When was the last time you visited the Ohio Valley Mall? Was it last weekend with your friends? Or last Christmas break with your mom getting last-minute gifts? Maybe it was even five years ago when Sears closed its doors. There has been a drop in in-store shoppers across the country and even stores in recent years, but why is that?
According to business.com, “Some mall retailers are drowning in debt, while many others were forced to close permanently due to the pandemic. According to the National League of Cities, more than 12,000 retail stores permanently closed in 2020. By April 2021, the number of open small businesses was down by more than 33 percent from January 2020”. Considering the small population of the Ohio Valley it is no wonder the pandemic caused a rapid decline in the malls business. From the closing of the Subway in the food court to the recent closing of the AMC theater, the Ohio Valley Mall seems to be diminishing.
Another huge reason the mall may be declining is competition. With the ever-ongoing expansion of the Highlands in Triadelphia, the mall has huge competition. With the new popular additions of restaurants such as Crumbl Cookie and Chick-fil-A, the mall is struggling to keep up with the ever-growing Highlands shopping area.
In addition to local competition, the Ohio Valley Mall has been competing with malls in surrounding major cities. Since the mall is directly between Pittsburgh and Columbus, it is no wonder it has fewer and fewer shoppers each year.
“Recently I went to the Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh, it was so much better because there were a lot more stores compared to the mall here that has like three good stores, and they had more trendy stores and there were a lot more people,” said junior fashion icon, Adeline Schimnoski.
However, the mall still seems to be holding on, as well as providing jobs for those in the Ohio Valley, therefore the closing of the mall would be a tremendous loss for the community as some may not want to travel long distances for a productive shopping trip.
“I have been working at the Buckle in the mall for about six months, I started working in the summer and have been there ever since. Normally the store is pretty busy and we have a lot of repeat customers that have shopped at Buckle for a long time. I do enjoy working at the mall, but sometimes I do wish that there were more stores in the mall that way it would drum up business and keep people coming back,” said senior Gianna Landis.
The mall has been in business since 1978, making it over 40 years old, so many people have been in and out of this mall and it continues to be a place where you can hang out and make memories.
“The last time I went to the Ohio Valley Mall was probably in August with my friends. I don’t think the mall will close since it has been standing pretty strong, even though the movie theater closed down. I have heard that it might get turned into another movie theater and I think if it does and it gets revamped then it will bring a new light into the mall. Every time I go I think there’s a good amount of people there and I think especially with the Christmas season approaching. I think the mall is a highlight of the Ohio Valley,” said junior Lee Braden.
As Lee said, the mall is a highlight of the Ohio Valley, being one of the major places to shop and hang out. If the mall were to close, the Ohio Valley would lose a huge asset as well as a huge place of community and business. Although it is roughly 15 minutes away from Wheeling, the mall continues to have an effect on the people here.
