With light fare food and locally sourced beverages, Barley Creek Tasting Room and Pub is the go-to place at Pocono Premium Outlets for shoppers to take a break and unwind. It's an extension of Barley Creek Brewing Company up the road. “It’s a satellite location, which allows us to introduce more people to our brand,” said Trip Ruvane, owner.

Owner Trip Ruvane is excited to hear the newly-renamed Pocono Premium Outlets, formerly known as the Crossings Premium Outlets, will undergo multi-million dollar renovations this year, updating every square foot of the property. “As a tenant, any time your landlord says they're about to make your facility look better, I’m all for it,” he added.

The full-scale renovation includes parking and walkway improvements, new directory signs and kiosks, LED lighting throughout, refurbished restrooms, a food truck pavilion, centralized play area, benches, outdoor dining, shaded areas, and more.

Pocono Premium Outlets became a shopping destination in the Pocono Mountains in 1992. “We’re basically doing a refresh and creating, I think, a more elevated sense of place throughout the property,” explained Peter Poruczynski, VP of Architecture & Design, Simon Property Group.

“And with that will be some new retailers that come in, and we now have a full program of weekend events and entertainment,” added John Ferreira, general manager of Pocono Premium Outlets.

Despite the decline of malls and increased desire for online shopping, Pocono Premium Outlets remains a popular destination for locals and visitors alike, with more than 100 brand name and designer outlet stores offering everyday savings up to 65-percent off, plus local spots like Barely Creek.

“A lot of focus in the last several years has been on the rise of online retail, but to have the in-person shopping experience where you can get something same-day at a brick-and-mortar retailer is still very important. It's not the online folks who are employing local residents and investing in the local economy, it's the brick-and-mortar stores. We’re excited to see that continue to grow and improve,” said Taylor Munoz, manager of Pocono Township.

Conveniently located off Interstate 80 in Tannersville, Pocono Premium Outlets is close to other attractions such as Camelback Resort, Great Wolf Lodge, and Mount Airy Casino Resort.

“This is one of the premiere products in the Pocono Mountains and 30 million folks are visiting us each year, especially folks from New York and New Jersey who pay a retail sales tax in their states, but not here. So, sometimes folks come and experience our small town retail, which is really unique, then come here for mainstream, national brand retail. The use of the Pocono name, which is so strong regionally and nationally, totally makes sense and really, really thrills us,” said Chris Barrett, president/CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

Renovations are set to begin in March 2023 and should be complete by the holidays. Pocono Premium Outlets will remain open throughout the process.