OH, OH, OAKWOOD. The regional shopping mall has seen its fair share of change over its decades-long history, spanning the opening and closing of stores inside it to the external world's shifting shopping habits. Still, the 800,000-square-foot retail hub continues to draw folks of all ages. (Submitted photo)

Oct. 15 marked the 40th anniversary of Oakwood Mall’s opening. Its debut signified a shift in the retail focus of the Eau Claire metropolitan area, accelerating what was then a decline in prominence for the city’s downtown, and eventually leading towards the closure of the Chippewa Valley’s first major mall: London Square.

Volume One and this author wrote an extensive story in 2016 on the occasion of Oakwood Mall’s 30th anniversary. The following year, the term “retail apocalypse” became widespread across society, with numerous physical retail outlets announcing closures as online shopping became more routine for customers; the COVID-19 pandemic furthered the trend.

The past decade-plus has seen many shopping malls abandoned, converted to other uses, or demolished. Three former Oakwood Mall anchor stores – Macy’s, Younkers and Sears – closed in 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, the ongoing 21st century revitalization of Eau Claire’s downtown has returned more vibrancy to the center of the city.

Yet Oakwood Mall now begins its fifth decade with no outward sign of major change to come. Two of the aforementioned anchor spots are currently occupied by Hobby Lobby and HOM Furniture; Scheels and its front parking lot are regularly full of shoppers. JCPenney, Maurices and Games By James – having just moved to a new location – remain from the mall’s 1986 opening.

As Oakwood Mall's opening day approached, in 1986, WEAU 13 News offered a peek inside during the final stretch of construction. The cafe court is pictured. (View full WEAU 13 News video online)

Over four decades, things have changed both inside and outside Oakwood Mall. The café court's recognizable half-circle signage spaces, however, remain today. (View full WEAU 13 News video online)

Oakwood Mall's ribbon-cutting celebration in 1986. (View full WEAU 13 News video online)

A former tagline emblazoned balloons at the mall's opening. (View full WEAU 13 News video online)

My wife has worked in retail at Oakwood since 2019; I now make regular mall visits with my young daughter to go to the play areas and get something to eat, so I often walk the length of the building during shopping hours.

I have noted how the arc from Scheels past Victoria’s Secret to the Café Court flows with patrons, and sometimes to a similar extent south to Hobby Lobby; at other times that wing, as well as the north end and the western extensions are mostly quiet. Plenty of storefronts are covered with curtains, seasonal decorations and signs beckoning future potential; though in some cases, bustling shops can be found just next door.

Meanwhile, Micon Cinemas began operating the in-mall movie theaters in 2022 to keep patrons coming in for film releases while the locally-owned theater chain renovates and repurposes the space. (As of 2025, Micon's location at Oakwood also features Verse Immersive, an augmented reality experience for all ages.)

Oakwood Mall is currently owned by Brookfield Properties's GGP brand (except some end-cap retailers which own their respective spaces). Over the past few years, the mall has welcomed new businesses like sit-down restaurants Chako Korean BBQ & Hotpot and New India Curry House; entertainment storefront Claw Kraze; Exotic Snack Guys, Glik's, Craft Kraze and Micon Cinemas, pictured, which took over the theater space in late 2022. (Photo by Andrea Paulseth)

The cost of being a small business in such an area can be high. Some may leave Oakwood Mall for corporate parent reasons – having nothing to do with our region’s economy – while others may not be able to make their day-to-day budget there work. As witnessed with the commercial scene this autumn in downtown Eau Claire, in-person shopping remains complicated for sellers and buyers.

Some of the challenges of the past decade could be foreseen, and some were shocking; it is difficult to assess how the next decade will go. The odds favor Oakwood Mall’s 50th anniversary; consumer and business choices will determine how it exists.

The Oakwood Mall (4800 Golf Rd., Eau Claire) is in its 40th year • Its current operating hours are 10am-7pm, Monday-Thursday; 10am-8pm, Friday-Saturday; 11am-6pm on Sunday •  View a map and list of the businesses inside the mall and more at www.oakwoodmall.com • Keep up with Oakwood Mall on Facebook