The Point at Carlisle Plaza, formerly Carlisle Plaza and Carlisle Plaza Mall, is a one-level shopping mall 1.1 miles (1.8 km) west of downtown Carlisle, Pennsylvania, between East High Street and York Road in the city of Carlisle. The mall has two open anchors which are Dunham's Sports and Lowe's.
Power Center[]
Carlisle Plaza opened as a open-air shopping plaza in 1964, with backing from David Javitch, founder of Giant Food Stores, and his son, Lee, who would soon become president and CEO of Giant. Under the ownership of Crown American, plans were announced in 1968 for an expansion of the plaza into an enclosed mall.
Enclosed Mall[]
In 1976, Carlisle Plaza was finally fully enclosed and the mall's name was changed to Carlisle Plaza Mall. The mall opened with three original anchors, Bon-Ton, JCPenney and Kmart with some name's being Jo-Ann Fabrics, Radio Shack, and Frank's Pizza. The mall also had a small concourse outside of it, anchored by Giant.
Decline[]
Carlisle Plaza Mall experienced a decline starting in the mid-1990s. In 1996, Kmart closed its doors and moved to a new, larger location in Carlisle. Additionally, in the same year, JCPenney shut down and relocated to Capital City Mall in Camp Hill.
In November 2002, Crown American sold the mall to Michael Joseph Development Company for $5.8 million. Following this acquisition, the mall underwent a name change in 2003, transitioning from Carlisle Plaza Mall to The Point at Carlisle Plaza.
The mall underwent reconfiguration in the early 2000s, during which 200,000 sq ft was removed, including two anchor buildings previously occupied by Albion Point Antiques & Collectibles/Kmart and J. C. Penney. Before the construction, a mural depicting the history of Carlisle, originally located in the mall, had to be relocated. In February 2004, Lowe's opened in the space formerly occupied by the anchor buildings and now owns the store as well. The total cost of the mall's renovations amounted to $4 million.
Carlisla Plaza mall limped along from that point forward. OfficeMax filled the former Giant supermarket, and Bon-Ton remained an anchor to the mall. Some chain stores, like Kay-Bee Toys, Foot Locker, Jo-Ann Fabrics, and Bath & Body Works would remain. Gold's Gym would take some mall space, but would not have mall access. The former Kmart would be filled with Albion Point Antiques & Collectibles, something Crown American used to fill anchor spaces in some of its malls, which were mainly ex-Kmarts. The space didn't prosper as much as Hanover's Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles, filled in Crown American's North Hanover Mall's former Kmart 30 miles to the south.
In August 2005, Cedar (Cedar Carlisle LLC) acquired the mall for $11 million. Dunham's Sports became a tenant and opened at the mall in late September 2005. Subsequently, in October 2012, Giant (Point Plaza LLC) purchased the mall for $7.35 million.
The Bon-Ton, a tenant at the mall, announced in late January 2018 that its store would be closing. In January 2019, the former Bon-Ton space was repurposed for storing new Giant shopping carts. In 2020, OfficeMax, a tenant in the shopping center next to the mall, closed due to bankruptcy and the impact of Covid-19.
From this point onward, the mall has witnessed a notable decline in occupancy following the departure of Bath & Body Works and junior anchor Jo-Ann Fabrics. Currently, only three interior tenants persist, namely GNC and Nail Glamour, with anchors Dunhams Sports and Lowe’s Home Improvement serving as the primary anchors.