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University Mall
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
4 reviews for University Mall
On the one hand, it's nice to have a mall that one can get to in Chapel Hill via public transportation, particularly when car-less. The downside is that there really isn't much here.
The three main stores (Dillard's, Rose's, and A Southern Season) all offer a variety of things: Dillard's being the standard clothing-related place, Rose's being on the discount side on a variety of products, and A Southern Season having lots of cooking stuff and southern things and other stuff, all in a dimly lit environment).
Beyond that though, there's not much here. There are crafts stores, a Game Stop (there's one on Franklin too), a drug store, and, as Adrienne noted, a Chick-Fil-A. I feel like I should have gotten a chicken sandwich there or something.
If you need something here, like a shirt, or a $10 coffee maker, or a chicken sandwich, they're here. Otherwise, take the extra drive to Southpoint if you can.
It's nice to have a place like University Mall in the area, since I don't always feel like driving the 20 minutes to Southpoint. The combination of Dillard's, Rose's, and CVS pretty much provides anything you would need on short notice, in the event that Southpoint was not an option.
I'll also visit University Mall when I'm bored just to browse through Cameron's, Hungate's, and A Southern Season. I find it amusing that the "food court" consists of just a lonely Chick-Fil-A, although of course there's also The Weathervane, Spice Street, Bear Rock Cafe, and Alfredo's Pizza closer to the main entrances. A plus is that it's not often crowded here. Even on Saturdays, you rarely have to wait in line to check out, although you may occasionally have to wait for a table at one of the more popular restaurants.
I love the largely independent spirit of University Mall, but if you're planning on spending the entire day shopping, it's worth the drive to Southpoint.
You know, I really want to love U Mall. It's got such an earnest heart, and it reminds me of Southroads Mall in Omaha, where I first learned about malls as a kid. Lone tear.
And you know, this place does have some good qualities, most of which have already been named. A Southern Season is a great specialty shop, Weathervane a very nice restaurant, and Rose's is a great, nearby alternative to Wal-Mart.
Sadly it's just over-matched. Southpoint is too big and too new and too excellent, and U Mall just can't keep up.
If you know some specific reason to go there, if you're hankering for a particular restaurant or shop that's only at University Mall, then go there. Otherwise, you can feel ok about letting it die in peace.
We were freshmen and we wanted to go the mall. But we were freshmen and we had no cars. We were freshmen and it was 2000 and there was not yet a beautiful Southpoint in Durham. So we called up a cab and had him taxi us to University "Mall." I put mall in quotations because the building actually bore very little resemblance to a mall. When we arrived, we looked at the old outside askance. We entered, to find the "mall" was one floor, with most window shops papered, abandoned, empty. Save the department store and Cameron's, it really was a waste of space. We walked through it in about 15 minutes flat, and disappointed and $25 cab fare poorer, we walked our car-less butts all the way from the "mall" to South Campus. Since then, U Mall has taken great strides -- and though I still wouldn't call it a mall, it does make a pretty decent shopping center. Cameron's is still one of it's highlights -- but now there's Southern Season, Modern Times, and Details, plus some other definite goodies.