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

Twin Tiers' First Rural King

While doing some research (for future picture taking), I recently realized that Rural King has quietly made an entry into the state of Pennsylvania. Of the three locations now in the state, the newest of the bunch has recently opened/or is planning to open its first store in the Twin Tiers coverage area. This community is Clearfield. Please note this post will not contain any pictures, although pictures can be found via the article link.

Opening in a building that has sat empty since 2002 as a result of Kmart's bankruptcy, Rural King will be taking about 85,000 sq. ft. or so of the around 90,000 sq. ft. building. (As a '90s built Kmart location, most stores fall into that range of square footage. It is possible the store could have been up to 95,000 sq. ft.) 

What makes this interesting to me is also the fact that this is the furthest east Rural King has expanded. With only three stores in PA, and this one being in central PA. I expect more stores to open to try to fill the gap in between. The other two stores Rural King has opened in PA are in Butler and Connellsville.

I was already planning to eventually visit Clearfield at some point, but now it appears that I have another place to visit in addition to the Clearfield Mall.