Cary Towne Center facts for kids
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| Location | Cary, North Carolina, USA |
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| Address | 1105 Walnut Street |
| Opening date | February 21, 1979 |
| Closing date | January 31, 2021 |
| Developer | Seby Jones and J.W. York |
| Owner | Epic Games |
| No. of stores and services | 100 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (all vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,004,210 square feet (93,294 m2). |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in former Belk, former Dillards, and former Macy's) |
| Parking | 4,868 spaces |
Cary Towne Center was a large indoor shopping mall in Cary, North Carolina. It was a popular place for shopping and fun for many years. The mall had several big main stores, called "anchor stores." These included Belk, Dillard's, Macy's, JCPenney, and Sears.
Contents
History of Cary Towne Center
How the Mall Started
The idea for the mall began in 1972. It was first planned as two projects: Cary Village Mall and Cary Village Square. Local builders Seby Jones and J.W. York worked together on this big plan. They wanted to create a "Village Center" with shops, offices, and even a hotel.
The mall was built in a busy spot in Cary. It was near important streets like Maynard Avenue, Walnut Street, and Cary Towne Boulevard. When it was first planned, some people worried about more traffic. They also worried about how close it was to local schools.
Opening as Cary Village Mall
Cary Village Mall first opened its doors on February 21, 1979. It had about 325,000 square feet of shops. The first main stores were Ivey's and Hudson Belk (which later became Belk). There were also other smaller shops and restaurants.
The mall had a special design with four sections, like a pinwheel. In the middle, there was a sunken food court where people could eat. There was even a large oak tree on the land where the mall could expand later. This tree became a special symbol for the mall.
Growing into Cary Towne Center
In 1988, the mall decided to get much bigger. This might have been because a new "mega-mall" was planned nearby. By 1991, the mall had grown to 1.1 million square feet. It was then renamed Cary Towne Center. Even though it was very large, it stayed a single-story mall.
The new, bigger mall added more main stores. These included Thalhimers, JC Penney, and Sears. In 1992, Dillard's opened a new, larger store. Over the years, some of these main stores changed names. For example, Thalhimers became Hecht's in 1992, and then Macy's in 2006.
In 2001, a company called CBL & Associates Properties bought the mall.
Changes Over Time
Over the years, many stores came and went at Cary Towne Center.
- In 2013, Dave and Buster's, a popular entertainment place, opened in the mall.
- Harris Teeter, a grocery store, moved to a new spot in 2014. An indoor trampoline park called Jumpstreet took its place.
- Sears closed its store in 2015 because the company was having money problems.
- Macy's closed its store in early 2016 due to low sales.
- A large furniture store opened in the old Sears space in 2016 but closed later that year.
More main stores began to close as well:
- JCPenney closed its doors in May 2019.
- Dillard's closed its store by December 2019.
- Belk, one of the original main stores, closed officially on January 30, 2021.
By this time, Dave & Buster's was the only store left in the mall.
Becoming Epic Games Headquarters
For many years, there were plans to change Cary Towne Center from just a mall into a new kind of space. This new space would have shops, homes, offices, and even a hotel. At one point, IKEA, a furniture store, planned to open a huge store where Sears and Macy's used to be. But in 2018, IKEA changed its mind.
Then, in January 2021, something big happened. Epic Games, the company that makes popular video games like Fortnite, bought Cary Towne Center. They paid $95 million for the property. Epic Games plans to turn the old mall into its new main campus by 2024. This new campus will have office buildings and fun places for their employees.
The mall officially closed forever on January 31, 2021, except for Dave & Buster's, which is expected to move to a new location later.
Images for kids
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Cary Towne Center (after closing)
