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Exton Square Mall is a two-level shopping mall 32.4 miles (52.2 km) northwest of Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between Exton Square Parkway, Lincoln Highway East, North Pottstown Pike, and Swedesford Road in Exton, a suburb of Philadelphia. The mall currently has two open anchors which are Boscov's and Round One Entertainment.
History[]
In March 1973, Exton Square Mall opened to the public with one anchor tenant which was Strawbridge & Clothier. The mall was also home to Pennsylvania's first Chick-fil-A restaurant which opened in 1973 and is still open today. In developing the Exton Square Mall, The Rouse Company was responsible for restoring the Zook House, a historic 18th century farmhouse that existed at the site of the mall.
By the 1990s, the mall, which has no major renovations since opening, was starting to show its age, leading to plans for expansion. In 1992, the mall proposed adding two anchor stores. In 1995, plans were made by The Rouse Company to expand Exton Square Mall, in which the size of the mall would be doubled. The Rouse Company purchased 12 acres near the mall to be used for expansion. In September 1997, West Whiteland Township supervisors approved the expansion of Exton Square Mall.
Groundbreaking for the expansion took place in December 1997. In 1998, the Zook House, which had served as the mall management office, was relocated to make way for the new Boscov's store. The expansion added three new anchors, a new food court, two parking garages, and a completed second level. In 1999, two new anchors joined the mall which were Boscov's and Sears. In May 2000, JCPenney joined the mall as a fourth anchor. The number of stores in the Exton Square Mall increased from 95 to 150.
In 2003, The Rouse Company sold the Exton Square Mall along with the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, Echelon Mall in Voorhees, Moorestown Mall in Moorestown, Plymouth Meeting Mall in Plymouth Meeting, and The Gallery at Market East in Philadelphia to PREIT for $548 million. In September 2006, Strawbridge & Clothier was converted into Macy's.
In May 2014, JCPenney closed down. In December 2016, Round One Entertainment opened on the first floor of the former JCPenney space. In September 2019, Sears closed down. On January 9, 2025, it was announced that Macy's would be closing as part of a plan to close 66 stores nationwide. The store will close in March 2025, leaving Boscov's as the last traditional department store anchor.
Decline[]
In recent years, the Exton Square Mall has seen an increase in the vacancy rate, due to declining mall traffic and ongoing competition from the larger King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia. Some former stores and tenants such as Banana Republic, LensCrafters, and Saladworks moved to Main Street at Exton in Exton. Other tenants such as Charlotte Russe, H&M, Zumiez, and all but two food court tenants have departed from the mall. In 2019, the non-anchor occupancy rate at Exton Square Mall was 65.1%. Many of the stores in the mall are non-traditional tenants such as medical offices, a chess club, an art studio and gallery, and a chamber of commerce office.
It was announced on March 15, 2022 that PREIT will sell the Exton Square Mall to raise money to pay down their debt. The sale to Brandywine Realty Trust subsequently fell through, for unknown reasons.
The mall has multiple major roof leaks, particularly by the lower Macy's entrances. Buckets and cones can be found throughout the facility, and mold is to be seen on decaying ceiling panels and around air vents. Additionally, the building's central air conditioning system appears to have broken sometime in July 2024, as the temperature within the mall reflects the exterior climate. Plug-in industrial fans are seen circulating air throughout the complex, though particularly in the food court area. There do not appear to be any plans to repair or restart the mall's HVAC equipment.
As of August 2024, additional stores have departed from the mall, many of which still contain trace amounts of inventory and other miscellaneous items. Multiple storefronts have lights on and signs up, but no merchandise within. Additionally, the first floor seating area and Community Room by the Boscov's are in disarray, with planters in random locations by the former service desk and random miscellaneous items such as Elevator Closed signs and a Sears shopping cart filled with fire extinguishers inside of the Community Room.
Gallery[]
