Going to the (Half-Dead) Mall

From Mick Melvin:

I often travel to Bensalem, Pennsylvania, to visit my father. He has lived there for about 25 years. When visiting, I always pass the local mall when driving to his house. I have been to the Neshaminy Mall many times. So on my latest visit, I decided to go see how the once-bustling shopping destination was holding up. Also, I traveled with only sandals on my feet and thought I could find a cheap pair of shoes/sneakers since the fall weather was moving in. That did not happen, but I did feel like I went back in time for a moment.

If you know anything about malls in southeastern PA, they were the place to be in the 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s before the internet took over retail. I spent many teenage years roaming the corridors of the Exton Square Mall near my adopted hometown, Downingtown, PA. It was more than a shopping place, it was a place to be social.

I have also shopped at many other malls in the area including the Concord Mall, Franklin Mills Mall, King of Prussia Mall, Plymouth Meeting Mall, Springfield Mall, Granite Run Mall, Valley Forge Mall, Coventry Mall and lastly, The Gallery at Market East in Center City Philadelphia. These were the places most families did their holiday shopping and a lot of children got to hang out with their friends. Sadly, most of those malls, including the Neshaminy Mall, are not bustling anymore.

The anchor store at Neshaminy used to be Strawbridge & Clothier Department store, but the store closed in 2006 when it was bought out by Macy’s.

The mall has steadily declined since its closure. Strawbridge & Clothier department stores started in Philadelphia in 1868. The anchor store was located at 8th and Market Street, which was to be the Champs-Élysées of Philadelphia, but it never really materialized. However, Strawbridge's opened many branch stores throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. All of the malls mentioned above were offsprings of the Strawbridges and Clothier in Philly. The first mall being the Suburban Square Mall in Ardmore, PA, in 1930.

The Neshaminy Mall opened in 1968. Among the main stores at the location besides S&C were the Sears Department Store, Sears Auto Center and Modell’s Sporting Goods, which are now closed.

The main stores still keeping the location alive are the AMC movie theater, Boscov’s department store, Verizon Wireless, and Barnes & Noble bookstore. There are a scarce amount of smaller stores but it doesn’t look like the place will be able to sustain itself with the lack of traffic to this once-booming location.

Now, the parking lots are pretty empty, the food court has only a few eateries, the foot traffic is very light and the mall now looks like a ghost town.

I was there on a Sunday afternoon and I saw maybe 50 people. Presently, there are only 24 stores posted on the website for the Neshaminy Mall. Down from 47 open stores in 2023. When I was a teenager, most of these malls had over 100 stores at most locations. King of Prussia Mall being the largest with over 400 stores. I remember getting my new sneakers at Foot Locker, getting an Orange Julius smoothie and a Chick-Fil-A sandwich before roaming around the mall laughing with my family and friends. Sadly, from the way things are looking, it won’t be long before the malls and a cherished time period will be a thing of the past.

Here's a list of 121 stores at the Neshaminy Mall dating back between 2011-2023.

Here's a list of the 24 stores open as of this fall at the mall:

• AMC Theatres
• Barnes & Noble
• Boscov's
• Shoe Carnival
• Torrid
• Norman's Hallmark
• Bath & Body Works
• Aeropostale
• Hot Topic
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Services
• Night Owl Graphics
• Philly Pop Up Weddings
• T-Mobile
• Master Brows
• Jean Madeline Aveda Institute
• On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
• UNO Pizzeria & Grill
• Stir Fry 88
• Bavarian Pretzel Kiosk
• Shreeji Ice Cream
• Perfume Place
• Massage Mob
• Safe Repair
• Polar X Ornaments

In September, the new owners of the mall, Paramount Realty, met with representatives of the Bensalem Economic Development Corp., and said they are dedicated to redeveloping the site as a mixed-use property.