JC Penney plans to close two area stores this spring, including the one at Springfield's Upper Valley Mall, as part of a large set of closures around the country. Macy's also announced Thursday it will be closing its Springfield location along with 13 others nationally, costing Springfield another 79 jobs.
Ninety people will lose their jobs after the Springfield JC Penney closes in April, and 55 people in Greenville will also lose their jobs. Upper Valley Mall lost another anchor store when Elder-Beerman closed in 2012.
Horton Hobbs, of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, says he thinks the mall can survive—but it's tough.
"Yes, it's a challenge. I would not write off the Upper Valley Mall area. I tend to think that over time, we may see in fact a shift back to that area as Bechtle Avenue becomes more saturated. As of right now, it does seem to be quite challenging," Hobbs said.
The Upper Valley Mall opened in 1971 and changed ownership last year after defaulting on a $47 million loan. Hobbs hopes the new owners, Chicago-based Urban Retail Properties, will step up and fill vacancies. Urban Retail did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and Sears are still open at the mall.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story that ran on air stated that Macy's would remain open. The company announced Thursday that it will close its Upper Valley Mall location.