Sandusky Mall
An indoor shopping center in Perkins Township near Sandusky, Ohio, managed by Cafaro Company.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Sandusky Mall is an enclosed shopping center in Perkins Township, immediately south of Sandusky, Ohio. The property sits on the east side of U.S. Route 250, north of the Ohio Turnpike and Ohio State Route 2, serving Sandusky and a broad surrounding area. It is described as the only major shopping center within roughly 45 miles, giving it an important regional role despite operating in a market shaped by seasonal tourism, nearby Lake Erie attractions, and competition from national retail chains and large-format stores. Construction began in 1976, and the mall opened on March 16, 1977, with approximately 50 stores. Its initial anchor lineup included Montgomery Ward and JCPenney. Montgomery Ward was later replaced by Sears in 1986. Additional department-store tenants followed, including May Company and Cohn Company, the latter eventually becoming Halle's and then Elder-Beerman. JCPenney had previously operated in downtown Sandusky before moving to the mall, reinforcing the center's role in consolidating regional department-store shopping. Over subsequent decades, the property experienced the tenant turnover typical of American enclosed malls. The former Child World space became an OfficeMax in 1994, later housed K&K Home Furnishings, and was ultimately converted into a Planet Fitness location. A Best Buy opened outside the mall in 2003. Borders arrived in 2005 and was replaced by Books-A-Million after Borders closed in 2011. The former May Company store was rebranded as Kaufmann's in the 1990s and became Macy's in 2006 following the merger of May Department Stores Company with Federated Department Stores. The mall entered a significant repositioning period after several major anchors departed. Sears announced a closure in 2016, Macy's closed in March 2017, and Elder-Beerman closed in August 2018 after the bankruptcy of its parent company, Bon-Ton. Other departures included Charming Charlie, which closed during the retailer's bankruptcy, Ruby Tuesday, and Borders. These closures left substantial vacant department-store space but also created an opportunity to redesign the property rather than simply replace traditional anchors with similar stores. In December 2018, manager Cafaro Company announced a redevelopment program. The plan moved the center toward a mixed-use format combining retail, entertainment, residential, and office uses. Portions of former anchor spaces were divided or repurposed for new tenants. Hobby Lobby opened in part of the former Sears space in March 2020. Five Below and a relocated T.J. Maxx subsequently filled portions of the former Macy's area, opening in 2021. The redevelopment also involved relocating smaller tenants, renovating interior areas, adding or improving entrances, and upgrading the food court. The current tenant mix combines national apparel, beauty, footwear, specialty, discount, furniture, food, and entertainment businesses. Major listed anchors and destination tenants include JCPenney, Books-A-Million, Dewey Furniture, Hobby Lobby, T.J. Maxx, Five Below, Ross Dress for Less, and Tilt Studio. Tilt Studio, a family entertainment center, opened in December 2024 in the former Elder-Beerman space after its planned opening was moved from summer 2024. The property also includes food-court operators and restaurants on or near the mall site. Sandusky Mall is therefore best understood as an active regional shopping and entertainment property rather than a conventional department-store mall. Its ongoing strategy emphasizes reusing large vacant spaces, adding experiential attractions, strengthening food and beverage offerings, and broadening the property into a mixed-use destination.
History
Sandusky Mall was developed in the mid-1970s in Perkins Township, south of Sandusky, Ohio. Construction began in 1976, and the enclosed center opened on March 16, 1977, with about 50 stores. Montgomery Ward and JCPenney served as the original anchors. JCPenney's move from downtown Sandusky reflected the broader shift of department-store activity from traditional central business districts to automobile-oriented suburban shopping centers. May Company and Cohn Company joined the center soon after opening; Cohn later operated under the Halle's and Elder-Beerman names. The anchor roster changed repeatedly. Montgomery Ward was replaced by Sears in 1986. May Company was later rebranded as Kaufmann's and then converted to Macy's in 2006 after the corporate merger involving May Department Stores Company and Federated Department Stores. The property also adapted smaller and nontraditional spaces. The former Child World location closed in 1992, became OfficeMax in 1994, later became K&K Home Furnishings in 2006, and was converted to Planet Fitness in 2015. A Best Buy opened outside the mall in 2003. Borders joined the tenant mix in 2005, but after Borders closed in 2011, Books-A-Million took over the space. During the 2010s, the mall faced the same structural pressures affecting many enclosed shopping centers: department-store consolidation, retailer bankruptcies, and the departure of legacy anchors. Sears announced in April 2016 that its store would close. Macy's announced in January 2017 that its location would close as part of a national reduction program, and the store shut in March. Charming Charlie closed in December 2017 following the retailer's bankruptcy. Ruby Tuesday closed its mall-front restaurant in March 2018. Elder-Beerman closed later in 2018 after parent company Bon-Ton entered bankruptcy and announced the closure of its stores. Rather than leave the large anchor boxes unused, Cafaro Company announced a redevelopment program in December 2018. The intended direction was mixed use, with retail, entertainment, residential, and office components. The program included reconfiguring former department-store areas, relocating smaller tenants, improving entrances, and upgrading common areas. The food court received major renovation work, including additional restroom facilities, Asian Express, Lotus Garden, and improvements to other food vendors. The mall also planned an additional entrance near the south corridor. Hobby Lobby became one of the first major replacements, opening on March 23, 2020, in approximately half of the former Sears space. Five Below opened in part of the former Macy's area in 2021, and T.J. Maxx moved into a new location in the same general redevelopment zone later that year. Other tenants, including Spencer's, Nail World, and Ritaz Parlor, were relocated to accommodate the changes. Shoe Dept. Encore moved to a renovated Center Court space in October 2020. The property continued to diversify beyond conventional department-store retail. Ross Dress for Less opened in October 2022. In 2024, the mall announced Tilt Studio, a family entertainment center, for the remaining former Elder-Beerman space. The attraction ultimately opened on December 7, 2024, adding a large experiential use to the center's anchor lineup. The mall's reported layout consists of west, north, east, and south corridors converging at Center Court. Its tenant base includes national chains such as JCPenney, T.J. Maxx, Five Below, Ross, Hobby Lobby, Books-A-Million, and Tilt Studio, together with specialty apparel, beauty, jewelry, footwear, service, food-court, and restaurant operators. Cafaro Company manages the property. Its evolution illustrates a broader retail-property strategy: preserve the regional shopping function while filling obsolete department-store space with discount, specialty, food, fitness, entertainment, and potentially mixed-use tenants.
- 2024
Tilt Studio opens
[1]Tilt Studio opens on December 7 in the former Elder-Beerman anchor space.
- 2022
Ross Dress for Less opens
[1]Ross opens a new store at the mall on October 30.
- 2021
Five Below and relocated T.J. Maxx open
[1]Five Below opens in May and June, followed by the relocated T.J. Maxx store in October.
- 2020
Hobby Lobby opens
[1]Hobby Lobby opens in a portion of the former Sears anchor on March 23.
- 2018
Cafaro announces redevelopment
[1]Cafaro Company announces a plan to introduce retail, residential, entertainment, and office uses.
- 2017
Macy's closes and food court is renovated
[1]Macy's closes in March, while the mall undertakes substantial food-court improvements during the year.
- 2016
Sears closes
[1]Sears announces and completes the closure of its Sandusky Mall store.
- 2015
Former K&K space becomes Planet Fitness
[1]The former Child World, OfficeMax, and K&K Home Furnishings space is repurposed as Planet Fitness.
- 2011
Books-A-Million replaces Borders
[1]After Borders closes, Books-A-Million takes over the space.
- 2009
T.J. Maxx is added
[1]T.J. Maxx joins the mall's tenant lineup.
Products and positioning
A regional enclosed shopping center serving Sandusky and surrounding north-central Ohio communities, with a tenant mix spanning value retail, department-store shopping, specialty stores, food service, and family entertainment. Its recent repositioning emphasizes mixed-use redevelopment and experiential uses alongside conventional retail.
Department store · 1977
JCPenney
A longstanding department-store anchor offering apparel, accessories, beauty products, home merchandise, and related services. JCPenney was one of the mall's original anchors and had previously operated in downtown Sandusky.
Books and media · 2011
Books-A-Million
A bookstore and media retailer that replaced Borders after Borders closed in 2011. Its presence adds books, gifts, and related merchandise to the mall's tenant mix.
Furniture and home goods
Dewey Furniture
A furniture-focused destination tenant serving shoppers seeking household furnishings and home-related merchandise.
Crafts and home decor · 2020
Hobby Lobby
A crafts and home-decor retailer occupying roughly half of the former Sears anchor space. It opened in March 2020 as a major component of the mall's anchor-space redevelopment.
Off-price department store · 2009
T.J. Maxx
An off-price retailer offering discounted apparel, accessories, home goods, and other merchandise. The store moved into a newly renovated position near an interior mall entrance in 2021.
Value retail · 2021
Five Below
A value-oriented retailer selling low-priced toys, games, technology accessories, seasonal goods, room items, and related merchandise. Its Sandusky location opened in a portion of the former Macy's space in 2021.
Off-price apparel · 2022
Ross Dress for Less
An off-price chain focused on discounted clothing, footwear, accessories, and home merchandise. Ross opened at Sandusky Mall in October 2022.
Family entertainment · 2024
Tilt Studio
A family entertainment center and arcade attraction. The approximately 52,000-square-foot venue opened in the former Elder-Beerman space in December 2024, adding an experiential anchor to the redevelopment program.
Food and beverage
Food court and dining
The mall's food offerings include Asian Express, Auntie Anne's, Lotus Garden, Mrs. Fields, Another Broken Egg Cafe, and Cheers Sports Bar & Grill. Additional restaurants on or near the property include Cracker Barrel, Red Lobster, and Texas Roadhouse.
Brand decisions
2024
Tilt Studio added as an entertainment anchorProduct launchBackground
The former Elder-Beerman anchor space remained available after the retailer closed in 2018.
Action taken
Sandusky Mall announced Tilt Studio for the space and opened the family entertainment center on December 7, 2024.
Aftermath
The project added a large experiential destination and further diversified the property's use beyond traditional shopping.
2021
Reconfiguration of former Macy's spaceGeneration changeBackground
Macy's closed its Sandusky Mall store in 2017, leaving another large department-store vacancy.
Action taken
The space was divided and redeveloped for Five Below and a relocated T.J. Maxx, with the stores opening in 2021.
Aftermath
The former department-store area returned to active retail use and became part of the mall's updated anchor lineup.
2020
Hobby Lobby opens in former Sears spaceProduct launchBackground
Sears had closed in 2016, leaving a large anchor vacancy suitable for subdivision and reuse.
Action taken
Hobby Lobby opened in approximately half of the former Sears store on March 23, 2020.
Aftermath
The opening restored a major retail use to part of the former anchor and advanced the mall's redevelopment plan.
2018
Launch of mixed-use redevelopment strategyStrategyBackground
The mall had lost or was facing the loss of several traditional department-store anchors and other retailers, creating large vacant spaces.
Action taken
Cafaro Company announced a redevelopment approach combining retail with entertainment, residential, and office uses, together with tenant relocations, renovated common areas, and additional access points.
Aftermath
The strategy led to new occupancy by Hobby Lobby, Five Below, relocated T.J. Maxx, Ross, and Tilt Studio, while the property continued developing a broader mixed-use and experiential identity.
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