Tim Harbaugh's Commentary

Here's another one that is in the process of dying. Again, I don't know the whole mall history but I'll begin from where I can remember. Growing up I remember the mall anchored by GeeBee's discount store, Hess' department store, The Bon-Ton and McCrory's. In the early 90's GeeBee's closed and was replaced by Value City. Hess' was soon to follow and this space was replaced by York's second Wal-Mart. In an attempt to revitalize the dying retail space and to eat up a lot of unleased units, the mall announced that a new 13 screen movie theater would be added taking up much of the wing between the Bon-Ton and Value City. Around that same time, Hecht's was added to the mall in an adjoining expansion. In the early 2000's the wing between Hecht's and Wal-Mart was vacated somewhat by choice and somewhat by force, as many stores chose to either relocate or consolidate to one location at the Galleria Mall across town. A few stores chose to relocate to other vacant spaces in the mall. As you have probably already assumed, that huge empty space was filled with Wal-Mart's expansion into yet another SuperCenter. Unfortunately, planners closed off Wal-Mart's mall entrance and thus created a dead end to the mall where stores suddenly just stop and there is a giant blank wall. Ironically the mall's managing company touts it as 'A Prime Retail Experience'. Regal Cinemas has single handedly saved the mall for now, as the primary source of foot traffic comes from moveigoers awaiting their desired showtimes. However, with this they have brought crime and a bad image to the mall in general. The median age of shoppers has also dropped due to Regal's opening in the mid-90's. Somehow, American Outfitters and Gap have both recently closed despite this fact. One can only wonder what might become of the mall once Hecht's is converted into a Macy's later this year, but Wal-Mart's expansion has begun the slow, but inevitable transformation of mall to shopping cente