Shopping malls are going the way of landline telephones.

The convenience of online shopping, supercharged by the pandemic, have convinced many shoppers to abandon the cathedrals of consumerism. The result has been a steady number of mall closings.

Of the three malls closest to Northwest Philadelphia — the Court at King of Prussia, Willow Grove Park and Plymouth Meeting — only Plymouth Meeting has succumbed to the trend.

The economic implications of a mall closing are significant. But there are other, less obvious repercussions, especially for older adults. For them, malls are more than a place to shop. They are a place to socialize, share a meal with friends, or simply walk for their health, says Stephen Bleeker, chief executive officer and founder of Assurance Home Care.

“For many older adults, the mall quietly functioned as an informal wellness hub,” Bleeker said. “Losing these spaces will not only accelerate loneliness but also reduce daily movement for many.”

“Both of these things are very closely tied to cognitive and physical decline,” he added.

The first fully enclosed mall opened in 1956, according to History.com. The Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota, was the brainchild of Donald Dayton, owner of a department store. He wanted to find a way to “lure shoppers during frigid winters,” the website reports.

The 80,000-square-foot mall cost $20 million to build and housed 72 tenants, including a skating rink, a post office and grocery store.

Five years later in New Jersey, the Cherry Hill Mall opened, the region’s first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping venue. King of Prussia Mall was next in 1963, followed three years later by Plymouth Meeting Mall, according to the Hidden City website. The Court at King of Prussia opened in 1981. A year later, Willow Grove Park Mall opened its doors.

In the mid-1980s, America had 2,500 enclosed malls. They were the go-to place for “mall rats,” the name given to teens who hung out in the food courts. But as the century changed, so did shopping habits.

Department stores like Macy’s that anchored malls started seeing a decline of in-store shoppers. The trend grew with the 2008 recession.

By 2015, the number of malls fell by more than half to 1,200. Today, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are only 1,000 malls, according to Marketplace, a public media outlet covering business and the economy. Nick Egelanian, president of retail consulting firm SiteWorks, told the Wall Street Journal that in a decade there will be only 150 malls left in America.

Aside from Plymouth Meeting, which according to the MontcoToday website will be transformed into a “mixed-use town center,” the Court at King of Prussia and Willow Grove Park likely will survive the mass extinction. Both are considered “A” tier or “top performing” malls with good location and high-end stores.

The 6.2-million-square-foot Court has an enviable 2.3% vacancy rate, according to the King of Prussia District. Willow Grove in early 2026 had an occupancy rate somewhere between 88% and 96%, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

There is, however, an asterisk with Willow Grove. PREIT, owners of the mall, has a hefty chunk of the mall up for sale. According to PhillyVoice, as recently as last month PREIT was offering 62 acres to a buyer willing to take on debt from a $170 million loan. Macy’s, Cheesecake Factory, Nordstrom Rack, Sephora and an Apple Store are among the retailers included in those acres, according to the online news service.

Nina Mosier, a physician and founder of the non-profit Power for Parkinson’s, agrees that malls were an important part of social structure for older adults. But many older adults have migrated to online sites for workouts and community.

“Like their younger counterparts, seniors have moved online for many services, including exercise and community,” she said.

And yet, marketing research firm Circana found that Gen Zers (ages 18-29) like shopping in malls. According to Circana, 62% of Gen Z shoppers made “their general merchandise purchases in stores in 2025.” And USA Today reports that Gen Z shoppers “are craving in-person and social outlets over online shopping.”

Perhaps the reports on the death of malls may be just slightly exaggerated.