Never before seen final moments of NJ’s old Dover Mall Staples

It was more than 12 years ago on December 29, 2011, that I was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time. In fact, I almost forgot these photos existed until I did a deep dive back through my photo archives.

I'm not even certain that anyone else has this moment documented. The only reason I happened to be there at this very moment was because I worked for the retail giant at the time and was on break witnessing this unfold.

Prior to working full-time in radio and media, my main line of work was in retail (radio was my part-time venture back then). And in 2011, that retail work happened to be at the Staples in Toms River.

I was also among one of the last associates of the company to have worked in the old Dover Mall Staples. In fact, I was part of the team that helped open the new location that's presently in the redeveloped plaza today.

What made the old Dover Mall Staples so unique in 2011 was the fact that it was the last retailer to remain open in that plaza. While everything else was torn down, they stayed open right in the middle of it all.

I remember when they were taking down the old stores that were attached to our building. It was legit like an earthquake happening around us.

There were also a lot of mice and rodents in that old store. Needless to say, it was time for a new building.

And we eventually got it. Once we moved into the new building, work began to take down what was the only remaining piece of the old Dover Mall.

Unfortunately, I wasn't there to capture the full implosion. But I was fortunate enough to catch the very last moments of that building's identity, formerly located at Route 37 and 166 right next to exit 82 on the Garden State Parkway.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.