Ikea has opened its first Delaware County location, though it doesn’t look like its massive stores in Conshohocken and South Philly.
The home design company’s “plan and order point” in Media opened Wednesday. At less than 4,000 square feet, the outpost is a fraction of the size of its typical stores, with square footage in the hundreds of thousands.
Ikea, which has its U.S. headquarters in Conshohocken, said in a statement this fall that the location would provide design consultation services for more complex projects like kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms. But the space doesn’t contain inventory. Instead, customers can order items for delivery or on-site pickup.
For some Delaware County residents, the new location means “no more trekking through that notorious I-476 ‘Blue Route’ traffic” to get to the Conshohocken or South Philly stores, Ikea U.S. market manager George Holtkamp said in an October statement.
But if those customers get a craving for the popular Ikea meatballs, they’ll still have to make the longer trip, as the Media site does not have an in-store Swedish bistro.
People worked in the cafeteria of the 300,000-square-foot Ikea in South Philly in 2022.
Ikea has been adding more locations after its U.S. arm reported $5.3 billion in sales last year, the majority of which were made in-person. Over the same period, about 61 million people visited its physical stores, while more than 457 million people browsed the website.
In Media, Ikea joins Michaels, TJ Maxx, Kohl’s, Boscov’s, and a slate of other stores that occupy the 830,000-square-foot retail section of the Promenade at Granite Run. The complex exemplifies how struggling malls can be reborn.
After the Granite Run Mall closed in 2015, BET Investments spent more than $100 million to demolish the building and build the open-air town center in its place, according to president Michael Markman. Along with an array of retailers, the complex now contains 400 luxury apartments, as well as several restaurants and medical offices.
An aerial photo shows the Promenade at Granite Run in June 2022.
Markman said in April that the retail portion of the complex is almost fully leased.
“Its only gotten better since we originally tenanted it,” Markman said at the time. “We signed a Nordstrom Rack. We signed a small-scale Ikea.”
Another Sprouts Farmers Market is coming soon to South Jersey.
The Sprouts in Washington Township is set to open Aug. 28, the company announced Tuesday in a statement.
The 23,000-square-foot organic grocery store is under construction on Egg Harbor Road in Sewell, with an attached 6,400-square-foot storefront for lease, according to marketing materials for the new development.
Sprouts plans to bring on about 90 full- and part-time employees, with hiring events scheduled next week for Tuesday and Wednesday at the Double Tree by Hilton in Cherry Hill.
This Sprouts in South Philadelphia opened in 2018.
The Washington Township location will be the Phoenix-based chain’s fourth in South Jersey. The grocer, which specializes in organic, gluten-free, and plant-based products, also has stores in Haddon Township, Marlton, and West Deptford.
Across the river, the company operates four Philadelphia locations, including Roosevelt Mall in the Northeast and the new Rivermark complex in Northern Liberties, as well as two Montgomery County stores in Upper Dublin and Montgomeryville.
A dozen new businesses have opened in downtown Ardmore so far this year, bringing Japanese barbecue, build-your-own salads, and organic dog treats, among other goods, to the Main Line community. New and incoming businesses include mom-and-pop shops, national chains, and expansions of popular Philly-area names, such as decorated Szechuan eatery EMei and New Jersey-based burger chain Gouldsburger’s.
Here’s a breakdown of the new retailers that have opened in Ardmore this year, and some others that are on the horizon.
What’s new?
OGYU Japanese BBQ
OGYU Japanese BBQ (60 Greenfield Ave.) is a tabletop cooking Japanese steakhouse experience from Osushi owner Sam Li. OGYU offers an all-you-can-eat, tiered, fixed-price menu, as well as a full bar. Li has opened Osushi locations in Wayne, Ardmore, and Marlton, as well as upscale eatery Hiramasa in Newtown Square. OGYU opened last month.
Just Salad
Healthy food chain Just Salad (167 W. Lancaster Ave.) opened in Ardmore in May, adding to the company’s more than 100 locations across seven states. Just Salad serves fast-casual salads, warm bowls, wraps, and smoothies.
Barizi
Barizi (29 W. Lancaster Ave.) is a design, home, and gift store offering curated ceramics, textiles, leather goods, vintage furniture, and self-care items. Barizi’s Ardmore store opened in May and is its second after New York City.
Gouldsburger’s
Gouldsburger’s (4 Station Rd.), a Jersey-based mini-chain serving up burgers, cheesesteaks, chicken sandwiches, and other fried snacks, opened across from Ardmore’s train station in February. The restaurant has vegan and vegetarian options, and its cheesesteak has even made the ranks of the Inquirer’s favorites.
Inside OGYU Japanese BBQ in Ardmore.
CorePower Yoga
CorePower Yoga (169 W. Lancaster Ave.), a heated yoga and strength training studio with hundreds of locations across the U.S., opened in Ardmore in April. This is the chain’s third location in the Philadelphia area, after Center City and Northern Liberties.
Bikini Burger
Penn Valley resident Mia Robertston opened Bikini Burger (44 Rittenhouse Pl.) in January with the goal of bringing a simple and “really good burger” to the area. Robertson’s Burgers are made with beef from a Lancaster County butcher, can be topped with Cooper Sharp, among other accoutrements, and are never smashed.
R3 Gaming & Toys
R3 Gaming & Toys (6 W. Lancaster Ave.) is a toy and game shop built for collectors and “curious minds of all ages.” The store stocks classic toys, board games, puzzles, comics, graphic novels, and other novelties.
Jersey Mike’s
Sub sandwich giant Jersey Mike’s (20 Greenfield Ave.) opened its doors in the former Revitalize Aesthetics storefront in March. The sub shop is open seven days a week and offers both hot and cold sandwich options.
Mia Robertson, owner of Bikini Burger, makes a cheeseburger at the Bikini Burger in Ardmore. The burger joint is one of a slate of new businesses to open in Ardmore this year.
Revivéa Health
Revivéa Health (20 Ardmore Ave.) opened in Ardmore in April and offers various wellness treatments including IV therapy, vitamin injections, and red light therapy. Ardmore is Revivéa’s second local storefront after West Chester.
Raffs Italian Cuisine
Raffs Italian Cuisine (65 Cricket Ave.) is the second restaurant of chef and owner Raffael Kupa, who also runs Buona Vita in Somers Point, N.J. Raffs, which opened in April, is BYOB, open for dinner seven days a week, and offers traditional Italian fare.
Bored Trading Café
Bored Trading Café (43 Cricket Ave.) is an all-day eatery serving bagels, sandwiches, salads, wraps, smoothies, and burgers, among other items. The cafe held its grand opening in January.
What’s coming soon?
Mango Mango
At Mango Mango (38 Greenfield Ave.), an Asian-inspired dessert chain with locations across the U.S., “mango’s our muse.” Mango Mango serves mango- and non-mango-flavored cakes, waffles, smoothies, ice creams, and teas. Its Ardmore franchisewill be opening later this month.
Vintner’s Table
Vintner’s Table (24 Cricket Ave.) is an Italian-inspired wine bar affiliated with Folino Estate Winery & Restaurant in Kutztown. The Ardmore location will be the third Vintner’s Table after Phoenixville and Wyomissing. Vitner’s Table has not shared an anticipated opening date yet.
Chef Yongcheng Zhao preparing a crispy whole boneless sea bass dish at EMei in Chinatown. The restaurant is set to expand to Ardmore.
EMei
Inquirer food critic Craig Laban says EMei (98 Cricket Ave.) is a “Szechuan feast with few peers in Philly.” The lauded Chinatown eatery, owned by Dan Tsao, is expanding to South Philly and Ardmore in the near future, though the timeline for expansion has been pushed back due to permitting and architecture hiccups.
Pure Green
Cold-pressed juice company Pure Green (56 E. Lancaster Ave.) is set to open in Ardmore next year. Pure Green offers superfood smoothies, acai and pitaya bowls, steel-cut oatmeal bowls, sourdough toasts, and cold-pressed juices.
Calm and Strong Yoga and Pilates
Calm and Strong (46 Rittenhouse Pl.) is a yoga and pilates studio bringing a variety of sculpt, flow, and strength classes to Ardmore. The studio is set to open this fall.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
The Cherry Hill Mall is soon set to welcome five new stores that have committed to more than 25,000 square feet of retail space at the South Jersey mall.
The additions include Aritzia, the viral women’s clothing brand, which is set to open a store at the 1.3 million-square-foot Camden County mall by spring 2027. The complex is also adding legacy brands such as Timberland and True Religion, according to executives with PREIT, which owns the mall.
“Retailers at this level are choosing their next locations very carefully right now, and the fact that six of them chose Cherry Hill Mall in the same leasing period speaks volumes,” Paula Charles, PREIT’s senior vice president of leasing, said in a statement.
“For shoppers, it means more of the brands they want in one place and an experience that keeps getting better every time they visit,” Charles added.
One of dozens of Dick’s House of Sport outposts, it will be represent “the largest single-tenant addition to Cherry Hill Mall in more than a decade,” PREIT executives said.
The new retailers will also join Crocs, which last month opened a 2,000-square-foot store near the future Dick’s House of Sport, and DoneRight Doner Kebab, a fast-casual Mediterranean food spot that mall executives said will open later this summerin the food court.
People walk by a new store, Pop Mart, at Cherry Hill Mall on Black Friday 2025.
But higher-end complexes like Cherry Hill and King of Prussia seem to be thriving. King of Prussia Mall, in Montgomery County, also just announced a slate of new openings.
Here’s what to know about the new shops coming soon to the Cherry Hill Mall:
Timberland: The boots and outdoor-wear company is set to open an 1,800-square-foot store later this summer. It will be near Dick’s House of Sport.
Indochino: The custom-suit-maker is set to open a 1,200-square-foot store before the 2026 holiday season. It will be off the Grand Court, near American Eagle and Pop Mart.
Aritzia: Set to occupy more than 20,000 square feet in the central Grand Court, its space will include not only a clothing store but also an A-OK Cafe, the brand’s in-house coffee shop. It is on track to open in spring 2027.
True Religion: The denim company is set to open a 2,230-square-foot store sometime early next year near Dick’s House of Sport.
Also at the mall, Pandora and Spencer’s recently moved into larger storefronts, and Lululemon is set to relocate into an expanded space in the Grand Court before the 2026 holiday season.
Michael Ibrahim, general manager of the Bakery House in Bryn Mawr, said custom orders for dot cakes, the latest viral TikTok food trend, started trickling in at the end of May. By June 1, the Bakery House posted the new menu addition on Instagram and Facebook.
Within 15 minutes, they were sold out.
“We ordered more material, made more the next week, and then we made sure to never run out of it again,” Ibrahim said.
The dessert — a layered cake in a cup coated in nonpareil sprinkles — was created in 2017 by mother-daughter duo Alex and Sondra Posner of the Dot Cakes in Roslyn, N.Y. It reached national audiences this past May when influencers began reviewing the bakery’s dot cakes sold in New York City’s Butterfield Market. In June, the New York Times Style section reported people standing in line at 6 a.m. for a taste of the sweet treat.
Elizabeth Aversa, owner of the Margate location of Aversa’s Italian Bakery, said her shop is now regarded as “cool” after introducing dot cakes.
“I’m getting these new, trendy people that we were never getting before,” Aversa said. “Before, we were just like a mom-and-pop, old-school store … but now they come to us.”
With viral trends appearing and fading almost as fast as they arrive — remember crookies and butter boards? — deciding which fad to hop on can be a challenge for small businesses.
Ray Sheehan, founder of Old City Media, said businesses have to identify when viral trends will stick around long enough to be worth the investment. That most often occurs when they cut across several consumer demographics.
“When things take off like this, it’s almost like pop music,” Sheehan said. “It just speaks to so many different people.”
Lily Diebold assembles dot cakes at the Bakery House.
‘Everybody started calling’
When the Bakery House got its first order for dot cake, Ibrahim thought it was an easy request. The bakery already had everything needed to prepare the dessert: cake ingredients, frosting, and nonpareil sprinkles
“Then, the customers told each other, and then everybody started calling,” Ibrahim said. “All of a sudden, we had about 60 custom orders for dot cake.”
Ibrahim said that the team usually avoids bending to the whims of social media trends — notably, they skippedthe “crookie” despite offering both croissants and cookies on their menu.
“We didn’t do it in the store because we didn’t feel that anybody was asking for it,” Ibrahim said.
Dot cake, however, was so popular among customers that the Bakery House decided to put it on the menu permanently.
According to Sheehan, adapting to a viral trend is one of the best ways for businesses to show consumers that they are relevant.
“If I’m a customer, it feels like this bakery is in tune and that they’re talking to me,” Sheehan said. “I’m resonating with their brand because they understand me, and that this thing is so popular.”
Dot cakes have been around for years, but only recently became popular nationwide due to TikTok.
Ibrahim said the bakery now has two employees dedicated to making dot cakes all day, and the fervent demand has caused a dip in sales for traditional cupcakes.
Though, he says, it’s a net gain. Ibrahim estimated that for every loss of 100 cupcakes, 200 dot cakes are sold. On top of that, dot cakes are priced about $5 more than the bakery’s most basic cupcake, generating greater revenue.
A middle schooler’s suggestion
At Aversa’s bakery, the decision to start making dot cakes was a family affair.
Aversa’s 14-year-old son, Ralph, saw the viral dessert on TikTok and he asked his mother to make dot cakes for a school party.
It was a popular choice: ”He was a rock star at the party,” Aversa said.
Ralph wanted to bring dot cakes to the bakery. His mother let him go for it, thinking it would be a fun summer activity.
Then they flew off the shelves.
“We put 20 out; they sold out. Then 40, then 50,” Aversa said. “Now we’re selling almost 100 a day.”
Aversa said that dot cake sales are not replacing regular items but rather bringing in new customers. The younger demographic, drawn in by the dot cakes, may bring their parents, who then come across Aversa’s chicken salad or Caesar salad wraps.
“Some people maybe never would have come to Aversa’s if it wasn’t for the dot cakes,” she said.
Dot cakes get a layer of icing and then a crunchy topping of nonpareil sprinkles.
Influencer tips
At Sweet Box Bakery on South 13th Street, owner Gretchen Fantini said a well-known social media personality who frequents the shop tipped her off to dot cakes.
Destiny Deniz, a Philly-based creator with nearly 177,000 followers on TikTok, told Fantini that the dessert was blowing up in New York, and Sweet Box should hop on the trend. At first Fantini was reluctant, but then she started seeing it all over her feed.
“We have everything here,” Fantini said she thought at the time. “We should just do this.”
Since the business — and local influencers — started advertising Sweet Box’s dot cakes, Fantini said their Instagram has grown by almost 1,000 followers.
Sweet Box’s feed features collaborative posts with local food Instagrammers showcasing the viral dot cakes, including @josheatsphilly (197,000 followers), @phlfoodstagram (42,900 followers), and @phillyfoodies (135,000 followers).
Fantini said the bakery’s influencer relationships are built organically. Creators may pop into the shop, and she’ll give them a taste of her baked goods for free, but she has not done a paid partnership so far.
Customers line up at the Bakery House in Bryn Mawr, which recently starting selling more dot cakes than cupcakes each day.
“I’m Italian, so if you come into my bakery and I’m baking something, I’m going to give it to you to try,” Fantini said.
Dot cakes are hit at Sweet Box, but so far sales have not surpassed cupcakes, the bakery’s specialty. On a day where the bakery sells 500 cupcakes, Fantini said they typically sell about 250 dot cakes.
“I want to make my customers happy,” Fantini said. “If I can stay true to what I’m making, and if it’s something that they want, I’m going to make it.”
The King of Prussia Mall is set to get several new shops and restaurants in the coming months.
As some other retail centers struggle, die, and transform, the massive Montgomery County complex has remained a thriving shopping destination, with a wide array of retailers, dining options, and experiential concepts.
Candyland Adventure: The indoor playground and kids entertainment center, which already has a Springfield location, plans to open another location near Primark this winter, according to Candyland’s Facebook page.
Los Chicos Mexican Grill: The restaurant is set to open at a yet-to-be-released location.
The Pandora store will also move from the Court to the Plaza, and the David Yurman store will undergo a facelift. David Yurman will open a temporary boutique near Neiman Marcus while its permanent location is renovated.
Adidas: The sportswear company’s new location, near Eataly, includes a customization lab, where customers can personalize jerseys or put custom designs on sneakers.
Nespresso: The boutique sells coffee makers and espresso machines, fancy milk frothers, and more from its new outpost near the Apple store.
Faherty: The casual, coastal-style clothing brand has a new store near Nordstrom.
A long-empty retail space in Havertown is set to become a Sprouts Farmers Market.
The organic grocery chain has signed a lease for a 29,500-square-foot store in the Llanerch Shopping Center on the 400 block of West Chester Pike, according to Fred Snow, president of Brandolini Cos., which owns the complex.
David McGlinchey, chief development officer of Sprouts, confirmed in a statement that the chain signed a lease at the site and is planning for an early 2027 opening.
Sprouts is taking over a parcel that Amazon Fresh had rented for the past six years but never opened as a grocery store, Snow said. In February, the tech conglomerate abruptly closed all its physical Amazon Fresh locations, providing an opportunity for the landlord to terminate its lease in Havertown, Snow said.
“It’s never really been vacant very long, but it’s looked vacant,” Snow said of the space, which was previously occupied by an LA Fitness that relocated before the pandemic.
Once the property became available earlier this year, Snow said, Sprouts was “very aggressive,” and showed great interest in moving into such a densely populated, well-to-do area of Delaware County.
In 10 square miles, Haverford Township has nearly 51,000 residents, with a median household income of more than $130,000, according to U.S. Census data. The township is surrounded by other populous, affluent suburbs, including Lower Merion and Radnor.
The Havertown store is primed to be Sprouts’ first location in Philadelphia’s Western suburbs.
A view inside the Sprouts in South Philadelphia, as seen in 2018.
“We’re just excited that they are going to provide offerings that aren’t in the area right now,” Snow said.
Sprouts markets sell organic, gluten-free, and plant-based products, including private-label items, as well as vitamins, supplements, natural toiletries, and bulk nuts, coffee, and baking ingredients.
Sprouts now operates two Montgomery County stores in Upper Dublin and Montgomeryville; three South Jersey outposts in Haddon Township, Marlton, and West Deptford; and four city locations, including Roosevelt Mall in the Northeast and the new Rivermark complex in Northern Liberties.
Sprouts has more local spots in the works, too, with stores under construction in Limerick and Washington Township.
The extensive supplement section at Sprouts in South Philadelphia, as seen in 2018
Sprouts plans to open at least 40 stores by the end of 2026, for a total of more than 500 markets nationwide, according to the report.
“We’re seeing a great reaction as we enter new communities,” CEO Jack Sinclair said on the recent earnings call. “We’re sharpening site selection as we scale, expanding access to healthy foods.”
Yet some stores have struggled. After the Amazon Fresh shutdown in February, Grocery Outlet bargain market closed dozens of stores, including eight in the Philadelphia area.
Sprouts executives said on the earnings call that they’re aware of customers’ financial pressures and are taking steps to make their products more affordable. They mentioned store promotions like $5 Sushi Wednesday, and said they recently reduced prices on some basics like coffee, which has become exorbitantly expensive amidextreme weather andglobal conflict.
“We take the responsibility for affordability really seriously,” Sinclair said. “There’s a real opportunity for us to help people live and eat better.”
On 20th Street between Market and Chestnut, much has changed in the past 50 years. One tenant that hasn’t: Nuts To You. The snack shop, wrapped in yellow wallpaper speckled with walnuts, remains packed with shelves of nuts, candy, and dried fruit galore.
Nuts To You, a snack haven owned by the same family for three generations, is celebrating 50 years in Center City. Since its first location opened in 1976, Nuts To You has survived the rise of the internet, and the emptying of the business district in a post-pandemic Philadelphia, building decades-long customer relationships on the way.
Pulling off such a feat is “rare, and it’s really hard,” according to Erika Tapp Duran, director of Temple University’s Small Business Development Center.
Nuts To You freshly roasts their nut products at a warehouse in Frankford. Over the years they have broadened their inventory to include freshly popped popcorn (also made in-house), as well as chocolates, candy, dried fruit, and almost anything else one could find in a kitchen pantry.
Gummy candies sold at Nuts To You, a family-owned and operated snack store.
They sell those products out of three city storefronts: on 20th Street near Rittenhouse Square, 16th and Market Streets on the ground floor of Centre Square; and Seventh and Walnut Streets in Washington Square West.
But the brick-and-mortar business has changed. In 2018, Nuts To You had six physical stores, and its leaders were considering expanding into Washington, D.C.
“We used to have lines during lunch rush,” said Justin Bernstein, who co-owns the business with his father, Howard Bernstein. “That just doesn’t exist anymore.”
The location beneath Centre Square has a front-row seat to the evolution. At the end of 2025, the office building had the highest vacancy rate in Center City. Developers are now planning to convert it into a mixed-use complex with apartments and luxury hotel rooms. With three years left on that lease, Nuts To You is uncertain about the 16th and Market store’s future.
But for now, “We’re still here,” said Justin, who has spent most of his life as part of Nuts To You. “We’re still going.”
Fewer walk-ins and a digital pivot
James Troutman, 77, a regular at the Seventh and Walnut Street location, piled bags of rolled oats, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, and sunflower seeds into his gray backpack as he left the store on a Tuesday morning. He’ll later combine those ingredients into his daily homemade cereal, which he has been making from Nuts To You products for decades.
“That’s why I’m so young looking!” Troutman joked.
Employees said this location, the company’s most popular, draws an estimated 100 customers a day. But Nuts To You is not immune to the struggles facing brick-and-mortar businesses. In-person sales are down 30% to 40% from pre-pandemic levels, which the owners attribute to less foot traffic as more people have remote or hybrid work arrangements.
Anthony Feaster (left) makes a purchase with the help of employee Brianna Boyko at the 16th and Market Streets Nuts To You.
The entry of big retail competitors into Center City has also changed the business.
“Fifty years ago, there was nobody selling this product,” said Howard. “CVS and all those drug stores didn’t have full lines of nuts and candy.”
For Nuts To You, the decline in foot traffic has been offset by an increase in online sales. The company launched its website in 2010, but was only making about $100 to $200 a day online before the pandemic. Within two days of COVID-19-related lockdowns taking effect, sales increased to $3,000 a day.
Now, 40% of Nuts To You’s sales come from its website, and the company has forayed into selling on TikTok. As of June, only about 1% of their sales come from TikTok Shop, but Justin said that’s already more than expected.
In lieu of the nuts and oats that traditional walk-in customers buy, online customers tend to purchase sugar-free products or nostalgic novelties like wax bottles or Sugar Daddies.
“Think about all the things that have changed for consumers in the last five or six years, and then multiply that out over 50 years,” said Temple’s Tapp Duran. “You have to be able to pivot.”
Howard says that Nuts To You’s popularity has stemmed from its business strategy, which he defines as “largest variety, lowest prices, highest quality.” This may have been true for many years. Though, with larger retailers’ entry into Center City — Justin cited Trader Joe’s in 2003 and Target in 2016 — it has been difficult to beat corporate giants on prices.
However, the owners say what they can still ensure is quality — “That’s what our customers expect,” Justin said. They source their walnuts and pistachios from small growers in California, with whom they’ve maintained yearslong connections.
“We don’t want to switch to another brand, even though I could save a dollar,” said Howard. “Most customers appreciate that.”
In addition to greater competition and a changing retail landscape, Nuts To You has faced challenges common among small businesses in 2026.
Within the past few months, they’ve joined the ranks of small businesses who were sued for violating the Americans With Disabilities Act, based on allegations that the Nuts To You website relied on a visual interface that was inaccessible to individuals who are blind or use screen readers. Another lawsuit came out of a Proposition 65 claim — a law that requires products sold in California to warn consumers for potential exposure to dangerous chemicals — leading Nuts To You to adopt a disclaimer on its website.
“You think you’re OK, we’re running smooth, we know our expenses, then all of a sudden you get served papers,” said Justin. “And it’s like, what?”
Generations of work
For years, Basheer Ali, 65, has been traveling from Southwest Philly to the Center City Nuts To You stores for his fresh nuts and candy. Employees there have helped him navigate a diabetic diet, introducing him to sugar-free chocolate pretzels.
“The people need these kinds of stores,” Ali said.
The company sees very little employee turnover, Justin said. At least half its 19 employees worked at the company for more than a decade.
Regina DeLeon, manager of the Washington Square West location, has been with the company for 26 years. When prompted by a customer, she recalled Nuts To You’s founder and first-generation owner, Manny Radbill.
Radbill predicted in 1975 that nuts were going to be the next health craze. He wasn’t wrong: In 1992, a study found an association between nut consumption and a lower risk of coronary heart disease, which kicked off decades of research on the health benefits of eating nuts.
With the help of Radbill’s daughter, Caryn, and her then-husband Howard, they opened that first store on South 20th Street, which is still in operation today.
Justin first entered the family business when he was 2 years old, pushing buttons on the cash register. Howard required him to gain outside experience first, but Justin said, “I always kind of knew this is what I wanted to do.”
Justin Bernstein smiles at his father, Howard Bernstein, inside one of their three Center City Nuts To You stores.
So, after his college graduation and a brief stint at Boscov’s, about 20 years ago Justin joined Nuts To You and has since become co-owner.
As iconic family businesses like Di Bruno Bros. have been acquired, buyers have approached the Bernsteins, but Howard and Justin decided against it. They entertained one offer, but the deal-breaker was a requirement to close all of the physical stores — the owners refused to put their staff out of jobs.
Over their 50 years in business, Justin said he is most proud of staying family owned.
“We’ll see what happens, what the future holds,” said Justin. “At least another 20 years, call it.”
Chester County’s only enclosed mall will soon shut its doors for good.
After five decades as a retail hub, the nearly 1-million-square-foot Exton Square Mall is set to close Tuesday, June 30, according to mall owner Abrams Realty & Development. The Elkins Park-based company has been mired in a legal dispute with local officials over its redevelopment.
Once a bustling destination that sparked a commercial boom in Exton, the complex has been languishing for years with a desolate interior and only a handful of stores.
Peter Abrams said his firm had no choice but to shutter the mall.
“Operating the interior of the property has become untenable due to deteriorating conditions and rising utility costs,” he said in a statement.
A handful of shoppers walk into the Exton Square Mall in November.
The Boscov’s, Main Line Health offices, and Round 1 entertainment venue will remain open.
Brian Dunn, chair of the West Whiteland Township Board of Supervisors, declined to comment on the mall’s closure, citing the ongoing litigation.
Abrams, who bought the mall from PREIT for more than $34 million, wants to transform the site into a mixed-use complex with hundreds of townhouses, rental apartments, a 55+ community, and a town center with shops, restaurants, medical offices, and green space.
This fall, despite the planning commission’s recommendation, Dunn and fellow Township Supervisor Rajesh Kumbhardare rejected Abrams’ proposal over sewer, traffic, and density concerns. Abrams then sued the supervisors in an attempt to reverse their decision, saying the plan meets the township’s zoning requirements.
Litigation between Abrams and the supervisors was ongoing as of Wednesday, according to the company, which wants to complete the project by 2028.
The Exton Square Mall opened in 1973 with more than 100 stores, including a Strawbridge & Clothier.
The mall’s construction would prove a harbinger of Exton’s commercialization. “Developers seem bent on heaving this lazy rural area into the mainstream of metropolitan Philadelphia,” The Inquirer reported in 1973.
In the 1990s, the Exton Bypass made the area easier to access from the city and other suburbs. And by the 2000s, more retail complexes, including the Main Street at Exton town center, had opened near Exton Square Mall, which also underwent an expansion.
The Exton Square Mall is shown in 2022, when tenants were already starting to dwindle.
The community has seen a subsequent rise in residential development, with millennials and baby boomers fueling demand for high-end, low-maintenance living. In the past five years, about 3,000 luxury apartments and townhouses have been built in the 13-square-mile township, supervisor Kumbhardare said this fall, and each new complex is at least 90% occupied.
On Tuesday, as word spread about the mall’s closing date, one user posted a video on Facebook with the caption: “It’s official. They’re tearing down the Exton Square Mall, and with it, my entire childhood.”
“They can tear the building down, but they can’t take away the memories of buying graphic tees at Wet Seal and CD shopping at FYE. RIP.”
As Brixmor Property Group executives began transforming the Roosevelt Mall, they briefly debated whether to change the name.
After all, the 60-year-old Northeast Philly shopping center is undergoing a more than $70 million makeover that promises to bring it into the modern age with new tenants, upgraded facades, and a better layout.
As Brixmor executives walked around the 620,000-square-foot complex on a recent day, they said they already see the outdoor mall becoming a community hub — with a gym, an organic grocer, and new fast-casual dining options.
Despite these changes, they have decided the Roosevelt Mall should not be rebranded.
“It’s an iconic name,” said David Vender, Brixmor Property Group’s executive vice president for the north region, who is based in Conshohocken. “People know it as a landmark.”
Brixmor operates about 350 shopping centers nationwide, but some of its top executives — including new CEO Brian Finnegan, who grew up in Roxborough — have soft spots for Philly, forged by personal or family connections to the region.
A new Delco sign is shown at Pilgrim Gardens in Drexel Hill on June 16.
And they said their connection to the community around the Roosevelt Mall has only grown stronger since last year’s plane crash, which killed eight people, injured two dozen, damaged nearby homes, and left an 8-foot-deep crater in front of the mall.
Even before the tragedy, they said, they considered how their local redevelopments affected the Philly-area residents who shop, eat, and drive by their centers every day.
At the Roosevelt Mall — which sits on 36 acres between Cottman Avenue, Roosevelt Boulevard, and Bustleton Avenue — these decisions have begun to pay off.
In the last year, the center logged 6.3 million visits, a 5% year-over-year increase and a 19% jump when compared with the 12 months before Sprouts Farmers Market’s 2024 opening, according to company executives.
Occupancy was over 98% this spring, they said, and customers spend about 35 minutes there on average, on par with the national average for all Brixmor complexes.
When you’re able to bring together “higher-quality food and beverage, fitness, service … then you’re also able to attract more elevated retail” stores, said Finnegan, noting that Ulta Beauty and Victoria’s Secret are among the tenants signed on for the next phase of the Roosevelt Mall’s redevelopment.
Brian Finnegan, CEO and president, at Brixmor Property Group, at the Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia.
Achieving the tenant mix of a modern shopping center
When the Roosevelt Mall opened in 1964, its main promenade was referred to as “Chestnut Street Northeast,” with several outposts of Center City clothing stores, according to an Inquirer article from the time.
The shopping center had apparel shops, such as Baker Shoes and Famous Maid, as well as “the Cavalier, a cafeteria-style restaurant with a game room and a retail bakery,” The Inquirer reported. It was anchored by an S. Klein’s discount department store.
The Roosevelt Mall was built as part of the Roosevelt Boulevard shopping complex, bordered by Cottman and Castor Avenues. The larger development — which also had Gimbels and Lit Bros. department stores — was called the country’s largest “in-town” shopping center at the time.
Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia is shown in earlier days, long before Brixmor Property Group remodeled the property.
They said they have intentionally brought in tenants that customers may visit multiple times a week and added more pedestrian walkways, open-air plazas, and outdoor seating.
“Historically, shopping centers were very utilitarian, and now they’re really becoming more community assets, so we’re really careful about our merchandising mix,” said Ryan Guheen, Brixmor’s senior vice president of development.
Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia is shown in earlier days, long before Brixmor Property Group remodeled the property.
The latest redevelopment push began around 2020, when Brixmor opened an LA Fitness outpost on the site of a former Turf Club off-track betting venue, near a new Oak Street Health clinic.
Since then, the company has constructed buildings in underused sections of the parking lot and filled them with popular chain eateries like Raising Cane’s chicken; the American-Chinese food spot Panda Express; and Tous les Jours, a Korean-French bakery and coffee shop.
Annual customer visits to Roosvelt Mall have increased 13% since Sprouts organic grocer opened there in 2024.
The 37,000-square-foot under-construction building, set to house a Victoria’s Secret and an Ulta, will also include fast-casual staples like Shake Shack and Cava, which serves Mediterranean bowls and pitas.
Tenants like these, Guheen said, provide “multiple opportunities for people to stay on property to shop retail, get their workout in, go to the bakery, get a coffee.”
Some mall retailers have found homes in shopping centers
As Brixmor executives diversify the tenant mix at their shopping centers, they say they do not see retail stores going extinct.
Elsewhere in the Northeast, the Franklin Mall, formerly Franklin Mills, has been in decline for years and was recently listed for sale. Real estate investor Dean Adler has said he wants to buy the 137-acre mall and turn it into a youth sports complex with a hotel and Margaritaville-themed water park.
Seven miles away, the Roosevelt Mall is home to several shops that were once found almost exclusively in enclosed malls, such as Bath & Body Works, Foot Locker, and the forthcoming Victoria’s Secret. These companies’ higher-ups have pivoted in recent years, adding more locations in open-air centers.
“It’s not like retailers are leaving malls en masse … at least in the best malls,” Finnegan said. But “as they open stores in open-air shopping centers with grocery stores, with fitness uses, with elevated food and beverage, they’re seeing the sales performance” — and then want to keep investing in shopping centers.
Longer-standing retail tenants are continuing to see success, too. Finnegan said the Roosevelt Mall’s 300,000-square-foot standalone Macy’s is among the company’s top-performing locations in the region, rivaling the King of Prussia Mall store.
The department store is the center’s largest driver of traffic, recording more than 900,000 annual visits, said Brixmor executives, who are not worried about the department store closing as the Center City store did last year.
As seen in September, the Macy’s in the Wanamaker Building in Center City now sits empty. It closed last year.
Company executives said they are optimistic this momentum will continue. Along with the under-construction section, redevelopment plans also include another standalone building that has yet to break ground — and the cost of which is not included in the current price tag.
Finnegan put it simply: “Opportunity begets opportunity.”
