Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Clearfield Mall

As one of so many small town malls dotted across the Pennsylvania landscape, Clearfield's mall is by no doubt one of my favorites. Because it is the perfect size for its market, it currently only has a few vacancies- the most notable being the JCPenney anchor that closed in 2017. Opening in 1970, the mall was anchored by Murphy's Mart and JCPenney. Murphy's Mart would become Ames and later an Ollie's Bargain Outlet. The mall really is more of an enclosed strip mall with a few alcove areas on the parking lot side of the hallway.

This place is quite the artifact for a 1970s mall. It doesn't have any major noticeable repair issues (which is something you tend to expect from properties like this) and its likeness to a strip mall likely helps it to survive in its rural setting. The biggest challenge the mall has at the moment is filling the JCPenney anchor. A grocery store of some sort would be ideal in my opinion as there doesn't appear to be a lot of options for food in the area other than Walmart or Save a Lot. I feel Weis markets could try a run here since they are already established in nearby Phillipsburg.

The pictures you'll see below are all mostly from before JCPenney closed. One thing to note that has happened since as well is that Goodwill now occupies the entire 'corner corridor' of the mall, effectively removing that corridor altogether. This was a smart move as it boosted the occupancy rate of the mall. Pics below show Goodwill in its prior location.










The 'corner corridor' as I like to call it

Apologizes for the blur here, but given this no longer exists, it will have to do
A random open space that appears to have never been a store





Looking toward Ollie's
Oddly enough Hallmark left their 'h' behind.

A look at the now former JCPenney
Before I conclude the post, I'd like to share a few other looks at the property:

Sky City Retail and a Youtube video from Raw & Real Retail

2 comments:

  1. Glad to see this mall hanging in there. Like you said, the fact that it seems much more like a strip center than a true mall surely helps it - and its small size, too. I wonder if they'd ever consider giving all the stores exterior entrances, making it truly a strip center and closing off the mall hallway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't see any reason why they should remove the hallway corridor. Honestly, that's a nice feature I wish more strip malls would do as it protects you from weather conditions.

      Delete