Central Ohio has seen a wave of big-box store closings in the past few months, from home-grown Big Lots to Party City and Joann Fabrics. We took a look at the impact these vacancies might have on the area and found some surprises.
Big empty boxes
With the help of the commercial real-estate service Costar, we documented how much retail space sits empty in central Ohio and found the answer: more than 3 million square feet, or about 25 Walmart stores. While that seems like a lot, it’s less than 4% of all retail space in the area. More surprising: retail experts say the new vacancies left by Big Lots, Party City and Joann Fabrics might not be such a bad thing because they open up needed spaces in places retailers want to be.
Eastland bound
One part of town awash in empty big boxes is around Eastland Mall. City and neighborhood officials last week unveiled Eastland for Everyone , a 280-page report that documents what neighbors…..