Columbus, OH

Before we start, someone will probably be offended I do not include the Continent in this post. But for me the Continent is such a special case it will get its own post sometime down the road.

Once upon a time in a Columbus long long ago, four ‘major’ malls and three amazing shopping centers ruled retail in the capitol city.

The shopping centers, Southland, Northern Lights and Graceland still stand. All three are in areas of the city that desperately need rebuilding. They stand in the kind of areas that are not so far gone that a major rebuilding campaign, like the one taking place downtown could not help them. But more than the shopping centers need attention, the surrounding neighborhoods must improve as well. The positive thing about all three of these shopping centers is that the storefronts are actually for the most part full. There may be a lot of nail salons, check cashing services and places to buy hair extensions, but they are paying the bills. The lights are on, the parking lots are patrolled and the major anchor stores, which in the case of outdoor shopping centers tend to be grocery stores, are all still doing a good business.

The malls: Eastland, Westland, Southland and the once incredibly busy Northland were the kinds of places shoppers had only dreamed about before they were built. And through the 70s & 80s (and well into the 90s for all but Southland) they made money hand over fist.

The empty storefront of Sears after Northland Mall finally closed in 2003

Let me mourn Northland for a moment. Gone, gone, gone. What was once the busiest mall in Columbus, is now an empty parking lot.

Southland has found a new use for itself. Gone are almost all of the stores. A huge flea market that inhabited what used to be the anchor store finally closed this past January. Last time I was there a bank and a solitary music store were the only retail still going. The movie theater is now used for storage. BUT, the mall is not standing empty and useless. Offices have moved in, the most prolific is ECOT (electronic classroom) which is slowly taking up more and more of the space.

Now for some useful information . . .

Westland is all but a dead mall. Over half the stores are empty and the Macys (Lazarus) is gone. But Sears still stands and a really good mexican restaurant fills what used to be the ChiChi’s. There are two fine jewelry retailers here, several of the more urban clothing stores and some specialty shops. One thing I can say on the positive side is that if you want to get good personal service, Westland is a great place to shop if the store you are looking for is still located there. Check the link for store listings.

Eastland however is thriving. The storefronts are for the most part full. People are there, even through the week and the anchor stores are all full. The one exception to this is an empty Macy’s, but that is only because Macy’s has built a new store here. The food court is full. One thing that saves Eastland is that the location is so far removed from the newer shopping centers of Tuttle, Easton & Polaris. The mall owner, Glimcher Co. has invested the money it takes to keep this mall in good shape. The parking lot is well lit and regularly patrolled by mall security. To check store listings click HERE.