Andrews – The acquisition may become known as the deal of the decade.
“Since I’m trying to stay at home, I bought this as a project to keep me busy,” Cherokee County Commissioner Cal Stiles jokingly said. “We are now the proud entrepreneurs of a defunct, burned-out mall.”
Stiles and his wife, Janet, purchased the 28.35 acres of land on Stewart Road that used to be home to the former Hillbilly Mall, Bear Ridge Mall, Bear Ridge Speedway and the adjacent recreational vehicle park. The couple owns residential land adjacent to the property and had been contemplating the purchase since foreclosure proceedings began last year.
United Bank in West Virginia foreclosed on the property in November after its former owners defaulted on a $1.5 million loan. At the foreclosure sale on the Cherokee County Courthouse steps, the bank opened bidding at $840,000, which Cal, the lone attendee, declined to match.
The commissioner and his wife bought the property on April 1 for $420,000 in cash, no lien. While cleaning up the property last week, Cal drove a tractor around the go-kart track to commemorate the final lap.
“It is a nice race track if you were looking for one. Unfortunately, I’m not looking for one,” he said.
The property made front-page headlines last year after a fire ignited inside the former mall, destroying at least one structure and damaging the structural integrity of
the main building. The couple plans to tear down Building H, which suffered the most damage from the blaze. They also plan to gut the entire mall before deciding how to best use sections of the building that remain intact.
The couple spent last week removing all of the brush around the property, which had become a hiding spot for trash. They also removed more than 1,200 tires.
The Stileses plan to tear down the announcer’s booth, level out the land behind the mall and plant grass in place of the racetrack. They also plan to remove the electrical connections in the RV park, which had become the subject of debate after residents were suspected of living there year-round, violating state law.
“We’ll just convert it back to a pasture,” Cal said about the newly acquired land. “Then we’ll have a blank canvas to see what we can do.”
The property purchase includes a large structure next to the front side of the mall that was previously used as a concert hall. The building contains a large stage, restrooms and about 1,800 metal chairs. The new owners have not yet decided how they will use that building or its contents.
When asked if they plan to use the buildings on the property for commercial purposes, Cal said all options are on the table.
“I don’t know yet; there’s a lot of room for storage,” he said. “It could be used as a rental. There’s a lot of options. We’re going to clean it up and see what comes along. Someone may approach us with a deal.
“You never know. By the first of June, we should be at a point where we can start making a decision on what we’re going to do with it.”