(WTAJ) — Once called the “new Main Streets of America” shopping malls have seen a rapid decline due to online shopping sales and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019, more than 9,000 brick-and-mortar retailers closed, which was more than in 2017 and 2018, according to the New York Times.
In the 1980s the Wall Street Journal said there were around 2,500 malls in the country. Fast-forward four decades and now there are only 700. So, of those still open to customers, how many can you find in the Commonwealth? Surprisingly, there’s still a good amount of malls still open in PA.
Western Pennsylvania | Central Pennsylvania | Eastern Pennsylvania |
Beaver Valley Mall | Capital City Mall | Berkshire Mall |
Clarion Mall | Clearfield Square | Church Hill Mall |
Clearview Mall | DuBois Mall | Cressona Mall |
Cranberry Mall | Harrisburg Mall | Exton Square Mall |
Downtown Mall | Johnstown Galleria | Fashion District Philadelphia |
Indiana Mall | Logan Valley Mall | Fairlane Village Mall |
Millcreek Mall | Nittany Mall | King of Prussia Mall |
Monroeville Mall | North Hanover Mall | Laurel Mall |
Ross Park Mall | The Point at Carlisle Plaza | Lebanon Valley Mall |
Shenango Valley Mall | Strawberry Square | Lehigh Valley Mall |
South Hills Village | Susquehanna Valley Mall | Montgomery Mall |
The Block Northway | Neshaminy Mall | |
The Mall at Robinson | Oxford Valley Mall | |
Uniontown Mall | Palmer Park Mall | |
Washington Crown Center | Park City Center | |
Westmoreland Mall | Philadelphia Mills | |
Plymouth Meeting Mall | ||
Roosevelt Mall | ||
South Mall | ||
Springfield Mall | ||
Stroud Mall | ||
The Marketplace at Steamtown | ||
The Shoppes at Liberty Place | ||
Viewmont Mall | ||
Westgate Mall | ||
Whitehall Mall | ||
Willow Grove Park Mall | ||
Wyoming Valley Mall | ||
York Galleria |
Of the 56 malls in the state, the King of Prussia Mall is the largest and is actually the third largest in the country, according to Business Insider. It currently houses over 450 shops.
This also means that approximately 8% of all malls remaining U.S. malls are in Pennsylvania. Central Pennsylvanians are the most limited in their mall choices though, with just 11 in the region.
Of those malls, two in our area are taking a different approach to bringing back customers.
WTAJ’s Jack McCune looked at the Johnstown Galleria and the Logan Valley Mall and how they are evolving their landscape. Click below to read.