‘It’s like losing family’: Mall tenants react to condemnation
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STEUBENVILLE -- Gina Pierro was having trouble coming up with words to describe pulling up to the Fort Steuben Mall on Tuesday to find the doors locked, the lights out and no foot traffic.
Sad, she said. A little frustrated, maybe even angry, were all that came to mind for the woman who, with her now 84-year-old mother, has operated Merle Norman Cosmetics for the past 40 years.
"None of us wanted it to get to this point. We hoped they'd at least do something with the front part (main entrance corridor)," she said. "I'm not sure where to go at this point. There's not a lot of options out there -- it's hard to find reasonable rent."
Before the start of business, city officials had posted signs announcing the building, with three exceptions, had been "CONDEMNED as DANGEROUS and UNSAFE" and advising the handful of tenants still there they must cease operations immediately. They have 30 days to vacate the premises.
The order does not apply to 7 Ranges, JCPenney or Walmart, all of which have their own rooflines as well as exterior egress.
Within hours of the signs going up, Aaron's Rent to Own had a rental truck parked in front of its exterior entrance, and workers were gathering merchandise to transfer to another location. The doors to Sally Beauty remained locked and the lights dimmed, though merchandise still lined the shelves. Cato Fashions also was locked.
The Ville Restaurant and Bar continued serving patrons Tuesday. Its owner declined to comment, but others familiar with the situation said he had told them Friday would be his last day operating at the location.
Pierro said it's like losing part of her family, explaining some of the "girls" working at Merle Norman have been there from the start, as have many customers. She said she worries for all of them.
"It's not that a lot of people were going in the mall," Pierro said. "But the businesses that were still there were holding their own. After 40 years, we were holding our own. It was a little tough, but we were able to hang on."
City officials had warned the mall's owner, Mississippi-based Total Finance, they were prepared to condemn the property unless the company hired a professional to come up with a plan for addressing a litany of building and fire safety code violations discovered in the portion of the building it controls. Total Finance was given 60 days to take action -- the last 30 an extension its owner requested -- but the deadline passed Saturday with no action being taken.
A follow-up inspection by building officials found worsening conditions, including continued structural and interior deterioration, "visible cracking" in glass panels at the front of one storefront and widening gaps above emergency corridors, "indicating continued structural movement."
"The condemnation order basically says everybody has to cease business operations immediately and they have 30 days to get their stuff out of the buildings," City Manager Mike Johnson said, adding that when officials checked back later in the day, they found the main doors had been locked.
"We didn't lock them," he said. "We believe the mall owner locked those doors, but they have to give the tenants the ability to get their stuff out."
Johnson said he's been told the owner "believes he has a buyer." He also pointed out the city "can't do anything. Even if we were sitting on $30 million and the had money to tear it down, we couldn't do anything. The owner has the right to fix the building in the next two years."
He said after that, he hopes they can work with the Jefferson County Land bank to tear it down and "hopefully redevelop the area."
Ron Ferguson, whose family owns 7 Ranges, said there are "still a lot of really good businesses right here that are staying open." He also pointed out the mall property is "one of the key pieces of land in the greater Steubenville area."
"We've got 7 Ranges, we've got Walmart and JCPenney," he said. "We've got a couple restaurants out here, like Eat'n Park and Texas Roadhouse, so there's still a lot of real draw to this area. I don't know exactly what's going to happen to the mall, but I'm optimistic there's good going to come."