Mall at Turtle Creek gets special recognition
Jonesboro Sun
MARK RANDALL
2/17/2007
JONESBORO - A global retail trade association has singled out The Mall at Turtle Creek for special recognition.
The Mall at Turtle Creek is the only mall in Arkansas to be included in this year's "U.S. Shopping Centers of Interest" traveler's pocket guide.
The publication is a product of the International Council of Shopping Centers, a retail trade association of the shopping industry. The group represents more than 65,000 members in the Untied States, Canada and more than 80 other countries.
Each year the group solicits information from malls across the country in order to determine if a facility meets the requirements for inclusion in the guide.
Inclusion in the guide is based on a center's size, location, major tenants, physical characteristics, total retail area and special amenities.
The guide contains more than 200 descriptions of shopping centers across the country.
The Mall at Turtle Creek was singled out for its design, which allows visitors to experience the comfort of indoor shopping with an open Main Street town square setting.
The facility encompasses 750,000 square feet of retail space with more than 80 stores and draws shoppers from Northeast Arkansas, West Tennessee and southern Missouri.
"From the street passersby can see storefronts, sidewalk areas with brick pavers, street lamps, benches, and people milling about," the guide states. "A grassy area 100 feet in diameter has been studded with bronze sculptures."
The Mall at Turtle Creek was developed by Marty Belz and Bruce Barrow of MBC Holdings LLC, and David Hocker and Talmadge Hocker of David Hocker & Associates, Inc.
Burrow said it is always nice to be recognized and appreciated by a group of his peers.
"We are in good company," Burrow said in a news release. "The Pocket Guide lists the best malls from across the country, and we are pleased to be Arkansas' representative."
Mark Young, president and CEO of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the recognition is another feather in the cap of Northeast Arkansas and a testament to the quality of the design.
"I think it is great when our community and one of our facilities is recognized," Young said. "We're very fortunate to have it. It's a quality facility, and it provides 4 draw to our area that we oth-
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