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59-488: Forest Fair Mall (also known as The Malls at Forest Fair , Cincinnati Mills , Cincinnati Mall , and Forest Fair Village ) is an abandoned enclosed shopping mall in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio , United States. It is situated on the border between Forest Park and Fairfield , at the junction of Interstate 275 and Winton Road (Exit 39). The mall, built in phases between 1988 and 1989 as Forest Fair Mall, has become noted for its troubled history; despite being

118-507: A dead mall . It also received a number of proposals for renovation, none of which were realized. Following years of tenancy decline, it closed to the public on December 2, 2022 with the exception of Kohl's and Bass Pro Shops. Initially, the site at the northeast corner of the Interstate 275 beltway's interchange with Winton Road was to consist solely of Bigg's , a local hypermarket chain. Australian retail developer LJ Hooker acquired

177-762: A greenfield site . An example of this type of redevelopment is Prestonwood Town Center in Dallas and Voorhees Town Center in Voorhees Township , New Jersey . Also, in Boardman, Ohio , the Southern Park Mall , demolished the former Sears building, to construct DeBartolo Commons. The commons honors late Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. Amazon , FedEx , DHL , UPS and the United States Postal Service have already acquired

236-402: A Christian media company had expressed interest in using part of the mall property for a studio. Inspectors from the city of Forest Park cited the building for a number of code violations throughout 2020, including sealed emergency exits and graffiti. At the same time, Cincinnati news station WCPO-TV began investigating the mall after viewers noted that Amazon Prime delivery trucks were using

295-504: A larger location across from Tri-County Mall. A gym called Moore's Fitness also opened during this timespan. In late 1999 and early 2000, Gator Investments began a second renovation plan which attracted several new tenants. Under these plans, they worked with Glimcher Realty Trust as leasing agent. The mall underwent a myriad of changes soon afterward, including three anchor stores that all opened in October 2000: Bass Pro Shops opened in

354-752: A number of fire code violations. In January 2024, it was announced that Bass Pro Shops would close its Forest Fair Mall location effective January 13, 2024 and will relocate to a much larger store located near Interstate 75 in West Chester. This will leave Kohl's as the only anchor store left, as well as the only remaining tenant left in the mall. 39°18′12″N 84°31′07″W  /  39.303262°N 84.518603°W  / 39.303262; -84.518603 Dead Mall Many malls in North America are considered "dead" when they have no surviving anchor store or successor that could attract people to

413-489: A reconceptualization of the mall as "a value retail center with new-to-the-market merchants". Furthering this reconceptualization was the addition of new entertainment venues, including a nightclub called Metropolis, a new Showcase Cinemas theater complex with stadium seating , and a new children's playplace called Wonderpark. Mills Corporation bought the mall from Gator Investments in September 2002 and announced that

472-555: A store, Oshman's Dry Goods, in Richmond, Texas . In 1931 he moved to Houston by buying the stock of a bankrupt army-surplus store known as Crawford-Austin and liquidated its inventory. He discovered in the process that sporting goods, especially fishing and hunting supplies, sold well. In 1933, he opened the first Oshman Outdoor Store, in Downtown Houston at Capitol and Fannin. Founded as a proprietorship, Oshman's business

531-407: A studio was proposed for its space, while a hotel was slated for the former Elder-Beerman/Steve & Barry's space. Bass Pro Shops announced plans to relocate to West Chester Township in 2013. Also, the mall was renamed again to Forest Fair Village. Burlington Coat Factory moved out of the mall in 2013, and Danbarry Dollar Saver closed in 2014. The proposed relocation of Bass Pro Shops, combined with

590-419: A temporary 30,000 square feet (2,800 m) warehouse store in a vacated retail slot near the food court. In addition, the property owners had fallen delinquent on property taxes. Cincinnati Holding Company purchased the mall in 2010, right as Showcase Cinemas closed. Three local businessmen announced plans in 2011 to open ice skating rinks in the vacated Bigg's. By this time, Guitar Center had also closed, and

649-583: Is now a major carrier hotel serving southwestern Pennsylvania. Another use for a former mall can be seen in Lexington, Kentucky , where Lexington Mall was partially demolished and converted into a satellite worship center for a local megachurch . Conversion from a shopping mall into an open-air, mixed-use area may entail the demolition of parts of or all of the former shopping mall. An example of this can be seen in Fairfax County, Virginia , where

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708-544: The Great Recession , specialty stores offered what many shoppers saw as useless luxuries they could no longer afford. In this respect, big box stores and conventional strip malls have a time-saving advantage. The number of dead malls has increased significantly because the economic health of malls across the United States has been in decline, with high vacancy rates in many of these malls. From 2006 to 2010,

767-415: The "fundamental problem" is a glut of malls in many parts of the country creating a market that is "extremely over-retailed". Cowen Research reported that the number of malls in the U.S. grew more than twice as fast as the population between 1970 and 2015; Cowen also reported that shopping center "gross leasable area" in the U.S. is 40 percent more shopping space per capita than Canada and five times more than

826-637: The Forest Fair store was kept open at the time, due to concerns by LJ Hooker's lawyers that closing the store would lower the mall's value. Liquidation sales began in August 1990 at Forest Fair's locations of all three department stores. All of the other Sakowitz stores were also liquidated at this point, along with all but two locations of Bonwit Teller. These locations, both in Upstate New York , were sold to The Pyramid Companies . In October 1990,

885-483: The U.K. Some malls have maintained profitability, particularly in areas with frequent inclement weather (or otherwise weather undesirable for outdoor activities, such as shopping in an open-air shopping/lifestyle center) or large populations of senior citizens who can partake in mall walking . Combined with lower rents, these factors have led to companies like Simon Malls enjoying high profits and occupancy averages of 92%. Some retailers have also begun to re-evaluate

944-566: The University of Rochester (UR) Health have converted several dying malls into new "health malls" or "mall to medicine". The large spaces allow for the easy conversion of space-intensive activities such as ambulatory surgical centers, while the multiple storefronts facilitate "one stop shopping" for all of health related needs. Roughly half of 100 Oaks Mall in Nashville, TN is now dedicated to Vanderbilt University Medical Center . Following

1003-717: The architecture, layout, decor, or other component of a shopping center to attract more renters and draw more profits. Several dead malls have been significantly renovated into open-air shopping centers. Redevelopment can involve a switch from retail usage to office or educational use for a building, such as is the case with Eastgate Metroplex in Tulsa, Oklahoma , Park Central Mall in Phoenix , Eastmont Town Center in Oakland, California , Windsor Park Mall in San Antonio (now

1062-452: The closure of its store in 2003, as the chain wanted to focus on smaller stores in markets with lower populations. After a $ 70 million renovation project, the mall reopened officially as Cincinnati Mills in August 2004. As part of Mills' development, Babies "R" Us replaced Stein Mart, and Johnny's Toys had opened in the upper level of the former Elder-Beerman, while the older Super Saver theater

1121-418: The continued delinquent taxes, created delays in any further attempts at redevelopment. Further redevelopment plans through association with Prudential Commercial Real Estate fell through in 2014 when that company's listing agreement expired. By 2017, only Kohl's, Bass Pro Shops, an arcade, and a children's entertainment complex remained in operation. A brokerage team put the mall up for sale in 2017. In mid-2017,

1180-716: The existing larger-lease-area anchor spaces . A few large national chains have replaced many local and regional chains, and some national chains are defunct. In the US and Canada , newer " big box " chains (also referred to as "category killers") such as Walmart , Target Corporation and Best Buy normally prefer purpose-built free-standing buildings rather than using mall-anchor spaces. 21st-century retailing trends favor open air lifestyle centers ; which resemble elements of power centers , big box stores, and strip malls; and (most disruptively for storefronts) online shopping over indoor malls. The massive change led Newsweek to declare

1239-483: The former Parisian, Burlington Coat Factory (now known as just Burlington ) replaced the former "Festival" wing, and Stein Mart entered Ohio with a temporary outlet store in the space previously occupied by Dawahares. Also joining the mall between 2000 and 2001 were Media Play , Off 5th (an outlet division of Saks Fifth Avenue ), and the first Steve & Barry's sports clothing store in Ohio. These stores were part of

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1298-676: The global headquarters of Rackspace ), Global Mall at the Crossings in Nashville, Tennessee , and the Coral Springs Mall in Florida. Allegheny Center Mall, a retail mall just north of downtown Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , closed as a retail mall in the early 1990s. The mall was redeveloped into office space with much of the space taken by telecommunications carriers, data center operators, and Internet service providers , and

1357-564: The indoor mall format obsolete in 2008. The year 2007 marked the first time since the 1950s that no new malls were built in the United States. Most Canadian malls still remain indoors after renovations due to the harsh winter climate throughout most of the country, however the Don Mills Centre was turned into an open-air shopping plaza. Attitudes about malls have also been changing. With changing priorities, people have less time to spend driving to and strolling through malls and, during

1416-415: The inline mall space was occupied, and the mall was described as "struggling" due to the large number of vacancies, primarily in the B. Altman wing. The proximity to both Northgate Mall and Tri-County Mall was also cited as a factor in the mall's struggles, particularly due to the latter undergoing an expansion not long after Forest Fair opened. Despite the mall's troubles, the owners of Parisian noted that

1475-643: The mall as "entering uncharted waters" due to Sakowitz, B. Altman, Parisian, and Bonwit Teller all being not only new to the Cincinnati market, but also due to the higher-priced merchandise available at those stores, in comparison to the area's more blue collar demographics. LJ Hooker filed for bankruptcy soon after the mall opened due to debt accrued by the company's expansion in the United States. The company put Forest Fair up for sale in June 1989, with an asking price of $ 200 million. At this point, only 65 percent of

1534-492: The mall environment, a positive sign for the industry. A retail apocalypse that started in the 2010s made the dead mall situation even more noticeable, due to the complete closing of several retailers, as well as anchor tenants Macy's and JCPenney closing many locations and the sharp decline in Sears Holdings . The trend was particularly noticeable when Pittsburgh Mills , a mall once worth as much as $ 190 million,

1593-432: The mall tenants were open by this day, including Bonwit Teller, B. Altman, Parisian, and the food court . By mid-year, Elder-Beerman and Sakowitz had also opened. Other tenants included an Australian restaurant called Wallaby Bob's, a 1950s-styled cafe, Oshman's Sporting Goods , and an eight-screen movie theater called Super Saver. Many of the tenants were unique at the time: Wallaby Bob's was "the first brewery-restaurant in

1652-503: The mall to office space, call centers, or other non-retail uses, also renaming the property to Cincinnati Mall on March 4, 2009. Under North Star's ownership, Steve & Barry's vacated due to the chain going out of business, while Off 5th, Guess , Lane Bryant , and Dress Barn relocated to a newly built outlet mall in Monroe . Despite the loss of these stores and other inline tenants such as MasterCuts and GNC , Totes Isotoner operated

1711-512: The mall was sold to a partnership called FFM Limited, headed by a group of banks which had loaned to LJ Hooker most of the $ 250 million in construction costs. In May 1992, the owners announced a new concept for the mall, known as The Malls at Forest Fair. Under this concept, each wing would focus on a different theme of shopping. The southwestern wing featuring Parisian and Elder-Beerman became "The Fashions at Forest Fair", featuring apparel and traditional department stores. Formerly home to B. Altman,

1770-480: The mall would undergo further redevelopment, along with a name change to Cincinnati Mills. As part of the redevelopment, Mills forced many small independent businesses out of the property. Renovations began in January 2003, which included new paint, floors, and signage throughout, along with differently-themed decor for each wing of the mall, typical of properties developed by Mills at the time. Elder-Beerman announced

1829-450: The mall. Without the pedestrian traffic that department stores previously generated, sales volumes decline for almost all stores and rental revenues from those stores can no longer sustain the costly maintenance of the malls. Structural changes in the department-store industry have also made survival of these malls difficult. These changes have contributed to some areas or suburbs having insufficient traditional department stores to fill all

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1888-517: The mall; shopper unfamiliarity with the specialty tenants within; bankruptcy filings of key tenants; and complications from an accounting scandal in which the Mills corporation was involved. Simon Property Group acquired the Mills portfolio in 2007. Bigg's closed in June 2008, shortly after both Berean Christian Stores and Wonderpark closed. North Star Realty acquired the mall from Simon in January 2009. North Star proposed to begin converting portions of

1947-651: The model, it is expanding to other dead or dying malls throughout its region, while University of Rochester Medical Center is converting roughly one-third of The Marketplace Mall in Henrietta, NY. Oshman%27s Sporting Goods Oshman's Sporting Goods Inc. was a sporting goods retailer in the United States. Their headquarters were in East End, Houston, Texas . It operated traditional sporting goods stores and Oshman's Supersports USA megastores. In 1919, J.S. "Jake" Oshman, an immigrant from Latvia , opened

2006-473: The nation that operates in a suburban shopping mall", while another tenant, Koala Klubhouse, was the first licensed day care to be located in an American shopping mall. Another major tenant present at opening day was a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m) entertainment complex called Time Out, featuring a carousel and miniature golf course. A 1989 article in The Cincinnati Enquirer described

2065-515: The northwestern wing became "The Lifestyles at Forest Fair", with stores focused on home decor, entertainment, and sporting goods. Surrounding Bigg's, the eastern wing became "The Markets at Forest Fair", which featured tenants centered on "value, services, and convenience". Finally, center court and the former location of Bonwit Teller became "The Festival at Forest Fair", focused on entertainment and new restaurants. Also, Lexington, Kentucky -based clothing store Dawahares opened its first Ohio store in

2124-473: The old Springfield Mall was converted into Springfield Town Center , a mixed-use development that includes a 12-screen movie theatre, shops, and restaurants with outdoor seating and entrances. When the structures are demolished completely, it is known as a greyfield site . In jurisdictions such as Vermont (with a strict permitting process) or in major urban areas (where open fields are long gone), this greyfielding can be much easier and cheaper than building on

2183-672: The pandemic including Ascena Retail Group , Brooks Brothers , GNC , JCPenney , Lord & Taylor , and Neiman Marcus . North American malls that have permanently closed citing the pandemic as a precipitating factor include Northgate Mall in Durham, North Carolina, Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, and the Metrocenter in Phoenix, Arizona. Dead malls are occasionally redeveloped. Leasing or management companies may change

2242-496: The percentage of malls that are considered to be "dying" by real estate experts (have a vacancy rate of at least 40%), unhealthy (20–40%), or in trouble (10-20%) all increased greatly, and these high vacancy rates only partially decreased from 2010 to 2014. In 2014, nearly 3% of all malls in the United States were considered to be "dying" (40% or higher vacancy rates) and nearly one-fifth of all malls had vacancy rates considered "troubling" (10% or higher). Some real estate experts say

2301-477: The project: Higbee's and Bonwit Teller . Overall, Forest Fair Mall would be the second-biggest mall in the state of Ohio at the time of construction, behind only the now-defunct Randall Park Mall in North Randall , a suburb of Cleveland . Also in 1987, Hooker bought controlling interest in both Bonwit Teller and three other department stores: B. Altman and Company , Parisian , and Sakowitz . B. Altman

2360-566: The property from original developer Amega in 1986 and chose to make Bigg's an anchor store to a large enclosed shopping mall, which would be named Forest Fair Mall. According to these plans, the mall would consist of 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m) of retail space, with 70 percent of the building in Forest Park and 30 percent in Fairfield . By July 1987, mall developers had also stated that two other department stores had committed to

2419-408: The property to Cincinnati Mills in 2002 and renovated the mall once more in August 2004. Following the sale of Mills's portfolio to Simon Property Group , the mall was sold several times afterward, while continuing to lose many of its key tenants. After having been renamed to Cincinnati Mall and again to Forest Fair Village in the 2010s, the property received significant media attention as an example of

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2478-543: The property to light industrial use. Arcade Legacy, one of the last remaining tenants, moved out of the mall (and relocated to Sharonville, Ohio) in September 2022. A month later, WLWT reported that the mall is slated for demolition along with 825 other buildings across Ohio, as part of State Governor Mike DeWine 's Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program. The mall was finally closed on December 2, 2022 after city of Forest Park fire department closed all remaining businesses (except Bass Pro Shops and Kohl's) due to

2537-462: The property was brokered in January 1996. In 1996, Meijer opened across the street from the mall. Several anchor stores in the mall changed under Gator's ownership: Dawahares closed in late 1996 due to poor sales, Berean Christian Stores signed a 10-year lease for a 21,250 square feet (1,974 m) Christian bookstore at the mall in late 1997, while Parisian closed in June 1998 and Guitar Center replaced CompUSA in August 1998 after that store moved to

2596-427: The second-biggest mall in the state and bringing many new retailers to the market, it lost three anchor stores ( B. Altman and Company , Bonwit Teller , and Sakowitz ) and its original owner LJ Hooker to bankruptcy less than a year after opening. The mall underwent renovations throughout the mid 1990s, attracting new stores such as Kohl's , Burlington Coat Factory , and Bass Pro Shops . Mills Corporation renamed

2655-564: The sites of some failed malls and converted them to fulfillment centers. A proposal called "Re-Habit" uses portions of struggling malls, particularly vacated big box space, for homeless housing. As an example of this concept, the vacant Macy's in the Landmark Mall of Alexandria, Virginia , has been converted into a temporary homeless shelter for the Carpenter's Shelter. Some major healthcare systems such as Vanderbilt Health and

2714-481: The store's sales were strong enough for the company to consider expansion in the Cincinnati market. As part of LJ Hooker's bankruptcy filing, the company offered all four of the department stores it had acquired for sale. Parisian was sold back to its previous ownership, while the other three department stores were ordered to undergo liquidation. The other six B. Altman stores began liquidation in November 1989, although

2773-616: The stores to an investor group in New Jersey . In 1988, Abercrombie was acquired by Limited Brands. In 1993, the company stated that it planned to close 33 stores. In 2001, Gart Sports Company announced that it would buy Oshman's for a combination of cash and stock valued around $ 82 million (~$ 135 million in 2023). In June of that year it merged into GSC Acquisition Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Gart. Many of Oshman's stores became Sports Authority stores; they have since closed after filing for bankruptcy in 2016. In 1991,

2832-458: The structure's parking lot to stage deliveries. Officials of both Butler and Hamilton County submitted plans to the state of Ohio in 2022, calling for $ 9.5 million in funds to demolish the mall. They also began negotiations with Kohl's and Bass Pro Shops for redevelopment plans. The Butler County Journal News reported that any plans for the mall's demolition would be contingent on the availability of funds, with one potential plan being to convert

2891-535: The time, Abercrombie and Fitch had filed bankruptcy and was a brand that sold lavish items along with fishing and hunting gear. Oshman's made plans to use the Abercrombie and Fitch name to create a mail-order business. As of October 31, 1987 the company operated 185 traditional stores, one Super Sports USA store, and 27 Abercrombie and Fitch stores. Around December 25 that year it stopped its proposed $ 50 million sale (of which $ 20 million could be in banknotes) of

2950-512: The vacated Sakowitz space, while Subway and Hot Dog on a Stick joined the food court. By June 1993, further new tenants had opened, including a Sam Goody / Suncoast Motion Picture Company music and video superstore in the Lifestyle wing and a CompUSA electronics store in the Markets wing. At the time, each of the other wings was about 90 percent leased except for the Lifestyle wing, which

3009-486: Was closed so that Steve & Barry's could create a larger store using all of the former Elder-Beerman store. In addition, the president of Bigg's reported that their store in the mall had constantly struggled in sales due to it being located at the back of the property. Also contributing to the decline were continued competition with Northgate and Tri-County malls, along with a newer outdoor mall called Bridgewater Falls in nearby Hamilton ; lower-class demographics surrounding

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3068-453: Was confirmed as a tenant in November 1987 and Parisian in March 1988, while negotiations with Sakowitz began in October 1988. The first phase of the mall, featuring Bigg's and approximately 20 other stores, opened on July 11, 1988. A month prior to this, Higbee's withdrew from the project after being purchased by a joint venture of Dillard's and Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. As a result, B. Altman

3127-566: Was incorporated as Oshman's Sporting Goods 15 years later, in 1946, as the country emerged from World War II. As business increased, the store moved to a larger location at 902 Main in Downtown Houston. Oshman's opened locations in suburban shopping centers in Greater Houston, and then, in Bay City , Beaumont , Corpus Christi , and Pasadena . Oshman died in 1965. By that year Oshman's was Texas's largest sporting goods chain, and it

3186-559: Was only 25 percent leased. Due to the increased traffic brought on by the new stores, many new retail developments were constructed at the I-275 interchange, while the increase in businesses also boosted tax revenues in Forest Park. Although a home furnishings store called HOME had been proposed for the former B. Altman store as part of the 1992 renovations, the space ultimately remained vacant until late 1994 when Kohl's opened there. This

3245-485: Was relocated from its originally planned store to the space vacated by Higbee's, thus leaving a vacant anchor store and causing delays in opening the rest of the mall. Immediately after the Bigg's wing of the mall opened, Elder-Beerman was confirmed for the vacated anchor left behind by B. Altman's relocation. As a result, the rest of the mall's opening was delayed to October 1988, and again to March 1, 1989. About one-third of

3304-526: Was sold at a foreclosure sale for $ 100, with the mall itself being purchased by lien holder Wells Fargo . It has been suggested that some malls die when the surrounding neighborhoods undergo a demographic change or socio-economic decline . The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many issues affecting malls. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many malls closed temporarily due to stay-at-home orders . A number of notable retailers filed for bankruptcy during

3363-583: Was sold to the local theater chain Danbarry and renamed the Dollar Saver. Inline tenants at this point were focused mainly on discount stores and amenities suitable for families, as was typical of other properties developed by Mills. By January 2005, the mall had a 90 percent occupancy. Despite these renovations, the mall's tenancy began to slump again in 2006. This included the loss of Media Play, which went out of business entirely, and Johnny's Toys, which

3422-417: Was the first of three stores opened that year upon the chain's entry into the Cincinnati market. The mall was put up for sale again in 1995, with FFM representatives noting that the partnership did not intend to maintain ownership for over five years. Although Phillips Edison & Company had placed a bid for the property, that company was outbid by Miami, Florida -based Gator Investments, whose purchase of

3481-548: Was the largest sporting goods chain in the southwestern United States. At that time the company had ten sporting goods stores and two wholesale firms located in the Gulf Coast region. In the 1970s, Oshman's was expanding in the Los Angeles area. In 1978, Oshman's purchased the rights to the trade name of Abercrombie and Fitch from First National Bank of Chicago for $ 1.5 million ($ 5.2 million in 2013 dollars). At

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