Lima Mall
An enclosed regional shopping mall in American Township, Ohio, serving the Lima area.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Lima Mall is an enclosed shopping center in American Township, Ohio, near the city of Lima. It opened in 1965 as one of the earlier smaller regional malls developed by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. The center originally contained approximately 166,000 square feet and was designed to consolidate department-store, specialty-retail, and community shopping activity in the Lima market. The mall’s anchor profile developed over several decades. Lazarus joined the center in 1971, while the local department store The Leader was later acquired by Elder-Beerman in the mid-1970s. Lazarus subsequently became Lazarus-Macy’s in 2003 and was rebranded solely as Macy’s in 2005. JCPenney remains the mall’s current anchor. Other historically significant tenants included F. W. Woolworth, Old Navy, The Shoe Department Encore, MC Sports, Sears, and New York & Company. Like many enclosed malls in the United States, Lima Mall has experienced anchor closures and changing retail conditions. Woolworth closed its location in the mid-1990s. Elder-Beerman was scheduled to leave in January 2016 after its parent company, The Bon-Ton, announced a nationwide closure program. MC Sports closed in 2017 following the company’s bankruptcy, and Sears shut its Lima Mall store in September 2018 as part of a broader national reduction. Macy’s announced its departure in December 2020, with the store closing in March 2021. That closure left JCPenney as the mall’s only operating traditional anchor. Ownership changed in February 2024, when Kohan Retail Investment Group and Rocky Companies acquired the property. The new ownership period has included redevelopment activity focused on the former Macy’s parcel. Target finalized its purchase of that property in February 2025, and the former Macy’s building was demolished in May 2025. A new Target store is planned for the site, with an expected opening in summer 2026. This project represents an effort to reuse a former department-store location and introduce a major off-mall retail format into the broader Lima Mall property. Lima Mall therefore occupies two roles: it remains an enclosed shopping mall anchored by JCPenney, while also adapting its surrounding real estate to changing retail demand. Its history reflects the evolution of American regional shopping centers from department-store-led expansion in the 1960s and 1970s to anchor consolidation, ownership changes, bankruptcy-related closures, and redevelopment around new large-format retailers.
History
Lima Mall opened in 1965 in American Township, Ohio, serving the Lima-area retail market. Developed by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr., it began as a relatively small regional shopping center of about 166,000 square feet. Its original format reflected the expansion of enclosed malls as destinations combining department stores, specialty shops, and everyday consumer services. The center expanded its department-store presence when Lazarus became an anchor in 1971. The Leader, a locally established department store, was later sold to Elder-Beerman in the mid-1970s, adding another major retail operator to the mall. Over time, the anchor mix changed with the consolidation and rebranding of department-store companies. Lazarus became Lazarus-Macy’s in 2003 and adopted the Macy’s name alone in 2005. The mall also housed national specialty retailers. F. W. Woolworth operated at the property until its store closed in the middle of 1997. In January 2013, Old Navy relocated from its existing space into a unit formerly occupied by New York & Company, while The Shoe Department Encore took over Old Navy’s previous space. These moves illustrate the mall’s periodic efforts to reconfigure interior space as tenant requirements changed. The following decade brought substantial anchor contraction. The Bon-Ton announced in October 2015 that its Elder-Beerman store would close in January 2016. MC Sports departed in 2017 after its parent company entered bankruptcy. Sears announced in May 2018 that the Lima location would close under a nationwide store-reduction plan; the store ended operations on September 2 of that year. Macy’s later announced in December 2020 that it would close its Lima Mall location on March 21, 2021. With Macy’s gone, JCPenney became the mall’s only operating traditional anchor. In February 2024, ownership passed to Kohan Retail Investment Group and Rocky Companies. The property subsequently entered a redevelopment phase centered on the former Macy’s site. Target finalized its purchase of that parcel in February 2025. The former Macy’s building was demolished in May 2025, making room for a newly constructed Target store projected to open in summer 2026. The history of Lima Mall combines early regional-mall development, department-store succession, specialty-retail turnover, and adaptation to the decline of traditional anchors. Its current identity remains that of an enclosed shopping mall, but its future operating environment is expected to include a major large-format Target development alongside the remaining mall retail offer.
- 2025
Former Macy's building demolished for Target project
[1]Target purchases the former Macy’s property, and the building is demolished in May for a planned new store.
- 2024
Ownership changes
[1]Kohan Retail Investment Group and Rocky Companies acquire the mall in February.
- 2021
Macy's closes
[1]Macy’s closes its Lima Mall location on March 21, leaving JCPenney as the sole operating traditional anchor.
- 2018
Sears closes
[1]The Sears store closes on September 2 after being included in a national closure plan.
- 2017
MC Sports closes
[1]MC Sports leaves the mall following bankruptcy.
- 2016
Elder-Beerman closes
[1]The Elder-Beerman anchor closes after its parent company announces the store’s planned shutdown.
- 2013
Old Navy relocates
[1]Old Navy moves into space previously occupied by New York & Company, and The Shoe Department Encore takes Old Navy’s former unit.
- 2005
Macy's branding introduced
[1]The former Lazarus store drops the Lazarus name and operates as Macy’s.
- 2003
Lazarus becomes Lazarus-Macy's
[1]The Lazarus anchor adopts the Lazarus-Macy’s name.
- 1997
Woolworth closes
[1]The F. W. Woolworth store at the mall closes in the middle of the year.
Products and positioning
A regional enclosed shopping mall serving Lima and surrounding communities, with a current strategy shaped by anchor replacement and redevelopment.
Shopping mall · 1965
Enclosed shopping-center retail space
Lima Mall provides enclosed retail space for department stores, specialty retailers, food and beverage operators, and service businesses. Its tenant mix has changed over time as national chains relocated, closed, or were replaced.
Department store
JCPenney
JCPenney is the mall’s current operating traditional anchor. Its presence gives the center an established department-store component after the closures of Elder-Beerman, Sears, and Macy’s.
Large-format retail development · 2026
Target redevelopment
Target purchased the former Macy’s property and is replacing the demolished building with a newly constructed Target store. The project is expected to open in summer 2026 and is intended to reuse a former anchor parcel within the broader Lima Mall environment.
Brand decisions
2025
Redevelopment of former Macy's anchor siteStrategyBackground
Macy’s closed its Lima Mall store in 2021, leaving a major vacant anchor building and parcel.
Action taken
Target purchased the former Macy’s property, and the building was demolished in May 2025 to make room for a new Target location.
Aftermath
The planned store is expected to open in summer 2026, adding a large-format retailer to the mall’s surrounding commercial offer.
2024
Acquisition by Kohan Retail Investment Group and Rocky CompaniesM&ABackground
Lima Mall changed ownership amid a period of anchor departures and repositioning in the enclosed-mall sector.
Action taken
Kohan Retail Investment Group and Rocky Companies acquired the property in February 2024.
Aftermath
The property subsequently advanced redevelopment of the former Macy’s parcel, including a planned Target store.
Recent events
- 2025
Target purchases former Macy's property for redevelopment[1]
M&A · Product launch
Target finalized the purchase of the former Macy's property at Lima Mall. The former department-store building was demolished in May 2025 for construction of a new Target store expected to open in summer 2026.
- 2024
Kohan Retail Investment Group and Rocky Companies acquire Lima Mall[1]
M&A
The mall was acquired in February 2024 by Kohan Retail Investment Group and Rocky Companies.
- 2020
Macy's announces closure of Lima Mall location[1]
Other
Macy's announced that its Lima Mall store would close on March 21, 2021, within a national program to close 46 stores.
- 2018
Sears announces Lima Mall closure[1]
Other
Sears announced that its Lima Mall store would close as part of a nationwide plan involving 78 store closures. The location shut on September 2, 2018.
- 2017
MC Sports closes after parent-company bankruptcy[1]
Bankruptcy
The MC Sports store at Lima Mall closed following the sporting-goods retailer's bankruptcy.
- 2015
Elder-Beerman store at Lima Mall scheduled to close[1]
Bankruptcy
The Bon-Ton announced that its Elder-Beerman location at Lima Mall would close in January 2016 as part of a broader store-closure program.
Sources1 sources
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