FROM START TO FINISH

- July 16, 2018

In 2016 it was announced that Stones River Mall was going to build a new movie theater. The mall at one time had a theater named the Stones River 10 and was operated by the Litchfield Theaters Limited. The theater opened on May 18, 1990 and was sold to Carmike on December 7, 1990. Stones River 10, however; was closed in 2000. Carmike opened a theater called the Wynsong 16 on Cason Lane to replace the Stones River Mall theater. The only movie that I can remember going to see at the Stones River 10 was the twentieth anniversary re-release of the Star Wars Trilogy. The Stones River 10 theater opened before the mall did. Stones River Mall didn't open until 1992 and Sears was the first retailer to open there in 1990. When the mall opened in 1992 Sears, Wal-Mart, and Goody's were the anchor stores. Originally the mall had a small food court and carousel on the north side of the mall near the theater and an Aladdins Castle.

Wal Mart moved out in 1995 and a locally owned department store chain named Castner-Knott moved into that location in 1996. In 1998 Castner-Knott was bought out by Dillard's. J.C. Penny opened in 1997 but was on the southeast side of the mall. There was a major renovation in 2006 totaling 40 to 50 million dollars. The mall added on 190,000 square feet and J.C. Penny's and Dillards stores were demolished. New stores were built to replace them. The J.C. Penny store was relocated on the northeast side of the mall and Dillard's former location was turned into an outdoor concourse that we now call the Lifestyle area. The former J.C. Penny's became a new and larger food court. The old food court was torn down. A fountain had been located at center court but it was moved to the Lifestyle area near Dillard's. Goody's closed in 2009 and that space was divided. The right half became Electronic Express in 2010 and the left half became Books A Million after that store and the new food court was demolished to make room for the new AMC Stones River 9 theater.

I retired from Bridgestone-Firestone in Lavergne Tennessee on April 1, 2010 as a tire builder. After 22 years I grew to despise Bridgestone-Firestone and it's management. I took a buyout and was so bummed out from my last few years at Bridgestone that I didn't look for a job for three months. This was unusual for me because I had not been without a job for more than two weeks in my whole life. Finally in June 2010 I decided that I wanted to work a job like security or to work a courier job. In other words a job that would not involve physical work. After 21 years as a Air Force Security Policeman I knew how boring security can be. I knew that Dynamic Security had the contracts for the National Guard bases in the area and I thought that I would like working at one of the military bases. When I walked into Dynamic's office, near the Nashville International Airport the HR man was eager to have me because of my experience. He threw me a curve ball when he asked me if I would like to work in a mall. I said sure. A mall sounded like interesting work to me and I would not be confined to a gate shack or a desk.

Since coming to the mall in June 2010 I have enjoyed this job immensely. I could write a book on my experiences. Not since my time at NORAD have I enjoyed a job so much. After three security companies in the last 8 years I have worked myself into the site supervisors job. It has been challenging at times but the job keeps me young. Supposedly Confucius said "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life". The new AMC movie theater opens a new era for us at Stones River Mall. From demolition of the old Food Court and Books A Million in the Spring of 2017 until its completion in June 2018 I have taken pictures during the various stages of demolition and construction. It is just the historian in me I guess. I am including a crane mishap that occurred on March 1, 2018. It was a long day for security because I worked 12 hours that day. I hope that you enjoy the pictures.