The death spiral of Chapel Hill Mall (Columbus, Cleveland: appointed, felons)

[edtv411]

If Chapel Hill wasn't in Akron and down with all of the action on Howe Avenue, it would probably be better off than it is now. I still find it hard to believe that Macy's is STILL at Stow-Kent despite their vacancies (but that may change once Meijer starts going up). The surrounding areas like Stow, Brmfield and even Portage Crossing have kept the area from reaching its full potential by landing stores like Lowe's, Kohl's, and even Walmart. Sad thing is that all of the neighborhoods that used to exist on Howe Avenue were ripped out years ago for all of the big boxes. It's doing OK now, but that may change once the mall goes under, which seems VERY imminent...

[SittinInATree]

I used to love the Chapel Hill mall! But the last time I went was like 1995 and I was 15 years old Sad that it has gone down hill so much!

[edtv411]

The stores keep leaving and the owners narrowly averted the power being shut off to the mall.

So what is actually left there? Many of the remaining inline stores have seemed to close. It's so bad that the mall has posted signs that anyone taking pictures inside the mall will be prosecuted😂😂😂

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by edtv411

Not a good week for Chapel Hill Mall.

In just the last two days, it's been dealt the blow of Macy's closing their store, and now official word that longtime tenants Express, Old Navy and Aeropostale are leaving.

I think this could be the beginning of the end. Sears is on life support as a company and JCPenney could be lured to greener pastures sooner than later. Customers are sticking to Howe Avenue and have defected to newer shopping options in Stow, Brimfield, Macedonia, and the rebirth of State Road Plaza as Portage Crossing.

The crime problems and the foreclosure proceedings are the icing on the cake and may be driving away the tenants and customers alike.

Is there any hope left?

No.

If history is any indication that mall will close and Summit Mall will be the only game in Akron.

Akron cannot support more than one mall. Back in the eighties they could but not now. The economy just is not there to do this. And no indictment because a lot of cities the size of Akron cannot pull off more than one mall. It is rare in this day and age. The ones that can are usually prosperous and have a median income far higher than that which exists in Akron.

Best chance for Chapel Hill is for it to reinvent itself. Maybe it can be an entertainment destination. Maybe a church can take over some of those spaces, maybe a school. Stranger things have happened in dead malls in the past. In Providence RI a dead mall was turned into a residential space. That is a possibility.

We actually saw this coming when Rolling Acres went out. I already knew that the writing was on the wall, because of what i saw happen to malls in similar cities, like Salem Mall in Dayton OH and of course Randall Park Mall near Cleveland.

[edtv411]

I think the retail bases have shifted. While Chapel Hill is in decline, the business has spread out to Stow/Kent, the State Road area, Brimfield, and even Macedonia (which has also done a serious number on the Bedford and Randall Park area).

Howe Avenue seems to be doing ok, but once you cross into Akron, the decline is immediate.
What disadvantage does locating in Akron have over Cuyahoga Falls or Tallmadge? It's been a while, but I think I recall Akron levying a city income tax...

[eddie1261]

Once a certain element makes a mall dangerous, it closes. Car thefts, armed robberies in the parking lot, thugs hanging around the exits scaring people off did Chapel Hill Mall in. They are hanging on but I see them going to way of Rolling Acres within 5 years. Just like Euclid Square and Richmond Mall. They have a good run, the thugs then target the shoppers, people are afraid to go there, and they shut down. Add to that the fact that I can sit here at my desk and order anything I want and have at my back door it in 2 days, and that's the death knell for malls right there.

[edtv411]

Stick a fork in Chapel Hill Mall....it's done.
https://www.beaconjournal.com/news/2...store-in-april


Between this, and the ongoing deficits the landlord has run up with the city of Akron and Ohio Edison for failing to pay their bills, It's no longer a question if Chapel Hill will close...but WHEN.....

[Cleveland_Collector]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

It has just outlived its time, I guess. I lived there when CH first opened, and went there a lot. The older Malls, in general, are not doing well across the country, especially with the disastrous economy in NE Ohio. Unless an area is upscale, and a mall keeps attracting the right stores, the malls aren't viable any more. I live in Savannah now, and we have a mall that is also circling the drain. If it didn't have a Bass Pro, it would be gone by now.

The economy in NEO isn't a disaster by any stretch. It's responsible for over 1/3 of Ohio's economic output which happens to hover between #6 and #7 in state GDP ranking. Malls are dying everywhere. Even the ones on reasonably good economic footing are suffering just like all brick-and-mortar retail is. Ecommerce is now responsible for about 12% of all retail sales or around $750 billion annually. It is THE main reason why malls are dying. There is a significant irony when the one-time largest mall in America (Randall Park) is razed and an Amazon distribution center in built on its proverbial ashes.

[edtv411]

Bad management has played a role too. Even going back to when Buchholzer sold the mall to CBL, they began slowly cutting back on things like customer service, getting rid of baby strollers, and perhaps the most visible, giving up on Archie The Snowman since it was in such a poor state. The Great recession did its toll too, taking out a few stores, and the remaining stalwarts from Rolling Acres moved into Chapel Hill.

Enter 2014, when CBL doesn't consider the mall important enough to pay its bills, defaults on a loan, setting up the eventual sale to Kohan. Lessees see the writing on the wall and make plans to bolt. When Macy's left, the dominoes begin to fall. Sears does the same a year later as part of their own struggles.

And here we are now with a mall soon to have zero anchors, less than half of it spaces open, a mounting deficit of water, sewer and electric bills, and a looming foreclosure.

And surrounding the Chapel Hill trade area are are many places that have opened up shop closer to their customers....Stow, Macedonia, Brimfield, and even Portage Crossing, rising from the ashes of the former State road shopping Center.

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by Cleveland_Collector

The economy in NEO isn't a disaster by any stretch. It's responsible for over 1/3 of Ohio's economic output which happens to hover between #6 and #7 in state GDP ranking. Malls are dying everywhere. Even the ones on reasonably good economic footing are suffering just like all brick-and-mortar retail is. Ecommerce is now responsible for about 12% of all retail sales or around $750 billion annually. It is THE main reason why malls are dying. There is a significant irony when the one-time largest mall in America (Randall Park) is razed and an Amazon distribution center in built on its proverbial ashes.

That comment was made awhile ago. You can not deny that the economy tanked in the early 2000s in NE Ohio, as well as other places. Our formerly robust business was forced to close in 2005, and it took 3 years to sell our house. We left skid marks getting out of there.

Now, only the upscale malls are still viable..Summit Mall, Legacy Village, etc. but maybe they are on borrowed time too. I don’t know.