Potential replacements for Big Lots have already reached out to mall owners

Submitted photo
The Big Lots store at the Mifflin County Commons, which is expected to close soon, opened in October 2022.
BURNHAM — The Mifflin County Commons has certainly gone through some changes since it opened in 1991. But its owners say it’s set up for a bright future in a difficult retail environment.
While one anchor – Giant Food Store – has been there since the beginning, other retailers who have come and gone over the years.
The Mifflin County Commons replaced Kmart, another one of its original anchors, with Hobby Lobby. It also added Big Lots in October 2022, but the discount retailer announced earlier this week that it planned to liquidate all of its stores nationwide amid Chapter 11 bankruptcy and a failed attempt to secure a new owner.
There have been other numerous stores that have come and gone over the past three decades — Sears Hardware, Fashion Bug, Radio Shack and Subway to name a few.
“We’ve been fortunate to have Giant Foods anchoring the center for a long time,” said Brian Gumberg, of LG Realty Advisors Inc. in Pittsburgh. The firm has owned and managed the Mifflin County Commons in Burnham since the beginning.
“Adding Hobby Lobby and Big Lots to backfill the former Kmart space was like a shot of adrenaline for the shopping center,” Gumberg added.
Gumberg will likely spend the holiday season searching for a replacement for Big Lots; however, interested parties have already reached out to him.
“Our goal is to find a large anchor to replace Big Lots,” he added.
Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rhonda Kelley believes the loss of a national retailer, like Big Lots, won’t deter other potential businesses from coming to Mifflin County.
“Although it is sad to see any store closing, in the case of Big Lots, it is no reflection on our local economy or lack of support of our community since the closings are nationwide,” Kelley explained.
“It will be exciting to see who moves into that prime location,” Kelley added.
More than 400 Big Lots stores have already been closed by the retailer in 2024, with the remaining ones set to hold going out of business sales in the coming days to protect the value of its estate, Big Lots said in a press release.
In 2024, three new stores opened at the Commons, filling almost all of the available vacant space. T-Mobile opened a new 2,000-square-foot full-service location in a space that formerly housed Radio Shack. As of Oct. 14, there are 5,773 T-Mobile stores across the United States, including 239 located in Pennsylvania.
Next door, Five Below has leased a 9,500-square-foot space and opened at the end of 2023. Five Below, which opened its first store in 2001 in Wayne, located in suburban Philadelphia, has grown to nearly 1,600 stores to date, as of April 14. There are 83 stores in Pennsylvania.
In the parking lot for Big Lots and Hobby Lobby, Starbucks constructed a 2,300-square-foot free-standing location, which opened in the first part of 2024. As of July 1, 2024, Starbucks had more than 38,000 in 80 countries, with 16,681 in the United States.
Finally, the Shoe Dept. took over a 4,500-square-foot space that formerly belonged to the Friendship Bookstore. The Shoe Dept. carries branded family footwear for men, women and children and is one of the shoe stores operated by Shoe Show Inc., an American footwear retailer based in Concord, N.C. The other brands include Shoe Show, Shoe Dept. Encore, Burlington Shoes, Shoe Show Mega and Shoebilee!
The company was founded in 1960 by Robert B. Tucker and has more than 1,150 locations nationwide. It acquired Burlington Shoes in 1986, Altier Shoes in 1993 and Shoebilee! in 2002. In the early 2000s, the company began opening Shoe Dept. Encore stores, which are larger than the regular Shoe Dept. stores.
“Since Kmart closed its doors in December 2016, we’ve been dedicated to transforming the shopping experience at Mifflin County Commons,” Gumberg said.
“The addition of Hobby Lobby and Big Lots as new anchors has allowed us to attract top-notch in-line tenants, including Five Below, T-Mobile, and Shoe Dept,” Gumberg added. “We’re also excited to have Starbucks as part of our diverse mix.”
There will be at least one more announcement in the coming months as a new anchor tenant is expected soon.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding to receive positive feedback from the community and contribute to the growth of Mifflin County,” Gumberg said.
He hopes that translates into at least another successful 30 years or more.