Fenton is Cary's newest catch-all shopping, dining and living destination

Cary Towne Center was an enclosed mall in a suburb in the Research Triangle that contained such stores as Belk, Macy's, Dillard's, JCPenney, and Sears. 

Over the years, the mall also housed Gap, Kirkland's, American Eagle Outfitters and Lens Crafters, alongside dining spots such as Cousin's Pizza and Ragazzi's. But like many enclosed malls across the land, Cary Towne Center lost prestige and traffic, and it eventually shuttered. Today, the former mall property is empty. 

But in recent years, not far from Cary Towne Center's former location, a new shopping destination rose. It is known simply as Fenton, a 92-acre, mixed-use district on Cary Towne Boulevard. It is a destination for shopping, dining and luxury living, featuring national retailers, chef-driven restaurants, high-end apartments and community event spaces. 

Retailers include Lululemon, Pottery Barn, Bluemercury, Faherty, Johnny Was, Free People, Kendra Scott, Sephora, Williams-Sonom, Arhaus, Southern Tide, Athleta, Warby Parker and Pottery Barn. Its local and chef-driven eateries include Brewery Bhavana, CRU's Food and Wine Bar, Doc B's, Dram and Draught, M Izakaya, M Sushi, Superica, Colletta and Crawford Brothers Steakhouse. And there are luxury multi-family apartments (e.g., The Allison) and Class-A office spaces.

These photos were taken during a visit to Fenton in January 2024. As always, click on any image to view a larger version. To view a full gallery of images taken on this shoot, follow the link in this sentence.