What's in Store for Flood-Ravaged Tarrytown Mall?

ROCKY MOUNT — What used to be a hub of activity in Rocky Mount is now an eyesore with a questionable future.

Tarrytown Mall, built in 1962, is the second oldest mall in the state. Last September, the mall sat under several feet of water, destroying almost everything inside. Ten months later, the mall remains empty.

"I had a few yard sales on Saturday morning for some washable goods and some sterling silver and things, but other than that it took it all," says business owner Claudette Evans.

Evans is back in business in a building on Sunset Avenue. She says business at the mall was good, but she is not waiting for it to reopen.

"I decided I needed to open up very soon and this came available. It was the quickest thing I could get into, and I believe in the long run, to me what looks like devastation is not always devastation," says Evans.

Inside Tarrytown Mall, the elements may have won the war. The sign out front says the mall is temporarily closed, but the owners say they are trying to sell it.

Business owner Jay Sara says business owners like him who had shops in the mall do not have time to wait.

"I don't think anyone with any kind of sense at all is standing around waiting for anything to happen, because I think the people who are involved -- they themselves don't know what's in store, what the future of Tarrytown Mall will be," he says.

The mall's location at Sunset Avenue and Highway 301 is still a good one, but it is very low. Even if someone bought the land and decided to tear down and rebuild, they would have to bring in tons of fill dirt.

Golden East Crossing, a newer mall in Rocky Mount, was not flooded.