CLEARFIELD – Good things are coming to the Clearfield Mall, and some have already come.
Justin Bartholomew, who has been overseeing the mall since it was purchased by Pennmark Management Co., said that the company had hoped to have much more done at the property by now, but “slow and steady wins the race,” he remarked.
Some of the slow-down has been due to the COVID-19 crisis, and thanks to some restrictions being lifted, things are moving forward.
The first thing people may have noticed is that Goodwill has moved to a much larger location.
Originally, the square footage for the store was 5,500, but now they have nearly 15,000 square feet of space for shoppers, in the area of the mall that was known for the “small shops,” and both Goodwill and Pennmark have received positive feedback for the change.
Next up is a facade remodel starting at the former Fastenal location and ending at the former JCPenney store. Work on that will begin Monday and conclude in roughly a month’s time.
And speaking of Fastenal, that space is soon going to have a new tenant in Anytime Fitness. Bartholomew said that the company, which is a franchise, will be having their grand opening when the facade work is completed.
The franchise is based in Ohio and has several Anytime Fitness locations throughout the region, the closest to Clearfield is located in St. Marys.
Anytime Fitness is as the name implies, a 24 hour, seven days a week gym that is staffed during normal business hours, but can be accessed by secure key fob after hours for members.
At the other end of the building, where JCPenney was located, Bartholomew said he hopes they will soon have a “one-stop location” for medical needs.
He referred to a similar service in one of Pennmark’s properties in Pottstown, where residents have access to general practitioners, OB/GYN, behavioral health, substance abuse support, dental care, pediatric, physical therapy and lab work, all in one location.
Nothing has been finalized for Clearfield yet, but Bartholomew is confident an announcement will be coming shortly.
And the former Peebles/Gordmans store will also not be empty for long. Bartholomew said that they cannot make any announcement yet, but they are finalizing a contract with a tenant.
He said that they began looking for a new tenant as soon as they learned Gordmans was filing for bankruptcy, and he is confident that the new tenant will be one the people of Clearfield will be happy to have.
He noted how the idea of the town shopping center has changed over the years and now Pennmark has been addressing those changes.
The Clearfield Mall was opened in 1977 and for many years was an extremely popular shopping destination for the area. But the changing shopping climate hit not only the mall, but other locations hard.
Bartholomew said that the mall is the home of staples of the community, such as Dollar General, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, PennDOT’s drivers licensing, Wine and Spirits and Goodwill.
Therefore, he said anything else that moves into the spaces will also be staples, and help sustain the community.
He noted Pennmark’s success with the Rural King plaza as an example.
The company is also getting quotes for parking lot repair. Bartholomew said they don’t have a budget to pave the entire lot right now, but can begin work on it, with repairs and new LED lights, providing additional visibility and safety for shoppers.
“Everything takes time,” he said.