South Mall is a one-level shopping mall 3.9 miles (6.2 km) southwest of downtown Allentown, Pennsylvania, between Lehigh Street, Regent Way and Interstate 78 in Salisbury Township, a suburb of Allentown. The mall has one open anchor which is Ross Dress for Less.
History[]
The initial structure on the South Mall site emerged as a Hess's in 1971, serving as an early satellite location of the primary Hess's store in Downtown Allentown. In 1975, Hess's took a step further by constructing a modest enclosed shopping mall on the north side of the department store, incorporating a Weis Markets and several specialty shops. The ownership transitioned to Crown American after the mall was acquired from Hess's.
November 1986 marked a significant expansion of the mall, introducing Jamesway as its second anchor. In 1991, another expansion brought in Phar-Mor as the third anchor. Following Hess's closure in 1994, the space underwent a transformation into Bon-Ton. Subsequent changes included the closure of Jamesway in 1995, leading to the subdivision of the space among Gold's Gym, Home & Gifts, and Stein Mart in 1996.
Weis Markets exited the South Mall location in 1999 due to poor sales, resulting in the subdivision of the space into Blick Art Materials, Mattress Firm, and Wine & Spirits. Phar-Mor's closure in 2002, as the chain folded, paved the way for Steve & Barry's in 2003. Crown American's acquisition by PREIT in the same year marked a pivotal shift in ownership.
Steve & Barry's closure in 2009 led to the swift replacement by Black Rose Antiques. Gold's Gym's departure in 2012 made room for Ross Dress for Less. In 2014, PREIT relinquished ownership as the South Mall was sold to Nicholas Park Mall LLC for $23.6 million. The retail landscape underwent changes, with Black Rose Antiques relocating to Phillipsburg Mall in January 2017.
Early 2017 witnessed the subdivision of the former Black Rose Antiques space, hosting Limerick Furniture and eventually becoming Full Circle Training. In 2018, Bon-Ton closed due to corporate insolvency. Limerick Furniture's departure in 2019 gave rise to Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The evolving fitness landscape saw SuperSets Gym replacing Full Circle Training in 2020.