Belk is closing a Columbia-area store after 25 years. Here’s when it will shut its doors
Belk is closing its longtime department store in Richland Mall ahead of a more than $100 million complete overhaul of the mall property that is slated for the coming years.
Company spokeswoman Jessica Rohlik noted the Belk store has been at the mall at 3400 Forest Drive in Forest Acres for a quarter-century.
“Belk has been proud to serve customers at our Richland Mall store since 1998,” Rohlik said in an email statement. “As redevelopment plans for the mall move forward, we will be closing our Richland Mall location in early September to focus on our other Columbia stores.”
Rohlik said the Richland Mall Belk will have items at 65% off, with clearance items running at 75% off, beginning Friday, Aug. 11.
“After store closing, we hope to welcome Richland Mall customers to our Columbiana Centre or the Village at Sandhill locations,” Rohlik said. “Customers are also able to shop for their favorite products on Belk.com or in the Belk app.”
When the coming redevelopment of the mall property was initially announced, officials indicated Belk would eventually relocate to another part of the site, in the former Parisian building. However, Rohlik said in a Wednesday afternoon email that there are no current plans for Belk to return to the redevelopment after the store closes.
After Belk’s coming closure, Barnes & Noble bookstore will be the last major tenant of the mall in its current form. The State has reached out to Barnes & Noble about its plans at the property.
Richland Mall, for years, struggled to maintain national tenants. But now there is a new plan taking shape to breathe life into the site.
The mall property had been owned by Century Capital LLC and Forest Holdings LLC. However, in January, Augusta development company Southeastern officially purchased the property. It has pledged to overhaul the 32-acre site with a more than $100 million plan that is set to include a 100,000-square-foot grocery store, more than 500 apartments, a public park, a brewery or taproom and more.
City officials have said the coming redevelopment of the mall site will be the largest single economic development investment in Forest Acres in nearly four decades.
City and development officials have said the redevelopment of the mall site will be a years-long process. The bulk of the current mall building ultimately will be demolished to make way for the overhaul.
Southeastern is no stranger to major developments. The company has numerous retail, residential, hospitality and other business developments in its portfolio, with projects across the South. Among it developments is the mixed-use Shelter Cove Towne Centre in Hilton Head.
This story was originally published August 9, 2023 at 12:06 PM.
