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Thursday, May 9, 2024 |
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Towne Mall Scam Revisited |
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swohio75 
MUSA Citizen 
Joined: Jun 13 2008 Status: Offline Points: 820 |
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 Posted: Jun 20 2014 at 8:35am |
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Apparently the owners of the Cincinnati Bell property are having better luck at redeveloping their property than the owners of the Towne Mall.
Towne Mall Development Plan – Minor Amendment Petitioner: Ken Knuckles of Development Management Group, LLC on behalf of property owner Towne Mall Location: 3363 Towne Blvd./Pendleton Cr. (former Cincinnati Bell Store) Proposal: Demolition of the existing building and replace with a retail mattress store with parking and landscaping. Decision on Towne Mall Development Plan – Minor Amendment |
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buckeye43719
MUSA Immigrant 
Joined: Jan 15 2014 Location: Middletown Status: Offline Points: 20 |
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Posted: Jun 19 2014 at 9:54pm |
That sign was worth at least $1.28. |
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ktf1179
MUSA Citizen
Joined: Mar 19 2012 Status: Offline Points: 518 |
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Posted: Jun 19 2014 at 9:12pm |
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The sign with all the stores on it got blown away with the last round of storms we had on Wednesday.
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buckeye43719
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Joined: Jan 15 2014 Location: Middletown Status: Offline Points: 20 |
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Posted: Jun 19 2014 at 8:26pm |
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It couldn't shut down, the towne mall owner promised a major announcement.You must be mistaken.
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Jesus is the only way to Heaven
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Mike
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Joined: Apr 29 2014 Location: Middletown, OH Status: Offline Points: 2 |
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Posted: Jun 19 2014 at 1:41pm |
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And by the way, All About You Catering left Towne Mall Galleria by June 1st!
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buckeye43719
MUSA Immigrant
Joined: Jan 15 2014 Location: Middletown Status: Offline Points: 20 |
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Posted: May 27 2014 at 3:49pm |
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Major announcement any minute.. He promised a major announcement and people don't break there promise. He should get into politics. Either party, it doesn't make a difference.
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Jesus is the only way to Heaven
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FmrMide81
MUSA Resident 
Joined: Aug 26 2012 Status: Offline Points: 188 |
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Posted: May 27 2014 at 12:09pm |
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Are you kidding? Once word gets out that Doug Adkins is in command, tenants will be flocking to the place-there will be a MAJOR announcement any minute now....yep, any minute now....well, soon, very soon...they promised....
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chmoore1
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Joined: Jan 25 2012 Status: Offline Points: 230 |
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Posted: May 27 2014 at 12:07pm |
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I had to go to the mall last week. Besides Elder-Beerman and Sears, there were 7 stores operating (Worthmore was closing the next day). Two as you enter the main door, Rogers, two (Christian Book Store and one other down by old McAlpin's), none going to Sears, and two (Bath & Body Works and Radio Shack) going to EB.
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over the hill
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Joined: Oct 19 2012 Location: middletown Status: Offline Points: 952 |
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Posted: May 27 2014 at 11:44am |
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I'll believe it when I see it.
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swohio75
MUSA Citizen
Joined: Jun 13 2008 Status: Offline Points: 820 |
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Posted: May 27 2014 at 11:28am |
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Towne Mall has a new leasing company. Same agent as before. She must have switched companies.
http://www.jllproperty.com/US-Retail-en-US/All-property-Cincinnati/Towne-Mall-3461-Towne-Boulevard-Middletown-Ohio-45005/61492 New renderings are posted wit this listing.    |
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Iron Man
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Joined: Sep 25 2013 Status: Offline Points: 112 |
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Posted: May 05 2014 at 11:07pm |
  Why isn't the city putting an orange sign up for tall grass?  |
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bumper
MUSA Citizen
Joined: Feb 01 2010 Location: over here Status: Offline Points: 307 |
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Posted: May 05 2014 at 7:14pm |
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the grass was extremely tall!!! hmmm maybe they are gonna have a tall grass sell !!
the cones are just the maze you need to avoid if you decide to park and come -on -in to look for nothing...
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Bobbie
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Joined: Jun 05 2009 Location: Middletown Status: Offline Points: 288 |
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Posted: May 05 2014 at 10:57am |
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I had the chance to visit the mall yesterday - just curious, who is responsible for cutting the grass. Looked like they were working on the parking lot, based on all the orange cones up - but the grass was extremely tall.
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ktf1179
MUSA Citizen
Joined: Mar 19 2012 Status: Offline Points: 518 |
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Posted: May 03 2014 at 1:59pm |
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Judy is Trying to help development in Middletown :) |
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Vivian Moon
MUSA Council 
Joined: May 16 2008 Location: Middletown, Ohi Status: Offline Points: 4187 |
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Posted: May 02 2014 at 12:48am |
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This newspaper has provided unbeatable coverage of Towne Mall Galleria’s development
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409
Prominent MUSA Citizen 
Joined: Mar 27 2009 Status: Offline Points: 1014 |
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Posted: May 01 2014 at 8:25pm |
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More tenants exit Middletown’s Towne Mall
By Chelsey Levingston Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN — More tenants are calling it quits at the half-empty Towne Mall Galleria, while others wait for the turnaround promised by the property’s owners. “We just stand here every day in a dead mall waiting for something to happen,” said Melody Palmer, owner of All About You Catering and Bakery. All About You Catering opened a storefront at the mall in February 2013. Palmer has voiced support for the Middletown mall’s redevelopment until recently. Now she’s saying promises to repave the parking lot, and to sign leases with major foot-traffic tenants have been empty. “If you don’t stand behind your promises, you can’t get people to move in here. You’ve got to say what you mean and follow through,” Palmer said. All About You Catering will close its mall location by July 1, unless a “miracle” happens to change her mind, Palmer said. When the mall location closes, All About You Catering will move back to a test kitchen and the eight-year-old catering business will remain open regardless, she said. The catering and bakery business joins a growing list of other shops to announce their departures so far in 2014 from the struggling mall, including Worthmore Clothes Shop, Finish Line, Wigs for a Change and Home Connection. Towne Mall tenant Game-Lan(d) & PCs posted this on its Facebook page March 29: “Anyone who has stopped by in the last week may have noticed we are packing things up. Like many businesses in that mall we are closing our doors.” Kay Jewelers also shut its doors in April. A spokesperson for Kay Jewelers declined comment. “Every time a business leaves, we’re all hurt,” Palmer said. “If I stand out in the middle of the mall, there’s not one person in this mall.” Remaining Towne Mall tenants include Elder-Beerman, Miss Selby’s Soap, Bath & Body Works, Rogers Jewelers and others. “I do plan to stay open for now. I do have a strong customer base in the community, and they do support the store in there,” said Renee Selby, owner of Miss Selby’s Soap, which opened at Towne Mall in April 2013. “Obviously I would like to see more stores in there as we all would, but I know we’re in a very depressed economy and the owners are doing everything they can,” Selby said. Owner George Ragheb, of California, whose business entity SA Mary Ohio LLC purchased Towne Mall in October 2012, promised good news soon. “I don’t have any news, but we will maybe make some news soon,” Ragheb told this news outlet on Thursday. Ragheb has made similar promises since purchasing the enclosed the mall, telling merchants that major tenant announcements would come by the end of 2013. From 2012 to 2013, 11 small businesses opened. However, some of those same businesses have since closed such as Wigs for A Change and Home Connection. Last year passed, and no new anchor tenants have signed leases. Then in January, mass retailer Target announced plans to close eight underperforming stores nationwide due to declining sales, including one in Middletown located across Ohio 122 from Towne Mall. “It’s difficult to revitalize a mall, this mall in particular. One of the biggest problems we have is Target closing,” Ragheb said. “New national tenants are very afraid to enter the market when a Target is leaving.” In attracting retailers, Towne Mall is competing with new developments such as Austin Landing in Miami Twp. and Liberty Center, under construction in Liberty Twp.; Cincinnati Premium Outlets in Monroe; and Bridgewater Falls Lifestyle Shopping Center in Fairfield Twp. In a similar situation, Forest Fair Mall in Fairfield and Forest Park is a 1.5 million-square-foot mall also sitting mostly empty as owners pay off delinquent property tax bills. Forest Fair Mall was bought in 2010 and plans by new owners to redevelop it as a family attraction with a hotel, ice arena and amusement center have yet to come to fruition. While saying that leasing the property has been a lot of hard work, Ragheb still offered reassurances that Towne Mall will be “100 percent successful.” “We have to find tenants that believe that the Middletown people will buy from local retailers that open up in the area, and it’s a great market to be in,” he said. “You have been patient for a while, please be patient for just a little bit more,” he said. “We will soon have updates about the mall.” City Economic Development Director Denise Hamet said she’s been in contact with the mall owners. “I anticipate an announcement prior to June 1 of an anchor tenant in the Dillard’s building as well as some possible outlot tenants. I also anticipate seeing some construction renovations starting in the next two months and that’s going to potentially include some sustainable energy improvements to the building,” Hamet said. “The image of the interchange is very critical. We recently sent a proposal on a large scale office project and I intend to step that up,” Hamet said. Towne Mall Galleria is located on Towne Boulevard in the Warren County portion of Middletown, in the section of the city referred to as the Renaissance District near the Ohio 122-Interstate 75 interchange. The more than 465,000-square-foot mall first opened in 1977. A group of California investors including Ragheb bought the property for $850,000 in 2012, and later bought the adjoining Elder-Beerman and former Dillard’s properties. Dillard’s department store closed in 2008. |
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Every morning is the dawn of a new error...
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buckeye43719
MUSA Immigrant
Joined: Jan 15 2014 Location: Middletown Status: Offline Points: 20 |
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Posted: May 01 2014 at 7:09pm |
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I saw on Middletown Journal's web site that All About You Catering will close by July 1st. According to the malls owner George Ragheb, he will have good news shortly. Come on now. Give it up, Middletown is a lost cause.
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Jesus is the only way to Heaven
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swohio75
MUSA Citizen
Joined: Jun 13 2008 Status: Offline Points: 820 |
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Posted: May 01 2014 at 2:36pm |
Didn't the two new restaurants - Ice Ice Smoothie and the Greek place shutdown after only a few months? The last time I was in the mall, I noticed several of the "newer" tenants the new owners had bragged about are now gone. ALM Sports, Home Connection, Splattered Platter Pottery Studio. That with the loss of Finish Line and Kay Jewelers recently. Sounds like little faith in the new owners from retailers. |
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Lebanonian
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Joined: Dec 26 2008 Status: Offline Points: 47 |
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Posted: Apr 30 2014 at 5:21pm |
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I went to the Social Security office a few weeks ago and wound up wandering into Elder-Beerman's. I bought a nice London Fog jacket for 40% of retail. I've shopped at stores there at Christmas time for convenience. So I've done my part to support the merchants there. But Middletown is just a depressing destination, like "The Walking Dead" set w/o zombies.
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Mike
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Joined: Apr 29 2014 Location: Middletown, OH Status: Offline Points: 2 |
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Posted: Apr 30 2014 at 1:56am |
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About Towne Mall Galleria...no new tenants, but plenty of tenants still vacating. Most recently, Home Connections closed in mid-March and Kay Jewelers, whose last day was Saturday, April 19th. Several other tenants are contemplating leaving because sales are way down from where they were at this time last year. It is a ghost town with very little foot traffic and all in all, this Mall is a very depressing place to work (yes, I do work here so I know a bit about what I am talking about). A bit of the potholes in the parking lot have been roughly filled, so I don't quite feel as if I am going to get my car stuck in one. I suspect that if you stay tuned, you will hear of more tenants leaving in the next few weeks. And by the way, as each tenants lease expired, no new leases have been offered, much less signed. We simply know that we are staying at least one more month when our monthly rent checks are cashed. And by the way, rent is ridiculously low at this Mall. I know that in the past 18 months on this site, it has been suggested that the new Owners should cut the tenants some slack and reduce rent. They have, along with other offers, but when your bottom line falls lower and lower, it makes no difference how cheap your rent is! You simply cannot make any money as a tenant!
Middletown folks constantly bemoan the state of the Mall now and talk about how grand it was back in the day, but then they leave your store without making a purchase. Talk is cheap. Support these merchants who are struggling to stay open!!! |
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buckeye43719
MUSA Immigrant
Joined: Jan 15 2014 Location: Middletown Status: Offline Points: 20 |
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Posted: Apr 22 2014 at 7:45pm |
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Any news on new tenants at the Towne mall.
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Jesus is the only way to Heaven
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processor
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Joined: May 07 2013 Status: Offline Points: 151 |
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Posted: Feb 19 2014 at 12:41pm |
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Acclaro is spot on. Town Mall has been boxed in with the Austin Pike, Monroe, Liberty Way, and Bridgewater. No one in their right mind would invest the $100's of millions that it would take to get the mall special. Even with this it won't be any nicer than the others. Middletown doesn't have the demographic to support a nice mall on it's own, and why would people drive past the other malls just to go to Town Mall? It's a shame that it happened, but not much can be done now.
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FmrMide81
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Joined: Aug 26 2012 Status: Offline Points: 188 |
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Posted: Feb 19 2014 at 12:13pm |
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Uh oh-the Chinese company that was going to build a new plant in Lebanon has backed out-THAT'S why no tenants are signing leases...glad the Galleria management have such a high opinion of their customers intelligence...
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acclaro
Prominent MUSA Citizen
Joined: Jul 01 2009 Status: Offline Points: 1878 |
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Posted: Feb 19 2014 at 10:52am |
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Failure of the Towne Mall is imminent and self evident.
Review the owners statement: "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" Translation- Do we put in large sums of capital and then attract retailers, or do we sign retailers and then modernize? He won't put in capital. Retailers won't rent without capital improvements first. No traction, stalemate. Mall doomed. Next....no story, end is near on Mall. Look for car lot called CarMax. |
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'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
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ktf1179
MUSA Citizen
Joined: Mar 19 2012 Status: Offline Points: 518 |
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Posted: Feb 18 2014 at 3:25pm |
Mall owner: Tenants signing at ‘turtle speed’By Rick McCrabb Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN — The owner of the Towne Mall Galleria understands the frustration from local shoppers and mall merchants who expected major tenants to have opened stores in the shopping center by now. George Ragheb, of SM Mary Ohio, which purchased the mall in October 2012, said he’d announce “major tenants” had signed leases before the end of 2013. That deadline has expired, and the biggest movement at the mall has been the closing of the Finish Line because of “results and demand in the market,” store officials said. Ragheb, who lives in California, was in town late last week, and said negotiations with potential “significant, national tenants” are continuing, though he admitted it’s at “turtle speed.” He said signing tenants is like the question: What came first, the chicken or the egg? “Tenant A wants to sign but not until Tenant B signs,” he said Friday while sitting in the mall’s office. “Then we talk to Tenant B and they say they will sign only after Tenant A signs.” He hopes to announce the signing of tenants in a month or so, but he hesitated to pinpoint a certain date. When Ragheb and his investors purchased the mall, retailers were suffering through slow sales, which made them leery to expand, he said. He said retailers are evaluating possible new locations “20 times harder” because of the weak economy. That’s evident throughout the mall. Less than 50 percent of the retail space is occupied, and Ragheb said a “good number” would be 95 percent. Right now, he said, the top priority is acquiring at least one tenant to lease the former 111,734-square-foot Dillard’s property. He expects to divide the Dillard space into three units, and once that first tenant is signed, and announced, Ragheb predicted the rest would follow at “light speed.” Ragheb knows people are reluctant to believe the mall can be successful. He has read the comments posted from readers of The Journal-News. People think the mall is for sale, a false rumor, he said. “I’m not very well liked,” he said with a grin. That hasn’t deterred his determination. Ragheb said his company is “very committed” to the mall and he believes the region offers a “very strong retail market.” He pointed across the street at the full parking lots at the restaurants and hotels. When he visits Middletown, he stays at the Fairfield Inn and said there’s always a wait at Olive Garden. It was mentioned that Target, located across the street from the mall, recently announced it was closing eight stores, including the Middletown and Trotwood locations. That was expected, Ragheb said, because Target and Walmart were located too close together and both offered similar merchandise and differing prices. He remains confident, he said. “We can make it work here,” he said. “We didn’t go into business to lose money. That’s not how we operate. We just need people to trust us.” The group spent $3.3 million purchasing the 465,451-square-foot mall and other properties. They spent $850,000 on the mall, $1.2 million on Dillard’s and $1.25 million on Elder-Beerman. The land and building were valued at $9.48 million, according to the Warren County Auditor’s office said. STAYING WITH THE STORY Since the sale of Towne Mall Galleria more than one year ago, The Journal-News has covered the latest developments of the deal with in-depth stories. Count on us to continue this coverage of the mall and its impact on the Butler County economy. Comment(s)
Comment(s) 1-14 of 14
No company is going to lease a run down property that is not being fixed. The entire property is kept in the dark in the evening and pot holes are everywhere. The tenants there now are just waiting for leases to expire and they will run. Yet another property that Middletown will have to buy up after taxes aren't paid and then sell to yet another for a dollar.
Maybe THEY already have come to the realization that that site is a money pit, a lost cause !
Come on people, all we need is a little hope and change.
Boycott Middletown until the fascist red light cameras are removed.
Don't speed, don't run red lights, don't worry ! It's that simple !
Judsba is a serf who hasn't read or
just doesn't care about the Constitution's assurance of due process,
right to privacy, and the right to face one's accuser in an open court
of law. I guess by Judsba's illogic, we should just install cameras in
his/her home.
The Towne Mall definitely doesn't win the worst mall award... That still goes to Cincinnati/Cincinnati Mills/Forest Fair Mall. 50% occupancy would be a dream for the 1.1 million square foot facility in Fairfield/Forest Park...
It's all about potential of the space, would you as a business owner want to go into the Towne Mall or Forest Fair Mall or go to the Outlets in Monroe or the new outdoor mall being constructed in Liberty Township. Look at Tri-County the are having the same issues, the mall concept is out dated, and more of them are going to go under completely. At least the land is worth something...
I drove through the mall Sunday thank god I drive a off road Jeep I've see drit roads in better shape.
Perhaps Ragheb's approach is all
wrong. As I understand it, he is asking premium prices for floorspace
rent in a mall that attracts minimal traffic. How about offering low
rent for both startup and established businesses and as business
improves, pro-rate the rent according to business success, being careful
not to take business operating costs to the point the business folds.
Having 95% occupancy at a reduced rent is better than having less than
45% at a higher, business-killing rate isn't it? How about the volume/
pro-rate approach instead of over charging on limited occupancy? Not a
business person but hasn't the old "searching for tenants with no
success" theme gone on long enough for Ragheb? Time to try a new
approach isn't it?
1980corvette the previous owner CBL tried that with low rent based on sales thru out the month for start up business but it never did work. I watched it day in and day out every day I went to work for the mall itself when I was employed their. The pot holds are bad because theirs no more maintenance workers really their any more they got rid of the operations manger awhile back, cut security over in half. But CBL didn't want the town mall just east gate mall but the old owners the Jacobs group wouldn't sell east gate without the town mall included. Theirs potential there but only if they put the money in first to the property by repaving the lot and outer ring and building a second floor on to it or updating the inside of the mall. The interior and exterior lighting needs to be replaced badly most of the mall interior and exterior or from the 70's when they built the mall if I was the owner I would tear down and rebuild the thing from scratch. |
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