The Tiffin City Mall was opened on Wednesday September 17, 1980. The mall is now considered a Dead Mall. The stores in the original mall included Hobby Center Toys, B. Dalton Books, Kinney Shoes, Jo Ann Fabrics, Rite Aid, Petries, Zale Jewelers, Nobil Shoes, House of Cards, Musicland, Osterman Jewelers, Carousel Snack Bar, and Play Palace.
Anchor stores were K-Mart and JCPenny. Stores later opened were Ponderosa, Baskin Robbins, Fashion Bug, and Peanut Shack. Around the same time in October a quad cinema was opened.
The mall hasn’t changed much in the 28 years since its opening. Decor is the same simple 1980’s benches and wall coverings. The mall has been kept in relatively good shape.
The mall was built by Developers Diversified Reality based out of Cleveland Ohio. DDR is the same firm who owns the mall to this day.
The mall has always had this kind of hardship since it’s opening. This is mostly due to slow economic growth in the small town of Tiffin. Also since Findlay is 25 miles away, most people take their shopping to their mall which is far superior then Tiffin’s mall.
The Toy store was one of the first stores to go. That space was later occupied by Big Lots. Closed, and re-opened as several different retail stores since then. It now remains vacant, leased short term by a local college as a training facility.
Over time other stores starting closing like Rite Aid. Then Dalton Books became Sue’s Hallmark, which is now closed. Nobil Shoes closed eventually, and was re-opened years later as Shoe Beliee.
Musicland was later called Sam Goody, and then closed in 2003. The larger section Rite Aid was in later joined with the empty Sam Goody and another vacant unit to become East of Chicago Pizza.
Jo Ann fabrics was open sometime into the late 90’s, was closed, then later opened as Dollar General. K-mart was of course closed shortly after the company filed for bankruptcy, and remained vacant for a few years.
Ponderosa was open until about 2001, and then closed. Several years later, was re-opened as a Mexican restaurant.
The Quad cinema was later leased by Regal Cinema’s. Then later turned over to Marquee Cinema’s. DDR has been making strides to improve mall traffic. In 2005 DDR demolished the K-mart anchor. And built a brand new 8 Cinema Theatre, state of the art, stadium seating, and all the best stuff. The theatre was first owned by Marquee Cinema’s, a small franchise who owns theatre’s in the Midwest.
But in March of 2006 Marquee moved in the dead of night and closed up. They didn’t notify DDR or the general public, the theatre sat vacant for several months before a new tenant was found.
Fortunately, DDR persuaded Cinemark Theatres to move in, which is the largest theatre chain in the country. The theatre is the only part of the mall packed, and is what saved it from becoming a true dead mall.
Picture from Photobucket.
So, slowly the stores inside the mall are dropping off. When DDR built the theatre, they did not connect an inside entrance to the mall. The builders made mistakes laying the footprint of the building, and had to tear down and rebuild. Needless to say, DDR lost the possible tenants who were supposed to move in the two vacant restaurant units in front of the theatre complex.
Picture from Photobucket.
Rumor was the vacant units in front of the theatre were supposed to either an Applebee’s or similar restaurant. The stores that recently moved out either went out of business, or moved to the newer modern mini-malls scattered around town.
JCPenny and Regis Salon are the only original stores in the mall. JCPenny or Regis hasn’t changed since 1980. I was actually surprised that JCPenny didn’t have and appliance section. Also, Radio Shack has been in the mall since the 80’s.
On the mall map an available out parcel is shown; though I don’t believe it was ever occupied. The future expansion was never built either; a large empty corridor leads to where it should be.
This mall is in deed need of an overhaul, un-fortunately this area is too blue collar to support the nicer stores. However, Tiffin is starting to become a booming college town. There are two universities, which support the economy decently. If the mall could target stores that are not in Findlay, or stores beneficial to the public, the mall would bounce back.
I broke rule #20! It really didn’t seem like people cared. They just looked at me like I was an idiot with a camera!
NOTE: Many of the stores listed are gone or replaces by non big name stores like arcades and churches!
Picture from Photobucket.
Brian
The rent is too high at the mall, that is why tenants move out as they cannot afford high rent and still make a profit so they move out. I wonder why the owners of the mall would rather have a empty mall than lower the rent where businesses could afford to be there and make a profit and make the mall look a whole lot better. Several people say they do it because its a big tax writeoff leaving the mall empty for the company that owns the mall out of cleveland, it is a shame as it could be a great mall if they only lowered the rent and allow businesses to make at least a little profit and not all go to rent.
fritz
I can tell you why the mall died. The stupid old farts and hillbillies that live there are so f`ing cheap in this town. I can’t wait to move out and I hope the whole city sinks in the ground.
ACEspike
well then!! ur real nice!
greg firestone
i put a new rubber roof on this mall in 85 on the ames department store i spent 6/7weeksuptheiritwas A happening place we stayed at a littil hotel by the brige down town it had an old bar and grill down stairs i would love to go back there for a week end it was a lot of fun and the pepile was fantastic
Wilma
Please do not use my name.
Years ago, Elder Beerman checked us out and deciced that Tiffin was too negitive about it’s self.
The mall’s rent is too high for a small town like Tiffin. I think they charge Cleveland prices. One time Chuck Cooper tried to talk a friend of his that owned a chain resturant to come to Wolf Creek Plaza and he said he could not. He needs a turnover of two or three times a night. Tiffin is too small and does not have the drive by traffic(like lake traffic) to have that kind of turnover. For years they have needed to replace that dark flooring. It makes it too dark and dingy in there and is too dated. The state took away their traffic light because they would not change the entrance to make it safer. Real living Realty left because they would not ajust the rent even thou the mall was half empty.
Cooper
Piqua Ohio has a dead mall also! Actually the story of this mall reminds me of Piqua’s “new” mall that was suppose to be bring an economic boom to the city, even right down to the Cineamark theater!
ThatGirk
I used to work that the telemarketing place that’s next to Maurice’s, haha.
Tim Burgin
I went to Tiffin University in the late 80’s, and the mall was fairly dead even then. I actually worked for a short time at Maurice’s when they had a men’s section. We knew the place was dying when Kmart became an anchor store…. And it looks EXACTLY the same as it did then…