Millcreek Mall facts for kids
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| Location | Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania, United States |
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| Coordinates | 42°4′9.43″N 80°5′56.52″W / 42.0692861°N 80.0990333°W |
| Opening date | November 10, 1975 |
| Management | Cafaro Company |
| Owner | Cafaro Company |
| No. of stores and services | 165 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (3 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 2,200,000 square feet (200,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in Boscov's, JCPenney, Macy's, Round One Entertainment, and former Bon-Ton) |
| Public transit access |  EMTA bus: 1, 3, 4, 14, 15, 17, 105 |
The Millcreek Mall is a large shopping center in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania. It is located near Erie and is one of the biggest malls in the United States. In fact, it's the tenth largest shopping complex in the country and the second largest in Pennsylvania!
The mall first opened its doors on November 10, 1975. It was built and is still managed by the Cafaro Company. Many people from Ohio, New York and even Canada love to visit the Millcreek Mall. This is because Pennsylvania does not have sales tax on clothing. The mall itself has 121 store spaces and 12 small kiosks. When people say there are 165 stores and restaurants, they are counting all the shops inside the mall and the many other stores and places to eat nearby. The main stores, called anchor stores, are Boscov's, JCPenney, and Macy's. There is also one large space that used to be a store called The Bon-Ton.
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History of Millcreek Mall
When the Millcreek Mall first opened, it had several big anchor stores. These included Boston Store, Halle's, JCPenney, Kaufmann's, Carlisle's, and Sears. Over the years, many of these stores changed names or were replaced by new ones. For example, Boston Store became Horne's, then Lazarus, and later Elder-Beerman.
In 1998, Elder-Beerman took over the old Lazarus spot. Five years later, it became The Bon-Ton. The space that was once Carlisle's became HomePlace. After HomePlace closed, its area was split into two new stores: Steve & Barry's and AC Moore.
In 2006, Kaufmann's changed its name to Macy's. Later, in 2012, Burlington Coat Factory moved out of the mall. Its large space was then divided into six smaller areas. Some of these new spots are now home to restaurants like Primanti Brothers and Mad Mex. There is also a fun arcade called Round One Entertainment and a Guitar Center. This part of the mall was even given a new name: The Promenade. It now has its own entrance too!
Some people have noticed that the mall looks like a gun when seen from above. This has led to a fun urban legend that says the mall was built this way on purpose.
In 2008, the mall got a big makeover. It received many new features like a special area for children and a new food court. The entrances were also updated. The mall added skylights to let in more natural light and new porcelain floors. The parking lot also got new lights. The new food court opened in late 2008.
Sears closed its store after the 2016 holiday season. A new store, Boscov's, opened in that spot on October 5, 2017. In 2017, it was announced that Round One Entertainment would open an arcade on the upper level of the old Burlington Coat Factory space. It opened in the summer of 2018.
Sadly, The Bon-Ton announced it would close in January 2018. The store shut down in April 2018. After The Bon-Ton closed, many other stores also left the mall. These included Abercrombie & Fitch, China Max & Little Tokyo, Fuddruckers, Crazy 8, Gymboree, Charlotte Russe, Payless ShoeSource, Motherhood Maternity, Kitchen Collection, and Things Remembered. In 2019, Ruby Tuesday and A.C. Moore also closed their locations at the mall.
Shopping and Dining Around the Mall
The Millcreek Mall Pavilion is an area near the main mall with even more stores. You can find places like Ross Dress for Less, HomeGoods, Michaels Arts & Crafts, Christmas Tree Shops, Five Below, Carter's, Ulta Beauty, and Dick's Sporting Goods here.
There are also many restaurants on the mall property. Some popular choices include Max & Erma's, Smokey Bones Barbeque and Grill, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, and Starbucks. You can also find hotels like Homewood Suites and Fairfield Inn by Marriott nearby.
An old toy store called Children's Palace is now the Erie Institute of Technology (EIT). Another old department store, which was empty for a long time, is now At Home, a store for home decor. There's even a church, Elevate!, in what used to be a movie theater.
Other stores like Men's Wearhouse, OfficeMax, and David's Bridal are also located on the land around the Millcreek Mall. In 2019, a Sonic Drive-In restaurant opened in the old Sears Auto Center parking lot.
Millcreek Marketplace
Right across the street from the Millcreek Mall, a new area called Millcreek Marketplace has grown. This area used to be woods! Now, it has several restaurants like O'Charley's, Moe's Southwest Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, and McDonald's. There's also a SpringHill Suites hotel, a PNC Bank, and a Verizon Wireless store. A large Giant Eagle supermarket also opened here in 2017.
Millcreek Mall in Pop Culture
The Millcreek Mall has even appeared on TV! On the popular children's show Arthur, the mall in Elwood City is based on the Millcreek Mall. It's called Mill Creek Mall in the show.
