Several Tower City Center tenants have fond childhood memories of the mall where they now run their businesses. They recall taking the Rapid to Tower City and going to the movies, tossing coins in the dancing fountain, and seeing the holiday decorations there.
Jason Russell, the vice president of operations and leasing at Bedrock, the real estate company that bought Tower City Center in 2016, enjoyed the Disney Store and Warner Brothers Store.
Those two stores and the movie theater aren’t there anymore, and an indoor park has replaced the fountain. But Russell said Bedrock is working on transforming Tower City into “a destination marketplace” in the heart of the city.
“We really want to create a space where there is food and beverage and retail and entertainment for all to enjoy,” Russell said.
Signs in the mall advertise spaces available for rent and tease businesses that will be opening soon. Bedrock declined to share Tower City’s vacancy rate. In October 2022, Cleveland Business Journal reported that the mall’s occupancy was slightly over 55%. The food court, also known as The Eatery, has just two open spaces, Russell said.
Eleven businesses have opened at Tower City in 2023, including two recent additions: Mike the Hatter, a hat shop, and Shake & Slide, a ’70s-themed burger and milkshake joint. Apple Jax Toys, which sells both vintage and modern toys, is celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, and The Astro Restaurant, a sci-fi themed restaurant and bar, expects to open at the Hard Rock Cafe’s former space in early 2024.
This year, three businesses opened in the food court (Media Luna, Yes It’s Fresh/Everybody Eatz, and Cleveland Sandwich Co.), and Milk + Honey coffee shop, Kouture Kreationz Cake Studio, Echelon Brand barber, The Blush Gallery makeup shop, Darlafoxx formalwear store, and In My Bag leather bag store, opened in the rest of the mall.
The two upcoming businesses and several new and existing tenants said they want more businesses to open at Tower City. They’re also excited about Bedrock’s $3.5 billion, 20-year plan to redevelop Tower City and the riverfront.
New businesses at Tower City
Apple Jax Toys, which also has locations in Lakewood and Chagrin Falls, is opening in the former temporary Cavs Team Shop. It offers board games, action figures, dolls, comics, and toys like GI Joe and Strawberry Shortcake, Diana Hlywiak, who owns the toy store with her husband Allen Singleton, said in an email. Customers can also bring in their own old toys to trade or sell to Apple Jax, according to the store’s website. Opening at Tower City will allow the toy store to host events and carry larger merchandise, Hlywiak said in the email.
Mike the Hatter, a family-owned hat shop established in 1937, held its grand opening at Tower City on Monday, Nov. 13. The hat shop, which also has another location downtown at the 5th Street Arcades, cleans, customizes, and repairs hats in addition to selling them.
“Hats are back,” store manager Gavin Reiland said. “I think that they never went out of style. Truthfully, I think people might have. So more hats is always a good thing.”
Reiland said Mike the Hatter opened at Tower City “to be on the ground floor” of what Bedrock is creating. Bedrock reached out to the hat shop and had been trying to bring them to the mall for a while, Reiland said. After seeing the space, they decided to come to Tower City.
Atasia Etheridge, the owner of Shake & Slide, a new restaurant on the second floor, said she wants to be part of the revitalization at Tower City too. The milkshake and burger bar has gotten a lot of traffic since opening on Oct. 25. The space is also available to rent out for events, Etheridge said.
Etheridge enjoys coming up with creative concept ideas for restaurants. For Shake & Slide, she focused on perfecting the ’70s decor. Popular menu items include a strawberry crunch shake named after Cleveland Municipal Court Clerk Earle B. Turner, “The Isley Brothers” Cookie Monster shake, and the burgers and “Super Fly Wings.”
The owners of The Haunted House Restaurant in Cleveland Heights are bringing another themed restaurant to Tower City early next year. Inspired by movies like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Men in Black, The Astro Restaurant will take the Hard Rock Cafe’s old spot in Tower City, which has been vacant since 2016.
The owners were not planning to open another restaurant when Bedrock reached out, managing partner Andre Scott said, but like Mike the Hatter, they eventually changed their minds after seeing the space.
Scott said he wants to make eating at The Astro Restaurant an experience for patrons, with sci-fi murals and decorations, a Men in Black-themed bar, and wait staff dressed in character. The restaurant will have a staff of 60–75 employees, Scott said. He wants to see more businesses open at Tower City so people can shop at the mall while waiting to be seated.
“It’s gonna bring something unique. It’s gonna get the heartbeat back into Tower City,” Scott said. “We have a lot of pressure on us, and we feel like we have to deliver. And we have to deliver for the city and Tower City. Because I know this is an iconic building; I know this is somewhere special.”
Business expanding within Tower City, bringing in more customers
Two businesses at Tower City, The Feet Geeks and Unscript’d Boutique, have expanded to larger spaces since they first moved in.
The Feet Geeks, which specializes in limited edition sneakers, initially opened on the second floor just before All-Star Weekend in the winter of 2022. About two months ago, it moved to a bigger storefront next to the Skylight Park on the first floor.
Owner Madison Williams said he’s gotten more foot traffic at the new location, and he’s expanding his selection of kids’ shoes in preparation for an anticipated holiday increase in sales.
Last fall, Unscript’d Boutique moved from a 600-square-foot space in the mall to a 5,000-square-foot space on the second floor next to Apple Jax Toys. The store sells clothes in sizes small to 3X and offers personal shopping and styling.
Unscript’d owner Mary Allen said she appreciates the mall-wide events Bedrock holds. Her boutique has also hosted events, including a church worship night and a Christmas karaoke event. She’s having a vision board party at the boutique on Saturday, Dec. 16 from 1–4 p.m. and planning a larger event focused on women entrepreneurs for next year at Tower City’s English Oak Room.
Bedrock declined to share the tenants’ rent costs and length of their leases.
The company is working to recruit new businesses to Tower City through direct outreach, both visiting business owners at their stores and reaching out through social media, said Russell, the VP of operations and leasing. He said that Bedrock’s “closer” for securing new leases is encouraging interested businesses to talk to existing tenants at Tower City.
Once businesses open at Tower City, Bedrock helps them with marketing and holds events, which have drawn over 20,000 people to the building in one day, Russell said. The mall is already adorned with holiday decorations and is holding several festive events in the coming weeks, including free live performances, movie screenings, and activities for kids in Skylight Park.
Long term, Bedrock has set its sights on redeveloping the riverfront. Several current tenants said they’re excited to be part of the transformation.
“I would love to stay around for that, even though … it’s a 20-year plan,” said Williams, The Feet Geeks owner. “Seems like it’s far away, but I would love to be here for that.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly described Echelon Brand barber as an exercise equipment store.
Learn more about Tower City on its website, and email leasinginquiry@bedrockdetroit.com with leasing inquiries. Click the following links to visit the websites or social media pages of the businesses featured in this story: Apple Jax Toys, The Astro Restaurant, Mike the Hatter, Shake & Slide, The Feet Geeks, and Unscript’d Boutique.
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