I used to have a client in Concord, and to get there I'd drive right by the mall.
I ended up getting some gift cards to Sears around the time I bought my house, and the twin size mattress I had at the time came from Sears. (Albeit in 1982...best mattress ever...but that's another story.) Amazingly enough, at the time, this Sears was the only one between Atlanta and Raleigh that sold mattresses. (Carolina Place got a small selection a few months later.) So one day I trekked up to Carolina Mall.
For some reason I stayed inside Sears...I'll have to go back one day to visit the rest of the mall.
This appears to be quite an interesting mall -- big enough to serve the area, but it never will be much bigger due to Concord Mills...more of a niche mall than a regional force.
Actually, I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more on the history of Carolina Mall about the effects Concord Mills had on it. Obviously the mall hasn't succumbed to Concord Mills, but I can't help but wonder if Carolina Mall was planned to end up being something more.
Thanks for sharing your story. I like this Sears a lot , too, but I can't really figure out why.
From what I can discern from my resources, Carolina Mall opened in 1973 to serve Concord and Cabarrus County. The original anchors are still there, though all have been expanded and remodeled.
It functioned as a regional mall for surrounding counties until places like Salisbury and Albemarle got their own malls, but by then the immediate area built up to the point that the mall was still able to hold its own.
The openings of Concord Mills and Northlake have had a negative effect on Carolina Mall, leading to somewhat tepid growth, but the mall still dominates its local trading area, mostly losing some regional shoppers to the two larger malls.
I wonder why this is one of the few Sears stores I've seen that doesn't have a bland-looking exterior. Though the interior of course looks like any other Sears store in the country.
Wish they'd expand the Gwinnett Place Mall(in suburban Atlanta) prototype look store(with the 1950s Sears logo) to more of their mall stores! And I hope Sears eventually adds the 1950s logo to the exterior of that store, in addition to the interior of it.
Sears, Carolina Mall, Concord, North Carolina. Exterior view. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
Sears, Carolina Mall, Concord, North Carolina. Mall entrance. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
I used to have a client in Concord, and to get there I'd drive right by the mall.
ReplyDeleteI ended up getting some gift cards to Sears around the time I bought my house, and the twin size mattress I had at the time came from Sears. (Albeit in 1982...best mattress ever...but that's another story.) Amazingly enough, at the time, this Sears was the only one between Atlanta and Raleigh that sold mattresses. (Carolina Place got a small selection a few months later.) So one day I trekked up to Carolina Mall.
For some reason I stayed inside Sears...I'll have to go back one day to visit the rest of the mall.
This appears to be quite an interesting mall -- big enough to serve the area, but it never will be much bigger due to Concord Mills...more of a niche mall than a regional force.
Actually, I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more on the history of Carolina Mall about the effects Concord Mills had on it. Obviously the mall hasn't succumbed to Concord Mills, but I can't help but wonder if Carolina Mall was planned to end up being something more.
Thanks for sharing your story. I like this Sears a lot , too, but I can't really figure out why.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I can discern from my resources, Carolina Mall opened in 1973 to serve Concord and Cabarrus County. The original anchors are still there, though all have been expanded and remodeled.
It functioned as a regional mall for surrounding counties until places like Salisbury and Albemarle got their own malls, but by then the immediate area built up to the point that the mall was still able to hold its own.
The openings of Concord Mills and Northlake have had a negative effect on Carolina Mall, leading to somewhat tepid growth, but the mall still dominates its local trading area, mostly losing some regional shoppers to the two larger malls.
I love the exterior of Belk @ Carolina Mall.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why this is one of the few Sears stores I've seen that doesn't have a bland-looking exterior. Though the interior of course looks like any other Sears store in the country.
ReplyDeleteWish they'd expand the Gwinnett Place Mall(in suburban Atlanta) prototype look store(with the 1950s Sears logo) to more of their mall stores! And I hope Sears eventually adds the 1950s logo to the exterior of that store, in addition to the interior of it.
-Allan
cantnot: I like the exterior on the Belk, too. it's a lot like the one I grew up with at Tanglewood Mall.
ReplyDeleteAllan: The exterior is Sears current prototype, which has been around since around 1995. It's distinctive and cool looking, and somewhat retro.
I doubt that anything at Gwinnett Place will see the light of day at other Sears. Sears isn't too good at spreading good ideas these days...
The Sears is two floors.
ReplyDelete