Polaris Fashion Place
A two-level shopping mall and surrounding retail plaza serving the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan area.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Polaris Fashion Place is a major regional shopping center in central Ohio. It is located on Polaris Parkway near Interstate 71 in Delaware County, immediately north of the Delaware–Franklin county boundary and north of Columbus. The property combines a two-level enclosed mall with an outdoor retail and dining promenade, and forms part of the much larger POLARIS Centers of Commerce development, a mixed-use commercial and residential district covering approximately 1,200 acres. The mall was developed by Glimcher Realty Trust and opened in November 2001 after construction began in June 2000. Its initial tenant strategy was designed to give the northern Columbus market a broad department-store and specialty-retail offer, including several brands that had not previously been available in the area. The original anchor lineup included Kaufmann's, The Great Indoors, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, JCPenney, Sears, and Lazarus. Three of those anchors—JCPenney, Sears, and Lazarus—relocated from Northland Mall, which subsequently closed in 2002 and was demolished in 2004. The center has changed substantially as department-store retail evolved. Lazarus was converted first into a dual Lazarus–Macy's operation in 2003 and then became Macy's in 2005. Following Federated Department Stores' acquisition of the May Department Stores Company, the Kaufmann's location was closed and redeveloped. The former site became an outdoor expansion that opened in 2008 with Barnes & Noble, Forever 21, restaurants, and entertainment venues including Benihana, The Cheesecake Factory, and Dave & Buster's. Lord & Taylor left in 2004 and was replaced by Von Maur, its first Ohio location. Saks Fifth Avenue remained an anchor for many years, although a closure announcement was reported for April 2026. The former Great Indoors space was reconfigured after Sears Holdings announced in 2012 that the specialty-home retailer would close all of its locations. In 2015, the space was replaced by a dual-branded Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream complex; the Field & Stream concept was later associated with the Public Lands banner. In 2019, Sears itself closed at Polaris. Fieldhouse USA subsequently occupied that space in 2021 as a multi-discipline indoor sports facility. In August 2025, the former Dick's Sporting Goods and Public Lands stores were reported to have reopened under the Dick's House of Sport format. Polaris Fashion Place remains an active shopping, dining, and entertainment destination rather than a standalone fashion label. Its current identity is built around department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, leisure uses, and its connection to the broader Polaris commercial district. The surrounding development includes Polaris Founder's Park, the McCoy Center, and more than one hundred additional commercial and residential projects.
History
Polaris Fashion Place was developed during the expansion of the Polaris area as a major commercial district north of Columbus, Ohio. Glimcher Realty Trust began construction in June 2000, and the mall opened in November 2001 with 146 inline tenants. Its location beside Interstate 71 and its integration with the broader POLARIS Centers of Commerce development allowed it to serve shoppers from Columbus, Delaware County, and surrounding communities. The original design combined a two-level enclosed mall with a substantial collection of department-store anchors. Kaufmann's, The Great Indoors, Lord & Taylor, and Saks Fifth Avenue were selected in part because they represented retail concepts that were underrepresented in the local market. JCPenney, Sears, and Lazarus also anchored the center; each had relocated from Northland Mall. Northland closed in October 2002 after losing its remaining inline tenants and was demolished in February 2004. Anchor turnover soon reshaped the property. Lazarus became a dual Lazarus–Macy's store in 2003 and was converted fully to Macy's in 2005. Lord & Taylor closed in 2004 and was replaced by Von Maur, which made Polaris the department-store chain's first Ohio location. Kaufmann's was closed after Federated Department Stores acquired its parent company, the May Department Stores Company. Glimcher then demolished the former Kaufmann's building and developed an outdoor extension that opened in 2008. The extension added Barnes & Noble, Forever 21, restaurants such as Benihana and The Cheesecake Factory, and entertainment from Dave & Buster's. The former Great Indoors anchor also underwent a major transition. Sears Holdings announced in February 2012 that all nine Great Indoors stores would close. At Polaris, the space was later redeveloped for a combined Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream operation, which opened in 2015. The Field & Stream concept was subsequently associated with the Public Lands banner. Sears itself closed its Polaris location in 2019, and the former Sears space was converted in 2021 into Fieldhouse USA, an indoor facility for multiple sports. The mall experienced two separate shooting incidents in its interior corridors on March 3 and March 15, 2021. These were described as the first shooting incidents of that kind in the property's history. The events added a public-safety dimension to the center's operating environment, although the mall continued operating as a retail and entertainment destination. In August 2025, the Dick's Sporting Goods and Public Lands locations were reported to have reopened under the Dick's House of Sport format, reflecting the continuing shift from conventional department-store retail toward experiential shopping and sporting activities. In February 2026, the closure of the Saks Fifth Avenue anchor by April 2026 was announced. These changes illustrate the center's ongoing adaptation to department-store consolidation, specialty-retail repositioning, dining and entertainment growth, and the addition of indoor recreation. Polaris Fashion Place is part of a larger development rather than an isolated mall property. The approximately 1,200-acre POLARIS Centers of Commerce area includes Polaris Founder's Park, the McCoy Center, and more than one hundred other commercial and residential projects. The mall's long-term role is therefore linked to the broader area's employment, residential growth, entertainment activity, and regional accessibility.
- 2026
Saks Fifth Avenue closure planned
[1]The Saks Fifth Avenue anchor was reported to be scheduled to close by April.
- 2025
Dick's House of Sport reopening
[1]The former Dick's Sporting Goods and Public Lands locations were reported to have reopened under the Dick's House of Sport format.
- 2021
Fieldhouse USA opens and shooting incidents occur
[1]Fieldhouse USA replaced Sears, while two separate shooting incidents occurred inside the mall in March.
- 2019
Sears closes
[1]The Sears anchor at Polaris Fashion Place closed.
- 2015
Sporting-goods replacement opens
[1]The former Great Indoors space was replaced by a Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream complex.
- 2008
Outdoor promenade opens
[1]The redevelopment of the former Kaufmann's site opened with retail, restaurants, books, and entertainment.
- 2005
Lazarus converts to Macy's
[1]The former Lazarus location adopted the Macy's name exclusively.
- 2004
Lord & Taylor closes
[1]Lord & Taylor left the mall and was subsequently replaced by Von Maur.
- 2003
Lazarus becomes dual-branded
[1]The Lazarus anchor was converted into a Lazarus–Macy's dual-branded store.
- 2001
Mall opens
[1]Polaris Fashion Place opened in November with 146 inline tenants and seven original anchor stores.
Products and positioning
Regional shopping, dining, entertainment, and indoor-recreation destination serving the Columbus metropolitan area and northern central Ohio.
Shopping center · 2001
Enclosed shopping mall
The core property is a two-level enclosed regional mall containing department stores, specialty retailers, apparel merchants, beauty businesses, and service-oriented tenants. Its original anchor strategy emphasized a broad mix of national department-store and specialty concepts.
Retail and entertainment district · 2008
Outdoor retail and dining promenade
Opened in 2008 on the former Kaufmann's site, the outdoor expansion added Barnes & Noble, Forever 21, restaurants, and entertainment venues. It broadened Polaris beyond conventional enclosed-mall shopping and strengthened its dining and leisure offer.
Sporting goods and experiential retail · 2025
Dick's House of Sport
The House of Sport format represents the later evolution of the sporting-goods space at Polaris. It combines sporting merchandise with a more experiential retail model and replaced the earlier Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream/Public Lands configuration.
Indoor sports facility · 2021
Fieldhouse USA
Fieldhouse USA occupies the former Sears space and provides a multi-discipline indoor sports facility, adding recreation and organized athletic activity to the mall's tenant mix.
Brand decisions
2026
Planned Saks Fifth Avenue closureStrategyBackground
Saks Fifth Avenue was one of the mall's original department-store anchors.
Action taken
A closure of the store by April 2026 was announced.
2025
Transition to the Dick's House of Sport formatGeneration changeBackground
The sporting-goods space had previously operated through Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream/Public Lands concepts.
Action taken
The stores were reported to have reopened under the Dick's House of Sport banner.
Aftermath
The change continued the mall's shift toward experiential and activity-oriented retail.
2021
Conversion of the former Sears spaceStrategyBackground
Sears closed its Polaris store in 2019 as the department-store sector continued to contract.
Action taken
The vacant anchor space was converted into Fieldhouse USA, a multi-discipline indoor sports facility.
Aftermath
The conversion added an experiential recreation use to the mall's retail, dining, and entertainment mix.
2012
Replacement of The Great IndoorsStrategyBackground
Sears Holdings announced the closure of all nine Great Indoors stores, including the Polaris location.
Action taken
The space was repositioned for a combined Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream operation.
Aftermath
The replacement opened in 2015 and later evolved toward the Public Lands and Dick's House of Sport formats.
2007
Redevelopment of the former Kaufmann's anchorStrategyBackground
The Kaufmann's store was closed following the acquisition of its parent company by Federated Department Stores.
Action taken
The former anchor building was demolished and replaced with an outdoor retail, dining, and entertainment expansion.
Aftermath
The resulting promenade opened in 2008 with Barnes & Noble, Forever 21, restaurants, and Dave & Buster's.
Recent events
Polaris Fashion Place launches 25th-anniversary promotion[3]
Reported:
Polaris Fashion Place marked its 25th anniversary with a Center Court photo opportunity and a chance for guests to win prizes by tagging their photos and using #Polaris25Years.
Sources3 sources
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