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A tale of 2 malls: Williamsport once was site of competing retail

Despite Mayor Jessie L. Bloom’s hopes, her idea of building a mall in downtown Williamsport was on its last legs, according to a Sun-Gazette article published on Dec. 14, 1988.

The headline “Mayor Still Confident

Mall Project Downtown Will Become Reality” portrayed a much more optimistic view of the situation regarding Bloom’s supposed mall to be situated downtown.

Throughout 1988, it was widely reported of her plan to build a shopping center, vaguely described as being “generally north of Third and Court streets.” Bloom’s goal was to revitalize shopping in downtown Williamsport with a mall that rivaled Lycoming Mall.

That mall, which opened in 1978, was only a short 15-minute drive away and drew shopping and stores from the downtown area.

Her plan to keep businesses in the area was in motion, as she already was looking to department stores in the downtown area to be “anchors,” or a store that could draw shoppers to the city. Namely, she looked to J.C. Penney, situated along West Fourth Street.

Sheri Wool-Crain, a lifelong Williamsport resident, remembers J.C. Penney’s and downtown fondly.

“It was the spot to be downtown for shopping,” Wool-Crain recently told the Sun-Gazette. “The Capitol Theatre was there and on weekends they showed cartoons and had kids variety shows. So, you went to the theater, then to Penney’s, then to one of the diners downtown for lunch.”

However, J.C. Penney was looking to move to a different location — the Lycoming Mall. That store was planning on closing its location in the downtown area.

By December 1988, J.C. Penney was in the process of conducting a marketing study to evaluate the relative value of staying downtown or moving to Lycoming Mall. Despite this, the regional vice president of the department store chain at the time went on record as saying this was not a commitment to move.

This left Bloom’s hope of having a mall still afloat, as she waited for word on the study’s results. She was assured by the regional vice president that once the study was complete, she would be “one of the first people he calls.”

Unfortunately for Bloom, the call that she received did not hold good news. J.C. Penney left West Fourth Street and quickly established itself in the Lycoming Mall. Bloom tried to continue with her plan to construct a mall, reaching out to chains in Pittsburgh and Boston, Massachusetts. However, without an anchor store, her hopes rapidly disappeared.

Bloom’s promise of constructing a mall never materialized. However, the departure of J.C. Penney from the downtown area did have a lasting effect on the shopping district. Jennifer Ross, a teen at the time, remembers that downtown was “basically dead” when the department store left.

When J.C. Penney settled into its new location, shoppers focused on the Lycoming Mall. By that time, the mall already was a go-to for many in the surrounding area, and J.C. Penney’s arrival only served to solidify its presence.

“It was the thing to do. You could go out on the weekends, see a movie and walk around the mall with your friends. Everybody was there,” according to Ross.

It seems now that the tables have turned.

There has been a sharp decline in the landscape of Lycoming Mall’s offerings, which has come as a shock and a disappointment to its shoppers. Wool-Crain attributes this to online shopping.

“It’s the ease of Amazon,” she said.

The downturn of the mall was very quick. For a mall that boasted five anchor department stores at its peak, all but one have since closed. Ironically, J.C. Penney was the second to shut its doors.

The mall, as a whole, has fallen from being the commercial center of Lycoming County. Kohan Investment Group, the mall’s owners, has stated it is doing everything in its power to fill its vacant spots, even considering renting to non-retail companies such as medical facilities, according to reports.

Meanwhile, Williamsport’s downtown area has seen a revitalization. A new breed of commerce has begun to grow, focusing on small businesses, eateries, bars and boutique shopping.

“It was a tough sell, but I knew it was possible,” said Matt Schauer, one of the local real estate developers who pursued downtown’s evolution.

Schauer credits his success to taking “a lot of big bets, but on good people,” but points to what he calls “staple businesses” operated by owners that kept their doors open during the time when businesses generally steered away from the downtowns nationwide. One such owner is Steve Koch, proprietor of Bullfrog Brewery, which opened in 1995.

Koch recalls that he was not aware of the risk he was taking by opening a brewery and restaurant downtown at the time, but “we did it and it paid off.”

“In 1995, it was a ghost town here. It would be common to see less than four or five (people) walking down Fourth Street in the middle of the day,” Koch said.

Now he sees the resurgence of downtown Williamsport is a reaction to the world getting “smaller.” “The thought of ‘living local’ has really permeated people’s minds.”

That mindset is evident in citizens eagerness to spend more time downtown, he added.

“Downtown has a lot to offer currently. The Downtown Business Association is helping with great ideas and events.”

When thinking on how much downtown has recovered from its lowest point, Ross begins to laugh.

“You know, it’s funny,” she said. “With how well everything is going here now, it would be the perfect time for someone to open up a mall.”

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