Tiebreakers expands to Kingsport's Fort Henry Mall

KINGSPORT — Tiebreakers is coming to the Fort Henry Mall, officials announced at the Kingsport Economic Development Board meeting Tuesday morning. John Mulherin, vice president of government relations for Hull Property Group, said it will be a 55,000 square-foot facility on the first floor of the mall that will include a standalone restaurant, full arcade, bowling and laser tag. The restaurant will go into the existing vacant restaurant space on the theater side of the mall. The entertainment venue is estimated to bring $6 million in annual sales and offer around 100 jobs. That also includes $133,000 a year in local option sales tax, according to the presentation. Mulherin said Tiebreakers will take the mall up to over 50% occupancy. "We appreciate the partnership with the city and KEDB, and together we're turning this [mall] around," he said. "This is a destination spot, Tiebreakers is a game changer." According to Mulherin, he said that the goal is for Tiebreakers to open in Kingsport late spring 2027. Interior demolition work for the project could start around October or November, he said during the meeting. "We've got our guys doing some engineering surveying right now of all the spaces," he said. "... Tiebreakers wants to be open by late spring 2027. We've got nine months. When school gets out, they want to be open, so we have to hustle." Development agreement KEDB approved the development agreement, which mentions a "not to exceed" amount of $1.7 million to help support the interior demolition and buildout cost for the project. Hull Property Group said it plans to invest $3.4 million for the same purposes, with Tiebreakers planning to invest around $4 million for upfit and furnitures, fixtures and equipment. "There's a lot of different benefits with this configuration," Mulherin said. "The investment really for us is this: we've got to take 15 small shop spaces that are configured for small shops. They all have their own fire suppression system, electrical panel, plumbing, HVAC. We've got to disassemble every bit of that and come back and rebuild it based on the spec the architect's going to build." Per the agreement, the city's $1.7 million would be paid out over 10 years and allows the city/KEDB to have 15,000 square feet to be allotted for their own use. "We're bringing the next evolution of the Tiebreakers experience to Kingsport," Eric Hensley, CEO and Founder of Tiebreakers, said in a news release shared Tuesday. "This new location builds on everything our guests have loved at Johnson City, and on the momentum IMAX has already brought to Fort Henry Mall." Hensley said in the release that the Kingsport location will be "bigger and bolder" than anything they've built before — "a completely unique experience that will draw guests back even if they've already visited us in Johnson City, all while we continue expanding our Johnson City location with even more experiences for our guests there." "As East Tennessee natives, we've built a reputation for bringing groundbreaking family entertainment to this region, and this expansion is the next step in that mission," he said in the release. "Our goal is to make Fort Henry Mall a true regional entertainment destination, drawing visitors from across Kingsport, the Tri-Cities, and even neighboring states. We've been proud to work alongside Hull Property Group on this project, and we're happy to be part of the great work they're doing at Fort Henry Mall." Ron Hensley, co-founder of Tiebreakers, expressed his gratitude for what is to come in Kingsport. "We prayed for an opportunity like this, and we truly believe God opened this door for us," Hensley said in the release. "We're beyond grateful for how this has come together, and we can't wait to bring this next chapter to Kingsport." Other comments Steven Bower, Kingsport economic development director, helped share the announcement at the meeting. He called Tiebreakers "the biggest regional player in family entertainment." "This will position Kingsport as the regional leader in family entertainment with the IMAX, NCG, and then 55,000 square feet of what Tiebreakers can offer," he said. "It fills one of the largest gaps in the market." Bower also spoke to how the recent IMAX opening has kept the attention on economic development at the mall. "We're thrilled that something like this has come as quickly as it has, but we think that momentum will continue to roll with Tiebreakers and then past Tiebreakers." Kingsport Mayor Paul Montgomery called it a "great day in Kingsport" following the news, continuing his past expression of new mall development being part of a renaissance or rebirth for the space. City Manager Chris McCartt said the Tiebreakers development will be "exciting in a lot of ways" for the Model City, especially in how it will support the local economy. "When we looked at some of the heat maps of [retail] leakage coming out of Kingsport towards other facilities just like this in neighboring cities, it was significant," he said. "The opportunity to capture that and capture other sales will be good for the economy of Kingsport." Tiebreakers has an existing location in Johnson City that opened in 2022. Per the company's website, Tiebreakers is defined as a "premier entertainment eatery destination for guests seeking unique games, a superior rewards system, delicious food, exceptional service, and a fun environment where everyone is invited to relax and have fun." To learn more about Tiebreakers, visit https://tiebreakers.com.