Tri-State Mall

Tri-State Mall was a shopping mall in Claymont, Delaware, situated on Delaware Route 92, locally known as Naamans Road, less than a mile from the Pennsylvania border and close to Interstate 95. The location was selected because its highway access offered the potential to draw shoppers not only from northern Delaware but also from neighboring Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The mall ultimately became a prominent value-oriented retail center, although it later declined and was fully closed and demolished. The project was first proposed in 1964 by Wilmington Dry Goods Co., a local department-store operator. A.A.R. Realty developed the property and remained associated with its ownership throughout most of the mall's operating life. Construction began in March 1968, with estimated costs of approximately $10 million. The initial tenant plan combined an enclosed mall with a connected lower-level strip-shopping area. Wilmington Dry Goods and W.T. Grant were selected as the principal enclosed-mall anchors, while Pantry Pride anchored the strip center and Levitz Furniture occupied a separate building. Silo also opened in the early retail development. The strip portion began opening in 1969, followed by the Wilmington Dry Goods store on November 5 of that year. Pantry Pride opened in March 1970, and W.T. Grant opened in May. The enclosed mall officially opened on August 19, 1970. Designed as a single-level, cross-shaped enclosed center, it included specialty stores, restaurants, service businesses, department stores, and a movie theater. The theater opened in November 1970 as Delaware's first multiplex, initially operating as the Eric I and Eric II and eventually expanding to five screens. During its strongest period, Tri-State Mall served primarily local and blue-collar customers and competed through discount and value-oriented retailing. Its position near the state line also benefited from Delaware's lack of a general sales tax. The center experienced several major tenant changes: Kmart replaced W.T. Grant after Grant's 1976 bankruptcy, and Value City replaced Wilmington Dry Goods after that retailer entered bankruptcy proceedings. Burlington Coat Factory later took over the Value City space in 2008. Delaware's adoption of Powerball in 1991 temporarily created additional traffic because residents of nearby states traveled to the mall for tickets before neighboring lotteries joined the game. The mall's later years were marked by anchor losses, competition from newer retail formats, a negative safety reputation, and broader pressure on traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Levitz closed in 2006, Value City closed in 2008, and Kmart closed in December 2014. The enclosed mall shut in 2015, although portions of the lower-level strip center continued operating. Burlington, the final major anchor, closed in 2017 and relocated to North Wilmington. By the early 2020s, most remaining retailers had departed. KPR Centers purchased the 41-acre property for $12.5 million in 2021. Demolition proceeded in phases, with the mall buildings and surrounding structures removed between 2021 and 2024. Tri-State Liquors, a tenant since 1984, relocated to a new freestanding building on the site in January 2024. Plans for the remaining land called for a large logistics warehouse, reflecting the property's continuing value as an interstate-accessible redevelopment site.

Tri-State Mall originated in a 1964 proposal by Wilmington Dry Goods Co., which identified the Claymont site as strategically useful because of its proximity to the planned Interstate 95 interchange and the Pennsylvania border. The development was undertaken by A.A.R. Realty. By 1967, the planned anchor lineup included Wilmington Dry Goods and W.T. Grant in the enclosed mall, Pantry Pride in a connected strip center, and Levitz Furniture in a separate building. Construction began in March 1968 at an estimated cost of $10 million. Retail operations began before the enclosed center was finished. Levitz and Silo were operating by the fall of 1969, and Wilmington Dry Goods opened on November 5. Pantry Pride followed on March 10, 1970, while W.T. Grant opened on May 14 with its Bradford Room restaurant. The enclosed mall opened on August 19, 1970. Its one-level cross-shaped layout included central seating and landscaped areas, department-store anchors, specialty shops, and a northern movie-theater section. The Eric I and Eric II theaters opened in November and December 1970, respectively; the complex later grew to five screens. For several decades the mall functioned as a regional value center. It attracted Claymont and northern Delaware residents as well as shoppers from nearby Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Its tax-free Delaware location supported cross-border shopping, especially for discount merchandise. The center's tenant history reflected the volatility of American department-store retail. W.T. Grant closed after its 1976 bankruptcy and was replaced by Kmart. Wilmington Dry Goods entered bankruptcy protection in 1988; after a court-ordered auction, Schottenstein Stores acquired several locations and converted the Claymont store to Value City in 1989. The property received modest cosmetic renovations in the mid-1990s, including a new paint scheme and updated signage. The center also developed a troubled public image. A mall employee was raped and murdered while leaving the building in 1981, and a man was killed at the mall during a drug-related incident roughly a decade later. These incidents contributed to an unsafe reputation that later complicated the mall's competition with newer retail properties. The cinema was renamed Cinemagic 5 in 1994, eventually becoming a second-run discount theater before closing around 1999. It was briefly reused as a live comedy club beginning in 2005. Anchor departures accelerated after 2000. Levitz closed in 2006, Value City closed in February 2008 amid its parent company's financial problems, and Burlington Coat Factory occupied the former Value City location later that year. The closure of the Evraz Claymont steel mill in 2013 further weakened the surrounding customer base. Kmart shut down in December 2014, and the enclosed mall closed in 2015. Community workshops in 2016 considered possible redevelopment approaches. Burlington, the last major anchor, left in 2017. From 2019, New Hudson Facades used the abandoned enclosed mall and upper parking area for storage, while a smaller strip center remained open with businesses including Dollar General and Save-A-Lot. KPR Centers acquired the full property in 2021 for $12.5 million. Demolition occurred in stages from 2021 through 2024. By 2023, virtually all retail operations had ceased except Tri-State Liquors, which had occupied the site since 1984. Under a long-term lease arrangement, the owners built the liquor store a new freestanding facility on the former Levitz site; it opened on January 11, 2024. The redevelopment concept for the remaining property called for a 525,000-square-foot logistics warehouse, using the site's access to Interstate 95 for fulfillment or distribution purposes.

• 2024

  Tri-State Liquors moves

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The longtime tenant opened a new stand-alone store on the redeveloped site.

• 2021

  Property sold to KPR Centers

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  KPR Centers acquired the 41-acre property for $12.5 million.

• 2015

  Enclosed mall closes

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed shopping center ceased operations.

• 2008

  Burlington becomes an anchor

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Burlington Coat Factory replaced Value City in the former department-store space.

• 1989

  Value City conversion

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former Wilmington Dry Goods store reopened as Value City after a bankruptcy-related sale.

• 1976

  Kmart replaces W.T. Grant

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Kmart opened in the former Grant's anchor space after W.T. Grant's bankruptcy.

• 1970

  Enclosed mall opens

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed shopping mall officially opened on August 19.

• 1970

  First multiplex opens

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Eric I and Eric II cinemas opened, creating Delaware's first multiplex theater operation.

• 1969

  First tenants open

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Levitz Furniture and Silo began operating in the developing strip-center portion.

• 1968

  Construction begins

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Construction started in March on a project estimated to cost $10 million.

• 1964

  Mall proposed

  [1]Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Wilmington Dry Goods Co. proposed a shopping mall at the Claymont site near the future Interstate 95 interchange.

A highway-accessible, value-oriented regional shopping center serving northern Delaware and nearby communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

• Retail property · 1970

  Enclosed shopping mall

  The principal facility was a single-level enclosed mall arranged in a cross-shaped plan. It accommodated department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, and service businesses, and was marketed as a climate-controlled shopping environment.

• Retail property · 1969

  Lower-level strip center

  A connected strip-shopping section occupied a lower level of the property and included grocery, discount, service, and specialty retail tenants. It remained active after the enclosed mall closed but eventually lost nearly all stores.

• Entertainment · 1970

  Eric I and Eric II cinemas

  The original movie theaters opened in late 1970 with large-format projection and auditorium seating. The cinema operation later expanded to five screens, was renamed Cinemagic 5, and eventually became a second-run theater before closing around 1999.

• Specialty retail · 1984

  Tri-State Liquors

  Tri-State Liquors was a longtime tenant dating from 1984 and the final operating retail business associated with the mall site. It moved into a new stand-alone building on the former property in January 2024.

• 2021

  Acquire the property for redevelopmentM&A

  Background

  The obsolete mall complex occupied a strategically located 41-acre site near Interstate 95.

  Action taken

  KPR Centers bought the property for $12.5 million and pursued a redevelopment plan.

  Aftermath

  The former mall buildings were demolished in phases, with a logistics warehouse proposed for the remaining land.

  Property purchase price. $12.5 million (2021)

  Source

• 2015

  Close the enclosed mallOther

  Background

  The property faced declining traffic, anchor losses, competition from newer retail formats, and a deteriorating public reputation.

  Action taken

  The enclosed portion closed while the lower-level strip center continued temporarily with a reduced tenant base.

  Aftermath

  Burlington remained until 2017, and some smaller stores operated into the early 2020s.

  Source

• 2008

  Replace Value City with BurlingtonStrategy

  Background

  Value City's parent company faced impending bankruptcy and agreed to transfer numerous locations to Burlington Coat Factory.

  Action taken

  Burlington opened in the former Value City space in the fall of 2008.

  Aftermath

  Burlington became the mall's final major anchor but closed after the enclosed mall had already ceased operations.

  Source

• 1989

  Convert Wilmington Dry Goods to Value CityStrategy

  Background

  Wilmington Dry Goods entered bankruptcy protection, and its stores were offered through a court-ordered auction.

  Action taken

  Schottenstein Stores acquired several locations and reopened the Tri-State Mall store as Value City in October 1989.

  Aftermath

  The conversion preserved a department-store anchor, although Value City later closed in 2008.

  Source

1. 1Tri-State Mallen.wikipedia.org