Shops at Lane Avenue: Take a shopping stroll down Memory “Lane”

Linda Deitch
·2 min read
The food court at the Lane Avenue Shopping Center in Upper Arlington in 1983.
The food court at the Lane Avenue Shopping Center in Upper Arlington in 1983.

The Lane Avenue Shopping Center in Upper Arlington, now known as the Shops on Lane Avenue, was at one time the largest retail destination in Columbus outside of Downtown. It later became the premier place for upscale, luxurious and gourmet gifts. (Think Valentine’s Day-caliber gifts: Diamonds, chocolate, champagne, fountain pens, cigars, luggage and furs.)

And if you wanted a place to have a memorable dinner, you would go there to The Blind Monk, Peasant on the Lane or China Dynasty. Columbus wasn’t a global cuisine mecca, but Lane Avenue had Delikatesa, with Eastern European and Slavic fare served in a tearoom setting.

Montaldo’s was a prominent New York women’s retailer with a longtime presence in Columbus. Its Lane Avenue store closed in 1991.
Montaldo’s was a prominent New York women’s retailer with a longtime presence in Columbus. Its Lane Avenue store closed in 1991.

When the first phase opened in 1949 on what had been the Salzgaber Truck Gardens farm, it was a strip center. In the 1980s, it was renovated into an enclosed mall, but is now back to its original strip design. While it operates more as a neighborhood mall instead of a regional one, it is still focused on fashion.

Some early tenants were a Big Bear grocery, The Union department store, Isaly’s dairy, Nicklaus Drugs, the Lane Theatre and Lombards Furniture. Henry Feldman’s Cut-Up Poultry marketed to housewives by selling only the pieces and parts they really wanted.

The Market, a food court with an atrium, debuted in 1981. After renovations that included enclosing the mall with a walkway, adding kiosks for specialty retailers, and increasing the number of tenants from 61 to 100, another grand opening celebration was held in 1986. Popular stores included Little Professor Book Center, The Mole Hole gift shop, The Cookstore, Larson’s Toys and Games, Carnado Wine & Cheese and Woodhouse Lynch Clothiers.

Asparagus, shrimp and scallops delight, left, and Singapore rice noodles from China Dynasty inside the Shops on Lane Avenue. The restaurant was open for 32 years until it closed in 2019.
Asparagus, shrimp and scallops delight, left, and Singapore rice noodles from China Dynasty inside the Shops on Lane Avenue. The restaurant was open for 32 years until it closed in 2019.

Severe weather in the winter of 1994 damaged the center's roof and forced many businesses to close for weeks while repairs were made.

The mall became “open-air” again about 20 years ago, and today's tenants include Whole Foods Market, Bed Bath and Beyond, Ulta Beauty and the Rusty Bucket Tavern.

There are 34 current tenants. Barclay Pipe & Tobacco, which opened in 1980, has the longest tenure.

Contributor Linda Deitch was a Dispatch librarian for 25 years.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Remembering past Columbus restaurants and shops at Lane Avenue