What do you think of Cincinnati’s shopping malls? Let us know what you think. Rate our shopping malls here.
To find the answer, The Enquirer sent reporters to the remaining indoor shopping malls on a Saturday in August. Reporters assessed the condition, crowding, availability and overall atmosphere of five neighborhood malls.
The result was The Enquirer’s first-ever shopping mall hygiene report card.
In comparison:
Eastgate Mall
Between the hallways of closed storefronts and locked doors, thousands of patrons lingered in the halls of Eastgate Mall during its monthly pop-up sports card show.
That’s unusual for a Saturday, said Jeff Bruce of Baby Boomer Rebellion, a new exhibitor at the show and a regular at Eastgate. With more than 25 vacant or closed storefronts, Eastgate’s shopping options are slim, though there’s still a J.C. Penney and a Kohl’s. Huge, empty stores like Sears remind customers that Eastgate Mall isn’t what it used to be.
Gradebook:
Crowd size: Several thousand people. Crowd demographics: Mostly white, with a wide range of ages. Food court: 5 food stalls. Available spaces: About 25. Parking spaces: About one-third full. Overall atmosphere: Old-fashioned, but family-friendly and a convenient option for locals. There’s plenty of space to host events, such as the monthly sports card show.
Florence Mall
Florence Mall may appear bustling on a typical Saturday afternoon as you enter through the doors that lead directly into the food court, but the rest of the 963,700-square-foot shopping center is eerily quiet.
Youth-oriented brands like Victoria’s Secret, Pink, Foot Locker, Forever 21, Aerie and American Eagle are lined up just outside the dining area on the second floor, along with Macy’s. These stores appear to draw most of the daytime shoppers compared with other parts of the mall, including boarded-up and gated storefronts. Many of the larger leases on the lower floors are vacant.
Gradebook:
Customer population: Fewer than a few hundred people. Customer demographics: White and Latino. Mostly families, but also some teenagers and young couples. Food court: 12 food stalls serving a variety of cuisines, including pizza, pho, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Chilean, Mediterranean, bubble tea, cookies, and pretzels. Number of stores: About 30. Parking capacity: About one-fifth full. Overall atmosphere: The decor is clean and bright, but outdated. The youth-oriented stores seem to be the life of the mall, while the rest of the mall is quite deserted.
Kenwood Town Centre
Kenwood Town Center has escaped the fate of the area’s declining shopping malls, and among its 180 retailers you’ll find a mix of popular brands like Lululemon and Abercrombie & Fitch, as well as an eye doctor, a mattress firm and co-working spaces.
Parking is hard to find on Saturdays, sidewalks are crowded, lines are long at fitting rooms and cash registers, and the food court and Kenwood’s 22 restaurants and coffee shops are typically busy.
But it’s not perfect: Kenwood has some vacant storefronts, and both an H&M and a North Face store have closed in recent years. The luxury area of the mall, which includes Nordstrom, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton, is also much quieter than other areas. Still, Kenwood is currently expanding, opening Mexican chain stores and cafes.
Gradebook:
Crowd size: Thousands. Crowd demographics: Diverse. Families, old people with kids, young couples. Food court: 22+ food stalls. Only one stall was open. Spaces: At least 6. Parking capacity: About three-quarters full. Overall atmosphere: Vibrant. Always bustling, family-friendly environment. A miracle in today’s shopping center landscape.
Northgate Mall
Northgate Mall is ready to welcome visitors with a clean interior, plenty of stores and a main entrance lined with popular businesses, but Colerain Township Shopping Centre is far from bustling.
The 1.1 million-square-foot mall, built on the site of a former airport, has lost many big-name retailers over the years, from Macy’s to Sears to Marshalls. Last year, the Xscape movie theater closed. It was once a popular teen destination, but that changed when a policy went into effect in 2016 requiring minors to be accompanied by an adult.
Northgate Mall’s interior is more subdued, but it still houses some mainstay brands, including Hot Topic, Finish Line, Bath & Body Works and Aeropostale.
Gradebook:
Customer demographics: Less than 50 people. Customer demographics: Black and white. Mostly families with young children and teenagers, and middle-aged and older people. Food court: One food stall: Yihi Japan. Available parking spaces: 20+. Parking available: Only a few dozen parked at the main entrance. Overall vibe: With only about 30 stores, it feels a bit like a ghost town.
Town Mall
The 32-acre Town Mall is mostly vacant, but it was once a bustling business housing a Chick-fil-A.
Only three anchor tenants remain — Gabe’s, Burlington Coat Factory and Planet Fitness — while the Spirit Halloween store also sits vacant and it’s unclear whether it will reopen this season.
The city of Middletown recently purchased the 47-year-old mall for $10 million and plans to re-envision it as a mixed-use development and as a complement to the city’s neighboring Renaissance Pointe project.
Gradebook:
Customer demographic: Fewer than 100 shoppers; several dozen at Planet Fitness. Customer demographic: Diverse mix of families and middle-aged shoppers at the stores; mostly younger people at Planet Fitness. Food court: None. Seating availability: 100% empty. Parking capacity: The parking lots at Planet Fitness and Gabe’s were about three-quarters full on a Saturday afternoon. Overall vibe: Closed, but with a vibrant vibe around the neighborhood that suggests this would be a great place for reinvestment.
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