Schuylkill Mall
Encyclopedia
The Schuylkill Mall is a regional former, Crown American
mall located in Frackville, Pennsylvania
. The mall later changed ownership to PREIT after the merger with Crown American
. In March 2007, Empire Reality Investments bought the Schuylkill Mall and owns and operates it . It features about 96 storefronts, many of which are currently vacant. The malls current anchor stores are, K-mart, Sears, Black Diamond Antiques, and The-Bon-Ton. There is also one other anchor that is currently vacant. The mall also has a 4 screen movie theater. It used to be a UA theater but then became a Regal Theater. The theater closed briefly in September 2010 and reopened as a Kings Theater Circuit Theater and currently operates as that.
, Pomeroy's, and Sears. The mall also had a Woolworth's
junior anchor. In 1987 a Phar-Mor
store opened as the malls 5th anchor. The mall had a lot of different stores on the opening day. Such stores include, Gap
, Deb Shops
, Spencer Gifts, Record Town, Jeans West, Foxmoor, Fashion Bug, B.Moss, Waldenbooks
, Claire's Boutique, Afterthoughts, Listening Booth, Slack Shack, KB Toys
, Footlocker
, and many other national chains. It also had a good selection of restaurants. Chick-Fil-A
, McDonald's
, Boardwalk Fries, Bonanza Steakhouse, Arby's
, a pizza restaurant called "Little Italy" and a Long John Silvers.Out of all of those, only the Arby's
and pizza restaurant remain, although the name changed to Suglia's Pizza and has the same owners. There is still a McDonald's
Drive-Thru on the outside. The mall pretty much served the Schuylkill County area throughout the 1980s and 1990s because the competing malls in the county (Fairlane Village and Cressona Mall) were not nearly as large or had as many stores as the Schuylkill Mall did. However, The mall would start to decline in the late 1990s.
, Victoria's Secret
, Gap
/Gap Kids, Gamestop
, and Bonworth. Other stores from the malls early years were still there such as, Waldenbooks
, Claires, Radio Shack
, Gertude Hawk Chocolates, Regis Salon, and KB Toys
. But in 2009 the mall became really bad. In January 2009, The long-time Waldenbooks and Claire's stores closed. Also the Chick-Fil-A
restaurant closed in December 2009. In 2010, the mall started to used Non-Traditional tenants such as a Renal Clinic, a Church (Which opened in the former Lerner space), and a Health Office. Other local stores also set up shop like, Air Graphics and Adorable Pets. In 2011, Kay Jewelers closed their store. The store closed along with Liberty Travel,and Famous Labeles that was on the right side of the former Hess's
anchor. The store was split. Other stores that were there before that include, U.S. Factory Outlets, Black Diamond Antiques (Relocated), and Steve & Barry's
. The
Bonworth store also recently closed.
, Victoria's Secret
, Bath & Body Works
, Gap
, Gamestop
, Littman Jewelers, Radio Shack
, Hallmark Gold Crown, Shoe Dept., Payless Shoe Source, and a few other national tenants. The mall also has some popular local stores that are in other malls like Gertude Hawk Chocolates and Schuylkill Valley Sports. Some other stores have since closed and new national tenants are in negotiations with mall management.
Crown American
Crown American is a privately held American company that manages and develops commercial real estate. The corporate headquarters is in downtown Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in a building designed by architect Michael Graves....
mall located in Frackville, Pennsylvania
Frackville, Pennsylvania
Frackville is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Frackville is located near the intersection of Interstate 81 and Pennsylvania State Route 61, approximately northeast of Harrisburg and southwest of Wilkes-Barre.-History:...
. The mall later changed ownership to PREIT after the merger with Crown American
Crown American
Crown American is a privately held American company that manages and develops commercial real estate. The corporate headquarters is in downtown Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in a building designed by architect Michael Graves....
. In March 2007, Empire Reality Investments bought the Schuylkill Mall and owns and operates it . It features about 96 storefronts, many of which are currently vacant. The malls current anchor stores are, K-mart, Sears, Black Diamond Antiques, and The-Bon-Ton. There is also one other anchor that is currently vacant. The mall also has a 4 screen movie theater. It used to be a UA theater but then became a Regal Theater. The theater closed briefly in September 2010 and reopened as a Kings Theater Circuit Theater and currently operates as that.
History
The Schuylkill Mall opened on November 17, 1980 with four anchor stores, K-mart, Hess'sHess's
Hess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the United States.- History :The department store known as Hess Brothers was founded on February 19, 1897, by Charles and Max Hess. Max Hess came to Allentown in 1896 on a business trip and envisioned a...
, Pomeroy's, and Sears. The mall also had a Woolworth's
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
junior anchor. In 1987 a Phar-Mor
Phar-Mor
Phar-Mor was a United States chain of discount drug stores, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and founded by Michael "Mickey" Monus and David S. Shapira in 1982. Some of its stores used the names Pharmhouse and Rx Place...
store opened as the malls 5th anchor. The mall had a lot of different stores on the opening day. Such stores include, Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
, Deb Shops
Deb Shops
Deb Shops is a specialty retail chain store in the United States that sells women's clothing and accessories under its own private labels as well other well-known labels. The company is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and principally serves women in their early-teens through their late-twenties...
, Spencer Gifts, Record Town, Jeans West, Foxmoor, Fashion Bug, B.Moss, Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks , operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware as well as a children's edutainment chain under Walden Kids...
, Claire's Boutique, Afterthoughts, Listening Booth, Slack Shack, KB Toys
KB Toys
K·B Toys was a chain of mall-based retail toy stores in the United States. It was founded in 1922 by the Kaufman brothers. K·B operated 605 stores in 44 U.S. states, Puerto Rico as well as Guam. It was privately held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts...
, Footlocker
Footlocker
Footlocker may refer to:* a Footlocker , a type of trunk or chest* Foot Locker, an American sportswear and footwear retailer* Operation Footlocker, an activity for military children developed by Mary Edwards Wertsch, Reta Jones Nicholson, and Gene Moser. Gene is the current Operations Officer for...
, and many other national chains. It also had a good selection of restaurants. Chick-Fil-A
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A |"fillet"]]) is a quick service restaurant chain headquartered in College Park, Georgia, United States, specializing in chicken entrées and is known for promoting the company founder's claims of Christian values. Long associated with the southern United States, where it has been a...
, McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, Boardwalk Fries, Bonanza Steakhouse, Arby's
Arby's
Arby's is a fast food restaurant chain in the United States and Canada. Roark Capital Group owns 81.5% of the company, with Wendy's Company owning the other 18.5%. It is primarily known for selling roast beef sandwiches and curly fries. The Arby's menu also includes chicken sandwiches, appetizers,...
, a pizza restaurant called "Little Italy" and a Long John Silvers.Out of all of those, only the Arby's
Arby's
Arby's is a fast food restaurant chain in the United States and Canada. Roark Capital Group owns 81.5% of the company, with Wendy's Company owning the other 18.5%. It is primarily known for selling roast beef sandwiches and curly fries. The Arby's menu also includes chicken sandwiches, appetizers,...
and pizza restaurant remain, although the name changed to Suglia's Pizza and has the same owners. There is still a McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
Drive-Thru on the outside. The mall pretty much served the Schuylkill County area throughout the 1980s and 1990s because the competing malls in the county (Fairlane Village and Cressona Mall) were not nearly as large or had as many stores as the Schuylkill Mall did. However, The mall would start to decline in the late 1990s.
Sears expansion and decline
In 1995, mall management announced that they would expand the current Sears store by expanding out into 3 empty storefronts that were in the Sears wing. The store also expanded outward into the parking lot. In June 1999, a new manager was selected for the Schuylkill Mall and ever since then, the mall has seem to have been declining. However the mall was still doing good up until 2007 with tenants like, Bath & Body WorksBath & Body Works
Bath & Body Works, LLC, is an American retail store under the Limited Brands umbrella. It was founded in 1990 in New Albany, Ohio and has since expanded across the United States and Canada. It specializes in lotions, bath items, personal care items, and home fragrances.The company launched both a...
, Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
, Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
/Gap Kids, Gamestop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
, and Bonworth. Other stores from the malls early years were still there such as, Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks , operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware as well as a children's edutainment chain under Walden Kids...
, Claires, Radio Shack
Radio shack
Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...
, Gertude Hawk Chocolates, Regis Salon, and KB Toys
KB Toys
K·B Toys was a chain of mall-based retail toy stores in the United States. It was founded in 1922 by the Kaufman brothers. K·B operated 605 stores in 44 U.S. states, Puerto Rico as well as Guam. It was privately held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts...
. But in 2009 the mall became really bad. In January 2009, The long-time Waldenbooks and Claire's stores closed. Also the Chick-Fil-A
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A |"fillet"]]) is a quick service restaurant chain headquartered in College Park, Georgia, United States, specializing in chicken entrées and is known for promoting the company founder's claims of Christian values. Long associated with the southern United States, where it has been a...
restaurant closed in December 2009. In 2010, the mall started to used Non-Traditional tenants such as a Renal Clinic, a Church (Which opened in the former Lerner space), and a Health Office. Other local stores also set up shop like, Air Graphics and Adorable Pets. In 2011, Kay Jewelers closed their store. The store closed along with Liberty Travel,and Famous Labeles that was on the right side of the former Hess's
Hess's
Hess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the United States.- History :The department store known as Hess Brothers was founded on February 19, 1897, by Charles and Max Hess. Max Hess came to Allentown in 1896 on a business trip and envisioned a...
anchor. The store was split. Other stores that were there before that include, U.S. Factory Outlets, Black Diamond Antiques (Relocated), and Steve & Barry's
Steve & Barry's
Steve & Barry's was an American retail clothing chain, featuring casual apparel. By mid-2008, the chain operated 276 stores in 39 states. The company was headquartered in Port Washington, New York. The company liquidated all of its stores throughout 2008....
. The
Bonworth store also recently closed.
Current mall
Today the Schuylkill Mall still has a Deb ShopDeb Shops
Deb Shops is a specialty retail chain store in the United States that sells women's clothing and accessories under its own private labels as well other well-known labels. The company is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and principally serves women in their early-teens through their late-twenties...
, Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
, Bath & Body Works
Bath & Body Works
Bath & Body Works, LLC, is an American retail store under the Limited Brands umbrella. It was founded in 1990 in New Albany, Ohio and has since expanded across the United States and Canada. It specializes in lotions, bath items, personal care items, and home fragrances.The company launched both a...
, Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
, Gamestop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
, Littman Jewelers, Radio Shack
Radio shack
Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...
, Hallmark Gold Crown, Shoe Dept., Payless Shoe Source, and a few other national tenants. The mall also has some popular local stores that are in other malls like Gertude Hawk Chocolates and Schuylkill Valley Sports. Some other stores have since closed and new national tenants are in negotiations with mall management.
Anchor stores (Defunct)
- Phar-MorPhar-MorPhar-Mor was a United States chain of discount drug stores, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and founded by Michael "Mickey" Monus and David S. Shapira in 1982. Some of its stores used the names Pharmhouse and Rx Place...
(Now Black Diamond Antiques) - Hess'sHess'sHess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the United States.- History :The department store known as Hess Brothers was founded on February 19, 1897, by Charles and Max Hess. Max Hess came to Allentown in 1896 on a business trip and envisioned a...
- U.S. Factory Outlets
- Steve & Barry'sSteve & Barry'sSteve & Barry's was an American retail clothing chain, featuring casual apparel. By mid-2008, the chain operated 276 stores in 39 states. The company was headquartered in Port Washington, New York. The company liquidated all of its stores throughout 2008....
- Famous Labels
- Pomeroy's (Now Bon-Ton)