Indian Mound Mall

Indian Mound Mall is an enclosed shopping center in Heath, Ohio, and one of the principal retail destinations in Licking County. It opened on October 23, 1986, becoming the county’s second indoor shopping mall. The property was developed around a traditional department-store anchor model, with Elder-Beerman, JCPenney, Lazarus, and Hills among its original major tenants. Its name and early visual identity referenced the region’s Native American earthwork heritage, although the original logo also used a feather motif that represented an American Indian figure. The mall’s tenant mix has changed substantially over time in response to the decline of traditional department stores and the evolution of enclosed-mall retail. A Crown Cinema complex was added at the rear of the property in 1988. The cinema later expanded from six to eleven screens and became a Hollywood Theater. In 1997, the mall removed its central fountain and added Sears, replacing a nearby freestanding Sears location. AMC Theatres acquired the Hollywood Theater in 2016, making cinema entertainment one of the property’s continuing anchor uses. Several department-store spaces passed through successive operators. Hills was replaced by Ames in 1999, but Ames closed in 2002; Steve & Barry’s occupied the space from 2004 until it was replaced by Big Sandy Superstore in 2017. Lazarus closed in 2004, and its former space later became Goody’s before being converted for Dick’s Sporting Goods in 2011. Elder-Beerman was expanded in 1998, but the store ultimately closed on August 26, 2018. Part of that former anchor space was later adapted for Altitude Trampoline Park, which opened in November 2020. Sears remained an important anchor for many years but announced in 2019 that its Indian Mound Mall store would close as part of a nationwide closure program. The store shut in December 2019. In 2025, the former Sears building became the focus of a major adaptive-reuse plan after its purchase by the Newark Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. The proposed facility is intended to provide electrician and apprentice education, laboratories, and updated technical equipment, with stated capacity to train as many as 2,000 electricians annually. This plan reflects the mall’s transition from a conventional department-store complex toward a mixed-use community property combining retail, entertainment, fitness, education, and workforce development. The mall has also experienced contraction in its food-court and specialty-retail offering. Seraphinas coffee shop closed in 2014 after operating for more than two years, Osaka Japanese Grill ended a roughly two-decade run in 2018, and FYE departed shortly afterward. Lee’s Kitchen, described as the final food-court restaurant, closed in March 2020. Community-oriented uses have included developmental-disability and drop-in programs, although the Blend program ended following a tenant or ownership dispute during the COVID-19 period and restructuring at the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Spark Inc. and the C4 community drop-in center were identified as later replacement uses. The mall has also been associated with seasonal events, charitable collections, emergency support, and local community activities. Its current anchor and major destination uses include AMC Theatre, Big Sandy Superstore, Altitude Trampoline Park, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and JCPenney, while another former anchor space is being converted into electrical-training facilities.

Indian Mound Mall opened on October 23, 1986, in Heath, Ohio, as the second indoor shopping mall in Licking County. Its original retail concept relied on several large department-store anchors—Elder-Beerman, JCPenney, Lazarus, and Hills—supported by smaller specialty tenants and a central fountain. The name and first logo drew on local Indian-mound imagery and used a circular design with linear elements and a feather. The property added Crown Cinema at the rear in 1988. The theater later expanded from six screens to eleven and adopted the Hollywood Theater name. In 1995, Target opened beside the mall, adding a major off-mall retail draw. The mall’s physical and tenant configuration changed again in 1997, when the original fountain was removed and Sears was brought into the complex to replace a nearby freestanding location. Elder-Beerman expanded in 1998, but the long-term strength of traditional department stores subsequently weakened. Hills was replaced by Ames in 1999. Ames closed in 2002, and Steve & Barry’s moved into the vacant anchor space in 2004. Lazarus also closed in 2004, with Goody’s taking over the location in 2005. Goody’s shut down in 2008, and Dick’s Sporting Goods later occupied the space in 2011. Steve & Barry’s remained until 2017, when Big Sandy Superstore replaced it. Elder-Beerman closed on August 26, 2018, leaving a large vacant area that was later partly repurposed for Altitude Trampoline Park. Specialty and food tenants also turned over during this period. Seraphinas coffee shop closed in 2014. Osaka Japanese Grill, after approximately twenty years at the mall, closed in 2018, and FYE left soon afterward. Lee’s Kitchen closed in March 2020 and was described as the last restaurant in the food court. The mall also hosted community-oriented programs, including a developmental-disability initiative known as Blend. That program ended amid a dispute involving the tenant or operator during the COVID-19 lockdown period and restructuring at the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Spark Inc. and the C4 community drop-in center were identified as later community uses. The former Sears store became a major redevelopment opportunity after Sears announced its closure in 2019 and shut the location in December of that year. In 2025, the Newark Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee purchased the building and began developing plans for a trade school and training center for electricians and apprentices. The proposed facility is intended to support larger laboratories, modern training equipment, and annual training capacity of up to 2,000 electricians, including preparation for specialized electrical systems used by large technology companies. In its current form, Indian Mound Mall is no longer defined solely by department-store shopping. Its major destinations include AMC Theatre, Big Sandy Superstore, Altitude Trampoline Park, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and JCPenney. Fitness, entertainment, community programs, seasonal activities, charitable collections, and the planned electrical-training center broaden the property’s role within the Heath and Licking County communities.

• 2025

  Former Sears building planned as electrical-training center

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Newark Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee acquired the former Sears building for a planned electrician and apprentice-training facility.

• 2020

  Altitude Trampoline Park opens

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Altitude Trampoline Park opened on November 18 in part of the former Elder-Beerman space.

• 2019

  Sears closure announced

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears announced the closure of the Indian Mound Mall location.

• 2018

  Elder-Beerman closes

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Elder-Beerman closed on August 26 after occupying an expanded anchor space.

• 2017

  Big Sandy replaces Steve & Barry's

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Big Sandy Superstore moved into the space formerly occupied by Steve & Barry's.

• 2016

  AMC acquires theater

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  AMC Theatres acquired the Hollywood Theater.

• 2011

  Dick's Sporting Goods takes former Goody's space

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former Lazarus and Goody's location became a Dick's Sporting Goods store.

• 1997

  Sears and expanded cinema arrive

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The central fountain was removed, Sears replaced a nearby freestanding store, and the theater expanded to eleven screens.

• 1995

  Target opens beside the mall

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Target opened next to the mall, expanding the surrounding retail offer.

• 1988

  Crown Cinema added

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A cinema complex was added to the rear of the mall.

• 1986

  Mall opens in Heath

  [1]Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Indian Mound Mall opened on October 23 with Elder-Beerman, JCPenney, Lazarus, and Hills as original anchor stores.

A regional enclosed shopping center that combines traditional retail anchors with entertainment, recreation, fitness, community services, and emerging workforce-training uses.

• Cinema and entertainment · 1988

  AMC Theatre

  The mall’s cinema operation originated as Crown Cinema, expanded from six to eleven screens, and later operated as Hollywood Theater. AMC Theatres acquired the theater in 2016, making first-run movie entertainment a continuing anchor use within the property.

• Furniture and home furnishings · 2017

  Big Sandy Superstore

  Big Sandy Superstore occupies the former Steve & Barry’s anchor location. Its presence represents the mall’s shift from a department-store-centered tenant mix toward larger specialty retail focused on furniture, mattresses, appliances, and home-related merchandise.

• Recreation and family entertainment · 2020

  Altitude Trampoline Park

  Altitude Trampoline Park opened in November 2020 in part of the former Elder-Beerman space. It adds an experiential recreational use to the mall, broadening the property beyond conventional shopping and providing activities for families and younger visitors.

• Sporting goods · 2011

  Dick's Sporting Goods

  Dick’s Sporting Goods occupies the former Lazarus and Goody’s anchor location. The store provides sporting equipment, athletic apparel, footwear, and related outdoor merchandise and serves as one of the mall’s principal large-format retail tenants.

• Department store · 1986

  JCPenney

  JCPenney is one of Indian Mound Mall’s original anchors and remains part of its current anchor lineup. The department store traditionally provides apparel, accessories, beauty products, home merchandise, and seasonal goods.

• Workforce education and technical training · 2025

  Newark Electrical JATC training center

  The Newark Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee is developing a trade-school and apprentice-training facility in the former Sears building. Plans call for expanded laboratories and updated equipment, with stated capacity to train as many as 2,000 electricians each year.

• Community relief and charitable support

  Licking County, Ohio

  The mall has been associated with community-support activities including pet-food collections for older residents, emergency access for families affected by flooding, and seasonal assistance efforts during the COVID-19 period.

  Outcome. The available reference material confirms the activities but does not provide quantified participation or fundraising results.

  Source
• Holiday and family events

  Licking County, Ohio

  Indian Mound Mall has promoted seasonal Christmas and family-oriented programming, including community holiday activities and Santa-related events.

  Outcome. Specific attendance and commercial results are not available in the supplied material.

  Source

• 2025

  Adaptive reuse of former Sears buildingStrategy

  Background

  Sears closed the mall location in December 2019, leaving a large anchor building available for redevelopment.

  Action taken

  The Newark Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee purchased the building and began planning a trade school and technical-training center for electricians and apprentices.

  Aftermath

  The planned facility could introduce a substantial workforce-development use and provide capacity for up to 2,000 electrician trainees annually, according to the supplied reference material.

  Source

• 2020

  Launch of Altitude Trampoline ParkProduct launch

  Background

  The closure of Elder-Beerman left substantial anchor space available for reuse.

  Action taken

  Altitude Trampoline Park opened on November 18 in part of the former department-store space.

  Aftermath

  The project added an experiential and recreational destination to the mall’s tenant mix.

  Source

• 1997

  Reconfigure central mall space and add SearsStrategy

  Background

  The mall was adjusting its physical layout and anchor offer several years after opening.

  Action taken

  Management removed the original central fountain, added Sears, and expanded the cinema from six to eleven screens.

  Aftermath

  The changes increased the property’s large-format retail and entertainment capacity, although later department-store closures led to further repositioning.

  Source

1. 1Indian Mound Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Indian Mound Mall official websiteindianmoundmall.com