Sears building at Jefferson Mall is getting demolished. Here’s what’s planned

Matthew Glowicki, Louisville Courier Journal
Updated ·2 min read

Update: A BJ's Wholesale Club is coming to Jefferson Mall. The Massachusetts-based warehouse store company is set to build its first location in Kentucky on the site of the former Sears department store anchor of the mall. The redevelopment plan for the Sam's Club and Costco competitor was approved by Louisville Metro Government in late 2023. It's expected to open in early 2025.

A 100,000-square-foot-plus warehouse store, the new-to-market BJ's Wholesale Club, is set to replace the shuttered Sears department store at Jefferson Mall in Louisville.
A 100,000-square-foot-plus warehouse store, the new-to-market BJ's Wholesale Club, is set to replace the shuttered Sears department store at Jefferson Mall in Louisville.

Big changes may be in store at Jefferson Mall in southern Jefferson County.

Mall ownership is seeking to level one of its anchor buildings formerly home to Sears department store, which closed in 2019.

A one-story, 103,100-square-foot “retail center” would be built in its place along with a fuel center, according to plans filed with the city’s Planning and Design Services department.

The paperwork didn't detail what type of retail would occupy the new building, nor was a timetable given for the proposed development.

For reference, a typical Best Buy is around 36,000 square feet, newer Kroger Marketplace stores range from 100,00 to 130,000 square feet and the average Costco is an average of 146,000 square feet.

The 14-acre property has an assessed value of nearly $3.8 million, according to Jefferson County Property Valuation Administration records.

Jefferson Mall is owned by Chattanooga, Tennessee-based CBL Properties. A mall spokeswoman told the Courier Journal she was unable to share additional details. The company also owns The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass, in Simpsonville, Kentucky.

After filing for bankruptcy, the retail giant, Sears, announced it will close 142 of its chain's locations including its store in Louisville's Jefferson Mall. October 16, 2018
After filing for bankruptcy, the retail giant, Sears, announced it will close 142 of its chain's locations including its store in Louisville's Jefferson Mall. October 16, 2018

Sears opened in 1978 at the Okolona shopping destination. The one-time largest retailer in the U.S. announced in October 2018 amid bankruptcy proceedings that it would close the location, the last traditional Sears store in Louisville, as part of a wave of 142 store closures.

In early 2018, the Oxmoor Center Sears closed its doors and the location at Green Tree Mall in Clarksville, Indiana, shuttered in 2017.

Overstock Furniture & Mattress currently occupies the former Sears building, 4807 Outer Loop, at Jefferson Mall.

Tami Spraggins, regional manager for Overstock Furniture & Mattress, said the shop was carrying on with business as usual and had not yet heard of the plans for the site.

Malls for years have been forced to adapt and reinvent in the face of a retail environment that continues to shift online.

Also faced with a vacated Sears anchor, Oxmoor Center, 7900 Shelbyville Road, has redeveloped that wing of the mall with a focus on entertainment and dining.

Jefferson Mall in Okolona.
Jefferson Mall in Okolona.

Topgolf opened in late 2022 on the site of the old Sears building, which was demolished in 2021.

New tenants in the south wing include Sandbox VR and Condado Tacos. A second Louisville location of Southern-style eatery The Eagle is set to open this year and an upscale mini-golf experience Puttshack is expected to open early next year.

Growth & development reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at mglowicki@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4000 or on Twitter @mattglo. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Former Sears location at Jefferson Mall in Okolona to be demolished