From trains & film to medicine & cuisine, The Citadel Mall continues to evolve while remaining West Ashley’s stalwart shopping hub
by Jenny Peterson | Staff Writer
With prominence on hit TV shows like Stranger Things and The Last Of Us, there seems to be a growing desire to return to the quintessential American shopping mall. But it’s not all just nostalgia, there’s growing data to suggest that malls are making a comeback. In fact, according to Coresight Research’s “The State of the American Mall” report, more mall stores opened in 2022 than closed. It marked the first time that has happened since 2016. Also, the research said mall sales grew more than 11 percent last year to nearly $819 billion. At the end of 2022, mall occupancy was at 95.1 percent, up from about 92 percent two years previous, according to the report.
In West Ashley, we need look no further than West Ashley’s own The Citadel Mall, which first opened it’s doors in 1981. And like LL Cool J, another icon from the ’80s, once famously said, “Don’t call it a comeback.” The Citadel Mall has been here for years.
Now under new ownership, the stalwart shopping hub continues to evolve and add new tenants as it reinvents what a shopping mall can be. Besides consolidated shopping, The Citadel Mall has become home to MUSC Health West Ashley Medical Pavilion; Gemstones Studios, the homebase for the hit HBO series The Righteous Gemstones; OutSlide In, an indoor playground; Reforge, an educational, non-profit makerspace, and much more. Even the iconic mall food court has been elevated to feature local restaurant concepts, like the acclaimed Bella Roma Italian eatery and Pie King, which has earned it’s name by making what might very well be the best pies in town.
It’s this kind of innovation that has kept the Citadel Mall a vital commercial center of West Ashley, even as shopping habits have shifted.
“Citadel Mall is excited to continue elevating business in the Charleston community,” says Kristi Tolley, Marketing and Specialty Leasing Manager for JLL, which manages The Citadel Mall. Last month, Tolley announced that local retailer Condon’s Bridal Boutique & Gifts has moved into the space previously occupied by Victoria’s Secret.
“As always, the center is focused on bringing new and unique uses to complement our growing tenant mix. As for 2024, we look forward to serving our community and hope to make some exciting announcements as things develop.”
With the Christmas season upon us, the longtime shopping hotspot will be bustling with shoppers, model train enthusiasts, Santa seekers, and holiday moviegoers all month. For many, the sound of the tiny engine of a model railroad train brings back childhood memories of the holidays. Many postcard images show a model train encircling a Christmas tree, passing through Santa’s Village or recreating the beloved Polar Express.
The Charleston Area Model Railroad Club (CAMRC), a 35-year-old membership group, continues to bring the magic and love of model railroads to the public year-round with their displays inside a former retail store at the Citadel Mall.
The club is 80 members strong and about a dozen members meet four times a week at the space to test-drive their newest and most beloved model trains on a 75-foot-long tabletop track adorned with painstakingly perfect mini-towns and rural landscapes.
“Model railroading takes you back to a time where you don’t have to worry about anything,” said Garrett Wimpee, vice-president of the CAMRC.
Model trains of all types move throughout the display on many tracks; some follow a circle on the outer track, others crisscross between displays of Main Street USA, pass over bridges and take a curved bend through tunnels. The trains are a diverse array of personal and club-owned models, including passenger trains, rail cars, postal service trains, and—special for the holiday—a Polar Express replica. Some trains have whisps of smoke coming out of the front engine as they move around the track and make realistic train whistles.
The public is encouraged to check out the tiny sets and scenes during club hours on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the space next door to Dillard’s. You can’t miss the 15-foot-tall railroad crossing sign out front.
Club members, or “model railroaders,” are more than happy to discuss how they got into the hobby and explain what it takes to build and outfit the scenery. Members imagine, build, and repair everything themselves, down to painting rivers, trees and buildings.
They’re happy to explain the difference between track gauge sizes (there are three different types on display that correspond to various sized model railroad trains) and the mechanics of the trains. People of all ages are encouraged to push buttons that make other elements of the display move, including a trolley, airplanes and a model railroad track in a storefront window on Main Street—a model train display within a model train display.
The main table spans nearly the entire length of the space with half a dozen tracks. To the right, members have created an exact replica of the existing North Charleston Amtrak station and they are currently creating a model version of the tip of the downtown Charleston peninsula, hand-painting houses to resemble Rainbow Row.
As the holidays ramp up, members will begin adding holiday decorations to the Main Street USA area. Throughout the year, the group adds festive scenery for the occasion, including a recent spooky Halloween model train display.
“We have some members that just like doing scenery versus working on the actual trains,” said Wimpee.
The operation requires an impressive amount of electricity and technology. Small transformers are hidden underneath the skirted display tables, which provide the electrical currents needed for the tracks. Today’s model trains are much more advanced and come with computer chips. The model trains’ speed and direction can be controlled from a smartphone.
Members spend their time at the club continuing to improve the displays in both the look of the scenery and the functionality of the tracks. Some of the displays have been added onto for decades, all the way back to the club’s inception in 1983 when members first began meeting at a space in Park Circle in North Charleston.
The club moved into its current space at the Citadel Mall in 2008, which roughly doubled the club’s physical space and became a unique attraction for mall shoppers.
A recent club meeting had members unboxing their recently-purchased model trains and testing out trains they’ve repaired, taking all the models for a spin on the tracks.
“Most of us have smaller setups at our houses, but you can only put about seven cars together and it feels like it’s already halfway around the track,” said member Robert Tritt. At the mall, the massive amount of space lends itself to a much more epic ride.
Members also use their time at the club to work on their own personal model railroad projects.
“One of my own personal goals is to recreate a Pennsylvania railroad that ran in Northern Pennsylvania on June 6, 1944, on D-Day,” said Victoria Cyunczyk.
While members say model railroad clubs are declining in membership across the country, this local group remains strong in its membership and is one of the largest in the Tri-County area.
“Myrtle Beach has a club that’s in the mall like us, but they’re smaller,” said Wimpee. “The next largest one is in Virginia. A lot of the clubs are also private, where they don’t open their (displays) to the public.”
The CAMRC displays are open and free to the public. A donation box goes towards upkeep of the displays. Members’ dues also go towards upkeep and purchasing new items for the scenery, including model vintage cars, trees and landmarks.
While some members joined the club within the past year—becoming interested after a grandchild showed interest in model railroad cars, for example—most have had a lifelong love for these iconic model trains.
One member has a personal collection of 1,000 model railroad trains at his home and chooses which to bring for each gathering. Yet, there is no requirement or experience to join the club, just an interest in the hobby.
The model railroad train has long been a festive presence during the holidays and now is a good time of year to check out the club and the displays. A holiday tradition of a simple track nailed onto a wooden board—“that’s how the hobby starts,” Wimpee said.
Visit the Charleston Area Model Railroad Club at the Citadel Mall, 2070 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., on Tuesdays from 5-8 p.m.; Thursday from 5-8 p.m.; Saturdays from noon-4 p.m. and Sundays from 1-4 p.m. The club is located next to Dillard’s. The group will also be hosting its annual train show on January 6 & 7 at the Exchange Park Fairgrounds in Ladson.
Visit www.camrc.club for more information.
Holiday Events at The Citadel Mall
Photos with Santa and Pet Photos
Various days/times; visit citadelmall.net to reserve a spot
Holiday Shop Small Spectacular!
Friday, Dec. 15-Sunday, Dec. 17, from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Shop with small/local businesses, artists, crafters and more during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.
Sports Card and Collectibles Show
Hosted by Collector’s Corner in the center court area.
Saturday, Dec. 16 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Cookies and Milk with Santa
Friday, Dec. 22, from 6-7 p.m.
Bow-Dacious Gift Wrap Service
Benefiting West Ashley High Band! WAHS Band members will take care of your entire holiday gift wrapping needs. Volunteers will gladly wrap any merchandise purchased from one of the retailers at Citadel Mall for donations to bring holiday cheer. Visit www.citadelmall.net for dates and times.
