UNION CITY, Ga.,None — A south Fulton County mall remained in the dark on Wednesday and several store owners said they are temporarily out of business.
Georgia Power pulled the plug on the Union Station Mall after the mall's owner failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars in power bills.
Channel 2 Action News reporter Kerry Kavanaugh was at the mall Wednesday morning and was working to find out when and if the power would be turned back on.
A Georgia Power spokesperson told Kavanaugh that as soon as the mall owner attempted to pay the bills, the power would be turned back on.
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One after another, people arrived at the Union Station Mall only to turn around and leave on Wednesday.
First were those headed to the Department of Driver Services Office.
"I came here today to get my mother a Georgia ID," said Jerome Beedles.
But Beedles was forced to leave in light of the DDS' closure. The driver licensing center sent out a press release apologizing to customers for the inconvenience. DDS spokes woman Susan Sports said the center is trying to contact customers with road test appointments to make alternate arrangements. Customers are advissed to call 678-413-8400 for more information.
There were also mall goers who were just trying to shop.
"The mall is closed? Alright," said June Martin.
Then there were those who came to the mall to report for work.
"This is the last thing we need. We have a full staff," said tenant Princess Wyatt.
Channel 2 Action News cameras were rolling Tuesday night as tenants such as Wyatt scrambled to pack up and get out. Georgia Power cut the electricity around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Georgia Power officials said the mall's owner owes them more than $200,000 in overdue bills.
The owner is Lee Najjar, better known as "Big Poppa" from the television show "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."
As Channel 2 Action News first reported last week, Najjar is also behind on his water bill and owes three years worth of back property taxes totaling $250,000.
"Right now, we're lost. The girls are lost. We don't know what we're going to do," said Wyatt.
Kavanaugh spoke with someone at Najjar's real estate company in Norcross who said the company is working to get tenants back in.
Georgia Power officials said the Sears and Macy's stores at the Union Station Mall have their own meters, so they remain open for business.
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