Opening day and the mall's first anchors
Chambersburg Mall opened in October 1982 at 3055 Black Gap Road. Crown American developed the project, with Hess's, Gee Bee, and Carmike Cinemas as its original anchors.
Three years later, in 1985, The Bon-Ton joined as a fourth anchor, strengthening the tenant base and expanding the property's retail mix to meet the growing needs of the county.
Located off Interstate 81 at Exit 20, the enclosed center offered a one-level layout with large parking lots, adding new things to do in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
The original Hess's anchor sold department store merchandise in a multi-floor box, while Gee Bee operated as a discount chain with apparel and general goods.
Carmike Cinemas gave the mall a built-in entertainment option from its first year, drawing weekend traffic that supported shops around the theater concourse.
Crown American designed the mall to carry enclosed walkways that linked the anchor boxes, a layout common to its other regional shopping center projects.
Throughout the first half of the 1980s, tenant leasing filled inline space with apparel chains, jewelry shops, and food outlets alongside the four anchors.
By the end of the decade, the property had positioned itself as a full-scale retail center, balancing national chains with local operators under one roof.
Anchor reshaping in the early 1990s
Sears opened inside Chambersburg Mall in 1991, leaving its downtown store behind and adding a new anchor that expanded the property's retail profile.
When Hess's shut down in the early 1990s, JCPenney stepped in, moving from its plaza in downtown Chambersburg and occupying the vacated anchor location.
The relocation gave JCPenney more floor space and tied its operations to the mall's customer base, keeping the property from carrying a large empty store.
In 1992, Gee Bee was converted into Value City, continuing the discount retail category at the mall while preserving full use of its anchor square footage.
By this point, the anchor lineup featured Sears, JCPenney, The Bon-Ton, Value City, and Carmike Cinemas, covering department stores, discount stores, and entertainment.
Crown American secured these leases to maintain occupancy, using a mix of national chains and regional operators to stabilize its tenant roster.
The Sears and JCPenney moves mirrored national retail shifts, as department stores abandoned smaller downtown footprints for larger mall-based sales floors.
Peak retail years of the 1990s and early 2000s
By the mid-1990s, Chambersburg Mall reached its busiest stretch, with around 75 operating tenants, filling nearly all available space in its single-floor design.
National apparel chains like The Gap, American Eagle, and Old Navy joined shoe retailers and jewelers, creating a diverse mix of merchandise categories.
Electronics outlets such as RadioShack and specialty shops filled inline units, while the food court drew steady traffic during weekends and school breaks.
The cinema kept foot traffic moving beyond retail hours, a feature that helped tie the property to both shopping and leisure during its peak occupancy.
Crown American leased to a mix of national and regional chains, securing broad coverage across fashion, footwear, jewelry, electronics, and dining.
Advertising in local newspapers promoted seasonal sales, back-to-school promotions, and holiday hours, reinforcing the mall's role in Franklin County commerce.
These years represented the height of leasing activity, with department stores, discount anchors, and dozens of smaller chains filling the concourses.
Ownership changes and early warning signs
In 2003, Crown American sold its entire mall portfolio, and Chambersburg Mall became part of PREIT's holdings, shifting management to a larger operator.
Under PREIT, the property faced mounting challenges, with newer shopping centers pulling tenants and customers away from its enclosed retail format.
Burlington replaced the former Value City location after it closed in 2008, taking over the anchor space as the mall’s newest large-format tenant.
By 2009, U.S. News & World Report placed the mall on its list of the 10 most endangered malls in the country, drawing attention to its underperformance.
The report cited a 62 percent occupancy rate and sales of $234 per square foot, numbers that trailed industry averages and showed a weakening retail base.
Many of the smaller shops that had once filled the concourses closed during this period, leaving gaps in the leasing roster despite the presence of anchors.
The Bon-Ton, JCPenney, Sears, and Burlington still operated as anchors. Inline store turnover had accelerated as newer big-box centers captured a significant portion of regional retail traffic.
By the end of the decade, Chambersburg Mall remained open, but the warnings published in 2009 foreshadowed future instability.
Sales and closures in the mid-2010s
In May 2012, PREIT placed Chambersburg Mall on the market, beginning a process that marked the next stage in the property's changing ownership history.
By October 2013, an unknown buyer had placed a non-refundable deposit to acquire the mall from PREIT.
The sale closed in November 2013, when Mason Asset Management purchased the property for $8.8 million, with PREIT projecting net proceeds of $8.4 million.
Just over a year later, anchor closures began. Sears shut its doors in January 2015, ending more than two decades of operation within the Chambersburg Mall.
Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles opened in the former Sears space, bringing an antique mall format to the property in an attempt to use the large box.
In July 2015, JCPenney followed, leaving its anchor location vacant, a loss that reduced the number of traditional department store tenants inside the mall.
With these two departures, anchor occupancy fell quickly, signaling challenges for leasing, even as Black Rose attempted to stabilize part of the square footage.
The closures reduced foot traffic through the concourses, affecting inline retailers that depended on Sears and JCPenney for consistent customer volume.
Carmike Cinemas, which had operated at Chambersburg Mall since its opening, was rebranded as AMC Classic in 2017 following AMC Theatres’ acquisition of the chain.
Final anchor losses and closures 2018–2023
In late August 2018, The Bon-Ton closed after its parent company entered bankruptcy, leaving another large anchor space vacant inside Chambersburg Mall.
Burlington ended operations on January 18, 2019, which removed another department store from the property's roster.
Black Rose Antiques & Collectibles became the last remaining anchor after Burlington's departure, operating in the former Sears space, which it had leased since 2015.
By the early 2020s, tenant counts had dwindled to around 30, including smaller chains and an AMC Classic theater, which continued to screen movies.
Competition from newer power centers and the rise of online shopping accelerated the decline, resulting in reduced leasing activity and foot traffic through the concourse.
On April 16, 2023, AMC Classic closed, marking the end of cinema operations that had been a feature of the property since its opening in 1982 under the Carmike brand.
On June 8, 2023, Black Rose announced plans to close on June 30, the last day the mall's interior stores would remain accessible to the public.
Redevelopment was briefly considered by Namdar Realty Group after the closure, but plans were scrapped, leaving the property vacant by mid-2023.
After the closure, 2024–2025
Chambersburg Mall officially closed on June 30, 2023. Following the closure, Namdar Realty Group retained ownership and management of the site. However, no redevelopment projects were carried forward into 2024.
A proposal circulated in 2023 for mixed-use redevelopment, combining housing and commercial space, but those plans were abandoned before any work commenced.
Throughout 2024 and into 2025, no new tenants, demolition permits, or construction plans were filed, resulting in the property remaining idle.
As of August 2025, the enclosed structure remains intact but unused, with all five anchor spaces empty and the mall carrying no commercial activity.
They should make it a homeless shelter and maybe communal living for those in hardship.
That's a truly humanitarian idea! Repurposing the Chambersburg Mall in such a way could serve as a beacon of hope for many. Thanks for sharing.
That is a good idea but I don't see how it could happen. It would take millions to repurpose that space into residential units. You also have to remember that the roof has been leaking badly for many years. I doubt the building can be salvaged at all.
The mall should have been designed like other successful malls. Chambersburg Mall did not have a food court, which offer the party atmosphere. Only there was a couple of (BBQ, Pizza) eatery places, until those dwindled out, to leave just a soft pretzel eatery. Visiting this mall was nothing impressive. I enjoyed shopping when the stores were there but after the shopping, the food places were not too inviting to stay around for.
Thanks for your input. I agree that a variety of food options can make a mall visit more enticing.
The main reason most people didn't want to go or start restaurants in the Chambersburg Mall was because it's a dry township. You can't have food for the adults and children without having the alcohol there it draws people in. I'm a self do not drink but I can see where it brings in revenue. But I think they should do and this is just me personally I think they should turn it into a community center of sorts. Think of it like a place you could go to do just about anything it would have an arcade which would also include gambling. A movie theater that's also served alcohol but they couldn't do that there because it's a dry township. And think of us like a bowling alley. Maybe a roller rink turn it into like a small amusement park that is indoors. And then if you wanted to do have that is some outdoor activities because it's such AA big place outdoors because the parking lot's huge you can even have a set a spot warrior you can put like a go kart track things like that will draw in the younger crowd. But to get 'em the adults involved you definitely are gonna have to bring in the casinos and also have the alcohol words available because with it being a dry township none of this will work.
Appreciate your thoughts! Turning the mall into a hub for family-friendly activities like a bowling alley or a roller rink could inject new life into the area. It's exciting to imagine the possibilities, even within the constraints of the current regulations.
Certainly did not help when PREIT concentrated all their efforts and leasing to Valley mall, and eventually selling to Namdar a foreign owned property investment company with a horrible reputation for not keeping their properties leased or even trying to. Read property investment group, they buy malls ( I think they have over 100) with the mindset that they are not going to make it, they let tenants leave without trying to fill the space, ultimately over time they reach the point of no occupancy, and generally the land value has increased by the time that happens to see it for demolition for other use. They do quite well doing this, plus they seem to have an endless supply of investors from the Middle East, so it keeps going, at the expense of communities and people that earn a living at the malls, and that provide first time employment for youth.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's crucial to know how investment strategies affect local malls and communities.
event center for bands and concerts.its a great location with the interstate right there. it would raise lots of money and locals wouldn't have to travel to Hershey or faraway places to see their favorite bands
Thank you for your creative idea! An event center for concerts at Chambersburg Mall sounds like a fantastic way to utilize the space and offer entertainment.
Reopen the malls across the US as retirement communities for the gen-x’ers as well start to reach this timeframe! Put the old stores back in with the food court and movie theaters! Just add the 55+ community housing to it! All of us would be in heaven!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. The concept of turning malls into retirement communities with a touch of nostalgia sounds like a dream come true for many.