Location | Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, United States |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°20′29.45″N75°58′13.03″W / 40.3415139°N 75.9702861°W |
Address | 1665 State Hill Road |
Opening date | February 10, 1970 |
Developer | Goodman Company [1] |
Owner | Namdar Realty Group |
No. of anchor tenants | 1 |
Total retail floor area | 910,000 square feet (85,000 m2) [2] |
No. of floors | 1 with partial upper level (3 in Boscov's) |
Parking | Parking lot |
Public transit access | BARTA bus: 15 |
Website | berkshiremall |
Berkshire Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, a suburb to the west of Reading in Berks County. Berkshire Mall is accessible from US 222/US 422 (Warren Street Bypass) at the Paper Mill Road interchange or the State Hill Road interchange. The main entrances to the mall are located along Woodland Road or State Hill Road. The mall first opened in February 1970. The mall features Boscov's.
Planning for the mall began in the late 1960s. Sears was announced to be the first major planned tenant in November 1967, to replace its nearby Shillington location which had opened in 1956. [3] [4] Construction got underway in 1968, with an "official" kickoff in November of that year. [1] [5] The mall opened in February 1970, and was the first enclosed shopping mall to open in eastern Pennsylvania outside of the Philadelphia area. [1] [6]
The mall's name is taken from the source of the name of Berks County, an abbreviation of the English royal county Berkshire. The old fountain in the center of the mall had been choreographed by local Reading company "Symphonic Fountains". [7] An upper level food court, The Terrace Cafe, held its grand opening December 7–10, 1989. [8] [9] It replaced a Victorian themed mini-mall known simply as "Lamp Post Lane". [10]
The original owner and developer of the mall was the Goodman Company, which sold the property to Equitable Real Estate Management in 1985. [1] [6] In July 2002, the mall was acquired by Allied Properties. [11]
In January 2002, Boscov's purchased the Strawbridge's store, originally a Wanamaker's until 1995 and later Hecht's until 1996, at Berkshire Mall; the Boscov's store at Berkshire Mall opened in August 2002. [12] The Boscov's store at Berkshire Mall replaced the Boscov's West store in Sinking Spring, which opened in November 1962. [12] [13]
On the night of November 2, 2009, a fire broke out in a display window of the Victoria's Secret store. Before firefighters could arrive, the sprinkler system activated in the store and the adjacent hallway. The store suffered smoke and water damage; everyone was evacuated safely without any reported injuries. [14] On April 14, 2010, there was a fire inside of Boscov's. A worker was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest in Allentown for severe burns to the face. Firefighters had controlled the fire in 30 minutes. [15]
On January 12, 2011 at 4:20 PM according to leaked security footage, a mall patron fell head first into the fountain in the Boscov's court due to being distracted because she was walking and text messaging at the same time. [16] Days later the video uploaded to YouTube with titles such as "Girl Falls In Mall Fountain While Texting" went viral and received international news coverage. As a result of this incident, the security guard who posted the video was fired. [17]
On May 22, 2014, the mall was hit by an unusually severe spring thunderstorm. Golf ball-sized hail ripped through the ceiling causing interior damage by shattering skylights which left glass and debris covering walkways, plants and the fountain in the Sears court, while cars were dented and windshields smashed in the parking lot. [18]
The Bon-Ton store, originally a Lit Brothers until 1976 and later a Pomeroy's until 1987, at Berkshire Mall shuttered on August 28, 2018, after it wasn't able to establish any new conditions to satisfy its established long-term debt. [19] On November 8, 2018, Sears announced it would shutter as part of an ongoing decision to phase out of their traditional brick-and-mortar format. [20]
In July 2020, Allied Properties sold Berkshire Mall to Namdar Realty Group. [21]
Berkshire Mall West is a strip plaza across Woodland Road from Berkshire Mall that contains a Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection store, One Stop Beverage, TJ Maxx, Outback Steakhouse, and Customers Bank. There was a Circuit City until 2009, which closed after the chain folded and reopened as an H. H. Gregg in 2010. [22] H. H. Gregg closed in 2017 as part of the chain's "turnaround efforts"; [23] the space was split between Burlington and Boot Barn stores in 2021. [24] [25] There was also an A.C. Moore until that chain went out of business in 2020, and an Old Country Buffet that closed in 2016. [26]
The mall is featured in Tristan LaFerriere’s 2021 novel Black-Haired Boy, in which the main protagonist, Kieran Northrup, visits the mall to purchase a CD by the fictional band, Stay Sweet at FYE. The novel takes place in 2006 and long-since closed stores are mentioned including the former Sears and The Bon-Ton.
The mall inspired the lyrics “meet me behind the mall” in Taylor Swift’s song “august” from her 2020 album Folklore .[ citation needed ]
Reading is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Allentown. Reading is located in the southeastern part of the state and is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area, which had 420,152 residents in 2020.
Wyomissing is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to Reading. The borough was incorporated on July 2, 1906. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,114, compared to 10,461 at the 2010 census. The growth was significantly larger between 2000 and 2010 largely because of its merger in January 2002 with neighboring Wyomissing Hills. Wyomissing is the most populous borough in Berks County.
Boscov's Inc. is a family-owned department store with fifty locations in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Connecticut, West Virginia and Rhode Island. Twenty-six of these stores are located in Pennsylvania.
The Oxford Valley Mall is a two-story shopping mall, managed and 85.5 percent-owned by the Simon Property Group, that is located next to the Sesame Place amusement park near Langhorne in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Its department stores are JCPenney and Macy's. There is a food court on the second floor, which was originally the second floor of a Woolworth. An office building called One Oxford Valley is located next to the mall.
The Dover Mall is a shopping mall located on U.S. Route 13 in Dover, Delaware. The anchor stores are Boscov's, Old Navy, Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, and AMC Theatres. There are 2 additional anchor spaces, with one serving as a Macy's fulfillment center since the 2020 holiday season and a vacant anchor spot last occupied by Sears. It is a one-level, enclosed regional mall that is managed by Simon Property Group, who owns 68.1% of it. At 927,414 square feet (86,160 m2), it is the third biggest mall in Delaware, boasting 83 shops and a food court.
Neshaminy Mall is a 1,025,297-square-foot (95,253 m2) shopping mall located at U.S. Route 1 and Bristol Road in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania. The mall was opened in 1968 and was the sixth interior mall constructed in Greater Philadelphia. The Neshaminy Mall is anchored by Boscov's and AMC Theatres and has 65 shops and eateries including a food court that was opened in 1989 and retailers including Barnes & Noble.
The Millcreek Mall or Millcreek Mall Complex is a one-level shopping center 3.4 miles (5.5 km) southwest of downtown Erie, Pennsylvania, between Peach Street and Interstate 79, in Millcreek Township. The mall is the fourteenth largest shopping mall in the United States, and, with 195 stores, Millcreek Mall is currently the third largest shopping mall in Pennsylvania.
Exton Square Mall is a shopping mall located in the Exton, Pennsylvania in West Whiteland Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The mall features a parking garage and food court. It is located at the crossroads of Chester County at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 Business and Pennsylvania Route 100. The mall is anchored by Macy's and Boscov's retail stores and a Round One Entertainment, an arcade and bowling center. It also contains dozens of smaller stores and a food court.
Albert Boscov was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the long-time head of Boscov's Department Stores and served as the company's chairman and CEO until retiring in 2015. In 2009, Boscov led a buyout of his eponymous company in an effort to rescue it from bankruptcy.
Park City Center is a shopping mall located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and is the largest enclosed shopping center in Lancaster County. It is situated at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and Harrisburg Pike. The mall has over 170 stores and features Boscov's, JCPenney, Kohl's, in addition to a Round 1 Bowling & Amusement.
Palmer Park Mall is an indoor one-story shopping mall of 457,734 square feet (42,524.9 m2) located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The mall is located at the intersection of PA Route 248 and Park Avenue in Palmer Township, Pennsylvania.
Montgomery Mall is a two-story shopping mall located in the community of Montgomeryville in Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania near the borough of North Wales. The mall, owned by Kohan Retail Investment Group, is located along Pennsylvania Route 309 at the intersection with U.S. Route 202 Business, amidst other commercial development. It contains over 90 stores and eateries and is anchored by Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Macy's, and Wegmans.
Colonial Park Mall is a shopping mall in Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania, about 3 miles (4.8 km) NE of Harrisburg. Located at the northeast corner of U.S. Route 22 and Colonial Road in the Colonial Park CDP just east of Interstate 83 and south of Interstate 81, it serves the eastern and northern suburbs of the Harrisburg metropolitan area. The mall's anchor store is Boscov's. There are 2 vacant anchor stores that were once The Bon-Ton and Sears.
Coventry Mall is a shopping mall in North Coventry Township, Pennsylvania, located at the interchange of Route 100 and Route 724. The mall is anchored by Boscov's, Kohl's, Gabe's, and Dick's Sporting Goods.
Phillipsburg Mall was an indoor shopping mall located along U.S. Route 22 in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. Despite its name, the mall was actually located on the border of Lopatcong Township and Pohatcong Township, just east of Phillipsburg.
Fairgrounds Square Mall was an enclosed shopping mall located just north of Reading, Pennsylvania in Muhlenberg Township. It was anchored by Boscov's, Burlington Coat Factory, and Limerick Furniture. Smaller stores included Super Shoes, Planet Fitness, an AMC Classic movie theater, and Golden Eagle Comics. The mall, which once had 75 stores, had 14 stores and many vacant storefronts before it closed in 2018. It was located on 5th Street Highway, U.S. 222 Business.
Susquehanna Valley Mall is a shopping mall outside of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania on US 11/US 15. It is anchored by Boscov's, Family Practice Center, and Renn's. Several outparcels include an AMC Theatres and Hobby Lobby.
The Lebanon Valley Mall is a shopping mall that is located on the north side of U.S. Route 422 just west of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, United States. Opened on September 10, 1975, the mall features Boscov's, Hobby Lobby, Planet Fitness, and PriceRite as its anchor stores.
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Danville Mall, formerly Piedmont Mall, is an enclosed shopping mall in Danville, Virginia. Opened in 1984, it is managed by Hull Property Group. The mall's anchor stores are Belk and Dunham's Sports, with three vacant anchors last occupied by Boscov's, JCPenney, and Sears.
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