Walking Through the Saddest Mall in New Jersey

• Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing has faced years of store closures
• Major retailers like Sears, JCPenney, Forever 21, and Hallmark are gone
• The mall remains open but faces an uphill battle to survive

Within the past couple of weeks, we took a walk about what is arguably the saddest shopping mall in New Jersey, and, well, things aren't really getting any better.

Sure, malls have had a rough time over the past few years between COVID, an increase in online shopping, changing shopping habits, and any number of stores that are facing financial problems, but this is the Garden State — we were defined by malls in the '80s and '90s.

But, as Bob Dylan said back in the 60s, the times they are a-changin'. And for malls, they're either changin' with the times or they're fading into history.

This particular shopping center, for whatever reason, seems to be going the course of the latter.

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Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing opened back in 1987 and the $100 million project quickly became the cool place to be seen. But that was then... and this is now.

We've documented the fall of the mall in the past. Two of its three big anchor stores left a long time ago; Sears closed in 2018 and JCPenney followed the year later. Since then, lots of dominoes have fallen: Ruby Tuesday, Johnny Rockets, Champs, Express, New York & Company, Torrid, The Children's Place, GNC, PacSun, American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, all gone.

Forever 21 recently closed. Ironically, if you look inside their old store, there's a sign that says "shop now, gone tomorrow." Apparently, they were quite literal in that regard.

And now, Bob's Discount Furniture, which is a strip of stores at the back of the mall property, has announced that they, too, are moving across the street.

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So, what does it look like today, in September of 2025?

First things first, the mall is open seven days a week and dozens of great businesses are still inside. I don't want to give the impression that the place is boarded up, nor do I want to be seen as bashing a local business (the mall as a whole). I've said it before and I'll say it again: this place could absolutely thrive with a little effort and some TLC.

But, let' be honest, that might be quite an uphill battle these days.