Rolling Acres, Akron, Ohio facts for kids
Rolling Acres was once a very busy shopping area in Akron, Ohio. It grew up around the Rolling Acres Mall, which used to be a very popular place to shop. For a while, it was the most visited mall in Northeast Ohio! But over time, things changed. Many stores closed, and now Rolling Acres looks very different from its busy past.
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What Was Rolling Acres?
Rolling Acres was a large shopping district in Akron, Ohio. It was planned in the 1960s. The idea was to create a big area with many stores. The Rolling Acres Mall was the main attraction, like the heart of the shopping area. Even though some people worried that another mall would hurt other stores in Akron, the Rolling Acres area became very successful.
A Popular Shopping Spot
At its best, Rolling Acres was a very popular place. Shoppers came from many different parts of Akron and nearby towns like Barberton, Ohio. It was known for having a wide variety of stores. This made it a favorite spot for families and friends to visit.
Stores You Could Find There
The Rolling Acres shopping district had many large stores. These were often called "big box" retailers. Here are some of the well-known stores that were once part of Rolling Acres:
- Handy Andy Home Improvement Center (used to be Forest City) – closed in 1996
- Ames (used to be Hills & Gold Circle) - closed in 2002
- Apples Grocery Store - closed in 2000
- Pet Supplies Plus – closed in 2002
- Fretter – closed down in 1996
- Toys "R" Us – closed in 2006
- Kids "R" Us – this store location closed
- Officemax – closed in 2003
- Coconuts Music – this store location closed
- Marc's (used to be Children's Palace) – closed in 2004
Why Things Changed
Over time, many stores in Rolling Acres started to close. This happened for a few reasons. One reason was that the economy in the area wasn't growing much. Also, there were too many stores in the region, so not enough people were shopping at all of them.
For example, the Target store closed in February 2006. A new Target opened in a different town nearby, Wadsworth, Ohio. Toys R' Us also closed its store in Rolling Acres. This was part of a bigger plan by the company to close some of its stores.
Today, the city of Akron no longer sees Rolling Acres as a good place for shopping. Many of the buildings are empty or used for different things, like flea markets. As Rolling Acres became less popular, another area called Montrose grew. Many of the stores that used to be in Rolling Acres can now be found there.
