From Franklin Mills to Philadelphia Mills: The Evolution of a Retail Giant

Philadelphia Mills is the second largest mall in Pennsylvania after the King of Prussia Mall, which is also serves the Greater Philadelphia region. It was built late in the mall boom in 1989 as Franklin Mills, and the long, zigzag layout of the single-story mall corridors was meant to mimic a lightning bolt, recalling the famous experiment of the man who it was named after. Benjamin Franklin’s discovery using a kite and a key to attract lightning also was referenced in the mall’s original logo, which featured a red kite and a lightning bolt. Until 2012, there was even a huge animatronic Ben Franklin head that would tell the time in the grand court.

Franklin Mills was renamed Philadelphia Mills in 2014 after it came under the ownership of Simon Property Group, which controls over 150 malls and outlets across the United States including the King of Prussia Mall. Current anchor tenants include AMC Theaters, Marshalls, and Burlington, but in the past have included mall staples like Sears, JCPenney, and Boscov’s. Estimates of how many stores are in the mall vary between 125-200. While there are definitely areas of the mall that feel empty due to tenant vacancies, there’s more than enough variety to justify a visit for avid shoppers, and empty liminal pockets that appeal to dead mall enthusiasts.

As a more modern shopping center – one that received a major facelift in the past decade, no less – Philadelphia Mills doesn’t have the nostalgic charm of a retro mall, but that doesn’t mean that the quintessential enclosed mall experience is missing. Storefronts protrude from the side of the narrow corridors in an attempt to mimic a street lined with shops, and the frequent ramps, plants, and skylights are distinctive. Only time will tell how much of a part of American retail enclosed malls will remain, of even if they will remain a part, but their indelible imprint on American culture will be felt for decades either way.