Have visited both stores a couple of times, I have to a disagree with your assessment but will point out the layout of these "closeout" stores is essentially the same (TJ Maxx, Marshalls etc).

Burlington has a little more upscale feel in terms of merchandise, decor/ and finishes. I thought they did a very nice job with the store.  It felt more like a traditional department store.  

Gabes has a less finished feel (even noticed a big crack in the concrete floor they didn't repair).  I also felt their merchandise was on the lower scale of things.  

I'll go to Burlington again, but will pass on Gabes.  It didn't do anything for me.  It felt like I was at a garage sale. 

Future possibilities for the mall? Some ideas:

- Space east of Planet Fitness.  If using the same model, could go as much as 25,000 square feet and have an external access point.  Maybe an MC Sports?  Closest location is 30 plus miles away.

- Future of Elder-Beerman?  Clearly they don't need all 118,000 square feet of their store, as nearly half is dedicated to a Clearance Center.  The mall owners also own the property.  Could mall owners subdivide, leaving E-B with half to 60% of their store while creating two smaller spaces (20,000-25,000 square feet).  Again, this would given retailers visibility from the outside, which is going to be crucial for some medium format users.