A former Mississippi department store could be transformed into a hub for shooting television shows and training up-and-coming filmmakers.

On Tuesday, the Jackson City Council approved selling the former Dillard’s department store for approximately $360,000.

According to city documents, the city began advertising the sale of the building last year. Just one bid was submitted, and that was from Curtis Nichouls.

The filmmaker, who is the founder of Sweet Unknown South, recently was involved in the creation of a new TV crime drama. He was shooting scenes for the show at Jackson Police headquarters last fall.

“Our plan for the facility is to create a film studio, but not just a film studio, an actual learning center for young kids and adults to come and learn the craft of filmmaking,” he said following the council vote. “That way, we’ll be able to accommodate more films here in Mississippi.”

Nichouls told the council that he hopes to reach out to kids that are currently in school, as well as those that have dropped out of school, and believes that he’ll be able to relate to them better because of his background.

The filmmaker currently volunteers at Jim Hill High School, Powell Middle School, and Jackson State University, and mentors about three dozen students.

“I believe that once the studio is up and going, there [are] a few celebrities that want to work with these students,” he said. “We’ve already partnered with IBM, Lobaki, the virtual reality company, and FCS Cybersecurity, and we’re also going to have those classes there as well.”

Nichouls said the Dillard’s will include a first-floor cafeteria kitchen, second-floor movie sets, and a third-floor area for editing, doing music, and the like. Outside, he said the parking lot will likely be transformed into a working tourist attraction.

“We’re going to film a western TV show, but we’re also going to have… a working Western town with actors that, you know, portray Westerners, have shoot-outs at noon… and things of that nature,” he said.

Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley talked about the potential economic development the site could generate once it’s operational. “We’re excited about everything that Mr. Nichouls can do. We’re excited about the names… the entertainers that he can bring in. Some are recognized in the state of Mississippi, others are recognized worldwide,” he said.

“We’re also excited to have the Metrocenter active again,” he said. When you have occupants in there, that’s something productive. They’re going to, by their presence, do a certain amount of maintenance and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”

Metrocenter has been closed for approximately two years, with WLBT reporting in March 2022, that the doors to what was at one time the largest shopping center in the state had been locked. Dillard’s left the mall in 2004, according to the Clarion-Ledger, leaving just two anchors at the facility.

A Burlington Coat Factory opened inside the former mall in 2007. However, by 2022, it also was gone, according to previous WLBT reports. Jackson purchased the Dillard’s building in 2013 with hopes of bringing new business to the area. However, those hopes were never realized.

Instead, the city’s Surplus Property Committee declared the Dillard’s site to be surplus property last summer, giving the city permission to sell it. Jackson began advertising the facility last August.

For his part, Nichouls told the council he’d like to have everything up and running by October, so he can begin accepting students. However, he said the building does need some work. He also said the facility has fallen victim to copper theft.

“Our biggest issue at this moment is that we have an organized, armed ring of copper thieves with weapons and walkie-talkies that walk across the roof of the mall. They’re out of Rankin County. All the trucks that come through and pick up stuff are Rankin County,” he said. “We have had the great help of JPD… I can’t even give them enough credit [for] how they’ve been helping us.”

“We’ve arrested probably about six armed suspects that have been taking copper out of the buildings, and there’s a lot more. In fact, they saw one this morning that got away.”