Lima Mall first opened in 1965. Originally 166,000 square feet in size, the mall was one of the first smaller, regional centers built by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr.Lazarus was added as an anchor in 1971.[3] Another anchor, a local department store called The Leader, was sold to Elder-Beerman in the mid-1970s.[4] An F. W. Woolworth Company store closed at the mall in mid-1997.[5] The Lazarus store became Lazarus-Macy's in 2003, then dropped the Lazarus name in 2005.
In January 2013, Old Navy moved from its existing store to a space previously occupied by New York & Company, with The Shoe Department Encore replacing Old Navy's former store.[6] On October 21, 2015, parent company The Bon-Ton announced that it would close the Elder-Beerman in the mall in January 2016.[7]
On May 31, 2018, Sears announced that its store would also be closing in as part of a plan to close 78 stores nationwide. The store closed on September 2, 2018.[9]
On December 22, 2020, Macy's announced that they would be closing their location at Lima Mall on March 21, 2021 as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide which left JCPenney as the only anchor left.[10]