Jasper Mall

Jasper Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Jasper, Alabama, approximately 30 miles, or 48 kilometers, northwest of Birmingham. It opened on August 8, 1981, serving the Jasper area and surrounding communities in northwestern Alabama. The project was developed by the local Simmons family in partnership with Georgia developer George Ewing, and its opening transferred several important forms of retail activity from downtown Jasper into a purpose-built suburban shopping center. At its current reported scale, the mall covers approximately 350,000 square feet and contains three anchor spaces together with roughly 21 smaller inline stores. Its original and subsequent tenant mix included national department stores, discount retail, and local or regional service businesses. JCPenney moved from downtown Jasper into the mall when the property opened. Kmart also operated as an anchor, a tenant arrangement that local reporting described as unusual for a traditional enclosed mall. The property later changed ownership when Sharp Development Group, led by Sam Sharp, acquired it from Jasper Mall Associates in 1996. Jasper Mall expanded in the early 2000s. Belk opened an approximately 60,000-square-foot store in March 2002 as part of an approximately 80,000-square-foot expansion undertaken by Sharp Realty. This gave the center a significant third department-store anchor and reinforced its role as a regional retail destination. Like many American malls, however, Jasper Mall subsequently experienced anchor closures associated with the restructuring of national department-store and discount chains. Kmart closed its Jasper Mall store in March 2017 after Sears Holdings announced the location as part of a nationwide closure program. JCPenney was also selected for closure in 2017, with the store permanently shutting on July 31 of that year. The former JCPenney premises later became the home of Dunham's Sports, which opened in November 2021 and took over the entire former anchor space. The former Kmart space was subsequently targeted for reuse by Rural King. In January 2023, the Jasper City Council approved an incentive package intended to facilitate the store's opening, and Rural King began operating in the space on April 4, 2025. The mall also became the subject of the documentary film Jasper Mall, which follows the property, its tenants, and its patrons over a year and presents the center as an example of a declining or changing American shopping mall. The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival on January 24, 2020. This media attention gave the property significance beyond its local retail function, making it a documented case study in the social and commercial life of a regional mall facing anchor turnover and changing consumer patterns. Jasper Mall is owned by Kohan Retail. Its known history is therefore defined by three overlapping roles: a locally rooted shopping center established in 1981, a regional retail property that has repeatedly replaced major anchors, and a recognizable example of the challenges confronting enclosed malls in smaller American markets. Its continuing operation, including the arrival of Rural King and the presence of Dunham's Sports, reflects adaptation through tenant replacement rather than simple abandonment.

Jasper Mall opened on August 8, 1981, in Jasper, Alabama, about 30 miles northwest of Birmingham. The enclosed center was developed by the local Simmons family together with Georgia developer George Ewing. Its construction created a new regional retail destination for Jasper and neighboring communities, while also shifting some established retail activity away from the downtown area. JCPenney moved its downtown store into the mall at opening, making the new center an important part of the city's retail geography. The mall was built around major anchor tenants and smaller inline stores. Kmart operated as one of its anchors, an arrangement that local reporting regarded as unusual for an enclosed shopping mall. The property later changed hands in 1996, when Sharp Development Group, led by Sam Sharp, purchased it from Jasper Mall Associates. Under Sharp-related ownership and development, the center expanded in the early 2000s. Belk opened an approximately 60,000-square-foot store in March 2002, within an approximately 80,000-square-foot expansion by Sharp Realty. The addition gave Jasper Mall a third major anchor and strengthened its regional position. The center later experienced the anchor losses that affected many traditional American malls. On December 28, 2016, Sears Holdings announced that the Kmart store would close as part of a plan involving 30 Sears and Kmart locations nationwide. Jasper's Kmart shut in March 2017. JCPenney announced another closure on March 17, 2017, as part of a plan to eliminate 138 stores; the Jasper location closed permanently on July 31. These departures left large anchor spaces requiring new uses. The former JCPenney space was eventually occupied by Dunham's Sports. The sporting-goods retailer opened on November 12, 2021, taking the entire east-end anchor space. The former Kmart area was later prepared for Rural King, a rural-lifestyle and farm-supply retailer. On January 17, 2023, the Jasper City Council approved an incentive package supporting the proposed opening. Rural King ultimately began business in the space on April 4, 2025. Jasper Mall also became the subject of the documentary feature Jasper Mall. Billed as an account of a year in the life of a declining shopping mall, its tenants, and its patrons, the film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival on January 24, 2020. The documentary helped frame the property as a broader cultural example of the pressures facing enclosed malls, including anchor departures, reduced tenant activity, and the search for replacement uses. The mall is owned by Kohan Retail. Reported current physical characteristics include approximately 350,000 square feet, three anchor spaces, and about 21 smaller inline stores, although tenant occupancy and configuration can change. Its history combines local development, regional department-store retail, ownership transitions, national-chain closures, municipal incentives, and adaptive reuse. Rather than representing only a single retail format, Jasper Mall illustrates how a smaller-market enclosed mall can continue operating by replacing traditional department-store anchors with sporting-goods and rural-lifestyle tenants.

• 2025

  Rural King opens

  [1]Jasper Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Rural King officially opened in the former Kmart space on April 4.

• 2023

  Municipal incentives support Rural King project

  [1]Jasper Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Jasper City Council approved an incentive package connected with Rural King's proposed occupancy of the former Kmart space.

• 2021

  Dunham's Sports opens

  [1]Jasper Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Dunham's Sports opened in the former JCPenney space on November 12.

• 2020

  Jasper Mall documentary premieres

  [1]Jasper Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The documentary Jasper Mall premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival on January 24.

• 2017

  Kmart and JCPenney anchors depart

  [1]Jasper Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Kmart closed in March and JCPenney closed on July 31 after national chain-reduction programs.

• 2002

  Belk becomes a third anchor

  [1]Jasper Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Belk opened an approximately 60,000-square-foot store in March as part of a larger mall expansion.

• 1996

  Sharp Development Group purchases the mall

  [1]Jasper Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sharp Development Group, led by Sam Sharp, acquired Jasper Mall from Jasper Mall Associates.

• 1981

  Jasper Mall opens

  [1]Jasper Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed shopping mall opened on August 8, 1981, with JCPenney relocating from downtown Jasper to the new center.

A regional enclosed shopping center serving Jasper and surrounding northwestern Alabama communities, with a tenant mix that has evolved from traditional department-store anchoring toward sporting-goods and rural-lifestyle retail.

• Sporting goods anchor · 2021

  Dunham's Sports

  Dunham's Sports occupies the former JCPenney anchor space on the east end of Jasper Mall. The store represents the center's shift toward specialty retail and active-lifestyle merchandise after the departure of a traditional department-store anchor. It opened on November 12, 2021, and acquired the entire former JCPenney premises.

• Farm and rural-lifestyle anchor · 2025

  Rural King

  Rural King occupies the former Kmart space on the west end of the mall. Its arrival repurposed a large anchor vacancy created by Kmart's 2017 closure and introduced a farm-supply and rural-lifestyle retail format to the center. The store officially opened on April 4, 2025, following a municipal incentive package approved in 2023.

• Former department-store anchor · 1981

  JCPenney

  JCPenney was one of Jasper Mall's original major anchors. The retailer moved its Jasper operation from downtown into the mall when the center opened in 1981. The store later closed on July 31, 2017, after JCPenney included the location in a nationwide closure program. Its former space was subsequently reused by Dunham's Sports.

• Former discount-store anchor

  Kmart

  Kmart was a major anchor at Jasper Mall and was notable because local reporting considered a Kmart anchor unusual for an enclosed mall. Sears Holdings announced its closure in December 2016, and the store closed in March 2017. The former space was later redeveloped for Rural King.

• 2023

  Support Rural King's redevelopment of the former Kmart spaceStrategy

  Background

  Kmart's 2017 departure created a large vacant anchor area requiring a new tenant and a new retail concept.

  Action taken

  The Jasper City Council approved an incentive package on January 17, 2023, to support Rural King's proposed opening.

  Aftermath

  Rural King opened in the former Kmart space on April 4, 2025, providing another large-format replacement anchor.

  Source

• 2021

  Reuse the former JCPenney anchor for Dunham's SportsGeneration change

  Background

  JCPenney's 2017 closure left a large vacant anchor space on the mall's east end.

  Action taken

  Dunham's Sports opened in the entire former JCPenney location on November 12, 2021.

  Aftermath

  The replacement preserved a major retail use in the space while shifting the tenant mix from department-store merchandise toward sporting goods.

  Source

• 2002

  Expand the mall and add Belk as a third anchorStrategy

  Background

  Sharp Realty pursued an approximately 80,000-square-foot expansion to strengthen Jasper Mall's regional shopping role.

  Action taken

  Belk opened an approximately 60,000-square-foot store in March 2002 as the mall's third anchor.

  Aftermath

  The project increased the center's scale and diversified its department-store anchor lineup.

  Source

1. 1Jasper Mallen.wikipedia.org