Letter from the editor
Last weekend, I visited my daughter in Collingswood. We did what mothers and daughters have done for generations: We went to the mall.
“But aren’t malls dead?” you may be wondering.
No one told the Cherry Hill Mall.
Walking inside felt like stepping back in time. The familiar names were there: Build-A-Bear Workshop, Piercing Pagoda, Banana Republic, American Eagle and so forth. More surprising was the crowd! Shoppers filled the corridors, stores were busy and the mall felt alive.
This was not like the American Dream complex, with attractions such as an indoor water park, ski slope and ice rink. This was a traditional mall that was somehow still thriving.
Like many Gen Xers, I grew up viewing the mall as more than a place to shop. It was where we met friends, strolled around, shared food court fries and giggled when cute boys passed. It gave teenagers their first taste of independence and a free place to go, especially on cold or rainy days.
Fast forward and as a parent, I enjoyed the Shore and Hamilton Mall with my own kids. We sipped lemonade, picked out toys at Kay-Bee and wandered through the Disney Store, where, to the attendants’ dismay, we picked up nearly every stuffed animal.
I remember my daughters getting their ears pierced at the mall. They were scared, and I bribed them with a trip to Build-A-Bear, which was conveniently across the corridor.
My son loved Hamilton Mall’s food court. On rainy days, we would head upstairs and get pizza from Cosimo’s. It was familiar, easy and welcoming. By 2019, however, more stores were closing. Anchor stores like Sears and JCPenney shut down, leaving what seemed like an empty shell. Many smaller stores followed.
Atlantic County once supported two malls only a few miles apart along the Black Horse Pike. Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township faded, and much of it was demolished in 2013. Boscov’s remains, along with the Motor Vehicle Commission, Spirit Halloween’s flagship store and newer businesses occupying former retail spaces.
Hamilton Mall is still hanging on. During its better years, stores such as Aeropostale, Hot Topic, Forever 21 and H&M drew younger shoppers, while its restaurants and food court made it a destination for families.
Today, much of Hamilton Mall sits empty. Only scattered shoppers move through corridors that once buzzed with activity, and vacancies continue to multiply.
Online shopping is certainly part of the story, but it is not the whole story. Nationally, malls are experiencing a dramatic divide. According to Coresight Research, the malls that have survived are performing better than they have in recent years. Then there are many that resemble ghost towns. These malls continue to decline rapidly.
Malls provide something Amazon never can: shared public space. As more people work from home and life becomes increasingly digital, we need places where we can browse, eat, meet and simply be around one another.
With redevelopment planned for the adjacent former Atlantic City Race Course property, I hope it is not too late for Hamilton Mall. New homes, businesses and visitors nearby could give the mall another opportunity to reinvent itself.
As the holidays approach, please remember to shop local. When we do not support small businesses, they quietly disappear. Keeping our shopping districts and main streets alive benefit our communities in more ways than one.
Thank you for picking up this issue of Shore Local. Beginning soon, Shore Local can be delivered directly to your mailbox each week. Look for more information in next week’s edition.
Peace & Love, Cindy
