I'm a two level enclosed mall built in 1975. I've got five four three anchors, although since my buddy Target closed in February and Dillard's closed in September. I'm the second largest mall in northeast Ohio behind Randall Park - I'm over 1,300,000 square feet. Once the most popular mall in Akron, I've suffered from some bad press in the last decade or so. But don't be scurred, I'm as friendly as ever. Even friendlier!
Neither this site nor this page is affiliated with Rolling Acres Mall management or ownership. If you are looking for the official Rolling Acres Mall site, click here .
Top Myths About Rolling Acres:
..Required Reading
Q: Didn't, like, somebody get shot during a showing of Boyz N the Hood, or something?
A: No. After a showing of New Jack City in 1991, two guys got into a fight over a coat. During the ruckus, one of them knocked over a metal sign. This was interpreted by the crowd as a gunshot. However, there were no guns and no shots.
Q: Rolling Acres is really dangerous, right?
A: No. A recent report by Channel 5 revealed Chapel Hill to have the highest crime rate in the Cleveland-Akron region.
Q: But isn't that because Chapel Hill actually has people there?
A: No, but that's a good point. The most common crimes at shopping malls are car break-ins and car thefts. In this respect, the number of shoppers is mostly immaterial. And, if you use the number of shoppers as a gauge, both Summit Mall and Tower City in Cleveland actually have about 1/3 of the crime that Chapel Hill does, with Rolling Acres somewhere in the middle. The ultimate point is that that the negative perception of Rolling Acres (even when it was busy) never really matched up with reality.
Q: Haha, Strolling Afros has no white people.
A: No. True, while the mall has a diverse consumer population, a large proportion of Rolling Acres shoppers have always come from Barberton, Copley, Norton, Wadsworth, Orrville, etc.
Q: Isn't the mall going to close?
A: Yes. Rolling Acres, excluding remaining anchors Sears and J.C.Penney, will close when the electricity service is turned off due to nonpayment by the beginning of November, 2008. The mall is also in arrears on property taxes, which puts it in jeopardy of being sold in a tax lien sale.
Q: Isn't the mall going to be torn down?
A: Not... yet.
Q: Isn't the mall going to be turned into senior citizen housing?
A: No. The myth of the senior citizen housing arose from a recent Beacon Journal article on a man who thought it would be a good idea to do just that. However, that's all it was - an article. No action has been taken on this idea.
Q: Isn't the mall going to be turned into low income housing?
A: No. This myth has arisen from the City of Akron's recent campaign to build new, affordable housing for low- to moderate-income individuals. Although they have constructed an admirable amount of new housing (particularly City View in West Akron and Honodle in Goodyear Heights), Rolling Acres is not and has not been on the slate for this. In fact, the majority of the Romig Road vicinity is not even zoned residential.
Q: Isn't the mall going to be turned into a golf course?
A: No. This stems from Mud Run Park, located between S. Hawkins Ave. and Romig Rd, which does feature golfing facilities. While close by, it is definitely not the mall.
Q: Isn't the mall going to be turned into light manufacturing?
A: Not as of yet. This is the most plausible avenue of action, but nothing has been done yet. However, the city has been gunning for this angle since before the mall was built. In fact, a 1986 Beacon Journal article quotes a then-City Council President Don Plusquellic lamenting the fact that the neighborhood was not turned into light manufacturing from the beginning. Bear in mind this statement was made when the Rolling Acres - Romig Road vicinity was booming with retail.
Fan Photos:
Doe-na da Llama
.a.n.g.i.e.
Kelly
rae circa '89-'90
Steve the Ninja
Love Amidst Falling Debris, 2006
Shane
kaTHErine*
Brittnee
Fast times in the big city...
Short. Yellow. No, this isn't our bus.
May the excitement never end.
[ More ]
Kafka
Mirror, mirror...
[ More ]
Emmy 's man, packing the heat
Kyle K
Heath
MR_M1KEY
Bugbuster
Pennsylvania Tourist Jess
joey d..
Tom
