By Staff
OUT WITH THE OLD James Dean of Bob Oliver and Son Construction loads material discarded from a College Park Shopping Center business. An expansion and renovation of the shopping plaza is in the works. Photo by Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
By William F. West / community editor
July 24, 2002
College Park Shopping Center is about to change.
Blockbuster Video will have a new 5,000-square-foot store across from the new Eckerd Drugs. And Dollar General will move into a renovated 10,000-square-foot building that once housed Eckerd.
The changes are the latest to the strip shopping center on Highway 19 and Eighth Street that was completed in September 1971. Malone is president of the real estate company that owns the center.
Besides Blockbuster, Dollar General and Big Lots, Malone said he is talking to potential tenants about using the 18,600-square-foot building that will be left vacant by the move of Big Lots.
Malone declined to give names.
Malone has been interested in developing real estate in Meridian for years. When he was 5, his grandfather owned and operated Acme Building Supply east of downtown.
Malone said one reason for his success with College Park is that "we're not owned by absentee landlords. My office is in this shopping center and I'm here. I'm a local owner and I'm interested in keeping it up and maintaining it in the community."