FRACKVILLE — By the end of the year, the Schuylkill Mall will close, according to business tenants who attended a meeting Tuesday with representatives of the property owner.
Greg Norris, the commercial asset manager for NorthPoint Development, Riverside, Missouri, encouraged the tenants, including Pearl Theatre Stadium 8, to leave within the next 60 to 90 days, according to Ryan P. Blakeslee, Ashland, manager of one of the stores at the mall, Vertigo Systems.
“They said they were going to work with everybody,” Janelle Poletti, an employee at the Benigna’s Creek Vineyard Wine Shop, said.
Vertigo Systems may stay open until August, Blakeslee said.
The theater will remain open until September, one of the owners, Gina DiSanto, Parker, Colorado, said Tuesday.
In recent years, the 36-year-old T-shaped indoor shopping center lost its major businesses. Two weeks ago, The Bon-Ton closed its doors. And some of the remaining tenants said the writing was on the wall.
“We kind of saw it coming,” Blakeslee said regarding the news.
“There are no more anchor stores,” Poletti said.
“In my opinion, there was no way they were going to be able to revive this mall. And they did say during the meeting that they don’t know their plans, but they may knock it down,” Blakeslee said.
“I’m sad to see the mall close. It’s been here since I was a little kid,” Poletti said.
Brian Hansbury, vice president of the Schuylkill Economic Development Corp., did not want to speculate on what will become of the property.
But, he said, “I would hope that it’s going to be a source of employment for the community and a source of tax revenue brought back to useful purpose.”
Norris could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
History
The Schuylkill Mall opened on Oct. 9, 1980.
In 2015, it lost two of its longtime anchor stores, Kmart and Sears.
In March 2007, Empire Schuylkill LP, Philadelphia, became the mall’s owner.
But in October 2016, Empire filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
In January, a federal bankruptcy judge approved the auction sale of the mall to NorthPoint Development for $2.1 million
On April 25, The Bon-Ton department store closed.
On Monday, NP New Castle LLC, a NorthPoint company, bought The Bon-Ton’s property for $850,000 and BB&T’s property for $75,000, according to information on file at the county Recorder of Deeds office.
On May 8, Norris sent a letter to the remaining tenants regarding a “Schuylkill Mall Meeting.”
“To whom it may concern: We will be on site May 9, 2017, for a tenant information meeting at the Community Room at 11 a.m. to discuss the Schuylkill Mall Future and answer any questions or concerns you have regarding the mall. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me,” Norris said in the letter.
More than 50 people were at the meeting, Blakeslee said.
“They said the bottom line was their goal is to have it shuttered by either September or October. And that makes sense to get it closed up before winter because they wouldn’t want the winter maintenance costs,” Blakeslee said.
“They probably don’t know what they’re going to do with the property. I’m about 90 percent sure their intent is to demolish based on the wording they used,” Blakeslee said.
People shopping at the mall Tuesday were not surprised by the news.
“It’s a shame for this mall. It’s beautiful. At one time, this mall was going strong. All the stores were filled. It’s a shame. And there’s nowhere around here to go shopping. You have to go to Allentown,” Doris Hosier, Tamaqua, said.
“This is a big place,” Chris Quinones, Pottsville, said, wondering what will happen to the site.
Michelle Dankulich, Pottsville, said she doesn’t come up to the Schuylkill Mall as much as she used to.
“There’s really nothing here anymore,” Dankulich said.
And she’s not surprised it closing.
“All the stores started going out of business. So you figured eventually it’s going to close down,” she said.
Brian Stewart, Dallas, Texas, a truck driver for the Wal-Mart Distribution Center at Highridge Industrial Park, was at the mall Tuesday.
“Actually I bought my last two phones here at this AT&T store. I’ve been here a few times. I also shopped at Dunham’s Sports,” Stewart said, referring to a sporting goods store that opened at the mall in June 2012.
Stewart wasn’t happy to hear about the mall’s future.
“For the local economy, it’s going to be pretty bad. People are going to have to travel a lot further to get to these stores. People who are looking for a sporting goods store, they may have to travel to Hamburg. For an FYE, they might have to go to Reading or Allentown,” Stewart said.
Pearl Theatre
The owners of the Pearl Theatre Stadium 8 are in the process of trying to find a new location, DiSanto said.
Since 2010, the movie theater has been owned by DiSanto and Bruce Taffet. They also have an office in Harrisburg.
On Tuesday afternoon, they issued a joint statement on the immediate future of the movie theater:
“Pearl Theatre Stadium 8 will remain open and showing first run movies throughout the summer and into September. We will also be offering the Free Kiddie Movie Camp, showing a free movie every Wednesday throughout the summer for the community’s enjoyment. Change happens and many changes are good. We are looking in the local area for a larger and more convenient location. Stay tuned to our website and our Facebook page for more updates.”
Suglia’s Pizzeria
Suglia’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, a family-owned restaurant, opened when the mall did, in 1980, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Looking ahead, the restaurant is planning to relocate, said Tim Suglia, Frackville, son of the owner, John Suglia.
“We’re planning to relocate to the former Alfredo’s,” Suglia said Tuesday.
He was referring to the former Alfredo’s restaurant building at 831 Fountain St., Butler Township, which is near North Schuylkill School District.
“We bought the building and we’re fixing it up,” Tim Suglia said.
In March 2015, Alfred V. Seritti sold the building to HSH SYLAJ LLC for $90,000, according to the online Schuylkill Parcel Locator.
“We’re hoping to be open there in July or August,” Tim Suglia said.
He wasn’t sure how long Suglia’s restaurant at the mall would remain open.
“Ideally we’d like to stay open as long as we can until the move,” he said.
Vertigo Systems
Vertigo Systems opened at the mall 13 years ago.
Blakeslee said he’s in the process of looking for a new location.
“We’ll probably be here until August, at least. We’re still trying to scope out a site and we will be building a stand-alone location, probably in the Frackville area,” Blakeslee said.
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Schuylkill Mall timeline
Oct. 9, 1980: Crown American, a shopping center development company based in Johnstown, opens Schuylkill Mall near the junction of Route 61 and Interstate 81 in Blythe, New Castle and Ryan townships. It boasts three anchor stores: Kmart, Hess’s, and Sears. The nearly 800,000-square-foot mall features room for 115 stores. According to The Republican-Herald archives 74 storefronts are open at the time.
1983: Pomeroy’s department store relocates from downtown Pottsville to become the mall’s fourth anchor.
1987: The Pomeroy’s chain is sold to The Bon-Ton.
1995: Sears builds an addition to its mall store.
1995: Hess’s closes its store at the mall.
2003: Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust acquires the Crown American properties.
March 2007: Empire Schuylkill LP, Philadelphia, pays $17.6 million for the 144.44 acres and stores comprising the Schuylkill Mall. That price represents less than half the mall’s fair market value as stated in the deed.
January 2012: Plans are announced for the theater at the mall to get a complete makeover. King Theatre Circuit, Philadelphia, which signed a lease to operate the four-screen Schuylkill Mall Theatres in October 2010, and Empire Realty Investments Inc., plan to invest $1.6 million. By May 1, the theater was upgraded from an 800-seat venue with four screens to an 825-seat venue with six screens.
January 2015: Sears in Schuylkill Mall closes after 85 years in Schuylkill County.
June 2015: Kmart closes its doors for the final time at the mall. The closure of the last original anchor store was announced in February after the lease was not renewed. It was to expire in October.
October 2016: Empire Schuylkill LP, the owner of the Schuylkill Mall, files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
January 2017: A federal bankruptcy judge says he will approve the auction sale of Schuylkill Mall to a Missouri company. The mall is sold to NorthPoint Development LLC of Riverside, Missouri, for $2.1 million. “As to the future (of) the mall I cannot project nor do I know the plans by NorthPoint,” trustee William G. Schwab says.
March 2017: Bon-Ton department store announces it will close its mall location before May 1.
May 10, 2017: Tenants of the mall say representatives of NorthPoint Development, the agency which owns the mall has given them 60 to 90 days to close their shops By the end of the year, the Schuylkill Mall will close, they say.
Source: The Republican-Herald archives