How are Cincinnati’s malls doing? Let us know what you think. Rate our malls here.
To find out, The Enquirer dispatched reporters to the remaining local enclosed malls on one Saturday in August. The reporters evaluated the conditions, crowd levels, vacancies and general vibe at five regional malls.
The result: The Enquirer’s first mall health report card.
Here’s how they compared:
Eastgate Mall
Between corridors of closed storefronts and locked doors, thousands of customers lingered in the halls of Eastgate Mall during a monthly pop-up sports card show.
This is unusual for a Saturday, according to Jeff Bruce of Baby Boomer Rebellion, a new vendor at the show and frequent Eastgate shopper. With more than 25 vacancies and closures, Eastgate’s shopping options have grown sparse, but it still has a J. C. Penney and Kohl’s. The massive, empty storefront of Sears and others reminds customers that Eastgate Mall isn’t what it used to be.
Report Card:
- Crowd size: Thousands.
- Crowd demographics: Mostly white with a diverse range of ages.
- Food court: Five stalls.
- Number of vacancies: Around 25.
- Parking capacity: Roughly one-third full.
- General vibe: Outdated, but family-friendly and a convenient option for locals. Plenty of room for events like the monthly sports card show.
Florence Mall
Florence Mall may look busy on a typical Saturday afternoon if you enter through the doors leading directly to the food court. But the rest of the 963,700-square-foot shopping center sits eerily quiet.
Youthful brands like Victoria’s Secret, PINK, Foot Locker, Forever 21, Aerie and American Eagle sit just outside the dining area on the second level, along with Macy’s. These stores appear to draw in most of the daytime shoppers compared to the rest of the mall, which includes boarded-up or gated storefronts. Many of the larger lease options on the lower level are vacant.
Report Card:
- Crowd size: Under a few hundred.
- Crowd demographics: White and Latino. Mostly families, some teens and/or young people in pairs.
- Food court: 12 stalls with diverse offerings of pizza, pho, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, chili, Mediterranean, Boba tea, cookies and pretzels.
- Number of stores: Nearly 30.
- Parking capacity: About one-fifth full.
- General vibe: Interior is clean and bright but dated. Youthful stores seem to carry the weight of the activity, leaving the rest of the mall quite dead.
Kenwood Towne Centre
Kenwood Towne Centre has escaped the fate of dying malls across the region. Among its 180 retailers, it boasts a mix of popular brands like Lululemon and Abercrombie & Fitch, as well as space for eye doctors, mattress companies and co-working.
On Saturdays, it isn’t easy to find parking, and walkways are crowded while dressing room lines and checkout counters are long. The food court, as well as Kenwood’s 22 restaurants and coffee shops, are usually busy.
But it’s not perfect: Kenwood has a handful of vacancies and it lost both H&M and North Face in recent years. The luxury end of the mall, which includes Nordstrom, Gucci and Louis Vitton, is also much quieter than the rest of the space. Still, Kenwood is currently expanding with a Mexican chain and cafe.
Report card:
- Crowd size: Thousands.
- Crowd demographics: Diverse. Families, old people with children, young couples.
- Food court: Over 22 stalls. Only one stall was vacant.
- Vacancies: At least 6.
- Parking capacity: About three-quarters full.
- General vibe: Thriving. A family-friendly environment that’s constantly busy. A miracle in today’s shopping center landscape.
Northgate Mall
With a clean interior, plenty of storefronts and a front face with popular stores, Northgate Mall is well-prepared for visitors. But the Colerain Township shopping center is far from bustling.
The 1.1 million-square-foot mall, the site of a former airport, has lost many major retailers over the years from Macy’s to Sears and Marshall’s. Last year, its Xscape movie theater closed. It was once a teen hotspot, too, but that changed after a 2016 policy requiring minors to be accompanied by an adult.
Despite its slow interior, Northgate Mall still has several mainstay brands like Hot Topic, Finish Line, Bath & Body Works and Aeropostale.
Report card:
- Crowd size: 50 or less.
- Crowd demographics: Black and white. Mostly families with young children or teenagers, as well as middle-aged and elderly people.
- Food court: One stall: Yihi Japan.
- Number of vacancies: Over 20.
- Parking capacity: Only a couple of dozen cars parked at the front entrance.
- General vibe: With just around 30 stores, it’s a bit of a ghost town.
Towne Mall
The 32-acre Towne Mall sits largely vacant, but at one point, it was healthy enough to boast a Chick-fil-A.
Only three anchor tenants remain: Gabe’s, Burlington Coat Factory and Planet Fitness, but there’s also a vacant Spirit Halloween store that may or may not return this season.
The city of Middletown recently purchased the 47-year-old mall for $10 million to reimagine it as a mixed-use development or a compliment to the city’s adjacent Renaissance Pointe project.
Report card:
- Crowd size: Less than 100 people shopping. A couple dozen at Planet Fitness.
- Crowd demographics: Diverse, families and middle-aged shoppers in stores. Lots of young adults in Planet Fitness.
- Food court: None.
- Number of vacancies: 100% vacant.
- Parking capacity: The parking lots for Planet Fitness and Gabe’s were about three-quarters full on a Saturday afternoon.
- General vibe: Closed off, but surrounded by activity suggesting it’s a prime location for reinvestment.
Let us know what you think. Rate our malls here.