Growing up in a state so closely associated with shopping malls, my earliest memories of Christmas shopping with my parents were at a mall. So yes, that Jersey stereotype fits me perfectly. Not so much these days, though, with so many malls failing or turning into what we now call \u201cdead malls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dean & Eric EJ Johnson w\/Santa at Shore Mall Egg Harbor Township 1969 | EJ photo<\/p>\n
Dean & Eric EJ Johnson w\/Santa at Shore Mall Egg Harbor Township 1969 | EJ photoFrom downtown shopping districts to the rise of the New Jersey mall<\/p>\n
Of course, my parents\u2019 generation did their shopping downtown. In their case, that meant Atlantic City and Pleasantville in the 1950s and \u201960s. My dad even worked at the Sears when it was still downtown Atlantic City, before the larger store was built at the Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township.<\/p>\n
My parents were big Sears catalog shoppers\u2014especially for back-to-school clothes and when they wanted to \u201chelp\u201d Santa at Christmas. We\u2019d sit around the catalog, circle what we wanted, and my mom would mail in the order. When it came in, we\u2019d pick it up at the back of Sears. Then my parents would shop for a few more things in the mall while my brothers and I visited Santa. I\u2019m sure that was the exact routine for thousands of New Jersey families from the mid- to late-20th century.<\/p>\n
Hamilton Mall Black Friday 2025 | Chris Coleman<\/p>\n
Hamilton Mall Black Friday 2025 | Chris ColemanPeak mall culture in New Jersey: the \u201980s, \u201990s and early 2000s<\/p>\n
By the 1980s, the Shore Mall was becoming obsolete, and then the Hamilton Mall opened in my hometown of Mays Landing in 1987. It had its heyday in the \u201990s and stayed strong until just a few years ago. It honestly made me sad seeing reports this year of their Santa having very few visitors<\/a>\u2014sometimes sitting there all alone. Like I said\u2026 sad.<\/p>\n As a young adult, I loved trips to places like the Ocean County Mall, Quaker Bridge Mall, Bridgewater Commons, Monmouth Mall\u2014those were destination trips for me.<\/p>\n Online shopping, Amazon, and how malls lost their grip<\/p>\n Then came online shopping, now a generation old, which helped kill many malls. Looking back, it\u2019s kind of amazing that Sears didn\u2019t see the digital shift coming sooner. Their catalog system was practically a blueprint for Amazon. If they had pivoted earlier, who knows? Only a handful of true visionaries saw the digital revolution coming in the \u201980s and \u201990s.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t get me wrong\u2014I love the ease of online shopping as much as anyone. Sit on the couch, click a button, and it\u2019s on your doorstep the next day (assuming it doesn\u2019t get pirated).<\/p>\n Still, I love getting out to downtowns and malls during the holidays, soaking up the Christmas spirit and maybe picking up a gift or two in person.<\/p>\n So at Christmas 2025, are there any malls still alive? Surprisingly, yes. The successful ones have found a niche\u2014high-end shopping, entertainment, or a strong regional draw.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s my take on Jersey malls in 2025, ranked by overall success. These rankings are based on size, foot traffic, retail performance, awards, and good old local perception.<\/p>\n