Alle-Kiski Valley shoppers lament closing of JCPenney in Frazer mall

Sandra Fitzsimmons enjoys shopping at JCPenney and sees it occupying a necessary place in retail — a step above Walmart, a step below Macy’s.

Fitzsimmons, of Allegheny Township, was outside the JCPenney at the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer on Friday, lamenting that the store is among four in Western Pennsylvania that the bankrupt retailer announced will be closing.

“People with middle incomes need a place to shop,” she said. “There’s nothing around. There’s just nowhere to go. It will be missed.”

In addition to Frazer, JCPenney stores at Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, Clearview Mall near Butler, and Beaver Valley Mall in Center Township are among 154 the company announced will be shuttered in a first round of store closings.

J.C. Penney Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May. The stores slated to close were chosen through an evaluation of retail footprint and an analysis of store performance, the company said.

Closing sales are anticipated to start at the 154 locations after a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Texas on Thursday. They are expected to take 10 to 16 weeks to complete.

J.C. Penney has a long history in the Alle-Kiski Valley. There once was a store in the 800 block of Fifth Avenue in New Kensington. It moved to Lower Burrell in 1962 and to the Pittsburgh Mills in 2005.

While the mall and many of its stores reopened Friday as the region moved into the green phase of Pennylvania’s covid-19 response, Penney’s remained closed, with “temporarily closed” signs posted on its doors and no indication of when it might reopen.

Bill Schaeffer of West Deer drove to the store to see if it was open Friday. He usually looks for deals on clothes.

“It’s the way the world’s going,” he said. “Everything’s online, especially after the pandemic.”

Fitzsimmons said she went to Penney’s Friday to see if it was open after stopping at Sam’s Club and Starbucks. She was hoping to buy makeup.

“I like to go there for Sephora and quick gifts,” she said, adding that the store’s location was convenient. “I love their coupons. I love their sales.”