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For more than 50 years, the giant building at 1404 Old Aberdeen Road has been a mall. But how that mall has looked has changed drastically over the past few years.
Georgia-based Hull Property Group purchased the mall in October 2019 through an online auction for $3.5 million. In 2023, the group changed the mall’s name from Leigh Mall to Columbus Place, indicating new things to come.
Hull Property Group Vice President of Government Relations John Mulherin said renovations designed to flip the mall “inside-out” are almost complete.
“We’re still very bullish on the community and the market and look forward to great things,” Mulherin said. “Once we finish all of this work, it’s going to be a shopping experience that not only the people of Columbus, but the people of the region can be proud of.”
So, what’s going on at Columbus Place? What has changed? What is still left to be done? And what stores are in the mall now?
What has changed at Columbus Place?
Mulherin said the goal of renovations was to create an “outward facing power center.” That flip, which Mulherin previously estimated to The Dispatch would cost about $24 million, is almost complete.
On Oct. 24, 2022, demolition of the interior of the mall began, including demolishing the old JCPenney, the Zales Jewelry Store and Books-A-Million.
The Hull Group also demolished the old Sears Auto Center on the southwest corner of the lot. Sears was the first store to open in the mall in 1972.
In 2023, the mall received a new exterior with new spaces for retailers, adding 13 new outward-facing places for tenants and bringing the total number of spaces in the shopping center to 37.
The Columbus Place website lists 14 businesses on the mall’s current roster, including Claire’s, Cato, Prestige, Bealls, Five Below, Hobby Lobby, Mobi Care, Dollar Tree, Planet Fitness, American Deli, City Gear, Hibbett Sports, Trustmark and Hardee’s, though Trustmark and Hardee’s are outparcels.
Mulherin said some vacancies in the former interior spaces are closed off, covered with sheetrock and murals. But a few interior stores remain, including Claire’s, Bealls and American Deli.
Some retailers, like Hibbett Sports, switched from an interior location to an exterior location during the renovations. The retailer temporarily closed during the location shift but should reopen this summer.
What is still left to be done?
While the majority of the mall’s remodel is complete, Mulherin said there are still a few changes on the docket.
“The next step there on the interior will be a full interior remodel, which will include additional lighting and carpeting,” Mulherin said. “On the exterior, we need to finish the work out front first, but we’re going to redo the entire parking lot.”
Parking lot improvements will include an asphalt overlay, a restriped parking lot and improved lighting in the parking lot.
Mulherin said Hull Property Group also purchased the gas station on Highway 45, formerly owned by Dutch Oil, in front of the mall property, with the intention of tearing the building down. He said the group submitted a demolition permit to the city on Thursday.
Once the building is removed, Columbus Place will see another change.
“We hope to create a new sort of front entrance, if you will, right there to the new Columbus Place,” Mulherin said.
Mulherin said he hopes to have the rest of the changes completed by the end of the summer, but he is not sure on the exact timeline for the work.
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