FOREST PARK, Ohio — "Catching a dead fish is proving to be a lot harder than I expected it to be."

That's how Abby Martz began her college entrance essay. And she knows you might think it's weird.

"I have gotten some of that," Martz said.

But her journey to save part of a decaying mall is about more than a basketball hoop-sized inflatable fish. It's about preserving history — and her childhood.

Woman saves giant inflatable fish from closed mall

Her brother’s first word was, “mall.” Her mom used to work there as a teenager. And her dad bought diapers here.

The now-closed building was once known as Forest Fair Mall. Martz knew it as Cincinnati Mills. To everyone, it will soon be demolished , with only memories left behind.

Memories like Martz’s brother running through stores to get

See Full Page