The eye of the storm is calm enough at Crossroads Mall that 3-year-old Amari Trice is able to enjoy a carousel ride without any worries. But outside a slew of closing sale signs indicate the mall may never be the same again after its main anchors leave.

A year after the 1.3-million-square-foot mall lost J.C. Penney Co. Inc. as one of its four anchors, the last two standing, Dillards and Steve and Barry’s Unive...