A longtime shopper of the Willow Grove Park Mall was featured by WHYY in an article titled “The American mall was once a marvel. In Philly’s suburbs, King of Prussia and Cherry Hill picture a new renaissance“.
Carl Woodin of Maple Glen shared memories of shopping with his wife and children and making pit stops at the WHYY Store of Knowledge and the food court.
“It was just such a warm homey feeling. The smells from the various food places, whether it was the cinnamon buns or the soft pretzels or the pizza or the coffee. It was a warm hub to your senses,” Woodin said. “Now, it’s like a ghost town. It’s like a city after a war — no damage, but hardly anything open. It’s like a mouth with missing teeth.”
“I don’t see myself going to Willow Grove Mall at any time in the near future unless it drastically changes,” Woodin said. “Yeah, I’ve been to the Cheesecake Factory — but like I never even walked in or out of the mall.”
Mario Ventresca, a Blue Bell native and CFO of PREIT, which owns the mall, told WHYY that “Willow Grove actually has a special place in my heart. My parents met on the site of the former amusement park that was subsequently turned into the Willow Grove Park Mall.”
Ventresca declined to comment on Willow Grove’s fiscal health and called it a “good property.”
The article notes that Willow Grove’s iconic fountain, community fashion shows, and many of the old anchors are gone. Nonetheless, PREIT is hoping to reinvigorate appeal.
An excerpt:
The Willow Grove Park Mall is not dead. The mall boasts a tenant occupancy rate north of 96%. By comparison, the Exton Square Mall, another PREIT property, has an occupancy rate that hovers around 60%. PREIT has designated Exton Square Mall as “non-core.” The company is in the process of selling that struggling property to Elkins Park-based Abrams Realty & Development.
Meanwhile, PREIT is still trying new ways to improve Willow Grove. Tilted 10, an indoor entertainment center, arrived at the mall in 2023. There’s laser tag, bowling and even minigolf, all of the new experiences malls are banking on to lure in new customers.
The mall’s Black Friday hours are 7:00am – 9:00pm. Special deals can be found here.
The mall’s hours for the weekend are:
- Saturday: 10:00am – 8:00pm
- Sunday: 11:00am to 6:00pm
Additional changes to their usual hours for the holiday season can be found here.
The mall will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
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Photo: valleyforge.org