After the Ames and Montgomery Wards had closed and the JC Penny moved to the Morgantown Mall, the Mountaineer mall was repositioned as a "discount mall". This is when Goodwill, Gabriel Brothers(now Gabes) and Walmart were opened. I think I took these around 2002-2004? I'm not sure.
1991 was the first time for me in West Virginia. I remember stopping at the Mountaineer Mall in Morgantown and home of the West Virginia University. Another planned stop for me was the Middletown Mall and the Martinsburg Mall both located in WV! At the time I was working for Crown American who was the developer of both these mall properties.
In those days and indicative of the times to come, about 50-stores remained in the Martinsburg Mall and far less in the Middletown Mall. Department stores were closing or leaving and especially in the already identified distressed or low performing Crown malls. Meanwhile in Middletown Mall Crown American was making room for a 100,000 square feet FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division, (CJIS ) and which came with a 20-year lease agreement. This was a boon for Crown American and added value. It was surly to spark new life into the surrounding area and much needed new employment and especially into the WV Fairmont area. But regardless, both Martinsburg Mall and Middletown Mall, maintained to be the lowest retail sales performers in the Crown American portfolio and times were about to get much worse.
The same I could gather from the Mountaineer Mall by having already lost all four of its anchors and experiencing a further ongoing erosion of its small retail stores. But what I most remembered was that the Mountaineer Mall common areas were simply spotless, extraordinarily clean, every light bulb lit, no water stains on the ceiling tiles and shiny floors like a mirror. Super clean restrooms. The attention to detail was mind-boggling. A cleaning condition Crown American could only dream about! What I also loved about the mall were the meticulously cared for wooden railings, the old brick facades, wooden planter boxes, original but vacant 15-year plus storefronts and vintage lighting fixtures.
While at the Mountaineer Mall I wanted to go for a highly recommended lunch at Lums and for a 'Fried Clam Basket or an Ollie-Burger' but they were unfortunately closed and long gone. So perhaps a Chinese Buffet will have to do and as was advertised all over the mall?
A "Hometown Mall" all the way!
Wooden railings and a very long ramp!
Glitzy clean all around!