Priscilla of Boston Closure: Another High-End Hit for Suburban Square

But the unique shopping center is in demand, its GM says, and more than 95 percent full.

For a decade or two now, corporations have been as layered as a tiered, ruffled, A-line wedding dress with a chapel-length train and a mantilla-style veil. So despite the economy, it’s no wonder that the demise of a store like Priscilla of Boston is tough to figure—it has an impeccable 65-year pedigree among Beantown bluebloods and was Grace Kelly’s designer of choice for her wedding gown. And since its arrival in late 2009, it has had apparent success on the Main Line at Suburban Square. “Actually it was quite a surprise for us that they were closing all the Priscillas,” said Mark Bachus, Suburban Square’s general manager. “They did quite well here, and they had a really strong brand.” But Priscilla of Boston in 2011, compared to its …

• Photos (6)

If Walls Could Talk

Suburban Square: A Constant For Many Decades, Responding to Fashion and Food Trends

"If Walls Could Talk" takes a look at a longtime consistent shopping hot spot, one that has been changing the way Main Liners spend their cash for over 80 years.

It has been there since before the Great Depression, through World War II, the consumer and baby booms of the '50s and '60s, the rapid expansion of the suburbs, and the various national economic recessions that have come and gone through all of it. Suburban Square has always been the "it" place to shop. But in 1927, residents of Ardmore were up in arms when the shopping center was being developed. An increase in traffic was a major concern, which is maybe not a big surprise today, when citizens get cranky about a lack of parking spots when dropping by the Ardmore Farmer's Market to pick up a last minute dinner. The popularity of this favorite shopping Mecca might be nationally overshadowed by the nearby King of Prussia Mall, but locals …

• Photos (10)