An article in the Wall St. Journal suggests that Foothills Mall is in the category of malls that generate "sales per square foot of $250 or less".

According to a study of publicly owned malls, Foothills Mall is one of 84 malls that fall into the category of "dead malls". According to their numbers, three other malls in Tennessee fall into that category: College Square in Morristown, Hickory Hollow Mall in Nashville, and Raleigh Springs in Memphis.

I don't know if I agree with the WSJ's assessment. Foothills Mall has been very low key for years. I cannot imagine Blount County not having a Sears or JC Penney. I could be wrong.

The 2009 Maryville Farmers' Market opens Saturday, May 2.

It is open from 9AM until the farmers' sell out.

The Market is located in downtown Maryvile, on Church Ave, next to the CBBC bank.

Mission of the Maryville Farmers' Market:
To promote the sale of local farm products;
To improve the freshness, taste, and nutritional value of produce available;
To encourage more social contact between consumer and farmer;
To educate the public as to the agricultural traditions of East Tennessee;
And to celebrate and help preserve family farms.

On my way to the Blount County Farmers' Market, I drove by Washington and High Street to see if the previously announced "indoor Farmers' Market" was open.

Much to my delight, The Market is open. I spoke with Dan Mizell, the originator of the concept. He said the store had been open three days. There was quite a bit of activity. Patrons were plentiful.

The Market is open six days a week. The Market is closed today. Definitely give them a try. It's a great opportunity to support local businesses.

So goes the nation, so goes Blount County. In my travels today, I recorded gas prices at a few local stations. Prices ranged from $4.49 to $4.69. The higher prices were at a Shell station, which I believe are typically higher, and a smaller store where I would guess they don't have the supply-chain the larger stores have.

Friday, before the hurricane, I purchased a full tank of gas at one of these stores for $3.59/gal. What a difference a day makes.

At the end of the day I passed by one of the stores and the price had not changed.

The Maryville Farmers' Market starts up again the first Saturday in May.

May 3, 2008
Opens at 9 AM and closes when the produce is gone, usually around noon or 1 PM.

Location: Church Street near CBBC Bank.

There is plenty of parking.

Get ready! Check it out!

Fresh produce is on its way.

The Maryville Farmers' Market is going strong at its new location at the city parking lot downtown on the east end of Broadway. We picked up some tomatoes, green and red peppers, a watermelon, and some honey. Click read more for more photos...

Speaking of the sales tax holiday this weekend, the new Circuit City in Alcoa is set to open Saturday.

Some merchandise is eligible for the sales tax exemption (specifically computers costing less than $1500), so it's a chance to save a few bucks.

The stores at the new Hamilton Crossing Plaza will help offset Alcoa's estimated $450,000 loss of sales tax revenues to the new Super Wal*Mart out on 411 S.

The liquor stores that should be opening soon will help, too.

The Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday starts Friday, August 3 at 12:01 a.m. and goes through Sunday, August 5 at 11:59 p.m. Details here.