The first blow to the mall occurred in late 1996 when anchor Ernst Home & Nursery closed as part of the company's bankruptcy. The space eventually was divided into three stores, Ross, Famous Footwear and Cartoys, and given a remodel that contrasted greatly with the rest of the mall. This part of the mall remained consistently occupied while the rest of the lower mall continued to languish. Due to the financial struggles of its owners and a steady loss of inside tenants since the early 2000s the shopping center was becoming known as a dead mall and very little maintenance was done to fix the leaking roofs and other problems. The deteriorating mall had been described as a "white elephant" and was seen as an eyesore by locals and city planners. The East mall in contrast still thrived thanks to the traffic generated by Trader Joe's, the theater, and several specialty stores.