Corn Dog 7, an original tenant of Pemberton Square, closed Monday, citing declining business stemming from the forced closure of five stores earlier this month.

&#8220My regular customers will be heartbroken,” co-owner Pam Green said, a few hours after the store she and Tommy Antoine bought in 2003 was not opened to offer its menu, including fries and nachos, to passers-by. She also said a new location for the business is planned, but has not been selected.

Green said the bulk of Corn Dog 7’s business in the mall came from stores within easy walking distance, particularly Hip Hot and Source Clothing. Those were two of five mall tenants evicted Aug. 8 following a fight involving some of those stores’ proprietors and four patrons. The owners said it was an attempted robbery. The suspects fled out the rear of the store and no arrests have been made. Vicksburg police still consider the case open.

&#8220I used to catch that foot traffic all the time,” Green said. &#8220They’d have Source bags with them when they came in.”

The other three stores closed were A&M Jeweler, Suit Station and Gold Station.

Statistics indicate a big drop in police calls since the five were evicted. Logs from E-911 show police sent to Pemberton Square for fights and disturbances just four times since Aug. 9, down from 45 calls in the two weeks earlier.

The mall, owned by Chattanooga-based CBL & Associates Inc., opened in 1985. Its most recent renovation was in 1996.

The 351,920-square-foot shopping area has space for 45 tenants; 28 are occupied.

Green said the overall lack of foot traffic in the mall itself was a larger factor in the eatery’s closing, which had been in the making &#8220for several months.” Larger tenants such as Bath and Body Works, FYE music store and Friedman’s Jewelers have also left Pemberton within the past two years.

Renee Williams, general manager of the mall since 2001, declined comment on leases and rents. However, she said efforts to market the mall to potential tenants both local and regional are ongoing, although not yet out of the site visit phase.

&#8220I’ve had six proposals in the last month,” Williams said.

CBL, which owns the facility and 79 other malls in 27 states, has expressed confidence in Williams’ ability to run the mall and work to attract new stores.

Green said there were promises, but little action.

&#8220I don’t know how many times we’ve been told that ‘great wonderful things’ were going to happen at the mall,” she said. Her business had dropped from a monthly take of about $14,000 to about $6,000, Green said, adding that paying vendors, taxes and making payroll for four employees became too difficult for an operation paying a $3,000 rent and facing rising energy costs.

Williams downplayed earlier comments made by owners of the five closed businesses, echoed by Green, that a strained relationship exists between mall management and individual store owners.

&#8220I feel I have a good relationship with them,” she said.

Virgil Carter, a regular customer of Corn Dog 7, was angry when reached by phone Monday.

&#8220I’ve been going there for I don’t know how many years. I’m not going back to the mall or any other CBL property. I don’t think they treat the people who rent from them right,” he said.

Remaining original tenants include JC Penney, General Nutrition Centers and Radio Shack.

One other longtime tenant, McRae’s, was bought out by Belk Stores Services in 2005 and joins Penney, Dillard’s and Hudson’s as anchor tenants.