From old malls to the White House, this designer brings life to dated spaces

TAMPA — Michele “Mik” Oca’s mission is to optimize every square inch of a space for maximum amusement. The founder of US Design Lab, based in Tampa, specializes in revitalizing vacant commercial spaces. Kind of like a fairy godfather for fun.

Or, as the company’s LinkedIn, puts it: “we don’t have a magic wand, but we sure work hard to help our customers identify what makes them different and build a brand around their strengths.” Oca advertises himself as a “one-stop-shop” to investors, combining master planning with concept design, brand development and marketing.

He first broke into the design industry more than 20 years ago in Italy. Since then, the designer has worked on projects of all scales, from small businesses to, he says, the White House in Washington, D.C.

He’s originally from Bologna, a medieval town between Venice and Florence. Oca moved to Tampa 10 years ago and immediately noticed the massive buildings. The designer would go shopping with his wife at Kohl’s and be blown away by the space’s potential. Nothing says culture shock like being able to buy your underwear and a microwave from the same retailer.

“My vision of spaces is totally different from an American,” Oca said. “You are used to seeing spaces like that. For me, it was like ‘oh boy... I could build 10 houses in a space like that!’”

But instead of housing, he constructs experiences.

Because typical mall tenants, not unlike Kohl’s, have struggled to maintain foot traffic amid an era of online shopping, they became ideal spaces to repurpose for entertainment. Over 50 percent of Oca’s projects are housed in shopping malls and strip malls. Bringing experiences like mini-golf and go-karts to moribund malls could be vital to their resurrection.

“I’ve seen situations where the father stays to play mini-golf with the kids, and the mother goes with some friends to do shopping,” said Oca.

On a recent Friday at Elev8 Fun in Citrus Park Town Center, a trail of trees with neon blue LED lights for branches “grew” out of half a wooden barrel set on two tires. Visitors are pulled further into the vast space with the incessant percussion of techno music.

To the left, bowling balls hurtled down a slick wooden lane, sending pins toppling down in a thunderous crash. To the right, the Boston Celtics were destroying the Dallas Mavericks on dozens of TVs lining the wall of a sports bar. Further into the labyrinth of lights, there’s mini-golf, an arcade and a virtual reality shooting game. Upstairs, you’ll find go-karts, laser tag, axe-throwing and another bar. A ropes course spills out of Elev8′s entrance, connecting the adventure park to the rest of the mall.

This used to be a Sears.

Oca’s client, E8 Properties, partnered with Primetime Amusements to transform Sears stores all over the Sunshine State into indoor adventure parks. The first Elev8 Fun came to Seminole Towne Center in Sanford in January 2022, with Citrus Park’s opening in May 2023. Another converted Sears is expected to open next summer at the Treasure Coast Square Mall in Jensen Beach. And a fourth Elev8 Fun, formerly a Kohl’s at the Miami International Mall, is expected to open by the end of 2025.

“My real passion ... is not a matter of designing a nice-looking place, but it’s a matter of designing something where people gather together, and they are social ... and they laugh, and they play,” said Oca.

His designs are meant to appeal to all generations, from adults who grew up skipping school to go mall-shopping to kids who have never known consumerism outside of Amazon. Elev8 Fun evokes “mall nostalgia” with retro details like black-and-white checkered flooring and life-size animated figures holding hamburgers.

“The ‘50s to the ‘70s are the mall generation, and that gives them some nostalgia,” said director of business development at Elev8 Fun, Keith Baldwin. “Some of the younger people, they’re becoming new to malls, so ... we want to make sure we’re attracting environments for all.”

That Friday evening, three generations surrounded an air hockey table. Laura Arentz and her husband brought their 5-year-old son Jackson to Elev8 Fun. Jackson’s grandparents and aunt were also there. The family ate dinner at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in the mall before heading over.

When Jackson first entered the promised land of sensory overload, “he was looking around like, ‘what do I wanna do?’” said Laura Arentz. Jackson had already been bowling before at Elev8, so he was interested in something new. The family bounced from skee ball to basketball to air hockey — all without ever leaving the former department store.