Picture of the Day: 11/3/2015

My apologies for posting this rather late in the evening. Got busy today and lost track of time.

Anyway, this is an aerial shot of the mall from not long after it opened, circa 1976/1977.

RIP Radio Shack

I’m sure most of you reading this right now already know this, but recently, Radio Shack filed for bankruptcy and is closing most of its stores. Some stores are going to be converted into Sprint/Radio Shack hybrid stores, but all of the Radio Shacks in the Greensboro, NC area are unfortunately closing for good.

I figured that this would be a fine time to look back at the Radio Shack that was formerly at Carolina Circle Mall. Radio Shack was one of the original 22 stores to open at the mall on August 4, 1976 and was located on the second level right by Belk. Radio Shack was very successful at Carolina Circle and was one of the mall’s main-stays for many years.

Radio Shack’s Carolina Circle Mall location closed in July 1996 and moved down the road to a new shopping center that was built on Cone Blvd. at Church St. that same year. Eventually, that Radio Shack also closed sometime in the early 2000s.

“Shalimar Photography”, a photography oriented store, opened in Radio Shack’s former spot at Carolina Circle Mall sometime in the late ‘90s and lasted a few years until the very early 2000s. The entrance to Shalimar Photography is in the photo to the left.

I vividly remember my dad always taking me to the Carolina Circle Mall Radio Shack to buy certain pieces of electronics and electronic components. The item I remember the most that he bought at that Radio Shack was a handheld CB radio that he kept in his 1986 Nissan Pickup truck in the early ‘90s. I think he actually still has that CB radio somewhere.

So I am sad to say goodbye to all of the Radio Shacks closing in 2015. As a vintage computer fan, I’ll always remember them for their Tandy line of computers, most notably the Tandy TRS-80 and the Tandy 1000. To close this, here is a picture of the inside of the Radio Shack at Carolina Circle Mall taken in 2003. You can still see the neon sign that said “The Technology Store” in the background.

Happy 38th Birthday

Carolina Circle Mall officially opened this day in 1976. Over the past 9 years of having this blog, I’ve said so many things about the mall that it seems like there might not be anything else to say.

However, I got to thinking awhile ago about the memories I have of going to Carolina Circle Mall as a child and how much I enjoyed the overall atmosphere, not just the Carousel. Compared to the other malls in the area at that time, and even nowadays, there was something different about Carolina Circle, but what was it?

I think that unlike other malls that were built strictly for business and retail, Carolina Circle Mall was designed to be not only retail, but for entertainment. It was the only mall in the area with a movie theater attached to it and most notably, it was the only mall in the area to ever have an Ice Chalet or a Carousel (however Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem now has a small Carousel). Even though Carolina Circle Mall failed financially, I will always remember it for the special features it had that set it apart from other malls but most importantly, the memories the mall gave me.

Wizard of Oz Puppet Show 1977

I stumbled across this earlier while tinkering around online out of boredom. Always a good day when I find something Carolina Circle Mall related.

Main Entrance Sign 1976

This was taken sometime in November 1976. I had always wondered what this sign looked like before the 1987/1988 renovation.

Circle Six Theatres Grand Opening Ad

This ran in the Greensboro News & Record in November 1976. I loved that theater. I’ll never forget seeing The Lion King there in the summer of 1994.

Picture of the Day: 5/20/2011

That’s Carolina Circle Mall under construction, circa 1975.

Picture of the Day: 5/10/2011

That’s the Current Event Disco at Carolina Circle Mall circa 1978.

Picture of the Day: 5/1/2011

Here is the first of what I hope will be many pictures of the day.

This aerial picture of Carolina Circle Mall was taken in 1978.

Merry Christmas from Carolina Circle Mall

Mall Under Construction

Courtesy of the “Remember Greensboro in the ‘60s & ‘70s” Facebook group, this is an aerial picture of Carolina Circle Mall under construction, circa 1975/1976.

As you can see, the signs for Montgomery Ward and Belk had not been put up yet and the entire parking lot had not been paved yet. Also, much of Ring Road was still in a grated state.

Carolina Circle Begins Business (Newspaper Article from August 4, 1976)

I’ve had this article in my possession for the past 4 years. This article is from the Greensboro Daily News talking about the grand opening of Carolina Circle Mall dated August 4, 1976, aka “The Day Human Life Changed Forever”.

As you will see, this article gives a list of all 22 stores that were open that day, as well as a list of businesses that were planning to open near the mall, all of which did open the same year.

Somewhere amongst my junk, I have an article from the Greensboro Record (Greensboro’s evening newspaper) from the same day. It includes a badly library microfilm compressed picture of large balloons being lifted into the sky by the main entrance. If I ever find it, I’ll post it as well.

Also keep in mind that at this time, Circle Six Theatres and Piccadilly Cafeteria and not opened yet. Both didn’t come along until November 1976.

Here it is, in its full length. No challenge to copyright intended.

Carolina Circle Mall officially opens today, and both the shopping and entertainment aspects of the 750,000 square foot complex will be featured.

Twenty-two stores will be in operation when the mall opens at 10:00am. Among these are Belk Department Store and Montgomery Ward, both of which have been open for several months, and Ivey’s, which will be opening its first Greensboro store today.

These three stores together account for 428,000 square feet of the enclosed, two-tiered complex, which features natural sky lighting, interior landscaping with live trees and a climate-controlled environment.

Architecturally, the mall centers around a sunken ice rink, called the Ice Chalet, where free public skating will be scheduled this morning, in addition to two skating exhibitions.

Other activities scheduled for the next three days at the mall are concerts by an Eastern Music Festival and “Bluegrass Experience,” visits by characters from Alice’s Wonderland and a hot air balloon exhibition, weather permitting.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 10:00am today with Mayor Jim Melvin and Bob Alpert, president and chief executive officer of the mall’s development firm, Alpert Corporation, officiating.

Built over a two-year period, the $25 million-plus mall is the first phase in the full development of the 220-acre tract located on US-29 at Cone Boulevard, north of downtown Greensboro. The properties surrounding the mall are available for commercial and residential development.

Among the business establishments already slated for construction on this peripheral property are a Kmart, Weiner King, and Shoney’s.

Access to the enclosed mall, which is expected to attract shoppers from 10 North Carolina and Virginia counties in addition to Guilford, is by US-29, 16th Street, or Cone Boulevard. Parking for more than 4,000 cars is available.

The mall will generate more than 1,000 jobs and sales of more than $50 million annually are projected.

In addition to the three department stores which anchor the mall, stores open for business today include three fast food restaurants- Chick-Fil-A, the Karmel-Korn Shoppe, and Orange Julius of America; three jewelry stores- Kay Jewelers, Gordon’s Jewelers, and Carlyle & Company; three shoe stores- Kinney Shoe Corporation, Thom McAn, and Butler’s Shoe Corporation and two clothing shops- County Seat and Foxmoor.

Other stores opening include Radio Shack, a stereo equipment and electronics store; Camelot Music Store, Ridgeway Optical Company, the General Nutrition Center (a health food store), K&K Toys, Waldenbook Company, and Champs (a sporting goods store).

Electronic America, a family entertainment center featuring electronic arcade games, is located on the lower level near the ice rink and will also be open.

Some 21 businesses are scheduled to open in the mall during the coming months. Total occupancy of the mall is 76 stores.

Coming Soon…

Within the next week or so, I am going to post something here to Carolina Circle City like none other.

Let’s just say, we will have one of the greatest peaks at what it was like to work at Carolina Circle Mall during the Ice Rink Era in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

-Billy Coore

August 6, 2009

Ice Rink Era Computer Wallpaper

I made this back in February and it has been simply sitting on my external Seagate hard drive since then doing nothing. I figured I should go ahead and upload it.

Expect a Carousel Era wallpaper and a Pyramids Village wallpaper once I find the time to do make them.

Antiques & Collectibles Show 1977

I found this one up at my grandmother's house.

This is from the April 14, 1977 edition of the Greensboro Record.

Aerial View 1971

David Denny emailed me this interesting picture this afternoon showing an aerial view of Carolina Circle Mall before it was Carolina Circle Mall in 1971. I believe the photo is looking southeast.

Interesting to see Cone Boulevard ending at US-29. Also interesting seeing a rural cattle farm instead of a mall or Wal-Mart.

Thank you David Denny for this interesting picture.

Ice Chalet Halloween Party 1976

From the same guy who brought you the Alice in Wonderland video comes this really cool video of Carolina Circle Mall's Ice Chalet Halloween Party in 1976, when the mall was only 2 months old.

Also notice the mall's Cheshire Cat emblem on the wall at the beginning of the video.

Alice in Wonderland Show Circa 1977

Back in January, a nice person sent me a DVD with old films that he took of Carolina Circle Mall's Ice Chalet in the '70s. Apparently, he is now in the process of uploading the same videos to YouTube.

This particular video is a good example of how Carolina Circle Mall would use Alice in Wonderland for their shows and ads during its early Ice Rink Era years.

When I first watched these videos, I had to keep reminding myself that that was indeed Carolina Circle Mall. The reason is because I'm so used to the Carousel Era that whenever I see anything pretaining to the Ice Rink Era, it seems foreign to me. In a good way though!

Please enjoy this groovy trip back to the '70s. I'll add more if he puts the other videos on YouTube.

Carolina Circle Mall Ice Rink Era Showoff

This is my newest YouTube presentation. Only three words: "Get Down Tonight".

The Carolina Circle Mall Carousel Era Showoff is coming soon as soon as I can find some good music.

1978 Aerial Photo

That's an aerial view of the mall and sorrounding area from the year 1978.

Notice the orange tiling around Montgomery Ward. That remained on the store until the very early '90s I believe.

If you look closely, you can see what the now demolished K-Mart looked like back then.

Photo courtesy of Carol W. Martin/Greensboro Historical Museum Collection.