2024's Top 10 Retail Center Experiences: No. 2 Easton Town Center

It’s been 30 years since L Brand’s Lex Wexner decided to abandon his idea to put a distribution center on a large tract of land he owned alongside I-270 in Columbus and instead fill it with office buildings, hotels, and what has come to be the ultimate example of what a retail-based town center should be.

“We were not creating a mall or group of retail anchors; we were creating something vibrant – like a new town,” said Yaromir Steiner, the CEO of Steiner + Associates, the co-developer of the development’s 1.7 million-sq.-ft. Easton Town Center.

Yes, Easton stages hundreds of events and one phantasmic Christmas tree lighting ceremony. But, like a town, its real estate is not static. It is constantly being reimagined and re-shaped to guarantee its visitors the best shopping experiences they’re likely to find anywhere in the world.

“A lot of developers take the path of least resistance and try to renew as many tenants as possible,” said Spencer Jordan, Easton’s senior VP of leasing. “The route we choose is more capital intensive. We have a very unique opportunity to reinvent.”

Easton’s most recent reinvention has been its Fashion District, where space was reconfigured and re-designed to accommodate a 100,000-sq.-ft. luxury brand collection anchored by Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Del Mar — restaurateur Cameron Mitchell’s two-story fine dining establishment. 

Joining them have been several first-to-Ohio brands such as Chanel Beauty, David Yurman, Breitling, Golden Goose, and Jo Malone. 

Rare are centers able to provide shoppers with just about anything they might be looking for. Those who’d like to try should visit Ohio’s best known and most accommodating retail destination. 

Easton Gateway hosts big boxes such as Costco, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and REI.  In the project’s 2020 expansion, visitors can shop at Arhaus, bowl at Pins Mechanical, or dine atop RH Columbus. 

And when it comes to food-and-beverage--the sine qua non tenant sector for successful retail real estate today — Easton counts 50 options that range from Chipotle to The Cheescake Factory to Cooper’s Hawk Winery.

“It is a bold choice to blow up your merchandising mix and fill it with a lot of new brands. We had Lululemon create a storefront that completely overlaid across the tops of two shared buildings,” said Jordan. “But that’s something that started at Easton 25 years ago.”