Whether you’re looking for the latest fashions at Macy’s Department Store or buying your groceries and holiday décor at Wal-Mart Super Center, the small one-floor Fort Steuben Mall has what you are looking for.
The mall is located in Steubenville, Ohio located in the Ohio River Valley.
When it comes to entertainment, catch the latest movies at the Carmike Cinemas 6, play a round of indoor glow-in-the-dark mini-golf in the Lunar Mini Golf (formerly National Record Mart), or play a game in the mall’s independently-owned arcade (located near the mini-golf).
The arcade takes the place of the former Tilt and Aladdin’s Castle.
There are plenty of food choices in the mall including outparcel restaurant Eat ‘n Park, and in the mall proper, The Ville Restaurant, Quizno’s Subs (with a mall and exterior entrance), Corrado’s Pizza, Imperial China Buffet, Long John Silver’s/A&W; Root Beer (with a mall and exterior entrance), Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Great American Cookie Company, Pretzel Time, and Hershey’s Ice Cream.
As a child visiting nearby relatives, I remember when the mall (originally built with 750,000 square feet GLA space) used to have a Woolworth 5&10 Department Store with a separate sit-down snack bar, heard stories about the now walled-off restaurant on the upper level of Kaufmann’s Department Store, a small Rite Aid Pharmacy with an actual prescription pick-up area (near today’s J.C. Penney store), Elby’s Big Boy Restaurant with buffet (now today’s Auntie Anne’s and Hershey’s Ice Cream) and the small food court (also near today’s JC Penney store).
The mall formerly had an 80,000 square foot Hills Department Store as an outparcel building, within walking distance (even though it was quite awkward) to the movie theater, Hills was later was bought out by Ames Department Store before it too went out of business.
The interior of the mall was shortened slightly when the mall owners signed a deal to bring Wal-Mart Super Center onto the mall property.
For a period, Fort Steuben Mall had directory fliers stating the mall was “Chchchanging…” alluding to a number of changes that Wal-Mart Super Center (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 364 days a year) would make to the mall.
Sears would move out of its small and aging 120,000 square foot one-story location and build a new, larger two-floor store with the lower level having mall and parking lot entrances.
Today’s Sears features an optical department, H&R; Block Tax Service, Sears Hair Studio and each department received more space in the new store.
JC Penney moved out of its 100,125 square foot building at one end of the mall and they built a smaller store at the former Sears location.
Today’s JC Penney features a JC Penney Hair Salon and catalog pick-up area.
A small portion of the mall, including the former JC Penney building and several small specialty stores (including a weird hallway going only to pay lockers and a parking lot) were demolished.
That led to the elimination of the once-popular JC Penney court with a water fountain and which housed a large Long John Silver’s Restaurant and Woolworths, later converted into Motif’s Furniture Store.
The 130,000 square foot Kaufmann’s (now Macy’s) is the only anchor department store remaining in its original location.
The interior of the mall today is anchored by a one-floor JC Penney, two-floor Sears (with elevator and escalator access), two-floor (elevator and escalator access) Macy’s, a Steve and Barry’s (formerly a 26,000 square foot Goody’s Family Clothing Store), and a Carmike Cinemas 6 with six digital screens.
In front of Macy’s is the mall’s main court which is used for the mall’s special events and the annual Santa Claus visit.
The court used to have Kaufmann’s spelled out with yellow lights around the K while the new Macy’s sign looks like the typical Macy’s sign seen at most major malls with a white star in front of the name.
The interior of the store only slightly changed with different merchandise.
The dated 1970’s look is still the norm inside this store paying a nostalgic look at the feel of the mall when it first opened in 1974 as the first mall serving the Ohio Valley area.
While entering the movie theater requires walking down the corridor near the present-day JC Penney and going outside and walking down the sidewalk to the end of the theater building, there is a set of exit-only doors allowing theater patrons to leave the theater and enter directly into the mall.
The Wal-Mart Super Center can be accessed by walking past the Mall Customer Services Desk, leaving the mall proper by going outside the mall entrance doors, and descend concrete steps, to turn the corner and walk a few hundred feet to one of two main entrances to Wal-Mart Super Center.
Wal-Mart Super Center is physically connected to the mall but requires patrons to walk outside to access.
On a recent day, I saw several people walking between the mall and Wal-Mart proving that not everyone is lazy enough to resort to driving to different destinations that are within walking distance, this is the theory that has elevated the popularity to lifestyle centers.
Wal-Mart includes a full grocery department, SmartStyle hair salon, a vision center, a nail salon, We’re Rolling Pretzel Company, and Subway.
This is the first Wal-Mart I have been two with two eateries and this is the first “We’re Rolling Pretzel Company” location I have seen.
That eatery, unlike Subway, has an order window with no seating.
Outparcel buildings on the mall property include Dick’s Sporting Goods (formerly Hills then Ames), Eat ‘n Park Restaurant (designed to resemble a diner and located at the Wal-Mart end of the mall), WesBankCo with bank teller drive-thru window (located near the JC Penney end of the mall), and Sears Automotive: Tire and Battery (somewhat of a longer walk to the new location of the rest of Sears).
The lifestyle portion of the mall includes an Aaron’s (with a mall and parking lot entrance), Cato, and Pets Supplies Plus.
All three of those were part of the former Family Toy Warehouse, a large toy store in the mall (with both mall and exterior entrances) which had a larger variety of toys than Kay-Bee Toys.
Sidewalks allow connections between the mall main entrance near Quizno’s Subs and the lifestyle portion to the Long John Silver’s end of the mall and eventually to Wal-Mart SuperCenter.
Public restrooms in the mall are located in Sears, JC Penney, Macy’s, Wal-Mart, Dick’s, and off the main mall corridor near the Macy’s mall entrance.
Soda, iced coffee, and snack vending machines are located between Sears and JC Penney and between Steve and Barry’s and Macy’s.
A variety of candy vending machines is located between Sears and JC Penney as well.
Directory signs are located near Sam Goody’s, near Carmike Cinemas 6, and near Quizno’s Subs.
Directory maps are located solely at the mall’s customer service desk near Waldenbooks.
The mall management office is located to the left of Macy’s.
There is a bus stop located near the exterior entrance to Quizno’s Subs.
Summer of 2006 was not a good summer for the mall when it had numerous vacancies and the mall was forced to fix flooring problems which forced retailers such as Spencer’s Gifts to move out of the mall when repeated complaints led to no solutions.
The Christmas 2007 season led to a mall with only a few vacancies including one of a former Hallmark store leading the mall, which once had two card and gift shops (a Hello Shop and Hallmark), to have none. Today’s mall is quite different than it was in the past.
The mall is located at 100 Mall Drive, Steubenville, OH and is located near U.S. Route 22, John Scott Memorial Highway, and Lovers Lane.
It is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
