After months of uncertainty and plans delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Metrocenter Mall in Jackson will partially reopen later this month, officials told Mississippi Today.

The mall, long a pillar of economic development and entertainment in west Jackson, opened in 1978. At the time, the 1,250,000 square feet of mall space was the largest in the state, comprised of two levels of retail and office space with 60 stores and four anchor stores.

After several attempts to revitalize the mall, the property closed for good in 2018 as a major retail area. Only a handful of City of Jackson offices and a Burlington Coat Factory remained as occupants.

But in January 2020, Emily Seiferth-Sanders announced her initial plan to reopen the mall on April 1. By March, the pandemic was taking root in the state, effectively delaying plans to open the mall.

April 1 came and went without opening, and WJTV and other outlets reported many vendors complained they were never contacted by Seiferth-Sanders about opening plans after they paid their deposit for a spot. On Oct. 2, Seiferth-Sanders posted a video to the mall’s Facebook page addressed to tenants. She said she couldn’t give an opening date yet, but she gave directions for tenants to cancel their lease and get their deposit back if they wished.

This week Seiferth-Sanders told Mississippi Today she plans to conduct a “soft opening” of an upper-level section of the mall on Nov. 25. However, those plans are dependent upon passing inspection by City of Jackson Code Enforcement and the Fire Marshall.

“We’re here to build up the wasted place and bring life… restoration, to this area of west Jackson that has been on a decline for a while,” she said. “There will be 25% of retail stores, along with an entertainment area, schools, food vendors, a drive-in movie theater and mixed-use housing.”

“Currently, we have 40 tenants, a few of those being food vendors,” said Senior Vice President of Mall Operations William Grigsby. “It’s exciting. We want to support the community, help revitalize the area by creating jobs. And we want the community’s support too.”

“We’re here to build up the waste place and bring life,” said Emily Seiferth-Sanders, owner of the Metrocenter Mall in Jackson.
“Our goal is to help revitalize the area. We want to support the community and want the community to support us,” said Dr. William Grigsby, senior vice president of Metrocenter Mall in Jackson.
“Our goal is to help revitalize the area. We want to support the community and want the community to support us,” said Dr. William Grigsby, senior vice president of Metrocenter Mall in Jackson.
“I’m nervous, but excited at the same time,” said entreprenuer Grace Jackson of Natchez at the soon to open clothes boutique, “Stitched,” at the Metrocenter Mall in Jackson.
A worker paints column decoration at the Metrocenter Mall recently in preparation for a “soft opening” of a portion of the upper level of the mall later this month.
Workers repair palm tree fronds in the Center Court area as part of renovations currently in progress at the Metrocenter Mall in Jackson.
Renovations continue at Metrocenter Mall in Jackson in preparation for a “soft opening” of a portion of the upper level later this month.
Food Court area at Metrocenter Mall in Jackson where renovations are underway in preparation for a “soft opening” of a portion of the upper level later this month.
A view of an upper level section of the Metrocenter Mall is tentatively scheduled to open later this month.
Food Court area at Metrocenter Mall in Jackson where renovations are underway in preparation for a “soft opening” of a portion of the upper level later this month.
A “soft opening” of a portion of the upper level at Metrocenter Mall in Jackson is tentatively scheduled to open later this month.

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Vickie King has experience as a professional photographer spanning 35 years- from childhood purchasing her first camera by selling flower seeds to neighbors, as a stringer for Associated Press in Des Moines, Iowa, a freelancer shooting an album cover to your loved one’s wedding, and your kids and pets at a J.C. Penney portrait studio. She joins the Mississippi Today team as a photojournalist.

A native Mississippian and resident of Jackson, Vickie was born in Laurel.
You know her work from years as a staff photographer for the Clarion-Ledger. Her award-winning photography has appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Editor & Publisher Magazine, People Magazine, in national news broadcasts, and books depicting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the glory of Ole Miss football.

Most recently, she is the former photographer, Special Projects Officer IV, Staff Officer I, videographer, and online content producer for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. She is also a Pulitzer Prize nominee for Spot News.

Vickie is a graduate of Simpson College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Relations.