Fairgrounds Square Mall
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Fairgrounds Square Mall was an enclosed
shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
located just north of Reading, Pennsylvania in Muhlenberg Township. It was anchored by Boscov's,
Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is an American national off-price department store retailer, and a division of Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation with more than 1,000 stores in 40 states and Puerto Rico, with i ...
, and Limerick Furniture. Smaller stores included Super Shoes,
Planet Fitness Planet Fitness (PFIP LLC) is an American franchisor and operator of fitness centers based in Hampton, New Hampshire. The company reports that it has 2,039 clubs, making it one of the largest fitness club franchises by number of members and loc ...
, an
AMC Classic AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. ( d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fo ...
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.


History

The Fairgrounds Square Mall was developed by Interstate Properties, constructed by F&S Construction along with the Owner, Frank Saffiotti, and under the supervision of Gus, Job Site Superintendent and the Office Manager, Rebecca L. Simpson, CCA working with a labor union membership workforce representing various unions throughout the region. The mall officially opened in October 1980, with Boscov's and
JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gir ...
serving as anchors. The mall was constructed at the former location of the
Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Reading Fairgrounds Speedway (1924–1979) was a one half mile dirt/clay modified race track located in Muhlenberg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The track opened September 24, 1924 and ran until June 29, 1979. It featured a regular wee ...
; the Boscov's store opened as a freestanding store adjacent to the speedway in August 1965. A year later, it was purchased by First Union Real Estate Investments. A mall expansion in 1988 added several more stores as well as
Phar-Mor Phar-Mor (stylized as PHA℞-MOR) was a United States chain of discount drug stores, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and founded by Michael "Mickey" Monus and David Shapira in 1982. Some of its stores used the names Pharmhouse and Rx Place (purchas ...
. The mall was renovated in 1996, at which point a
Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curren ...
was built as a third anchor. The Montgomery Ward store closed in 1999. The same year, the mall was sold to Jager Management affiliate GP Properties Inc and JCPenney converted its store into an outlet format. In 2000, Jason's Furniture Outlet opened in the former Montgomery Ward anchor space. A
National Wholesale Liquidators National Wholesale Liquidators is a Brooklyn, New York-based company that operates warehouse-style closeout discount stores. It offers a mix of brand-name items, everyday household items, and furniture. National Wholesale Liquidators carries ov ...
store opened in the location of Jason's Furniture Outlet in 2003, which had relocated to the former Phar-Mor. In 2005,
Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is an American national off-price department store retailer, and a division of Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation with more than 1,000 stores in 40 states and Puerto Rico, with i ...
replaced National Wholesale Liquidators, and Jason's became Super Shoes and Planet Fitness. In 2011, it was announced that the JCPenney Outlet would be closing as part of JCPenney's plan to eliminate outlet stores. However, it was later announced that the JCPenney Outlet division was purchased by SB Capital Group, and rebranded as JC's 5 Star Outlet. Mall owner GP-Fairgrounds Square LP defaulted on its mortgage, which led to the mall being sold to BNY Mellon for $13.6 million in a
U.S. Marshals The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...
auction on March 7, 2013. JC's Five Star Outlet closed November 30, 2013. In November 2014, Limerick Furniture opened in the former JC's Five Star Outlet space, moving from a former site in
St. Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roma ...
. On April 13, 2016,
Hull Property Group Hull Property Group is a shopping mall management company based in Augusta, Georgia. It was founded in 1977. The company owns, manages, and re-develops shopping malls in relatively small communities, mainly in the south and mid-west United States. ...
took over the Fairgrounds Square Mall, with plans to revitalize the mall. In early February 2018, Limerick Furniture announced it will be closing its Fairgrounds Square Mall location due to low foot traffic and the rise of online shopping, leaving Burlington Coat Factory and Boscov's as the mall's two remaining anchor stores. As of March 2018, Fairgrounds Square Mall had 12 tenants remaining, down from a peak of 75 stores. On April 30, 2018, Hull Property Group closed the interior of the mall. Limerick Furniture closed their mall entrance a few days before the mall closed, then closed a day or two later after the mall closed. Boscov's, Burlington Coat Factory, AMC Classic, Super Shoes, Planet Fitness, Baja Beach Tanning Club, and
Quest Diagnostics Quest Diagnostics is an American clinical laboratory. A Fortune 500 company, Quest operates in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Brazil. Quest also maintains collaborative agreements with various hospitals and clinics across the globe ...
remained open after the mall closed. Hull Property Group had plans to redevelop the Fairgrounds Square Mall site. The redevelopment plan would demolish 68.1 percent of the mall, leaving Boscov's, Burlington Coat Factory, AMC Classic, Super Shoes, and Planet Fitness. The former site of the mall would be converted into green space with some retail stores. Other developments planned included townhomes, a hotel, and a restaurant. Plans for the redevelopment had been put on hold by a tax incentive from Muhlenberg Township that makes it impossible to redevelop the site and attract new tenants without demolishing the existing mall first. In May 2019, the tax incentive from Muhlenberg Township was denied, as the township felt the redevelopment plans were vague. As a result of the denial, Hull Property Group withdrew their redevelopment plans and announced they will continue to maintain the closed mall. However, on June 13, 2019, Hull Property Group announced it will apply for a permit to demolish 80 percent of the mall for redevelopment, leaving open tenants such as Boscov's, Burlington, Planet Fitness, Super Shoes and AMC Classic in place. Demolition of the Fairgrounds Square Mall began in March 2020. Burlington intends to relocate (and has since relocated) to the former
OfficeMax OfficeMax is an American office supplies retailer founded in 1988. It is now a subsidiary of The ODP Corporation, which is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. As of December 2012, OfficeMax operated 941 stores in 47 states, Puerto Rico, the U ...
space across 5th Street Highway in late 2022.


References


External links


Official Site
{{Hull Property Group Shopping malls in Pennsylvania Shopping malls established in 1980 Defunct shopping malls in the United States Demolished shopping malls in the United States Tourist attractions in Berks County, Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Berks County, Pennsylvania Hull Property Group 1980 establishments in Pennsylvania Shopping malls disestablished in 2018 2018 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures demolished in 2020 Demolished buildings and structures in Pennsylvania