The transition from McRae’s to Belk has begun at the local store in Pemberton Square mall.

A work crew began removing the old McRae’s signs from the outside of the building on Pemberton Square Boulevard Tuesday in preparation for the Belk signage.

Larry Freeman, manager of the local store, said another crew will arrive in the next couple of days to begin repairing the exterior of the building in preparation for work by the final crew, which will put up the new signs.

Belk Stores Services Inc. of Charlotte. N.C., bought out the McRae’s stores from Saks Inc. in 2005. Included in the sale was the McRae’s Store in Vicksburg’s Pemberton Square and stores across Mississippi.

While the name change is ongoing, McRae’s customers have begun receiving Belk charge cards.

The official change over is scheduled for March, both stores have said.

McRae’s has been a fixture in Vicksburg since shortly after the old Battlefield Village mall opened in 1962. When the mall opened, the space occupied by that McRae’s store was a Kennington store, which was bought out by McRae’s.

When Battlefield closed in favor of Pemberton, the McRae’s moved into new quarters, where it has been since.