Haywood Mall

Haywood Mall is a super-regional shopping mall in Greenville, South Carolina, located at the intersection of Haywood Road and Interstate 385, also known as the Golden Strip Freeway. With approximately 1,237,411 square feet, or about 114,959 square meters, of retail space, it is described in reference material as the largest shopping mall in South Carolina. The property functions as a major retail, dining, and entertainment destination for Greenville and surrounding communities in the Upstate region. The mall was developed from plans announced in 1978 by Haywood Mall Associates, a joint venture of Cousins Properties and Monumental Properties. Its development strategy centered on assembling several established department-store anchors and relocating retailers from existing downtown or competing Greenville locations. J. C. Penney, Sears, and Rich's were among the first confirmed anchors, while Belk-Simpson was later confirmed as the fourth principal anchor. Meyers-Arnold also announced a nearby 20,000-square-foot store before the mall opened. Haywood Mall opened on July 30, 1980, with Belk-Simpson, Rich's, Sears, and J. C. Penney as its principal anchors and Meyers-Arnold as a junior anchor. The opening strengthened the Haywood Road and Interstate 385 corridor as a major commercial district and shifted some department-store activity away from downtown Greenville. Over time, the anchor roster changed as retail chains consolidated and department-store brands were rebranded. Meyers-Arnold became Uptons in 1987, but the Uptons location closed in 1988. Its space was subsequently converted into a food court, which opened in June 1989. In 1995, Dillard's moved its McAlister Square Mall operation to Haywood Mall. The relocation involved construction of a new wing leading to a three-level Dillard's store, expanding the mall's department-store offer and reinforcing its role as a regional shopping center. Other historical anchor changes included the transformation of Rich's into Macy's as part of broader department-store consolidation, and the continued operation of Belk and J. C. Penney under their established names. Sears announced in February 2020 that it would close its Haywood Mall store. The store closed in April 2020, leaving a large former anchor building available for redevelopment. Reference material identifies Primark and Round1 as planned future occupants of the former Sears space, representing a shift from a traditional department-store anchor toward a combination of value-focused fashion retail and interactive entertainment. The planned additions illustrate the mall's continuing adaptation to changes in department-store retail and customer expectations. Haywood Mall's current identity is therefore based less on a single proprietary product line than on its tenant mix, regional accessibility, department-store anchors, specialty retailers, food offerings, and entertainment uses. It remains associated with Simon Property Group and serves as a destination for shopping and leisure in the Greenville market. The available material does not establish a complete current tenant directory, a separate legal entity for the mall, or named mall executives.

Haywood Mall emerged from a late-1970s effort to create a major enclosed shopping destination along Greenville's Haywood Road and Interstate 385 corridor. Plans were first announced in 1978 by Haywood Mall Associates, a joint venture of Cousins Properties and Monumental Properties. The proposed center was designed around four anchor stores and was intended to open in March 1980. Its development reflected the growing importance of suburban and highway-accessible retail in the Greenville area, as well as the ability of a large regional mall to consolidate department-store traffic. The initial anchor lineup consisted of J. C. Penney, Sears, Rich's, and Belk-Simpson. J. C. Penney and Sears both had existing Greenville stores that were expected to close in favor of their new mall locations. Belk-Simpson likewise relocated from a pre-existing downtown Greenville store. Rich's joined the project as another major department-store anchor. In August 1979, Meyers-Arnold announced plans for a 20,000-square-foot store near Sears, giving the center an additional junior-anchor retailer before opening. Haywood Mall opened on July 30, 1980. Its opening established the property as a major regional retail center, with four department-store anchors and Meyers-Arnold supporting the tenant mix. The center's location near Interstate 385 gave it broad automobile access from Greenville and surrounding parts of Upstate South Carolina. Its role extended beyond local convenience retail because its size and anchor lineup were intended to attract shoppers from a wider regional area. The mall's early tenant history reflected the instability of mid-market department-store retail. Meyers-Arnold was acquired and converted to Uptons in June 1987. Uptons' presence was brief: the Haywood Mall location closed on April 2, 1988. Rather than leaving the space as a conventional vacant junior anchor, the mall redeveloped it for food service. A food court opened in June 1989, adding a social and dining component to the center and helping adapt the property to changing mall-use patterns. A substantial expansion and anchor change occurred in 1995, when Dillard's relocated its McAlister Square Mall store to Haywood Mall. The move required construction of a new wing leading to a three-level Dillard's store. This project strengthened Haywood's department-store concentration and enlarged its role as a super-regional destination. The mall's department-store history also followed national consolidation trends: Rich's was eventually represented by Macy's, while Belk-Simpson operated under the Belk name. Ownership and management later became associated with Simon Property Group, one of the major owners and operators of shopping centers in the United States. Haywood Mall's identity under Simon has centered on maintaining a broad tenant mix rather than relying solely on traditional department stores. Retail, dining, and entertainment uses have all formed part of the property's commercial proposition. The next major anchor transition followed Sears' February 2020 announcement that it would close its Haywood Mall store. The closure took place in April 2020, leaving the former Sears building available for a new use. Reference material identifies Primark and Round1 as planned occupants, with expected openings in 2026. Primark would add a value-oriented fashion anchor, while Round1 would bring a large entertainment component. Together, the plans indicate a response to the decline of conventional department stores and the increasing importance of experiential and specialty retail in enclosed malls. Reference material also reports a shooting at Haywood Mall on June 13, 2026, in which two bystanders were injured and three teenage suspects were detained. The available source does not provide enough detail to assess the broader operational or legal consequences. Haywood Mall remains an active shopping and entertainment destination in Greenville, with its historical significance tied to the development of the Haywood Road retail corridor, its long-running department-store anchor strategy, and its ongoing adaptation to changes in American mall retail.

• 2026

  Planned redevelopment of former Sears space

  [1]Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Primark and Round1 were identified as planned future tenants for the former Sears building.

• 2026

  Reported shooting

  [1]Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A reported shooting on June 13 injured two bystanders, and three teenage suspects were detained.

• 2020

  Sears closes

  [1]Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears announced the closure of its Haywood Mall store in February; the store closed in April.

• 1995

  Dillard's relocates to Haywood Mall

  [1]Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Dillard's moved its McAlister Square Mall operation to Haywood Mall, supported by a new wing and a three-level store.

• 1989

  Food court opens

  [1]Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A food court opened in June 1989 in the former Uptons space.

• 1988

  Uptons location closes

  [1]Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Uptons store closed on April 2, leaving space that was later redeveloped for a food court.

• 1987

  Meyers-Arnold converted to Uptons

  [1]Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Meyers-Arnold was acquired and the Haywood Mall location was converted to Uptons.

• 1980

  Haywood Mall opens

  [1]Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall opened on July 30 with Belk-Simpson, Rich's, Sears, and J. C. Penney as anchors, plus Meyers-Arnold as a junior anchor.

• 1979

  Meyers-Arnold joins the planned tenant mix

  [1]Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Meyers-Arnold announced plans for a 20,000-square-foot store near the planned Sears anchor.

• 1978

  Development plans announced

  [1]Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Haywood Mall Associates, a joint venture of Cousins Properties and Monumental Properties, announced plans for a four-anchor regional shopping mall in Greenville.

A large, destination-oriented regional shopping mall combining department stores, specialty retail, dining, and entertainment for Greenville and the broader Upstate South Carolina market.

• Anchor retail · 1980

  Department-store retail

  Haywood Mall's principal commercial offer has historically been organized around department-store anchors. Belk, Dillard's, J. C. Penney, and Macy's represent the current or historically documented anchor identities, offering apparel, accessories, beauty products, home merchandise, and other broad-line goods. The anchor roster has changed through relocation, rebranding, and retail consolidation.

• Food and beverage · 1989

  Food court and dining

  Dining is part of Haywood Mall's customer proposition. After the former Meyers-Arnold and Uptons space became available, the mall converted it into a food court that opened in 1989. The available reference does not provide a complete current restaurant directory, but the food-court development marked an important expansion of the property beyond merchandise retail.

• Apparel retail · 2026

  Primark

  Primark is identified in the reference material as a planned future tenant in the former Sears building. Its proposed presence would add a value-focused fashion retailer and provide a new use for a large former department-store anchor space. The source material does not establish an operating date beyond an expected opening in 2026.

• Entertainment · 2026

  Round1

  Round1 is identified as a planned entertainment center for the former Sears space. The proposed use would broaden Haywood Mall's role from traditional shopping toward experiential leisure and help diversify the activity generated by the former department-store anchor. The available material does not confirm that the center had opened.

• 2026

  Reported shooting at Haywood Mall

  Reference material reports that a shooting occurred at the mall on June 13, 2026. Two bystanders were injured and three teenage suspects were detained. No additional details about charges, litigation, mall security measures, or the final legal outcome are provided in the available material.

  Source

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• 2020

  Redevelop former Sears anchor spaceStrategy

  Background

  Sears announced that it would close its Haywood Mall store, which shut in April 2020.

  Action taken

  The former Sears building was planned for new uses involving Primark and Round1.

  Aftermath

  The proposed redevelopment would replace a traditional department-store anchor with value-fashion retail and entertainment, reflecting the mall industry's shift toward diversified and experiential tenants.

  Source

• 1995

  Relocate Dillard's from McAlister Square MallStrategy

  Background

  Dillard's operated a store at McAlister Square Mall before moving its Greenville-area operation.

  Action taken

  Dillard's relocated to Haywood Mall, with a new wing constructed to lead to a three-level store.

  Aftermath

  The move increased Haywood Mall's department-store concentration and reinforced its position as a regional shopping destination.

  Source

• 1989

  Convert former junior-anchor space into a food courtStrategy

  Background

  The Haywood Mall Uptons location closed in April 1988 after the earlier Meyers-Arnold store had been converted to Uptons.

  Action taken

  The vacant space was reworked into a food court, which opened in June 1989.

  Aftermath

  The conversion added dining capacity and changed the use of a former apparel anchor space from conventional retail to a shared mall amenity.

  Source

1. 1Haywood Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Haywood Mall official pagesimon.com