Lakeland Square Mall — Attraction in Lakeland

They really are trying hard to keep the inside up, and doing a great job at it. There are parts of the outside that are being neglected. It's a shame so many of their tenants and would-be tenants are struggling/closing. It still draws traffic, though much smaller than 7 years ago when i first observed. People are looking to save money, and for some things LSM is not the place, for other things there are decent prices. The theater is excellent, food court looks great though i haven't tried it. JCPenney and Burlington still have some good items at decent prices. For those looking to spend more and get more, there is Dillard's and Sears and many of the smaller stores. There is H&M & Rack Room which are all right, and many other places which i don't patronize but which look very nice. Bottom line is LSM is suffering because they have more competition and greater fixed costs than their (online and shopping center) competition. But they're trying really hard to keep it going. I didn't use to like malls but this one has some very distinctive architecture and some of the tenants do seem to be adapting to the new economics of their business. And they're a shorter drive for me than many of the alternatives. Often i prefer Amazon or Wal-Mart, and if i'm in Tampa i may go to Syms, or DSW . If Orlando, i might check the outlets. But before i'd go that far just for clothes or shoes, i usually check this mall, and i have certainly been...

My recent visit to the Lakeland Square Mall left me feeling disappointed and underwhelmed. The mall is in dire need of repairs and renovations, as it is visibly run-down and lacking in both amenities and modern conveniences.

The mall's infrastructure was clearly in poor condition, with peeling paint, worn-out carpets, and outdated fixtures. The escalators were slow and rickety, making it an uncomfortable ride, and some of the lighting fixtures were either burnt out or flickering.

Many of the stores inside the mall had closed down, and those that remained had a limited selection of products, and the overall atmosphere felt drab and uninspiring. Additionally, there were very few dining options, with the majority of the food court either closed or looking unappealing.

The lack of cleanliness was also concerning, with trash and debris littered throughout the mall. It seemed as though there was little to no effort to maintain the cleanliness of the mall, which left a bad impression.

Overall, my experience at the Lakeland Square Mall was disappointing. The mall is in desperate need of repairs and renovations to improve the overall shopping experience. It is not a place I would recommend to anyone looking for a modern and well-maintained...

It's a dying local icon. The original mall is now a church, and this one is now 30+ years old, I believe, and most of it's storefronts have been replaced with walls covering the small store spaces that were once dozens and dozens of hotspots of activity...but it's still "The Mall".

Many anchor stores have long since left. Cinemark came and situated itself where an anchor store was, but physically seperated itself from the mall. Wal-Mart left years ago. Toys R'Us, Kaybee, the original movie theater, all gone, the latter a grassy field now. Whereas the parking lot was once filled around the whole of the property, all traffic now rests around the single food court entrance.

So why rate it so highly? Why make it seem of such importance? In this county at least, it's a visual museum of history. It represents the major cultural shifts that have occured in retail and consumer shopping since I was a teenager some 25 years ago, when only the rich had internet access, and everyone bought everything by driving to a store. I've been here hundreds and hundreds of times, maybe thousands, but I still love going here, even if anymore it's a couple years in-between visits, and I'm a little...