In the shopping center industry it has become the oft-repeated mantra of survival: Stay Relevant. It means more than just ensuring that the lineup of merchants is meeting sales goals. It means doing the hard work of ensuring the mixture of retail, hospitality, entertainment and whatever else that makes up a property is worthy of a regular visits by people in the surrounding area. That has been the focus of the evolution of Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, Ohio.
Anchors include popular names like Boscov's, Marshalls and Dunham's. Space vacated by an old-line department stores has been filled better retailers, like Academy Sports + Outdoor, Burlington and Boot Barn. Another department store was completely demolished. In its place, a popular sporting goods store rose, along with a new hotel (one of three hotels now on the property). A brand new Golden Ticket Cinemas has introduced a luxury experience to moviegoers, with reclining seating, state-of-the-art sound and projection technology and elevated concession offerings.
While accessibility to the mall property has always been excellent, there was a need to connect with other nearby shopping areas and local roadways. Thanks to a good working relationship with local and state government agencies, a connector road was constructed to reach a new parcel with a hotel, restaurant and additional space for development. Even more importantly, the connector road continued over Interstate 70, opening up traffic to a power center.
