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Mall Rats are Back with a Modern Twist in Oviedo

By Richard Copeland
Published November 12, 2026 at 4:51 PM EST
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Leather smith Brandon Groves creates armor using the bones of animals. He operates his business, Skyn and Bones, out of Bushnell under the name Runic_Racoon. He is selling his wares at the Oviedo Mall's Mall Rat Market.
1 of 4  — Brandon Grove 1.jpg
Leather smith Brandon Groves creates armor using the bones of animals. He operates his business, Skyn and Bones, out of Bushnell under the name Runic_Racoon. He is selling his wares at the Oviedo Mall's Mall Rat Market.
Richard Copeland / Central Florida Public Media
Brandon Groves creates medieval body armor from leather, metal and animal bones.
2 of 4  — Brandon Groves 2.jpg
Brandon Groves creates medieval body armor from leather, metal and animal bones.
Richard Copeland / Central Florida Public Media
Kendra Eddinger of Fellsmere collects insects that she pins in ornate shadow boxes. She is a vendor at the Oviedo Mall's Mall Rat Market.
3 of 4  — Kendra Eddinger 1.jpg
Kendra Eddinger of Fellsmere collects insects that she pins in ornate shadow boxes. She is a vendor at the Oviedo Mall's Mall Rat Market.
Richard Copeland / Central Florida Public Media
Orlando resident Eric Clay superimposes the heads of cats and dogs onto Victorian-era photographs of people. His work can be found at the Mall Rat Market at the Oviedo Mall.
4 of 4  — eric clay 1.jpg
Orlando resident Eric Clay superimposes the heads of cats and dogs onto Victorian-era photographs of people. His work can be found at the Mall Rat Market at the Oviedo Mall.
Richard Copeland / Central Florida Public Media

As traditional retail evolves, Oviedo’s Mall Rat Market is creating a new kind of mall experience for vendors and shoppers.

For people of a certain age, holiday shopping may bring back memories of the traditional shopping mall. In recent years, e-commerce has dramatically changed the retail landscape, contributing to the decline of what was once a nexus of shopping and community. Capital One Shopping Research reports the number of malls operating in the U.S. fell from about 2,500 in the 1980s to fewer than 1,000 today.

In Central Florida, some are finding new ways to bring people through their doors. Engage visits Oviedo’s Mall Rat Market, where vendors and shoppers are creating a new kind of mall experience.

Engage
Richard Copeland
Richard Copeland is the producer of Engage. The Pennsylvania native has produced news programming and developed shows including KNPR’s State of Nevada, Boise State Public Radio’s Idaho Matters and WITF-Harrisburg’s Smart Talk. Most recently, Copeland was a senior producer on KJZZ’s The Show in Phoenix. Contact Richard at RCopeland@cfpublic.org
See stories by Richard Copeland