This Is It..

It has been a wonderful semester blogging and covering events related to the Deptford Mall. I learned a lot of about promotions, interesting stores and other tidbits about South Jersey’s largest mall. I’d like to thank Felicia Pollard and Jim Mackey for all of their help over the last few months. I will no longer be updating this blog on a consistent basis, but I will always have a place in my heart for this mall. If you missed it, here are my top five best posts. Thanks to everyone who’s helped a long the way, I’ve truly learned a LOT about Online Journalism. ~ Christina Maxwell

1. Deptford Mall’s Timeline
– A history lesson the mall, including key dates and events.

2. Step Inside a Hurricane
– More information about the interesting Hurricane Stimulator found inside the mall.

3. Calling all Fashionistas – Forever 21 opening May 14
A preview post about Forever 21 opening in the mall.

4. Deptford Mall’s Hidden Gem: The Gloucester County Store
An interview with Gloucester County Clerk James Hogan about the small yet efficient Gloucester County Store.

5. Charming Charlie – Unique, Affordable and Color Coordinated!
A post about Charming Charlie, the very cool women’s accessories store in the mall.

Calling all Fashionistas – Forever 21 opening May 14

Forever 21 prides themselves on being “the source for the most current fashions at the greatest value.” The stylish clothing store is ready to make its grand opening at the Deptford Mall on Saturday, May 14. There has been a tremendous amount of buzz about the opening – from Facebook updates, online advertisements, word of mouth and even radio advertisements found on Q102 102.1 FM.

The mall’s senior property manager Jim Mackey believes there will be major traffic for the opening of Forever 21.

“I think they’re going to bring in a lot of traffic. I think they really serve our demographics, teens and even college age kids drive a lot of the business,” said Mackey.

The store can be found on the upper-level of the mall, near Sears department store. Many shoppers know that area as the “dead end of the mall,” but that won’t be the case starting May 14.

“When you bring a retailer like that who is new and hot it will revitalize whatever area they’re in. The managers of the surrounding stores are looking forward to [the opening.] They know they’re going to benefit from some of that traffic,” said Mackey.

It will be taking up three store lengths (nearly 20,000 square feet) and will expand “further down the line” by replacing Payless Shoe Source‘s spot, according to Mackey. Right now there’s no clothing displays or stylish interior design to look at – it is fully barricaded until its opening in a little over a week.

The grand opening will be an affair to remember. Customers can start lining up at 6 a.m. and the store will officially open at 10 a.m. The first 200 customers will receive a gift card (the largest value being $210 dollars.) There will be a live DJ spinning tunes in-store from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Expect a ton of giveaways including a purse raffle that will be stuffed with Forever 21 giveaways. In addition to those freebies, the store looks to bring back customers with bounce-back coupons featuring ten percent off until June 13.

Forever 21’s history dates back to 1984 when it opened as a 900-square ft. clothing store in the heart of Los Angeles, California. The founders decided to reinvest in the store by opening a new store every six months. By 1995 the franchise had grand openings in malls across America and for the first time, outside of California. Today the company sustains a made-in-America image that captures a strong female demographic, ranging from ages 18 to 30 according to its official website.

Mackey is proud to welcome Forever 21 to the Deptford Mall.

“Forever 21 is one of the hottest retailers out there, so it’s a win-win for both of us, we’re both finding each other. We’ve wanted to accommodate them for several years, and it was all about finding the right location. I think they’re going to have a big volume out of the gate, and that will help us too,” he said.

While you await the opening of Forever 21, browse their official website for the latest clothing arrivals and hottest fashion trends and become a fan on Facebook, there might be some great deals and coupons available.

Past Events at the Deptford Mall

Over the past few months I have kept you up to speed on the latest events and promotions at the Deptford Mall. Here is a post that takes you back in time with videos and photos of past mall events.

Give the Gift of Green

Starting Monday, you can celebrate Earth Day all spring and summer by purchasing a Give Green Gift Card at Guest Services in the Deptford Mall. Along with the gift card, you will recieve an earth-friendly greeting card that’s made from 100% recycled paper. All cards are creative and include an inspiring message. The greeting cards will be available through July 1st.

Seventy cents from each purchase will be donated to American Forests, a nonprofit organization located in Washington, D.C. that focuses on restoring trees and forests. American Forests teamed up with Macerich and American Express to offer the “first shopping center gift card that gives back to the enviornment.” Macerich has contributed $100,000 to American Forests.

For more information, check out more information about the Give Green Program and learn more about the American Forests organization.

photo courtesy of American Forests Forestbytes 2010.

Deptford Mall’s Timeline

You may enjoy taking a weekend shopping trip to the Deptford Mall, exploring the department stores, finding great deals or having lunch in the food court with your friends, but how much do you really know about the mall? Here is a timeline, in chronological order that highlights some important events that helped shaped the Deptford Mall into South Jersey’s largest mall.  Click the screenshot for a full view, or click here.

Many thanks to Gloucester County Times, Gloucester County Historical Society for providing articles/photos, DeptfordMall.com for photos, and CoStar.com.

Celebrate Earth Day in fashion thanks to Charlie; Win a Limited gift card

Earth Day, the day to promote awareness for the earth’s environment is Friday, April 22 and Charming Charlie is giving away free eco-totes with any purchase from April 21 through April 24. The totes are perfect when you shop – it allows you the option to use your eco-friendly bag and lessens the need for plastic bags. Charming Charlies’ eco-tote is pretty fashionable too. If you’re unfamiliar with CC, check out their official website and read my feature on the store.

The women’s fashion and apparel shop The Limited is allowing customers the chance to win a $250 virtual gift card. Simply head over The Limited and register your email for a chance to win, or log onto TheLimited.com. The raffle will take place every week until June 25, so there’s plenty of chances to win.

Photo courtesy of: Market Street The Woodlands

March of Dimes Event – next Saturday

The Deptford Mall and Boscov’s is teaming up with the March of Dimes on Saturday, April 16 for the March of Dimes Fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March of Dimes is there to “improve the health of babies by preventing birth defeats, premature birth and infant mortality.” Along with an apperance from the Easter Bunny, there will plenty of activities provided by the March of Dimes Walk Teams, Easter crafts, temporary tattoos for children and other prizes and activities.

Team Gianna CR109 will be at the mall, distributing information selling snacks/drinks all the while raising awareness for the cause. Team Gianna was organized in honor of Gianna Koulas, who was born 15 weeks prematurely and has faced many health problems along the way. Gianna is now six years old, and according to her mother, Angela, “has come a long way.”

You can also purchase a paper pin-up at the Courtesy Desk for one dollar. All proceeds go to the March of Dimes.

Find out more about this event by checking on the mall’s event page and read more about Team Gianna.

Photo courtesy of: March of Dimes

Interview with SODAT officials

SODAT of New Jersey was established in 1969 as a “free-standing non-profit agency staffed by professional substance abuse counselors.” Over the years, SODAT has evolved into treating any person at any age. SODAT  has offices in six different counties – Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem, as well as the teen center in the Deptford Mall. Their teen center is only two nights a week – Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. I spoke to Human Resource Officer Cheryl Gurick and Clinical Director Sister Anne Winkelmann about the state of the teen center and future prospects. Listen to a piece of my interview below and then check out SODAT’s website.

Preview Post: SODAT Interview tomorrow & Community Day!

Tomorrow I will be posting my interview with SODAT (Services to Overcome Drug Abuse Among Teenagers) officials. The teen center is located in the Deptford Mall, but did you know there are other SODAT locations in Atlantic City, Salem, and Bridgeton? Come back tomorrow for the audio.

Tomorrow (April 2nd) at the Deptford Mall is Community Day. Look for the event inside the court near Sears from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and will featuring demonstrations by the Gloucester County Health Department, Sheriff’s Department and Deptford High School. For more information, check out the mall’s event page.

Easter Bunny Information

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

On Friday, April 1st the Easter Bunny will be making his annual appearance at the Deptford Mall. There will be a big event Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. in the Center Court, across from Guest Services. For the young children, PBS Kids personality Miss Rosa will parade around the mall with Curious George and Mummers celebrating the return of the Easter Bunny. After the parade, children will be able to interact with their favorite characters and enjoy other activities including face-painting and balloon animals. The first 200 kids will receive a very special gift.

photo courtesy of pbs.org

If you can’t get to the Easter Bunny on Friday – he’ll be at the mall all month long. Take a look at the calendar (pdf format) for hours and pricing packages on professional photos (Get $3.00 off any photo package through April 14.) Don’t forget – you can always line up for a quick visit and hug for free.