Cary Towne Center

[NCMike1981]

So I was searching the forum for a thread about this mall and couldn't find one. Anyone want to post comments or thoughts about Cary Towne Center here's your place. I'm attaching some pictures I took several years ago of the anchors. Please excuse the picture quality. I didn't take a picture of Dillards because a Dillards is a Dillards is a Dillards, at least when it comes to their newer stores...

[StevenRocks]

Interesting fact about Cary Towne Center's Macy's anchor space. When opened in 1991, it was the last Thalhimers ever opened, and the only one opened by May Company while they operated that nameplate.

[jaxpalmer]

i grew up down the street from cary towne center, back in the day it was def. the spot, not sure about now tho...

[NCMike1981]

Here's the mall map of Cary Towne Center...It may not seem lke a long mall in the picture but when you are walking from Dillards to Sears it's quite the hike...Also interesting to note is that Macys has two seperate interior entrances.

Edited May 12, 2007 by NCMike1981

[Cary NC]

I expect in the next ten years that it will become a two story mall. with parking decks. Another mall will be coming into the new part of town...west of 55 to support of the Apex, Holly springs, and new Cary crowd. With buildout of cary around 175K I can't imagine it would only have one mall for the whole town.

On another note.. The old parking lot that is never used is being torn up now and Restuarants will be going in. Across from barnes and nobles will be a good pedistran location for whoever goes in there.

Edited May 15, 2007 by Cary NC

[Jones_]

I am not sure what mall planners look for but Raleigh did not get a second large mall (I know NH and CTV operated simaltaneously) until what...300k population? After the White Oak road area mall, you are probably right though, that this area is a likely target for the next one.

[ncwebguy]

If the Jarred's/Starbucks/Pei Wei redevelopment is any indication, I fear that the parking lot area between Wachovia (old First Union) and the Harris Teeter entrance will *not* be pedestrian friendly. They all turn their back on Walnut Street and (combined with the Harris Teeter) are disjointed. Pedestrians trying to cross the signaled intersection near B&N to get from the "new" to anywhere else will be "froggering" their way around.

The row of stores with outside entrances -- Chico, Coldwater Creek, etc. -- are nice but also not connected with the rest of the outside "village" area. With those rennovations, I don't see a parking deck being built on the Walnut Street side of the mall any time soon, and think there would be an Apex mall and/or 40/70/White Oak/Johnston County market mall before CTC builds up.

A couple of miles down Walnut Street, the Crossroads area is almost a mall unto itself, and I heard rumors that it could have been a "mall of America" type destination if Cary let it. Instead, it was split up and is big box central. And South Hills is still standing, though I think a North Hills-style makeover could do well there.

[StevenRocks]

I vote for tearing CTC down and putting up a better mall It's not a favorite of mine (except for Hudson Belk. Call me stuck in the '80s, but I like that store a lot).

[carynative]

They're digging up the parking lot between Jared and Wachovia... any idea what's going on there? I don't think that tearing this mall down would be good, but it's getting dated quickly, despite the recent (seemingly endless" attempts at renovation. I'm not quite sure what the solution is. The mall would require major retrofit to be converted to 2 stories and it is a bear to walk. However, i always can find what i need fairly quickly and i've never had a problem parking. This coming from someone who remembers the mall pre '89 expansion, when the mall consisted of the Belk-Dillards wing and the food court was sunken in at the location of the "triangle" of shops in front of Belk.

[Jones_]

hmm...I think that area of Cary as awesome potential so a rebuild of some sort, even another enclosed mall might help. I first propose a cut through street from Walnut to Cary Town Blvd on teh eastern edge of the property. Something with nice plantings and sidewalks. Then you have good circulation all around the site which would likely be denser after a rebuild. Push an out door area up on Walnut with patio seating and such and use the elevation of the site above Cary Towne Blvd to put a parking deck under the new mall. Front Maynard with daily-use businesses like a WalGreens and or something......

Edited May 23, 2007 by Jones133

[jaxpalmer]

I expect in the next ten years that it will become a two story mall. with parking decks. Another mall will be coming into the new part of town...west of 55 to support of the Apex, Holly springs, and new Cary crowd. With buildout of cary around 175K I can't imagine it would only have one mall for the whole town.

On another note.. The old parking lot that is never used is being torn up now and Restuarants will be going in. Across from barnes and nobles will be a good pedistran location for whoever goes in there.

cary towne center will NEVER , i repeat NEVER become a 2 story mall.

[NCMike1981]

yeah I couldn't picture that with the sloping floors and the series of hallways connecting with each other, an example being that little triangular area of walkways between Dillards and Hudson Belk

[Cary NC]

If the Jarred's/Starbucks/Pei Wei redevelopment is any indication, I fear that the parking lot area between Wachovia (old First Union) and the Harris Teeter entrance will *not* be pedestrian friendly. They all turn their back on Walnut Street and (combined with the Harris Teeter) are disjointed. Pedestrians trying to cross the signaled intersection near B&N to get from the "new" to anywhere else will be "froggering" their way around.

The row of stores with outside entrances -- Chico, Coldwater Creek, etc. -- are nice but also not connected with the rest of the outside "village" area. With those rennovations, I don't see a parking deck being built on the Walnut Street side of the mall any time soon, and think there would be an Apex mall and/or 40/70/White Oak/Johnston County market mall before CTC builds up.

A couple of miles down Walnut Street, the Crossroads area is almost a mall unto itself, and I heard rumors that it could have been a "mall of America" type destination if Cary let it. Instead, it was split up and is big box central. And South Hills is still standing, though I think a North Hills-style makeover could do well there.

It actually was to be one of the largest, if not the largest mall, in the southeast. However after clearing all the land and building the overpass, laying drainage pipe, the developer went bankrupt. If i remember correctly the developer was Australian. That is when the current developer came in and built Crossroads. And oh yeah, one family owned all that land and made in 1990 $5 million dollars. The held out 2 acres surrounded in trees where there house was. I remember seeing it everytime we went to Pharmor. It was very odd looking.

[Jones_]

We all know how close Crossroads and CTC are but its still interesting to look at.

[Tayfromcarolina]

That mess has got to be the most confusing jumble of roads ever. Surely in the Triangle at least. I have lived in the area most of my life and still occasionally get turned around in Cross roads.

But anyhoo there are mumerings of the next mall coming to the Triangle after White Oak out in Garner already. Supposedly is it to be in Holly Springs, somewhere. I'll post info as I hear more. But it's still at least 5-6 years out.

[ncwebguy]

I trekked out to Cary Town Center over the holidays with my wife and the new mother-in-law.

The mall is still an odd mix of "teen" stores (Pacific Sunwear, Aeropostale, Hot Topic, Hollister coming soon, Gamefrog cafe), older women clothes (Chico's, Coldwater Creek, etc.) and local/fill in stores, especially around the Sears entrance and the side corridors near Belks (Saturn's three car showroom). With the nearby demographics, Cary could do better, but doesn't seem to want to. Shoppers seem to be happy to forgo the "home" mall to go to Crabtree or Southpoint.

The Aquatic Center opened on the back end of the property near Sears, though it has no connection to the mall proper. Also disconnected is the area's second Mimi's Cafe, opening later this month across Walnut from the B&N, between the Harris Teeter and the Wachovia. The area looks somewhat better from Walnut street, but it is far from being pedestrian friendly.

[StevenRocks]

^CTC is a strange mall. Like you said, the demographics of the area suggest there should be more upscale stores there, but there isn't. Even the "streetscape" renovation between Hudson Belk and Dillard's mostly just brought them up to speed with what would be a minimum expectation of stores.

[JunktionFET]

My family moved back to NC along about 1989 or so, and I went to middle school right down the street from the mall. Our 8th grade technology class took a field trip to the mall to see the new part under construction. At the time it was very secret and there was no way for cars to access the rear part of the mall to see the work in progress.

[Gard]

I trekked out to Cary Town Center over the holidays with my wife and the new mother-in-law.

The mall is still an odd mix of "teen" stores (Pacific Sunwear, Aeropostale, Hot Topic, Hollister coming soon, Gamefrog cafe), older women clothes (Chico's, Coldwater Creek, etc.) and local/fill in stores, especially around the Sears entrance and the side corridors near Belks (Saturn's three car showroom). With the nearby demographics, Cary could do better, but doesn't seem to want to. Shoppers seem to be happy to forgo the "home" mall to go to Crabtree or Southpoint.

Sounds kind of like TTC. It must be what the owner likes in their malls, being both CTC and TTC are the same owners.

[brokenraven]

That mess has got to be the most confusing jumble of roads ever. Surely in the Triangle at least. I have lived in the area most of my life and still occasionally get turned around in Cross roads.

But anyhoo there are mumerings of the next mall coming to the Triangle after White Oak out in Garner already. Supposedly is it to be in Holly Springs, somewhere. I'll post info as I hear more. But it's still at least 5-6 years out.

I think the last thing the triangle needs now is another mall. I think they should work more on bettering the malls already there.

[Gard]

Anyone know what is being built next to Mimi's Cafe at the Cary mall?

[dmccall]

I think the last thing the triangle needs now is another mall.

You haven't driven around Johnston County in a while.

[NCMike1981]

^^^see in the old days in a place like Johnston County Belk would have gotten together with another store, like Sears or JCPenney , and built a small 50 store mall in that area. Nowadays for a mall to survive it has to be a "mega mall" with like 4 or 5 anchor stores and well over 100 smaller stores....but I digress from topic

I went to Cary Towne Center weekend after Turkey Day and the place was packed....I just ran into the 1 store I needed to go ot and ran out lol I can't stand the crowds

Edited December 29, 2008 by NCMike1981

[Jones_]

^ Does your statement about CTC say that maybe a mall does not need to be a mega mall to survive?

Edited December 30, 2008 by Jones133

[StevenRocks]

^ Is your statement about CTC say that maybe a mall does not need to be a mega mall to survive?

I don't attempt to speak for Mike, but really, mega malls aren't where the market is anymore. Smaller centers and large discount stores seem to be all that's happening in new retail development.