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Carolina Circle Mall

StevenRocks

By StevenRocks
in The NC Triad

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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What I meant was that all of my memories were in that building. My first computer was a Windows 95 Packard Bell. It was given away about 5 years ago so I had to get on ebay to get another one similar. Unfortunately I can't get on ebay to buy a new Carolina Circle Mall. It's just that was my favorite mall. Not too big and not too small. The last time I ever went into the center of the mall was in 2001. Only Montgomery Ward and some other store was opened. It freaked me out to see the entire food court gone. Especially my favorite restuarant Subs & Spuds. That mall was a part of me and the closed building was all I had left of a great mall. And I sure do hope that when the Wal-Mart is built that there will be remaining signs that a mall once stood there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I feel your pain and it's good to go ahead and reminice about what was but unfortuantely, you can't stop progress without good reason, even if that means sacrificing your childhood memories.

In this case, it's for the greater good. Carolina Circle was an outmoded retail facility in an inaccessable, economically depressed part of town. There was little to no chance of it coming back as a retail mall in its existing form. Dr. Linder had some nice ideas with the Pyramids complex, but had he been able to adequately fund his project, that mall would have had to have been changed signifigantly to accomodate what he was planning.

It's a no-win situation and I don't like to see people get strung-out on things they can't change.

I've seen a lot of things that I loved disappear and I've been probably even more upset than you are about Carolina Circle. After a while, the realization that things will never be the same sinks in, you laugh, you cry, you chronicle, but eventually you accept and you get better.

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mediamongrel Hamlet

mediamongrel

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I feel your pain and it's good to go ahead and reminice about what was but unfortuantely, you can't stop progress without good reason, even if that means sacrificing your childhood memories. 

In this case, it's for the greater good.  Carolina Circle was an outmoded retail facility in an inaccessable, economically depressed part of town.  There was little to no chance of it coming back as a retail mall in its existing form.  Dr. Linder had some nice ideas with the Pyramids complex, but had he been able to adequately fund his project, that mall would have had to have been changed signifigantly to accomodate what he was planning. 

It's a no-win situation and I don't like to see people get strung-out on things they can't change.

I've seen a lot of things that I loved disappear and I've been probably even more upset than you are about Carolina Circle.  After a while, the realization that things will never be the same sinks in, you laugh, you cry, you chronicle, but eventually you accept and you get better.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with almost everything you said except that I don't think a Wal Mart will keep it from remaining an economically depressed part of town. Wal Mart hasn't done that anywhere else. There are Wal Marts in bad and god neighborhoods and it wont change much but maybe open a few retail chains that want to take a chance that the clientel has changed a bit.

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Roadgeek Hamlet

Roadgeek

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Yeah, thanks for the cheer up. That Wal-Mart might add some new roads right through the current ccm building. So when my favorite mall goes, it will have some new roads. Being a roadgeek, that will be neat. The newspaper had the names of the new roads, but I threw it away.

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Roadgeek Hamlet

Roadgeek

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What month and year was it when there was a time that you could get into the main mall area only by two entrances (Montogmery Ward and Dillard's Clearance Center?

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As I stated in that post, I took my final trip into the main mall area in 2001. That was in March of that year and I was able to get there via Montgomery Ward. According to websites I've read, that dillard's was already closed at that time. I'm not sure if you could still get in there through the two main mall entrances. If only I had a time machine. :)

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ILoveCallingNCHome Hamlet

ILoveCallingNCHome

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I was 9-10 yrs old when it opened.

I did my first baby sitting job there-in the theater watching four kids while their parents watched a more adult movie. My pay was a free movie. One of the kids decided mid way through to pull their tooth...so I missed part of that LOL

I had my first (and last)sasparillo at the bar of Tuesdays (which became Annabels)

We banked there, shopped there, played there. (what was I thinking when I bought those boots and that jean mini skirt?? ::grinz::)

All those times there with friends...talking, becoming....

I learned to Ice skate there.

I worked there (@ Belks) in the switchboard area and then in customer service.

My husband and I had our first real date there (movie and dinner at Annables)

My husband and I picked out my engagement ring in one of the jewelery stores there .

After having kids, my kids went there with their memaw a LOT as she was a mall walker and would take them with her if they were with her that day. She would treat them to lunch and a ride on the carousel.

We bought many of our kids clothes in the Dillard clearance center.

Just a few things I will remember about what is gone....

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Roadgeek Hamlet

Roadgeek

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I still have some items at my house purchased at ccm. I have JVC stereo bought at Montgomery Ward and a Montgomery Ward brand refridgerator. I also have a few audio cassettes from camelott music and a yard swing bought at one of those kiosks stands in the middle of the mall near the food court.

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mediamongrel Hamlet

mediamongrel

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As I stated in that post, I took my final trip into the main mall area in 2001. That was in March of that year and I was able to get there via Montgomery Ward. According to websites I've read, that dillard's was already closed at that time. I'm not sure if you could still get in there through the two main mall entrances. If only I had a time machine.  :)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's stupid that they would pay the bills to light the entire mall and keep some stores inside in operation if the only way you could get to it was through Ward's. I guess that was the fun of it, that not many people knew the main mall was still open to the public. Someone in this forum said you could go to that flea market in the old Belk sometimes and look through the windows and you still see a little bit into the mall. That's really eerie! What if you saw people shopping in there??? Ok, now I am probably going to have nightmares about it now.

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Roadgeek Hamlet

Roadgeek

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Yeah I remember the flea market. If I was thinking clearly, I should have brought my camera and took a few shots of the mall from the flea market.

Speaking of ccm dreams, right after the mall closed I had a dream that I walked in through the theater/piccadilly entrance and when I approached the former dillard's, I noticed the entire mall had been converted into a giant Best Buy.

PS: If anyone wants my new Carolina Circle Mall/Roadgeek desktop wallpaper, let me know. It's the carousel gone roadgeek.

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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I was 9-10 yrs old when it opened.

I did my first baby sitting job there-in the theater watching four kids while their parents watched a more adult movie.  My pay was a free movie.  One of the kids decided mid way through to pull their tooth...so I missed part of that LOL

I had my first (and last)sasparillo at the bar of Tuesdays (which became Annabels)

We banked there, shopped there, played there.  (what was I thinking when I bought those boots and that jean mini skirt?? ::grinz::)

All those times there with friends...talking, becoming....

I learned to Ice skate there.

I worked there (@ Belks) in the switchboard area and then in customer service.

My husband and I had our first real date there (movie and dinner at Annables)

My husband and I picked out my engagement ring in one of the jewelery stores there . 

After having kids, my kids went there with their memaw a LOT as she was a mall walker and would take them with her if they were with her that day.  She would treat them to lunch and a ride on the carousel. 

We bought many of our kids clothes in the Dillard clearance center. 

Just a few things I will remember about what is gone....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That was a sweet reminicence of Carolina Circle, ILoveCallingNCHome. It's nice to hear stories like that. :)

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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I rode back by CCM this evening and even more of it is in rubble form.  You can see through sections of it...bare bones showing in many areas.  Doesnt look like long now ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was in Greensboro today too but didn't venture out there. I don't think I could take looking at it in ruins yet.

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mediamongrel Hamlet

mediamongrel

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I took a quick look at ccm today. Unfortuantely it was hard to see because I was looking from US 29. The mall is always easier to see in the winter because there are trees between US 29 and Ring Road.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think I'll wait until January 2006, because last time I was there and got to go inside the mall it was January 2005. After a year it will be neat to see such a drastic change rather than seeing it come down piece by piece.

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Roadgeek Hamlet

Roadgeek

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I think I'll wait until January 2006, because last time I was there and got to go inside the mall it was January 2005.  After a year it will be neat to see such a drastic change rather than seeing it come down piece by piece.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've always wanted to go inside the mall in 2005. Unfortunately it's too late. :(

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mediamongrel Hamlet

mediamongrel

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Hanes was my husband's "mall" of becoming (since he is from that area)...but he learned to love CCM through me.  CCM was "MY Mall"...sighz...just a lot more attachment to the cement and steel structures than I realized before I started seeing it come down for real.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wonder what is to become of the old K-Mart and Big Star plaza across the street from CCM. This plaza needs redevelopment just as bad. Does anyone know who owns that plaza?

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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I wonder what is to become of the old K-Mart and Big Star plaza across the street from CCM.  This plaza needs redevelopment just as bad.  Does anyone know who owns that plaza?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No clue. It's pretty much occupied except for the Kmart, though.

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