South Mall

Shopping mall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.

This article is about the shopping mall in Allentown, Pennsylvania. For the street in Cork, Ireland, see South Mall, Cork. For the mall in Las Piñas, Philippines, see SM Southmall.

South Mall

South Mall's main entrance in June 2015

Location| Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Address| 3300 Lehigh St., Allentown, Pennsylvania, 18103, U.S.
Opening date| 1975; 50 years ago (1975)[1]
Developer| Hess's
Owner| Nicholas Park Mall LLC (The James Balliet Property Group)
No. of stores and services| 30
No. of anchor tenants| 2 (2 under construction)
Total retail floor area| 405,199 sq ft (37,600 m2)[1]
No. of floors| 1
Parking| Parking lot
Public transit access|  LANta bus: 104, 210, 323
Website| shopsouthmall.com

The South Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located on Lehigh Street south of Interstate 78 exit 57 near Allentown's southern border with Salisbury Township and Emmaus in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.

## History

[edit]

### 20th century

[edit]

Entrance to Ross Stores at South Mall, June 2015

Hess's South, an early satellite location of the Hess's downtown Allentown department store, opened at the site of the mall in 1971.[2] Hess's built a modest enclosed mall on the north side of the department store in 1975, adding a Weis Markets location and several specialty shops.[2]

In 1979, Hess's, which developed and owned South Mall and operated its largest tenant, was bought by Crown American, a Johnstown-based commercial real estate company, and the transaction included South Mall.[3] Crown American doubled the size of South Mall in a 1986-1987 expansion that added a new section of enclosed mall on the southern side of Hess's South.[2] In November 1986, discount retailer Jamesway opened its 100th store at the South Mall to anchor the new expansion, and celebrated the milestone with skydivers landing in the South Mall parking lot.[4] In 1991, the mall expanded yet again, adding discount drugstore Phar-Mor as its third major anchor in the newer portion of the mall.[5]

In 1991, the older portion of the mall on the north side of Hess's was deactivated following closure of Rea & Derick, a drugstore that was acquired by CVS Pharmacy.[6]

In late 1995, Jamesway closed its South Mall location when the chain filed bankruptcy.[7] A year later, Stein Mart leased a majority of the space previously occupied by Jamesway. Stein Mart's South Mall location represented its first store in Pennsylvania.[7] The remainder of the former Jamesway was subdivided between Gold's Gym and Home & Gifts, before being replaced by Ross Stores in 2012.[8]

In 1996, five years after deactivating the north side of Hess's following the departure of Rea & Derick, the north side of the mall again opened, replaced by Staples Inc. and Petco.

In 1999, Weis Markets closed its South Mall store amid poor sales.[9] The space once occupied by Weis Markets has since been subdivided into space for three newer South Mall stores, Mattress Firm, Blick Art Materials, and a Pennsylvania wine and spirits store.

### 21st century

[edit]

In 2002, Phar-Mor closed its anchor store at South Mall as part of the chain's national acquisition by CVS.[10] This was replaced by Steve & Barry's, a retail clothing chain.

In 2003, Crown American was purchased by PREIT, a real estate investment trust, in a $1.2 billion acquisition.[11]

In 2008, Steve & Barry's, another South Mall tenant, declared bankruptcy and closed its South Mall and other locations.[12] The anchor space Steve & Barry's occupied at South Mall was leased the following year, in 2009, to Black Rose Antiques and Collectibles, an antique mini-mall with over 100 individual dealers.[13]

In June 2014, PREIT sold South Mall for $23.6 million to Nicholas Park Mall LLC, a company formed by seven New York area investors led by former Macy's executive Richard Krantz, after South Mall was deemed two years earlier to be one of over a dozen underperforming PREIT-owned malls.[14][15]

In 2016, Yocco's Hot Dogs, a regionally famous Emmaus-headquartered hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain with four Lehigh Valley locations, opened a restaurant in South Mall.[16][17]

In January 2017, Black Rose Antiques relocated its South Mall location to Phillipsburg Mall in nearby Phillipsburg, New Jersey.[18] In early 2017, the anchor space Black Rose Antiques previously occupied at South Mall was subdivided with Limerick Furniture occupying most of it.[19] The remainder of the space was revamped to accommodate Full Circle Training, a gymnasium that opened in early 2018.[20]

In 2018, The Bon-Ton, which had acquired Hess's in the 1990s and represented the oldest and largest South Mall anchor, closed all of its national store locations, including its South Mall location.[21] In 2019, Limerick Furniture also closed, leaving South Mall with Stein Mart as its sole remaining major anchor tenant.[22]

Throughout the early 2020s, South Mall has sponsored and hosted community events, including periodic flea markets and weekly summer food truck events. Nontraditional tenants, such as Cave Brewing Co., a full-service craft beer bar with live entertainment, and South Mall Mercantile antiques dealer, have been brought in to fill the voids left by tenants that have departed. However, both of these have since closed.

In 2020, the last anchor of South Mall, Stein Mart announced it would be closing all of its store locations including its South Mall location. On February 10, 2021, Amazon Lockers and Salisbury Youth Association opened South Mall stores, replacing the former Foot Locker that had departed. In April 2021, the franchised T-Mobile store near the mall entrance closed permanently. The corporate-owned store across from it (which was a Sprint store until its merger with T-Mobile in 2020) and Metro by T-Mobile store, however, remain open. Another store, called Uniquely Lo. Co., has opened a South Mall store. In May 2021, Claire’s closed its South Mall location. Spirit Halloween began occupying the former Stein Mart location in 2022.

On November 14, 2023, the Giant Company revealed that in 2025, the Bon-Ton store would be demolished and the Giant food store on W. Emaus Ave. would move into a new 68,000-square-foot location on the former Bon-Ton space.[23] In November 2024, Burlington agreed to lease 19,972 square feet of the Spirit Halloween building, which will be subdivided between smaller tenants, starting in late summer 2025.[24]

## Anchors

[edit]

Major tenants

* Supersets Gym (2022)

* Giant (2025)

* Burlington Coat Factory (2025)

* Ross Stores (2012)

Minor tenants

* A1 Japanese Steakhouse
* Blick Art Materials
* Mattress Firm (2016)
* Petco (1996)
* Staples (1993)

## Former anchors

[edit]

Major tenants

* Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles (2009–16; replaced by Full Circle Training and Limerick Furniture)
* The Bon-Ton (1994-2018; to be replaced by Giant in 2025)
* Full Circle Training (2018–20; replaced by SuperSets Gym)
* Habitat for Humanity ReStore (2022–24)
* Hess's South (1971–94; replaced by The Bon-Ton)
* Jamesway (1986–95; replaced by Stein Mart, Gold's Gym, and Home & Gifts)
* Limerick Furniture & Mattress (2017–19; replaced by Habitat for Humanity)
* Phar-Mor (1991-2002; replaced by Steve & Barry's)
* Spirit Halloween (2022–24; to be replaced by Burlington in 2025)
* Stein Mart (1996–2020; replaced by Spirit Halloween)
* Steve & Barry's (2003–09; replaced by Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles)
* Weis Markets (1975–99; divided between Sleepy's, Blick Art Materials, and A1 Japanese Steakhouse)

Minor tenants

* Rea & Derick (1975–91; became part of Petco)
* Sleepy's (became Mattress Firm)

* Former Bon-Ton

* Former Black Rose

* Former Stein Mart

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "South Mall Fact Sheet" (PDF). PREIT. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
2. ^ a b c Holton, Ray (January 21, 1986). "13-MILLION EXPANSION OF SOUTH MALL TO INCLUDE JAMESWAY, HESS'S RENOVATION". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
3. ^ Salerno, Allison (September 11, 1994). "MALL STORES HOPE BON-TON BRINGS GOOD TIMES AS IT REPLACES HESS'S". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
4. ^ Shope, Dan (November 13, 1986). "THIRD JAMESWAY OPENS IN VALLEY". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
5. ^ Austin, Josh (April 15, 2010), Phar-Mor - Allentown, PA, retrieved September 10, 2019
6. ^ Austin, Josh (August 2, 2009), Rea & Derick - Allentown, PA (South), retrieved September 10, 2019
7. ^ a b Roach, Michelle (July 9, 1996). "RETAILER STEIN MART TO OPEN IN SOUTH MALL * BETWEEN 60 AND 70 JOBS WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE SALISBURY SITE". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
8. ^ "Ross Dress for Less opens new store at South Mall". The Morning Call. October 6, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
9. ^ Todd, Susan (October 14, 1999). "WEIS MARKETS WILL CLOSE SOUTH MALL SITE * OLDER STORE DIDN'T FIT COMPANY'S NEW MODEL OF LARGER PROPERTIES". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
10. ^ Karp, Gregory (July 20, 2002). "Phar-Mor holds closing sales ** Prescription list at South Mall store is sold to CVS pharmacy". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
11. ^ Blumenau, Kurt (November 12, 2003). "Crown American is bought by PREIT ** The $1.2 billion deal brings many area malls under one ownership". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
12. ^ Staff, Express-Times (November 26, 2008). "Steve & Barry's going out of business". lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
13. ^ Richardson, Tyrone (November 15, 2009). "Bringing back a legendary taco". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
14. ^ Kennedy, Sam (June 29, 2014). "South Mall's new owner revealed". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
15. ^ Mathis, Joel (March 30, 2016). "PREIT Sells Off "Lower Productivity" Malls". Philly Mag.
16. ^ Falsone, Nick. "Yocco's to open 6th hot dog shop in Lehigh Valley, report says". Lehigh Valley Live. The Express-Times. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
17. ^ "Hot diggety dog! Yocco's to open sixth Lehigh Valley eatery,", The Morning Call, August 18, 2016, retrieved November 30, 2018.
18. ^ "Black Rose Antiques And Collectibles Opens A Location In Phillipsburg, N.J. | Antiques & Auction News". antiquesandauctionnews.net. May 2, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
19. ^ Harris, Jon (November 17, 2017). "South Mall, under new ownership, on an 'upward path'". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
20. ^ Kneller, Ryan (December 29, 2017). "Retail Watch: Resolve to get fit at Full Circle Training at South Mall". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
21. ^ Harris, Jon (April 30, 2018). "Life without Bon-Ton: Disaster or opportunity for Lehigh Valley malls?". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
22. ^ Kneller, Ryan (April 29, 2019). "Limerick Furniture to join string of recent store closures at South Mall". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
23. ^ Dornblaser, Christopher (November 14, 2023). "Giant to move Allentown supermarket to former Bon-Ton at South Mall shopping center". The Morning Call.
24. ^ Kneller, Ryan (November 22, 2024). "Burlington to open 4th Lehigh Valley store in 2025". WFMZ.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Mall.

* v
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Shopping malls in the Lehigh Valley area

Pennsylvania|

* Lehigh Valley Mall
* The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem
* Palmer Park Mall
* Promenade Saucon Valley
* The Shoppes at Trexler
* South Mall
* Westgate Mall
* Whitehall Mall

* v
* t
* e

Lehigh Valley

States|

* Pennsylvania

Counties|

* Lehigh
* Northampton

Cities|

* Allentown
* Bethlehem
* Easton

Cities and towns
100k-250k|

* Allentown
* Center City Allentown

Cities and towns
50k-99k|

* Bethlehem

Cities and towns
10-50k|

* Bethlehem Township
* Easton
* Emmaus
* Forks Township
* Hanover Township
* Lehigh Township
* Lower Macungie Township
* Lower Saucon Township
* Northampton
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* Palmer Township
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* South Whitehall Township
* Upper Macungie Township
* Upper Saucon Township
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Colleges and universities|

* Baum School of Art
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* DeSales University
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* Lehigh University
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* Muhlenberg College
* Northampton Community College
* Respect Graduate School
* Penn State Lehigh Valley

Culture and history|

* Allentown architecture
* Allentown Art Museum
* Allentown culture
* Allentown historic places
* Allentown Symphony Orchestra
* America on Wheels museum
* Bach Choir of Bethlehem
* Civic Theatre of Allentown
* Coplay Cement Company Kilns
* Da Vinci Science Center
* In films
* Lehigh County historic places
* Lehigh County Historical Society
* Miller Symphony Hall
* National Museum of Industrial History
* Northampton County historic places
* Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
* Shelter House
* The 1803 House
* Zoellner Arts Center

Geography|

* Blue Mountain
* Chestnut Hill
* Lehigh Valley AVA
* Lehigh Gap
* Lehigh River
* South Mountain

Hospitals and health networks|

* Lehigh Valley Health Network
* Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest
* St. Luke's University Health Network

Media|

* Lehigh Valley media

People|

* Notable people

Recreation and events|

* Allentown Band
* Bear Creek Mountain Resort
* Blast Furnace Blues Festival
* Bushkill Park
* Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
* Great Allentown Fair
* Lehigh Valley Zoo
* Marine Band of Allentown
* Mayfair Festival of the Arts
* Municipal Band of Allentown
* Musikfest
* Saucon Valley Country Club
* SouthSide Film Festival
* Trexler Nature Preserve
* Wind Creek Bethlehem

Shopping|

* Lehigh Valley Mall
* Outlets at Wind Creek
* Palmer Park Mall
* Promenade Saucon Valley
* Shoppes at Trexler
* South Mall
* Westgate Mall
* Whitehall Mall

Sports|

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Transportation|

* Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport
* Braden Airpark
* LANta
* Lehigh Valley International Airport

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