Rolling Acres Mall
Encyclopedia
Rolling Acres Mall was a retail mall located in the Rolling Acres
area of Akron, Ohio
, United States
. Built in 1975 and expanded several times in its history, it once comprised more than 140 stores, including five anchor store
s, a movie theater and a food court
. The mall was closed off in 2008, save for the only two anchors still in operation, Sears and JCPenney Outlet. However, in January 2011, Sears Holdings announced the Sears store would close by April 2011. In January 2011, JCPenney announced they would close all outlet stores including the Rolling Acres store. In October 2011, an independent company purchased all of JCPenney's Outlet Stores with plans to rename them and continue to operate them.
. It opened in Akron, Ohio with Sears and 21 stores on August 6, 1975, and had more than 50 stores by year's end. JCPenney opened a year later as a second anchor. A new wing, called the Court of Aquarius, was added in 1977, including a large aquarium
(which was later removed) and a third anchor store, Montgomery Ward
. Further expansion in 1978 comprised a new, two-story wing called the Promenade, comprising a food court
called "Prom-N-Eat" and local chain O'Neil's
as a fourth anchor. General Cinemas opened a movie theater at the mall in 1978 as well .
The mall reached a peak of 140 stores in 1984. One year later, a mall-wide renovation was begun, replacing its original earth tone
s with pastel colors. Two of the anchors would change in the 1980s as well: Montgomery Ward closed in 1986 and was replaced with Higbee's
(another local chain), and O'Neil's was merged to May Company Ohio
in 1989.
, two movie patrons got into a fight outside of the cinema. People in the area believed it to be a gunshot, and a panicked crowd ran through the mall.
Two more anchor changes in the 1990s, both affecting the same two buildings (Higbee's and May Company Ohio) that had previously been converted in the 1980s. Higbee's was acquired and renamed by Dillard's
in 1992, and May Company Ohio became Kaufmann's
a year later. Also in 1993, the General Cinema was closed.
A fifth anchor, Target
, was the final addition to the mall, opening in 1995. Shortly afterward, however, the mall began losing stores. In addition, the Dillard's and JCPenney anchors were downgraded to clearance centers in 1997 and 1999 respectively. The mall was sold to Bankers Trust
in 2000, who gave the mall a new logo as well as a website. Also, the cinema reopened under an independent group calling itself "Blind Squirrel Cinema", but closed again two years later. In 2003, the cinema reopened again, this time as a discount theater.
in February 2006. Dillard's Clearance Center was shuttered in August 2006, one month before Kaufmann's was re-branded as Macy's
as the parent company of Kaufmann's was acquired. This Macy's, however, closed in February 2008.
In April 2008, mall fixtures were auctioned off, and in August of the same year, the theaters closed for the third and final time. The eight remaining tenants at the mall were notified on October 2008 that the mall would be closing as soon as possible, due to FirstEnergy
disconnecting the mall's electricity for nonpayment. On October 31, 2008, the mall's power was finally disconnected, not affecting Sears or the JCPenney outlet.
On May 1. 2009 nobody placed a bid for the mall.
Shortly afterwards, Sears announced it would be closing its location at the mall. It would close on or around April 3rd (although the date may change). but must clear out by April 20th. On January 25, 2011, the JCPenney Outlet Store announced it would be closing due to the chain's nationwide pullout of the outlet store concept. The store announced it would close in 2011 or early 2012. On October 19, 2011 SB Capital Group purchased all JCPenney Outlet Stores with plans to rename them and continue to operate them, including the Rolling Acres store, which was renamed JC's 5 Star Outlet.
The Dillards, Target, and Macy's former buildings were purchased and 40% converted for private and commercial busnesses. Though purchased and converted, the owners kept the interiors the same and only built into the structures versus knocking them down. July 2010, local film maker gains permission to film an inside documentary of the former Dillards building. August 2010, consent was given for local based horror movies Roming Rd Corridor and select scenes for Evening of The Undead. Consent given for 2010, 2011, and finishing in 2012. The cast and crew begun shooting late 2010 with permission and acccess throughout the property of Rolling Acres mall.
2011: April 3rd, Sears closes down their Rolling Acres store, though Sears still owns and manages the building, currently no one has purchased the building. Would be copper thief attempts to steal from the main transformer box of the mall and dies in the process. September: in a leak to the press, it was announced that Rolling Acres Mall is again up for sale or a partnership buy in. Plans for this buy in and or new ownership include the former Sears building, Possible full ownership of the former Dillards as well.
Rolling Acres
Rolling Acres is a shopping district in Akron, Ohio. Planning for the area began in 1960s with Forest City Enterprises, a Cleveland real estate company and the powerful Buchholzer family, whose previous endeavors involved financing much of the Chapel Hill Mall area. Despite warnings by civic...
area of Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Built in 1975 and expanded several times in its history, it once comprised more than 140 stores, including five anchor store
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s, a movie theater and a food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
. The mall was closed off in 2008, save for the only two anchors still in operation, Sears and JCPenney Outlet. However, in January 2011, Sears Holdings announced the Sears store would close by April 2011. In January 2011, JCPenney announced they would close all outlet stores including the Rolling Acres store. In October 2011, an independent company purchased all of JCPenney's Outlet Stores with plans to rename them and continue to operate them.
History
Rolling Acres Mall was developed by Forest City EnterprisesForest City Enterprises
Forest City Enterprises is a $9-billion diversified real estate management and development company based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Its portfolio includes interests in retail centers, apartment communities, office buildings and mixed-use projects in the U.S...
. It opened in Akron, Ohio with Sears and 21 stores on August 6, 1975, and had more than 50 stores by year's end. JCPenney opened a year later as a second anchor. A new wing, called the Court of Aquarius, was added in 1977, including a large aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
(which was later removed) and a third anchor store, Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
. Further expansion in 1978 comprised a new, two-story wing called the Promenade, comprising a food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
called "Prom-N-Eat" and local chain O'Neil's
O'Neil's
O'Neil's was a regional department store chain based in Akron, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1877, the store grew to several locations throughout northeastern Ohio. Owned by May Department Stores, in 1989 it was merged with May's Ohio division, May Company Ohio, which was subsequently merged into...
as a fourth anchor. General Cinemas opened a movie theater at the mall in 1978 as well .
The mall reached a peak of 140 stores in 1984. One year later, a mall-wide renovation was begun, replacing its original earth tone
Earth tone
Earth tone is a color scheme that draws from a color palette of browns, tans, greys, greens, oranges, whites, and some reds. The colors in an earth tone scheme are muted and flat in an emulation of the natural colors found in soil, moss, trees and rocks. Many earth tones originate from clay earth...
s with pastel colors. Two of the anchors would change in the 1980s as well: Montgomery Ward closed in 1986 and was replaced with Higbee's
Higbee's
Higbee's was a department store founded 1860 in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1992, Higbee's stores were re-branded as part of Dillard's.-History:Higbee's was founded by Edwin Converse Higbee and John G. Hower on September 10, 1860 as Higbee & Hower Dry Goods. The first day of business saw $100 in sales. ...
(another local chain), and O'Neil's was merged to May Company Ohio
May Company Ohio
The May Company Ohio is a defunct chain of department stores that was based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.-History:In 1899, David May, the founder of May Department Stores, acquired E. R. Hull & Dutton Co. of Cleveland on Ontario Street, renaming it May Company, Cleveland...
in 1989.
1990s and 2000s
In a cost cutting measure, Rolling Acres stopped using off-duty police officers and instead relied on cheaper security guards, starting in 1991. During a showing of New Jack CityNew Jack City
New Jack City is a 1991 crime film starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson, and Chris Rock. Snipes stars as Nino Brown, a rising drug dealer and crime lord in New York City during the crack epidemic...
, two movie patrons got into a fight outside of the cinema. People in the area believed it to be a gunshot, and a panicked crowd ran through the mall.
Two more anchor changes in the 1990s, both affecting the same two buildings (Higbee's and May Company Ohio) that had previously been converted in the 1980s. Higbee's was acquired and renamed by Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
in 1992, and May Company Ohio became Kaufmann's
Kaufmann's
Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was owned in the early 20th century by Edgar J. Kaufmann, patron of 'Fallingwater' and the Kaufmann's Desert House. In the post-war years the store became a regional chain in the eastern United States, and was last...
a year later. Also in 1993, the General Cinema was closed.
A fifth anchor, Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, was the final addition to the mall, opening in 1995. Shortly afterward, however, the mall began losing stores. In addition, the Dillard's and JCPenney anchors were downgraded to clearance centers in 1997 and 1999 respectively. The mall was sold to Bankers Trust
Bankers Trust
Bankers Trust was an historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1998.-History:A consortium of banks created Bankers Trust to perform trust company services for their clients....
in 2000, who gave the mall a new logo as well as a website. Also, the cinema reopened under an independent group calling itself "Blind Squirrel Cinema", but closed again two years later. In 2003, the cinema reopened again, this time as a discount theater.
Closure
The first anchor to leave the mall was Target, which relocated to nearby WadsworthWadsworth, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,437 people, 7,276 households, and 5,144 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,940.5 people per square mile . There were 7,613 housing units at an average density of 801.3/sq mi...
in February 2006. Dillard's Clearance Center was shuttered in August 2006, one month before Kaufmann's was re-branded as Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
as the parent company of Kaufmann's was acquired. This Macy's, however, closed in February 2008.
In April 2008, mall fixtures were auctioned off, and in August of the same year, the theaters closed for the third and final time. The eight remaining tenants at the mall were notified on October 2008 that the mall would be closing as soon as possible, due to FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy Corp. , is a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services...
disconnecting the mall's electricity for nonpayment. On October 31, 2008, the mall's power was finally disconnected, not affecting Sears or the JCPenney outlet.
Auction
On April 23, 2009, it was announced that the mall had been placed on the internet auction block and that several people showed interest in buying it for various purposes. The mall was set to be auctioned off on May 1, 2009.On May 1. 2009 nobody placed a bid for the mall.
2010 Sale
The mall was sold in 2010 to a California company. The company announced plans to use the existing structure.Shortly afterwards, Sears announced it would be closing its location at the mall. It would close on or around April 3rd (although the date may change). but must clear out by April 20th. On January 25, 2011, the JCPenney Outlet Store announced it would be closing due to the chain's nationwide pullout of the outlet store concept. The store announced it would close in 2011 or early 2012. On October 19, 2011 SB Capital Group purchased all JCPenney Outlet Stores with plans to rename them and continue to operate them, including the Rolling Acres store, which was renamed JC's 5 Star Outlet.
2010,2011
2010:The Dillards, Target, and Macy's former buildings were purchased and 40% converted for private and commercial busnesses. Though purchased and converted, the owners kept the interiors the same and only built into the structures versus knocking them down. July 2010, local film maker gains permission to film an inside documentary of the former Dillards building. August 2010, consent was given for local based horror movies Roming Rd Corridor and select scenes for Evening of The Undead. Consent given for 2010, 2011, and finishing in 2012. The cast and crew begun shooting late 2010 with permission and acccess throughout the property of Rolling Acres mall.
2011: April 3rd, Sears closes down their Rolling Acres store, though Sears still owns and manages the building, currently no one has purchased the building. Would be copper thief attempts to steal from the main transformer box of the mall and dies in the process. September: in a leak to the press, it was announced that Rolling Acres Mall is again up for sale or a partnership buy in. Plans for this buy in and or new ownership include the former Sears building, Possible full ownership of the former Dillards as well.