Revolutionizing the Shopping Mall

Malls across the country appear to be changing face. Is a mall near you soon to feature a wedding chapel? A medical center?

Or, dare we say it, a funeral parlor?

While nothing of the sort is found yet in Cincinnati, similar outfits can be found at other American complexes. Libraries are opening in strip centers and amusement parks in enclosed malls – including at Tri-County.

The unconventional mall tenant is on the rise. Where we first thought we might see home improvement centers or electronic chains, but now medical offices, fitness centers and other creative ventures abound. Apparently, Phoenix is one of the first to feature a funeral parlor in their shopping center. At the Mall of America, one of the world’s largest malls, tenants include a wedding chapel, an aquarium and an office of the AARP. In Cleveland, the troubled Randall Park Mall, once anchored by Macy’s, might become home to a church.

Some Cincinnati malls have been proactive and creative in attracting nontraditional tenants. Kenwood Towne Centre, by building its streetscape addition in 2003, made it feasible to include a full-scale furniture store in its lineup. But perhaps the most unusual of local mall tenants is Krazy City. The $7 million indoor amusement park – with full-scale carnival rides, a miniature golf course and a 300-seat restaurant – opened at Tri-County Mall in 2007.