[workerbee]

At deadmalls.com, there are references to the racial issues of both of these malls. At any of the malls within a 40-mile or so radius of me, it comes down to racial demographics.

[bicyclerepair]

Back when I had a job, I used to like going to the store or mall and buying stuff. Boy I miss having money.

[nascarnation]

Both are in the Cleveland area.
I remember riding my dirt bike on the site of Randall Park Mall back in the late 60s.

[Farmer Dean]

Rolling Acres mall was doing fine until Akron extended the bus line to them.Suddenly there were thugs in the mall and whtes stopped going there.
Randal Park mall had a bad location,period.We used to call ir Randall Dark mall.

[hinckley buzzard]

I am familiar with Randall Park mall. Used to shop there. It died at the hands of bands of menacing thugs who hung out till all hours, stole whatever they could, harassed and threatened the shoppers. When the shoppers no longer felt safe they stopped coming and the mall died on the vine. Many malls are thriving but not in "transitional" neighborhoods.

[katana]

Both malls became primary haunts of, yes, one particular Cleveland ethnic community. Rolling Acres Mall actually acquired a nickname which I will only quote here in part, “Strolling ... Mall”. I’m sure you can guess the missing word. The time a long frozen body of a parking lot murder victim showed up in a mountainous pile of shoveled snow in the mall’s parking lot was just one of many incidents that somehow put the rest of the community off patronizing the place.

[VerySadAmerican]

When malls were built, just like the big box stores, the residential property values fall. Eventually they become high crime areas and business falls off.