T
he 33,000‑sq‑ft Phoenixville shopping center at 785 Starr St. sold for almost $7.4 million in late November, according to Chester County records. The transaction was between two limited‑liability companies: a Malvern‑based investor sold the property to a Glen Mills‑based buyer. The deal was first reported by the Philadelphia Business Journal.
The complex sits on 3.7 acres near the corner of Nutt Road and Starr Street, about a mile from Phoenixville’s main drag. Built in 2007, it was previously sold in 2018 for $6.35 million and originally purchased in 2006 for $325,000. The center is anchored by a corporate Acme store, which remains with the seller and continues to drive traffic to the other tenants.
Current occupants include Benchmark Federal Credit Union, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Fresenius Kidney Care, Labcorp, NovaCare Rehabilitation, State Farm, a martial arts gym, a dry‑cleaning shop, and several quick‑service restaurants. “The closing underscores the strength of essential‑service tenants, 100 % occupancy, and robust tenant performance,” said Scott Woodard, senior director of investments at Marcus & Millichap, who represented the seller alongside Derrick Dougherty, senior managing director of investments. Woodard noted Phoenixville’s projected population growth and proximity to major anchors like Acme make the property a stable long‑term asset.
Phoenixville, once a decaying steel town, has rebounded over the past two decades. Its restaurant and bar scene has flourished, Bridge Street buzzes on weekends, and luxury apartments attract both millennials and empty‑nesters to the 3.8‑sq‑mile borough. The town’s population rose 9 % from 2020 to 2024, climbing from roughly 16,000 in 2010 to over 20,000 today. The Acme‑anchored center lies just inside Phoenixville’s limits, near the Schuylkill Township border and close to Valley Forge National Historic Park.
The sale coincided with grocer Jeff Brown’s purchase of a 98,000‑sq‑ft Northeast Philadelphia complex, anchored by a ShopRite, for $30.8 million.
