What would New Jersey be like without its shopping malls?
In their heyday, shopping malls were everywhere and everyone bought everything there.
School shopping? I went to the mall. Hungry? I went to the food court. Friday night? I went to the mall just to go to the mall. Christmas shopping? I definitely went to the mall.
But towards the end of 2024, anything you find in the mall will be available on your phone and delivered to your doorstep within hours.
Cherry Hill Mall, Cherry Hill, New Jersey – Photo: Google Maps
Cherry Hill Mall, Cherry Hill, New Jersey – Photo: Google Maps
Sure, many malls are still doing pretty well (at least on the surface), and some malls have adapted to the changing times and may look busy but are actually struggling with debt.
Either way, Gen Xers and older in the Garden State still have very fond memories of the mall, which leads me to some photos I recently unearthed.
When I bought my first digital camera over 20 years ago, it was huge, and it seemed like I was taking pictures of everything.
Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township, 2013 – Photo: Chris Coleman
Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township, 2013 – Photo: Chris Coleman
Would you believe it? I took this photo of the old XXX movie theater in Turnersville (the exterior, not the inside).
Anyway, I hadn’t turned my camera on in a long time, and when I did recently, I unearthed a time capsule of Southern New Jersey, and it was like going back to a simpler time 20 years ago.
Among those old photos are many of the old Echelon Mall, which was located in the middle of Camden County.
Echelon Mall, New Jersey – Photo: Chris Coleman
Echelon Mall, New Jersey – Photo: Chris Coleman
A brief history of the shopping mall: it opened in 1970 and thrived for several decades before suffering a recession and being largely demolished and redeveloped about 15 years ago.
When talking about Echelon Mall, many people comment on its inconvenient location. This was a large mall, but it was not near any major roads.
Cherry Hill Mall is located on Route 38. Deptford Mall is located just off of Route 42. Interstate 295 passes close by Moorestown Mall.
And Echelon Mall, at the intersection of Summerdale Road and Burnt Mill Road, is far from any major highway.
That being said, Echelon Mall has been a Southern New Jersey landmark for decades. Take a trip back in time.
Exclusive Photo: Remember Echelon Mall in South Jersey?
Once upon a time, Echelon Mall in Voorhees was South Jersey’s premier shopping destination. Let’s take a trip back in time to relive its heyday.
Gallery credit: Chris Coleman
Walk through New Jersey’s emptiest shopping mall
On a quiet summer evening at World Play Ground, I stroll through the old Ocean One Mall/Pier Shops (now ACX1) at Caesars in Atlantic City.
Gallery credit: Chris Coleman
