Upscale Eateries Give Struggling Malls A Lift

After perusing a few boutique stores and getting her hair done at Rizzieri Salon & Spa at Moorestown Mall, Jamie McCulloh-Martin decided to go for dinner at Osteria a few doors down.

“I’ve been here more in the last 1½ years since [Osteria] opened than in all of my 22 years living in Moorestown,” said McCulloh-Martin, 50, owner of a physical therapy chain, who ate outdoors with her administrative director, Kelly Casio. “The mall is really changing, and for the better.”

In the new mall world order, you can taste Jose Garces’ tacos at Moorestown Mall, Bobby Flay’s burgers at Cherry Hill Mall, and filet mignon at Morton’s – the Steakhouse at King of Prussia Mall.

The mall and high-end restaurants have struck up a marriage that’s holding on to shoppers longer and generating a better return for powerhouse owners such as Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) and Simon Property Group.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20150524_Upscale_eateries_give_struggling_malls_a_lift.html#61pW5raHst0VyXYE.99

King Of Prussia Rail: Where Will It Go?

As SEPTA moves further down the line in planning a rail extension to King of Prussia, there are a few things we know – and many more that we don’t.

Among the decisions so far: It will be a spur off the Norristown High-Speed Rail Line. The entire five-mile route will be on an elevated concrete track. It will stop at the King of Prussia Mall, end at the Valley Forge Casino and Convention Center, and include two to four stops along the way.

But transit planners, township officials, and business groups are still studying some of the most crucial details, including which of five proposed routes would get the most ridership, how much each route would cost, and how each would affect noise, traffic, and other environmental conditions.

With planning well underway and strong potential for federal funding, SEPTA says the line could be running by 2023.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20150322_King_of_Prussia_rail__Where_will_it_go_.html#ADk7y2t3i7i1u2V0.99

First King Of Prussia Restaurant Week, dineKOP, Runs March 2 Through 8

UPPER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA – For seven straight days King of Prussia will be overflowing with enough asparagus bisque, Kona Crusted Sirloin, Chili Glazed Salmon and crème brulee to dazzle even the most jaded celebrity chef.

All those dishes and many more will be showcased by the town’s top restaurants during the inaugural King of Prussia Restaurant Week, also known as the snappily honed-down “dineKOP.”

Not surprisingly the brains and heart behind dineKOP, which runs March 2 through 8, is King of Prussia District (KOP-BID), producers of the annual Beerfest Royale.

Read more:

http://www.timesherald.com/lifestyle/20150227/first-king-of-prussia-restaurant-week-dinekop-runs-march-2-through-8

PhillyDeals: Expansion Planned At King Of Prussia Plaza And Court

King of Prussia Mall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Simon Property Group, the Indianapolis-based retail giant that owns 200-plus shopping malls nationwide, is sacrificing more than 400 parking spaces at its King of Prussia Plaza and Court to make room for at least 50 new stores and restaurants that it hopes will draw more wealthy shoppers to the region’s biggest retail complex.

At extra-large shopping centers such as King of Prussia, at least, “the mall business is good, contrary to some of the naysayers,” David Contis, president of Simon Malls and a corporate senior vice president, told me Monday.

His company bought out other investors to take control of the King of Prussia mall in 2011, in deals that valued the complex at over $1 billion.

Contis said he expected to attract luxury stores from outside the region and “the best of the Philadelphia eateries” to the new space, rather than shifting current tenants there.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20141118_PhillyDeals__Expansion_planned_at_King_Of_Prussia_Plaza_and_Court.html#4mWT6geTQWCWiwR1.99

Public Meetings Set To Air SEPTA Rail Extension Of Norristown High-Speed Line To Upper Merion

Location of Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UPPER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA – Residents in both Upper Merion and Norristown will be presented this week with four alternative routes to extend the Norristown high-speed rail line into Upper Merion in a proposed, $500 million, SEPTA rail project.

Both meetings will run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday. The Upper Merion meeting on Monday will be held at the Radisson Hotel at Valley Forge, 1160 First Ave. and the Norristown meeting on Wednesday will be held at Norristown municipal hall, 235 E. Airy St.

Byron Comati, director of strategic planning and analysis for SEPTA, will present the four alternative routes winnowed down from 16 route variations. He will be joined by project manager and engineer Elizabeth Smith, an AECOM consulting engineer and Burt Cossaboon, a vice president of McCormick Taylor.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20141114/public-meetings-set-to-air-septa-rail-extension-of-norristown-high-speed-line-to-upper-merion

SEPTA Mulls Rail Service To King Of Prussia, Valley Forge

SEPTA logo with text (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  This only makes sense. There are a tremendous number of jobs in King of Prussia/Valley Forge.  Rail service would encourage people to use mass transit who otherwise drive and don’t currently view the Norristown R6 or the High Speed Line as an option.  It could also be a precursor to extending service further west toward Pottstown.

WILL THOUSANDS OF workers finally be able to ride high-speed rail to King of Prussia and Valley Forge instead of a bus that relies on the Jekyll/Hyde, highway to heaven/hell, Russian-roulette insanity of I-76 traffic?

SEPTA will reveal plans for long-awaited rail service to King of Prussia Mall and Valley Forge at a four-hour public meeting tomorrow.

Several alternative extensions of the Norristown High Speed Line to King of Prussia and Valley Forge will be presented.  Public comment is invited.

This “scoping meeting” at the Radisson Hotel Valley Forge – open house at 4 p.m.; presentation at 6 p.m. – is an early stage of the federal process for new-start rail service.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/20130715_SEPTA_mulls_rail_service_to_King_of_Prussia__Valley_Forge.html#ZJcEo1i9KeQpPV41.99

Burger King To Unveil A New Restaurant In King Of Prussia This Fall

Location of Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UPPER MERION — The king is getting some new digs, and it’s going to be a whopper of a castle.

Just two months shy of its 50th anniversary, the Burger King on DeKalb Pike in King of Prussia was demolished Wednesday to make way for a stone and stucco beauty featuring a drive-through and a Wired Your Way Café — amenities fitting the king’s royally updated new image.

Debuting on Aug. 13, 1963 as store number 113 under the future fast food empire’s brief ownership of partners James McLamore and David Edgerton, the intriguing fresh concept in fast casual dining that specialized in Whopper and Whaler (fish) sandwiches, French fries and milk shakes kicked off in King of Prussia the same year as The Plaza, another icon that’s gone through a radical transformation over the years.

The 568 W. DeKalb Pike store was the first Home of the Whopper — an enduring trademark that will figure prominently into the signage of the new design — to stake its claim in the area, ahead of Trooper (store number 179) and Blue Bell (363).

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130605/FINANCE01/130609835/burger-king-to-unveil-a-new-restaurant-in-king-of-prussia-this-fall#full_story

Doc Popcorn Becomes Hit At King Of Prussia Mall

King of Prussia Mall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UPPER MERION – When you’ve got a bad case of the mall munchies, Doc Popcorn is there to prescribe an all-natural, relatively guilt-free remedy.

The good doctor will see you at the sunny kiosk on the lower level of The Plaza at King of Prussia, near JC Penney, away from the food court.

Food court fare is probably not what you’re hungry for anyway if you’ve followed your nose to the source of the unmistakable aroma of this freshly popped lighter bite.

Crowds have been lining up to bag a Doc Popcorn gourmet treat since husband and wife team Melanie Kittrell and Fred Smith created a niche for themselves by providing shoppers with a snack the couple can believe it, noted Melanie.

Read more:  http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-times-herald/story/doc-popcorn-becomes-hit-king-prussia-mall/1

King Of Prussia Mall Announces New Retailers

King of Prussia Mall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

KING OF PRUSSIA — Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE:SPG), the world’s leading retail real estate company, announced the addition of six new merchants, along with three retailer expansions, to King of Prussia Mall.

The center continues to add stores to its more than 400 retail and dining options.

Tommy Bahama opened its first stand-alone store in Pennsylvania in July.

Athleta is set open by the end of the summer.  Designed and tested by women athletes, Athleta offers women’s swimwear and athletic clothing for yoga, running, golf and tennis. Both stores will be located on the upper level of the Plaza.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120831/FINANCE01/120839902/king-of-prussia-mall-announces-new-retailers?nstrack=sid:48949|met:300|cat:0|order:4#full_story

King Of Prussia Mall Opening Late Today

King of Prussia Mall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

King of Prussia Mall will open late today, Tuesday October 30th, due to weather.  The mall will open at 1PM, though some stores may remain closed.  Please check with your favorite store to find out about their opening hours today.

King Of Prussia Mall Closed

King of Prussia Mall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Due to weather emergencies concerning Hurricane Sandy, King of Prussia will be closed on Monday, October 29th.  Please check back as the storm progresses for updates regarding opening hours on Tuesday, October 30th.

King Of Prussia Mall Announces New Retailers

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA – Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE:SPG), the world’s leading retail real estate company, announced the addition of six new merchants, along with three retailer expansions, to King of Prussia Mall.

The center continues to add stores to its more than 400 retail and dining options.

Tommy Bahama opened its first stand-alone store in Pennsylvania in July.

Athleta is set open by the end of the summer. Designed and tested by women athletes, Athleta offers women’s swimwear and athletic clothing for yoga, running, golf and tennis. Both stores will be located on the upper level of the Plaza.

Read more: http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-mercury/story/king-prussia-mall-announces-new-retailers/1

King Of Prussia Mall Announces Yet Another Expansion Project!

Just a few days after demolition of the former John Wanamaker store at the Plaza began and the announcement about the construction of a new two-story addition to take its place; the King of Prussia Mall has announced an even larger project that will finally connect both malls.  40 more stores will be added when the malls are finally joined.  The Wanamaker project is adding 10 more stores.

The Plaza with its 1.7 million square-feet will be combined with the Court’s 900,000+ square-feet.  With the additions (200,000+ square-feet) there will be nearly 3 million square-feet of space.   The King of Prussia Mall is the largest mall in the United States in terms of leasable retail space.

The latest project is subject to approval by local government.  I would be beyond shocked if that didn’t happen!

King Of Prussia Mall Adding 122,000 Square-Foot Building On Former Wanamaker’s Site

The old Wanamaker’s store at King of Prussia Mall will meet with a wrecking ball to make way for a new 122,000 square-foot building that will house 10 new stores.  The former Wanamaker’s store has been empty for some time now.

King of Prussia Mall is having a great year and the mall is looking to add more prime space to attract additional retailers.  The new construction will continue through the fall of 2012.

This is the first major redevelopment project at the mall since 2001 when the Pavilion was created at the Court in the former Strawbridge and Clothier store.

J. C. Penney Store At King Of Prussia Mall Splurges On Remodel

Image via Wikipedia

J.C. Penney is the last original anchor store at the King of Prussia Plaza.  The plaza opened in 1963 with Penney’s, Wanamaker’s and Korvette’s as anchor stores.  To celebrate nearly 50 years at the Plaza, the store splurged on a makeover!

To read all about it, click here: http://www.timesherald.com/articles/2011/09/13/business/doc4e6fe79c39906162083352.txt

King Of Prussia Mall Open Today

King of Prussia Mall has re-opened and resumed its regular business hours (the mall will open at 11 a.m.) We thank our shoppers, retailers and mall employees for their cooperation throughout the situation involving Hurricane Irene.

King Of Prussia Mall Closing At 5pm Today!

King of Prussia Mall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Due to the anticipated impact of Hurricane Irene, King of Prussia Mall will be closing at 5 p.m. as a precautionary measure to help ensure the safety of shoppers, retailers and mall employees. The mall expects to re-open tomorrow at 11 a.m. for regular business hours. Should that change, more information will be posted as soon as it becomes available.