006

    Macy's and Dunham's Sports arrive

    [1]

    The Famous-Barr store adopted the Macy's nameplate, while Dunham's Sports opened its first Kentucky store at the mall.

  • 2001

    Front-end expansion completed

    [1]

    The mall expanded its front end and added tenants including LifeWay Christian bookstore and Old Navy.

  • 1999

    Famous-Barr opens

    [1]

    The former Dillard's building reopened as Famous-Barr in March.

  • 1998

    Dillard's acquires Castner Knott

    [1]

    Following Dillard's purchase of Castner Knott, the mall's department-store configuration began another round of relocations and replacements.

  • 1996

    Two-story Dillard's opens

    [1]

    A replacement two-story Dillard's opened in September on the site of the former Hess's store.

  • 1993

    Hess's store closes

    [1]

    The former Ben Snyder's location, converted to Hess's, closed in March.

  • 1987

    Sears opens at the mall

    [1]

    A new Sears store opened in October after relocating from downtown Bowling Green.

Products and positioning

A regional enclosed shopping center serving Bowling Green and surrounding south-central Kentucky communities through a combination of department-store anchors, national specialty chains, dining, beauty, sporting goods, and family entertainment.

  • Department stores · 1979

    Department-store anchors

    Greenwood Mall's principal anchor offer consists of Belk, Dillard's, and JCPenney. These stores provide broad assortments spanning apparel, accessories, beauty, home merchandise, and family-oriented general retail. The anchor lineup has changed substantially over time as Ben Snyder's, Hess's, Castner Knott, Famous-Barr, Macy's, and Sears entered or exited the property.

  • Apparel, beauty, footwear, and specialty retail · 2001

    Specialty retail

    The mall's specialty-retail mix includes national and regional stores serving apparel, accessories, beauty, footwear, gifts, and related categories. Known tenants over the mall's history include Old Navy, Ulta Beauty, Charlotte Russe, Vanity, PacSun, Forever 21, Bath & Body Works, Yankee Candle, and Shoe Show, although individual tenant occupancy has changed over time.

  • Sporting goods · 2006

    Dunham's Sports

    Dunham's Sports is a sporting-goods offering associated with Greenwood Mall. The chain opened its first Kentucky store at the mall in July 2006. The reference material further states that a Dunham's Sports store opened in the former Sears space in December 2025, representing a later use of a large former anchor location.

  • Dining and family entertainment · 2004

    Food and entertainment

    Greenwood Mall includes a food court and has hosted food-service and entertainment tenants. Chuck E. Cheese was identified as a tenant in the mall's development history, while Cinnabon opened a location in November 2018. These uses complement the mall's retail offer and support visits oriented toward dining and family leisure as well as shopping.

Brand decisions

  • 2018

    Response to Sears closureStrategy

    Background

    Sears announced a nationwide closure program that included the Greenwood Mall store.

    Action taken

    The Sears location closed in early 2019, after which the former anchor space was later associated with a Dunham's Sports opening.

    Aftermath

    The change reduced the mall's traditional department-store footprint while creating an opportunity to reuse a large anchor space for sporting goods.

    Source

  • 2017

    Belk replaces Macy'sStrategy

    Background

    Macy's decided to close its Greenwood Mall location during a period of department-store retrenchment.

    Action taken

    Belk opened in the former Macy's space on October 13, 2017.

    Aftermath

    The replacement preserved a department-store anchor in the space after Macy's departure.

    Source

  • 2001

    Front-end expansionStrategy

    Background

    Greenwood Mall expanded its specialty-retail capacity to broaden its tenant mix beyond department stores.

    Action taken

    The front end was expanded, with LifeWay Christian bookstore and Old Navy among the additions.

    Aftermath

    The expansion added more national specialty retail and supported a broader shopping-center format.

    Source

  • 1998

    Dillard's acquisition of Castner Knott changes mall anchorsM&A

    Background

    Dillard's acquired the Castner Knott chain, which operated a Greenwood Mall store and a nearby home-goods operation.

    Action taken

    Dillard's moved from its newer building into the former Castner Knott building; Dawahares took over the former Castner Knott home store, and the vacated Dillard's building later became Famous-Barr.

    Aftermath

    The transaction reshaped the mall's department-store footprint and ultimately led to the later Macy's use of the former Dillard's building.

    Source

  • 1995

    Replacement of the former Hess's anchorGeneration change

    Background

    The Ben Snyder's store had been converted to Hess's and closed in March 1993, leaving a former anchor building available for redevelopment.

    Action taken

    The building was demolished and replaced with a two-story Dillard's that opened in September 1996.

    Aftermath

    The redevelopment modernized one of the mall's anchor spaces and supported a larger Dillard's presence.

    Source

  • 1986

    Relocation of Sears to Greenwood MallStrategy

    Background

    Sears planned to move from a freestanding downtown Bowling Green store to a larger location within Greenwood Mall.

    Action taken

    A new approximately 87,400-square-foot Sears store opened at the mall in October 1987.

    Aftermath

    The move strengthened Greenwood Mall's anchor lineup and shifted a major department-store operation from downtown to the enclosed center.

    Source

Sources2 sources

  1. 1Greenwood Mall (Kentucky)en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2Greenwood Mall official websitegreenwoodmall.com

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