Continued evolution of St Louis area mall as Macy's pulls out of Alton

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/mall-operator-prepares-for-loss-of-one-of-its-biggest/article_61536e01-ad2d-56a1-98c0-0930b8d54d7f.html

Tri-County Mall, Cincinnati OH

This medium-sized mall, located in the northern part of the Cincinnati area just off Interstate 275, was completed as an enclosed mall in the late 1960s, and has very much the 1970’s mall feel.  The decor is in the 1990’s mall style from an obvious renovation sometime in the late 80s or early 90s.  There is nothing spectacular or particularly interesting about the design or decor, except perhaps the fountain, shown below.  

The store selection covers all the bases well, making this, in my mind, a very useful mall to live near.  There are holdovers from the original tenancy (The Buckle, Foot Locker), 80s/90s additions (Suncoast, Victoria’s Secret), and common modern mall favorites (American Eagle Outfitters, Aeropostale).  Anchors include Macy’s and Sears.  There is also a Game Stop, Bath and Body Works, and other specialty shops, many of which are local.  One thing I found a little perplexing was the presence of not one, not two, but FIVE separate jewelers.  Kay, Zales, Hannoush, (two more).  

The Food Court is modest, with the usual chinese restaurant, Great Steak and Potato, pizza, a japanese place, and a Subway.  There is also a Ruby Tuesday.  Plenty of other places nearby make for a wide dining selection in or near the mall.

This mall has a lot going for it, despite some closed up stores in one corner.  It’s very accessible, even to an out-of-towner, it’s got a wide array of stores, including some that are getting harder to find (I always like hitting a Suncoast now and then, streaming movies notwithstanding), and plenty of food options in or nearby.  It’s the kind of mall I love, but it’s also, sadly, the kind that’s dying off more and more these days.  I’d call it a living and functional piece of mall history.

Mall robbery in St Louis Metro East area

The St Louis Post Dispatch has this to report on 2/16/2015:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime

Snow in a mall

This is a great article on US Today with photos of an abandoned mall now coated in snow after recent storms.

snow fills abandoned rolling acres mall

Northwest Plaza

This is my first post in quite a while to this page.  I'm coming out of mall-blogging retirement not to comment on the beauty of an aging but lively mall, as I've done in the past, but to show some pictures of an officially deceased mall, Northwest Plaza in St Ann, near Lambert Airport and Interstate 70.  

I usually leave these types of blog posts to people like Deadmalls.com, but this one is local, and I was interested at getting a closer look at the ruins of yet another dead mall, soon to be resurrected (if you can call it that) into another form, probably a lot less like a mall and a lot more like an open air lifestyle center.  

So, without excessive commentary, here are my pictures.  It should be noted that, despite this mall being closed and that no work was going on today, both the St Ann PD and the property owners' security were out in force, and circled me several times to make sure I didn't try to get into any restricted areas.  Thus, any sneaky (and thus much more cool) pictures I might have obtained were denied me. 

There's a big difference between "We're looking out for you" and "We're watching you, buddy."

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.

Circle Centre Mall, Indianapolis IN

I'm not sure I can say enough good things about this mall. Undoubtedly part of an urban revitalization, this mall (unlike the failed St Louis Centre) is a stunning success!

Reaching the mall is a relatively complicated task, if you're not parking there. I was already parked on a downtown street, having driving south from our hotel near 92nd street down Meridian. I wandered the street for a few minutes trying to find the La Bamba burritos at 111 S Meridian. Alas this was not to be; evidently it closed at some point in the not too distant past. After that, I wandered some more, looking for the main mall entrance. There are restaurants everywhere, as well as external store fronts, but I was looking for a main entrance. Instead, I found the parking garage, where some people from Nashville were kind enough to point me toward the mall entrance.



Once inside, I was immediately at home. Despite its distinctly urban setting, this place is all mall. Plenty of sky lighting lets in not only the sun, but visions of the urban jungle in whose heart it resides. Since my quest for a burrito had failed, I headed right to the food court, and it does not disappoint. Many of the old standards are here: a Chick-fil-a, a Subway, an A&W, and a Villa Italian Kitchen (which are beginning to replace the ubiquitous Sbarro in many malls). There's also a Johnny Rocket, a Japanese place called Maki, a Great Steak and Potato (at which I purchased a truly massive large fry) and many others. An Akoo station plays the latest and retro music videos, and Simon wifi is easily connected.

The architecture is classic white with black trim, with the common domed lighting treatments. Escalators are easy to find, and balconies give one a clear view of various levels to help you find the store you want. And wow, is there a large assortment of stores! All of the clothing standards are here, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Lane Bryant, Aeropstale, Banana Republic, Gap, H&M, Forever 21 and More. Anchors include Nordstrom and Carson Pirie Scott (thought all of these closed in the early 90s). Other stores include Hot Topic, GNC, Sungless Hut, Nine West, Aldo and Gamestop.



I could gush on about this mall for a while, but my main point is that this is not only a shopping center, it's a destination. If you're in Indianapolis, you've got to come see it.

Pluses: Huge variety and quantity of stores, great food court, beautiful urban feel and wifi.
Minuses: May be slightly confusing to get to, depending on where you're coming from.

I give Circle Centre Mall 5 out of 5 kiosks!