the mall at steamtown

First if your visiting Scranton, make sure you stop by city hall and offer thanks for the high tax rate on gross sales that makes doing business in Scranton not business friendly (notice that many of the retailers are doing business outside of the city limits?). Next, take it off life support and let it die a respectable death. Since one of the County Commissioners who used to be the minority commissioner but decided to do a Benedict Arnold had the bright idea that Lackawanna County needs to have a county fair but doesn't know where it should be held, here's your location. Be a first and have an indoor county fair and offer it year 'round in what will be the former Mall at Steamtown.

I remember coming here as a child and the mall was booming (It was also on The Office). I visited for the first time in probably 10 years or so and it was just dismal. The food court had two open places, many stores were closed, and many there were a lot of spaces available. We visited on a monday evening and it was just sad. The one positive- the trains remain. See the trains, skip the mall (or support the mall in hopes that malls will make a comeback, don't bank on it though).

Went on a Sunday, not much going on, a lot of stores shut down. Food court had 2 stores only. Sad to see the malls are dying

The mall is nice, great view of steamtown from the food court. Many stores, and food stores closed. Such a shame as it's a beautiful facility in a nice part of downtown Scranton. There are still other stores in the mall, and encourage you to visit those.

Seemed very empty when we visited. It was very dreary and depressing inside. We will be looking for other places to shop in the Scranton area. Too bad!

What has happened to The Mall at Steamtown is so sad. There are only four real stores of substance open. There are so many empty store fronts that there is truly nothing to draw people in. There isn't anyplace to park a husband while you shop. For a relatively new project, this has to be disappointing for downtown Scranton.

Well what can I say about this "mall" that hasn't already been expressed. I have been visiting this mall from NY for the last 5 years. I stumbled upon this mall originally five years ago because I wanted to see the welcome to Scranton sign from the TV show "The Office". The mall was never exceptional but at least in the past the store fronts were filled, there were a few restaurants in the food court, and a Cinnabon/Carvel in the center of this two floor downtown structure. Each time I would visit the mall I noticed that another storefront would go vacant or a major store was replaced with a mom and pop store (candles/crystals), this is the kiss of death to a mall as this translates to a mall not being able to get tenants. I would often still visit for the fun of being someplace different and the fact that there was always a cheery vibe in the mall. The open floor plan and the bright lights and skylights made this mall very pleasing to the eye. Unfortunately "The Office" finished its run and the store dedicated to selling its souvenirs packed up. the mall does occasionally get a few minor celebrities in to sign autographs (this past weekend Lenny Dykstra was there) but now the mall is like watching a fish that jumped out of its bowl gasp for air (you know death is coming, its just a matter of time). I was there today (8/24/14) and was truly saddened by what I saw. The mall has got to be at only 20% occupancy as many of the stores sit vacant. The food court has a Subway, Nathans, and pizza place. The arcade has a few outdated games, and I'm sad to say that Cinnabon/Carvel is gone. The only anchor store left is Boscovs, Bon-Ton is gone, The Express is gone, even the candle/crystal store is gone. It is actually easier to post which stores are still there rather than which stores are gone. I never felt that there was a dangerous atmosphere or safety concerns like some other posters wrote, just more of a sad feeling. This mall really needs to turn it around for it to survive but I give it another year before its turned into Government offices.

This mall is not that old yet, it was built in I believe 1997 or maybe 1998. So here we are, not even 20 years later, and the place is going so down hill, it's embarassing! Let's examine :The building itself is beautiful. It's is excellent shape, it's decorated nicely, and even decorates for the major holidays. It's 2 floors (technically 3 if you count the garage basement), it's attractive, it has plenty of free parking, it's convienelty downtown and easy to get to via bus, walking, or car. Why, then, is this place losing so much business?I have talked to several store managers of stores that were going out of business here. They have ALL said the same thing : the mall management sucks and is constantly fighting with the store owners over various things. So, in turn, once the stores lease is up they don't want to renew their spot and so the store becomes vacant. When this happens repeatedly, the next thing you know there are 15 empty stores at the same time.But there are other reasons why this mall is deteriorating. The crowd it draws is mostly 17 year old's and younger because this is the only place that is walking distance for them and a public place they can hang out for hours at a time. That being said, do you think these kids have actual money to spend at these stores? No. Instead, they actually harass other customers for money! I can't even tell you how many times I've been to this mall and have had a teenager beg me for a dollar! This type of stuff makes adults not want to come back! Anyone who has real money or who can drive goes to the Viewmont mall. It has almost all of the same stores, anyway, plus more because Viewmont doesn't have any vacancies!But what was the final icing on the cake for this mall is the fact that Montage mountain opened up their large strip mall. A lot of the stores at Steamtown bailed on their leases and ran up to Montage.I feel bad for this mall, I really do, because its not a bad place. They just need to figure out how to get it back to the way it was! Oh, and I must give the manager credit for one thing though. I'm not sure if it is still the same guy, but about 10 years ago I had lost my parrot. He ended up flying to the Steamtown mall and landed on a customer outside on the bridge. The guy brought him to the manager and asked if he could take him home and keep him, the manager said no. He wanted to find an owner first. Thank God he had a heart. I got my baby back, he's now 18 years old, but if it wasn't for this manager, he would have ended up in Conneticut with the customer who found him.

This is the best mall in the area. Lots of bargain stores, lots of fashion stores, game room, food places and much more. I highly recommend shopping at the steam town mall.

This Mall is heading downhill and is dying. People just like the open strip mall concept of easy parking and get in the store and back. Such a shame because I like downtown Scranton except for the parking and the fines! The last fine I received for parking, I will not visit downtown unless I have to.

There's no big store, just unknow stores in this place. I really think this place is going down, that's sad cause it's right in downtown Scranton.

Steam town = Ghost town. Victim of a declining city and a declining middle class.Al Boscov, get out while you still can!

Sadly, this mall feels empty.It is like a ghosttown mall, you dont feel really safe inside.Not a bad one, but so much closed or empty stores.Food court is a mess. Normally, it makes me hungry, not this time.I was really disappointed by downtown mall in such a nice city.

We visit this mall at least once a year when we're in Scranton. It's not a bad mall. It does have potential. It's a little outdated, but so are a lot of other malls. We were just there in November. It was decorated nice for Christmas. There weren't too many people walking around. The Santa Claus looked bored out of his mind. The food court is practically non-existent compared to few years ago. The Bon-ton is moving out of there at the beginning of the year.. The 60% off sale on the merchandise brought the prices right above where they should be. For that matter I think this whole mall is overpriced compared to the same stores in other places. We didn't see it this time, but there used to be some scary people hanging around outside. We were in the Starbucks last year and some homeless guy kept coming in and out. He was having a fight with himself. That's creepy. The train museum is right next door. That's a nice place.

The Mall at Steamtown is fading away. The Bon-Ton will be closing after the holidays leaving Boscov as the only anchor. The food court has an overpriced italian stand, Subway (which does not accept coupons), a Arthur Treachers/Nathans/Kenny Rogers combo (also pricey) and a affordable southern style food stand. Outsides the food court are better food deals such as Auntie Annes pretzels, Starbucks, Bavarian pretzel/hot dogs and Cinnabon/Carvel.The mall has many empty storefronts and more than usual non-traditional tenants (miniature train layout, mini-library, cable company and tax office). Unless you have a specific store in mind, your shopping time can be better spent elsewhere.