Walnut Square Mall

Located on the former "Patterson Horse Racing Arena", CBL and Associates would conduct a ground breaking ceremony on the property in 1979 to construct Dalton's first enclosed shopping center. On July 23, 1980 through July 27, 1980, CBL would celebrate their grand opening for Walnut Square Mall with guest appearances from Steve Gipson and Fubar the Robot.

Dalton Mall

Location	Dalton, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates	34.75883°N 84.93336°W / 34.75883; -84.93336
Opening date	July 23, 1980[1]
Developer	CBL & Associates Properties, Inc
Management	Hull Property Group
Owner	Hull Property Group
No. of stores and services	25
No. of anchor tenants	3 (2 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area	449,239 square feet (41,735.7 m2)[1]
No. of floors	1
Parking	2,535 spaces

Walnut Square would open with Sears and Belk as senior anchors and Revco and Martin Triple Theater as junior anchors. On August 20, 1980, Loveman's (a Chattanooga based Department Store) would celebrate their grand opening. JCPenney, awaiting their lease to end at Bryman's Plaza, would construct and open their new 68,000 sqft anchor in the Spring of 1982. It is said that CBL intended on bringing Miller's as the mall's fifth and final anchor, but it fell through. For the next 10 years Chick-Fil-A and Peanut Shack would straddle a bear blank wall.

In 1990, Walnut Square Mall would be renovated which meant changing the facades, adding tile flooring in the courts, changing the color scheme and to follow suit many inline stores had also renovated. On November of 1990 the mall would host a 10 year anniversary grand re-opening and the construction of Goody's Family Clothing pad. In 1992, Goody's would open between Chick-Fil-A and Peanut Shack. They would remain as an anchor until 2009, when Goody's filed bankruptcy closing many stores. In 2010, The Rush Fitness Complex would lease and renovate the former Goody's pad. Ultimately in 2014, Gold's Gym would acquire the company until they closed in 2019. Fitness 1440 would fill the void in late 2019, early 2020.

Martin Triple Theater would be operated by the Leon Hurst family throughout it's tenure at the mall. In 1993, Carmike Cinemas would close the Plaza Five Theater across the street (also managed by Dale Hurst, the son of Leon Hurst), and expand the former Martin Triple into a nine screen complex with the latest up to date technology. Carmike Cinemas 9 would become Georgia's largest inline cinema at the time. Dale Hurst and his family would conduct many promotions for new movies which are still memorable today. Dale Hurst would be promoted to corporate in 2007, and Carmike Cinemas 9 would close following the opening of the new Carmike 12 behind the mall. The inline cinema would ultimately become used for mall storage and would delapidate, being ignored by mall management.

Walnut Square would suffer fate in 2015, when JCPenney, RadioShack and Deb would close due to bankruptcy. Loveman's would be acquired by Proffitt's in 1986, and Belk would acquire Proffitt's in 2008, using that pad as their Home and Children department. Sadly in 2015, Belk would shutter the former Loveman's pad. The following year in 2016, CBL and Associates would sell the mall property to Hull Property Group (Georgia based company). In 2017, Sears would announce closures and Walnut Square would be on that list. Jo-Ann Crafts (a junior anchor) would also shutter, leaving the Sears end nearly vacant. In 2019, a new discount store named Gimme-A-Five would lease and move into the former Loveman's pad.

Hull Property Group would renovate the mall by updating the facades, changing the paint scheme, laying carpet flooring throughout and covering vacant storefronts with murals that depict the local heritage. In 2018, over 240k sqft of mall building was demolished which included demolishing JCPenney, Carmike Cinemas 9 and the Sears Wing. Today the mall is anchored by Belk, Fitness 1440 and Gimme-A-Five (a discount type store). Current out parcels include AMC 12 and shuttered Ryan's Buffet as well as a shuttered Logan's Roadhouse. Shoe Dept Encore serves as a junior anchor. Stores which have opened with the mall in 1980 and remain today are Belk, Zales, Time Out by Pac-Man, Cookie Co, GNC, Claire's and Chick-Fil-A.