One look up or down Route 46 in Niles near the Eastwood Mall shows you just how strong the retail sector is bouncing back from a few rough years due to COVID.
Cafaro Company spokesman Joe Bell calls that post-pandemic success part serendipity, part manifestation.

"A lot of the deals you see happening right now, all the stores you see opening, the discussions behind them got started years ago," Bell said Friday.

Two big players are about to give this already crowded tract of land another shot in the arm.
The TJX HomeGoods store off Mines Road will open in less than two weeks.
Then next month, the long-anticipated Meijer store will take over where the Super K-Mart Center once stood.

Great news for shoppers.
Perhaps not as great for people just trying to get from point A to point B.

"I don't think it's going to be as tremendously crowded as people think," Bell said. "Whenever all of these were permitted by Howland Township, they did a traffic study to make sure that it would be something that the Route 46 corridor could handle."

With all the development and expansion along 46 over the last decade or so, amazingly Eastwood Mall officials say there's room for even more.

"You may not plop down another Meijer store right here, but you might be able to put down other types of businesses, especially local businesses that are looking to get a start," said Bell. 

For now, pack your patience.
It'll take some time for drivers to get a feel for the impact these two additions to Niles' retail hub will have.