Taestell,

When you visited the mall, was the arcade type store already closed? It had games and some movies for sale. I visited it back in the summer

Cheryl

 

I don't remember seeing that one open. It was really just the major anchor stores left.

Are you talking about the used video game store? I think that guy moved his shop to Northgate.

Yeah that was the one. He had some movies for sale and also arcade games people were playing. I guess it didnt last too long

I seen an article that Bass Pro Shops is supposed to leave the mall for one in West Chester. It may not happen til next year or 2015 when they can get it built up there. That will really leave a huge spot in the mall if they leave and probably next to no traffic

RIP Forest Fair, Cincinnati Mills, Cincinnati...oh, never mind.  RIP.

Yeah that was the one. He had some movies for sale and also arcade games people were playing. I guess it didnt last too long

 

We might actually be talking about two different stores. The one that moved to Northgate was really small and moved in like 2008 while the much bigger one with the arcade games that moved down from Fairfield, Arcade Legacy, is still there as far as I can tell from up here in Columbus. Their Facebook page was updated earlier today. I wonder if they will move when Bass Pro bolts.

I forget if anyone has posted this idea on here before, but the possible resurrection of metroman made me think of it.  I think it would be really cool if they bring back the moving sculpture from here and put it somewhere, like at the riverfront park or in one of the museums.  Otherwise, they should just get it over and implode this place ;)

It would fit in at Newport on the Levee.

 

Maybe make it a lot taller and put a spike at the top and put it next to the millennium bell.

It's kinda like a version of Groundhog Day with zombies

Now it's Forest Fair Village

The church idea is kinda cool/nuts

Favorite line:

"About 92,000 cars drive past Forest Fair Village every day."

yeah - and they don't stop!

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/03/26/forest-fair-village-has-plan-to-fill-massive-mall.html

Leasing fronts to start-ups for business incubation is an clever-ish idea....

They should just Plaza Fiesta it like Atlanta did.

 

http://www.plazafiesta.net/

^I know you're probably kidding, but it would be awesome to have something like that in the Cincinnati region!

Actually, I'm serious.  It's a newish trend to take old has-been malls and create little "community commercial buildings" like that in Atlanta or the various old malls in suburban Toronto.  I mean, it either goes there, or strip malls along Route 4.  Though the ultimate goal is to have some sort of commercial strip within Cincinnati itself holding those businesses...but whatever helps.

I just signed a lease in a mall up here today (news coming soon to UO), and what I've noticed is that a lot of small business owners, for whatever reason, think that malls aren't for them. They think that the rent will be too high for one thing. And maybe at Kenwood it is. But if the mall doesn't have a waiting list a mile long for national long-term tenants most of them are more than willing to take on locally-based tenants. That's clearly true at Eastgate, Tri-County, Northgate and Florence. I've never been in Polaris, but Easton and Tuttle both have local businesses in them as well.

 

Now mall hours are long, and with that comes more work for the owners and increased labor costs. But for the built-in foot traffic and wide variety of customers it can definitely be worth it. At Forest Fair, I don't know, but if the rent's cheap enough it's better than an isolated strip mall off 42. And you don't have to worry about break-ins either.

 

Retailers really need to cluster to make it today because people's patience for driving out to some far off location just to buy one small thing has dried up over the past 5 years or so.

Totally agree.  Favorite "store" in Eastgate is the Lunar Golf!  When my family discovered that we were floored.

Congrats, GCrites!

Thanks.

Why even bother putting the new name of the mall on the signs?

 

Mall of Many Names by Harvestman Man, on Flickr

Ah well, that looks like it's in a service hall or other non-customer area.

So I recently went through the mall and took a bunch of photos. When I was just about done, a Segway mall cop rolled by and told me not to take photos in the mall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I walked through the mall a few years ago, they had roped off the upper floors of the two wings ("Neighborhood A" and "Neighborhood B") and did not allow anyone to go up there. However when I went back last month, all of these signs was removed so I wandered around the whole place. The only remaining stores are near the food court and in the wing by Kohl's. Once Bass Pro Shops closes, they can close that wing completely as there are no stores operating in that part of the mall.

The 80's called; they want their color scheme back.

That's decidedly 1990's.  Give them some credit.

 

Travis:  That's fascinating.  My office is now nearby. I should wander over there for nostalgia's sake.

As dated as that mall is, I like that flying pig gazebo.  That could be repurposed somewhere where people will actually see it.

You all down there get way more novelty and whimsy than us up here in Seabus. This and the Nortgate and Eastgate remodels wouldn't have tuned out like that. We got '90s marble instead at Tuttle, Eastland and City Center.

I find this disconcerting.  It almost looks like these were taken very early on a Sunday before the stores are open, not like it's been largely empty for years.  The flooring looks brand new, and that Great Steak looks like you could flip on the lights and grills and serve some customers.

Yeah, I think the Cincinnati Mills remodel was actually pretty nice for a blue collar (non-upscale) mall. "Neighborhood A" had a weird theme that I could not understand (giant suspended piano keys, etc.), "Neighborhood B" was the fashion district, "Neighborhood C" had the Americana theme, and the food court had a "picnic on the river" theme.

 

From what I have read, the current owners don't believe that there is any hope in salvaging the malls and are considering just about any possible use for the property. I mean, they changed the name to "Forest Fair Village" and did not bother updating any signs on the mall's interior or exterior. It still says "Cincinnati Mall".

I seen an article that Bass Pro Shops is supposed to leave the mall for one in West Chester. It may not happen til next year or 2015 when they can get it built up there. That will really leave a huge spot in the mall if they leave and probably next to no traffic

 

Is Bass Pro Shops still planning to move? As far as I know, the Cincinnati Mall location is still open and there's no sign of work at the rumored West Chester location...

^In fact, I think Duluth Trading Company went in where Bass Pro was supposed to go, right by the new Top Golf. 

Well WCPO just answered my question:

 

Bass Pro announced in 2013 that it would leave Forest Fair for a new location on Union Center Boulevard, but Cabela’s opened a store near Liberty Center in 2015 and Bass Pro struck a deal to buy Cabela’s last fall. Analysts following the companies have been speculating that Bass Pro wants out of the deal.

 

“They own land over on Union Center Boulevard that they paid $300,000 an acre for," Nachtrab said. "It’s very good land. They could sell it to somebody else, but until the acquisition gets settled either which way, they don’t know. The store has always done very well. We talked about retail not working, but this store done very, very well. It’s a very profitable location.”

Well WCPO just answered my question:

 

Bass Pro announced in 2013 that it would leave Forest Fair for a new location on Union Center Boulevard, but Cabela’s opened a store near Liberty Center in 2015 and Bass Pro struck a deal to buy Cabela’s last fall. Analysts following the companies have been speculating that Bass Pro wants out of the deal.

 

“They own land over on Union Center Boulevard that they paid $300,000 an acre for," Nachtrab said. "It’s very good land. They could sell it to somebody else, but until the acquisition gets settled either which way, they don’t know. The store has always done very well. We talked about retail not working, but this store done very, very well. It’s a very profitable location.”

OT, Bass Pro Shops took over (guess they bought) the Memphis Pyramid and converted into a pro shop and a hotel.

It is like the Jungle Jim's of Pro Shops.

 

 

Whoa. Fine dining at Bass Pro Shops? I mean, those views are amazing.

With the bankruptcy of Toys R Us, Cincinnati Mall will be losing one of its last remaining anchors, Babies R Us.

 

 

Oh no, '90 Family Fun Centers... AKA money toilets for everyone involved...

I have a great idea for saving Forest Fair Mall. We need to convince Netflix to produce a show that takes place in the early 90's and has a lot of scenes that take place in the local mall. Then they can sell Forest Fair to Netflix to use as the set!

 

 

(View the full thread here.)

If Stranger Things is on long enough they're going to run into the '90s. Remember how Wonder Years ran out of gas when they got to like 1973 and all the crazy stuff was over? Not a problem with Stranger Things!

10 minutes ago, taestell said:

I have a great idea for saving Forest Fair Mall. We need to convince Netflix to produce a show that takes place in the early 90's and has a lot of scenes that take place in the local mall. Then they can sell Forest Fair to Netflix to use as the set!

 

 

(View the full thread here.)

 

Serious question... With the tax credit fueled movie filming that takes place in Cincinnati is a permanent indoor studio/soundstage the next step?

It is so perfect that the parking lot of this giant mall that has been failing since it first opened is now being used as a parking lot for Amazon delivery vehicles.

Especially since they've both been losing money since day 1. Yet with one it's much more obvious than the other. 

Former Forest Fair Mall, other buildings will be demolished if funds come through

 

"The Butler County Land Bank has applied for $9.5 million in state funding to raze a host of local eyesores, but the bulk of the money if awarded would go to topple the former Forest Fair Mall that straddles Fairfield and Forest Park.

 

The state has provided $256 million for commercial and residential demolitions — the county is guaranteed $500,000 — and the Butler County Land Bank has applied for $9.5 million. The bulk of the money, if approved, would go to down the old Forest Fair Mall — now called the Cincinnati Mall — along Interstate 275, the total demolition is estimated at $10.5 million and there is a $2.6 million local match the developer would pay."

 

--

Greater Cincinnati mall under contract; demo and $150M project planned

 

One of the largest malls in Greater Cincinnati is under contract, with plans to demolish it to make way for a $150 million development.

 

Hillwood, a Perot company based in Dallas, has a contract to purchase Forest Fair Village, formerly known as Forest Fair Mall. There, the developer plans to demolish the 1.9-million-square-foot mall and build about 1.5 million square feet of light industrial buildings. The total investment for the project would be about $150 million.

...

Hillwood views the property, which sits on 90 acres along Interstate 275, as a good location for light industrial development. The redeveloped property could bring 900 to 1,500 jobs to the site. The current plan for the site would be a mix of five different rear-loaded industrial buildings.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/02/28/forest-fair-village-under-contract.html

 

wonder what this means for Bass Pro. 

I wonder if the developers will keep and re-use the parking garage. Seems to me that would be a huge asset redeveloping the site (would be able to fit more stuff there)
 

 

Edited March 1, 20223 yr by thebillshark

They've been talking about moving to West Chester for years. 

They should make it the worlds largest Cheescake Factory, add some faux paint textures here and there and some Egyptian columns and there you go

Former Forest Fair Mall demolition takes step forward after state grant awarded

 

The redevelopment of one of Greater Cincinnati’s biggest malls took a key step forward on Friday after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the allocation of state demolition funding awards.

 

DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said in a news release 825 blighted and vacant structures across Ohio will soon be demolished to make way for redevelopment. Funding for those demolitions will come from the Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program, which helps communities tear down both commercial and residential buildings and revitalize surrounding properties to make way for economic development.

 

As part of the program, Fairfield will demolish the former Forest Fair Mall, according to the release. The site has been abandoned for over 15 years and some portions have been condemned. The former Forest Fair Mall will be prepared for redevelopment by Fairfield and Forest Park.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/10/28/fairfield-forest-fair-mall-demolition-state-grant.html

 

Former Forest Fair Mall closed due to fire, safety hazards

By Abby Miller  –  Reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

Dec 2, 2022 Updated Dec 2, 2022, 2:10pm EST

 

Forest Fair Village's businesses have been forced to halt operations after multiple public safety concerns were discovered in the mall during an inspection, according to Forest Park city officials.

 

The Forest Fair Fire Department conducted a fire and life safety inspection of Forest Fair Village, formerly known as the Forest Fair Mall, on Nov. 23. During that inspection, the mall was found to have exit doors that are either unusable, screwed shut or padlocked, along with missing or broken emergency exit lights, according to a statement from Forest Park Fire Chief Alfie Jones.

The fire alarm and sprinkler system also were determined to be non-compliant with Ohio Fire Code.

 

A serious hazard order was written after the inspection to order the mall's owners to bring the property into compliance with the 2017 Ohio Fire Code, according to Jones' statement. The order also means the property must be vacated until it is brought into compliance, impacting the two businesses operating inside the mall: Bee Fit Health Club and B Adventurous. Notices of the mall's closure were placed on doors this Tuesday, City Manager Don Jones said.

 

MORE

To B or Not To B

The mall was fairly dead for about the last decade of its existence, with very few stores remaining and few "customers" inside. However I stopped by in March of this year and was surprised how many people were there. It seemed like a bunch of kids who were too young to have seen the mall in its heyday had recently heard about it and went there to see it if was real. Paul Blart was zooming around on his Segway trying to maintain control of the situation.