What’s going on with these five vacant commercial buildings in Stow?

Questions have lingered, some for years now, about the status of some of the more visible vacant commercial properties around Stow.

Residents want to know two things: Who is moving in? And when?

The Spotlight posed those questions to City of Stow Director of Planning and Development Nathan Leppo regarding five empty sites: the Macy’s building in the Stow-Kent Shopping Center on Kent Road, the Stow-Glen Retirement Village on Kent Road, the Sto-Kent Family Entertainment building on Fishcreek Road, the On Tap Grille & Bar building on Kent Road, and the Long’s Shoes building on Kent Road.

Here’s a look at where things stand with these five empty properties:

1. Macy’s Building

Until Macy’s closure in early 2020, the building had housed a department store for over 50 years. O’Neil’s was the first tenant at the retail site, which opened in 1965. O’Neil’s later changed its name to The May Company and then Kaufmann’s before Macy’s acquired the store. According to the Summit County Fiscal Office, the building, along with other retail parcels in the Stow-Kent Shopping Center, is owned by Stow Kent Associates LLC.Leppo: “The owner intends to fill the space with new retail tenants. We are waiting to hear more details on this, as they are negotiating lease agreements with potential tenants. They will disclose the companies' names and the space distribution details after the lease agreements are finalized. We expect this to occur any day now.”

2. Stow-Glen Retirement Village

The nursing, assisted living and independent living facility operated for 37 years before closing Oct. 26, 2021.Leppo: “The property is currently in receivership. There are no concrete plans, as the receiver is working to sell the assets and land to a potential buyer.”

3. Sto-Kent Family Entertainment

The popular bowling alley, built in 1959 and housing 24 lanes, closed Sept. 1, 2021. The site also contained two sand volleyball courts, a miniature golf course, parking for over 120 cars, and a food stand. The property sold at auction for $941,000 in May, although the purchaser has not been disclosed.Leppo: “The property was recently purchased, and our understanding is the intent is to focus on entertainment. However, we have not received any proposals.”

4. On Tap Grille & Bar

On Tap opened its Stow location in 2005 before closing in December 2020.Leppo: “We receive calls of interest routinely about the site. However, we have not received any development proposals for this site.”

5. Long’s Shoes

The beloved specialty shoe store closed Aug. 20 after 53 years in operation.Leppo: “We are saddened to lose such a long-term mainstay of the community. As of now, we have not heard of any plans for the space.”

Even with the city seeking new tenants to occupy the above properties, Leppo said the number of vacant commercial sites in Stow is steadily shrinking. HomeGoods is the latest business to open its doors in Stow. Located in the former OfficeMax site next to Target in the Stow Community Center shopping plaza on Kent Road, the home furnishing store opened Aug. 25.

“Stow has seen a strong re-emergence of the retail sector here after the uncertain times during the peak of Covid,” Leppo said. “This re-emergence has led to the addition of multiple local and national retail brands and restaurants. However, we still have a few spaces left in the community.”