NORFOLK, Va. — Time is ticking away for a Downtown Norfolk icon.
The MacArthur Center mall will close for good on June 27, and the few remaining tenants are racing against the clock — some with a plan, others still searching for one.
The mall, once a regional gem, has sat mostly-empty for several years. The remaining tenants have until July 14 to be fully moved out.
One of the last businesses still operating inside is nonprofit art shop 757 Creative Reuse Center.
Manager Judy-Lynn Benjamin marked the milestone as customers filled the store on Tuesday morning.
"It's the first day of the last month of being in this location," Benjamin said.
When the mall's closure was announced in February, the store's owner Beth Dwyer told News 3 she was unsure where the business would land next. This week, 757 Creative Reuse announced a signed lease in Norfolk's North Colley neighborhood. An online fundraiser to help cover moving costs is just over halfway to its goal.
To move as much inventory as possible before the transition, the store is hosting a fill-your-own-container sale, where shoppers can fill a bag for a fixed price, depending on the bag's size.
"We want to move as much product as possible so we have the least amount we have to take with us when we move," Benjamin said.
Longtime supporter Adriana Eckart showed up with a wagon in hand.
"Just yesterday I cleared out half my craft room so this meant, okay, I can donate that when they're settled and now I can shop and help support as well," Eckart said.
A level below, local record store Freshtopia is in a similar position. Owner DJ Bee hopes to sell as much inventory as possible before he closes his doors a little early on June 21.
His search for a new location is ongoing, with a preference to stay downtown.
"We put some applications in some spots and I'm waiting to hear back. I'm being positive. Everything happens for a reason, I truly believe that," Bee said.
Once all tenants have vacated, the city can begin preparing MacArthur Center for redevelopment. Earlier this spring, Norfolk Director of Economic Development Sean Washington told News 3 what that process could look like.
"We're engaging with the engineers and the architects to understand what kind of phased pattern does the mall need to come down," he said. "That work as it relates to what we'll call the 'predevelopment' on the demolition side is definitely going to be happening as we get toward the end of the calendar year.
For now, the remaining tenants are making the most of the time left — and Benjamin put it simply.
"We're here until the 27th or until y'all buy everything. Whichever comes first," Benjamin said.
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