WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The Wyoming Valley Mall has been closed, and the reopening has been put on hold one week to the day after it lost electricity. The problem centers on underground power lines damaged last Wednesday.
28/22 News spoke with many people who came here expecting doors to be open.
Electrical crews tell 28/22 News they are working to restore power, but the mall will be closed Wednesday and Thursday at least.
Crews are working to restore power to the Wyoming Valley Mall and surrounding businesses that have been shut down since last Wednesday.
"I pulled up to the parking lot and saw it was empty, and I didn't even think it was closed. Just a typical weekday," Aiden Bonner from McAdoo said.
The Luzerne County all lost power on June 25.
Bonner and his two friends had plans to eat lunch at K-Pot Korean BBQ and Hot Pot on Wednesday until they pulled into the parking lot.
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"You know, we were so excited to come to K-Pot, it would be my first time. I hear it is quite the experience. Just got laid off from our job yesterday, this was going to be the celebratory dinner. I'm just holding it together, we are going to pivot, you know," Wilkes-Barre resident Chris Buckley explained.
Crews spent the day working on restoring power to Firestone Complete Auto Care, the third business outside the mall to go dark.
Ashley Furniture and Crunch Fitness have since reopened thanks to generators.
Across the street is Grotto Pizza Restaurant, which didn't lose power, but feels for the others that did.
"It's a shame there isn't much more going on over there. It's no doubt it is a traffic trap, and the employees over there, and there were a lot of people who worked at that mall that would be customers of ours as well," Tony DeCosmo, Director of Marketing at Grotto Pizza Restaurant, expressed.
Wyoming Valley Mall remains closed after a week long power outage issue
In addition to the stores, several restaurants inside the mall are also impacted.
The owner of Dino's Pizza, who was unavailable for an on-camera interview, tells 28/22 News it's been a big loss in business, and the mall hasn't said much about when they can expect to be back open.
Dozens of people stopped by for the mall's Fourth of July sale.
"Especially with the sale going on, I think that was a big attraction for them to get more attraction than there has been," Jason Webber from Beaver Meadows commented.
"I remember when I was younger, the mall was the place to be, very lively. The mall is kind of just an air-conditioned place to walk around to get your steps in, a lot of uncertainty everywhere," Buckley added.
The mall will be closed on Thursday too.
Crews are hopeful power will be restored by the Fourth of July, but couldn't tell 28/22 News when the mall expects to re-open.
