The Willow Grove Park Mall is not dead. The mall boasts a tenant occupancy rate north of 96%. By comparison, the Exton Square Mall, another PREIT property, has an occupancy rate that hovers around 60%. PREIT has designated Exton Square Mall as “non-core.” The company is in the process of selling that struggling property to Elkins Park-based Abrams Realty & Development.
Meanwhile, PREIT is still trying new ways to improve Willow Grove. Tilted 10, an indoor entertainment center, arrived at the mall in 2023. There’s laser tag, bowling and even minigolf, all of the new experiences malls are banking on to lure in new customers.
However, there’s some credence to Woodin’s observations. Some things have changed. Willow Grove’s iconic fountain is gone. Many of the old anchors have bid farewell. Some of the lights are often switched off. The community fashion shows are no more.
Ventresca declined to comment on Willow Grove’s fiscal health. He called it a “good property.”
Woodin feels a sense of sadness and nostalgia for how it used to be. The restaurants with outward-facing entrances might get his money, but he has a hard time setting foot inside the mall itself.
“I don’t see myself going to Willow Grove Mall at any time in the near future unless it drastically changes,” Woodin said. “Yeah, I’ve been to the Cheesecake Factory — but like I never even walked in or out of the mall.”
If someone closes their eyes and lists the defining features of the quintessential mall, the fountain would likely be near the top of the list. It is what inspired the namesake of Lange’s book, “Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall.”
KOP still has its fountain.
“It’s an amenity for our guests to sit and relax,” Putt said. “It’s a peaceful sound, it’s enjoyable to watch if you’re just sitting there dazing out or just relaxing. It just provides just that little bit of something to add to the environment and hopefully further appeal to some of our shoppers and make them more comfortable.”
The Cherry Hill Mall still has its fountains. However, Ventresca declined to answer why PREIT stripped Willow Grove Park of its iconic fountain.
“I think removing the fountains is a sign of not caring,” Lange said. “It’s not about the fountain per se, it’s about the fountain as something that needs daily maintenance that is pleasant for free, that is a place that you can meet at the mall.”
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