 Sandor Development, a real estate company from Indianapolis, Indiana, announced plans to buy the mall from Star Bank in 1997 but withdrew their offer in March 1998.By this point, the mall's uncertain financial state and the closure of Elder-Beerman and J. J. Newberry had caused a sharp decline in tenancy.Having already dropped to 50 percent occupancy shortly before J. J. Newberry's closure, the mall further declined by early 1998 to ten stores, of which only two (Foot Locker and National Record Mart) were national chain stores.