"Sinking Echelon"

When I was a mere teenager a trip to the Echelon Mall resulted in a few hours of freedom when my friends and I were dropped off for an afternoon. We would checking out the girls and browsing in the stores. A trip to the Echelon Mall was something to look forward to. It boasted not only dozens of stores but they offered a lot to kids and anyone looking to kill a rainy day. There was a video arcade attached, a movie theater, and hip stores like Flashback. New stores were always showing up.

The Echelon Mall once the place to be has taken a nose dive in the past few years. Just two years after its arrival Sears bounced out leaving an empty anchor store on the mall. This was particular because they build that store specifically for Sears. The mall was able to gloss over their lost for awhile despite other stores like Flashblack disappearing. The movie theater changed hands (mainly cause it was a dump and everyone went to the Ritz or Cinemark)and became a bargain theater given movie goers a final chance to see movies that either had just reached video, were about to reach video, or no one cared about for a cheap price. They were known for their all you can eat and drink popcorn and soda. It didn’t last very long and the building has been vacant ever since. Next went J C Penny’s last winter made it undeniable that the mall was in serious trouble. Leaving Boscovs and Strawbridges as the only anchor stores for the mall, empty anchor stores drive customers away like the plague.

Walking in the mall now it is no longer filled with people all over the place. The food court is the only lively place in the whole mall. The stores around it benefit from them and many of the businesses have relocated closer to the food court to get away from the cancer of emptiness that stems from the empty anchor stores. There is a section upstairs near J C Penny’s where you have to walk quite a distance to reach an actual open place. Just all covered over windows, some filled with ads for places to visit in the mall. They are falling over like dominos and most recently a staple store Allied Hobbies bowed out. Last year just after Christmas many places left like the coffee works for example.

There was a sliver of a hope shining on the ailing mall this past spring when the mall was purchased by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust Company (known as PREIT). For years the mall was rumored to be closed and sold to either Rutgers or Rowan. I have no idea where these rumors have started but I never found any truth to them. My friend Rick (who works in the mall) is constantly telling me about secret meetings in which the mall was sold it was agreed to officially close. He has been doing this for about 3 years now and each Armageddon date comes and goes. The latest doomsday is slated for spring time.

PREIT known for buying struggling businesses, and turning it around to a profit. They really have their work cut out for them. I got there on my lunch at work quite often and many of the food court workers that have come to know me seem very depressed. Some of them gripe to me about the rent that is seemingly unfair for a mall that doesn’t get much traffic anymore. One lady got all excited upon seeing my work shirt thinking the Sears store was reopening. It was awkward for me to tell her that it wasn’t the case.

However from what I gather all they have done is drop of signs in the mall that says expect changes and thanks for shopping at this mall (and future shopping) owned by a faceless corporation stationed in another state. Okay maybe behind closed doors they are sweet talking some businesses to fill their vacant anchor stores. Although most successful department stores of the late 90’s such as Target and Wal-Mart are seemingly anti-malls at least in this area. So that leaves what? Maybe a growing retail chain looking to make it into the east coast?

Well that’s a great idea however they have to address a few things first. Take a look at the Echelon Mall side at the corner of the mall. Half of the E is gone and it struggles to light up on most nights. Many of the signs of department stores are half burned out. The logo itself is dated. The sign boasting about sales was originally to list the movies playing there, and so many businesses have used this sign that it is obvious that former logos have been erased and traces of the letters remain under a ghetto attempt to cover them up. So if you have some CEO or bigwig pull up to see if they want to open a retail store where others have left you might want to make the mall look a bit better.

Since this PREIT Company owns many malls one would imagine that it would remain a mall. I thought perhaps they had some master plan. I am starting to wonder though. In September the Courier-Post ran an article which basically said they were still kicking around different ideas including renting empty stores (the mall is almost half empty now) as office space for doctors. Heck there is already an H & R block there. The article had many people from talking about different ideas they might do. Maybe bring some “high end” stores. So basically a mall that everyone is waiting to shut down and avoiding is going to be saved by people who are still “kicking around” ideas almost an entire year after taking over. I don’t know who does their Public Relations but telling the public they are still scratching their heads isn’t going to do much in fact it makes things worse. They just revealed that they were clueless.

How about meeting with the store owners and calming fears of the few business partners you have? How about getting some sort of draw like a string band, local celebrity appearances, or renovating parts of the mall? If they were trying to get it back on its feet that a could be pulled off while others wooed potential businesses for the anchor stores.

People point to the Deptford Mall’s success and most think its because its engulfed in stores like Target, Best Buy, Old Navy, and almost every restaurant under the sun. Meanwhile the mall has apartments and a Sears store that sells broken appliances.

Given the fact that the top level of the mall is like a desert I might actually put some weight into Rick’s prediction this time. I have seen some commercials for the mall to do your holiday shopping there, but its too bad they didn’t solve their real problems yet. An empty Burger King and IHOP sit across the street from the mall now. Some people have told me that crime is on the rise too, which leads one to wonder if Voorhees might become one of those towns with a GOOD and BAD side. A Jewerly store was robbed in the mall earlier this year.

Hopefully Echelon gets their act together causes the traffic in Deptford it too much and I grew up going there and would hate to see it go. Not to mention a lot of people would be out of a job. PERIT has given the mayor of Voorhees their word that they are committed to the project. It would be a huge loss of taxes and cause property taxes to sky rocket if the mall went under. In September it they said that two companies are interested in coming to the anchor spots, but that’s was 3 months ago now I have serious doubts. Without a new anchor store in the next two years it simply can’t survive.