"Sometimes at the mall people have that stigma that the mall is dying and it's just a bunch of knick-knacky kind of stores and stuff like that, and I had the same stigma, I won't lie," Brian Ross, a co-founder of RozayPoke, told The News-Herald last November.
He said that after the Pokémon card shop moved from Painesville Township into Great Lakes Mall in 2025. By the time the story ran, the shop's launch nights had outgrown the store. The mall was renting it the floor outside its door for about 40 more tables, and the line ran from the register to the food court.
That detail explains most of what has changed at 7850 Mentor Ave. over the past year. The newest and expanded businesses at Great Lakes Mall are built for staying a while. They have lounges, game rooms, league nights and seating, and the shopping is part of it but not the main reason to go. Read together, the tenant news and the fall calendar point the same way.
Count the Tables
Start with the two hobby shops, because they make the case most plainly.
RozayPoke's move to the mall doubled its space and added a second bathroom. Ross also pointed to being close to the food court. Inside, tables fill much of the main room, and there are couches and a television by a window that looks out on the mall. The shop sells vintage and modern Pokémon cards and memorabilia. As of last November, it also ran league play two nights a week. Wednesday was added alongside Friday and had become the busier night, sometimes drawing 30 to 40 people. At one launch event, 300 sets of cards sold out in three hours.
Then, this spring, the mall announced Waku Waku Hobby, an anime and Japanese hobby shop. It carries manga, Japanese model kits, anime figures and plushies. It also has a sit-down manga lounge and tables where customers can build their model kits in the store.
These two shops sell things you could order online. What they add is a seat, and someone to sit next to.
General Manager Eric Roxbury described the mall in the May announcement as having "more than 100 retail, dining and entertainment destinations." He said the new additions range "from family-owned dining concepts to specialty hobby retail that creates a true sense of community."
The Food Side Made the Same Move
The dining news from 2026 follows the same pattern. The businesses that changed added room, menu items or reasons to stay longer.
| Place | What changed in 2026 | Why it's worth a visit |
|---|---|---|
| Del Monti's Italian Treats | Moved into a larger dining space | Gelato, pizzelles, subs, pizzas, chocolates and Italian groceries, many made on site |
| EA-teriyaki Japanese Grill | Opened in the Food Court | Made-to-order teriyaki dishes |
| The Brew Kettle | Reopened after a nine-month rebrand | New menu, a live-music stage and a game room |
Del Monti's is family-owned and run, and the mall is its only location. The expansion was led by local co-owners Anthony Del Monti and Barry Sneed and marked the shop's third anniversary at the mall. A gelato counter that grows into a dining room means more people sit down and eat their pizza there.
The Brew Kettle has the most telling story. It opened at the mall in 2020. When business wasn't going the way the owners wanted, they closed the Mentor location for nine months and reworked the menu and decor. They chose that over leaving, even though it is the company's only Lake County site. "We are trying something new and just didn't want to give up on Mentor," Director of Operations Kim Newton told The News-Herald. The Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce held the grand reopening on June 1.
The new version doesn't look like the company's other four locations, which focus on craft beer and comfort food. The Mentor menu adds tavern-style pizzas, seafood and steak. The space now has a stage for live music and a game room with old-school games, pinball and kid-friendly options. General Manager Frankie Anselmo said what they're going for: "We really want to be the neighborhood spot instead of just another one of the chain places around. We want to be the kind of place where you would come after a kid's football or soccer game."
The Brew Kettle opens at 11 a.m. every day. It closes at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Across Mentor Avenue, the Quick Stop
The newest opening near the mall works the other way, and it fits around the rest. Rita's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard opened over Labor Day weekend at 7652 Mentor Ave., in the former Subway near the mall. It's a family-owned franchise led by Ohio entrepreneur Jim Myers. This is his sixth Rita's, after shops in Streetsboro, Austintown, Akron, Coraopolis and Hermitage, and his first in the Cleveland area. His son Danny runs it.
The feature that matters for a Northeast Ohio October is the drive-thru. Myers said it lets the shop serve customers "regardless of weather" all year. The Italian ice is made fresh on site every day, with a rotating selection drawn from more than 80 flavors. The menu also has frozen custard, gelati, frozen coffee and milkshakes. If you're already driving to the mall for a league night or a Brew Kettle dinner, Rita's is right on the way.
The Calendar Uses the Hallways Too
The mall's events calendar from now through December follows the same logic as RozayPoke's rented tables. Most of the listings are things to show up for. In date order:
- October 18, Candy Crawl. Kids come in costume and trick-or-treat at participating stores. The Sunburst Beauty Pageant is listed for the same day.
- October 23–25, Sports Card and Memorabilia Show. The mall's event page describes more than 125 tables of sports cards, Pokémon, memorabilia, supplies and other collectibles.
- November 13 through December 24, Photos and Visits with Santa. Walk-ups are accepted.
- November 14, JCPenney Kids Zone.
- December 6, Sensitive Santa. A sensory-supportive visit with Santa.
- December 7, Paws & Claus. Santa photos with pets.
The late-October card show links back to the start of this story. It brings in the same hobby, Pokémon included, that already fills RozayPoke's tables on league nights, only spread down the concourse. For anyone who has followed the shop since its 2025 move, that weekend is the same thing at a bigger scale.
A Few Things to Confirm Before You Go
Two details on this list come from sources that change over time.
First, holiday hours. The mall's own website disagrees with itself about Thanksgiving. The Santa page says the mall is closed Thanksgiving Day, November 26, and Christmas Day, December 25. The general hours page lists November 26 as 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check closer to the date before you plan a holiday-week trip.
Second, the RozayPoke league schedule above is how the shop described it in November 2025. Shops with weekly play adjust their nights, so check with the store before you bring a deck on a Wednesday.
The mall's events calendar can also change. Apart from the Santa page, which gives full 2026 dates, the listings above show only a month and day. They are the upcoming entries on the calendar as of early October 2026, so confirm on the event page before you go.
If you're thinking about how places like Great Lakes Mall fit into everyday life in Mentor, whether you've lived here for years or are thinking about your next move, Beth Kitchen is glad to talk it through, from favorite weeknight spots to the parts of town around them. Let's Connect.
