Mark Moore's Commentary

The Crystal River Mall opened in October of 1990. It's never been a big mall. There are around 50 businesses (including four anchor stores - Kmart, Sears, JC Penney, and Belk - and a 9-screen Regal Cinema movie theater).

The mall has never been particularly popular with either the older people or the teens. It's often ridiculed as being uncool. It lacks stores such as The Gap and Banana Republic that teens are interested in.

Since the beginning of 2010, a number of businesses have pulled out of the mall: Waldenbooks, Champ Sports, Park's Tae-Kwon-Do (which had occupied the location abandoned by Ritz Camera when they pulled out), and Rainbow. There was a restaurant named Gabby's in the GNC/Spencer corridor that has been closed for a while now, leaving a huge unoccupied area. A table tennis club called PongZ moved into the old Waldenbooks location. It often has no customers, so the employees watch TV. Another recent addition is Coupon Hut, which basically consists of a Pepsi cooler, some snacks, and brochures for other businesses. There are still a number of empty storefronts.

The mall's roof leaks in various spots, particularly in the Kmart corridor and, more recently, within Kmart itself.

There are rumors that the mall's owner is having trouble making payments.

Surely, the mall's days are numbered.