Developers have been looking to develop a new entertainment complex at Southlake Mall.

Hobart Director of Development Marcos Rodriquez Jr. said the city is in talks with developers who want to bring basketball courts, a theatre and other entertainment to the super-regional mall at U.S. 30 and Mississippi Street. Another developer has also been looking at building a hotel on the former Gander Mountain site on the mall's west end.

"On the Route 30 corridor, we are having conversations about what could happen in the Southlake Mall area," Rodriquez said. "There's a lot of conversation about what could happen in those areas. There are some interested developers in the arts and entertainment area for sports entertainment, as well as theatre and production and those types of things."

Developers have been looking at the former DICK's Sporting Goods and Carson's department store about repurposing those spaces.

"We're in active conversation with the Southlake Mall management," he said. "There's a lot of activity and interest in those spaces. That's really a core area and corridor for our city."

A developer wants to convert empty retail space into a performing arts space where theatre troupes could stage plays and into basketball courts for tournaments.

"This is a very large-scale project. Different spaces would be compartmentalized and built out so they would serve their own functions," Rodriquez said. "It would be a production theatre. They do a lot of original productions."

Part of the mall would be turned into a fieldhouse where local youth basketball teams could play.

"We're still in the development talks," he said. "As it moves forward, we're excited about where it could lead."

Such offerings would help the mall diversify for the modern age, Rodriquez said.

"Malls are historically known for having retail," he said. "If you look at Southlake Mall, the second largest mall in the state of Indiana, you do have a diversified business group there with clothing, sports, et cetera. But you have other stores like the Zero Latency VR that are in the entertainment space."

Traditional brick-and-mortar retail has been struggling everywhere during the era of e-commerce. The Southlake Mall lost two longtime anchors — Sears and Carson's — after those longstanding retailers went out of business. It has also lost tenants such as Forever 21 to bankruptcy as more consumers shop online.

The mall has been looking to diversify by pivoting more to restaurants and entertainment.

"Entertainment is an important part of how Southlake Mall serves the community. With Kids Empire, Zero Latency, AMC Theatres, Fun Zone, the recently updated Playtown and family-friendly programming, we’ve gone beyond traditional retail to create a place where families can spend more time together," Southlake Mall Marketing and Business Development Manager Kristyn Filetti said. "We’re always exploring new, creative experiences to keep the mall vibrant and exciting and look forward to adding more in 2026."

As traditional retail evolves, Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun has made it a priority to transform the Southlake Mall trade area along U.S. 30 into an entertainment corridor. He's looking to bring in amenities like a Top Golf or a music venue to help keep the retail area strong.

The hope is to keep the Southlake Mall vital for years to come, Rodriquez said.

"They still get 6 million visitors a year at the mall. They're still drawing from as far north as Schaumburg," he said.

"There are great opportunities over there. The mall leadership is very progressive and they know what the future looks like. They know they've had to diversify. They've done a great job at attracting those different types of retail business and entertainment businesses and services as well. They've done a good job with a large space and made sure it's fit for today's modern economy."
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