FORSYTH - Dennis Arnold remembers that Hickory Point Mall was quite the special place to go when he started working there nearly 30 years ago.
While it has changed with age, he and the others who work there still see it as a place where people are going to go find what they need and want.
"You have people who like to shop at the mall," said Arnold, who now works at Bergner's. "You can find what you need in one place. Malls were still new and exciting back when it opened. It was a special trip to come to the mall. Now it's more of an everyday experience."
Hickory Point Mall was one of the last in Central Illinois to be built, as similar structures sprouted across the area. Eastland in Bloomington opened in 1966, Northwoods in Peoria opened in 1973, Market Place in Champaign opened in 1975 and White Oaks in Springfield opened in 1977.
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Similar to the others, Hickory Point has weathered its ups and downs.
Arnold never remembers the mall being full to capacity, but it always has included a nice mix of stores.
Since it was built, space has grown only in the areas of the department stores, said James Coker, the mall's general manager.
"I think it's good to have a nice combination of stores, but also competition," Coker said. "We wouldn't want just one shoe store, but it's also good to have variety in the types of stores. We want stores here that you wouldn't find somewhere else."
While many stores have come and gone, nine of the original stores have remained since the mall opened in 1978. J.C. Penney was the first to open after moving from downtown Decatur and remains one of the anchors.
A key part of sticking around for those stores has been becoming a part of the community and for employees to get to know the people who shop there.
"We do well here," said Rachel Strode, manager of The Limited. "It's all about customer service and getting to know things like customers' first names."
Over the years, the mall has kept a small-town atmosphere, even as it has changed to meet people's needs. It added Steve & Barry's last year, a move that has been met with enthusiasm.
"It's good to get something in here people would enjoy," said Kris Usher, an assistant manager at Waldenbooks, who has worked at the mall for 12 years. "Changing with what people want is not always an easy thing to do."
While some of the stores have become mainstays at Hickory Point, others still are trying to find their niche and capitalize on the opportunity being in the mall provides.
Vinnie Barbee, co-owner of Vinnie's Barbee-Q, which opened in the mall May 1, said being inside Hickory Point provides an opportunity to attract more customers. He closed his location across U.S. 51 in Forsyth to open at the mall.
"Instead of 2,000 cars driving by, we now have 2,000 people walking by," Barbee said. "I think that makes it one of the best locations in town."
The management of Hickory Point Mall always is looking for new opportunities as far as bringing in a variety of different stores to the mall's space, Coker said.
Stores worry about losing business to people ordering online and driving to malls in neighboring cities. The experience people get shopping online isn't the same as if they go to the mall, the retailers said.
Strode said if clothes are ordered online, people aren't going to know how they fit.
Zales Jewelers Manager Rita Keller said it can help to have people do some research online before coming to the store, although going to the store remains the best way to know exactly what kind of jewelry they're buying.
"Printing off info beforehand helps us," said Keller, who has worked at the mall for 14 years.
Keller said she has enjoyed some of the recent changes, including new carpet and a new entryway to make way for Steve & Barry's. The facility's restrooms were replaced or updated in 2000. Coker said replacing the parking lot and lot lighting are on the list of improvements to be made.
Keller and other employees would like more options for places to eat inside the building.
"Once people are gone to get something to eat, they don't necessarily want to come back in," said Linda Carnahan, another longtime mall employee who works at Bergner's. She hopes Vinnie's Barbee-Q will be a popular addition.
Carnahan and Arnold said no matter what, they enjoy the people they've met over the years.
"Regular shoppers are the good part about it," Arnold said. "We've made a lot of friends we see outside the store."
In the beginning . . .
J.C. Penney was the first store to open in the Hickory Point Mall on Oct. 15, 1978.
Santa Claus cut the ribbon that officially opened the complex a month later, on Nov. 15.
Of the 52 stores open or committed to opening soon 30 years ago, J.C. Penney and eight other stores continue to do business in the mall.
The other stores are Baskin Robbins, Bergner's, Footlocker, GNC, Kirlin's, The Limited, Waldenbooks and Zales.
But these stores aren't the only ones to stand the test of time.
"Dance," "Together" and "Celebration" have been permanent fixtures, too. These metal and acrylic sculptures continue be situated in strategic locations throughout the main corridor. They were created by Rita Blitt, the wife of the developer.
How the mall came to Forsyth
When developer Copaken, White & Blitt, a land development firm based in Shawnee Mission, Kan., first proposed the mall in 1973, the plan was to annex the site in the northwest quadrant of the Interstate 72-U.S. 51 interchange to Decatur.
A study commissioned by the developers in 1974 showed 95 percent of the people surveyed in Decatur favored the mall. The Decatur City Plan Commission recommended to the city that a pre-annexation agreement for the land be approved.
The Forsyth Village Board went on record as opposing a shopping center on the proposed tract when it appeared the center would be located in Decatur.
But after the plan was rejected by Decatur, members of the village board indicated that the mall might be a good idea if it were located in Forsyth.
The pre-annexation agreement brought to the Decatur City Council in July 1974 died when it received four votes in favor and three against. The issue needed an extraordinary majority of five votes to pass.
A little less than a month later, Forsyth voted unanimously to approve a pre-annexation agreement. This bound the village board to annex the 140 acres on which the mall was to be built and the territory between the mall site and the village boundaries to make the mall contiguous to the village.
