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Few loyal stores left receive last-minute notice to move after years of false promises
By David Giffels
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Thursday, Oct 30, 2008
Rolling Acres mall is closing.
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
And, experts say, the sun will come up tomorrow.
Rolling Acres, perhaps the only retail complex that could qualify for long-term disability benefits, has been dying for so long that its eulogy is being written in quarterly installments.
This time, the mall — defined here as the interior concourse connecting a handful of actual businesses to a vast complex of long-abandoned, postapocalyptic, cage-fronted storefronts — is closing. But once again, not entirely dead, as the independently owned Sears and J.C. Penney Outlet anchor stores, as well as Ohio Wholesale in the former Target location, remain in business.
Just in time for Halloween, Rolling Acres is the retail version of Jason. The thing . . . that wouldn't . . . die.
But yes — the mall part is going on the tax lien scrap heap, the place is armpit deep in arrears and the lights are going out.
So here's the question:
Everyone from here to Randall Park saw this coming a long, long, long way off.
Then how is it possible that the absentee owner, Beverly Hills-based Michael Mirharooni, could suddenly announce to tenants on Monday, through his local manager, that the electricity will be shut off any minute and they need to vamoose?
The only people who have been doing anything to help Mirharooni's bottom line are now scrambling like ants from a kicked-in anthill to get their stuff out before the place goes dark. These are the same people who believed in the promises that a deal was going to be struck, that Rolling Acres was going to find new life as a mixed-use center, the only people who gave any impression of vibrancy inside the cavernous retail shell.
They are left holding the bag — literally — hastily stuffed with their belongings.
No time to hold a liquidation sale. No time to secure a new location. No time to contact customers.
'Stab in the heart'
Venus Young, owner of Bridals by Philvens, has been frantically hauling out prom and bridesmaid dresses before the place goes dark, all the while trying to get the word out that she is not going out of business.
''This is like a stab in the heart,'' she said Tuesday afternoon from her half-dismantled store. ''I've been here 13 years waiting for this dream to happen that hasn't happened. It's just like — boom, now we've got to find somewhere to go, somewhere to store everything.
''I'm having to go through hell. You've got to come up with money to move a whole shop, and you don't want to take it to storage, you want to go to a new location.''
Imagine, in this economy, being a small business owner trying to keep everything together, then getting a call when you arrive at your shop Monday that you're being evicted through no fault of your own.
Instead of preparing for the post-holiday rush of wedding and prom preparations, Young was asking a newspaper columnist to let people know her business is still very much alive.
I'll do her one better. Despite the rude treatment from its landlord, Bridals by Philvens is still serving its customers and still taking on new ones. A new location will be coming as soon as possible, but for now you can call 330-753-1866 to schedule an appointment.
False hope
You can't accuse the tenants of being naive for continuing to do business in the commercial version of a coffin. For one thing, places like Bridals by Philvens and Diamonds Men's Store are client-based, destination stores that don't rely on casual foot traffic. For another, they were given plenty of hope, with almost evangelical vigor, by Tim Dimoff, the stalwart property manager who has tirelessly courted potential buyers, and who may well be the most optimistic person in Summit County.
On Monday, still trying to find a buyer, he referred to Rolling Acres as a ''diamond in the rough.''
When Beacon Journal reporter Betty Lin-Fisher asked how he intended to market the mall in the dark, he responded, ''We'll bring some high-powered flashlights.''
This theme has played ever since Mirharooni bought the mall and enlisted Dimoff as manager in 2006.
''This mall has a soul to it,'' Dimoff said last year. ''It has a spirit to it. The spirit won't die, doesn't want to die. . . . There's something mystical.''
No exit plan
Even if the tenants didn't believe all that, even if they saw that the end was nigh, they knew there was plenty of time for their landlord to plan an exit strategy. Years and years. There was no reason to expect what they're being put through this week.
Young, understandably, didn't have a whole lot of time to chat Wednesday afternoon. She had more lace and chiffon to move, the rush of dismantling 13 years of her professional life in an unexpected race against time.
''I always said I'd be the last one kicking and screaming,'' she said. ''And look — I'll be the last one kicking and screaming.
''I just hope the lights don't go out on me.''
David Giffels is a Beacon Journal columnist. He can be reached at 330-996-3572 or at dgiffels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Rolling Acres mall is closing.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Akron, OH
Posted 07:37 AM, 10/30/2008
Their little old folks' complex scheme failed, and that sage decision to TRIPLE the food court lease backfired.
Posted 08:40 AM, 10/30/2008
The tenants knew Rolling Acres Mall was closing, and should have moved out long time ago. The tenants were not naive, but they were dumb to think the owner cared about them. Mirharooni is in business to make money. The mayor of Akron as well as others, did nothing to help clean up this mall. It is what it is.
Akron, OH
Posted 10:34 AM, 10/30/2008
The mayor reportedly inquired about those mannequins, however.
Posted 10:36 AM, 10/30/2008
Glenda -- you really aren't very bright. Good Lord. Did you even bother to read the article? If so, you would've clearly noticed that the businesses featured here do not rely on foot traffic, but established clientele. For crying out loud, I can't tell whether Cleveland.com or Ohio.com has the more uneducated comments. Read the freaking story people.
Wadsworth, OH
Posted 11:29 AM, 10/30/2008
I truly believe that Rolling Acres can return to old form... The whole stretch of Romig Road has the potential to become a little Montrose and the best part is that the infrastructure is already in place. I think if a Super Walmart went up, say, where Handy Andy used to be it would generate the traffic to turn the whole area around. What do you think?
Posted 12:00 PM, 10/30/2008
Kevin,
I think you must be smoking some kind of hallucinogenic weed or something. I suggest leveling the entire area and building some affordable homes and apartments.
akron, oh
Posted 12:08 PM, 10/30/2008
Kevin - there was and is way to much shoplifting in that area for any retailer to come in. That is just the plain truth. The best bet would be to level it all and return it to its natural environment.
Danville, CA
Posted 12:46 PM, 10/30/2008
Kevin, you're forgetting that SW Akron and Akron in general no longer have the demographics they used to have. As time goes on and the area continues to age and demographics degrade, it'll get worse.
I was a college student during the late eighties. I worked at that mall for a number of years and watched it slowly go downhill. It's amazing the place survived as long as it did.
Danville, CA
Posted 01:01 PM, 10/30/2008
Jack, there are tons and tons of Glendas there in NE Ohio. I used to be a regular participant in both forums you mention but the level of idiocy just got to the point where I now participate in local forums where I live here in the Bay Area and occasionally in North Texas where we lived for eight years.
This is the REAL problem with NE Ohio. Skills and educational levels are awful...even when compared to major metros such as Dallas, Houston and Atlanta. The progression of demographic rot has been constant over the past thirty years and in my opinion has accelerated since 2000. My wife grew up dirt poor in Wayne county, was home to take care of her mother earlier this year and even she thought the place was getting trashy.
It's to the point where we don't come back to visit anymore because we don't want to see what's happened there. We would rather remember it as it was.
Posted 01:53 PM, 10/30/2008
Rolling acres is a landmark legacy. The anchors have shown great love and faith.
But post apolyptic, In Ohio ? You're reading the short news, friend, Last time I was back, I saw signs of the post renesance revivalism that spreads across america, the eighties seeds retooling neightborhoods and countries of friends into the new open world market. God no, for our few friends neighbors and brothers and mothers ourselves, we tip our hat to the diligence and faith in the future, in the sprinkle of hope they saw everyday in a childs eye, when the hope waivered. Ohio is the land sustained by and built by hope, always was. and it has its memorials to this every time you turn around and look. Its rome of greece.
No rolling isnt dead, it was just sleepin, and god good thing to the old bear. Lets let the fire spread of the seed of the word of Ohio. Revive it. Till a bit of it to a park, bordering a lake and stream. make a part off the lot a community garden and romantic heart touch park. Take the core of it, update, upgrade it, and make it a European or Japanese style of the Grey field developmetn, mixed use urban, with retirees, in live work community, Easy access to the ways, its income source is assured, and central, but with nice sleeping weather. Place court yard level, and top level (an added level with theatres), commercial district, with cloth bazars, small family food second generation stores, and itnernational booksellers (Wash DC flabor), - you got an international tourism stop.
Alert the mayor and the owner, someones got a plan.
Seed on brother, seed on, It will all work,
Posted 01:55 PM, 10/30/2008
Use it as a greyfield site development per Taipai redevelopment standards. (Been to taiwan lately, I have, my hat is off to their progressiveness and awsome look at harmony), it can be top in ohio due to its topsoil condition alone.
Hi steve, still doing pictures? Marriage coming up in Fla.
Posted 01:56 PM, 10/30/2008
My heart goes out to Venus, as Bridals by Philvens was a huge supporter of a scholarship program that I was involved with over the years. She ran a customer oriented shop in a budget friendly location and wish her only the best. I hope to be able to patronize her establishment in it's new location.
akron, oh
Posted 02:20 PM, 10/30/2008
No sane retailer will come within one mile of that site.
Green, OH
Posted 05:17 PM, 10/30/2008
Kevin: A mini-Montrose just a couple of miles away from the real Montrose? Geeze! Don't you know that this whole area is W-A-Y overbuilt with retail?
Apparently Mr. Mirharooni continues to pay Tim Dimoff his property manager salary. It's doubtful if Mr. Dimoff would be quite so evangelistic if he were being stiffed like the county and the utilities and the tenants.
Akron, OH
Posted 06:13 PM, 10/30/2008
This mall would be a PERFECT site for a casino. Access from not one, but TWO major highways!! Use your brains state of Ohio. We don't need a casino near Cincy, they only drive 20 minutes to go to Indiana's casinos. Pump this place full of nice hotels and a huge casino resort, and the rif raf thugs would look VERY out of place and would get the hell out.
Danville, CA
Posted 06:53 PM, 10/30/2008
Al, that would only work if you let the mob run it like they used to run Las Vegas.
There was no crime problem in the early days. If something came up, they dug a hole in the desert!
Akron, OH
Posted 06:58 PM, 10/30/2008
True! Well, hey, we've got the metroparks!
akron, oh
Posted 07:42 PM, 10/30/2008
That area is done, kaput. Nothing will replace the mall.
Posted 08:03 PM, 10/30/2008
I blame the Mayor and every other politician in this horrible city that did not step in and try to help save that area before the bottom started to fall out. If retail chains started pulling out of Montrose you know the city would step in and try to do something. Its ridiculous to have no only the mall but the entire area vacant. Its ridiculous and embarrassing to the city of Akron as a whole.
akron, oh
Posted 08:46 PM, 10/30/2008
yes, the city and ye ole donnie boy can spend money on Young's Rest., spending big bucks for issue 8, but let's not spend any money to help keep Rolling Acre's open.To late now for any one to make it like it was. Could reopen as a mini outlet mall, but only if the owners would support the law that no loiting would be allowed and that teen-ages would have to be with a parent no matter what time of day or night.
Posted 09:54 PM, 10/30/2008
Laura, it wasn't the teenagers, it was the lack of teenagers and trust.I would like to see Rolling Acres Mall turn into a community college or a private learning institution linked with KSU and The U of Akron; educating people, business and community leaders so that pitfalls like the failure of this mall could be avoided. Free parking is a must. A shuttle back and forth to other universities on the Roo Express would be nice.
Posted 10:08 PM, 10/30/2008
Yes lets blame the mayor, its his fault rolling acres went down hill he should have fixed it up at tax payers expense so that it could just get trashed again. I loved going to Rolling acres as a kid, had a lot of great times there, but it went down hill, and now its done. Kenmore was a great neighborhood at one time too, but it went down hill and took the surrounding area with it. Im no great fan of the mayor, but he cant just go in and tell all the meth heads to move out so that we can rebuild the mall. It will all take time, let them destroy the area completely like they always do, a developer will come in buy up all the vacant properties rebuild the neighborhood, and then you can have your mall again. Sounds perfect, right?
Posted 10:29 PM, 10/30/2008
I guess I should'nt have told the truth lord knows ABJ does'nt want you to know that.
Posted 11:26 PM, 10/30/2008
Quote
Posted by James 10:34 AM, 10/30/2008
The mayor reportedly inquired about those mannequins, however.
Ok, that was just funny, period.
Posted 03:55 AM, 10/31/2008
What they need to do to the mall is knock it down and add on to the cemetery. And clean that area up. OR get these empty building made into schools Stop building new Schools. More than half the kids in akron dont even want to be in School so just change these building into the new school like rolling Arces MAll and that will save tax payers money. there are ready a food court. And prenty of Parking You would have plenty of class room space. YOu just turn all the old stores into classroom and have lots of room for teaching.. That way you can reach out to the kids and get them want to be in school. have a few litter stores ... But is Akron is to dumb too do that.
Posted 08:31 AM, 10/31/2008
What do I think Kevin?
I think you are a fool. Again...DO ANY OF YOU PAY ATTENTION TO ANYTHING AT ALL??
The City has determined -- long ago -- that area is no longer viable for retail. And I don't know why people continue to say "build a Super Wal-Mart and they will come."
Proof of that, please. Don't bother because it doesn't exist.
Posted 08:35 AM, 10/31/2008
"Use your brains state of Ohio."
Do you mean Ohio, as a state OR the voters of Ohio?
If voters were to use their brains here in Ohio, they'll vote DOWN Issue 6 on Tuesday because that will only allow THE SINGLE casino in Ohio -- not casino gambling in general.
So, IF -- for example -- someone wanted to build a upscale casino complex around Rolling Acres, they would need to go to the voters and vote to have to Ohio Constitution amended. AGAIN.
Posted 08:37 AM, 10/31/2008
Andre said:
"I blame the Mayor and every other politician in this horrible city that did not step in and try to help save that area before the bottom started to fall out."
Well that makes you an idiot. Why are you NOT blaming the mall owner? Good grief...stupidity is coming out of the woodwork and hitting Ohio.com.
Posted 09:24 AM, 10/31/2008
overton it WAS the teenagers...... were you there i was. kevin you lost your mind. the mayor wasn't going to stop what was happening there. he needed the black vote to stay in office. I f he would have done anything to stop the black youth fom terrorizing the mall they would have stopped voting for him and he would have to find a real job and stop being an as*hole
akron, oh
Posted 12:00 PM, 10/31/2008
The mall was pillared to death, period. Ask any one that used to work there and the stealing is what did the mall in.
Posted 07:09 PM, 10/31/2008
Maybe if we give the owners some more tax breaks they will keep the mall open!!!!
akron, oh
Posted 08:04 PM, 10/31/2008
it dosent matter what color you are theft is theft.its not all black teens its not all white teens i get tired of sociaty blaming others lets face it as parents we needed to take the responsiblity for these kids but spank them and csb comes ground them and out the window they go we are a generation that is to blame stop pointing fingers and get control of your kids
Posted 08:46 PM, 11/02/2008
Turn it into a Casino.
Posted 11:07 PM, 11/03/2008
in response to this comment:
Well that makes you an idiot. Why are you NOT blaming the mall owner? Good grief...stupidity is coming out of the woodwork and hitting Ohio.com.
The ownership of that mall has changed hands many times. I bet if you lived in that area you would be the first to complain about how horrible the areas is driving down you property value. It amazes me that Akron locals rather live in a dump a poverty stricken city. Many Akron locals don't like change. This Mall could of been saved if the city stepped in. No one can sit on here and tell me that in the past 10 years Rolling Acres Mall passed every city inspection.
