MJ MALL: CARLISLE, PA
Edward Egolf's Commentary
Posted December 3, 2005 (user submitted November 6, 2005)
I was browsing your site and came to discover that you had one of the two malls
in Carlisle, Pennsylvania listed on your site. I was very surprised to not see
the MJ Mall in Carlisle on the site. So I thought I would submit it for you.
This mall was the "other mall" in Carlisle in the 70's and 80's. It, unlike
the Carlisle Plaza Mall started out as a enclosed mall. The mall it self had 3
mail box stores in it for most of it's existance. THose being a Montgomery
Ward's on the North End, a Woolworth's in the middle and a Woolco on the South
End. In between there were smaller stores (like most malls). It had a
People's Drug Store, Kinney Shoe store (before Kinney closed), Gordon's Jewlery
store, a Fifth Ave. Card Store. At least there are a few that I remember.
It
was a single level mall with several fountains in the middle.
In late 80's a 8 screen movie theater was added to try to bring business back
to the mall. However, as this mall added very thing attractions in the 70's
and 80's, the Carlisle Plaza mall was rebuilt into an enclosed mall. As a
result all, the more popular stores were at that mall.
As the life span of this mall began to come to an end, several changes in
occupancy occured. When Woolco closed in the 80's a Hills Department store
took over the space (which was later renamed Ames when that chain baught
Hills). Ames continued to occupy the space until that chain went under.
The Wards store was one of the last stores to close for that area
as was the Woolworth's.
By the mid 90's there were several attempts to bring a Wal-Mart to the mall.
THis finally happend around 2000 when most of the mall was torn down. The only
orginial part of the mall that remains is the south end (old Woolco/Hills) end.
As of December 2004, that space was occupied by a Marshall's or TJMaxx and a
Sears Surplus store. The center section of the mall is now a Wal-Mart
Supercenter and the north end is now a strip mall.
Have information on 
Check out Deadmalls.com's Dead Malls Media archive!
Donna Dee’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2024what was the place where you could get a frozen fruit drink right outside of woolworth's?
Monica Favia’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2022There was also a Hanover Shoe store, before they went out of business, a Deb/Joy shop and a Listening Booth - I was the manager of this store when I was 19.
Harrison Cline’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2021I worked at the Woolworths restaurant the the late 60s
Bret Lay’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2019They had a valley view bakery in it. I loved their cupcakes
Michael Shipe’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2019there was a food court with seating, an arcade (space port), a pool hall, I have many memories from that mall.
Charles Neal’s Commentary:
User submitted in 2019Also there was Curtis Mathers, an arcade, Pat's Candy Corner, I think Bailey's was across from Woolworth's, and a kiddie theater that played cartoons. I was in that mall every Friday during the school year after I was let out for the weekend.
Jenni Mumper’s Commentary:
User submittedDoes anyone have ANY pictures? I remember so Manny events, yard sales, holiday decorations, even a break dance competition in the 80s! I have done deep searches and have found nothing!!