Failing Mall Has More Than Shopping

Savannah Fondo, Staff

April 18, 2024

(Above) The Regal Movie Theater in Oviedo Mall is a local staple whenever the latest movies drop, especially during the summer season when locals need a break from the scorching hot sun. Before COVID-19, the theater was mildly busy, and ever since the end of the pandemic, the theater has not regained that popularity. The best time to go to the Regal Movie Theater in Oviedo Mall is Tuesdays since that is when they have the best deals on ticket prices and popcorn. Shoppers can pair their day with a movie and snack to enhance their experience at Oviedo Mall. In the past, the Oviedo Mall has offered rental space on Sundays for local church groups such as the Palmwood Church. Growing up around the Oviedo Mall my entire life has given me more than a decade to form my opinion on the movie theater. Although the theater has not gotten many updates, it remains to have great service, great snacks, great drinks, comfortable seats, the movies we are excited to see, and good memories are always made.

The Oviedo Mall is a local mall that has been around since the 90s. Despite its longevity, it never gained popularity like the bigger malls in Orlando. Over the years, Oviedo Mall has changed drastically, getting more and more creative as attracting visitors got even harder. Most of the known stores such as Victoria’s Secret, Justice, Macy’s, and Sears, have all left over the past decade. Now, the mall is left with many small businesses that people are not always attracted to since they have never heard of them before. Some popular remaining stores are Dillard’s, GameStop, B. Dalton, Loft Outlet, and Bath and Body Works.

With so many smaller stores that don’t gain attention, the Oviedo Mall attempts to add different things other malls do not have in an attempt to stay relevant. The Regal Movie Theater has always been a hit as they always have their biggest deals on Tuesdays. The Oviedo Mall District Eat & Play is a large arcade filled with games and fun escape rooms to enhance any birthday party. The Oviedo Brewing Company, which is the first brewery in Oviedo, opened in recent years as a new food addition that has delicious food such as pizzas, sandwiches, wings, and more. O2B Kids is a place where parents can bring their kids to preschool, classes, different programs, summer camps, and other offerings. Kids love O2B because they have a lot of fun activities to do and fun toys to play with too. One of the Oviedo Mall’s most recent and popular additions is the D’Amico & Sons Italian Market & Bakery which offers a wide variety of different Italian foods, snacks, cooking items, and cookies, pastries, coffee, gelato, and cake, in the bakery to fill anyone’s taste buds with joy.

The Oviedo Mall also hosts activities and events for different times of the year. Following the calendar, in February Dreamland Amusements brings their carnival to Oviedo Mall. This year the carnival set up rides and games from February 1 to the 11. Starting off the Holidays, During Easter children can take pictures with the Easter Bunny. When children are off in the summer, O2B offers a lot of different activities and summer camps to keep them busy. Around Halloween time, a Spirit Halloween store opens for any type of costume, accessory, makeup, animatronic, or decoration any customer could want. Also around Halloween, there is a haunted interactive drive-thru called the Scream n’ Stream which is a 25 minute long drive-thru where guests will defend themselves from different monsters based on that year’s theme with laser guns before having to escape the monsters by delivering a kill switch device. Not on the calendar, there are spontaneous shops set up in the parking lot in a layout similar to farmer’s markets.

Locals think that the Oviedo Mall won’t make it, but that is definitely not true. Of course, over the years the mall has endured some struggles, but they try their hardest to keep adding new and exciting things. By adding activities, stores, and attractions that other malls don’t have, this mall stands out, and when a mall is close to shutting down, that is one of the best solutions there is. The Oviedo Mall will not go down without a fight.

(Above) In recent years, in February the *Oviedo Mall* invites *Dreamland Amusements* to set up their carnival in the parking lot. This year, it lasted from February 1 to 11. The new ride this year was “The Wheel”, which is a Ferris wheel, and the “Superman 360”, which is a thrilling ride that spins riders 360 degrees while spinning upside down. A ride that I want to try is the “Sky Hawk”, which gives riders the sense of flying as they soar high up in the sky. Stop by and ride these exciting rides next February. (Ms. Ginger Bryant)

(Above) One of the newest additions to the *Oviedo Mall* is the *Orlando Orthopædic Center*. Locals who need orthopedic assistance can now get help in this new location, which spans over 16,000 square feet. It may seem odd to have an orthopedic center inside of a mall, but it actually offers better parking, and guests and staff can get food conveniently by entering the mall. Some of the services they offer include MRIs, Physical/Occupational Therapy, Sports Concussion Testing, and Worker’s Comp. To explore their Subspecialties, they offer Spine, Hand/Wrist, Elbow, Foot & Ankle, Hip, Knee, Pain Management, Oncology, Pediatrics, Shoulder, and Sports Medicine. (Savannah Fondo)

(Above) The *Oviedo Mall District Eat & Play* is one of the newer additions and it has redefined fun in the *Oviedo Mall*. The *District Eat & Play* offers a wide variety of fun activities including their arcade, boutique bowling, escape rooms, and gelly ball. If a gelly ball is unfamiliar, it is similar to a paintball, but safer as it does not sting. A couple of their featured games in the arcade include *Injustice*, which allows players to become their favorite superhero and defeat villains, and *Ice Man*, which allows players to shoot water at a screen to freeze zombies. They offer four different escape eooms, *Room 113, Uncle Tick Tocks Clocks, Off the Radar,* and The Apothecary. Guests can make a whole day out of going to the *District Eat & Play* because they not only have games, but also have food, drinks, and a sports bar. (Savannah Fondo)

About the Contributors

Savannah Fondo, Director of Media

Savannah Fondo is a Junior at Lake Highland Preparatory School. Savannah serves as the Director of Media for the award-winning Twice-Told Tale newspaper. Savannah is a former Varsity Cheerleader at LHP and looks forward to trying a new sport this school year. Outside of school, Savannah loves listening to music, watching films, and exploring fashion. Savannah loves to spend time with her family and friends on the weekends.

Ms. Ginger Bryant, Sponsor

Ginger Bryant is the founder and sponsor of Lake Highland Preparatory School's Upper School newspaper Twice-Told Tale. Additionally she sponsors the school's literary magazine By Any Other Name, both award winning publications ranked First Place in the Nation by American Scholastic Press Association. Bryant has been teaching for 29 years and is the instructor for English 11 and David Copperfield's Project Magic: a performing arts class that uses magic as a form of physical therapy for children in the hospital setting. She is also the author of Orlando Firefighting. When not teaching, Bryant enjoys building miniatures in 1:12 scale, paper crafting, and going to the circus.