We did a little shopping here between a wine tasting, and a dinner reservation nearby. My biggest concern is that the shop seem to be well attended, but also overpriced, and frankly, you can't even use the bathroom without talking to somebody who owns one of the establishments to get a code to use the restroom. Doesn't feel very inviting and the parking requirements. Here are such that if you even leave this establishment for five minutes, your car is gonna be towed and you're gonna get a bill for over $200. It just gives me the willies to come back. read more

We've been to Carr Mill Mall for a couple restaurants. 1. Tandem (New American cuisine) https://www.yelp.com/biz/tandem-carrboro-carrboro and 2. Thai Station https://www.yelp.com/biz/thai-station-restaurant-carrboro Both Tandem and Thai Station are good restaurants worth visiting. You can read my reviews of each for more info. We might come here for the other restaurants (e.g., Grata Diner, Venable Rotisserie Bistro), but other than that, there's not much for us here. Carr Mill Mall is a shopping mall with restaurants, a grocery store, and local boutique shops. The mall is named after Julian Carr, whom the Town of Carrboro was named after in 1913. It used to be a cotton and hosiery mill. The cotton mill was built in 1898. The original brick structures have been renovated and repurposed into the mall it is today. Like other converted developments across the country, the complex has an industrial/warehouse vibe and it's got some charm to it. The grocery store is Weaver Street Market, a local chain of cooperative (community-owned) grocery stores. There are four Triangle locations. The aforementioned Venable Rotisserie Bistro is presumably named after what the Town of Carrboro used to be called, Venable. The mall is located in/near the heart of Carrboro, within a short walking distance to a lot of local businesses. According to Yelp reviews from 2011 to 2023, this property has been strict with parking enforcement and quick to tow. Being from a big city like Atlanta, I'm used to it, but I wouldn't expect it in a town like Carrboro. I've personally never had an issue parking here and judging from the reviews, I wouldn't leave my car here to walk to another place off-site. read more

Nice place to stop by. On the bus route. Enjoyed picking up a used book at Fig Books. Friendly staff.

I would give it a zero if I could. My granddaughter goes to UNC. I picked her up for lunch and shopping. We parked in the Carr Mill parking lot. We went across the street for lunch and were planning on coming back to go to the book store and Harris Teether. We went across gone for about an hour. When we got back my car was towed. I had to get an uber to go pick up my car and was told if I paid cash it would be $70 cheaper. I was told they towed cars at the request of the store manager at Carr Mill's. I will never go there again. It cost me my time and $400. The town of Carrboro should be appalled. read more

Do not shop at this Mall. They run a predatory towing scheme with very obscure signage that is not visible when you pull in. Then they request cash payment of $280 to get your car out which they have towed to another county. I will never be back. See the wral article below for more details. https://www.wral.com/.../dozens-of-complaints.../21253188/ read more

Beware predators... Who knew that "predatory towing" was a thing? Not me until this past weekend. My sister and I were caught up in what I know now to be a money grabbing scheme by the owner of a shopping center and a local towing company. The towing company "lies in wait" on site for customers to park in the center's lot, as they get caught up in a Draconian rule that states that if you leave the center's property AT ANY TIME (even to say, return a library book), your car is subject to towing. There are security cameras in place that have recently been installed to aid them in their monitoring and apparently the feed is sent directly to the towtruck driver's iPad. Wow. The signage faces inward toward the parking lot, and it is not clear, for example, that the restaurant parking lot, which we used, is part of that mall. Additionally, one cannot read the signs from the street (which would allow a driver to choose another spot, knowing this policy is in place). The police have sent letters to the manager, no word on the effectiveness. Inside 30 minutes after parking at this lot (and yes, we did cross the street heaven forbid, but then came back to the mall to shop and ostensibly stay for dinner), my sister's car was towed. To another county. To the tune of $360 to get it out of the impound lot. Including a $100 surcharge for using a credit card. This is privately owned property, so no ordinances have effect apparently. And predatory? Let's just say that over almost 250 cars have been towed in less than a month. That should tell you one thing. The fact that the towing company has access to security footage and the camera feeds, and from what I heard, makes the call to tow, NOT the shopping center. That should tell you something more. And, the fact that the business owners in the mall are upset about this practice, because it's driving business away. Huh, imagine that. The towing company is BARNES TOWING in Chapel Hill-Carroboro. The mall is CARR MILL MALL, managed by property manager Nathan Milian, and owned by Paul Greenberg, who lives out of state. Shop there at your peril. read more

This is the worst place I have ever been. NEVER BUT NEVER WILL ever go back! It's very expensive and if you want to go to the restroom, you have to have a code. read more

PREDATORY TOWING - they towed my car with my Christmas tree on it last night - yes, I shopped there and walked across the street thinking I had a few minutes grace period - I did not. The kids were inconsolable. Its just mean - the lot had plenty of open spots and the goods I purchased there were sitting in the front seat in plain view. I would not recommend this place to anyone. Local merchants need to find a way to influence the property owner. Barnes towing charged an extra $100 if you need to use a credit card and that's legal?! After this terrible ordeal we got home to put crying kids to bed - the tree is sitting outside untouched - happy holidays read more

PREDATORY TOWING and fraudulent practices ruin the experience of this otherwise lovely set of local shops. I have the receipts to show I shopped at THREE Carr Mill Mall shops, in between, I stopped at the Spotted Dog across the street, but it was closed - I was trying to get take out before I left and I stopped at one shop on that side of street then went to the Market at Carr Mill Mall - when I came out, I thought my car was stolen - actually it was stolen - by BARNES TOWING!! It cost me $360 (that includes a $100 fee for using a debit card to pay instead of cash) + I had the cost of an uber ride all the way to 54 Carson road. read more

If you're in the store for more than 30 minutes expect to be towed and have to pay $350+. Would give 0 stars if that was possible. read more

​ Got towed while shopping. Don't risk it, don't shop here. They are towing shoppers! https://www.wral.com/story/this-is-predatory-towing-complaints-pile-up-against-downtown-carrboro-mall/21201397/ read more

Predatory towing - We've been coming to these shops during the holidays for years but will not be back. We've parked at this shopping center and walked around all the stores in the area several times before with no issues at all. Tonight we were there for an hour and stopped across the street for dinner and were towed. $360! It will be a long time before we return to Carrboro. read more

I, among many others, was towed while shopping in the plaza. When I confronted Carr Mill about it (I have no idea who this person is as they would not tell me and text was the only way I could reach someone) they claimed that they watched me walk off the property, despite having no idea who I am. They have no respect for their customers or their tenants. When I told someone at Weaver Street Market that I was towed while shopping, she was not surprised and said that they hear that from their customers all the time. Carr Mill will not do anything to make the situation right. read more

Carr Mill Mall - Shopping Centers Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

not a good place to shop. even if you shop at their stores and walk across the street they will tow your car. pitiful customer relations

I live in the community and have for over 10 years. I shop at Carr Mill almost daily. It is good to hear that some legislation is being introduced in Raleigh to address this toxic issue of predatory towing practices. I know I know I know... They can do whatever they want to do. It is their lot. They have perfectly readable signs all over the place. The driver should know better. Etc... But it is simply a bad look and bad for our small town to have the central gathering place to be a place that preys on people who shop in Carr Mill (or even if they just walk elsewhere) to come back to have their car towed by Barnes Towing (and plenty of complaints there with their business practices). It is sad that tenants have to put something on their websites that you see before you see anything else to warn their customers and the single largest tenant in Weaver St. Market consistently is frustrated with this practice and how it deters customers. And back to my original point- it looks bad and is bad for our community. Just tonight there was another family who shopped in the mall and walked across the street for a few minutes to come back and their car was gone. I am sure between the Uber to get to the Barnes lot and the price to get their car back will be near $300. Again, the current laws and the owners/managers of Carr Mill can continue to do what they are legally entitled to do, but it is not promoting the hospitality this town wants to promote. I will continue to tell anyone I see walking across the road to go back and move their car, but it sure would be nice if Carr Mill would promote a little more neighborliness than what feels really icky. It is not good for the town and it is not good for the tenants regardless of what they convey that it is in defense of them. I am hopeful the new law will pass in the coming year to change this practice. read more

They tow cars when there are plenty of spaces in the lot and for paying customers. Will never be coming back here, no one should give these people their business. How greedy can you be. read more

After spending way too much money at this mall, we had stepped away for two seconds only to find that our car had been towed. The towing company was way too far to walk to so we had to Uber there. Upon getting there, they tell us there is a 100 dollar processing fee to pay the 260 fine if we were paying with card. When I asked the property manager about these towing insane policies, he was extremely rude. Will never be coming back. Absolutely horrible. read more

Not being a regular to Carrboro we made the drive down since it was nice night. Having not parked in the Carr Mill lot for a few years, I arrived for a late Monday night dinner and went across the street. i had gone to 4 other lots but they were full. Was not aware the policy had changed and my car and others that we were meeting were towed within an hour. I have definitely taked Carr Mill off my list of places I will shop. Places just across the street should help by notifying customers of the issue. Carrboro is just a pain to mess with anymore. read more

Do not park here to walk across the street to eat. We just got towed. It was $260 to get our car back. Seems very steep. The punishment did not equal the crime. They saw us on video with our six year old daughter. I'm extremely disappointed. Will not be coming back to carr mill mall. Astronomical! Unreasonable! A $35 ticket would have been more appropriate. Signs were not visible at night at busy intersection. read more

So. I forgot my purse at Southern States earlier in the day. I'm a nurse who works nights. I shopped at Southern States. Awoke to a text from CVS in Carr Mill that I had a prescription to pick up. I parked at 515. Ran to SS for purse. To CVS for my meds. To inside the Mill for pizza. At 540 I found my car gone. Towed. No forgiveness for a tired hardworking professional. So screw you Carr Mill. I moved my prescriptions to another pharmacy. I can live without anything within the Carr Mill boarders and for sure I'll be telling EVERYONE to boycott. read more

Same terrible experience. Family member parked there to grab food and to grocery shop. Because she and friends went directly across street for food before shopping, cars were all towed. Each paid the same huge fine others mentioned. When explaining they were eating across street then shopping at adjacent grocery store, woman at impound lot said because they stepped off sidewalk into street they could tow them. Will not shop there again. read more

I recommend supporting local businesses at a different location to avoid the towing risks. I visited Carr Mill Mall today with my three young children, and our car was towed even though we ate lunch at Grata Diner and bought groceries at Weaver Street Market. We were towed because we left the property when we walked across the street for a few minutes to let our kids pick up bags of plastic easter eggs the Town of Carrboro was giving out at the Community Egg Hunt Celebration at Century Center. read more

The predatory towing by management of this mall has angered many customers of businesses in the Mall. Truly, this is the worst of Carrboro. If you must shop here, do not leave the premises or your car will be towed and you will be charged hundreds of dollars to retrieve it. Shop anywhere else! read more

Bring cash to tip your tow truck driver. Will NEVER shop there again. Predatory towing. Charged us $191.00 cash to stop him from towing my vehicle even though we were in the mill shopping. We were in the builing 10 minutes and noticed the tow truck getting ready to take our vehicle. read more

The shops have changed over the years so I never know what to expect on my infrequent visits. The space is pretty small but is nice use of a former clothing mill. There are office on other floors but retail and a few dining options on the main floor. Too bad that the pandemic put and to this location of Elmo's Diner, which always seemed packed. There's still a pizza joint, a tea shop, and some sit-down restaurants. Stores are definitely more of the boutique variety, with clothing, fabrics, toys, fragrances, jewelry, etc. They might not have what you need, but if you enjoy window shopping or unique stores, you would probably enjoy this place. read more

Loved this place, just had a $400 dinner at Tandem with my extended family and then browsed around the shops at the mall. Enjoyed Weaver Street market for a nice bakery dessert outside. This has been our go-to for pizza, groceries, pharmacy, etc since we moved here 5 years ago. We're done. The towing policy is so aggressive that I'm not interested in trying to fight some towing company in court for $450 because they pulled the wrong car. I've got bad experiences from Philly where they did the same thing and often got folks who were just shopping and left them zero recourse. At that kind of fee Carr Mill (named after its famously violent and racist founder) is getting some kind of kickback for fleecing its customers. I'm truly disappointed and sad for the vendors. Thousands of my dollars are going elsewhere. Hope it was worth it to tow some folks who stepped off the property for 15 minutes. read more

Love this repurposed warehouse. Even if the shops included aren't your cup of tea, then stop in to enjoy the beautiful wood...floors and walls and ceiling. There are several unique boutiques as well as crafty type businesses (pottery painting etc), plus restaurants and coffee shops. The parking lot is small so I can see that parking enforcement would be an issue, but that's true of many businesses in the area. read more

I still remember the time my mom and I first wound up here. I'd just moved to Chapel Hill and we were looking for a mall (in the traditional, I-grew-up-in-Greensboro, land of no local businesses sense). Imagine our surprise when a Carrboro-nian directed us here. Not what we were looking for at the time, but still cute and quaint. Read on for later impressions... Do not come here on Sunday! I often end up at Car Mill on Sundays by way of Elmo's brunch; but while trying to while away the 30-minute quoted wait, all I can do is window-shop. Because most of these stores are small and locally owned, they keep shorter hours than typical retail and might be closed on Sundays and Mondays. That said, Carr Mill makes for a great out-of-the-ordinary shopping trip. My faves are the eclectic gift stores like Shades of Blue and The Original Ornament for great beads and jewelry-making. read more

Carr Mill Mall - Shopping Centers Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

Bottom line: Carr Mill Mall has a small mall charm from being made in a historical building setup, but as for wide appeal shopping destinations it is lacking. There are very special niche shops, so be prepared for that. I do like the dining offerings there and that is the strong part of Carr Mill Mall, but it does make parking a challenge. It's so-so in my book. The Deets: I've known Carr Mill Mall for decades...ever since my college years at UNC-Chapel Hill. As a shopping destination it's been around for about 40 years but the history of the mill building itself goes back to 1898. I like the remaking of a historical type building into a very small shopping mall and it is neat to walk around it and see what is offered...but then that's about it for me. It's a very specialty type of shopping area, known for small businesses that have special niche shops more than stores known for wider appeal. Other than such eateries as Elmo's Diner and Venable Bistro or the outfitters store on the very end, I really don't have much more interest in the actual stores themselves. You have to know what you're looking for there and then of course know it is offered there to really enjoy shopping at Carr Mill Mall. Parking is always a challenge as well from the restaurants and the markets on each side. It's great for historical perspective and charm but for practical shopping, it's not the destination I'd end up at for looking around for goods. read more

Small town mall in an older converted building I guess. Clothing store, a cafe, make your own jewellery, camping store, toy store, fragrances, pizza place etc. Quite small space. Expensive prices for objects that really don't need to be that expensive. The parking/towing practices are not very welcoming. Get towed if they think you aren't in the mall, no thanks. That is not normal for a shopping complex. I park in the free public lot across the street just in case. read more

Once you get past the romantic refurbished facade of this historic mill, you find that CMM is more than a disappointment--it's downright unappealing and threatening to customers and potential-customers alike. They make no distinction between the two. You'll see an established norm in the reviews here: - businesses are primarily high-end shops catering almost exclusively to an elite clientele's wants, not their needs - draconian parking/towing policies and grumbling, unfriendly lot police who execute their silly orders to the detriment of better business relations Want to buy your groceries at Weaver? Welcome to park. Want to grab some tots on the other side of the parking lot at The Station on your way out? Better move your car or you can kiss it goodbye. That is what it boils down to, and you have to trust that their lot squad observes you visiting *only* an approved CMM business, because if they happen to not see where every person goes after parking, you'll be towed. Better hope they don't misinterpret your vehicle being parked there half the day as evidence that you're gallivanting around town instead of, I don't know, in a long session with one of the resident psychologists on the 2nd floor, or having a work lunch at a Weaver table. There are a few businesses here that I like and support in other reviews. However, CMM itself needs a management overhaul, both to be friendlier and more understanding of people's shopping/dining habits, but also to encourage better businesses to take up residence so that the turnover rate will decrease. Their relationship with the community, if that means anything at all to them, will continue to deteriorate until then. It's also worth noting that one of the rejected/hidden reviews for CMM comes from someone who is apparently a shopkeeper here. She doesn't want customers to take out their grievances against CMM on the businesses within, and swears that she and others are working to fix the towing concerns. I'd love to know if that business owner and others have organized to insist to the landlord to cease and desist with the towing policies. I doubt they have, though. Why? During my time in Carrboro, I learned that the CMM landlord sends out raging red-font emails to tenants, lambasting them for parking in the regular lot instead of the employee lot (essentially a tax on being employed there). Meanwhile, he parks his ritzy truck in a clearly designated No Parking fire zone while his impoverished minions scour the lot looking to drum up towing fees to fill his coffers. Recently there were a number of bike thefts in the area, including around CMM. Were the surveillance cameras mounted around the building of any assistance in discovering the culprit(s)? No. CMM "did not want to get involved." And lastly, the landlord enjoys cutting bike locks that were harming no one--claiming they were unsightly--while allowing bike racks to fall into disrepair, which actually *is* unsightly. Can't win if you drive, can't win if you bike. Is this Carrboro or someone's little fiefdom? Enjoy the shops if you can, but beware the gatekeeper. read more

Do not go to any shops in Carr Mill Mall. The owner does predatory towing on customers of nearby shops, restaurants, and bars. A group of friends all met at The Station on a Saturday night to celebrate my friend and I's birthdays, getting there around 10:00pm. It was pouring rain, so I dropped 4 friends off at the door of the Station and quickly parked in the first space I found, which happened to be in front of Venable. I got texted at around midnight from one of my friends who had just left, saying he had gotten towed. I went outside and quickly realized my fiance's car was gone as well. I was told by security near the lot that it was the owner of Carr Mill Mall that was getting all of the cars there towed. Some excuse about how their shops had been getting broken into at night, and they thought maybe having cars in the parking lot was contributing to that. I'm not sure how that makes sense, or if it's even true. If you're going to do something that costs us $125 and ruins our otherwise good night with a huge inconvenience of having to go retrieve our car, then you should really make it more clear that we're not supposed to park in your parking lot. The only 2 small signs that are anywhere near the lot just say parking for Carr Mill customers only. Even if I did see that sign, which I didn't, it's not really clear to me which establishments are Carr Mill and which aren't. Either way, I won't be returning to that area and giving any of those nearby places any business at all. I suggest everyone else do the same. read more

Quite deserted place. It might have been because we were there on a Sunday. But it doesn't seem busy at all. A lot of boutiques and restaurants in this mall. read more

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I have never been towed from here thankfully but I have watched the predatory towing practices here and it is insane. It has absolutely caused me to refuse to support any of the businesses inside Carr mill mall because of this. I feel bad, because I know this is not their decision, but MAYBE if enough people refuse to support practices like this, the businesses will say something to the landlord. There is no reason people should be towed from a parking lot after all of the businesses there are closed. That's ridiculous. read more

Agree with other posters-- nice to look at and walk through, no need to buy anything. It's good for specialty/artsy things-- my mom enjoyed the glasses holder she bought here that looks like a necklace so much she came back and bought more for friends. The kid's store Ali Cat is the one I've patronized the most, but after spending a few hundred dollars there I've never even gotten a thank you or a smile from the woman behind the cash register. Just last week, I bought $50 worth of presents from there and the attitude behind the counter is like you should be grateful to them for the opportunity to buy $50 worth of unnecessary junk for your friends' kids. For that reason, I'm not a frequent shopper at this mall and mainly walk through it with out-of-town friends. Nice to look at, nothing interesting to buy. read more

Local stores, local stores! I like shouting! Carr Mill is in many ways the beating heart of Carrboro... You don't really understand the town until you've been here. All of the shops are locally owned (or most of them, at least), and they tend very much towards the eclectic. Example: out of fifteen stores or so, two of them are fine art galleries and two others sell mostly scented candles/incense. It's that kind of place. Unfortunately, that means that those of us who are clad in things other than hemp on a regular basis are kind of left out. Carr Mill caters only to the very specific type of person who festers under the bushes of Carrboro, and if you're not one, chances are you won't like shopping here very much. Also, have a 6-figure income. You'll need the bank account padding to shop here. read more

Love the look of the mall, but the stores were small and strange and didn't appear to be open very regular hours. We stopped by for Elmo's and liked it. However, it was hard to figure out where the main entrance was as we didn't understand that we had enter the mall to get into the restaurant! read more

Carr Mill is what it is. It's not incredibly large, and it's in Carrboro, so you get what you expect: lots of jewelry and related stores. As many have mentioned, it's very artsy-focused, with a few clothing shops and other random establishments. But, if that's what you're looking for from your mall, it serves its purpose. They do also have Rita's and Elmo's, so you can get food. People like food. And look, Harris Teeter and Weaver Street Market bookend it on each side! read more

Utterly despicable roach infestation right in front of Weaver Street Market in Carrboro. People eating there ought to rethink and walk around at night when roaches start coming out. I have never seen anything like it - hundreds of roaches crawling all over the seating/eating areas. The owners of Carr Mill need to resolve this. read more

Beware if you are new to town or not a mind reader! The owner of Carr Mill mall does predatory towing. In the row I parked in there was not a sign about "parking for Carr Mill customers only", yet they still towed my car. They even have a friendly (insert sarcasm) parking vulture who will silently watch you leave your car and promptly calls the tow truck on your behalf. Sadly for Car Mill Mall, they have lost my patronage forever, I truly hope that was worth their $100 tow fee. read more