The Public Opinion Soapbox

anonymous_coward · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 534

maybe if we didn't think only Satan himself could issue liquor licenses we could have some restaurants anchor that area. We already know that in Chambersburg fine dining = Craplebee's or Panera Bread (I had someone say to me, "Have you ever heard of Starbucks?") So throw a couple liquor licenses, get an outback and olive garden out there and people will come all the way from Roxbury to get some of that fine city dining and shopping.

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2413 Location: Chambersburg

anonymous_coward · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 534

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2413 Location: Chambersburg

Trey · Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Posts: 11

I don't think it's been mentioned here but I believe another reason our Mall suffers is because it's located in a dry township. Look at the success of the Valley Mall in Hagerstown. They have multiple resturants that serve alcohol in and around their Mall and now have an Olive Garden being built in front of the Mall. I think having good resturants in close proxmity to a Mall has to help business.

ZiggyStardust · Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 55 Location: Chambersburg

"The Gap" is pretty much synonymous with "The Mall." If the Gap doesn't even stay, you know it's in trouble. So what do we have? Hot Topic (blech), American Eagle (blech), some sneaker joints and a lame excuse for a bookstore (no Bukowski? Really?!)

My only suggestion is to bulldoze the place to the ground and make it a park or something. The location is bad anyway (for the most part so are malls, for that matter). If people here think $30 for jeans is expensive, there's no point in having a mall.

I agree, if liquor licenses were issued more frequently I think the area would improve in general. They should also sell liquor in grocery stores and gas stations. I'm from VA (where you can buy beer and wine in a grocery store and beer in gas stations) and guess what, theyhave the same amount of DUIs as PA!

Noel · Joined: 22 Nov 2007 Posts: 49

Your right something needs to be done with Chambersburg Mall it's going downhill fast. I recently visited there on a Friday evening (I do enjoy shopping without a bunch of unsupervised teenagers running lose) and noticed how bare the mall was on a Friday night no less, very sad. I usually do shop at the Valley Mall but will only do so in the off hours due the unsupervised kids running lose. But they have every store and a wide selection of stores to choose from, also the service I received was better when compared to Chambersburg Mall. I just wasn't impressed and didn't feel the need to shop there, and when I did purchase something the clerk (JC Penney's) acted like I was a bother to her and was about the rudest cutomer service/sales clerk I've encountered in a while (she was an older lady that just didn't seem to want to be bothered) but I guess that can happen anywhere but it just added to the overall experience. I too would like to see some new stores come to our are such as Boscov's or Barnes & Noble or Ann Taylor. I can't imagine why these types of stores wouldn't do well with all the nice housing that's near by, surely there money to be spent here.

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2413 Location: Chambersburg

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2413 Location: Chambersburg

Also, I saw Flamer's closed down; but a Japanese/Vietnamese restaurant opened nearby. I give that place about 3 weeks before they shrivel up and die. What are they thinking? Ethnic foot (other than pizza) at the Chambersburg Mall?

Also, Foot Locker is dead; I think it's now yet another dollar-type store. That makes what, three or four in the mall now?

faeryedark · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 22

Actually it's a game store (as in board games) and there was a Chinese restaurant in there before (exactly where there is one now) It was there for years and if I recall correctly the lady closed it down due to personal reasons.

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2413 Location: Chambersburg

faeryedark · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 22

Hmmm... it was when Eckerd was still there. I'd say '01-'02 something like that is when it closed.

cookieclaygirl · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 1963 Location: shippensburg

.45chel · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 2859 Location: Chambersburg

I'm going to sound like such the snob, but here goes...Until we moved to Maryland I had no idea there was such a thing as a one story mall. After visiting F.S. Key Mall in Frederick the only thing I could think was, "Thank Goodness, I've never been a mall rat!"

Hagerstown isn't horrible, I guess, but I really feel bad that that mall is the best that some people know.

Macy's, J.C.Penney, Parisian, Borders, Old Navy, Bachrach, Charlotte Russe, Nordstrom, LVL X, New York & Company, Man Alive, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Bodyworks, Gourmet Cooking supply stores, Bakers, Bella Scarpa, Hat Shack, BodyCentral, Hot Topic (I like their toys), Fusion, Journey's, MAC Cosmetics, Things Remembered, Wilsons Leather, Wet Seal, Arete', Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Artful Living, Earthbound Trading Company, Brookstone, Abercrombie & Fitch, Disney Store, Bed Bath & Beyond, Bombay Company, Pottery Barn, Armani Exchange, Nine West, Caché, GameStop, Games Workshop
and, yes, even the dreaded Gap are just a few of the stores that a mall should consist of.

For entertainment/misc, I s'pose one could start with:
Glamour Shots, The Picture People, Imax 3-D, Build-A-Bear Workshop

For counter food:
Cinnabon, Great American Cookie Co.(double doozies are one of the perfect foods), Marble Slab Creamery, The Honey Baked Ham Company, Sbarro, Great Steak & Potato Company, Great Wraps, Chick-fil-A, Bourbon St. Cafe, Atlanta Bread Company (yeah, I realize we're 600 miles away, but I can dream!!), Lindt Chocolatier

Now, drinks would be nice, but none are required for the above selections. All that is needed is shoppers willing to part with their money and a facility. We kinda sorta have a facility.
Now who needs to be hung up by their toes to make this happen?!

>>>And banning teens is just counterproductive. Besides it looks like Claire's can take care of themselves! Wink

>>>Last point. Went into Value City on Black Friday...EW, EW and EW some more! That place is nasty and has no place in any mall. One of those enclosed flea market places that sells counterfeit everything, maybe, but not in a mall. Geez, bring on the Burlington Coat Factory!! I hope they have lots of lysol!
_________________
I demand euphoria!

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2413 Location: Chambersburg

I lived in the Harrisburg area where we had Colonial Park, Harrisburg East, Capital City and Camp Hill malls all pretty close to each other, not to mention the gigantic Park City Mall in Lancaster. What has made all of those malls, plus even malls like the Valley Mall, considerably better are that they don't chase away teenagers AND they allow restaurants that actually serve alcohol around them. Most have a casual bar/grill type restaurant right in them these days.

The problem is Green Township, plain and simple. They have no interest in development at all, but that's where the mall is so it will just continue to shrivel up and die. You would think they'd be pulling in some decent tax revenue from a fully-functioning mall, too.

I say don't patronize it at all. Just drive to Hagerstown. If there was a decent mall there though, it would pull in a huge number of people; all the way from Carlisle to the MD border.