Since 1961, the Cherry Hill Mall, a retail survivor, has been a favored destination for shoppers.

When the Cherry Hill Mall opened 62 years ago, an advertisement in a local newspaper told readers of free parking for 5,000 vehicles at a shopping venue that was "fun for the whole family" and "easy to reach." 

An ad the following day noted how the mall — among the first to open east of the Mississippi River — offered its customers "every kind of merchandise."

Long after its opening day of October 11, 1961, the mall still focuses on the fun events in addition to the shopping or dining experiences.

In recent years, the mall hosted events such as cheerleading competitions, pumpkin carving contests and, as always, the jolly visitor from the North Pole.

"We cater to a diverse group of people that come and shop here, and we want to try to meet those desires and become the community hub for the area," said Lisa Wolstromer, the mall’s senior marketing director.

Nationally known chains like JCPenney, Pottery Barn and Dunkin' have replaced local and regional stores like Cherry Hill Portrait Studio, Cherrydale Farms Confections and Cherry Hill Bootery, which were among the first to occupy the mall.

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Although many stores have come and gone through the years, Strawbridge & Clothier seems to be the shopping experience that mall customers miss the most, said Wolstromer, who has worked for the mall for more than 20 years.

She said the department store’s closing in 2006 created new opportunities for the mall, including the addition of Nordstrom and the wing it occupies. She said these changes increased the mall's size from 1 million square feet to about 1.3 million square feet.

Wolstromer added that Spencers and JCPenney are among the nationally known companies that have been at the mall the longest. As for locally-owned companies, Wolstromer believes that The Bistro at Cherry Hill was one of the longest-lasting locally owned businesses in the mall.

The 25-year-old Bistro at Cherry Hill serves made-to-order foods like salads, sandwiches, pizzas, chicken wings and quesadillas. The restaurant occupies the low-level retail space on the mall's first level that once was home to Woolworth’s luncheonette.

Owner Andrew Cosenza told 70and73.com he was aware of customer sentimentality about the mall, and of the memories of the previous tenants of where his restaurant now stands.

He said he "thought that this would make a fantastic oasis in the middle of the mall."

A mall with the Cherry Hill Mall's lifespan is a rarity.

A report in Business Insider stated that amid the growth of online shopping and the impact of the pandemic's shutdowns, malls themselves are becoming rarities, down from about 2,500 across the nation in the 1980s to 700 today and quite possibly, 150 by the year 2032.   

Cosenza attributed his restaurant and the mall's longevity to mall owner Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT).

"With (PREIT), you have a partnership and they're a wonderful organization to work with," he said. "They care about the community, they care about us as tenants and they care about the customer's experience," he said. "Working with them, we're able to really refine the concept."

Marketing director Wolstromer said she felt the mall's longevity also might be tied to its mission coming full circle to when it launched.

"When the mall first opened, the owners were trying to appeal to a lot of different people and drive people here. They had retail, they had services and they had grocery shopping here," she said.

After that initial profile, the mall focused on simply offering stores that sold merchandise such as clothing, shoes, accessories and the like, she continued.

Although those types of businesses still occupy much of the mall's space, "we're going back to bringing in services again," she said.

As a publicly traded company, mall owner PREIT has struggled in recent years. Earlier this month, the company reported a net loss of $91.35 million in the six months ended June 30 on revenues of $134.71 million across all of its holdings. The loss was higher than the $43.99 million in the same period in 2022, when revenues totaled $142.56 million.

PREIT's Moorestown Mall now is undergoing a major transformation: Retail still is part of its operations, but Cooper University Health Care is building its largest ambulatory center in the space formerly occupied by Sears. Part of the mall's parking lot also will get a large apartment building as PREIT looks for better uses for its real estate.

In Cherry Hill, PREIT has emphasized its high-end retail tenants. The mall recently celebrated the addition of Eddie V's seafood restaurant, the first location in South Jersey.

Perhaps sentimentality has also played a role in the Cherry Hill Mall’s longevity.

According to Cosenza, everyone in Cherry Hill who is older than 30 years has a Cherry Hill Mall story to share.

"You hear (customers) telling their children, 'I used to come to this mall every Friday night' or 'My mom would drop me off,' " the restaurateur said, adding that an older customer recently told him of the live parrots on display in the mall's concourse.

As for Cosenza himself, he said he remembers when the mall's interior had a "tropical feel," with live trees and more greenery on the inside than it does now.

Wolstromer said she could remember eating grilled cheese sandwiches at the Woolworth's counter and her various part-time mall jobs in the 1980s to help pay her way through school.

Whatever the reason for the mall's longevity, Wolstromer said that Cherry Hill Mall will not close its doors anytime soon.

"We're always looking to (how) we can improve the mall, who can we bring in and what are ways that we can expand," she said. "There are plans, but I can't share what they are yet."

IF YOU GO: 

Cherry Hill Mall’s main entrance is at 2000 East State Route 38 in Cherry Hill. While the mall is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, the establishment’s department stores and restaurants may have different hours. The mall’s website is www.cherryhillmall.com.

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