Back in July, word spread that a big piece of Muncie’s retail past was on the chopping block: the old J.C. Penney at Muncie Mall was headed for demolition. By September, the scope ballooned: nearly 255,000 square feet -including Sears and the long-shuttered cinema- were also slated to disappear! Fencing went up in October, then everything seemed to stall. What happened? At last, we have an answer.

Thirty-five years in, it somehow never crossed my mind to eat at MCL Restaurant & Bakery. Honestly, I’d forgotten Muncie even had one! With a speaking engagement looming there in a couple of weeks, I figured it was time to correct my oversight and see what I’d been missing. It was also a good opportunity to poke around the moribund Muncie Mall, so there was that, too. 

Back in July, I wrote about how the old JCPenney store at Muncie Mall was slated for demolition. Last month, news broke that two more chunks -the old Sears and the long-closed movie theater- are coming down as well! The mall’s new owners call the sweeping teardown a crucial step toward revitalizing the property, and the site is buzzing again for what seems like the first time in years: fences are up, change is on the horizon, and it’ll only be a matter of time before the wrecking crews assemble.