Wednesday July 9, 2025: There has been an “edge city” about 15 miles outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called “King of Prussia,” PA. It was originally named after the King of Prussia Inn, dating back to the 1700s. It has been currently known for its large shopping mall, the King of Prussia Mall, 160 North Gulph Road, King of Prussia, PA (610-265-5727). This has been the fourth-largest shopping mall in the USA, and it contained around 450 stores on three floors—including six anchor stores. It has also been the biggest money making mall in the Philadelphia area. For years, I noticed that this mall’s retail gave Center City Philly’s retail a run for its money, but nowadays, it could surpass Center City. The first part of the mall, The Plaza, opened in 1963, and the second part, The Court, opened in 1981. In 1995, both malls were owned by the same company, and a pedestrian bridge and walkway were added connecting both sections of the mall. For 2016, a new walkway on the third level, called “The Connector,” enclosed that part of the mall inside. Therefore, customers could now stay inside to walk from one section of the mall to the other. I have been to this mall a few times, and this has been the first time I saw The Connector. Because I have toured most of the mall in past visits, on the date above, I had lunch in the main food court, and later, walked through The Connector. This area included some very high-end stores where if I had to ask the price, I most likely couldn’t afford it, but it was interesting to glance around. The same applied to some of the anchor stores. Except for Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's, all of the other anchor stores I have seen in malls closer to me in New Jersey. I also saw Primark recently at Willow Grove Mall. (Primark is a budget store.) With a few exceptions, many of the regular mall stores have also been in malls closer to home. In King of Prussia Mall, however, there has been more upscale stores than any mall in the Philly area. (Cherry Hill Mall comes in second.) Anyway, this mall does have plenty of mid-priced stores and a few budget stores, but the majority of retail businesses have been upscale. Just the same, I do recommend a visit here, but wear your most comfortable walking shoes because this mall is huge in this place of glass and marble. You will be glad that you did!
