Finding out the location	very easy
Access	hard
Safety	unsafe
Risk of being seen	low
General condition of the place	very bad
Traces of vandalism	many
Good place for taking pictures?	bad
Did you see other people?	none or very few

Visit date    May 7 2020 at 2 hr
Visit duration    < 1 hour

The regency mall opened in 1978 with high expectations. It was the first shopping mall in the town and also the largest enclosed mall in the state. The 800,000 square foot mall was packed with amenities including a large fountain, 28 foot clock tower, a 28,000 square foot food court and even a stage for events. It held 139 stores in its two story Y-shaped structure, including a three screen cinema and five bustling anchor stores. It was had live trees lining the brown tiled walkways. A week after the opening of the regency, a second mall opened just seven miles away causing a fierce amount of of competition and controversy between the two. While initially both malls thrived, the Regency started to experience less traffic eventually due to its “off the beaten path” location. Despite the regency being the largest mall in town, the other mall was located conveniently right off the busy interstate ultimately attracting more shoppers. In the 1980s, the Regency also began experiencing safety and security issues. It was located in a high crime, deteriorating part of town. The poor location combined with the lack of mall security led to the general perception that is was not a safe place to go. In 1986, a young woman was abducted from the mall parking lot and was later found raped and shot four times days later. Three years after this tragic incident, another woman was shot in the parking lot by a man hiding in her backseat. She was left permanently paralyzed. After this second act of violence, the mall received lawsuits blaming their lack of security for these terrible crimes. In 1990, the competing mall rolled out a 32 million dollar renovation and expansion. On the other hand, the Regency had not spent any money on updates or expansions This massive plan essentially put the competing mall in the top spot. Not soon after, residents and travelers flocked to the updated and improved mall, while the regency took this blow to an already struggling foundation. Not only did the customers begin to widdle away, but stores also started pulling out to the regency and relocated into the more popular and successful mall. It’s first anchor store closed in 1993 and seven other stores followed in that same year. Store owners were saying there was simply not enough traffic to generate the kind of revenue they were looking for. It was also said they “didn’t see much of a future” for the mall. Some smaller stores moved in, but occupancy still harshly declined. In the 90s, two gentleman by the names of Haywood Whichard and Paul Woo took interest in the mall. The two specialized in buying and revitalization of failing mall properties. In 1991, the mall was valued at $33.5 million dollars according to tax records. Haywood and Paul bought the property for a mere $4.15 million. They hoped to start attracting tenants. They acted fast, and drastically cut the the lease rates to $3.50 a foot. Most surrounding businesses were charging $9-$18 dollars a foot. This great offer made a small leap in businesses moving in, but it was not enough to turn the malls future around. They deduced the mall would need $15-$30 million dollars worth of renovations to begin attracting business again. Sadly, neither of them felt the investment was wise and the cinema and another anchor store followed out. Two years after, another anchor store relocated, leaving just one anchor store left. Desperate to keep the mall going, they boarded up its entrances to save on heating and cooling costs. The mall's escalators were shut off to save money, and they cut down the hours of operation. Even with all these cost saving measures, the mall lost money every single day and had an average 35% occupancy. Many owners and investors fell through. In 1996, the city announced a plan to buy the mall and relocate government offices here. They even planned on putting a courthouse in place of the old “Belk” store. This plan was praised and locals thought it was the perfect route to revitalization. It came to a quick halt when the price of the investment was revealed to be a whopping $90 million dollars. This plan never materialized. In 1999, a new investor was looking into making the mall a massive outlet mall including spectacular amenities. There was plans of outlet stores, an entertainment center with amusement park rides, a hotel, an ice rink, specialty shops and an office space. This deal also never transpired. Haywood and Paul even tried to auction the property, but were humiliated after getting no bids higher than $2.3 million. Haywood eventually bought Paul’s share of the property in a foreclosure auction for a measly $2.7 million dollars. He tried to sell the mall to the city with no luck. The last anchor store pulled out and then closed its doors for good in 2002. After this, the mall was poorly maintained and caused a dispute with the county’s code inspection. It is estimated at a value of $30-$40 million, yet attracts no buyers or sales. It was planned to be used as a civic arena, a park and retail space, and there was even plans to turn the building into a mega church for up to 3,000 worshippers, a gymnasium, classrooms, a bookstore and a coffee shop. All these deals fell through as well. In 2012 it was set on fire by homeless people, in addition to other vandalism and graffiti. In 2013, it was completely gutted to barebones and boarded shit to prevent anymore incidents. In August 2017, it was announced that the property was among five locations under consideration for the new James Brown Arena. As of December 2017, a deal has yet to be struck and negotiations are currently ongoing. The future is bleak for this large mall. Inside, it is almost unrecognizable as a mall. All that remains are steel beams, concrete floors and shining skylights. Upon entry, it is clear some homeless folks call this building home. The ceilings are tall and grand, but it exudes a spooky and post apocalyptic vibe. There is a sad and strange vibe in the shadows and dust of the deserted Regency. I stayed only momentarily after being spooked away by the creaky and noisy sounds and the possibility of a person confronting me. Rusty beams and staircases make it hard to visualize what it once was, or what it may become. Hopefully there is someone out there willing to pay the $52 million dollar price tag and bring a vision to life inside those crumbling walls.

  Text and photos are by Vyvansetrance. Click here to see Vyvansetrance's profile and other reports.

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