Crazy Hot Buys set to close at Oviedo Mall after five months

Crazy Hot Buys is preparing to close at Oviedo Mall after only about five months, leaving the former Sears space empty again and underscoring how much tenant turnover still shapes the Seminole County mall’s future.

The liquidation outlet opened on Black Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in a space that had sat dormant since Sears closed there in 2019. Its quick exit turns what looked like a fresh burst of activity into another reminder that Oviedo Mall is still trying to replace lost anchor traffic with short-term tenants while larger redevelopment plans move ahead.

Kevin Hipes, the mall’s development director, has said the property is in transition and no longer functions like a traditional enclosed mall. In February 2025, he said the location never had enough density to drive traffic into a million-square-foot regional mall, pointing to the competition from Sanford and Waterford Lakes. In January 2026, he said, “We are in transition,” as the mall pushed toward a mix of regional and local brands instead of relying on national chains alone.

That strategy has not eliminated the problem of vacant anchor space. The former Sears box, one of the mall’s most visible large-format spaces, is again expected to become vacant after Crazy Hot Buys leaves. For shoppers, that means another reset in the mall’s lineup. For nearby businesses inside the property, it means another round of uncertainty about foot traffic and how long the mall can keep momentum between one tenant and the next.

The empty Sears footprint is also part of a much larger redevelopment effort. City leaders approved Oasis at Oviedo Mall in December 2023, a $100 million mixed-use project planned for about 15 acres at the east end of the property. The project calls for 360 apartments in seven buildings, along with a clubhouse and pool, signaling that the mall’s future may depend as much on housing and mixed-use density as on retail sales.

Oviedo Mall first opened in 1998, and its evolution has become a case study in how enclosed malls are being reshaped across Central Florida. The closure of Crazy Hot Buys does not just leave one storefront dark. It shows that the mall’s future is still being decided anchor by anchor, tenant by tenant, as owners try to keep the property relevant while the next phase of redevelopment takes shape.