In March 2008, WOOMC contacted the mall owners, who stated that they planned to renovate and reopen. A Commercial Appeal article was published about the status of the Hickory Ridge Mall in mid-July. WOOMC contacted the mall owners again to find out their intentions and were surprised to learn that they were ready to sell the property and move out of the city of Memphis. At this point, WOOMC began to pursue the acquisition of the mall with visits, inspections, evaluation of the numbers, contract preparations and negotiations.

The following pictures show the mall damage after the tornado on February 5, 2008.