Pittsburgh's Unexpectedly Thriving Mall Is A Trendy Pennsylvania Gem With Bustling Shops And Restaurants

By most accounts, malls are dying. Once a ubiquitous feature of the suburban American landscape, the number of malls nationwide has declined from around 25,000 in 1986 to an estimated 1,200 at the end of 2025. Mall closures are so common that almost 70% of Americans live within an hour of a dead mall, and visiting abandoned malls has become a popular pastime for urban explorers. But Pittsburgh has always been a bit behind on trends. While the city's shopping centers aren't immune to failure, as evidenced by the sorry state of the near-empty Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills, other local malls are thriving. Foremost among them is Ross Park Mall, which continues to grow and attract crowds of shoppers while other malls flounder.

Ross Park Mall is in the North Hills, about nine miles north of downtown Pittsburgh and just east of the charming suburb of Franklin Park. It opened in 1986, at the peak of mall culture, and quickly established itself as a destination commercial center that drew shoppers from neighboring Ohio as well as Western Pennsylvania. It was so influential that it changed the economic development of Pittsburgh's northern suburbs, pulling traffic to McKnight Road and away from the small towns along the more rural Route 19. But what's surprising about Ross Park isn't its origin story — it's the fact that it's still going strong 40 years later. As of the latest investor report, it boasted a 97.9% occupancy rate, with more than 150 stores across 1.24 million square feet of retail space, including over 25 retailers that are unique to the Pittsburgh market. Its reputation as a high-end shopping destination is part of what has kept people coming back, but the true reason for Ross Park Mall's ongoing success isn't just the luxury goods it offers.

When malls were rising in popularity during the 1970s, they served a practical purpose. People saw them as an enclosed evolution of the traditional Main Street, a place to buy necessities like groceries and clothes or to find services like doctors' offices and barber shops. But today, roughly a quarter of Americans do the majority of their shopping online, and while brick-and-mortar stores have seen a resurgence in popularity in 2026, expectations for those stores have shifted. As Legacy Realty Pittsburgh CEO Herky Pollock explains, "Now the consumer, when they go out, they're looking for experience over anything else."

This is where Ross Park has consistently outperformed other malls in the region. In 2000, when the popularity of malls was just starting to wane, Ross Park invested $14 million into renovations that included adding a kids' play area. This was followed by a 32,000-square-foot expansion in 2008 to accommodate Nordstrom as a new anchor, a move that also attracted other high-end retailers like L.L. Bean and Tiffany & Co. Most recently, the mall filled the empty anchor space vacated by Sears with a Dick's House of Sport, adding active entertainment like a 30-foot climbing wall, golf simulators, and an outdoor track and sports field to the things it offers shoppers when it opened in 2024. Around the same time, it expanded the food court and brought in stores like Alo Yoga and Aritzia that don't exist elsewhere in Pittsburgh.

In short, Ross Park has evolved with the times and continued to invest in keeping its facilities up-to-date and aligned with what people actually want from a mall today. It's not just a place to shop. It's also a hub for dining, entertainment, and services that you can't get shopping online from home.

Ross Park Mall currently has four anchor stores (Nordstrom, Macy's, JCPenney, and Dick's House of Sport), along with a varied mix of smaller specialty shops. It has a similar spirit to the Walnut Street shopping corridor in the Shadyside neighborhood, but with a lot more options to choose from. These include luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Burberry, along with more down-to-earth fashion retailers like Chico's, lululemon, and H&M. You can buy more than clothes, too. From toy stores like the LEGO Store or Build-A-Bear Workshop to home décor from popular brands like Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, odds are high you can find what you're looking for at Ross Park.

Part of what has kept Ross Park Mall vibrant is that it has more than just places to shop. If you're in need of some pampering, you can book an acupressure and reflexology session at Home Spa, relax with a facial at Green Biotics spa, get a manicure at Europe Nails, or head to Sola Salon for a massage or Aura Japanese Head Spa treatment. There are other services at Ross Park, too, from holiday character photo ops for the kids to more practical services like tailoring, jewelry repair, and eye exams.

When you're hungry, Ross Park Mall goes beyond the typical food court (though it has mall staples like Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's, too). Along with American classics like The Cheesecake Factory, you can send your taste buds south of the border at Yallah Chicken & Taco or Plaza Azteca, or get Asian flavors at Sarku Japan or China Mi. There's even a storefront from Pittsburgh-based distillery Wigle Whiskey if you need a stiffer drink to recover from all that shopping.