Hobby Lobby close to opening day

The Tiffin Mall is evidence that everything old can be new again. First opened in 1980 with a Kmart and JCPenney as anchor retailers, the mall has experienced substantial store and venue closings in recent years, including the August 2024 closing of the Cinemark Movie Theatre. The mall was at risk of becoming a dead mall. Recent developments, however, have given the space new life and the opportunity to again be a thriving venue for the community. Not only did local investors, a group of eight community leaders who comprise the Seneca Cinema & Event Center, step in to purchase the theatre to ensure it would remain open, but news broke in 2022 that Hobby Lobby would be moving into the former JCPenney space as an anchor store. Construction continues throughout the mall to bring those plans to fruition. Mall manager Dale Depew said the vision of the Seneca Cinema & Event Center investors included developing part of the mall as a conference and event center, and a 6,000-square foot venue is taking form on the west end of the property. The center will accommodate 400 people, he said, with breakout rooms off the main event space and new bathrooms that can be easily accessed by guests. The goal of the new space is to offer a "classy" venue, Depew said, providing another local option for receptions, conferences, speakers, and other events. Planners are aiming for a summer/early fall opening, he said, and an event is already booked for October 2025. Work on the conference center space has been done by local businesses and contractors, Depew said, including Burns Bros. for granite work, Clouse Construction for electric services, and Bilger's Lawn & Landscape for stone/water features. And, since 98,000 viewers attended movie showings in 2024, he said, the Seneca Starvue theatre will continue to bring the cinema experience to guests. In addition, he said, the theatre is beginning to incorporate local products in its concession area, including MST seasoning for popcorn and bags of Ballreich chips available for purchase. While the mall is seeing a substantial transformation, Depew said developers are focused on honoring the original space and the community's memories. "Everyone has a story about the Tiffin Mall," he said. "We want to give a tribute to the old mall" while upgrading the space to a more upscale destination, he said. Moving east through the building, Depew said developers reached out within the community to ensure less waste as work continued. Restaurant equipment from the mall was purchased locally, he said, and Reclaim It has been removing items and creating saleable pieces. Depew said there has been a focus on repurposing and reusing materials. In addition, he said over time, the entire roof of the mall will be replaced, with work currently ongoing to replace the roof over Xcaret. While that replacement continues, he said, the restaurant remains open for carry-out and delivery orders. On the east end of the mall, the opening of Hobby Lobby is getting close as flooring is being installed and finish work continues. "It (Hobby Lobby) is going to be a game-changer for this end of town," Depew said. The 53,000-square-foot store, he said, will create 80 jobs for the area, and the draw of a major retailer is prompting fresh interest in the rest of the mall. "There are others now who wish to locate here," Depew said, noting there already is interest in the five available spaces within the mall. He said decisions will be made this year regarding occupancy, parking, and accessibility of those spaces. While Hobby Lobby brings in its own contractors for work on new locations, Depew said, Machine Works of Tiffin did serve as the main contractor for wall removal, other demolition, and construction of footers and columns in the retailer's space. Depew said that a hiring fair for Hobby Lobby will take place at the end of January, with Seneca Starvue hosting the event. Some job postings can be found on indeed.com now, he said.