***** ECHELON MALL MIGHT BE UP FOR SALE AGAIN*****

“PREIT Ponders Echelon Mall Project”


Well maybe the Courier-Post reads my blog or something. A few days after I broke the story about the Echelon Mall trying to sway IKEA into filling an anchor store the Courier-Post ran an article stating the same. However their sources obviously more informed than mine also talked about how Dave and Busters is on their wish list.

Okay now having a bar in a mall might seem way out there. However back in the day (before we were old enough to remember) the Echelon Mall actually had a steakhouse with a bar. That was back in the mall’s prime. Not to mention you can wet your whistle at Deptford or Cherry Hill Malls. Putting a Dave and Buster’s in the mall would really turn things around. However I just don’t see it happening. For one thing I am not sure if the people of Voorhees would go for that although their problems with drunks would confined to the mall area and not neighborhoods I think they would fear the people that would take the train from Camden going there causing problems. I know that sounds messed up but it’s the truth.

That doesn’t even take into the consideration of the headache of getting a liquor license. How many bars are there now in the town of Voorhees? Are there any left? As for the IKEA rumor I don’t doubt they were in negotiations, but I don’t see it happening. I would imagine if they were close they would have told all the stores that were jumping ship how close they were in order to keep people there.

Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) who purchased the mall over a year ago has failed miserably to stop the ship from sinking. The Courier talked about how clean the mall has been since PREIT bought the mall. Well less traffic means less trash. Not really something to brag about.

Since I wrote my last article Sam Goody left after 30 years of service and I don’t know when but the pet store is gone too. The week that PREIT started feeding the local papers fluff about trying to get more involved in the community rumors surfaced that PREIT is looking to unload their miserable purchase. That is right I am beating the papers to the punch again and telling you right now that PREIT is looking for a buyer for either the mall itself or the actual grounds the later being more likely. Perhaps they have made a deadline first to see if they actually score an anchor store, but I can’t imagine how much that land the mall stands on is worth.

PREIT claims that might use an empty anchor store for job conventions which is a good idea because people would likely wonder off and spend money. However I think PREIT is either regretting getting on this purchase and simply doesn’t have the right people working on the public relations or marketing of the mall (hey I contacted them to try to get them to hire me to do their PR) or this purchase was never ment to succeed. I still stand by my claim that people want to shop at that mall, but they just need a reason to shop there.

Coming soon:

Tucker sizes up Bush's chances

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