Laurel Mall (Pennsylvania)


Laurel Mall is a shopping mall which opened in 1973 just northwest of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. It features two current anchor stores, Boscov's and Dunham's Sports with one vacant anchor last occupied by Kmart. TJ Maxx is a junior anchor. 10-theater Regal Cinemas and Aldi are outparcels. The mall is managed by Lexington Realty.

History

Opened in 1973, the mall initially featured two anchor stores: Zayre at the west end, and "Fowler, Dick, and Walker, the Boston Store" at the east end. Original tenants included GNC, Hickory Farms, Karmelkorn, Waldenbooks, Rea & Derrick Drugstore, and an A&P supermarket, of which only GNC remains and moved within the mall in 2016. Boscov's took over the Fowler, Dick & Walker store in 1981, and Zayre sold to Ames in 1989.
Construction of a new wing anchored by JCPenney began in 1993. Also that year, the Ames store closed and began conversion to a Kmart, which opened in September 1994. Boscov's expanded by in 1994, and the mall interior was renovated with skylights and new flooring. McCrory Stores closed at the mall in 1995. One year later, Ben Franklin Crafts replaced it. The space is now Old Navy. A Hoyts movie theater opened next to the mall in 1998.
In July 2005, the mall was sold by PREIT to Laurel Mall, LLC for $33.5 million, including assumed debt of $22.6 million. In August 2008, radio station WBHT sponsored a performance by the boy band Menudo at Laurel Mall. On January 15, 2014, it was announced that the JCPenney store would be closing as part of a plan to close 33 locations nationwide. In 2014 Laurel Mall, LLC changed management companies from LMS Realty to Lexington Realty International. On May 6, 2015, it was announced that Dunham's Sports would be opening in the former JCPenney space. It opened on October 16, 2015. In August 2016, a marketing manager claimed 96.6 percent capacity, and construction was underway for TJ Maxx to "take up almost the entire northwest corner of the mall" in November. Sears Holdings announced in January 2018 that it would be closing 64 Kmart stores, including the one at Laurel Mall in early April 2018.