The Mallway

What to expect at The Mallway

The Mallway is the small commercial heart the Thompson brothers built for their new suburb in the 1920s, when Upper Arlington was a village of a few hundred houses rather than a city of thirty-odd thousand. It sits around Arlington Avenue and Mallway Drive, a compact row of storefronts in the same Tudor Revival vocabulary as the houses in Old Arlington a few streets south: stucco and half-timber, steep roofs, leaded glass, brick detailing, all at a domestic scale with the small green space at its centre that gives the district its name. It is not a museum, and everything in it works for a living: independent shops, cafes, a restaurant or two, service businesses. That mixture is exactly why it is worth an hour. It is a rare surviving example of a purpose-built 1920s suburban village centre still doing the job it was designed for.

The visit is a slow walk plus a coffee. Start at the green and work along the frontages, looking up above the shop signs, where the original detailing survives best: the gable ends, the timbering patterns, the chimney stacks and the way the roof line steps to break up the terrace. At street level the businesses change over the years, but you will usually find a bakery or coffee shop, an ice cream counter in season, gift and clothing independents, and somewhere to sit outside in warm weather. It is small enough to see in fifteen minutes and pleasant enough to spend an hour in. The scale is the appeal: nothing here is more than two or three storeys, the parking is at the kerb, and it feels like a village street rather than a shopping centre.

Plan it as a morning stop rather than an evening one, because opening hours here follow small-business patterns and much of the row is quiet after six. Mid-morning on a weekday or Saturday is the sweet spot for the cafes. If you want lunch, arrive before noon or after one to avoid the local rush. It combines naturally with a walk through the Old Arlington streets to the south, which is how most visitors should do it: architecture on foot, coffee here, then back. Do not confuse the Mallway with the city's larger retail: Kingsdale Shopping Center and Tremont Center are separate, more practical, and hold the supermarkets and chain stores.

It is the most convenient sight in Upper Arlington to reach. From Tremont Center it is a few minutes south by car or a ten to twelve minute walk down Tremont Road and across; from Northam Park it is under ten minutes on foot. Free kerbside parking runs along Arlington Avenue and the side streets, with small lots behind some of the buildings, and it is usually easy outside lunchtime. From downtown Columbus, take SR-315 north to Lane Avenue and drive west, about twelve minutes. By bus, COTA Line 5 along West Fifth Avenue is the nearest service, roughly a twelve-minute walk to the south, with a $2.00 local fare or a $4.50 day pass. From the airport allow twenty-five to thirty minutes by car.

Looking costs nothing. There is no admission, no parking charge and no ticketed element anywhere in the district. Spending is entirely at your discretion in the businesses: a coffee typically runs $3 to $5, a pastry $3 to $6, an ice cream $4 to $7, a casual lunch $12 to $20 and a full dinner with a drink $25 to $45 a head. Independent shops price at boutique levels rather than mall levels, so expect $20 to $60 for gifts and small homeware. If you are pricing a stay in Upper Arlington, the surrounding hotel corridors generally run about $110 to $180 a night, and the Mallway is the walkable evening option for anyone staying in the older streets nearby.

The best months are May, June, September and October, when outdoor seating is in use and the walk to and from the historic streets is comfortable. July and August are humid but shaded in parts. December brings seasonal decoration to the shopfronts and is the prettiest time to see the row after dark. Hour by hour, cafes open early and are busiest between 8:00 and 10:00; shops keep roughly 10:00 to 18:00 Monday to Saturday with reduced or no Sunday trading in some units; restaurants run later on Thursday to Saturday. Nothing closes for a season, but individual businesses take holidays, and a Sunday afternoon here can be quiet enough to feel closed.

It suits anyone doing an architecture walk, anyone who wants an independent coffee rather than a chain, and visitors staying in Upper Arlington who want somewhere with character within walking distance. It is level and easy for wheelchair users along the main frontages, though individual shop thresholds vary in older buildings. It fits a forty-five minute gap perfectly, and works in rain if you are prepared to duck between shops. It does not suit anyone shopping for necessities, who should go to Kingsdale, and it will not hold children for long. Teenagers will want the bigger retail elsewhere in Columbus.

Nearby, the whole point is proximity. The Old Arlington historic streets start a few minutes south and make the natural pairing for a ninety-minute outing; Northam Park with its playground, library and restrooms is under ten minutes on foot; Tremont Center's shops and cafes are ten minutes north; Kingsdale is five minutes by car. The honest caveat is scale. This is a short row of buildings, not a historic quarter, and a visitor who has read the phrase historic district may expect several streets of preserved commerce. You will see it all in fifteen minutes. The tenant mix also changes, so any specific shop you have read about may have gone. Come for the architecture and the coffee, and treat the rest as a bonus.

Plan your visit TicketsFree Free entryFree to walk and browse; shops and cafes charge normally Time needed45 min visit WhereMallway District Opening hours Street accessible at all hours Most shops: Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00 Cafes and restaurants: typically from 7:00-8:00, later closings Thu-Sat Hotels near The Mallway

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1.6 km away TownePlace Suites by Marriott Columbus North OSU

4.6/5 $215/ night

1.6 km away Homewood Suites by Hilton Columbus OSU OH

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3.1 km away SpringHill Suites Columbus OSU

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Ridgeview Thompson Park

The park that explains Upper Arlington in twenty minutes: mown lawns, painted court lines, a shaded playground and a picnic shelter, all of it free and all of it maintained to a standard that surprises visitors.

Northam Northam Park

Upper Arlington's civic back garden — the biggest of the city parks, wrapped around a library branch, a municipal pool, a bank of tennis courts and the playground every local child has been photographed on.

Barrington Fancyburg Park

The local favourite for a short walk in the trees: a paved loop through mature woodland with a playground and shelter attached, and the best small-scale woodland feeling inside Upper Arlington's city limits.

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