Easton Town Center is an indoor and outdoor shopping complex in northeast Columbus, Ohio. The core buildings and streets that comprise Easton are intended to look like a self-contained town, reminiscent of American towns and cities in the early-to-mid 20th century. Included in the design are fountains, streets laid out in a grid pattern surrounded by a continuous loop, and metered storefront parking. A variety of stores, restaurants, and service-oriented businesses occupy structures of varying sizes, most of which are contiguous, having shared walls. Many of these structures have a similar external appearance. Also included are traditional shopping mall features like large, multi-floor department stores, small kiosks located in the indoor common areas, a cinema complex, ATMs, and both covered and open parking structures. Easton attracts about 25 million visitors per year.
Tenants and layout
Easton Town Center is anchored by Macy's and Nordstrom and includes about 240 other retail shops. Nordstrom is found at the northernmost point. Despite Easton being a developed town center, its grid system is not perfectly centered, with certain areas being designed for specific uses. For example, the South District hosts outdoor concerts, holiday events, and an interactive water fountain on its town square, and also has a large outdoor train set, the Easton Express. The only indoor area is the Station Building which houses shops, foodservice vendors, as well as a 30-screen AMC movie theater. Parking garages are scattered throughout. 2015 also saw additional retailers and restaurants moving into Easton Gateway, an expanded section of Easton. The Easton area is a partnership between Limited Brands and The Georgetown Company. Easton Town Center is currently leased and managed by Steiner & Associates.
History
The area that Easton Town Center now exists on was originally intended to be an expansion of Limited Brands. However, shifting demographics in central Ohio in the 1980s and 1990s made the potential greater. Instead of following in the typical path of large, indoor malls the retail development was instead turned to an outdoor lifestyle center. Easton Town Center became one of the first in the country; a trend that became much more prevalent in the 2000s. Easton Town Center was one of the first outdoor shopping centers to incorporate indoor parking, town squares, various fountains, and varying types of tenants. A real estate project of Les Wexner, the founder, chairman and CEO of nearby Limited Brands, Easton comprises of retail space built upon approximately within a larger development. The retail development was designed by M+A Architects serving as the Architect of Record. Phase I opened in the summer of 1999. It was the site of the first ever Hollister Co. store, which opened in 2000. Phase II opened in the fall of 2001. The North District is also home to a large circular fountain. Crate & Barrel constructed a location at Easton in 2004 and the South Garage was built to expand the number of parking spaces. In late 2015 the newest expansion was completed: the Easton Gateway development. The district, with a focus on service tenants, expanded the mixed use area by. The first tenant to open was Costco which did so in October. In early 2018, renovations on the station building has begun, including new floors walls, and updated services. The renovation ended in June. In late 2018 construction began on a $500 million expansion that will include a hotel, apartments, retail and offices. Included tenants announced are an Aloft Hotel, Pins Mechanical, and a Restoration Hardware flagship store called RH Gallery.
