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Mar 13, 2023

As 2 retailers near closing, rock

WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - As two tenants prepare to leave, another is under

WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - As two tenants prepare to leave, another is under development and others are looking to set up shop at the Whitehall Mall in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County.

Vacating the shopping center are Bed Bath & Beyond, a home goods retailer offering bedding, bathroom items, home décor, furniture, beauty products and more; and buybuy Baby, a retailer of baby merchandise including strollers, car seats, nursery furniture, crib bedding, diaper bags and more.

Both retailers are holding store closing sales with items discounted 20% to 50% storewide.

After 52 years in business, Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April.

The company's 360 namesake stores and 120 buybuy Baby locations remain open for the time being as it winds down operations and works to liquidate assets.

Official closing dates have not yet been announced for the Whitehall Township locations, but the company expects to close all of its stores by June 30.

May 8 was the last day to redeem loyalty points, gift cards, gift certificates, merchandise credit and Welcome Rewards+.

Bed Bath & Beyond coupons are also no longer being accepted, but a few other retailers - including Big Lots, Boscov's and The Container Store - have announced that they are accepting them.

Set to join the Whitehall Mall's retail roster is The Gravity Vault Indoor Rock Gyms, a business aiming to provide a fun, welcoming environment where beginners and experienced climbers can learn, train and enjoy climbing together.

The Whitehall facility, totaling more than 58,000 square feet, will occupy the space previously occupied by PA Fitness gym, which closed in January 2022, according to a conceptual re-development site plan.

Prior to PA Fitness, Gold's Gym operated in the space for about 16 years, and before that, it was home to the mall's former Plaza Theatre and Leh's Department store.

A team of tenant reps from Bennett Williams Commercial Real Estate was recognized as a CoStar Power Broker Quarterly Deals winner for The Gravity Vault's lease at Whitehall Mall in the first quarter of 2023.

Further details on the Whitehall facility, including a target opening date, are unclear. A Gravity Vault spokesperson could not comment on the project at this time.

The Gravity Vault, with 18 locations open or coming soon in five states, offers memberships, day passes, private climbing sessions and group classes for individuals of all ages and experience levels, according to the business' website.

Facilities feature climbing walls measuring more than 40 feet high, 45-60 top rope stations, extensive bouldering and dynamic lead climbing, cardiovascular and strength training areas, lounges and pro shops and private party rooms.

Wall features include arches, key holes, chimneys, cracks, overhangs and more.

The Whitehall Mall's conceptual redevelopment site plan also shows that there are leases or letters of intent being negotiated for at least five spaces, including a roughly 82,000-square-foot space at the former Sears location, where a home improvement store is being proposed.

An available pad with a drive-thru, featuring two adjacent retail and restaurant spaces, is being proposed at the site of the former Old Country Buffet, the plan shows.

Additionally, 88 K-Pot, a restaurant offering all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue and hot pot, is looking to open a second Lehigh Valley location at the Whitehall Mall, according to manager Eddie Zhang.

The restaurant opened its first area location in April in the Bethlehem Square on Nazareth Pike in Bethlehem Township.

Proposed construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023, the plan shows.

Washington Prime Group, the real estate investment trust that owns Whitehall Mall, is unable to communicate more specifics on the proposed changes at this time.

"A redevelopment plan is underway to bring new retailers and experiences to our guests," a spokesperson said in a written statement. "Whitehall Mall remains committed to providing a dynamic mix of options for the community. We will share more details as we are able."

In a Lehigh Valley Press article published in February, it was reported that Jordin Horan, of Washington Prime Group, was present at the Feb. 6 Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners meeting to elaborate on the Whitehall Mall redevelopment plan.

Horan noted that Washington Prime Group plans to demolish the Sears Auto Center structure and rebuild on the site, the article states.

"Parts of the Sears and Old Country Buffet structures will also be demolished to align the buildings with other storefronts in the lot, reduce square footage and increase visibility from the road," the article continues.

Other topics addressed at the meeting included the planned rock-climbing gym, leases being finalized with multiple tenants and other improvements such as enhancing landscaping, updating paint and increasing connectivity via sidewalks, according to the article.

A convenience store and coffee shop have also been proposed in the mall's parking lot, the article states.

The Whitehall Mall opened along Whitehall's Grape Street in 1966 with more than 50 stores, including then-popular retailers Woolworth and Zollinger's department store.

Vacancies have increased over the past few years, with 2020 hitting the mall especially hard with the departures of Sears, Old Country Buffet and plus-size retailer Catherines.

Additionally, arts and crafts chain Michaels moved its Whitehall Mall store across Grape Street to the former Babies R Us space at Lehigh Valley Mall in 2020, and PA Fitness - a bi-level fitness facility - closed in early 2022.

About a dozen tenants remain, including Five Below, Lane Bryant, Comic Masters, Bellisima Nails, The Pet Shop, Bella Bridal, Shoe Carnival, Men's Warehouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, Mission BBQ and anchor tenants Kohl's and Raymour & Flanigan.

Washington Prime Group, which owns more than 85 malls across the U.S., cited challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June 2021. It emerged from the Chapter 11 process following financial restructuring a few months later.

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