Walk through the sprawling, empty asphalt off North 5th Street Highway today and it is hard to imagine the noise. The chaos. The smell of Auntie Anne’s pretzels mixing with the scent of new leather at the Wilson’s outlet. For decades, Fairgrounds Square Mall PA was the undisputed heart of Muhlenberg Township. It wasn’t just a place to buy jeans; it was the community’s living room. If you grew up in Berks County, you likely had a first date there, or at least spent way too many Friday nights circling the fountain near Boscov’s.
But now? It’s basically a memory and a construction site.
The rise and fall of this specific mall isn't just a story about Amazon or online shopping. That's a lazy explanation. Honestly, it's more about a perfect storm of shifting local demographics, weirdly timed real estate acquisitions, and the sheer weight of having too much retail space in a county that was already reaching a breaking point. When the doors finally locked for good in 2020, it felt like the end of an era, but the writing had been on the cinderblock walls for over a decade.
The Glory Days of Fairgrounds Square Mall PA
Opened in 1980 by the Kravco Company, the mall hit the ground running. It was built on the site of the old Reading Fairgrounds—hence the name—and for a long time, it felt like it honored that legacy of being a massive gathering spot. In its prime, the mall boasted over 700,000 square feet of retail. You had the heavy hitters: JCPenney, Boscov’s, and Sears.
Boscov’s, in particular, was the anchor that kept the ship steady. Since the company is headquartered right there in Reading, the Fairgrounds location was a flagship of sorts. People didn't just shop there; they stayed all day. You'd grab a meal at the cafeteria, look at the appliances, and maybe hit the arcade.
The mall's design was classic 80s—lots of earth tones, skylights that let in just enough Pennsylvania gray, and those tiled floors that had a very specific "click" when you walked on them in dress shoes. It felt permanent. It felt like it would always be there. But retail is never permanent.
The Slow Creep of the "Mall Death"
It started with the "dead mall" vibes in the mid-2010s. You know the feeling. You walk into a wing of the building and suddenly notice three storefronts in a row are covered in plywood or those generic "Coming Soon" stickers that never actually result in a new store.
By 2018, the situation at Fairgrounds Square Mall PA was getting dire. JCPenney bailed in 2017. When an anchor store leaves, it’s like a hole in the hull of a ship. The smaller "mom and pop" shops or the niche kiosks—the ones selling cell phone cases or airbrushed t-shirts—can't survive without the foot traffic the big guys bring in.
Hull Property Group bought the place in 2016. They have a reputation for trying to stabilize struggling malls, but even their expertise couldn't fight the gravity of the situation. They eventually realized that the traditional "enclosed mall" model just wasn't going to work for this specific patch of dirt anymore.
What Actually Killed the Mall?
Everyone blames the internet. Sure, that's part of it. But if you look at the data for Berks County, the competition was fierce. The Berkshire Mall in Wyomissing was always the "fancier" cousin. It had the better location near the 222/422 split. Fairgrounds was tucked away. It was a destination you had to intend to go to, rather than somewhere you just ended up.
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Then there was the condition of the building. Maintaining 70 stores, massive HVAC systems, and a roof that size is expensive. When occupancy drops below a certain percentage, the math just stops working. You’re heating a 700,000-square-foot radiator for maybe 200 shoppers.
- 2018: The mall was mostly empty, save for Boscov's and a few resilient tenants.
- 2019: Plans for demolition began to circulate in earnest.
- 2020: The final nail. The pandemic accelerated the death of many "zombie malls," and Fairgrounds was no exception.
The funny thing is, the Boscov’s didn't die. It’s still there. Albert Boscov always knew his audience. While the rest of the mall crumbled around it, that store remained a fortress of Berks County commerce. They actually bought their own building and a chunk of the land to ensure they wouldn't go down with the ship.
The Transition to "Fairgrounds Square"
We have to talk about what's happening now because "Fairgrounds Square Mall PA" as a name is technically being recycled into something totally different. The era of the enclosed mall is dead, replaced by the "mixed-use" development.
The demolition wasn't just about tearing things down; it was about clearing the path for a massive $60 million redevelopment project. The goal is to turn the site into a mix of apartments and "pad sites" (those standalone buildings you see for Starbucks or Chick-fil-A).
It's a smart move, honestly. Muhlenberg needs housing. It doesn't need 50 more places to buy cheap candles. By putting hundreds of apartments on the site, you create a built-in customer base for the remaining retail. It's the "live-work-play" model that every suburban developer is obsessed with right now.
What Happened to the Old Tenants?
Most of them scattered. Some moved to the Berkshire Mall. Others just disappeared. There was a period where the mall was used for weird stuff—indoor flea markets, community events, and even a temporary spot for some local services. It was a ghost of its former self.
I remember walking through there right before the end. It was eerily quiet. The fountain had been turned off for years. The echoes were the loudest part of the experience. It’s a strange feeling to see a place that once held thousands of people reduced to a hollow shell.
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Why We Still Care About These Malls
There's a deep nostalgia for the Fairgrounds Square Mall. It represents a time when "going out" meant going to the mall. It was the original social media. If you wanted to see who was dating whom or what the new fashion was, you went to the food court.
Losing that physical space leaves a vacuum in the community. Where do the teenagers go now? Mostly digital spaces. But you can't get a hot pretzel or sit on a suspiciously firm bench in a digital space.
The redevelopment is progress, but it's okay to admit it feels a bit clinical. Luxury apartments and a drive-thru coffee shop don't have the same soul as a massive, slightly tacky 1980s mall with neon signs and a movie theater.
Actionable Insights for Navigating the New Site
If you're heading back to the area or considering moving into the new developments, keep a few things in mind:
- Boscov's is Still King: Don't confuse the mall closure with the store closure. The Boscov's is fully operational and remains one of the strongest retail anchors in the region. Check their local hours before you go, as they occasionally adjust based on the ongoing construction nearby.
- Traffic Patterns Have Changed: With the demolition of the main mall structure and the addition of new pad sites, the entry and exit points on North 5th Street Highway are being reconfigured. Be careful with GPS—older maps still try to route you to entrances that are now blocked by construction fencing.
- Support the "Outparcels": Many of the businesses that were technically "at" the mall but in separate buildings (like the banks or restaurants on the perimeter) are still there. They’ve survived the transition and need the local support more than ever during the construction phase.
- Check Muhlenberg Township Records: If you're a business owner or looking for housing, keep an eye on the township's zoning meetings. The Fairgrounds site is being developed in phases. What you see today is only about 30% of the final vision.
- Document the History: If you have old photos of the mall's interior—especially from the 80s or 90s—consider sharing them with the Berks History Center. As these physical spaces vanish, the digital archive becomes the only way to preserve the local culture of that era.
The Fairgrounds Square Mall PA isn't coming back in the way we remember it. The era of the giant indoor shopping center is largely over for middle America. But the land itself is being reborn. It’s a cycle. From fairgrounds to mall, and now from mall to a modern residential hub. It’s just how the suburbs breathe.