The Marketplace at Steamtown

It’s a ghost town. Reminiscent of the mall in Dawn of the Dead, minus the zombies. The food court is simply a court. On the plus side, it’s easy to find parking, and for that i give two stars.

Most of the stores here are empty. The parking garage is handy when I’ve gotta do something else in Scranton.

Not much to say about this place. Went in to look for a bathing suit because I was staying at a hotel not too far away. The only store that sold them was Boscov’s which wanted no less than $ 100.00. That was a negative for me. Just wasn’t happening. They had a few good other sales. Most of the stores in the mall were not open. The mall is still under construction. Not a mall I would return to unless they opened more stores.

Almost but not quite dead. i understand that there have been some political issues at work that have caused nearly all of the shops to close down. It’s kind of sad to see.
Plenty of parking in the garage, likely because there’s no one shopping here.

Since the disney store left the mall it has fallen apart. GameStop And f.y.e left I don’t go any more. The stores that are there are ok if you like hallmark or hot topic. There is also a department store which is ok. There is a new owner who wants to make major changes to the mall. There is also a model train display and library. All in all the mall is mediocre. I hope it can go back to the way it was in the good old days.

The Mall at Steamtown within the last few years has become extremely controversial due to its foreclosure and sale. When it was built, the mall was not a bad idea, and in an area that needed revitalization. What buried Steamtown was aside from the areas poor economy, Scranton did not revitalize and construction cost too much. Shopping changes that also contributed include the buildup of the area around the Arena in Wilkes-​Barre Township, Dickson City’s build up, and the incredibly bad idea that became the Shoppes At Montage.
When exploring the mall, the current situation is sad. I can remember when almost every storefront was occupied and Steamtown was constantly crowded. The 1^st floor has some businesses and I was shocked to find an open Hot Topic, but gets emptier down by the former Bön-​Ton. The former Bön-​Ton is still empty, with no signs of improvement. During other Steamtown visits I’ve made in the last few years, the 2^nd floor was already an issue, but is now virtually empty. Construction was going on at the former Boscov’s Furniture Outlet (Outlet moved to a smaller storefront) due to a future Gym opening. What could be the saddest is the food court, with two open restaurants (Pizza and Subway), and an arcade with what appeared to be several dead machines.
The Mall at Steamtown has some hope left, but it’s going to be a challenge. Building is in decent shape aside from the known parking garage issues at the former Bön-​Ton. Al Boscov took far too much blame for the malls foreclosure, as too many factors changed for the mall to be successful at its cost, and he did everything to keep it open. Why The City of Scranton or The University of Scranton didn’t buy Steamtown for office space/​dorm space/​class room space is beyond me, it was a great opportunity missed. Will John Basalyga succeed at saving the The Mall at Steamtown? Unfortunately, I doubt it. They can’t even keep the mall website updated.

I’ve been to Steamtown Mall a few times while visiting Scranton. It’s not many stores to draw you inside. Boscov’s, Express, & VS are the stores to fulfill your shopping needs. Steamtown Mall has a lot of potential but it needs a facelift. Popular department stores and chain restaurants renting space would bring out the potential. Hopefully, potential is reached at Steamtown Mall.

Aside from a brief appearance on an episode of the NBC series «The Office,» there is no reason to visit this mall. I went on a Monday at 2:30 and most stores were closed. Food court only has a subway and one pizza place.

THE HAIR PALACE @ Steamtown
Not bashing the Mall itself but HAIR PALACE… downstair near Starbucks and across from the elevators.
Terrible service. Ruined my hair. Had to go to another salon and pay to have their cut fixed. Swiped my card before I could say I wasn’t satisfied (saw I was crying) and now refuse to compensate in any way other than another haircut. Refuse to give me managers name or a way to contact. Have no hair left for them to cut (went from 5″ below my shoulders to 3″ above and no bangs).
Would never recommend and will never return!

It’s a shame about this place, because it could be a really nice mall. At best it’s a boring, uninspired and bland commercial center, and at worst it’s a failed wasteland.
The food court in particular has been abandoned, and I think I saw perhaps one restaurant open. Judging from my trip on a Saturday, about a quarter of the stores in the rest of the mall are closed. The ones that are left are nothing special, just run of the mill stuff.
Its unique location and cleanliness would typically lead to success, but this mall has mostly failed. I’d say avoid if possible. The best thing about it is dollar vending machines for soda, and a booming Starbucks. Not much else is going on.

Not going to bash the mall for it’s lack of stores. I hope it comes back together. I loved coming here.
Today I was here and decided to stop shopping at the «A Dollar» store. It is just too much of a hassle asking for prices on things that aren’t priced that I think should be a $ 1 because that is what it costs at our local Dollar Tree just to find out the item is much more. Many older people are confused about the prices. I like prices on things. I don’t like to be surprised at the register.

Stopped here and there are virtually no stores open. Only department store was Boscov’s. All stores are up for lease. No Hollister, Abercrombie, Express or Limited.
A beautiful mall wasted !:(

Well I got here before the mall opened. It was –8 degrees outside, I had time to kill and wanted to go for a walk. Thought I would be a mall walker for the day. Well the mall is very small, so I had to do a few laps just to get something in.
Also there are not very many shops. I’d say is you are in the area and need to go to a specific shop they have great. I would not recommend if you want to get a decent mall walk in or do a shopping day.

Depressing. Used to be a pretty cool mall. I worked there as a teen. Food court is half-​empty. So many vacant storefronts. Tenants don’t last. Too many hoodrat kids. I like the Nail Trix nail salon, though, and Dori and Helen at the Unisex Palace do good 60s hairdos (yes, I’m weird.). Rumor has it that this mall may be going into foreclosure. Maybe they need some tenants who don’t have presence in this area.

We needed to find a post-​office with late hours (to return a back-​seat full of unwanted Christmas presents) and Google indicated that the Steamtown Mall had one open until 7:00PM. We were grateful for such a place … until we entered the mall.
Now, one if hesitant to refer to Romero’s «Dawn of the Dead,» but that’s pretty much what this mall looks like. Almost no stores remain in this once-​beautiful facility. The shops have mostly been boarded up. And, in the worse-​case scenario, replaced with stores that attract «unsavory» characters (like the «Tobacco and Lottery» store … that is not a joke … it is real). It’s like Detroit … but in Scranton.
The food court has three stalls still open … the rest are permanently shut down and a few have these grotesque black curtains drawn over them … funeral parlor style. (See photo provided). Instead of upbeat music, there was dead silence and the inescapable sense of doom. Seriously, it felt like zombies were going to come streaming from behind the black curtains at any second. Creepy. We did not dream of eating here (we’ve played Left for Dead … we know how these kind of things work).
I could tell you that it is «depressing» (who would think that American Eagle, Bön-​Ton, abercrombie kids, and countless other stores would just disappear), but what it really seems is «dangerous» (in all seriousness). Now, there is plenty of security present and they are completely alert (I commend them for this!) but it seems that they are genuinely outnumbered by the riff-​raff who are hardly there to shop.
In no way is this mall «family-​friendly» anymore … and, do not go here with memories of «The Office.» I did not see any reminders of that show in the mall (as the older pictures here indicate). We will never, ever return.
For a safer, more vibrant environment, visit The Viewmont Mall or The Wyoming Valley Mall (neither are spectacular, but both do have more open stores).

The Mall at Steamtown was a decent way to spend an hour on Boxing Day in Scranton visiting with the SO’s fam for the holidays. While not a «mall person,» I did appreciate a few very nice things here, such as free parking (holiday special?), the Irish store (get your Irish sweaters!), the sports memorabilia place, and Boscov’s department store (definitely the highlight – check out the As Seen on TV Section).
On the odder side, I observed multiple tax-​related storefronts, including a local tax payment office, as well as accountants operating out of the mall. Wow, Scranton, you’re really serious about tax collection! The food court looked OK – there was even an ethnic food counter (African/​soul food, I think). Thanks to the SO’s ‘rents, I was fuller than the Post Office on April 15 (taxes!), so I passed, but it looked interesting.
On a sadder note, our visit dovetailed with the closing of the Bön-​Ton, Steamtown’s version of Macy’s. Bön-​Ton, I hardly knew yee, but your demise made me think of small-​town and Midwestern decline. The space looked desolate, with fire-​sales and haphazardly organized stock – whatever was left of it, anyway. Even the retails shelves were tagged for sale. Hopefully another mega-​store will take its place, continuing a great American tradition.
Malls!

Dont’ stop here if you are looking for something to eat as their food court is minimal with hot dogs, chicken & waffles, and a subway. They do have a nice Starbucks at the front entrance.
They do not have a good place for toddlers as their playground is better for ages 5 – 10. Their play area is like the slides you would find at McDonalds playground. They do have a tiny children’s museum where for $ 3, a child could play with educational toys. But you also have to pay as an adult $ 3 to enter. The mall has seen better days as numerous stores are out. This wasn’t what we hoped for when we stopped in Scranton. We just needed a place for a toddler to crawl around and play for 30 – 60 minutes and they did not have it here. I would walk down the street if you are hungry as well. Free parking in the garage was one plus after spending a week paying for parking in Boston.

Dear Steamtown Mall,
I recall when you opened in 1993; it was an amazing event.
I recall busy weekends and lots going on in the middle 90s. A parking garage so full there was no room except for on the street several blocks away.
This morning marked my first time back since around 1999 or so. Wow! You really let yourself go. Nearly no national retailers whatsoever. A food court that is essentially empty. Roma Pizza still there, been there forever, two or three other vendors.
A tax office. .. it is a bad sign when offices are starting to move into retail.
This place has just a few more years in it, and it to will be gone. Might be better as a bunch of executive sites or some thing along those lines.
Cannot believe that the management let this place go, once championed as a $ 100 million urban shopping center.

Reminds me of Union Station back in St Louis, but with more shops.
As far as the food court goes, your choices are very limited (I think 3 or 4 choices tops), but there is also a nice sit down restaurant.
There is a starbucks for those of you craving coffee, a hair salon, and a nail place. Oh did I mention there is a library on the upper level that doubles as a bookstore? Also, if you need to pay property tax, there is a place for that as well.
Not a bad mall at all, just a little out dated, but still great for shopping.
Nice place to get away on a hot day.

We did not get to explore this mall much other than the exterior and the Starbucks but one big thing comes to mind… 1982 called and it wants it’s mall back!
Old, outdated, and just blah. I will say the Bön Ton had some attractive catchy things in the window but that was about it. I am sure there are better areas/​places to shop in Scranton. I guess if you are in town and in a mind and need to go somewhere, this will suffice though.