Coventry Mall facts for kids
| Location | North Coventry Township, Pennsylvania, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°14′08″N 75°39′44″W / 40.2356°N 75.6621°W |
| Opening date | 1967 |
| Developer | Kurt Rostan and Seymour A. Friedman |
| Management | Pennmark Management Co. |
| Owner | Pennmark Management Co. |
| No. of stores and services | 50 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| Total retail floor area | 802,275 sq ft (74,534 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in Boscov's) |
| Parking | Parking lot |
| Public transit access |  PART bus: Purple Line, Orange Line |
Coventry Mall is a fun shopping mall located in North Coventry Township, Pennsylvania. This area is near Pottstown, Pennsylvania. You can find the mall where Route 100 and Route 724 meet. The main stores at Coventry Mall are Boscov's, Kohl's, Gabe's, and Dick's Sporting Goods. It's a great place to shop and hang out!
Contents
Mall History: How It Grew
Starting as The Norco Mall
The mall first opened its doors in October 1967. Back then, it was called The Norco Mall. It had big stores like Sears, Britt's Department Store, and Thrift Drug. There were also thirteen smaller shops for people to explore.
Adding a Roof and More Stores
In 1974, the mall changed quite a bit. It used to be an open-air shopping area. But then, they put a roof over it! This made it an enclosed mall, which is much nicer in bad weather. They also added a new main store called J.M. Fields. A small movie theater with two screens, run by Fox Theatres, was also built. Plus, more than a dozen new shops opened up.
Becoming Coventry Mall
The mall got even bigger in 1982. This is when it changed its name to Coventry Mall. The J. M. Fields store closed down. In 1978, it became Jefferson Ward, and later Bradlees in 1985. After Bradlees closed, that space was split into two smaller stores. These were Ross Dress for Less and Dick's Sporting Goods. Ross Dress for Less closed in 2014.
In 1985, a new department store called Pomeroy's was added. Just two years later, in 1987, this store became a Bon-Ton. This happened because Bon-Ton bought Pomeroy's. Then, in 1993, it changed again to Boscov's. Today, Boscov's has two floors. It used to have parking on the roof, but that area is now closed to the public.
Movies and Food
Also in 1987, a much bigger movie theater was built. This new theater had eight screens and was located outside the main mall building. The old, smaller movie theater inside the mall was then turned into a food court. This gave shoppers more places to eat!
More Store Changes and New Owners
In 1994, Hess's sold most of its stores to The Bon-Ton. However, they couldn't agree on a deal for the Coventry Mall store. So, that spot became JCPenney for a short time. Then it became The Bon-Ton. Finally, in 2004, it turned into Kohl's, which is still there today.
In that same year, 2004, a company called Stoltz Real Estate Partners bought the mall. They took over from The Goodman Co.
Recent Changes and New Beginnings
Sears closed its store in April 2012. The company that owned the mall at the time, Coventry Retail LP, couldn't pay for the property. So, in March 2013, a company called Jones Lang LaSalle took over managing the mall. On September 19, 2013, the mall was sold at an auction. U.S. Bank National Association bought it for $49.5 million. Jones Lang LaSalle continued to manage the mall. In December 2014, a store called Limerick Furniture opened in the old Sears spot.
On April 8, 2016, a new company, Pennmark Management Co., bought the Coventry Mall. They have plans to make the mall even better. They want to fill empty spaces with exciting new stores and restaurants. On March 18, 2017, Gabe's, a store that sells items at lower prices, opened in a large space that used to be Sears. Then, on May 10, 2018, Jo-Ann opened a new store inside the mall. Before this, Jo-Ann was in a separate building outside the main mall.
