Lyn and Laura Triffet decided to stop at the outlet mall for the first time on their way home to Hilliard from Louisville, Ky., on the recommendation of friends.

"The selection is better here than I'd find somewhere else, and there seem to be good deals," Laura Triffet said as she shopped for shoes at the Bass outlet store. "I'm sure I can find a pair of shoes. That's what I came here for."

Jeffersonville's location along a major highway is key to its success. Boring and Humphers said that many of the most successful malls now are in resort areas that draw visitors from several states. Such malls become destinations in themselves, often offering expanded entertainment and dining options as well.

The newly renamed Lodi Station Outlets in the Wayne County village of Burbank also are along I-71 but closer to Cleveland than Columbus. Sold last year by Prime Retail to California-based Gilad Development, the mall is staking a comeback on a re-branding centered on a 24-gauge train and train-station theme that strive to lend a novel but authentic touch.

"We're trying to provide a complete experience," said Lisa Chapman, general manager of Lodi Station. "It's a very competitive marketplace. It's about getting the shopper to your destination."

Chapman said sales already are up from when the center was owned by Prime Retail. Lodi Station now features entertainment on the weekend, and plans to tailor its train theme to holidays such as Halloween and Christmas, Chapman said. She said she couldn't provide an occupancy rate, but that the mall has more than 60 stores and is "aggressively leasing" to new outlets.

Still, Boring said most small towns are sure to be disappointed if they stake their hopes on opening an outlet mall. He said he hears about municipalities paying for studies that invariably find that their town would be a perfect location for an outlet mall.

"A lot of smaller cities around Ohio think their towns could have an outlet mall," Boring said. "Unless it's organic, it's unlikely to work ... . The industry has become a game of winners and losers. The winners have become more and more dominant, and the losers have become more and more vacant. There is no in between."

mrose@dispatch.com

"I always leave with something. To me, it's worth it to drive down here four or five times a year, even with the gas prices."

Dania Daniel Northwest Side resident who was shopping at the Puma outlet

-----

To see more of The Columbus Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.columbusdispatch.com.

Copyright (c) 2008, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

NYSE:SKT, NYSE:WMT, NYSE:BIG, NYSE:LTD, NASDAQ-NMS:GYMB, NYSE:TGT, NYSE:KSS,