Community saying goodbye to the mall with farewell event May 4

Apr. 18—HERMITAGE — A group of local business owners invites the community to come out and celebrate the Shenango Valley Mall one last time, before the mall is demolished later this year.

Farewell to the Mall, billed as the "End of an Era, Beginning of the Future," will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. May 4 at the mall in Hermitage.

Vendor spaces are available, and visitors are encouraged to "join us for the last day of shopping at the Shenango Valley Mall," according to the event flyer.

Spearheading this event is the Hermitage Small Business Group, a collection of small business owners working to support each other and the community, said Summer Wise, group organizer and owner of Trendy, a women's boutique shop in Hermitage.

"I think this is going to be a very, very positive thing for the community," Wise said of the event.

Butterfli Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Cleveland-based developer FLICORE LLC that is the mall's current owner, plans to demolish the commercially failing, 58-year-old mall later this year and redevelop the property.

That redevelopment will be a major part of a planned Hermitage town center project, which city officials envision as a mixed-use area that could include retailers, commercials businesses and housing.

Wise said the idea for a Farewell to the Mall-event was first suggested a few months ago during a Small Business Group meeting.

Although a date in June was initially considered, event organizers and FLICORE officials eventually settled on May 4 — the last day of business for the Shenango Valley Mall's tenants, after which the building will close and preparations for demolition will begin, Wise said.

JCPenney, the last of the three anchor department stores in the mall, is in the final weeks of a going-out-of-business liquidation sale. Sears and Macy's closed their Shenango Valley mall stores in 2017. The mall has about three dozen storefronts, many of them already vacant.

Local vendors are encouraged to participate, with about 12 to 15 vendors already expressing an interest. The Small Business Group isn't charging a fee.

"The response has been great so far, so we're going to see how many vendors we get and then verify how much space is available, then get in touch with the vendors," Wise said.

Since May 4 is the opening day of baseball season, Wise said organizers are partnering with the Hermitage Little League to promote the event.

Beyond supporting the mall's remaining tenants and participating vendors, Wise said she hopes Farewell to the Mall will let the community share their personal experiences and history with the mall.

"I'm originally from New Castle, but I used to come up with my parents and grandparents for years to shop at the mall," Wise said.

"I remember shopping there with my grandma and getting pizza at the mall, so hopefully people can come together and relive some of those memories one last time."

A "Memory Post-It Wall" could be available for people to share some of their memories on Post-it notes, while activities for people of all ages will be available, Wise said.

Though it will be "odd" to see the mall demolished, followed by an empty lot prior to the property's redevelopment, Wise said she is optimistic about the property's potential in the future.

"I think this will be a great opportunity to look back at the mall's past, but also to look to the future, because I think it will be awesome to see what happens there," Wise said.

The Hermitage Small Business Group is an informal collection of small business owners who meet quarterly, usually on Tuesday evenings, to share information and resources.

The group's first meeting drew 60 participants, and 50 people attended the second meeting.

Hermitage City Manager Gary Hinkson said city representatives have gone to past meetings, although the city does not run or control the group.

City officials are also helping with some of the planning for Farewell to the Mall and are promoting the event.

"We're very happy this group formed, and we want to be there to support them," Hinkson said.

Wise said guest speakers at the first two meetings included representatives from VisitMercerCountyPA, the county's tourism agency, and from the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce, as well as former state Rep. Mark Longietti, now the city's director of business and community development.

Wise's business, Trendy, now has a website, sosotrendy.com and locations in Canonsburg, Pa., and in Hermitage, across East State Street from the mall. However, Wise said she wished there was a group for small business owners when she started her business years ago.

"When I got my start as a small-business owner, I didn't know about a lot of these resources that are out there, and now the business owners can come together to share those resources and work on programs for the community, like Small Business Saturday," Wise said.

------

For more information on the Small Business Group or to participate in the event, email to hermitagesbg@gmail.com or visit the "Hermitage Small Biz Group" Facebook page.

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.