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I hadn't been inside Tri-County Mall since at least 2004 until I was there last week, and it's night and day from what I remember it as in its heyday. What was once a bustling shopping destination is barely a shadow of its former self. Although I didn't count them, there can't be fewer than 20 empty storefronts in that mall, and among some of the ones that are filled are more than a few tacky, temporary, low-rent stores that sell things like calendars and bonzai trees, among other worthless junk.
The anchors are still there, though they're the dime-a-dozen Macy's and Sears, and there's really no other destination store there like there is at Kenwood with the Apple Store, Nordstrom and others.
What happened? I understand the struggles of Forest Fair/Cincinnati Mills or whatever it's called now. But what happened to Tri-County? Did the explosion of new retail to the north in West Chester siphon off too many wealthy customers? Can this metro of more than 2.2 million not support more than one upscale mall (Kenwood Towne Centre)?
IMHO I think Tri-County ended up being overextended once they brought in a fourth anchor store and added upper levels. It made more sense to have less available space than retailers happy to fill it. There was also an explosion in big-box store and strip mall development all along Kemper Rd in both directions. The Mall Wart, I mean Wal-Mart, on East Kemper is now vacant thanks to that company's strategy of saturating an area with their stores and then closing some a few years down the line. (They've kept the franchise at Glendale-Milford and Reading Rd's open.) All the separate free-standing stores, along with the various little shop clusters and chain restaurants, make for traffic chaos which adds to that caused by the mall itself.
Not only has further building to the north - for example, the meaninglessly-named "Bridgewater Commons" - bled business away from Tri-County, many of the onetime "destination stores" are gone and destined to not be replaced. Brendamour's sporting goods was killed by national chains. Ditto for Steinberg's furniture and appliances, Potter's shoes, Herschede jewelers, etc etc. Although the immediately neighboring communities of Springdale and Forest Park haven't changed much in terms of income level (and old-money Glendale certainly hasn't), the increasing AA presence in many of the abutting areas has brought about an increase in businesses catering to the perceived tastes of the newer inhabitants. This means a more than adequate supply of shops offering gaudy "bling," hiphop-style clothes and accessories (also of course popular with many White teens and young adults), etc. It also means that the mall's onetime customer base is giving way to a newer, less well-heeled one.
I look at how the former Swifton Shopping Center - now known as Jordan Crossing - at the boundary of Roselawn and Bond Hill rose and fell, and see clear parallels between that mall some 40 years ago and Tri-County today. Newer retail alternatives along with demographic shifts nearby (with the still-notable exception of Amberley Village) sealed Swifton's fate. From all appearances history is set to repeat itself not only in Springdale but also at Northgate Mall.
It seems to be the trend with indoor malls in the area - Forest Fair, Northgate, and Eastgate have all seen better days. The exception is Kenwood. We were at Kenwood this past weekend and there are even more stores opening. I think I only saw a few empty storefronts there. Of course Kenwood's advantage is location.
I used to go to Tri-County a lot. In the 90's Tri-County and Kenwood were comparable on the stores. I think with the sprawl of West Chester and Liberty Twp, that a lot has moved toward that area and Tri-County no longer serves what used to be a smaller West Chester.
Open air malls seem to be the trend as well. To me an open air mall is no more than a U-shaped strip mall.
I hadn't been inside Tri-County Mall since at least 2004 until I was there last week, and it's night and day from what I remember it as in its heyday. What was once a bustling shopping destination is barely a shadow of its former self. Although I didn't count them, there can't be fewer than 20 empty storefronts in that mall, and among some of the ones that are filled are more than a few tacky, temporary, low-rent stores that sell things like calendars and bonzai trees, among other worthless junk.
The anchors are still there, though they're the dime-a-dozen Macy's and Sears, and there's really no other destination store there like there is at Kenwood with the Apple Store, Nordstrom and others.
What happened? I understand the struggles of Forest Fair/Cincinnati Mills or whatever it's called now. But what happened to Tri-County? Did the explosion of new retail to the north in West Chester siphon off too many wealthy customers? Can this metro of more than 2.2 million not support more than one upscale mall (Kenwood Towne Centre)?
I can't answer for why the region can't sustain more than one upscale mall. But it should be noted there are a number of upscale stores in the Cincinnati area....Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany, Nordstrom, etc.
Yeah, I'd say the situation with Tri-County has to do with West Chester and Liberty retail centers opening, and they are more indicative of the type of retail center most people want to see these days....lifestyle centers (open-air malls), instead of enclosed ones. There is Streets of West Chester (not very big, though) and the VOA Center on Tylersville, as well as Bridgewater Falls. I personally would much rather visit an open-air mall over an enclosed one....including Kenwood Towne Center (which always makes me feel out of place because I'm not wealthy). But then, I'm a guy....I like to "Get in, get it, and get out". LOL! I personally think the only way Forest Fair/Cincinnati Mills/Cincinnati Mall (or whatever other name it may acquire at some point in the future) will make a turn-around is if they bulldoze half of it, opening it up and converting it to an open-air lifestyle center. Same thing should be done with Tri-County Mall if it wants to compete against the other newer centers around the northern suburbs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goyguy
Not only has further building to the north - for example, the meaninglessly-named "Bridgewater Commons" - bled business away from Tri-County
It's "Bridgewater Falls"...not Commons. And I'm not sure why you would think it's anymore meaninglessly named than Rookwood Commons or Rookwood Pavilion.
Tri-County has had a real problem with unscrupulous youths hanging out there. They did impose a curfew, but obviously that's who the mall stores are catering to, so it must not have discouraged that traffic much.
Sears ironically enough is the only real destination store in the whole mall, if in fact you want something from Sears.
Years ago, Tri-County made a whole lot more sense to me as a place to shop for everything. Much more variety, everything from Kroger and Kresge to some of the aforementioned specialty shops (the Tinder Box always was a neat shop!). Heck, there even used to be Central Trust Bank branch and a Hader Hardware in there. The mall then was serious competition to traditional business districts. Today, malls provide nothing but an endless supply of cheap clothing and accessory stores. How much of that garbage can people buy?
It seems to be the trend with indoor malls in the area - Forest Fair, Northgate, and Eastgate have all seen better days. The exception is Kenwood. We were at Kenwood this past weekend and there are even more stores opening. I think I only saw a few empty storefronts there. Of course Kenwood's advantage is location.
I used to go to Tri-County a lot. In the 90's Tri-County and Kenwood were comparable on the stores. I think with the sprawl of West Chester and Liberty Twp, that a lot has moved toward that area and Tri-County no longer serves what used to be a smaller West Chester.
Open air malls seem to be the trend as well. To me an open air mall is no more than a U-shaped strip mall.
Hasn't that been redeveloped into open-air Anderson Town Center? Last I was in Anderson (last fall), Kroger's had moved there from across the street, and it seemed to be decent traffic. Still, not the size or scope of what it once was.
As for Tri-County, I agree it is bleeding mainly from the opening of new strip-centers and big-box centers to the north and northeast. Not much else can be said but that malls will be like the GM plant here in Moraine but much more prevalent because every major city has at least one or two (or more) dying or dead malls.
It's "Bridgewater Falls"...not Commons. And I'm not sure why you would think it's anymore meaninglessly named than Rookwood Commons or Rookwood Pavilion.
I'm guilty of harping on fine points too, so no offense taken here.
There's no water, much less falls or a bridge to span them, anywhere near the intersection where this "lifestyle center" is. Names like that are used by national developers who rely on focus groups to find out what appeals to shoppers. An identically named retail complex could just as easily be located anyplace at all. Of course the same could be said for the malls with names ending in "gate," but at least the geographic relationship to the city is accurate. About ten years ago there was a huge "urban removal" project undertaken not far from where I live, with the finished product being dubbed University Park because of its bumping up against a campus. Of course it's true that we Cantabrigians - native and transplant alike - have a not-undeserved reputation for elitism and second-guessing. But the main reaction was eye-rolling that a more catchy and locally relevant title for the development wasn't selected.
Sometimes I wonder why climate-controlled malls are in decline, since a big draw was the fact that you could shop in comfort no matter what the weather. It may not be so much that as the fact that parking is so much easier at strip malls and store "collections." Browsing in 72-degree comfort away from the elements only goes so far when you still have to schlep your purchases a quarter of a mile to your vehicle - providing you remember where it was left!
As for Kenwood, all's not roses there. Look at the "annex" that's sitting unfinished alongside I-71 even as the other portions of the mall sprawl hum with activity. Once the construction is finally finished, there still won't be full occupancy in that building.
The "unscrupulous" types who hang out at malls have always been a presence, though in some cases their skin tone may not be the same as it was in days gone by. Rarely are they culpable for anything worse then being loud and obnoxious, not that that isn't enough to put a damper on folks' inclination to patronize that particular place. Shopping centers are only filling the function once taken care of by street corners when America's population was much more concentrated within cities. Hanging on the corner isn't the same when the street is four lanes wide at the very least and always clogged with traffic. Kids are always going to be kids - and there will always be a segment of their elders which forgets their own adolescence and kvetches about how badly today's youth are behaving. And it's interesting to observe how rowdy teens and 20-somethings are perceived as a threat of crime while I've heard more about robberies in uber-suburban West Chester than in the Tri-County vicinity lately - not to mention an attempted carjack/kidnapping.
Hasn't that been redeveloped into open-air Anderson Town Center? Last I was in Anderson (last fall), Kroger's had moved there from across the street, and it seemed to be decent traffic. Still, not the size or scope of what it once was.
It is Anderson Town Center and it seems to do a decent amount of business from what I can see. I think the only two things that remain from the original Beechmont Mall are the TGI Fridays and Uno.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goyguy
Sometimes I wonder why climate-controlled malls are in decline, since a big draw was the fact that you could shop in comfort no matter what the weather. It may not be so much that as the fact that parking is so much easier at strip malls and store "collections." Browsing in 72-degree comfort away from the elements only goes so far when you still have to schlep your purchases a quarter of a mile to your vehicle - providing you remember where it was left!
As for Kenwood, all's not roses there. Look at the "annex" that's sitting unfinished alongside I-71 even as the other portions of the mall sprawl hum with activity. Once the construction is finally finished, there still won't be full occupancy in that building.
I wonder that too because we stopped in Kenwood on Saturday and the place was absolutely packed. You would think that it was Christmas. As far as the eyesore, I don't know what is going to become of that. If I was Crate and Barrel and the Container Store, I would find another place to set up shop. Heck, even the Kroger moved out of there. I can't see where that is a safe place to operate business.
It is Anderson Town Center and it seems to do a decent amount of business from what I can see. I think the only two things that remain from the original Beechmont Mall are the TGI Fridays and Uno.
I wonder that too because we stopped in Kenwood on Saturday and the place was absolutely packed. You would think that it was Christmas. As far as the eyesore, I don't know what is going to become of that. If I was Crate and Barrel and the Container Store, I would find another place to set up shop. Heck, even the Kroger moved out of there. I can't see where that is a safe place to operate business.
The next time I go to Kenwood and it isn't absolutely packed, with a jammed parking lot to boot, will be a first for me. In fact, the Apple Store is overflowing with people at just about any hour, begging the question why another Apple Store hasn't opened in Cincinnati yet. Maybe The Banks or somewhere else downtown would be a good location for another Apple Store? I've been to a downtown Apple Store in Salt Lake City, so it's on their radar. If not there, you would think that Florence or West Chester would be a good spot for a second location.
But probably not Tri-County Mall, though an Apple Store there would do wonders for boosting traffic.
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