104,000-sq.-ft. entertainment center to fill J.C. Penney space at Willow Grove

PREIT’s cross-portfolio plan to fill departed anchor space with modern uses like medical centers and restaurant rows takes a different direction at its Willow Grove Park mall north of Philadelphia, which for 80 years was the site of an amusement park.

The company announced that Nickels and Dimes Incorporated has signed a lease for the emptied J.C. Penney store at the center and will turn the 104,000-sq.-ft. space into a Tilted 10 and Tilt Studio entertainment center. It will be the company’s first location in the Philadelphia metro.

Plenty will fill all that space, such as bowling alleys, a multi-level laser tag arena, black light mini-golf, bumper cars, virtual reality, and pinball games--all giving guests a chance at winning hundreds of different prizes.

"We throw a great party, and we believe that the region is going to respond very positively,” said Tilt Studio President Ron Kostelny.

Willow Grove’s market area, according to PREIT, holds 335,000 families who spend 15% more time playing arcade and video games than average Americans. Professional employment is strong in the region, the home of companies that include TEVA Pharmaceuticals, Prudential Financial, and Abington Health and 25% of household earn $100,000 or more per year.

The Willow Grove amusement park operated opened in 1896 and drew many visitors from Philadephia via the Route 6 streetcar line. It closed in 1976 and Willow Grove Park mall opened at the site in 1982.