Going Back to KOP... Twice Actually

Today's photos came from not one but 2 trips to King of Prussia (and a little bit of stuff in between). If you'll remember, my last few posts also had some KOP in them too. I don't why I went there 4 times in a month (I know one was because of the driver's test, and another because we were getting an old car appraised before we sold it. The other 2 are anybody's guess.), but I'm enjoying posting these photos.

 Lone Star/Plaza Azteca, KOP
This survived as a Lone Star until around 2010. Plaza Azteca, a small-ish Mexican restaurant chain moved in shortly afterward. They redid the exterior, but interestingly kept Lone Star's façade shape.
In case you haven't heard, Lone Star closed down its final location in March.

 Wawa, KOP

I posted this exterior picture a few years ago. I was here again more recently and got some interior photos. Ironically, I forgot to get another of the outside. So now I'm reposting my 2014 one. This location first opened in the 80's, and was perhaps the very first classic-style Wawa to be given a variation of the current style façade (this happened in 2012). Strangely, they kept the original color scheme.

The interior's a little disappointing, nothing too unusual here, just Wawa's 2010 décor in a typical old-layout store. One thing of note is the lighting, this is the only Wawa I've ever seen with 4-foot slotted-shade lights. The original ones would have had flat plastic shades, and the ones usually used with this décor were mostly opaque with rounded plastic over the bulbs.

 Like most of the older Wawa's, this one doesn't go too far back.

 Sears/Dick's, KOP
I posted a picture of this place not too long ago, but I have another so why not stick it up as well?

 Gerhard's Appliance Remodeling, Frazer, PA
This was a pretty unremarkable store before the new façade went up. The new look isn't anything special, but the place stands out quite a bit more now.

 Thrift Drug/Eckerd/Rite Aid, Frazer, PA
I got these pictures a few weeks after the store closed. I was expecting Giant to expand into the space since not only is the roof the same height as theirs, but they went back the same depth too. Instead, it became a dentist's office. I'm disappointed.

 Looking in through the door, which at the time was the only door in the building. Not much has happened between closure and when I got these photos.

 Guernsey Cow/DNB, Exton
I've already done a detailed write-up on this place, but like with Dick's, I had another picture I thought I might as well share.

 Shoppes at Brentwood Remodel, Exton
I was surprised to see this place getting a new façade already, it really didn't look that outdated beforehand. From this side, the only thing changed so far was the awning coming off...

 ...but where RadioShack used to be, they tore the front off the building. By the time they had finished renovations, the foundation, side, and back walls were the only original parts left. It's little enough I'm gonna classify it as a rebuild.

 Gulf/Starbucks & Wayback, Lionville
This was a Gulf station originally, which was split between a Wayback Burgers and Starbucks around 2004. Wayback closed in 2017, with Starbucks following suit earlier this year. I was surprised to see the Starbucks close, and am left wondering if they were forced out to make way for something new.

 Winner's Circle Construction
Now that the demolition work is complete, they're beginning to patch up what's left of Winner's Circle. This building looks kinda weird now that it's down to half its original size and no longer symmetric.

Salon, Exton, PA
I may have posted a photo of this in the past, but don't remember exactly. To err on the side of caution, I posting again(?). I thought this was an interesting looking building. It sits on a decently-sized chunk of land and was recently sold to a local shopping center developer, so I don't expect this to be around much longer. Last I drove by, the salon was still in operation but they could just be riding out a lease.

 RIP KOP JCP
Good news: I went through and got several photos of the King of Prussia JCPenney before they closed.
Bad news: They came out awfully. I had to weed out half of them because they were too bad to post.

 I remember this store was given some pretty extensive renovations back in 2012, which between that and being in one of the most successful malls in the country had given me a false sense of security. It was a little shocking to see it on the closure list. This is a sure sign the company's in deep trouble.

 I was here pretty early in the liquidation, so it was still decently stocked and not in total disarray yet.

 It's a shame I caught some guy's arm in one of the better pictures from this visit. Yes, I said better. I'm holding this trip to some extremely low standards.

 This was a pretty short-lived appliance department. If I remember correctly, they only started selling appliances in 2016. They stopped again last year, but that was already after this store closed.

 Overall, it was a pretty good-looking JCPenney. I'm not sure who else could move in, but I'm really hoping someone does and this doesn't get torn down for apartments.

 It's not often you see boxes on display in the middle of the aisle during liquidation. These usually seem to be the first thing to clear out.

 When Exton's JCPenney closed, they sold off the chandeliers in the fixture sale. I was hoping I could score one of these here, but they weren't in the sale.

 Somehow the tile here avoided being pulled out in 2012. As a result, this part of the store doesn't feel as modern as the rest of it did.

 Clothing. I think the lighted area between the two ceiling heights was a neat touch.

 I forget what department this was, but it was already closed and curtained off. I have a feeling it was something valuable they didn't want to slash prices on.

Charlotte Russe, KOP
This location was still sporting the old logo up through 2017. I was wondering why what must be one of their top locations never got the update. I found out next visit that Simon apparently wanted them out. It was closed and remodeled into something else not long after I got this picture. I think when the KOP location of a chain closes, it's a guarantee they're struggling. The rest of the chain closed last month.

Today's song is another one of my favorites. Earlier today one of my roommates and I went to a thrift store that had a great deal on 45's (25 cents per record or five for a dollar! [I may or may not have gotten 23 of them and then paid in coins.]) and I found this. Of course I bought it, but then once I got it back it was too dirty to play right. So today you and I both are going to rely on YouTube to hear it right.