How to rescue Parkway Center Mall

I can honestly say that one of the most depressing places I've ever been, if not the most depressing, was Parkway Center Mall in Greentree, PA, just outside of Pittsburgh.


I originally visited Parkway Center out of curiosity, after hearing a classmate mention its supposedly poor state. It may have been that this was my first real visit to a 'dead mall' (I still have hopes for our poor Northway), but the experience left a major impact on me. That night, I couldn't get this barren yet beautiful building off of my mind; in fact, I returned there twice over the next couple weeks to hang out and think.... just standing around, looking over the bannisters into the dark depths of the former first floor, trying to get a glimpse of the upper floor, formulating ideas of what this lonely mall *could* be.

Each time I went back, I became more and more certain that it could be rescued from an almost assurable demise.

From what I gather, Parkway Center was once a booming mall, and a primary shopping location for the area... until Robinson Town Centre developed a few miles away. The fact that Robinson came to have their own mall - this time owned by the Simon corporation and not an independent owner - spelled doom for Parkway Center. Not to mention, the token 'big restaurant' of Parkway was Chi Chi's, a chain that died following a hepatitis scare at the Beaver Valley Mall location. Over the course of the 2000's, stores and customers drifted away from Parkway, and the once enormous three-story mall was dwindled down to a single story. The other levels are now inaccessible to the public, and the remaining level has lost a shocking number of stores in the couple years alone.

Well, despite its current condition, Parkway Center Mall has won my sympathy, and I would like to propose changes that could very well save it from extinction during the next few years. Let's begin...

• Decorate. Compared to the flashy Robinson Mall, Parkway Center is *very* drab. Grey walls, dull carpeting (yes, a carpeted mall - very rare!), and not much too look at. Hang banners! Take an idea from Northway Mall, and convert an unused area into a gallery of photos taken during the mall's heyday! Let the people of Greentree reminisce!
• Holidays. As far as I am aware, Parkway doesn't do the Easter Bunny/Santa Claus thing anymore. And why not? They already have a prime location for this: the former fountain on the first floor, which has been boarded over. Section off that area of the first floor to keep people contained (as there is nothing remaining on that floor), and have Santa or the Bunny sit atop where the fountain was.
• Advertising. People of Pittsburgh, how often do you see an ad for Parkway Center or any of its remaining stores? NEVER. A great series of ads could really bring in a crowd. Perhaps commercials could even be created, and aired on local channels to keep the cost down.
• Special Events. Why let the first and third floors go to waste? The yearly record convention could relocate from the Greentree Radisson to Parkway Center. Not only would they have more room (the Radisson's event room is fairly cramped during the convention), but the visitors to the convention would be tempted to shop upstairs.
• Auntie Anne's. There's an empty pretzel stand in a prime location - not far from the indoor K-Mart (which brings in most of the mall's business), and right in front of the arcade. Auntie Anne's Pretzels are a mall staple, and one that is a very obvious exclusion from Parkway.
• The Exchange. There doesn't seem to be an Exchange in Greentree. Why not put one in the mall? From what I've read online, longtime PCM shoppers still mourn the loss of National Record Mart. Not only would the Exchange be giving them a new record store, but this is an *extremely* popular chain.
• A new Mexican restaurant. When Chi Chi's closed, the third floor died. But the empty location is still there... the only problem is, nearby Robinson has a Qdoba, a Don Pablo's (yay!), a Chipotle, and at least a couple other Mexican restaurants. But they don't have an Emiliano's, do they? What about an El Campesino? There are plenty of other Mexican restaurants that could move into the former site of Chi Chi's.
• Open Giant Eagle to the first floor. I stole this from another site, but I thought it was a great idea. Giant Eagle is located on the bottom floor, but is only accessible from the outside. Create an entrance into the mall. People will be drawn out of Giant Eagle into the mall proper, and stores will be able to thrive down there again.
• Fun and games. Instead of a tiny little arcade, why not knock down a wall and create a *huge* arcade? There is a storefront full of unused arcade games (likely left over from the large arcade on the first floor) that could be put to good use, and there are also dead games sitting upstairs. If word got out that Parkway opened a massive arcade, kids would flock there. This could be VERY beneficial to both my hypothetical Auntie Anne's, and the Phantom of the Attic comic store.

Well, that's my two cents on the subject. I would definitely be willing to speak to someone in charge of the mall about my ideas, because I would love to help improve it wherever I can.