End of a retail era
By Guy Chapman – Navarro County Gazette
Bealls, the retail store located in Corsicana’s College Park Mall, has permanently closed its doors as of Saturday, August 29.
Bealls is one of several retail chains of Stage Stores, its parent company. In October of 2019, plans were announced to transition the Corsicana into a Gordmans by the spring of 2020. Those plans were never realized as the effects of COVID-19 continued to create problems for retailers around the country, causing the local store to shutter its operations instead.
Corsicana’s Bealls store held a unique distinction as it was the last of the “original era” retailers of College Park Mall, with its retail history dating farther back in the community. The clothing and jewelry store was one of Navarro Mall’s original anchor stores premiered at the shopping center’s grand opening on September 25, 1968.
The store moved its business to the newly constructed College Park Mall as part of the shopping center’s second opening phase on November 17, 1983. The store remained the mall’s central anchor for years until it eventually moved to the space formerly occupied by JC Penney.
Currently, no plans have been announced for future businesses for the retail space.
