NORTH MANHEIM TOWNSHIP -- Another mall is heading to the auction block. The Cressona Mall in Schuylkill County is scheduled to be up for sale next week.
A bank filed a federal lawsuit against the Cressona Mall in April when the mall was facing foreclosure and owed the bank almost $9 million. Now it seems the mall couldn't pay the money back and the place will go up for auction next week.
"People don't have the money to spend."
The mall owes the bank more almost $8.8 million. Since the owner hasn't paid back that money, the mall will likely go to a United States Marshal's sale next Thursday.
People who live in Schuylkill County and shop at the mall say they don't know who would buy the place along Route 61.
"I don't know anybody around here that can afford that. We're on a low income in this community here and we're just trying to build it back up," said Schuylkill Haven resident Robin Larson.
But this all means no one knows what's going to happen to the mall after next week.
"I would just really hate to see this go."
Helen Wingle says she used to use the mall as an indoor track, but over the years she's noticed more stores leaving and fewer coming in.
"When my husband was living, him and I used to come here and walk in the winter time because it was too cold out to walk at the dam."
A lot of people hope that if this places goes up for auction that things can still say the same, but those people also aren't feeling too confident about that.
"I hope somebody buys it and it stays open, but I don't really know, though."
"With the way the economy is going, maybe?" said Terrance Allsop of Ashland. "We don't know for sure, but we're hoping that it will stay."
The auction is scheduled for next Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Schuylkill County Courthouse.
We tried to reach out to the attorney in charge of the sale, but our calls were not returned. Right now, we're not sure what the starting bid for the mall will be.
