Main Street
THE LEVITTOWN SHOP-O-RAMA

"When I was a toddler, this [shopping center] was the stage for our family’s Friday night payday ritual. While Mom purchased groceries at Food Fair, Dad would hoist me on his shoulders and take me for a sunset stroll …"
Levittown native David Diamond

During the 1950s, Levittown's commercial hub was the Shop-a-Rama, a 60-acre pedestrian mall featuring over 65 retailers and a variety of special events. For many residents, the shopping center was Main Street.

Customers stroll through the Shop-a-rama’s central concourse. [Bucks County Courier Times]

Levitt located his L-shaped pedestrian mall at the edge rather than the center of Levittown to make it less obtrusive for residents and more accessible to outside shoppers. When completed in 1955, it was the largest pedestrian shopping mall east of the Mississippi. Levitt favored chain retailers such as Food Fair, Pomeroys, Woolworths, Kresges and Sears. The center’s parking lot could accommodate 6,000 cars.

Stores…and So Much More

During the 1950s, the Shop-a-Rama hosted everything from traveling circuses and beauty pageants to political rallies. The Levittown Businessmen’s Association promoted the main shopping center as a community center.

An "elephant train" pulls two car-loads of children through the Shop-a-Rama. [Jerry Jonas]

Easter Day dress. [Urban Archives, Temple University]

The annual Easter Day Parade drew thousands to the Levittown shopping center. Families dressed in their Sunday best competed for prizes awarded by a panel of local judges.

"Miss Levitteen, 1957"

Miss Levitteen 1957 in full regalia. [Jerry Jonas]

With Levittown’s large population of teenagers, the annual competition for the title of Miss Levitteen was fierce. In 1957, the crown went to sixteen-year-old Nancy Nemeth. Her family had moved to Levittown from Hazleton a few years earlier.

The Levittown Shop-a-Rama played on the major-league baseball field adjacent to the mall. During the late 1950s, the club played in a semi-professional league against teams from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. (Note recently framed housing in the background.) [Rick Pursell]

A large crowd greets Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy in October, 1960. [Bucks County Courier Times]

The Shop-a-Rama’s large parking lot was an ideal place to stage a rally. During the hotly contested 1960 Presidential campaign, both major candidates stopped in Levittown, still a potent symbol of the new America. With its significant base of urban Democrats, Levittown helped shift the political balance in traditionally Republican Bucks County.

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