Carolina Circle Mall
| Location | Greensboro, North Carolina, USA |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°06′33″N 79°45′18″W / 36.109285°N 79.7549164°W |
| Opening date | February, 1976 |
| Closing date | 2002 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area | 800,000 |
| No. of floors | 2 |
Carolina Circle Mall was a shopping mall in the northeast section of Greensboro, North Carolina on US 29 and Cone Boulevard, where The Shoppes at Pyramids Village are now.
Carolina Circle Mall was anchored by Belk, Dillard's (Ivey's until 1990), Montgomery Ward, and a six-screen movie theatre. Once family friendly, the mall over the years had an ice skating rink, game room, toy stores, and at one time, a teen disco called Current Event.
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[edit] Opening
The first store at the mall that opened to the public in February 1976 was the popular southern department store chain, Charlotte-based Belk Stores. On the grand opening for the rest of the mall on August 4, 1976, twenty-two stores opened including Montgomery Ward and Ivey's first Greensboro department store.
[edit] 1980's heyday
In the early '80s, a restaurant/bar that overlooked the ice rink named Annabelle's was considered to be the place for the "yuppie crowd" of northern Greensboro. Annabelle's decor was reminiscent of an old inn, and the bar and restaurant was packed many nights, especially weekends where at times there was over an hour wait to be seated. Another popular place to eat at the mall included Piccadilly Cafeteria, which at one time hosted a Saturday morning radio broadcast on WBIG-AM featuring announcer Bob Poole and George Perry, who played The Old Rebel on WFMY-2.
In 1988, mall owners eventually removed the ice skating rink and replaced it with a $250,000 carousel, much to the dismay of area skaters who frequented the mall, especially on weekends. And although the addition of a skateboard park on the eastern mall property near the waterslide helped contribute to the family friendly atmosphere, it was a constant source of complaints due the stench from a wastewater treatment plant that was located behind the mall property.
[edit] Decline
The mall did well for about fourteen years, keeping the spaces rented, but it appears that the mall's decline began around 1990. Some say that the demise of the Carolina Circle Mall can be traced to increased crime in the area. But others attribute it to many of the mall businesses being lured away to other locations like Four Seasons Town Centre on High Point Road (an indoor mall), and Friendly Center on Friendly Avenue (an outdoor retail center).
The Carolina Circle Mall eventually became a problem spot for shoppers due to the growing problem with gangs in eastern Greensboro. Stories of crime at the mall made area newspapers and radio and television newscasts, and the consensus among many was that it was no longer safe to shop at the mall. Consequently, affluent shoppers began to stay away and did their shopping at Four Seasons Town Centre and Friendly Center.
To counter the perception of problems at the mall, its owners gave free space to the Greensboro Police Department to use as satellite offices, the idea that being that it would give shoppers the idea that the property is safe with constant police patrols. But many considered the police presence to be proof of the opposite, that there were serious problems on the property, and they continued to stay away. Between the growing problem with crime mixed with the constant complaints about the wastewater treatment plant, the mall went into serious decline, eventually shutting down in 2002 when Montgomery Ward closed its store there. The mall was then boarded (becoming a constant target for vandals) until June 2005 when it was finally demolished.
In August 2006, Wal-Mart opened a super center on the property, and it is now surrounded by other retail establishments in what is now called The Shoppes at Pyramids Village.
