Boscov's opened at 7 p.m. and BonTon at 8, leading stores within the mall to start early as well, Brian Molchany says.
While Thanksgiving came later than normal, the Palmer Park Mall opened earlier than ever as holiday shopping began at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving.
"The stores were buzzing with business," Brian Molchany, general manager at the Palmer Township mall and the South Mall in Allentown, said this morning. "We were busy last night from 8 o'clock until about 2:30."
With Boscov's open from 7 p.m. to midnight -- and then open again at 6 this morning -- and BonTon opening at 8 p.m. Thursday and staying open throughout today, many stores in the interior of the mall also opened early, he said.
"It was busy" at Palmer, he said. "A lot of stores ran door-buster sales. That really helped bring people in."
South Mall, which is anchored by BonTon and Stein Mart, opened at midnight and also did good business, Molchany said.
The opening times of stores within the malls were determined by their corporate offices, but about 50 percent of the stores at Palmer were open by 8 p.m., he said. Most of the stores were open by midnight and a few opened at 5 this morning, he said.
Molchany said he figures "avid" shoppers came out Thursday night, but another group got a night's sleep and are expected early this morning. And some of Thursday's shoppers, once they recover, are expected back today, he said.
"I think a lot of stores had traffic," but it will be up to their corporate parents whether they open on Thanksgiving next year, he said. The decision to open the mall between the anchors at Palmer enabled shoppers to go from Boscov's to BonTon without having to go outside, he said.
"We didn't mandate they open at 8," he said of the interior stores. "A lot of them jumped on board when they knew the majors were open."
As for the short shopping season going forward, the malls have extended hours, and, depending on the day, can open earlier or stay open later than normal. Molchany said.