Stroud Mall
Stroud Mall is a regional shopping center in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, serving communities in the Poconos and nearby New Jersey.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Stroud Mall is a regional shopping center in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, in the Pocono Mountains region near the New Jersey border. The property is positioned beside Pennsylvania Route 611 and near Interstate 80's exit 305, giving it access to both local residents and visitors traveling through the broader Poconos area. Its tenant mix has historically combined department stores, specialty retailers, booksellers, jewelry stores, restaurants, entertainment, grocery retail, and furniture sales. The mall was proposed in 1976 through a joint development effort involving Hess's and Montgomery Development Company of Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. Early plans called for Hess's and a second department store to anchor the center, along with approximately 40 smaller retailers and a twin-screen cinema. Leasing activity began before construction was complete, with announced tenants including Endicott Johnson, DEB Shops, Kay Jewelers, Piercing Pagoda, Kinney Shoes, and B. Dalton Booksellers. Additional commitments followed, including Walden Books, Thom McAn, Foxmoor Casuals, and Stewart's. Hess's opened on July 29, 1977, ahead of the formal mall opening on March 2, 1978. J. C. Penney became the second major anchor and opened later in 1978 after signing its lease the previous year. The mall subsequently expanded its anchor base when Sears opened on August 3, 1994, as part of a reported $12 million expansion. Sears relocated from downtown Stroudsburg and became the center's only two-story anchor. The store's opening attracted local attention because it introduced what was described at the time as Monroe County's first escalator, with festivities that included an appearance by reigning Miss Pennsylvania Kirstin Deliz Border. The former Hess's location changed hands during the restructuring of the Hess's chain and was acquired by The Bon-Ton in 1994. Stroud Mall underwent another renovation in 2002. Its entertainment offering also changed substantially: the original seven-screen Loews cinema closed in December 2010, and a 12-screen Cinemark theater opened in November 2011. The center experienced further anchor turnover in the late 2010s. The Bon-Ton closed its Stroud Mall store in 2018 as the chain liquidated all of its locations. Sears announced in November 2018 that its Stroud Mall store would close by February 2019 as part of a nationwide closure plan. ShopRite subsequently opened in the former Bon-Ton space in November 2019, replacing its downtown Stroudsburg location. EFO Furniture Outlet opened on January 24, 2020, using the first floor of the former Sears space. J. C. Penney, ShopRite, and EFO Furniture Outlet are identified as the mall's principal anchors in the available reference material. Stroud Mall remains a local retail and service destination, although detailed current ownership, management, tenant rosters, and operating statistics are not established by the supplied sources.
History
Stroud Mall was conceived in 1976 as a shopping-center development for Stroudsburg and the surrounding Pocono region. The project was announced in May of that year as a joint effort between Hess's and Montgomery Development Company of Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. Initial plans envisioned Hess's as one anchor, a second department store, roughly 40 smaller shops, and a twin-screen cinema. The developers began signing tenants before the center opened, including Endicott Johnson, DEB Shops, Kay Jewelers, Piercing Pagoda, Kinney Shoes, and B. Dalton Booksellers. Walden Books, Thom McAn, Foxmoor Casuals, and Stewart's were among the additional retailers associated with the early leasing program. Hess's began trading on July 29, 1977. Stroud Mall itself opened on March 2, 1978, while J. C. Penney joined as the second principal department-store anchor later in 1978. The center was designed to draw customers from Stroudsburg, Monroe County, the wider Poconos, and nearby New Jersey communities. Its location along Pennsylvania Route 611 and close to Interstate 80 provided an important regional access advantage. A major expansion took place in the early 1990s. Sears, whose arrival had reportedly been discussed as early as 1990, opened on August 3, 1994, after a reported $12 million project. The retailer moved from downtown Stroudsburg and became the mall's only two-story anchor. Its opening was locally notable because the store included what was then described as Monroe County's first escalator. The event included an appearance by Kirstin Deliz Border, the reigning Miss Pennsylvania. In the same year, The Bon-Ton took over the former Hess's location as part of the purchase of stores connected with the breakup of the Hess's chain. The mall received another renovation in 2002. Its cinema component later changed operators and expanded capacity. The seven-screen Loews theater closed in December 2010, and Cinemark reopened the site in November 2011 with a 12-screen theater. This transition preserved cinema as part of the mall's entertainment mix while substantially increasing the number of screens. Anchor turnover accelerated in the late 2010s. The Bon-Ton ceased operations at the mall in 2018 when the department-store chain closed all of its stores. Sears announced in November of that year that its Stroud Mall location would close by February 2019, within a nationwide plan covering 40 stores. The former Bon-Ton space was subsequently reused by ShopRite, which opened in November 2019 and relocated grocery operations from downtown Stroudsburg. EFO Furniture Outlet opened on January 24, 2020, using the first floor of the former Sears building. The available reference identifies J. C. Penney, ShopRite, and EFO Furniture Outlet as Stroud Mall's anchors. The center's evolution illustrates the adaptation of a traditional department-store mall toward a more diversified regional-retail model, incorporating grocery and furniture uses alongside department-store shopping and cinema entertainment. Current ownership, management, detailed occupancy, and tenant information are not established in the supplied material.
- 2020
EFO Furniture Outlet opens
[1]EFO Furniture Outlet opened in the first-floor portion of the former Sears store on January 24.
- 2019
ShopRite opens
[1]ShopRite opened in the former Bon-Ton space and replaced its downtown Stroudsburg store.
- 2018
Bon-Ton closes
[1]The Bon-Ton location closed as the chain liquidated all of its stores.
- 2011
Cinemark theater opens
[1]Cinemark opened a 12-screen theater in November in the former Loews location.
- 2010
Loews theater closes
[1]The mall's seven-screen Loews cinema closed in December.
- 2002
Mall renovation
[1]Stroud Mall underwent a renovation, although the available reference does not specify its scope.
- 1994
Sears expansion opens
[1]Sears opened as part of a reported $12 million expansion and relocated from downtown Stroudsburg.
- 1994
Bon-Ton assumes former Hess's space
[1]The Bon-Ton replaced Hess's in the mall after acquiring stores during the Hess's chain breakup.
- 1978
Mall opens
[1]Stroud Mall opened on March 2, 1978. J. C. Penney joined as an anchor later that year.
- 1977
Hess's opens
[1]Hess's opened on July 29, 1977, ahead of the full shopping-center opening.
Products and positioning
A regional enclosed shopping center serving Stroudsburg, the Poconos, Monroe County, and nearby communities across the New Jersey border area. Its tenant strategy combines traditional mall retail with grocery, furniture, and cinema uses.
Department store · 1978
J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney has been associated with Stroud Mall since the center's development period and opened as a major anchor in 1978. Its department-store format provides apparel, accessories, home merchandise, and related general retail categories, although the available source does not provide a current department-level assortment.
Grocery retail · 2019
ShopRite
ShopRite opened at Stroud Mall in November 2019 in the former Bon-Ton space. The grocery anchor broadened the center's role beyond conventional mall shopping and replaced a ShopRite location in downtown Stroudsburg.
Furniture retail · 2020
EFO Furniture Outlet
EFO Furniture Outlet opened on January 24, 2020, in the first-floor portion of the former Sears anchor. It represents the mall's shift toward destination-oriented home-furnishings retail.
Cinema and entertainment · 2011
Cinemark
Cinemark operates the replacement cinema that opened in November 2011 after the seven-screen Loews theater closed. The new facility increased the location's capacity to 12 screens.
Brand decisions
2020
Reuse former Sears space for furniture retailStrategyBackground
Sears closed its Stroud Mall store after announcing a nationwide store-reduction program.
Action taken
EFO Furniture Outlet opened in the first-floor portion of the former Sears building on January 24, 2020.
Aftermath
The former department-store footprint was partially repurposed for destination home-furnishings retail.
2019
Convert former Bon-Ton space to grocery retailStrategyBackground
The Bon-Ton anchor closed in 2018 during the retailer's liquidation, creating a large vacant space.
Action taken
ShopRite opened in the former Bon-Ton premises in November 2019 and relocated its downtown Stroudsburg operation.
Aftermath
The mall added a grocery anchor and diversified its tenant mix beyond traditional department stores.
2011
Replace Loews with CinemarkProduct launchBackground
The existing seven-screen Loews theater closed in December 2010, leaving the mall without its previous cinema operator.
Action taken
A 12-screen Cinemark theater opened in November 2011 in the former theater space.
Aftermath
The cinema component returned with five additional screens and a new operator.
1994
Add Sears as an expansion anchorOtherBackground
The mall sought to expand its anchor lineup and capture shoppers who had previously used the Sears location in downtown Stroudsburg.
Action taken
A reported $12 million expansion was completed, and Sears opened on August 3, 1994, as a two-story anchor.
Aftermath
Sears became the mall's only two-story anchor and added a high-profile department-store presence.
Expansion cost. $12 million (1994)
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/stroud-mall · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled