What to do with Tower Place Mall (Cincinnati, Dayton: 2013, rent)

[deg1114]

Originally Posted by neilworms2

I didn't learn about it until after a year of living in Cincinnati! It was helpful for a year or two until it started to decline - way more convenient to the University than any of the other malls. At least when I was living there it wasn't that well advertised - though I was a college student who didn't watch much tv and spend a lot of my time studying.

Also, its kind of sad that Cincinnati was so late to catch on to urbanism, it would have been awesome to be at a downtown Borders there. Man, I do miss those stores - they were more fun to browse and grab a coffee at than to actually buy anything - though I understand why they've gone under.

I think that is a big part of the problem with Tower Place. They really did not advertise that they were there plus the entrances to the mall are plain and nondescript. It is a marble facade that really does not stand out. There is nothing on the outside that tells you what you can find inside.

As far as bookstores go, I never understood how Barnes & Noble has stayed around. I always preferred Borders because they had a better selection plus a pretty decent music selection. Nowadays you have Amazon and iTunes which makes it more convenient of course.

I still like to go to bookstores and often frequent Joseph Beth. It is locally owned and every time I have been there they have quite a crowd and lines at the checkout which tells me there are others who still like to frequent bookstores. I could see a Joseph Beth being successful downtown.

[TomJones123]

Something like The Bookloft in Germanvillage, in Columbus would fit OTR to a T.

BookStore Homepage - Book Loft

[neilworms2]

As far as bookstores go, I never understood how Barnes & Noble has stayed around. I always preferred Borders because they had a better selection plus a pretty decent music selection. Nowadays you have Amazon and iTunes which makes it more convenient of course.

Yeah, I always liked Borders better as a store, but there were 3 things that did them in. 1) They were poorly managed - bad finances, bad operational practices 2) They had no Internet strategy - they actually contracted to a competitor Amazon to handle their online sales! 3) They had no e-reader strategy - Barnes and Noble scrapped by because of the Nook for a bit (though its been spun off to Microsoft...)

Even though I am a young guy and am generally with it on these sorts of things - I actually prefer going to a shop, particularly if its in a neighborhood to find stuff I just like the experience better (with the possible exception of around the holidays). Though to be honest I hope that if things go to mostly online sales there still will be a desire for showrooms with smaller staffs of experts who can provide services as well as tactile work with a product and small goods that could be bought for emergency situations.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by neilworms2

Even though I am a young guy and am generally with it on these sorts of things - I actually prefer going to a shop, particularly if its in a neighborhood to find stuff I just like the experience better (with the possible exception of around the holidays). Though to be honest I hope that if things go to mostly online sales there still will be a desire for showrooms with smaller staffs of experts who can provide services as well as tactile work with a product and small goods that could be bought for emergency situations.

Oh, I don't think books will ever go away. If anything, bookstores may become like record stores. A very cool, welcome niche. Personally, I like locally owned places anyway, such as The Bookloft. And now I have to check out Ohio Book Store since today is the first I heard of it.

[deg1114]

Originally Posted by neilworms2

Even though I am a young guy and am generally with it on these sorts of things - I actually prefer going to a shop, particularly if its in a neighborhood to find stuff I just like the experience better (with the possible exception of around the holidays). Though to be honest I hope that if things go to mostly online sales there still will be a desire for showrooms with smaller staffs of experts who can provide services as well as tactile work with a product and small goods that could be bought for emergency situations.

I'm an old guy so I am more inclined to go to a store but to a point I think there are a lot of people who still want to have that experience. I for one do not want to hang at home and order all of my stuff off the Internet. There has to be some human interaction in life - at least to brush up on some social skills.

Originally Posted by TomJones123

Oh, I don't think books will ever go away. If anything, bookstores may become like record stores. A very cool, welcome niche. Personally, I like locally owned places anyway, such as The Bookloft. And now I have to check out Ohio Book Store since today is the first I heard of it.

I took a look at The Bookloft. That is definitely on my list of things to do next time I am in Columbus! It looks like a really cool atmosphere. Kind of reminds me a little of Kaldi's when it was around as well a Joseph Beth (I wish Jo-Beth had a cool patio like that). Definitely check out Ohio Bookstore. They have a lot of great old books on Cincinnati as well as some they have reprinted. It is definitely an experience.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by deg1114

I Definitely check out Ohio Bookstore. They have a lot of great old books on Cincinnati as well as some they have reprinted. It is definitely an experience.

Oh, I am there next time I am in the neighborhood, which is probably tomorrow. But either way it's on the short list.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by deg1114

I still like to go to bookstores and often frequent Joseph Beth. It is locally owned....

FWIW, I believe JoBeth is owned by a developer based in Lexington, Ky. It IS a small chain of just four or five stores, though.

[deg1114]

I had to make a trip downtown this afternoon and decided to stop by Tower Place. It definitely is far from what it used to be but there was a handful of stores that were open and the stores had a few customers in them. The majority of the people I saw were in the food court and there is a Subway, Great Steak and Fry, a Japanese place, and a Chinese place. Yea, a little depressing to a point but at the same time there was some life left. I think if there was the right mix of stores to satisfy the residents, downtown workers, and visitors it could definitely be something again. Get a couple of destination stores (my friends with kids always talk about American Girl and Legoland), some necessity stores (office supplies, basic hardware, home needs, electronics, furniture, books, etc.), and perhaps some activities like a climbing wall. I'm not a fan of fast food but there are some who like it and there isn't a lot of that downtown so get some of those in the food court (like a KFC or Taco Bell).

Hold some events inside Tower Place as well to get people in there. I'm thinking an indoor version of what is done at Fountain Square or Washington Park. In order to succeed you need to get people in the door.

Another complaint I heard about a downtown mall is that people don't like to pay for parking. I don't know how much it costs to park in the Tower Place parking garage but maybe give some incentive like, spend x number of dollars in the mall and parking is free.

I know, I know, always the idealist and the optimist. Sometimes I can't help myself.

[deg1114]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

FWIW, I believe JoBeth is owned by a developer based in Lexington, Ky. It IS a small chain of just four or five stores, though.

You're right. I guess I always assumed that they were local and thought their building on Riverside drive was their corporate office.

Well, local enough. Thanks!

[cali3448893]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

Doesn't sound like you get downtown very much.

I actualy do just never went down the street it was on, anyway i think we should just tear it down and build like what the first poster said something with height and i think at the bottom it should be maybe game works are things for kids to do downtown but then i also agree we should turn in the building with height maybe half residential and half office maybe some kind of headquarters.