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The Mall at Fairfield Commons

Coordinates: 39°46′02″N 84°03′21″W / 39.767084°N 84.055967°W / 39.767084; -84.055967
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mall at Fairfield Commons
Exterior view of The Mall at Fairfield Commons, May 2018
Map
LocationBeavercreek, Ohio
Opening dateOctober 27, 1993; 31 years ago (1993-10-27)
DeveloperGlimcher Realty Trust
OwnerWashington Prime Group
No. of stores and services142
No. of anchor tenants6 (5 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area1,138,746 square feet (105,793 m2)
No. of floors2
Public transit accessBus interchange RTA

The Mall at Fairfield Commons, often referred to as the Fairfield Mall, is a shopping mall in Beavercreek, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Dayton. The mall was opened in 1993 and has two floors. The anchor stores are Macy's, J. C. Penney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Round 1 Entertainment, and Morris Home Furniture.[1] There is one vacant anchor store, formerly Elder-Beerman. Located adjacent to Interstate 675, it is near a golf course, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Wright State University and the Nutter Center entertainment complex. The mall is located just south of the interstate on North Fairfield Road (Veterans Memorial Highway), a main thoroughfare through Beavercreek.[2] It offers over 140 different shops, department stores and restaurants, including a food court.[3]

The Mall at Fairfield Commons is owned and operated by Washington Prime Group.

History

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After a few days of soft openings with invited guests, the mall opened to the public on October 27, 1993[4][5] with a 150,800 sq ft (14,010 m2) Elder-Beerman, a 130,000 sq ft (12,077 m2) Parisian, a 127,922 sq ft (11,884 m2) Sears and a 126,364 sq ft (11,740 m2) J. C. Penney as anchors.[6][7][8][9][10]

The J. C. Penney store in the mall replaced two other locations in the area: one in the Airway Shopping Center in then-Mad River Township (now Riverside) and a smaller store in Xenia.[10] The mall's basic layout is a straight concourse connected to a diagonal concourse connected to another straight concourse; J. C. Penney's placement within the layout allows it to have two sets of interior public entrances on both floors: one set opens to the end of one of the straight concourses, while the other set opens to the middle of the other straight concourse. This configuration is unlike some malls that require customers to move through an anchor store to reach other parts of the mall; customers do not have to move through J. C. Penney to reach any other area of the mall.

A 151,552 sq ft (14,080 m2) Lazarus (now Macy's) opened on September 23, 1994, with the official grand opening from September 30 to October 2; the store opened almost a year later than the other four anchors due to the 1992 emergence of Lazarus' parent company, Federated Department Stores, from bankruptcy reorganization, and also due to Lazarus' earlier commitment to a competing mall project.[11][12][13]

An 85,498 sq ft (7,943 m2) Dick's Sporting Goods store opened in 2004.[6] Although two stories, the store's only interior public entrance is on the upper level, off the food court.

In fall 2007, The Bon-Ton Stores, owner of Elder-Beerman, converted the existing Parisian store to an additional Elder-Beerman location, housing women’s clothing, cosmetics, shoes and accessories. The existing Elder-Beerman store was reconfigured to house its men's, children's and home departments on the upper level, and a new furniture gallery on the lower level.[14]

In April 2014, Elder-Beerman announced that it would consolidate its two mall locations back into its original location and eliminate the furniture gallery; the consolidation was complete on August 20, 2014.[15][16][17] The vacated portion of the mall was demolished in early 2015;[18][19] it was replaced between late 2015 and 2018 with six restaurants: two attached to the mall but with exterior-only public entrances,[20][21] and four freestanding.[22][23][24] An additional freestanding restaurant in the space is scheduled to open in fall 2018.[25]

Elder-Beerman closed on August 29, 2018, due to the bankruptcy of parent company The Bon-Ton.[26][27]

After a September 18, 2018 announcement that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 12 locations nationwide,[28] the store closed on December 9, 2018.[29][30]

The lower level of the former Sears store opened as Round One Entertainment on November 23, 2019.[28][31]

In spite of the fact that there had yet been no announcement that the Sears store would either be vacated or reduced in size, on July 26, 2018, it was announced that The RoomPlace would open a home furniture store in the mall. Trade magazine Furniture Today claimed that a 57,000-square-foot (5,300 m2) store was then scheduled to open in fall 2019 in the upper level of the Sears space.[32][33][34][35] The RoomPlace plans were confirmed on September 18, 2018, when the Sears closing was announced,[28] and were reaffirmed as late as February 13, 2020.[36] On February 25, 2020, it was announced that locally-based regional chain Morris Home Furniture would be opening instead in the upper level of the former Sears store, with The RoomPlace confirming two days later that it had shelved its plans to enter the Dayton market. The Morris showroom was tentatively scheduled to open in spring 2020.[37][38]

From June 20 to August 2022, Morris offered a pop-up clearance and closeout location in the former Elder-Beerman space.[39]

In February 2024, it was reported that Dick's Sporting Goods planned to open a Dick's House of Sport location in the former Elder-Beerman store. The facility is planned to allow patrons to practice and try out gear, and to provide space for patrons to hold events. It is also planned to include a climbing wall; golf simulators; multi-sport cages for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer; an outdoor track; and an outdoor turf field which could be used as a winter skating rink. The plans for the existing Dick's Sporting Goods store were not reported.[40]

Non-retail uses

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In December 2020, it was reported that Mosaic Church, an almost three-year-old congregation which had been holding services in area movie theaters and parking lots, would move to one floor, approximately 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2), of the former Elder-Beerman space;[41] the church opened on the upper level on January 10, 2021.[42] As of December 2020, the mall's and University Baptist Church's websites suggested that the latter congregation would be opening a location in the lower level of the former Elder-Beerman space.[43][44]

On June 4, 2021, Beavercreek-headquartered developer Synergy & Mills Development announced that in partnership with the mall's owner, Washington Prime Group, it would convert the entire former Elder-Beerman building into office, laboratory, and research and development space. The over $10 million project, which was to be called "The Meridian", would be built on spec starting in late 2021. The developers expected the complex to be popular with defense contractors due to nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, but would also market the space to prospective tenants in other industries. As of June 2021, it was unknown when Mosaic and University Baptist churches would be expected to leave their spaces.[45][46] In February 2024, it was reported that this plan had not proceeded.[40]

From January 14 through February 27, 2022, "Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition", a traveling art exhibit reproducing the frescos on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, appeared at the mall in the upper level of the former Elder-Beerman store.[47][48][49]

References

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  1. ^ "Mall Information". Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  2. ^ "Mall Location". Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  3. ^ "Directory of Stores". Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  4. ^ Beyerlein, Tom (October 27, 1993). "Developers Think They Spotted a Need: Fairfield Commons Mall". Dayton Daily News. p. 1A. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  5. ^ Bohman, Jim (October 28, 1993). "They Came, They Saw, They Spent: Mall Crowds Could Signal Instant Success". Dayton Daily News. p. 6A. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Property records". Geographic Information Management System. Greene County, Ohio Auditor. Parcel B42000400030000400. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  7. ^ Staff (June 20, 1993). "The Bottom Line". Business. Dayton Daily News. p. 3F. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  8. ^ Moss, Meredith (August 7, 1993). "It's in Fashion to Open Retail Stores in Area". WeekendLife. Dayton Daily News. p. 1C. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  9. ^ Bohman, Jim (October 23, 1993). "Sears Goes High-Fashion, but You Can Still Buy Paint or Oven". Dayton Daily News. p. 4B. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  10. ^ a b Bohman, Jim (October 16, 1993). "Penney Ready to Dazzle, Lift Shoppers' Eyes". Metro. Dayton Daily News. p. 1B. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  11. ^ Bohman, Jim (May 12, 1992). "Lazarus to Join Greene Mall". Business. Dayton Daily News. p. 4B. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  12. ^ "Property records". Geographic Information Management System. Greene County, Ohio Auditor. Parcel B42000400030001700. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  13. ^ Bohman, Jim (September 23, 1994). "Lazarus Joins Mall's Anchors". Business. Dayton Daily News. p. 5B. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  14. ^ McAllister, Kristin (January 10, 2007). "Bon-Ton will put E-B banner on Parisian". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  15. ^ Fisher, Mark (April 18, 2014). "Elder-Beerman to consolidate its two stores at the Mall at Fairfield Commons". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  16. ^ Fisher, Mark (July 23, 2014). "Elder-Beerman store reopens at Commons". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  17. ^ Fisher, Mark (July 22, 2014). "Elder-Beerman to celebrate grand reopening". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  18. ^ Fisher, Mark (July 19, 2014). "Part of mall to be razed to pave way for eateries". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  19. ^ Drury, Jill (January 15, 2015). "Bravo! coming to Mall at Fairfield Commons". WDTN. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  20. ^ Fisher, Mark (February 25, 2016). "Bravo/Brio to close poor-performing restaurants". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  21. ^ Salomone, Cecilia (January 17, 2018). "Second Flyboy's Deli location to open this month". Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  22. ^ Fisher, Mark (October 20, 2015). "Beavercreek mall announces 4 new stores". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  23. ^ Fisher, Mark (January 4, 2016). "BJ's Restaurant shooting for February opening". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  24. ^ Warwick, Gabi (June 28, 2017). "Two new restaurants set to come to the Mall at Fairfield Commons". WRGT-TV. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  25. ^ Fisher, Mark (June 5, 2018). "UPDATE: New BBQ restaurant coming to the Mall at Fairfield Commons". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  26. ^ Shively, Holly (August 15, 2018). "Most Elder-Beerman stores to close within next two weeks; deep discounts continue". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  27. ^ Shively, Holly (August 30, 2018). "Elder-Beerman's closure Wednesday marks end of an era". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  28. ^ a b c Shively, Holly (September 18, 2018). "Sears closing at Fairfield Commons Mall, new stores announced for space". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  29. ^ Shively, Holly (December 9, 2018). "Beavercreek Sears closing today: What to know". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  30. ^ Retana, Judith (December 9, 2018). "Beavercreek Sears closes for good". WDTN. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  31. ^ Shively, Holly (November 23, 2019). "Round1 Entertainment opens at local mall". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  32. ^ Indest, Lisa A.; Green, Kimberly A. (July 25, 2018). "The RoomPlace to Join Dynamic Tenant Lineup at Three Assets in Washington Prime Group Portfolio" (Press release). Columbus, Ohio: Washington Prime Group. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  33. ^ Filby, Max (July 26, 2018). "JUST IN: New furniture stores to open at Dayton Mall, Mall at Fairfield Commons". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  34. ^ Engel, Clint (July 26, 2018). "The RoomPlace plans Dayton expansion". Furniture Today. Progressive Business Media. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  35. ^ Boswell, Brannon (August 14, 2018). "Furniture chain moves into empty mall anchor stores". Shopping Centers Today. International Council of Shopping Centers. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  36. ^ Schroeder, Kaitlin (February 13, 2020). "Furniture chain opening Dayton-area store". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  37. ^ Fisher, Mark (February 25, 2020). "Morris Home Furnishings to add stores at both the Dayton and Fairfield Commons malls". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  38. ^ Fisher, Mark (February 27, 2020). "Morris Furniture snagged mall spaces once earmarked for another store". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  39. ^ Jones, Natalie (June 20, 2022). "Furniture store to have pop-up location at Mall at Fairfield Commons". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  40. ^ a b Bishop, London (February 6, 2024). "New sporting goods store with outdoor turf field planned for Beavercreek Mall". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  41. ^ Meibers, Bonnie (December 8, 2020). "Church to open in Mall at Fairfield Commons in former Elder-Beerman". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  42. ^ Meibers, Bonnie (January 10, 2021). "Church gets permit for former Elder-Beerman". Dayton Daily News. p. B1. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  43. ^ "University Baptist Church". Fairfield Commons Shopping Directory. Washington Prime Group. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  44. ^ "Worship Services Plan". University Baptist Church. 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  45. ^ Balduf, Jen (June 4, 2021). "Office development to transform former Elder-Beerman at Mall at Fairfield Commons". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  46. ^ Bush, John (June 7, 2021). "Former department store to be converted into $10M commercial office development". Dayton Business Journal. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  47. ^ Franks, Sarah (December 21, 2021). "Step inside Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel right here in the Miami Valley". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  48. ^ Florence Jr., Russell (January 14, 2022). "Amazing art: Sistine Chapel exhibition opens this weekend". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  49. ^ Florence Jr., Russell (February 11, 2022). "JUST IN: Sistine Chapel exhibition extends in Beavercreek". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
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39°46′02″N 84°03′21″W / 39.767084°N 84.055967°W / 39.767084; -84.055967