MOUNTAINEER MALL: MORGANTOWN, WV
Jan's Commentary
Posted April 24, 2011 (user submitted)
Mountaineer Mall has even more vacancy now, but it has somewhat transitioned to a second-class mall. There's a call center where the Montgomery Ward's used to be, the Gabriel's is gone, the General Glass Home Center is struggling since the two Lowe's opened in town and the food court now consists of a struggling indie pizza place, coffee shop and hot dog stand, plus one Subway. Absent the call center with its' hungry workers, the food places would likely close.
There is, however, the Senior Monongalians community center, which is a big draw now that the Mountain Line bus includes it as a stop, a dance studio, a modest daycare and a trio of small, indie gyms, one for ladies, one mixed martial-arts and one co-ed traditional. The Goodwill also remains, next to a small Chinese buffet that takes catering to the call center daily, and there is also one real gem -opposite the Goodwill, a small thrift and antiques store called 'Lucky's Closet' sells donated, homemade and branded items to benefit the local no-kill animal shelter. Fans of thrift-store hunting and antiques really enjoy Lucky's, especially with Goodwill right next door for a full day of adventurous hunting.
The split-level, ramped grade of the mall and senior center still makes it a popular haunt for area grandmas, who have been noticed racing on their mobility scooters in the wide, sparsely peopled halls. (Teenagers would catch hell for most of the stuff the old dears get up to, even if there was more security evident. It's hilarious to observe.) Call-center employees also tend to walk laps and eat lunch there, and while vacancy is high, the Mountaineer Mall seems headed more toward 'gently repurposed' than completely dead -especially when various local charities hold events there. It is also a fine place to find free game-day parking for the WVU football games, since the Mountain Line bus to the stadium is only $3.
Laura Shelton's Commentary
Posted July 9, 2007 (user submitted)
Mountaineer Mall opened up in 1975 to much fanfare; it was the first mall built in Morgantown, WV, home of West Virginia University. The mall had its heyday during the 1970s and early to mid '80s. Throughout the years, many other stores moved in and out, such as Jo Ann's House of Nuts, JoAnn Fabrics, Sam Goody, Mountain Snow, to name a few. Although a small compact mall, for northcentral West Virginia, the mall held countless hours of shopping and entertainment, and business boomed.
In order to keep up with other growing malls in the area (as well as to keep shoppers in Morgantown instead of letting them travel to nearby Pittsburgh to multi level malls), Mountaineer Mall added an addition in 1987 which was brighter, roomier, and far more attractive than the rather dim d cor that the rest of the mall possessed. I was young when this addition opened; what I remember being in the new addition originally (and not limited to) was Stone and Thomas (as an extra anchor), another jeweler, Claire's, Foot Locker, a Mediterranean restaurant, a Cinnabon knockoff, one of those "Everything One Price" type stores, Great American Cookie Company, I Can't Believe It's Not Yogurt, Doktor (sp?) pet store, and other stores that I cannot remember. When the addition opened, it seemed as though everyone in town came to the mall to see Mickey Mouse unveil the new level.
However, for whatever reason, the new addition could not maintain stores, and emptied quickly. No original tenants are there today. And with the opening of Morgantown Mall in 1991, the mall began to die. JCPenney's shut its doors and moved to the new mall, same with Lerner's, the Gap, and others. The only original tenant in the mall still there is GNC, and besides Goodwill and Elder Beerman, there are no real "big name" draws. Walmart operated in the mall for 13-14 years and then closed, and with it, it seems everyone else is following suit. Suddenly, even the local shops are pulling out and the rumors are flying some say a new store is coming and revitalization will take place, others say the mall will turn into office space (it already holds a telemarketing center). Only time will tell what will happen to the place that was once (and for some, still is) a dear place in the heart of real Mountaineers.
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Alan Smith’s Commentary:
User submitted Jan 2008As of Jan. 22nd 2008 the Elder Beerman location and the Gabriel Brothers(the other two main anchors will close within a matter of weeks,leaving no anchor stores.I just wanted to write about this mall because I too went to this mall as a child remembering great times eating at the Weiner World or Pizza Inn,watching movies like E.T and The Transformers Movie(the old cartoon one that is).Going to the Sweet Williams Ice cream shop and even buying my suit to the prom at Kirk's.It was always fun playing those old video games at Funway Freeway(which eventually became a Bally Aladins),they would have certain games for FREE to play on the weekends.When they added the addition in 1987 I can remember that day because there was a school dance the night they opened the new part of the mall, a bunch
of my friends went up there to see all the new stores.A few other stores Laura didn't mention was County Seat and Maurice's both clothing stores.Claire's Boutique,Biofore's which was downtown before that(a locally owned upper scale clothing store),the arcade also moved by the new lower entrance.Like Laura said once the Morgantown Mall opened many stores went to the new brighter more modern Mall.
Today Morgantown is becoming a much larger town and fluctuates with population because we are a college town too.We now have so many choices of areas to shop at,it truly has hurt more than helped the retail in town. The Morgantown Mall that opened in 1991,The Downtown Shopping has been hit and miss,the brand new Univeristy town center has everything you can need from shopping like Walmart and Sam's Club,Target,Goody's,Bed Bath and Beyond and many more.Then the restaurant's go on and on.But I believe this has been a disaster because the traffic is so horrible.I have seen many accidents since the center has opened.Now we have another center opening up in Suncrest area (not too far from the University Town Center) which is going to be even more of a disaster because of the bad road designs and increasing traffic that plagues this side of town for years and has only gotten worse.
See I am writing this because I had a store in that area for over twelve years, becoming very successful ,but because of the traffic issues hurting my business within the last few years I am now moving my store to The Mountaineer Mall and I'm proud to go to a place that has brought so many great memories to myself and to countless others.In the weeks I have been in The Mountaineer Mall there has literally been hundreds of people so happy to see me put my store in this mall.It seems that so many people feel that this place is more than just a shopping Mall and they all say that it's way better than The Morgantown Mall.Today there is still The Goodwill store which does very well,The China Buffet,Famous Hair,Lucky's Attic(which donates there proceeds to animal shelters),Sally's Beauty,Rex TV,A Nail Salon,Subway,General Glass Home Center which does custom cabinets windows etc...and a great Senior center that has over a hundred seniors
that come a day.One of the best things about The Mountaineer Mall is the fact that there has never been Traffic issues,it's always been very easy to get in and out and find a place to park.There are so many residents that live right by that want to see this place come back so they don't have to drive to the other side of town and deal with the horrible traffic problems that now plague this town!
So the rumors have been flying lately that Stores like Value City wanted the Walmart location but Walmart didn't want any competition.See the Walmart that moved last year from the Mall and opened a Super Center nearby still has a 4 year lease and people believe they have left this location empty to hurt the mall(that is total speculation).Also heard that Gander Mountain is looking at the Elder Beerman spot and that even Circuit City was looking at the Gabes location.Also the West Virginia University is buying the mall and the best one was that the entire mall will be bulldozed over.So are any of these true? Who knows...
The point is that this is still a great mall and I know that there will be several new stores moving in this year for a fact!Since my store has been there this short time I can already tell that it was the right move.I'm so glad I found this website it has some great stories to tell about not just shopping centers but places for friends and families to go and spend time together!
Thank You,
Alan Owner "The Barn Yard"
Anthony’s Commentary:
User submitted Sep 2007To expand more on the above commentary, the mall was really THE place to be for a long time and even though it is so far from that honor today I still do have a special place in my heart for it (just like the previous commenter stated).
When I was younger the new addition was already added and the main anchors were JCPenny, Stone and Thomas, Ames, and Montgomery Ward. I can remember always loving to go to Ames and I think it was because I loved their toy selection. In 1991, JCPenny left the mall for the new Morgantown Mall to join Sears, K-Mart, and Elder-Beerman and this was really the first setback against the mall and the space was empty for a couple of years after.
The mall had some great little stores as well such as a very nice Hallmark and Thrift Drug and also Hot Sam Pretzels (which is now Pretzel Twist), and the previously above mentioned Mountain Snow (I LOVED THAT PLACE!!) and I Can't Believe It's Not Yogurt, etc.... The mall had a couple of booming restaurants as well: Lum's and The Pizza Inn (which is still there but hardly ever gets much service and I believe it is now called Pizza n' Pasta). The Lum's took up the whole wing leading to the newer section of the mall. It closed in the early 90s but the restaurant is still there but obviously locked up....if you look in the windows you can see everyting such as the signs still hanging to tell you were the salad bar and the bathrooms are and even the cash register and cigarette machine is still there....it is kind of creepy.
Around 1993, Ames closed suddenly and was actually demolished. Also at this time the JCPenny space was occupied (briefly) by The U.S. Factory Outlet which I vaguely remember. Then it was announced that Wal-Mart was going in the former Ames location and in order to match the Wal-Mart design the former brown brick section of the mall on that wing became pale blue, white, and red and remains it to this day despite Wal-Mart leaving in 2006.
In the late 90s, the mall really got hit hard when Montgomery Ward and Stone and Thomas were going out of business. The Wards space was taken over by Tele-Tech and remains the company's location currently while Stone and Thomas was bought out by Elder-Beerman but with another one located in the Morgantown Mall it didn't help the Mountaineer at all.
Gabriel Brothers moved into the former JCPenny and U.S. Factory Outlet space and is still there but is dying as well due to the opening of a nicer bigger store in a strip mall above the Morgantown Mall.
Then in 2005, it was announced that Wal-Mart planned to open not one but TWO Supercenters in Morgantown; including one just a couple of miles up the road. So this lead to the quick closing of the Wal-Mart and in October of 2006 it closed and the two Supercenters opened.
Now the mall is left with one major anchor (E-B) and a dying one (Gabriel Brothers) plus Goodwill and a couple of modest stores. There is still a huge painted mural near Hollywood Nails that I use to love as a child; it is a painting of Morgantown and many of its attractions and everytime I see it I get taken back to my childhood and how I remember all of the life in the mall ahead of me and now it sad to see the mostly empty space that is there now. The mall actually still gets a decent amount of people and there is hope for reinventing the mall but if you truly want to see a dead mall....take a trip down I-79 and you will come across Middletown Mall about 20 miles away (It is on this site)....now THAT is like the true definition of a near dead mall.
Matt Freier’s Commentary:
User submitted Apr 2007Morgantown may be a fast growing part of West Virginia, but its original mall sits more than half empty. Mountaineer Mall was originally built in the early 1980s, with an addition constructed in the mid 1980s. In 1991 the Morgantown Mall and nearby Morgantown Commons opened in the neighboring town of Westover, beginning a long decline for Mountaineer Mall. The 2006 opening of University Towne Center (a massive big-box complex including Target, Best Buy, Giant Eagle, a new cineplex, Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, Dick's, Goody's, Marshall's, Barnes & Noble, numerous chain restaurants, along with Super Wal-Mart and Sam's Club nearby) has further bleakened the prospects for Mountaineer Mall.
Although I didn't live in Morgantown before 1989, I believe the original anchors were Montgomery Ward, JC Penney, and Murphy Mart. Outparcels included a Giant Eagle grocery store, David Weis, and a smaller office-type building. The addition was anchored by Stone & Thomas and contained a number of smaller storefronts.
The Murphy Mart was converted to an Ames around 1989. Ames closed around 1994. Wal-Mart quickly went to work on the site, reconstructing the Ames site and a dozen mall storefronts into their first Morgantown location. I don't remember too many of stores affected by Wal-Mart, but Thrift Drug closed a large store and did not reopen elsewhere.
JC Penney opened at the new Morgantown Mall in 1991 and closed at Mountaineer around the same time. That site sat vacant for a few years, and was for a time being used by large dog obedience school classes. (Yes, Penney's brown rug was harmed in the process.) Eventually in the mid 90s, Gabriel Brothers moved from a site on the southern fringe of Morgantown near I-68 to Mountaineer Mall. Gabes expanded their distribution center into their old store. The small Cinema World (2 screens, if I remember correctly) closed around the time of the new theater opening at Morgantown Mall.
Elder Beerman bought Stone & Thomas in 1998 and curiously kept it open as an Elder Beerman despite having a larger and newer store at Morgantown Mall. The remainder of the addition has only a REX TV and Appliance, Rent-A-Center, Sally Beauty Supply, and a hair salon. Most storefronts are vacant in the addition, with a health club and Shoe Show closing in the past year.
Montgomery Ward closed in 2001. The site is now occupied by Teletech, a call center and General Glass Home Center, a local building supplier. Few stores remain in the Ward wing, with Dollar General being the only chain.
One jewelry store remains at center court near Gabriel Brothers. The only eateries are Subway, Great China Buffet, a mom & pop fast food restaurant, a similar pizza buffet, and a small soft drink/pretzel stand. Goodwill occupies the former Eckerd and Fashion Bug sites, and a second thrift shop for the local Animal Friends society has recently opened next door. Lazer Blast (arcade/laser tag) opened in the former D&K Variety Store location across from Goodwill
The former David Weis now has Dunham's Discount Sports and Georgia Carpet Outlet. The office building outparcel sits vacant.
In 2006, Mountaineer Mall was dealt two more blows. Wal-Mart abandoned their store when they opened 2 new supercenters in town, one in Granville just NW of Morgantown near I-79 and another 1 mile from the old site near I-68. Wal-Mart holds a lease on the Mountaineer Mall location through 2009 and is currently trying to sublet the site. Value City was a rumored tenant at one time last year, but anecdotal reports have suggested that Wal-Mart's asking price is steep.
Gabriel Brothers opened a new store at Morgantown Commons (in the former locations of Phar-Mor and Office Max) and all but abandoned their Mountaineer Mall location. It is still open as of April 2007, but the store itself is half-empty and is mostly deeply discounted clearance merchandise, sometimes with severe flaws. I call it the Gabes Outlet, and considering that Gabes is already an outlet, that's not being complementary.
As far as I can tell, only 2 stores remain from 1980s in their original locations: GNC and the Giant Eagle outparcel. The Social Security office moved closer to center court to make way for Wal-Mart. (Yes, having a Social Security office near center court is a sign that your mall is in trouble.)
The mall has a website (http://www.shopatmountaineer.com/). It has tried to become a community center of sorts with many local non-profits currently occupying storefronts (at no doubt reduced/tax write-off rates). The local art association and two senior citizen groups are among those. It also offers Saturday flea market tables for $5. When Wal-Mart and Gabriel Brothers were driving traffic, the market seemed somewhat viable, but now is struggling to keep vendors.
Scanned images are of two brochures, probably from 1989-1991. Please save locally if you plan to use.
http://home.comcast.net/~mfreier/mm1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~mfreier/mm2.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~mfreier/mm3.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~mfreier/mm4.jpg
It was interesting to stumble across this site. I enjoyed reading the write-ups of malls I'd visited, and decided to contribute my own. It's nice to know that others will appreciate this info that I had been keeping for no particular reason other than that it was interesting to me.
Matt Freier