Welcome Back!

Been awhile, huh? Well, the reason behind the lack of updates here at the Carolina Circle City blog is simple. Microsoft stinks. For the last several years, I have made all of my posts using “Microsoft Live Writer”, which worked brilliantly for many years…until it decided to no longer play nicely with Google accounts.

Thankfully, I have found another program that’s based off Live Writer, except the darn thing actually works! This program is called “Open Live Writer” and discovering it has really saved me, meaning posting will resume.

Anyway, what’s new in the world of Carolina Circle Mall? Well, the big thing to talk about is the 40th anniversary party that was held at Monk’s Cheesesteaks on August 6th this year. It was a small turnout but it was such a blessing to meet all of you folks who went to the mall and even worked at the mall when it was still around. I had a lot of fun there and I hope you did. I know my aunt really had fun there, reminiscing on old times. The photo on the left is of the display I had setup at the party. Again, to those who came and to those who supported it, thank you very much! I really mean it.

Also, I am currently in the planning stages of writing a book about Carolina Circle Mall to potentially have published. It's not going to be a boring history book about the mall but instead, a book detailing memories and experiences people had at the mall. Because of this, I am looking to sit down and interview people who worked at the mall and/or visited the mall very regularly when it was opened. If you are interested, please let me know. Your input will be GREATLY appreciated. This is something I've been wanting to do for years and I'm now determined to make it a reality. If you’re interested in helping, email me at carolinacircle89@gmail.com.

Picture of the Day: 11/12/2015

Here’s a great photo of the outside of Monk’s Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers sometime in the 1990s. Part of either Circle Café and Deli or Subs and Spuds can be seen on the far left of the picture.

Picture of the Day: 11/10/2015

Here’s an interesting shot of the Carousel taken from Monk’s, presumably taken in the early morning hours since it’s not running. Photo was taken sometime in the early ‘90s.

Picture of the Day: 11/7/2015

This is a shot taken inside Monk’s, looking out at the food court sometime in the early ‘90s.

Monk’s Under Construction 1989

From that newscast I posted earlier, here are a couple of screenshots of the outside of Monk’s Cheesesteaks from November 16, 1989 when it was under construction. It would open in June 1990.

Monk's Update

According to yesterday's paper, the new Monk's Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers on Summit Avenue, has gone out of business. I was really starting to like those cheesesteaks.

Monk's & More

Alright, time for a little Carolina Circle Mall food history.

In 1988, Carolina Circle Mall opened it's new food court and carousel in the former space of the Ice Chalet. There were plenty of restaurants prior to the renovation, but no food court.

Throughout the history of the food court, many restaurants thrived. Let me try and list the restaurants I can remember.

1. Chick-Fil-A

2. Mr. Wok Chinese Restaurant

3. Carolina Deli until 1995/Subs & Spuds 1995 and on.

4. New York Pizza

5. Short Lived Taco Bell

But there was restaurant I left out.

In 1990, the legendary Monk's Cheesesteaks & Cheeseburgers opened in the Carolina Circle Mall food court. It was located in the corner of the food court on the right section of the above picture.

In my opinion, it was probably the most successful restaurant at the food court. For seven years, they served a wonderful menu full of many items. They specialized in cheeseburgers and cheesesteaks.

I rarely went there. Probably ony 4 or 5 times. Usually when I ate at Carolina Circle, it would be either at Carolina Deli/Subs & Spuds or Piccadilly Cafeteria. I remember it seemed sort of like a diner. It had a black and white tiled floor with a jukebox. I think it even had a video game or two.

They also had an ice cream shop attached to it. I went there a lot. I would always get a vanilla ice cream cone with a cherry on top.

By the second half of 1995, the mall began it's major slide into decline. In June of 1997, Monk's went out of business. This might have been a major factor in killing the food court.

Does the story end there? Nope. In 2006, Monk's reopened at the Northeast Summit Shopping Center. Same great menu. In fact, I had a cheeseburger from Monk's for lunch today. I agree. They do have great burgers. And they're pretty cheep and beats McDonald's or Burger King. Also, take a look at their menu board inside. It says "Formarly of Carolina Circle Mall 1990-1997".

All of this proves my theory. Carolina Circle Mall may be closed, but it's still open in the form of memories, websites, blogs, and reopened stores. Maybe they'll put a carousel in the Northeast Summit Shopping Center or the Wal-Mart parking lot. One can dream.

You can check out the Monk's website here.

The Small Return of Carolina Circle Mall

I was doing some Carolina Circle research on the News & Record website and discovered that the Monks restaurant formally located at the Carolina Circle Food Court is reopening at the Northeast Shopping Center on Summit Avenue this month. It appears that there is a .5% return of Carolina Circle Mall.