If you've lived in Cherry Hill for more than a few years, the fall calendar tends to repeat itself. Springdale Farms, Croft Farm, a walk around Barclay, maybe a stop at the mall. This year is different in a specific way. Two of the town's largest gathering places, Cherry Hill Mall and the H-Mart on Route 70, are both mid-transformation at the same time, and the changes finish landing between now and the holidays. Here is what has actually shifted since last October, and what's worth putting on the calendar.
The Two Anchors Are Both Changing at Once
Cherry Hill's food and retail life leans heavily on two Route 38/Route 70 anchors. It is rare for both to be in flux in the same season. Right now they are.
At Cherry Hill Mall, three stores and one restaurant recently opened: Coach, OFFLINE by Aerie, POP MART, and Suki Hana, a fast-casual spot with teriyaki bowls, sushi, and hibachi-style fare. Behind them, something much bigger is going up. Dick's House of Sport is still on target to open sometime this calendar year, and the facility replaces One Cherry Hill, the nine-story office building in the mall's parking lot, which has been demolished. If you drove past the mall this summer and wondered why the sightlines suddenly changed, that's why.
The store is not a normal Dick's. It offers a climbing wall, simulated golf bays and other recreational activities, and it will also have an outdoor field. PREIT also announced that activewear retailer lululemon will expand in a more-prominent location in the mall.
Across town, the H-Mart story is even bigger for daily life. H-Mart Cherry Hill has been closed since last summer while undergoing a full remodel of the lower-level grocery store, along with a major expansion that will take over the upper level of the building, and that new space will feature a full Korean-Asian Market Eatery Food Hall. Reopening timelines have moved around, but expectations are increasingly pointing to a late February to early March opening, with individual food hall tenants trickling in through the year. JAWS Topokki & Gimbap has confirmed the Cherry Hill H-Mart location on its own website as a new location expected to open in July 2026, and 42Freeway also confirmed KyoDong Noodle as a food hall tenant for the Route 70 location.
Here is the quick "then and now" picture for anyone who hasn't checked in for a while:
| Anchor | A year ago | This fall |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry Hill Mall parking lot | One Cherry Hill office tower, nine stories | Cleared, Dick's House of Sport under construction |
| Mall tenant mix | No Coach, no POP MART, no Suki Hana | All three open, lululemon relocating |
| H-Mart Route 70 | Closed for remodel, lower level only | Reopening with a two-level layout and an upper-level food hall |
| Route 70 corridor food | Raku space vacant | Cherry Hill Eatery moving in with three concepts |
New Places to Actually Eat
The mall additions are one thing. The Route 70 corridor is where the more interesting eating story is happening.
The former Raku building has a new tenant that is trying something unusual for a suburban South Jersey storefront. A new Asian hot spot in Cherry Hill will be opening soon; Cherry Hill Eatery has taken over the space vacated by Raku last year, and there will be three concepts under one roof: The Wok for Chinese specialties, Mala Station for spicy hot pot, and Utepia Tea for bubble/milk tea and dessert. That is essentially a mini food hall of its own, and it opens on a stretch of Route 70 that has not had a hot pot option before.
For everyone waiting on the full H-Mart food hall, it is worth setting expectations. A contact familiar with the plans expects a Korean fried chicken restaurant and likely bubble tea and sushi options; there is already an H-Mart food hall in Philadelphia, but Cherry Hill will feature completely different food offerings, which should encourage H-Mart fans to visit both locations. In other words, don't plan on it being a copy of the Upper Darby location.
A practical note for residents: if you're used to running quick weekday errands at the old H-Mart, that habit is still on pause. The best interim substitutes for Korean pantry staples are still the shops along Route 70 and in Marlton until the Cherry Hill reopening lands.
The Openings That Change Weekend Routines
A few smaller openings are worth flagging because they change where you'd take out-of-town family or a Saturday afternoon walk-and-shop.
- Suki Hana at the mall. A weekday lunch option that didn't exist a year ago, and one of the few sushi-and-hibachi setups inside the mall proper.
- POP MART. From the toy company that brought you the Labubu, Pop Mart has gone from a vending machine to a brick-and-mortar store. If you have a middle-schooler, you already know why this matters.
- Coach and the OFFLINE by Aerie shop. Two additions that shift the mall's tenant mix noticeably toward apparel and gifting for the holiday season.
- Cherry Hill Eatery. Three concepts, one address, and a reason to keep driving past the usual Route 70 defaults.
If you have not walked the mall since last winter, the interior circulation has shifted enough that it is worth an actual lap before holiday shopping starts.
Fall Traditions That Still Anchor the Calendar
New openings are the news. The reason Cherry Hill's fall still feels like Cherry Hill's fall is that a handful of long-running events are locked in on the same weekends they've always been.
The one to circle first is at Croft Farm. Cherry Hill's Harvest Festival returns on Sunday, October 19, from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the historic Croft Farm at 100 Bortons Mill Road. If you're new to town or new to this event, it is the closest thing Cherry Hill has to a town-wide fall Sunday.
A newer addition worth knowing about: the Cherry Hill Autumn Craft & Vendor Market runs Saturday, September 19 through Sunday, September 20, 2026, at Cherry Hill Mall, which pairs neatly with a walk-through of the new mall tenants.
For the farm side of fall, Springdale Farms still runs the classic setup. Independent local guides describe it as pumpkin patches, corn maze, campfire and hayrides, and it stays the easiest option for families who want an actual field-and-tractor experience without leaving Cherry Hill.
And if you want something quieter, the Barclay Farmstead at 209 Barclay Lane keeps a light public schedule through the fall. It is a good stop before or after the Harvest Festival if you want to string a full afternoon together on the same side of town.
What This Actually Says About Cherry Hill Right Now
A quick roundup of new stores would miss the real point. Cherry Hill's two largest commercial buildings, the mall and the Route 70 H-Mart, are being physically reworked in the same twelve-month window. That does not happen often in a mature suburb. The mall lost a nine-story tower in its parking lot and is gaining a destination sporting-goods concept with an outdoor field. The H-Mart is doubling into an upper-level food hall with tenants that had not previously operated in South Jersey. On the Route 70 corridor between them, a former sushi restaurant is reopening as a three-concept eatery.
For anyone who already lives here, that means the fall calendar has more genuinely new stops on it than any recent year, layered over the traditions at Croft Farm and Springdale that are not going anywhere. It is a good season to be a resident who pays attention.
When You're Ready to Talk Homes
Watching a neighborhood change in real time is one of the quieter benefits of already owning here. If you're thinking about how these shifts are shaping demand on your block, or you're weighing a move within Cherry Hill this year, The Holloway Real Estate Group is happy to talk through what we're seeing on the ground. Get in touch when you'd like a straight read on your options.