I guess if they concentrate customers through one entrance/exit, its easier for the staff to monitor if something bad is happening. Sure, mallwalkers are often focused. Weak safety measures are one of them, but then it begs the question, How did the malls security decline? FOREST FAIR VILLAGE MALL - EULOGY FOR A MALLMy part 2 walk thru of Forest Fair Village Mall in Forest Park, OhioSpecial Thanks to NAE -Janae Contag and her t. Despite these efforts, Forest Fair Village faced challenges, such as competition from other shopping centers, financial issues, and the changing retail landscape. COVID masks arent widespread much of anywhere anymore, but people do still wear them occasionally in malls. Store Locations | Sephora But lets conclude this montage on a positive note. How could it be, without heat? Not as many lurid photos in part 2, but more of an analysis of what went wrongand another attraction nearby where they clearly got things right. Make no mistake: these photos capture the most economically healthy portion of the mall. Either way, I revisited in 2021 and its completely haunting yet magical to see. FOREST FAIR VILLAGE MALL - THE DEATH OF THE AMERICAN SHOPPING MALL - CINCINNATI OHIO 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. [26] By June 1993, further new tenants had opened, including a Sam Goody/Suncoast Motion Picture Company music and video superstore in the Lifestyle wing and a CompUSA electronics store in the Markets wing. because the fire suppression system continually failed and thus unsafe. I cant wait to read the sequel! The mall, built in phases between 1988 and 1989 as Forest Fair Mall, has become noted for its troubled history Forest Fair Village closed to the public on December 2, 2022. 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. As for the fast pace of the malls downfall, I dont think it helps that it never really achieved its peakthat is, it never sustained an occupancy rate that was high enough that it was much of a money-earner. Ill conclude this exploration of the exterior by featuring entrance from which I approached the mall, adjacent to the apparently well-regarded. The Forest Fair Mall was a shopping mall in Forest Park, Ohio, United States. But Id imagine the less favored ones (between 50% and 75% of malls in a certain trade market) will continue to decline to dead status. [22] Liquidation sales began in August 1990 at Forest Fair's locations of all three department stores. It will also meet with Forest Park's leaders before submitting proposals. Ultimately, the mall closed its doors for good on December 2, 2022, with the city of Forest Park fire department shutting down all remaining businesses except for Bass Pro Shops and Kohls, citing fire code violations. I think it closed because the manager was paying teens from the nearby Fairfield high school to make sex tapes, but Im not positive. [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. There was a Guitar Center in that wing of the mall, but it moved near Tri-County Mall a couple years ago. Developed by Australian retail developer LJ Hooker, it was located at the junction of Interstate 275 and Winton Road (Exit 39) and boasted a total retail floor area of 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2). Loved this article as when I was a kid this was always the mall that we visited. Originally the greenhouse was solely used as a place to grow plants to landscape the citys many parks and gardens. I can try and remember more stuff about it if youre interested. In that previous paragraph I demurred before using the word austerean unlikely adjective for such a meretricious and kitschy place. [45] Renovations began in January, which included new paint, floors, and signage throughout, along with differently-themed decor for each wing of the mall, typical of properties developed by Mills at the time. The Forest Fair Village mall is a mall in the northern Cincinnati suburbs that is also known as Cincinnati Mall, Cincinnati Mills, and Forest Fair Mall. 600 Cincinnati Mills Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio - OH 45240, Go to Mallsor specify State in the next step, Go to Mallsor specify City in the next step, Go to Mallsor specify Name in the next step. This was a time when malls were still a surefire bet (built it and they will come) but they were hardly a novelty the way they might have been in the 60s. This restroom did not have functioning urinals. Antique/Flea Markets. Here is the only photo I found, in Bass Pro watching the huge aquarium tank. In other words, Forest Fair limped right from the starting line. The forest Fair Village website is a great place to find information about . What are they doing differently than in the past, when it was safe? Or, perhaps, the more honest question should be, What is prompting the criminal element to come to this mall when it wasnt there before?. Your account largely aligns with what Ive researched as wellat least the part that I knew. Re-envisioned former Forest Fair Mall would see 4 speculative buildings thanks! Forest Fair Village crosses Butler and Hamilton county lines, sitting partly in Fairfield and partly in Forest Park. Mall Details. That B Adventurous place was originally called WonderPark, and it was an arcade owned by Namco. The food court appeared intact to me, so if it caught fire, it either wasnt major or happened a long time ago and was completely refurbished. Thank you for sharing your comment about Forest Fair Village Mall. A Parisian store and BonWitt teller store in Forest Park/Fairfield area was out of place. The Cincinnati Mall was known for having some unique anchors, including Wallaby Bobs, which boasted that it was the first brewery-restaurant in the nation that operates in a suburban shopping mall. The mall also had Koala Klubhouse, which was the first daycare to be licensed to operate within an American shopping mall. But lets conclude this montage on a positive note. The mall also features a food court and a variety of stores and restaurants. Id assume it was made to compete with Segas GameWorks or Dave & Busters, but again this was the only location ever. And these are just two guys; there are many more doing great work. Less than a year after opening, the malls owner LJ Hooker filed for bankruptcy after losing three anchor stores B. Altman and Company, Bonwit Teller, and Sakowitz. So Forest Fair Village was the direct manifestation of a massive error in judgmentperhaps two or three. After all, they designed the mall to attract an upscale clientele, but the Australian company didnt really research the area. Black Friday opening hours; Shopping malls locator; Copyright 2014 - 2023 Search4Stores.com. The site has development opportunities that are being discussed on both sides of the county line. Following the sale of Mills's portfolio to Simon Property Group, the mall was sold several times afterward, while continuing to lose many of its key tenants. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Forest Fair Village, Part II: a lesson in how not to create a regional mega attraction. Cincinnati may be one of these cities, and it certainly seems like Forest Fair was unnaturally close to the others, even if it had a different target demographic (a demographic thatyou probably know better than I dois not all that prevalent on the northern Cincy suburbs compared to the eastern ones). Its almost as though the vacancy and the absence of some basic building services lead people to keep their guard on. Between 1988 and 1989, it was built as a three- phase mall, which has made it well known for its troubled history. The mall, built in phases between 1988 and 1989 as . The last time I went to the mall when it still had stores was in 2009 to see Up in the Danbarry Doller Savers cinemas by the food court (crazy to think the mall used to have 2 full theaters). closed the interior of the mall for the same reason. Which Forest Fair Village still is: 98% of it was accessible to visitors.And what a sightnot pretty, per se, and probably not most peoples definition of classy, but absolutely distinctive. Elsewhere in the mall, at the convergence of several of the neighborhood themed corridors, is the old movie theater (at the upper level) and the food court (lower), with an unusual underwater motif that may have helped divert attention from the comparatively low levels of natural light, compared to other parts of the mall.Its rare to see a food court with such low ceilings.The atrium above features aquatic creatures suspended by wires.Apparently the giant fish are inflatable?This area also features one of Forest Fair Villages two surviving inline tenants: Arcade Legacy, seen in the space below.It boggles the mind how this business can continue operatingone of three locations in metro Cincinnati, and it apparently keeps chugging along until midnight on the weekends, long after Forest Fair Village would have remained open when functional (movie theater notwithstanding). The 2008 recession took a toll on what little was left, and its just limped along every since. This seems to become an increasingly prevalent issue, even for malls in top-of-the-line locationsand Forest Fair most certainly is not a top-of-the-line location (even within metro Cincinnati). Clearly it evokes Nickelodeons prime in the 80s and 90s (from what I gather, Nickelodeon no longer carries the perception of being a very good television network), but it reminds me of my own coming of agean era where pastels and Kandinsky abstractions and throwing as many hues together as possible constituted a design strategy. Kohl's in Forest Fair Village opening hours (mall hours) Monday: 10:00am-9:00pm Tuesday: 10:00am-9:00pm Wednesday: 10:00am-9:00pm Thursday: 10:00am-9:00pm Friday: 10:00am-9:00pm Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm Sunday: 12:00pm-6:00pm Forest Fair Village location and map Directions to Forest Fair Village Kohl's in Forest Fair Village - store location plan The part in the mall that was like a stage and had the flying pigs is where Santa would be during christmas time. Surrounding Bigg's, the eastern wing became "The Markets at Forest Fair", which featured tenants centered on "value, services, and convenience". FAIRFIELD, Ohio (WXIX) - Forest Fair Mall has been shut down due to possible safety hazards, according to Forest Park Fire Chief Alfie Jones. After bankruptcy of the originating company and some of the associated anchor tenants, occupancy had dropped to barely half just three years after opening. They also do flavors for different holidays, Valentines day is coming up and they are doing a White Chocolate Cherry Vanilla! Finally, center court and the former location of Bonwit Teller became "The Festival at Forest Fair", focused on entertainment and new restaurants.

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