Cafaro Company Updates Retail Properties
By Joe Bell, Director Corporate Communications, Cafaro Co.
NILES, Ohio — In the Mahoning Valley, Cafaro Company is best known for its Eastwood Mall Complex in Niles. Certainly, big changes and growth have been ongoing there. (More about that in a moment.)
What is less familiar to people in our region is the growth that occurred at other Cafaro properties around the country in 2019.
In Virginia, work began at Cafaro’s Spotsylvania Towne Centre to create a new 270-unit residential development to meet the needs of a growing community.
At Kentucky Oaks Mall in Paducah, former department store spaces were redeveloped to introduce stores such as Burlington, Ross Dress for Less, Five Below and HomeGoods stores, along with professional office space.
At Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, a brand-new Dunham’s sporting goods store and a Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic opened its doors, while work began on a third hotel on the property.
An ambitious redevelopment project also got underway at Sandusky Mall, where a new residential community will be created next to the mall itself.
So what’s been happening closer to home? As Eastwood Mall celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019, the emphasis was all about reinventing and reinvesting in this iconic super-regional shopping complex. New locally owned small businesses were introduced to the lineup of the mall’s retail offerings.
With a unique concept, MiMe opened in the mall’s center court. Harnessing the power of additive manufacturing technology, better known as 3D printing, the store is able to create incredibly accurate figurines of customers.
Just down the concourse, personal training and fitness are the specialties of Fueled by Montana and Warren’s Martial Arts. Other new specialty retailers include Busy Bees Pottery and Arts Studio, Tri-Healthy CBD and Blush Spa & Gift Boutique.
As 2019 was drawing to a close, even bigger news emerged about what was about to arrive at the Eastwood Complex. Boscov’s department store is under construction and will open in time for the 2020 holiday season.
At 182,000 square feet, this popular full-service department store will be the largest single retailer to ever open inside the mall. It will be the 49th store in the Boscov’s chain but only the second in Ohio.
In 2019, state and federal officials granted necessary environmental permits for the mixed-use development known as Enterprise Park.
This major project will combine a state-of-the-art hospital, a medical education center, an assisted living memory care facility, professional offices and luxury residential space. Site preparation is expected to begin later this year.
Last, but certainly not least, work is also underway on the long-awaited Eastwood Event Centre. The Event Centre scheduled to open in October is designed to be a luxurious hall for parties, weddings, conferences, exhibitions, meetings and all varieties of social and business events.
Creating new facilities, store spaces and opportunities at the Eastwood Mall Complex is a multimillion dollar undertaking. In the current economic climate facing retailers and shopping center developers, it’s precisely the kind of reinvestment that keeps retail centers relevant in the communities they serve.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
