Forest Fair Village details Formerly known as Forest Fair Mall, Cincinnati Mall, Cincinnati Mills. Again, I found it unusual that B Adventurous would even offer access via the malls lonely, unheated interior, since punching a hole in the exterior wall would make more sense from a visibility and safety standpoint. [60] In addition, the property owners had fallen delinquent on property taxes. The group purchased the property in 2010. I guess if they concentrate customers through one entrance/exit, its easier for the staff to monitor if something bad is happening. I'm Spencer Walsh, a professional traveler who loves to help people discover new places and learn about different cultures. [48] As part of Mills' development, Babies "R" Us replaced Stein Mart, and Johnny's Toys had opened in the upper level of the former Elder-Beerman,[49] while the older Super Saver theater was sold to the local theater chain Danbarry and renamed the Dollar Saver. In addition, the president of Bigg's reported that their store in the mall had constantly struggled in sales due to it being located at the back of the property. Redevelopment plans with Prudential Commercial Real Estate fell through in 2014. With Forest Fair Village, an almost completely dead mall straddling two mature northern suburbs of Cincinnati (Forest Park and Fairfield, hence the name), we have a mega-facility that, from all Ive read, after a slow rollout in 1988, never achieved roaring success and therefore underwent numerous rebranding efforts over the years in an attempt to resuscitate it, concomitant with all the name changes. Thanks for checking out Architectural Afterlife! The mall was closed in 2009, and was demolished in 2014. Michael D. Pitman, Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio. Im not too optimistic that the other nearby malls in suburban Cincinnati (Tri-County, Northgate) are going to look much better within a few years. Over the years, the mall underwent several ownership and name changes, with varying levels of success. [42] These stores were part of a reconceptualization of the mall as "a value retail center with new-to-the-market merchants". The article was just getting too crazy long. A staple in the Cincinnati area for many years, the Forest Fair Village has been where locals and travelers go for when they need a bargain. Having concealed faces makes it far too easy to steal and get away with it. Its unclear exactly how much longer this mall has, but its sad to see such an incredible place on its way out. [75], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}391812N 843107W / 39.303262N 84.518603W / 39.303262; -84.518603. FAIRFIELD, Ohio (WXIX) - Forest Fair Mall has been shut down due to possible safety hazards, according to Forest Park Fire Chief Alfie Jones. But under the current ownership, the mall has fallen into further decline. In January 2009, North Star Realty took over the mall from Simon, suggesting the conversion of some areas for non-retail purposes. Some of their quotes include: I remember going to Forest Fair Village as a kid with my family. The mall came under more negativity from the city of Cincinnati, due to the higher priced stores like Sakowitz and B. Altman not matching the demographic of the area. The treasure hunt is on. At its construction, it was the second-largest mall in Ohio, only behind the now-defunct Randall Park Mall in a suburb of Cleveland. The previous half of this mega-blog post explored Forest Fair Village pictorially, showing what happens when an investment company is left wringing whatever remaining profit they can derive from an almost completely dead attraction. The Kohl's wing of Forest Fair Village, May 2018, 1990s: The Shops at Forest Fair and redevelopment, 2008present: Cincinnati Mall, Forest Fair Village, "Larger Bigg's mall planned in Fairfield", "Developers optimistic about five mall stores", "B. Altman to be a Forest Fair Mall anchor", "Forest Fair Mall's full opening delayed", "Forest Fair tenants slow in opening stores", "Beer down under: Pub opens at Forest Fair", "Success of Forest Fair Mall isn't assured", "Hooker wants OK to close 3 Forest Fair Mall stores", "Last B. Altman's changes focus to stay in business", "Cities count on Forest Fair's full recovery", "Kohl's Department Stores to open at Forest Fair Mall", "Meijer hyperstores boost competition in Southwest Ohio", "Saks bought by Proffitt's in $2.1B deal", "Media Play helps jazz up renewed Forest Fair Mall", "Shoppers check opening of Saks discount outlet", "New owners, new theme give hope to Forest Fair", "Forest Fair Mall tenants upset by operator's timing", "Mall to reopen with focus on families, discounters", "Johnny's Toys opens in Cincinnati Mills", "Two years after makeover, mall struggles to find niche", "Development of former Cincinnati Mall still in 'holding pattern', "Bass Pro moving to West Chester, adding eatery", "New in Town Burlington Coat Factory moving from Cincinnati Mall to Springdale", "Bass Pro move to further slow Forest Fair mall development", "Future of the former Cincinnati Mall in limbo again", "Cincinnati malls' death spiral: Will yours survive? Mall Details. As the property owners had become delinquent on their taxes, the mall was sold to Cincinnati Holding Company in 2010. 26The city of Fairfield discussed plans this week for what it wants to happen with the former Forest Fair Mall, known currently as Forest Fair Village. How does Forest Fair Village fit within the broader commercial context of the Cincinnati suburbs, and is there a counter-example? This included the loss of Media Play, which went out of business entirely, and Johnny's Toys, which was closed so that Steve & Barry's could create a larger store using all of the former Elder-Beerman store. And by the 80s, malls were still king but other shopping topologies (festival marketplaces, downtown malls, power centers, factory outlets) were getting tested to varying degrees of success. It seems likely the Forest Fair/Cincinnati Mall will get demolished when it finally closes. Much of the malls empty space was now occupied by stores such as Dawahares, Sam Goody/Suncoast Motion Picture Company and CompUSA. And they are probably less favored because either the location is sub-par, the management isnt as astute (less good at updating amenities or securing good leases for tenants), or there are simply far more malls than there is demand, and many people are willing to travel 5 miles further to the better mall, rather than settle for the mediocre one closer to home. The parking lots are unmaintained, windows are broken, and graffiti is inside and outside the mall property. But Cincinnati is a typically friendly Midwestern environment; in low density settings, two people passing would likely greet one another. This was the first of three stores opened that year upon the chain's entry into the Cincinnati market. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. As someone else reported (probably one of the commenters on Dan Bells or Sal Amadeos vlogs), it looks like an old Nickelodeon game show set. Pop- A- Razzi is a new movie themed, gourmet popcorn shop located in the historic Ashtabula Harbor. By January 2005, things looked good for Cincinnati Mills as overall occupancy reached above 90 percent. And they dont neglect the obscure ones in smaller metro or even micropolitan areas. Ive heard rumors that the food court used to be upstairs, and that it burned down, but I cant find any concrete evidence of this online. [1] Australian retail developer LJ Hooker acquired the property from original developer Amega in 1986 and chose to make Bigg's an anchor store to a large enclosed shopping mall, which would be named Forest Fair Mall. And there was the occasional telltale sign of peeling paint or seepage (as in the ceiling in the photo above). Got to experience the colossal Forest Fair Village (Cincinnati Mall) in Ohio while on vacation. [36] The mall underwent a myriad of changes soon afterward, including three anchor stores that all opened in October 2000: Bass Pro Shops opened in the former Parisian,[37] Burlington Coat Factory (now known as just Burlington) replaced the former "Festival" wing,[35][38] and Stein Mart entered Ohio with a temporary outlet store in the space previously occupied by Dawahares. Forest Fair Mall, Cincinnati Mills, Forest Fair Village . It also received a number of proposals for renovation, none of which were realized. Around this same time, the cinema was closed. It was mostly gangs from forest park that harressed shoppers at the mall, and young teenage girls. I guess its also a testament to how little foot traffic it received after that mega-investment from the Mills Corporation and how ineffectual it was at ensuring a sustainable IRR. Obviously its a horribly dated interior, but we are almost reaching the cyclical nature in taste culture where the stuff from 1992 was corny in 2008 and, thirty years after construction, its ironically cool again. [48] By January 2005, the mall had a 90 percent occupancy. There will be an investment upwards of $3 million to refresh the interior of Kohl's, which is committed to staying. And yet this also becomes the imagery of a bitter irony: Forest Fair Village would only succeed when pigs fly. LJ Hooker filed for bankruptcy in 1989 due to debt accrued during the companys expansion in the United States, leading to the malls sale to FFM Limited in 1990. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The mall faced further challenges under new ownership, including the closure of significant tenants and delinquent property taxes. COVID masks arent widespread much of anywhere anymore, but people do still wear them occasionally in malls. Guitar Center was closed, and Bass Pro Shops announced they were planning to relocate in 2013. As the area prepares for a new chapter, the community hopes the property will be redeveloped and repurposed to benefit the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses. As for other malls in the US, its hard to make any judgment as to what will happen in the era of COVID-19. [70], Inspectors from the city of Forest Park cited the building for a number of code violations throughout 2020, including sealed emergency exits and graffiti. whatever the name, the mall has seen success and failure over its history. The only other tenant, Bass Pro Shop, will vacate its location to move to a new one being built in West Chester Twp. Glad to get your firsthand perspective on this, Jeffrey, with the rigor I would have expected. And its probable that all those cargo vans belong to a separate logistical operation. [39] Also joining the mall between 2000 and 2001 were Media Play,[40] Off 5th (an outlet division of Saks Fifth Avenue),[41] and the first Steve & Barry's sports clothing store in Ohio. With all the trouble that its gone though, its mind boggling that it hasnt been demolished or at least decanted into a power center or lifestyle something or other. Im not picking on either Forest Park or Fairfield, which this mall straddled. But Simon Property sold it not even two years later in January 2009 to North Star Realty and renamed it Cincinnati Mall. Biggs was a store similar to a modern Super Walmart of today. It is situated on the border between Forest Park and Fairfield, at the junction of Interstate 275 and Winton Road (Exit 39). It was always a great day out, with so many stores to explore and the excitement of finding something new. Jane, former mall visitor, Its sad to see the mall in this state. It is the largest shopping mall in the state of Ohio. Most of the retailers were being stolen blind. Also, the mall was renamed again to Forest Fair Village. In 1996, Gator Investments purchased the mall and initiated a series of renovations, attracting new tenants like Burlington Coat Factory, Kohls, and Bass Pro Shops. Unless the mall has changed significantly in the last yearand the economic conditions of 2020 would make it hard for real estate has depressed as Forest Fair Village to either improve or to decline even furtherId imagine it looks about the same. The Second Largest Mall In Ohio Sits Empty & Quiet, The Redman-Hirahara House A Grand Old California Home From 1897, From Church to Skate Park: The Remarkable Transformation of St. Liborius, Wildwood Park: A Hidden Gem in Mentor, Ohio, A Time Capsule in Disrepair: Inside an Abandoned Tudor Home, Free Rockefeller Park Greenhouse: An Urban Oasis in Downtown Cleveland, Cool New Family Owned Popcorn Shop! Money will also go into the parking lot and the building's exterior. Beyond that, a small portion of the parking lot seems to serve as staging and storage for Amazon Prime. The pig gazebo and large Q/cards were kitschy ways to represent Cincinnati (Porkopolis and the Queen City). Originally the greenhouse was solely used as a place to grow plants to landscape the citys many parks and gardens. At this time, the mall was once again renamed to Forest Fair Village. The playground serves as a mini node that breaks up the long corridor into separate themes, or neighborhoods, as Forest Fair Village refers to them. The parking garage was closed by the Fairfield Fire Dept. It's nearly 60% larger than the region's second-largest shopping center,. Finally, center court and the former location of Bonwit Teller became "The Festival at Forest Fair", focused on entertainment and new restaurants. The three department stores that were on their way out started liquidation sales in August 1990. The mall underwent renovations throughout the mid 1990s, attracting new stores such as Kohl's, Burlington Coat Factory, and Bass Pro Shops. Some may call it corny or kitschy, but they cant claim its a knockoff. The Cincinnati Mall, while not entirely vacant just yet, is hanging on by a thread. It sounds like the original developer, LJ Hooker, had little to no understanding of the Cincinnati market (being Australian couldnt have helped; he may not have understand American suburbanization patterns in general). [42], Mills Corporation bought the mall from Gator Investments in September 2002 and announced that the mall would undergo further redevelopment, along with a name change to Cincinnati Mills.