AMES PLAZA UPDATE - WRIGHTSTOWN NJ

 

On April 13, 2020 at around 8:30 AM, part of the Ames store at Ames Plaza collapsed. The plaza has been mostly vacant for nearly 20 years since the Ames store there closed with the rest of the chain in 2002. This store had previously been a Jamesway, and a Grant City before that. The Grant's had opened in the early 70s, as by around 1975-76, it closed when Grant's went under.

On the morning of April 13, reportedly under high winds and heavy rain conditions, the entire portion of the Ames building that had featured the auto center department, catastrophically collapsed. Fortunately there were no injuries reported as a result of the incident.

Many retail enthusiasts and urbexers have featured this property in their videos. You should refer to WallieB26's extensive tour of the store from October 13, 2018 on YouTube. It's likely the best pre-damage footage you will see. Consider subscribing to wallieb26 on YouTube. He has loads more Ames videos, mall videos, and more retail related videos than you can shake a stick at! Thanks!

We heard about this sad incident that occurred in April from a friend of ours in a retail discussion group, and were anxious at the first opportunity to return there ourselves, as RRR, to photograph and document the destruction. We finally managed to get back out there yesterday to survey the situation for ourselves.

Rolling up on this mostly abandoned strip of stores, you are greeted by the still-intact Ames Plaza sign out front, as well as a real relic, the three-sided ACME sign from the ACME store that used to sit adjacent to the Ames Plaza.

The store itself still bears the familiar Ames logo, having the most-intact sign of its type I've seen. A few of the letters are missing their covers, exposing the lights underneath.

The store itself is in awful shape, with mold and decay... and the store next to it is atrocious with the mold creeping across the floor and up the walls. Walking around to the auto center side, the entire portion has collapsed from the severe weather conditions that made the dated structure finally give way.

We were saddened to HEAR of this, and were even more deeply affected actually visiting the site. I share here the photos I captured from it, and there will be video forthcoming. I know many in the retail circuit will be interested to see the current state of a property that has received quite a bit of attention. We're happy to provide coverage and bring it to you.

 

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A CHURCH THAT SITS ON THE OTHER END OF THE PLAZA.

Sadly, this shopping center didn't have a prayer!

A WIDE VARIETY OF SUPPLIES? NOT ANYMORE.

BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY TO JOINT BASE AFB McGUIRE/FT. DIX, WE WERE GREETED BY TWO MILITARY JET FLYOVERS DURING OUR VISIT. CAPTURED ONE IN OUR VIDEO AND THIS ONE AS A STILL SHOT. GET A LOAD OF THOSE UNDULATING CLOUD FORMATIONS. 

THANKS FOR TAKING A LOOK. 

This was one of my favorite, yet one of my saddest photo shoots. I had seen some prior photos from a story on the Burlington County Times and had to get out there to see it for myself. Pretty devastating.

So glad I could cover this sad chapter in the Wrightstown Ames story.