Ohio Valley Mall

It's been a while since I've done a review, and although I didn't get a chance to see any malls on my recent DC trip, I did manage to squeak in a roadside local mall on the way back in Ohio. This little mall, aptly named, is near the Ohio river (meaning it's not far from the WV border), and serves the St Clairsville OH area. It can be conveniently reached by exiting I-70 onto the also aptly named Mall Road (the mall is located south of 70).



At first glance, this local mall doesn't look like much from the outside, so much so that I was hesitant to even review it. The exterior of the mall has had a facelift, probably in the late 80s, but generally looks mismatched and out of date.

Upon entering the mall, however, I was pleasantly surprised. The mall extends back quite far, and there are a large number of stores to the left and rear of the main entrance.

The compact nature of the mall is due in part to its age; we see a lot of really small storefronts, common in malls of the late 70s and early 80s. From it's design features, particularly the style of tiling and some older dark wood-grain panelling, I would guess that this mall was built in the late 70s and updated most recently in the late 80s.

The assortment of stores at Ohio Valley is impressive for a mall of its stature. Anchors include Macys, K-Mart (a mall with a K-mart? VERY 70s!), and Sears. There is also a large furniture outlet, Levin Furniture, and a crafts store. Mall staples are well represented by Bath and Body Works, Hallmark, Game Stop (two of these, for some reason), Aeropostale, Pac Sun, and Victoria's Secret. Also seen are old mall standards Radio Shack, Payless shoes, and Sam Goody, as well as relative newcomer Books a Million.



Food choices are somewhat limited (there's no proper "Food Court", which reinforces my opinion of the mall's age). A rather nice looking Japanese steak and sushi restaurant called "Osaka" is near the main entrance, and a place called Fabio's Pizza, reminiscent of Sbarro, is along the same hall. There are, however, several major food choices in nearby, including St Louis born Panera and McDonalds.

Do to it's convenience to a major highway, it's relatively impressive selection of stores, and it's classic (if somewhat understated) mall design elements, I give Ohio Valley Mall four Kiosks.