Two Guys Plaza / Marlton Commons (Shoprite/Kohls) Shopping Center 1973-

Photo Courtesy of John Flack Jr


I'm not sure when this shopping center got the name 'Marlton Commons'.  The first time I can find use of that name is in 2016, when the announcements were being made for Shake Shack and honeygrow.  Prior to that, it had many names: ShopRite Plaza, Two Guys Mall, Bradlees Shopping Center and a host of others.  I reached out to the company that manages the site now for clarification, but I never received a response.

Not counting the freestanding buildings (Shake Shack/honeygrow, Friendly's, Bank of America), the center currently has only 4 stores, albeit very large stores: Shop Rite, Kohl's, PetSmart, Wineworks.  Plus a PNC Bank inside of ShopRite if you want to count that. But a lot of other stores have come and gone from the center, and more changes may be coming in the future.

The center first opened on July 25, 1973, when Two Guys had its grand opening.




Two Guys was a national chain of over 100 stores that was much like a Walmart.  It had a cool arcade in the back, including a magnetic bowling game where you'd chuck a silver disk down a wooden surface.  It was a personal favorite of mine.




The location was referred to as 'Two Guys Shopping Center' when Shoe-Town opened several months later, in November, 1973.


Shoe Town opens in November 1973


When Haband Surplus Outlet opened on November 7, 1975 (and until they went out of business years later), they referred to the center 'Two Guys Mall'.



ShopRite opened November 14, 1979.

Photo courtesy of John Flack

But Two Guys struggled financially, and not just in Marlton.  The Marlton store went out of business on March 15, 1980 (the entire chain was defunct by 1982).

Article from Philadelphia Inquirer 1/29/1980

As noted in the article above, many of the stores were leased to Montgomery Ward, who opened a Jefferson Ward at the same location several months later.

Conversion to Jefferson Ward - Photo courtesy of John Flack Jr


Jefferson Ward opens 11/3/1980

In 1985, Montgomery Ward decided to pull out of the mid-Atlantic market, and sold many of its locations to Bradlees.  The Marlton store was converted and reopened as Bradlees on February 27, 1986

Bradlees opens 2/27/1986


Fire at Bradlees 10/16/1987

Bradlees closes May 1996

In a surprise move, Bradlee's labeled the Marlton store as an underperformer in February of 1996, and announced its imminent closure.

Kohl's opened in October of 1997.  




Kohl's opens in October 1997

There was a free-standing Roy Rogers/Hardee's for a few years, which was converted into a Boston Chicken.  That changed names to Boston Market in 1995, and the building was ultimately demolished some time between 2008 and 2011.







Boston Market May 2008 - Google Images


This was also a shopping center to go to rent movies.  An Erol's Video opened there in February of 1985, with the store renting both VHS and Beta movies.  Erol's was sold to Blockbuster in the early 90s, and the store was converted into a Blockbuster in September 1991.









But if you were looking for really cheap VHS movies, The R/X Place, which opened in 1989 next to Shoprite rented tapes for 69 cents a piece!




Here are some of the other stores that called the center home.  (There were several more which were there that I couldn't find ads for: Executive Cleaners, Casa Sorrento (1975) and Angelo's Restaurant (1975).  There were help wanted ads for these, but no consumer ads.)

Ad from June 1979 - Courtesy of John Flack Jr - located here until it moved to Marlton Crossing in June 2000



Noble Eyeglasses inside of Two Guys - Ad from December 1973 - Courtesy of John Flack Jr

Ad from January 1984

Car-Lons Ice Cream lasted less than a year

Ritz Camera opened in 1977.  It remained opened until at least 2003.

Levin's opens 5/15/87


Levin's closes May 1988

At some point, Shoe Town became Shoe Times




Ad from 1985


Ad from 1998


Software Gallery closes October 1997
PetSmart opened March 2009
Update: A couple of readers have stated they recalled a Pharmor Pharmacy located in the plaza and they would be correct.  Pharmor went out of business in November of 1991.


Update: 02/14/2023 - There were plans in late 2006 to open a Circuit City at this shopping center where WineWorks currently is.  Circuit City halted new store openings in 2007 and declared bankruptcy in 2008.  This site plan from December 2006 shows where Circuit City would have been.




Two other interesting things to note about this shopping center.


  1. According to an 8-K document filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, "Kohl’s will allow an additional 25,000 sf of new retail abutting its east side."  Kohl's agreed to that prior to Shake Shack and honeygrow being constructed in the parking lot.  I am not certain that there is still room for additional retail in that location.
  2. According to the same form, the Friendly's lease expires in 2022 and the rent is priced "significantly under market", meaning if Friendly's want to renew the lease, they are looking at a 'significant' increase in rent.  Seeing as a competitor (Shake Shack) serving burger, fries and milkshakes just moved in a stone's throw away, who knows what the future holds.

Complete store list:

Angelo's
Bank of America
Blockbuster
Boston Chicken
Boston Market
Bradlees
Car-Lons Ice Cream
Casa Sorrento
Crestmont Federal Savings
Executive Cleaners
Friendly's
Haband
Honeygrow
Jazz Unlimited
Jefferson Ward
Joy Palace Restaurant
Kohls
Levin's
PetSmart
Pharmor
PNC Bank
Ritz Camera
Roy Rogers
RX Place
Shake Shack
Shoe Time
Shoe Town
Shoprite
Software Gallery
Two Guys
Wineworks (Opened May 2010)


Entrance to shopping center from Route 73 South from May 2008.  Removed during the Marlton Circle Elimination Project.



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