Rowan Mall

Rowan Mall opened its doors by a ribbon cutting ceremony on October 25, 1967.[1] It opened with 11 stores, being primarily anchored by Roses, with junior anchors Winn Dixie and Eckerd Drug.[1] The Roses at the mall was roughly 60,000 square feet, the Eckerd Drug was 10,100 square feet, and the Winn Dixie was 13,300 aquare feet.[2] Construction costs for the mall project were $1.5 million dollars.[2] The mall was located at the intersection of i85 and E. Innes Street, right across the street from Towne Mall.[1] Mall developer Rowan Mall Shopping Center Inc. was based out of Columbia, South Carolina.[3]

Management duties for the mall would be transferred in June of 1969 to Headen Realty Co., who specialized in apartment management. This would be their first venture into commercial retail environments.[4]

The mall would sell to a group of 5 Businessmen from Greensboro, Raleigh and Burlington, North Carolina in June of 1976. The 108,000 square foot mall was purchased for a price of more than $1.7 million dollars, and had 10 tenants at the time of the sale.[5][6][7]

On November 19, 1985, the then famous Budweiser Clydesdales made a display at the Rowan Mall. They would be on display from 1pm to 5pm.[8]

In November of 1991, a Davidson County woman auditioned for ABC's "America's Funniest People" show at the mall. Her three imitations of a happy seal, a sad seal, and a seal giving birth, won her the price of $10,000 dollars. The episode aired in January of 1992.[9]

On March 29, 1994, 2 men and 1 female would enter a gun shop located inside of the mall. One of the men while the owner was opening a cabinet, smashed a glass display with his own firearm. The other man pulled out a .308 pistol and shot the shop keeper, and all 3 ran off. Nothing was actually stolen, and the shopkeeper ended up receiving medical treatment at Rowan Memorial Hospital.[10]

The final blow to the mall would come when Roses announced it would close its Rowan Mall store as part of its chapter 11 bankruptcy. Liquidation would start in January 1994 and conclude in roughly 2 to 3 months.[11]

The mall would close shortly after Roses departed, and would be demolished for the Innes Street Market shopping center.