Columbia Center

No matter what time of year I come here, there are always people in this mall. Even back in 2008 and 2009 after the dip in our economy, the place was far from deserted.
Since Walla Walla doesn’t have a mall, we end up here for the mall experience. There is a nice selection of stores: Eddie Bauer, Victoria’s Secret, Loft, Macy’s (men’s store is in a different area of the mall), The Body Shop, a food court (only been there in desperation), a theater, Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, Twigs … the list goes on.
Pick your parking spot based on your ending point or your beginning point of your shopping experience, as the lot is huge and extends in all directions around the mall. However, I am always amazed at how full this lot is unless I’m arriving close to the moment the mall opens.
If you are in the southeast corner of the state and need a mall, this is it.

This mall is extremely busy around the holidays, but there are a ton of different stores. They have the big-​box department store chains (Macy’s, JCP, etc), a decent-​sized food court, and a lot of jewelry store. There is a movie theater inside the mall, and another one behind it near Costco. The mall area is a nightmare to navigate, but it’s a nice place to shop when it is not the holiday season.

We drove 50 miles to come shopping here because we don’t have a mall in Walla Walla, but that is another story. This mall isn’t like South Center, or South Coast Plaza for that matter nor is it like Scottsdale mall, but unless you are willing to keep driving for another 3 to 4 hours to Seattle or Portland, it is the best that we have.
Barnes and Noble on one end, stores stretching down from there to JCP, not that I ever get that far, with some stores only accessible from the outside, provides for a shopping nightmare unless you know how to go from one point to the next. Loft has an outside entrance only, as does Starbucks. Don’t leave via the downstairs of Macy’s unless of course you have parked there or you will find yourself hiking out of the parking lot to get to the rest of the stores. Best, actually, is to turn around and retrace your steps!
You will find Victoria’s Secret along with an Eddie Bauer right next door. However, the men’s Macy’s is past the food court and not near the rest of Macy’s. There is also a very limited Body Shop.
Before you go, you might want to view the mall’s layout online to know where your favorite stores are located, and sorry, no Nordstroms (nearest one is in Spokane).

Typical mall and typical mall people. This thoroughfare could use some in-​mall pedestrian traffic control. Mosey on your own clock. However, the mall is clean and fairly safe (as long as you wear pedestrian orange. I come here because it has Barnes and Noble as well as JCP

I find Columbia Mall to be way better than the mall in Yakima/​Union Gap! They have more stores to shop at and it’s much bigger. I just didn’t like the Sears too much! Otherwise, it’s a nice shopping mall.

This mall is way too small for the rapidly growing population. There is a real lack of high quality stores. We need White/​Black, The Limited, Francesca, Nordstroms, etc. Simon step it up..

They should build a new mall in pasco so this one won’t be so packed all the time. Damn parking on holidays. Glad we have a mall though.

Okay, let me start out by saying that I love this mall. On Thursday, I went shopping for Black Friday Deals. The customers were very patient and peaceful.
The stores at the mall are very good, however, I would love to see a Dunkin’ Donuts move in. The food that they have at the Food Court is very good. The area to enjoy your food is very clean. They have a lot of food to choose from.
The parking is alright. However, sometimes it is very hard to find a good parking. There is always a lot of people at the mall shopping — especially around the holidays and Black Friday.
To round it up, the Columbia Center Mall is a great atmosphere for shopping, watching a movie or eating. The deals are excellent, but sometimes, some items are very expensive. The parking is good but sometimes it is hard to find a good parking spot.

What can I say. It’s a one mall kind of town and Columbia center more or less provides that prototypical mall experience.

This place is whatever, I’m not a shopper so it’s not really my thing.
It’s extremely small.
If I come here, it’s because I’m going to a movie and I’ll stop by Barnes and Noble to check it out.
It’s not a horrible place, but it doesn’t have that great of stores for my taste and seems to have outgrown the population here.

I’m glad there is a mall in the Tri Cities. However, I hate shopping here with a fiery passion. Though it’s a small mall, it’s still a very popular hangout for ALL kinds of people. This is probably the main reason I prefer shopping elsewhere– the mall is always packed. I learned early on to never come here on a weekend or around the holidays. Parking is a biotch and there are too many unattended kids around for my taste. Furthermore, the stores are a disaster. Everything is picked through and displays are torn up, clothes are on the floor, selection is laking, etc.
The only stores I like at this mall are Gap, Buckle, and Macy’s. I could do without the Penney’s, Sears, ManMacy’s (don’t tell my husband I said that), Vanity, Vans Store, Christopher and Banks, Loft, Chico’s, Old Navy, American Eagle, Pacsun, Aeropostle, Hot Topic, Foot Locker, Victoria’s Secret, Hollister, Abercrombie and Fitch, Nail Salon, Hair places, overpriced Barnes and Noble, doubly overpriced Coach Store, and food court (note: there is now a froyo), to name a few of the other stores offered. Outside the mall is a nice ULTA, which I love.
The movie theater can be a nice quiet place to go to a Matinée. I prefer it to Carmike. Don’t eat at the Azteca here (go to the one on 10^th).
I think the Tri City and surrounding population could support a better mall than this. I’d love to see a new, better, and bigger mall come to town. Maybe then, it wouldn’t be so crowded at either mall and I wouldn’t have to drive to Spokane for decent shopping.

This mall I think is slowly improving by adding more stores that are relevant to today. The addition of Twigs martini bar and bistro is a huge plus. This mall could really use a complete renovation but it has the staples like Macy’s and Old Navy. This place can get real crowded which is why I think a renovation is due. The Tri-​Cities is a hip, growing place.

The one and only mall in the Tri-​Cities and if you ask most people in the area they will tell you that the shopping here is not great. It’s a Simon mall so you can use your Simon GC’s. As the Tri-​Cities has grown the mall has had some expansions in size, but maybe not big enough and not with the stores many people are hoping for.
It’s very busy during the holiday season but I try to stay away and do my shopping online since there is much less hassle and I can find the same selection as is in the stores we have available. Not sure if the lack of selection is determined by the mall management or the population size, but it leaves a bit to be desired.

Yea, if it’s not a weekday I try not to hit up the mall if I can help it. Unless there happens to be a GREAT movie playing. Otherwise, I would rather go somewhere else. Watch out for the crazy sale days too, you are bound to get trampled by whoever if they want the item worse than you do. Almost as bad as Wal-​mart but in a bigger building.

It is true that it doesn’t have the largest selection of stores but I came from a town with no mall so this place is a step up for me. It has Anne Taylor Loft, Gap, Old Navy, Victoria’s Secret, and Macy’s which satisfies me. Plus a movie theater and a large Barnes and Noble.
It is often pretty crowded and the layout is a little strange but overall it isn’t a bad place to shop.

This mall doesn’t have a Nordstrom, Express, Banana Republic, or froyo place. Enough said.

I don’t know why everyone hates this place so much. The only time you’ll have trouble finding parking is during the holiday season. Its not going to hurt you to walk 20 yards from your car to the entrance. God forbid you get any exercise! The janitorial staff keeps it clean. It isn’t overly crowded. I’ve never run into staff in any of the stores who were anything less than kind. I say these things having lived in the area for about 90% of my life and having gone to this mall a million times.
Sometimes, if I was lonely or bored I’d go to the mall because I knew I would always run into someone I knew. I don’t «love» this mall but I like it the way only a Tri-​City native can I suppose.

Wow, there is a lot of hate for this mall!
I go here every time I come to Umatilla to visit (I’m sure you’re wondering why on earth I would visit Umatilla, but that’s a story for another day). I don’t find this a terrible option. I have found some ridiculously inexpensive clothes here of very decent quality and reputation – things that would normally cost in the triple digit range in Vancouver, BC (such as Levi’s jeans, DKNY…). The mall has the basics of what I need in a mall: Macy’s, Gap, Bath and Body Works, Old Navy, MAC, Origins, JC Penneys, Victoria’s Secret, Sears.
Some bonuses: Fuego – Love some of the quirky designer jewelry in this store… And the fact that Macy’s now sells Bare Minerals make up! And apparently you can find some bubble tea (boba?) at one of the Asian noodle places. But I don’t think they’re of good quality. Haven’t tried them since we can get great bubble tea in Vancouver!

Wow, and its still over a month until Xmas.
A recent trip to the mall had me entertaining thoughts of slicing my wrists. How painful. This place has minimal parking, the stores are «BLAH», it’s pretty packed inside, and I saw a urinal backing up and getting ready to tsunami-​ify JC Penny.
My experience of trying to find a restroom (I had just had the «bee-​yah Samplah from Ice Harbah»!) in the dang mall was a hellish adventure like Frodo’s in Lord of the Rings!
And this is why I avoid malls.

I had hoped that after a 3 month hiatus from writing reviews, I’d be able to generate a positive one. Alas, no. Columbia Center just makes it so easy to blast them that this is where I have to start.
This mall is virtually worthless. I don’t say that merely because I’m a man and hence, I have a genetic predisposition toward mall hate. Also not just because of my equally hereditary hatred for shopping, or my dismay at the size of the Christmas crowds. I was actually fortunate enough to dodge most of the shopping crowds by visiting on weeknights. No, my hatred of this place is founded in its near-​complete lack of function.
I visit perhaps twice a year, maybe more if Christmas requires a second trip. Typically, I park as close as possible to the store I actually want — usually Sears, Penneys, or Barnes & Noble — and make my escape as quickly as possible. Last week, I actually walked the hall between stores in order to avoid stepping into the frigid outdoors, where I stood a pretty fair chance of breaking my ass bone on their virtually unplowed roads and parking lot.
There’s nothing here. I mean, all of the stores are occupied, but there’s nothing here. Nothing useful, that is. Everything sold here can be found for at least 50% less at Costco or Fred Meyer (well, everything except the Cinnabon, which sometimes calls my name in the wee hours). I can recall coming here when I was in high school when there were places like Foot Locker, Suncoast, and MusicLand. When I could buy Cons, a tape, and VHS and then go to the food court with my friends and get a DQ sundae.
No more. No music, no videos. Replaced by Old Navy and other places where you can get a $ 5 shirt with a $ 35 logo. I can barely afford a DQ sundae, and if I did, I’ve eaten in gas stations cleaner than the food court.
Security is a joke. The last one I saw, there’s no way he could chase down a purse snatcher or shoplifter. Too many free DQ sundaes, methinks. Apparently they figure if they can’t get a good security guard for $ 9 an hour, they should get A LOT of security guard for $ 9 an hour.
The best thing about this place — it’s easy for me to avoid it 11 months of the year.