Malls...

I do not have a car and will be relying heavily on the shuttle buses to take me around. I was wondering if there are malls downtown. I gaurantee that I will be clothes shopping at some point and would prefer some good places to go.

This is my first time being up there and I know nothing about Sandusky. I hope it is not like every other town in Ohio that offers only a couple of dollar stores and a Wal-Mart.
*** Edited 3/30/2006 11:57:44 PM UTC by GLF***

There is a mall (its ok), a Super Walmart, Meijer, Kroger, Target (being built), and numerous other stores. The bus only runs to the mall and meijer but a cheap taxi ride or quick walk from one of these places can get you anything you can't find there. The bus stops may change but they have been the same the past 4 yrs.

At this point, there is also a Sam’s Club being built. A new sports store, ( can’t think of the name) and I believe an Old Navy. There are a bunch of other stores as well, non of which have a sign up yet.

There is also a Kohls.

Where is the sams going? I am surprised they are building one because of the fairly new walmart (although the area would do well with one)

In the same plaza as Home Depot and Kohl's.

Sandusky...er, I mean Perkins Township, is growing at a good rate. It's a rumor that the Westfield Group might be buying the Sandusky Mall soon. I really hope this happens! Finally get a food court and some decent stores. Something similar to Franklin Park would be nice.

if you made friends with cars (and i'm sure you will) there's is a really nice outdoor mall 45 minutes east of sanduky, its call crocker park or something of that nature, I frequented it a couple of times.

There are a lot of nice malls outside of Sandusky. I think that is one of the reasons Westfield is considering buying the Sandusky Mall. People often travel outside of Sandusky to go to a good mall. Crocker Park is nice, so is Great Northern in North Olmstead, Franklin Park in Toledo, and South Park in Strongsville. Midway in Elyria is ok, but not the crowd I want to shop with. It’s only a matter of time that Sandusky Mall is refurbished. Or a whole new mall is built.

Crocker Park is in my backyard (literally, they tore down my childhood swingset to build it!) but we always go to Avon Commons to shop because, well, it's just better. It's about 15 minutes closer to CP as well, probably about 35 minutes driving time.

I forgot about Avon Commons. Its nice there, I like Hotdog Heaven. Some of the stores and shops there are on their way to Sandusky's new plaza out by Home Depot. I heard tonight of some more stores that might be coming here. I’m hoping for a World Market.

On a side note, there is a rumor that Mejier will be leaving soon. I’m not surprised though. I guess their losing business to Wal-Mart. I figure once Sam’s Club opens, it will be the final shove out the door for them. All the better I guess, I always found Mejier to be expensive. If that happens, it would open up a nice size piece of property on Rt. 250. More room for the Great Wolf Resorts.

Avon Commons and Crocker Park are indeed really nice!!

If you're looking for some amazing dining, head west to the Toledo area and check out The Towne Centre at Levis Commons in Perrysburg (which is similar to Crocker Park but on a smaller scale). Biaggi's Italian is "TO DIE FOR!!". Best Italian food I've seriously had in ages...and the varying bread samples they offer before dinner...mmmm. Prices aren't too shabby either. Also check out the Blue Pacific Grill...which is on the same level as Mongolian BB-Q. A fun place with a group of friends!! They're building Bluepoint Fish Club and Wasabi Bistro which both open in May..and they already have the requisite Starbucks, Maggie Moo's, Max & Erma's, Bob Evans, etc. Besides...you can visit me at the Yankee Candle Company and say "Hi!". Hehehehehe.

Franklin Park Mall is "ok". The new wing which opened last year is awesome. They added a lot of higher end stores, and are "still" in the process of opening up new stores throughout Summer '06 including Elephant Bar, Forever 21, and Hollister. It looks amazing and there are definitely more options..but the actual clientele is sinking. Solicitation and gangs are starting to become a problem. Mall security needs to be proactive and take action soon. Ah well..what can ya do?

I gurantee that Meijer will NOT be leaving Sandusky.

Down with Wall*Mart.

uh yeah, Meijer will not leave.

good thing too, because for the 14 cents I save at walmart, I wait in their checkout for YEARS. walmart SUCKS.

Ryan Mahaffey
Solicitation and gangs are starting to become a problem. Mall security needs to be proactive and take action soon.

Surprising since the newer stores usually bring in an upscale crowd. But with Westfield managing it, I am sure their security will work on the problem. Their good at that.

CP_Obsessed_Freak1987 said:
I gurantee that Meijer will NOT be leaving Sandusky.

Well that’s the rumor. But if you lived in Sandusky year round and could see the lack of business that place has, you wouldn’t be surprised. With a Kroger, Super Wal-Mart, and now soon a Sam’s Club and Target, Meijer will definitely be taking a hit, if they already aren’t.

I am not saying their closing in the next few months, but I really don’t see them lasting through next winter. Like I said, if you lived here in the winter, you would see what I am talking about.

Franklin Park has really gone downhill since Westfield took over. Sure they added the new wing (I must be the only one in the world who doesn't like it) and the new movie theatre (which I refuse to go to because I will not pay $9.75 for a movie) but as Ryan said above, they have allowed the place to be taken over by gangs and such. I live less than a mile away and refuse to go near the place. My friend's mom worked there during the holiday season and was assulted by the "not so upscale clientele" at least twice. Security did nothing to help her, and management blew her off when she went to them. She's not the only person who has said the management there has a real bad "I don't care" attitude about them.

Just about 3-4 weeks ago my girlfriend was there with her family in the food court. A very large gang fight broke out in the food court area. She said there were definately guns drawn, and don't mean by the cops. Luckily no one got shot, but I don't recall if they ever made any arrests over it. Things like this have already caused many Toledoans to vow to never go back there again.

So if how they've treated their Toledo mall has any indication on how they run their business, then I hope they stay away from Sandusky.

what is a mall?

Yep...I've been working on and off in retail management at Franklin Park now for 12 years...and you can definitely tell the difference since Westfield has taken over.

The gangs tend to be a HUGE problem. They don't necessarily "assault" anyone regularly, but they have approached guests and intimidated them. I, myself, have had to call Security as well as the mall offices and nothing has been done. The "I don't care" attitude is very much a sad reality here.

It is a shame because the new wing which opened last year is absolutely beautiful and definitely worth the visit!! Not to mention that many of the stores are new to the Toledo area. We can only think positive and hope security improves because the facility is exceptional.

In the meantime, for dining purposes and a nice outside atmosphere, check out The Towne Centre at Levis Commons in Perrysburg. There are NOT a lot of stores at this outdoor mall, but many fine dining options and a great environment to enjoy. It is 2 exits south of the 80/90 Turnpike,...about 1 hour WEST of Sandusky. A nice trip to "get away" for CP employees.

Wow... if Meijer were to leave that would be devestating for CP Employees... I will never forget my late night trips there, people rushing in last minute for alcohol sales, and employees asking for rides back to the park....