The 3 Sad Disappointments in the Egg Harbor Twp and Mays Landing NJ Area

You look at the photos and you remember fun times and life events.

I live in Egg Harbor Township, and my kids grew up in EHT (which is right next to Mays Landing.)

While every city/town/area has its disappointments with businesses, parks, and other places that have gone away, I have come up with three that really let the air out of our region.

1. The Shore Mall.

Yes, I know it "technically" is still there, and "technically" that's not the name of it anymore, but it will forever be for me and many others, The Shore Mall.

First, let me say, God Bless Boscov's for STILL BEING THERE. The Boscov's people must be doing something right as every store, restaurant, and business around them moved away, closed down, or crumbled.

The "mall" was "re-sized" a number of years ago, and there have been little signs of any sort of rebirth.

The last remaining big store, besides Boscov's, is gone, and "for rent" signs remain.

Sure, there's a Halloween store that does great business a couple of months out of the year,

and a small specialty furniture store that has moved in,

otherwise, though, there's only a popular restaurant on a "pad" out front,

and the Motor Vehicle Office in the back.

Other restaurants have moved away - like Outback Steakhouse,

or just shut down, like the Golden Corral Buffet.

How many families shopped at the Shore Mall for Back to School sales? How many teenagers spent the weekend, grabbing pizza and walking around the mall?

The movie theaters shut down a few years ago, with not much hope remaining for any sort of rebuild or renovation.

Some will say, "Why don't new businesses move there?" The answer of course is "Why would they?" Most of the parking lot is in disarray, and why invest in a place that doesn't seem to invest in itself. If I were building a new business, I'd want a new building, easy parking, safe lighting, etc.  I'd want to be in a growing location, not a dying one.

2. Surf Baseball Stadium.

The stadium opened in the spring of 1998 with the promise of professional baseball in Atlantic City.

It started out OK - not great, but OK. In a few years, though,  the hope quickly faded away. The Atlantic City area didn't support it, and there seemed to be a lot of misplaced marketing plans and ideas. Focusing on the casinos and out-or-town guests are not the ways to fill a minor-league baseball stadium.  Marketing needed to be more community-focused. Perhaps if the stadium was located in a more populated area, such as Mays Landing or Egg Harbor Township.

3. The Atlantic City Race Course.

It was around for a long time, and maybe it was just time to go.

Driving past the racecourse today, you see the lack of repair and upkeep. It really did die.

Remember, though, when there were races at the track, even for only a week a year? The sites, the smells, the green of the track, the hedges, and more. What a shame.