ONTARIO — Michael Moody was a fan of The Ontario Center even before he opened a business there.
He and his wife would regularly walk laps around the former Richland Mall. As he saw shops come and go, he decided he wanted to bring something different to the shopping mecca.
“I thought it’d be cool to open something in the mall because Ontario doesn’t have a traditional downtown,” he said. “We have old Ontario and retail Ontario. To me, the mall is one of those icons in the city.”
Moody is already an Ontario business owner. He opened a frozen yogurt shop, Sol Froyo, in 2021.
His newest venture focuses less on indulgence and more on health and wellness. Eclipse Nutrition opened in March inside The Ontario Center.
Moody said his goal is to carry unique items not readily available at large, chain wellness stores. Eclipse Nutrion carries vitamins, supplements, protein bars, recovery snacks, drinks, wellness patches and even gym t-shirts.
Moody said he’s been interested in supplements and the science behind them for a while.
While he can’t offer medical recommendations, Moody said his background as a science teacher helps him explain the research on his inventory to shoppers.
“I can tell them, ‘This is what some research shows that this product is effective for,’ ” he said. “And I can point them in the direction of that research as well, if they want to read it.”
Eclipse Nutrition is located inside the mall’s smallest storefront, but Moody is already brainstorming how he can add more shelves.
“I’m gonna bring in even more product,” he said. “I can go higher. I can condense the shelves down. My goal was to get as much product into this space as I could.”
Moody said The Ontario Center provides an ideal space for his business — it’s close to local gyms and he’s exposed to a health-focused clientele base every day through the mall walk program.
There are still several vacant storefronts, but there are also plenty of active ones — many housing local businesses rather than chains.
There are clothing and jewelry shops, a boba place, a candy store, a specialty quesadilla restaurant, a real estate brokerage and a retro gaming store.
“We strongly believe our mall has a fighting chance for a future, and we want to do our part to try to bring traffic back to the mall to help the other vendors and hopefully help attract more businesses,” he said.
“I still think it has a ton of potential for retail. It just might not be, you know, your big box anchor stores anymore.”
‘The mall is trying to make its way back’
Moody isn’t the only one who sees The Ontario Center as a place with potential.
Almost five months ago, Dream Huge Realty moved into a storefront on the far north corner.
Realtor Tyler Amos said the brokerage began leasing space inside the mall in the hopes it would allow staff to better network with the community.
“That’s our number one goal, building relationships and trying to get out there,” Amos said.
Another realtor, Dustin Adams, said Dream Huge also wanted to be in the mall because of the new owners’ vision to revive it. (The Brait Fund purchased the mall for $4 million in April 2024 and rebranded it ‘The Ontario Center.’)
“There is an actual effort to bring this place back up and to make it into something that the community can all come and enjoy,” he said.
That said, he’s fully aware that stereotypes about the mall persist.
“I’m Mansfield born and raised. I hear all the talk (that) the mall is dead,” Adams said.
“The hope is that by being in here, we are in the center of everything, and we are an active part in bringing the mall back to life.”
LaBrian Wallace, owner and barber at The Shoppe, said he hopes to see the community get involved in the mall’s future.
“The developers have ideas, but they’re developers, so they don’t know the area and what ideas the area needs and what the people want,” he said. “For the people to give their input and suggest things would be great.”
The Ontario Center’s website currently has a pop-up with a community survey where area residents can weigh in on a new “Center Market” and offer general suggestions for the mall.
“(The mall) is trying to make its way back, but it needs the community’s help by coming out here and supporting the businesses that are out here,” Wallace said.
Dakota Warfield, owner of Addicted Boutique, shared similar feelings. She opened her boutique in the mall four years ago. The shop is filled with special occasion dresses for events like homecoming and prom.
She said she’s happy at The Ontario Center, though she wishes more shoppers would give it a chance.
“A lot of people do not realize that we even have anything in the mall. They’re not coming out shopping,” she said. “A lot of people drive way to Columbus to go dress shopping. At least try local first.”
Warfield said most of her business comes from word-of-mouth, social media and Google searches.
“People tend to Google, ‘Where can I find the nearest dress shop?'” she said.
She hopes to expand her business soon — possibly by moving to a larger space in the mall.
“I am 100% sure that we will be staying in the area,” she said. “We have a lot of local supporters, a lot of customers here locally, so we don’t foresee ourselves leaving Ontario.”
