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East-Central Indiana waits with bated breath over the future of our forlorn Muncie Mall. I got curious about the company now holding its fate, so I took a closer look at Hull Property Group and the rest of its portfolio. The organization says it has a “long track record of successfully reimagining properties that have lost their dominance and relevance¹!” I wondered what Hull’s efforts might consist of. What might they mean for Muncie Mall? 

I’ve written a lot about the fifty-six-year-old Muncie Mall. By the time I frequented the place as a teen, it was anchored by JCPenney, Sears, Elder-Beerman, and Macy’s. Unfortunately, they disappeared pretty quickly. An off-price retailer called Buyer’s Market opened up in the separately-owned Macy’s space in 2021², but the mall has gone without a traditional anchor for more than five years.

After a carousel of ownership changes, Hull Property Group of Augusta, Georgia, took over the center in 2024. Last September, Hull announced that it would demolish nearly 255,000 square feet! Fences now ring the old Sears, JCPenney, and movie theater, but little progress has been made outside. Apparently, that’s because the two empty anchors serve as the mall’s hubs for water and gas hookups³.

According to its website, Hull owns thirty-four malls stretching from Massachusetts to Texas. In Indiana, that includes Glenbrook Square in Fort Wayne, which Hull picked up late last year⁴; and Richmond Mall, which it’s held since 2015⁵. Glenbrook is still thriving, but Richmond is pretty moribund. I’d heard it had been given the full Hull treatment, though, so I stopped by to see for myself. 

Hull says that, among other things, it enhances its malls by installing “large-scale murals in-house, transforming dark or inactive storefronts into vibrant, community-focused displays that elevate the overall atmosphere of each property⁶.” Those efforts were on full display at Richmond Mall, where giant ads and murals covered the vast majority of its stores. It was clear that Hull had also installed new carpet and, possibly, new light fixtures.

Can we expect those changes to come to Muncie Mall? I bet so! They’re not headline-grabbing moves, but they’re typical Hull upgrades⁷ and they matter: I’m not a fan of carpeted malls, but a brighter concourse, cleaner finishes, and a more cohesive look like I saw in Richmond shifted the mood of a struggling mall from forgotten to functional. Muncie’s murals would probably focus on Ball State, but I hope one honors the old Marhoefer Spe-De Weenee in all its glory.

These days, I mostly head to Muncie Mall for lunch at MCL and don’t really shop there much. Because of that, I’m less worried about changes to the concourse than I am about the exterior of our sprawling landmark. Lopping off 255,000 square feet will make a massive difference- big enough, in fact, that interior signage already reflects the mall’s future footprint! Three of the empty anchors have been eliminated, but it wouldn’t be too much trouble to add the old Carson’s back in when Spirit Haloween shows up again. Aside from that, I counted nineteen open stores and restaurants last I was there.

Hull says seven new business opportunities will emerge once all that vacant space is cleared⁸, and that made me curious: how’s that strategy played out elsewhere? A quick look at Hull’s website turned up ten malls that appear to have undergone major transformations. Here they are:

Alton Square Mall- Alton, Illinois

Illinois’ Alton Square Mall opened in 1976. Hull acquired the property in 2015. Macy’s -formerly Famous-Barr- closed in 2017 and was eventually demolished. Today, the site is greenspace. Aside from outparcels, the mall’s website lists thirteen businesses as of this writing, including a library branch and post office. 

Asheboro Mall- Asheboro, North Carolina

Originally known as Randolph Mall, North Carolina’s Asheboro Mall opened in 1982. Hull purchased the property in 2016, two years before Sears announced its closure. The store was torn down in 2020 and replaced by a plaza with two outward-facing storefronts- the Maker and Merchant, and a space that appears vacant. The mall’s website lists twenty-four stores, not including outparcels.

Blue Ridge Mall- Hendersonville, North Carolina

Blue Ridge Mall opened in 1983 and featured Kmart as an anchor tenant. Hull purchased the mall in 2008 and demolished part of the old Kmart in 2014 to make way for Dunham’s Sports and Shoe Dept. Encore. Today, the mall features seventeen stores, including a post office.

Dalton Mall- Dalton, Georgia

Georgia’s Dalton Mall was originally known as Walnut Square when it was established in 1979. Hull bought the property in 2016. Much of the building, including JCPenney, Carmike Cinemas 9, and Sears, was torn down in 2019. Today, those areas are greenspace. According to its website, the mall includes twenty-three stores, not including outparcels.

Decatur Mall- Decatur, Alabama

Initially known as Beltine Mall, then River Oaks Center and Colonial Mall Decatur, Decatur Mall opened in 1978. A former Rogers store was demolished in 2012 and replaced by Carmike Cinemas. Hull acquired the mall in 2016, and the property’s vacant Sears store was torn down the following year. Those portions serve as parking lots and greenspace today. The mall’s website lists nine inline stores.

Florence Mall- Florence, Alabama

Alabama’s Florence Mall opened in 1967 as Regency Square Mall. It was renamed in 2013 during a major renovation. Hull eventually acquired the property, but Sears was shuttered in 2017, followed by JCPenney in 2020. Both were demolished last year. Today, the mall features nineteen open stores, including U.S. Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy recruiting centers.

Fort Henry Mall- Kingsport, Tennessee

Fort Henry Mall opened as Kingsport Town Center in 1976. Hull purchased the property in 2016 after the mall lost many of its tenants. Sears closed in 2017, and it was demolished around 2019. Today, the site is home to greenspace. Today, the mall is home to twelve stores, including a library branch.

LaGrange Mall- LaGrange, Georgia

Built in 1978, LaGrange Mall was first known as West Georgia Commons. After JCPenney closed, the store became Dunham’s Sports. A new Hobby Lobby was built to its east in 2017. Today, sixteen stores call LaGrange Mall home.

Prince of Orange Mall- Orangeburg, South Carolina

Prince of Orange Mall was built in 1984. Hull purchased the property in 1998. The mall’s fourth anchor, Key Catalog Showroom, was torn down in 2015. Today, aside from outparcels, the mall’s home to twenty stores including Army, Marines, and Navy recruiting stations. 

Pritchard Park Mall- Racine, Wisconsin

First known as Regency Mall, Pritchard Park Mall was completed in 1981. Hull bought the property in 2015. In 2024, the entire east wing of the mall was demolished to make way for a standalone Woodman’s Markets grocery store. Today, the mall proper is home to eighteen stores, including U.S. Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, and recruiting centers.

I had chatGPT compile some economic and demographic data for all those cities and Muncie from recent census data. As I parsed through it, I found that Muncie falls squarely in the middle of the group in terms of population, ethnicity, age, and education. Unfortunately, it lags in terms of median household income and has a higher poverty rate than most. It’s less dynamic demographically than immigrant-driven southern manufacturing hubs; less affluent than retirement-oriented mountain towns; and less economically robust than some of its regional peers where Hull owns properties that have been significantly modified.

What might that mean for the mall’s future? Medical services? A cluster of outparcel restaurants? A rumored wholesale club? The reintroduction of Tex Critter’s Pizza Jamboree? It could be any of those things- or some hybrid that hasn’t been imagined yet. If Hull’s track record at other properties I featured tells us anything, it’s that redevelopment rarely happens overnight. Destruction is often the first visible step. What follows tends to unfold gradually, if at all.

Regardless, Muncie Mall’s next chapter will probably reflect who the city actually is- not who it was in 1970 when it opened, 1997 when it was expanded, or even 2009 when I frequented it most. Those eras carried different economic engines, different shopping habits, and different expectations. Muncie has changed, and retail has changed. The mall has to change, too. Unfortunately, if some of Hull’s other properties are any indication, the shift back to viability will probably require a lot of patience.

Sources Cited
1 Positioning Retail Properties for Success (2026). Hull Property Group [Augusta]. Web. Retrieved February 13, 2026. 
2 Ohlenkamp, C. (2021, June 17). Buyer’s Market to open at Muncie Mall this Friday. The Muncie Star Press. p. A1. 
3 Muncie Mall Slow Deconstruction Reason? Jeff Howe Sheds Light (2025, January 28). Woof Boom Radio [Muncie]. Web. Retrieved January 29, 2026. 
4 Hull Property Group Acquires Glenbrook Square (2025, August 29). Hull Property Group [Augusta]. Web. Retrieved February 13, 2026. 
5 Truitt, J. (2015, December 19). Richmond Square Mall Under New Ownership. The Richmond Palladium-Item. p. A1. 
6 Enhancing the Retail Experience (2026). Hull Property Group [Augusta]. Web. Retrieved February 13, 2026. 
7 New Developments, Inside and Out (2026). Hull Property Group [Augusta]. Web. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
8 Kramer, R. (2025, September 21). The Muncie Mall is about to change in a big way! Hull Property Group, a Georgia developer that owns 27 [Facebook]. Video