STROUD TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- As Bon-Ton locations close, many malls will try to find replacement anchor stores.
A mall in Monroe County seems to have done that already.
It looks as though a ShopRite will be moving into the Stroud Mall.
The Bon-Ton store at the Stroud Mall expects to close by the end of the month. But the space might not be empty for long.
"Any store in the area would be great because it's very disheartening when the stores are closing down," said Elizabeth Mooney of Tannersville.
Newswatch 16 has obtained a letter to Stroud Township officials from an attorney for ShopRite. The letter says, "ShopRite will be operating a restaurant inside its brand-new ShopRite grocery store at the Stroud Mall."
"It would be great, another asset, another company. They have good prices. I do love ShopRite," Mooney said.
The letter requests approval to serve alcohol at a cafe inside the store and to sell alcohol to go.
"I guess it will be great. It will be convenient for the people that's in this immediate area," Essie Stroman said.
No one from the mall, the Bon-Ton, or ShopRite was able to talk with us on the record. However, one Bon-Ton store employee did tell us that the last day this Bon-Ton store will be open is April 29.
While some people like the idea of having a grocery store in the mall near Stroudsburg, others have concerns.
"I don't think it would be a good anchor for that mall at all. I don't usually like to go to the mall to do food shopping," Nicole Harris said.
We don't have details about when the ShopRite store could open at the Stroud Mall or how many employees it might have.
The company that owns ShopRite did not respond to our requests for comment before our story aired.
The mall manager told us it's too early to talk about any potential involvement with ShopRite.