The mall has over 50 stores and is anchored by a 192,110 square foot (17,848 m2) Boscov's.[1] It has one vacant 122,125 square foot (11,346 m2) anchor most recently occupied by The Bon-Ton.[1] The shopping mall is owned by Cityview Commercial LLC.
The mall also serves as a designated metro transit center for several LANta bus routes, where riders can transfer to different routes.
History
20th century
Palmer Park Mall was first announced in October 1971 by the Hess's department store company, who claimed that they intended build a 300,000 square foot (27,871 m2) mall at the site of John Raub's farm in Palmer Township, with 35-40 stores and parking for 2,000 cars.[2] Hess's opened their department store at the site of the mall in July 1972, before the rest of the mall was constructed.[3] Palmer Park Mall had its grand opening on August 16–18, 1973, at which point Hess's was the sole anchor.[4][5]
In early 1976, less than three years after the mall's opening, Hess's announced a 15,000 square foot (1,394 m2) expansion to their department store that was completed by the end of spring that same year.[6] This brought the department store up to 122,125 square feet (11,346 m2). The mall itself was expanded to 349,000 square feet (32,423 m2) in 1982 to accommodate a second anchor: an 80,000 square foot (7,432 m2) Clover department store, the discount division of Strawbridge & Clothier.[7][8]
The mall experienced a decline in business during the 1990s, which was caused in part by the mall's aging design along with the nearby opening of the much larger and much newer Phillipsburg Mall in 1989.[5] In 1994, the debt-ridden Hess's department store chain was sold; 19 of the remaining Hess's stores, including the location at Palmer Park Mall were sold to The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc, which rebranded the stores under its own name the following year.[9][10] The mall was dealt yet another blow when the Clover department store closed their doors in 1996.[11][5]
The fortunes of the mall changed for the better in October 1998 with the opening of Boscov's, which took over the space of the old Clover location.[5][12] The retail space was also expanded by over 100,000 square feet to accommodate Boscov's, bringing the total retail space of the mall up to its current level.[5] The mall also received a $10 million renovation in 1999 to update the mall's aging decor, followed by an investment of over $1 million by Bon-Ton to update their department store.[5]
21st century
In 2003, the mall became wholly owned by PREIT after it acquired mall developer Crown American. Prior to this acquisition, the mall was owned 50% by PREIT and 50% by Crown American.[13]
In January 2015, PREIT announced that it was planning on selling Palmer Park Mall along with four other properties.[14] In its final quarterly report before the sale of the mall, PREIT reported that the Palmer Park Mall did $311 in sales per square foot.[15] PREIT was seeking to achieve a portfolio average of $500 in sales per square foot by the end of 2016, prompting the sale of Palmer Park and other properties.[15] On February 23, 2016, Cityview Commercial LLC purchased the mall from PREIT for $18 million, with plans to improve the mall.[16]
After filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in February 2018, The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. went out of business that same year; all stores closed by the end of August, including the location at the Palmer Park Mall.[17] The mall management has speculated that the former Bon-Ton anchor could be partially demolished and retrofitted to accommodate multiple tenants as the mall searches for a productive future use for the space.[17]
^"Hess Brothers to build Palmer Township Mall". Easton Express. 1971-10-06. p. 1.
^"Hess Department Store opens in Palmer Township". Easton Express. 1972-07-17. p. 30.
^"Palmer Park Mall grand opening, August 16-18, 1973". Easton Express. 1973-08-16. p. 6.
^ abcdefFord, William J. (13 July 2000). "NEW STORES BREATHE LIFE INTO PALMER PARK MALL OPENING TODAY OF VICTORIA'S SECRET WOMEN'S RETAILER HELPS FILL VACANCIES". The Morning Call. p. B05. There is a lot more traffic in the mall with [Boscov]'s, and it will increase with Victoria's Secret,` said Geza Kardos of Salisbury Township, a manager at The Wall music store beside Boscov's. `It definitely helps us." Jennifer Rippert, an assistant manager at Plumb Gold jewelers, which is adjacent to Victoria's Secret, said even with Boscov's and the mall renovations she still hasn't seen much of a change. Boscov's "was the real catalyst in the mall and getting it back on its feet," [Sheryl Dougherty] said. "That is when we started to get more retailers interested in the mall.
^"Hess Brothers Department store chain plans to open a 15,000 square- foot addition to its Palmer Park Mall in the late spring". Easton Express. 1976-02-06. p. 1.
^"Strawbridge & Clothier: Established a "Clover" store in the Palmer Park Mall". Easton Express. 1982-03-07. p. C-1.
^"Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust · 424B5 · On 12/19/97". SEC.INFO. Retrieved January 30, 2010. Palmer Park Mall. Palmer Park Mall is a 349,000 square foot, enclosed mall located in Easton, Pennsylvania, one mile north of U.S. Route 22 on Pennsylvania Route 248. The center, which opened in 1972 and was expanded and redeveloped in 1982, is located on a 50-acre site, with 59 in-line stores (including an Eckerd Drug Store) anchored by The Bon-Ton. Negotiations with a second anchor to replace a former Clover store are underway. Substantial redevelopment planning is proceeding with the purchase by the partnership owning the mall of the Clover building and the renovation of the Clover building. The Company has a 50% interest in the partnership which owns the mall.
^Hay, Bryan (21 November 1997). "RETAILER MAY MOVE TO PALMER PARK MALL * READING-BASED BOSCOV'S CONSIDERING OPENING A STORE IN THE FORMER CLOVER BUILDING THAT CLOSED ITS DOORS IN 1996". The Morning Call. p. A25. The vacant Clover store at Palmer Park Mall is one of many mid-Atlantic sites under consideration by Boscov's, the Reading-based retailer said Thursday.
