Lima Mall
Lima Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in American Township, Ohio. The anchor stores are Macy's (closing April 2021) and JCPenney. There are 2 vacant anchor stores that were once Sears and Elder-Beerman. The center is owned by WP Glimcher, who took ownership after Simon Property Group spun off the property into a separate company, Washington Prime Group (the previous name of WP Glimcher).[2]
 Lima Mall in March 2014. | |
| |
| Location | American Township, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°46′0″N 84°9′0″W |
| Address | 2400 Elida Road |
| Opening date | 1965 |
| Developer | Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. |
| Owner | WP Glimcher |
| No. of stores and services | 65 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (1 open, 3 vacant by April 2021) |
| Total retail floor area | 42,000 sq ft (3,900 m2)[1] |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in JCPenney, 3 in Macy's) |
History
Lima Mall opened in 1965. Originally 166,000 square feet in size, the mall was one of the first smaller, regional centers built by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr.. Lazarus was added as an anchor in 1971.[3] Another anchor, a local department store called The Leader, was sold to Elder-Beerman in the mid-1970s.[4] An F. W. Woolworth Company store closed at the mall in mid-1997.[5] The Lazarus store became Lazarus-Macy's in 2003, then dropped the Lazarus name in 2005.
In January 2013, Old Navy moved from its existing store to a space previously occupied by New York & Company, with The Shoe Department Encore replacing Old Navy's former store.[6] On October 21, 2015, parent company The Bon-Ton announced that it would close the Elder-Beerman in the mall in January 2016.[7]
Over the years, the Lima Mall has seen many changes. The focal point of the mall in years past was a large stone fountain which was in the center of the mall and there was also a small fountain in front of Elder Beerman. These fountains were removed in the late 1990s. The mall also used to be home to many local events such as the annual home show, family fun fair, farm show, and car show. These events drew in thousands of people, but unfortunately are no longer activities held on the premises. The MCL cafeteria also used to be a landmark in the Lima Mall. This was a family dining place that saw much of its business on Friday and Saturday nights. Once again, it is another place that no longer is in business at the Lima Mall. Changing times, technology, and tastes have contributed to many of these past treasures no longer being around.
MC Sports closed in 2017 due to bankruptcy.
On May 31, 2018, Sears announced that its store would also be closing in as part of a plan to close 78 stores nationwide. The store closed on September 2, 2018. [8]
On December 22, 2020, Macy's announced that they would be closing in April 2021 as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide.[9] After Macy's closes, JCPenney will be the only anchor store left.
References
- "Do Business at Lima Mall, a Simon Property". simon.com. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
- Spinoff Company Prepares to Take Ownership of Lima Mall
- Meyers, D.; Meyers, B.; Walker, E.M. (2011). Look to Lazarus: The Big Store. History Press. p. 110. ISBN 9781609492991. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
- Carnes, J.R.; Hughes, B.B.; Allen County Historical Society (Ohio); Lima Public Library (1976). The 1976 history of Allen County, Ohio: a bicentennial project of the Allen County Historical Society and the Lima Public Library. Unigraphic. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
- "Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
- LimaOhio.com. "Stores coming, going at Lima Mall - LimaOhio.com - limaohio.com". limaohio.com. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
- "Bon-Ton closing stores in W. Virginia, Ohio and New York". York Dispatch. October 21, 2015. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
- https://www.limaohio.com/top-stories/302726/lima-mall-sears-to-close-after-53-years
- "Macy's confirms plans to close Lima store". The Lima News. 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2020-12-23.