Berkeley Mall

Berkeley Mall is a regional shopping center at 625 North Berkeley Boulevard in Goldsboro, North Carolina, near U.S. Route 70. The center opened in 1975 and serves Goldsboro, Wayne County, and surrounding communities in eastern North Carolina. Its retail mix includes more than 40 stores, along with outparcel buildings and several dining venues located around the main mall property. The property is associated with Childress Klein Properties, a Charlotte-headquartered real-estate company. Berkeley Mall’s principal anchors are two Belk stores, Burlington, and JCPenney. The center has also hosted a succession of department-store and specialty-retail tenants over its history. One of its original anchor occupants was Weil’s; that business later became Brody’s, was acquired by Proffitt’s in 1998, and ultimately became part of Belk in 2006. This sequence reflects the broader consolidation of American department-store retail and helped shape Berkeley Mall’s current anchor lineup. Specialty retail has also changed over time. Jo-Ann Fabrics opened at Berkeley Mall in 2013, adding a crafts and fabrics tenant to the center’s mix. In early 2025, Jo-Ann Stores entered bankruptcy proceedings and announced the closure of all Joann Fabrics locations, including the Berkeley Mall store. The closure illustrates the continuing pressure on traditional specialty retailers even at established shopping centers. Berkeley Mall has experienced routine property and tenant changes as well as weather-related disruption. On August 27, 2011, Hurricane Irene caused roof damage near the Belk store while moving through eastern North Carolina. In October 2018, Sears announced that its Berkeley Mall location would close as part of a nationwide plan involving 142 store closures. These events contributed to the ongoing evolution of the mall’s tenant roster. Today, Berkeley Mall remains an active shopping destination built around department stores, apparel and general merchandise retailers, specialty shops, restaurants, and nearby outparcel businesses. Its identity is primarily local and regional rather than national: the mall functions as a consolidated retail destination for Goldsboro and nearby communities, with its value deriving from a broad tenant mix, convenient highway access, and established presence in the market.

Berkeley Mall opened in 1975 in Goldsboro, North Carolina, on North Berkeley Boulevard near U.S. Route 70. It was established as a regional shopping center for Goldsboro and the surrounding communities of eastern North Carolina. Over time, the property developed into a mixed retail complex consisting of an enclosed mall, department-store anchors, specialty shops, outparcel buildings, and dining businesses. The center's anchor history reflects changes in the American department-store sector. Weil's was among the original anchors. The store later operated under the Brody's name, was sold to Proffitt's in 1998, and became part of Belk in 2006. Berkeley Mall ultimately came to include two Belk stores alongside Burlington and JCPenney, giving the property a department-store-centered format supported by smaller retailers and restaurants. The mall continued to refresh its specialty-retail tenant base. Jo-Ann Fabrics opened in 2013, bringing craft, sewing, and fabric merchandise to the property. Its tenure ended in early 2025 after Jo-Ann Stores filed for bankruptcy and proceeded with the closure of all Joann Fabrics locations, including the Berkeley Mall store. Berkeley Mall has also been affected by broader retail contraction. Sears, another established department-store operator, announced in October 2018 that its Berkeley Mall location would close as part of a national program involving 142 stores. The Sears closure was part of the wider restructuring of the company's store network and represented another change to the mall's traditional anchor mix. Weather has occasionally affected mall operations and infrastructure. On August 27, 2011, Hurricane Irene caused roof damage near the Belk store as the storm passed through eastern North Carolina. The incident was a property-impact event rather than a change in ownership or strategy. The property is owned by Childress Klein Properties, a real-estate company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Berkeley Mall remains an active shopping center with more than 40 stores, anchor department stores, nearby outparcels, and dining options. Its long-term role is that of a local and regional retail hub rather than a nationally branded consumer product company.

• 2025

  Joann Fabrics closes

  [1]Berkeley Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Berkeley Mall Joann Fabrics store closes following Jo-Ann Stores' bankruptcy and nationwide store closures.

• 2018

  Sears closure is announced

  [1]Berkeley Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears announces that its Berkeley Mall store will close within a national program affecting 142 stores.

• 2013

  Jo-Ann Fabrics opens

  [1]Berkeley Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Jo-Ann Fabrics joins the tenant mix as a craft and fabric specialty retailer.

• 2011

  Hurricane Irene causes roof damage

  [1]Berkeley Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Storm conditions damage the mall roof near the Belk store on August 27.

• 2006

  The former department-store anchor becomes Belk

  [1]Berkeley Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former Weil's, Brody's, and Proffitt's location becomes part of Belk.

• 1998

  Proffitt's acquires the Brody's operation

  [1]Berkeley Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former Weil's anchor, which had become Brody's, is sold to Proffitt's as part of the mall's department-store succession.

• 1975

  Berkeley Mall opens

  [1]Berkeley Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The shopping center opens in Goldsboro, North Carolina, on North Berkeley Boulevard near U.S. Route 70.

A long-established regional shopping center serving Goldsboro and eastern North Carolina through department-store anchors, specialty retail, dining, and convenient access from U.S. Route 70.

• Department store

  Belk

  Belk operates two anchor stores at Berkeley Mall. The department-store presence provides apparel, accessories, beauty products, home merchandise, and seasonal goods, forming a major part of the center's traditional anchor offering.

• Off-price department store

  Burlington

  Burlington is one of Berkeley Mall's principal anchors. Its off-price format adds value-oriented apparel, footwear, accessories, home products, and related general merchandise to the center's tenant mix.

• Department store

  JCPenney

  JCPenney serves as an anchor department store at Berkeley Mall, contributing broad apparel, family merchandise, home goods, beauty products, and seasonal retail categories.

• Craft and fabric specialty retail · 2013

  Jo-Ann Fabrics

  Jo-Ann Fabrics opened at Berkeley Mall in 2013 and supplied fabrics, sewing materials, craft products, seasonal project goods, and related hobby merchandise. The location closed in early 2025 after Jo-Ann Stores' bankruptcy-related nationwide closures.

• 2025

  Joann Fabrics store closureOther

  Background

  Jo-Ann Stores filed for bankruptcy and moved to close its store network.

  Action taken

  The Joann Fabrics location at Berkeley Mall closed as part of the nationwide shutdown of Joann Fabrics stores.

  Aftermath

  Berkeley Mall lost a specialty craft and fabric retailer that had operated at the center since 2013.

  Source

• 2018

  Sears store closureOther

  Background

  Sears was reducing its national store network amid financial and operational difficulties.

  Action taken

  The Berkeley Mall Sears store was included in a closure plan announced on October 15, 2018, covering 142 stores nationwide.

  Aftermath

  The closure removed a long-standing department-store tenant from the mall's anchor mix.

  Source

1. 1Berkeley Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Berkeley Mall official websiteshopberkeleymall.com