Century III tenants leaving mall after being given notice to vacate
Slowly but surely, the remnants of the ailing Century III Mall are emptying out.
Several tenants have been given a 30-day notice to vacate their stores and find a new home.
New Dimension Comics, which had been in the mall for about 15 years, was able to land quickly in a space at the Waterfront in Homestead.
“We put out a broadcast to our customers, friends; they all came out to help us pack up over the weekend,” said owner Todd McDevitt. New Dimension will still host the 3 Rivers Comicon in May, just shifting the venue from the West Mifflin mall to the former Macy’s at the Waterfront, he said.
“I had been a champion of that mall for years,” Mr. McDevitt said. “We’re a destination shop. Our customers will find us if we’re in a dark, secluded corner of a mall, which we were.”
He said no reason was given in the notice to vacate.
At 25,000 square feet, New Dimension’s Waterfront location is about 2½ times the size of the Century III spot.
But some shops are still searching for the right place to move. The owner of Century III Nails said he has been looking for a new location for some time.
“It’s very sad,” he said. “But what can you do?”
Earlier this month, Century III Mall was closed by West Mifflin officials who deemed it an “unsafe & uninhabitable structure,” after a bone-chilling cold snap damaged the mall’s sprinkler system. The shopping center was closed until the repairs were made.
The closure didn’t affect the two remaining anchor tenants — Dick’s Sporting Goods and J.C. Penney, because they have their own systems.
Shortly after, a bankruptcy judge said the mall’s owners could borrow up to $5 million to ensure it can continue operating
during its bankruptcy case and perform “maintenance and repairs reasonably necessary for continuing operations and/or preserving and maximizing the value of its estate,” according to court documents.
Century III Mall PA LLC, an affiliate of Las Vegasbased Moonbeam Capital Investments, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 3 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Western District of Pennsylvania to stave off a looming sheriff’s sale stemming from a legal dispute with Sears.
Another entity associated with Moonbeam Capital is offering the revolving line of credit. The lender is named as Columbia Place Mall SC LLC, which shares an address with Las Vegas-based Moonbeam. Moonbeam also lists Columbia Place Mall in South Carolina as one of its properties.
Though the 1.3 millionsquare-foot mall now sits nearly empty, Century III Mall once was a prime shopping destination. At its peak, it boasted 200 stores and restaurants. Moonbeam Capital bought the 40-yearold property for $10.5 million in 2013.
Moonbeam Capital did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Dick’s Sporting Goods also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesman for J.C. Penney in an email did not confirm whether the store received a notice.
He said that any future store closings would be shared on the company’s earnings call scheduled for Feb. 28.