A stretch of Richland Plaza in Quakertown that sat empty since the Bon-Ton department store closed in 2018 is filling back up, this time with a discount home improvement retailer offering closeout kitchen cabinets, flooring, and windows at deep markdowns. PA Home Surplus is opening a new storefront at 749 S. West End Blvd. in Richland Township, with an overstock sale running Saturday, September 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ahead of a grand opening the following Tuesday.
The Quakertown location is the fourth for PA Home Surplus, according to WFMZ, which reports the company also operates locations in Florida and upstate New York. The retailer is the sister business of PA Home Store, whose flagship showroom has served customers out of Feasterville for 15 years. That original store, founded by Steve Simmons, draws bargain hunters from across the Philadelphia region and beyond, and its inventory includes over 100 displayed kitchen cabinet styles, more than 200 in-stock bath vanities, custom granite countertops, and discounted molding and flooring, according to PA Home Store.
Per WFMZ, Simmons died in December, and his three sons have since taken over operations of the family business. The Richland Township building had actually been in use by the company for about a year already, serving as storage space for overstock goods before being converted into a retail storefront this fall.
A Long-Vacant Plaza Finds New Life
Richland Plaza's struggles trace back further than the Bon-Ton closure. The shopping center lost its 25-year-old Redner's Warehouse Market grocery store in September 2022, which accelerated the vacancy problem after Redner's had operated for years as a primary traffic-driving anchor alongside Bon-Ton. Bon-Ton itself had closed, further contributing to the vacancy problem.
By the time industrial real estate firm Velocity Venture Partners purchased the 225,000-square-foot plaza for $16.7 million, its vacancy rate had climbed to 90%, according to Philly Industrial Space. Velocity announced a $22 million redevelopment plan aimed at converting the property into a multi-tenant industrial site with warehouse distribution and specialty manufacturing tenants. The old Bon-Ton footprint has since been carved up among smaller tenants; local fitness business Relentless Iron relocated into another portion of that same space in spring 2024 after outgrowing its previous Quakertown location.
Discount retailer Ollie's Bargain Outlet and Pearle Vision Center remain active co-tenants in the complex, giving the plaza a lineup that leans toward bargain-seeking shoppers, according to Shopping Center Business. The plaza sits along South West End Boulevard.
What's on the Shelves
The overstock sale ahead of the grand opening includes closeout kitchen cabinets, luxury vinyl flooring priced at $1.49 per square foot, windows, and tiles, according to a PA Home Surplus Facebook post. The Quakertown store will also stock interior doors, tiles and backsplash, solid maple hardwood flooring, bathroom vanities, and complete kitchens available in around five different cabinet styles. Once fully open, the store will offer building materials and home improvement supplies alongside design services, mirroring the discounted premium materials PA Home has built its reputation on.
Rachel Styczynski, manager of PA Home Surplus, told WFMZ that the Quakertown opening feels emotional and has been a long time coming. Starting Tuesday, the store will operate 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Ahead of the launch, PA Home Surplus posted job listings for Sales Specialist positions in Quakertown, offering hourly wages between $18 and $22, according to Indeed. The company sought applicants with home design and customer service experience ahead of the September launch, while the shopping center continues working to recover from the retail vacancies left by Bon-Ton and Redner's.
