Shocking photos: Neglected stores in New Jersey look like a zombie apocalypse

I'm not big into post-apocalyptic zombie movies, but after looking inside an old strip of stores in New Jersey, I have a much better understanding of what that world might actually look like.

And I really can't think of one particular word to describe what I saw. You'll see why shortly.

I've been interested in the retail side of business for several years and, as the cycle goes, when stores close, it's often difficult to find new businesses to fill those spaces.

When that happens, stores can sit vacant for years and years. I've documented many of those instances:

• An empty Bed Bath & Beyond store in South Jersey
• A look inside a Sears store that closed 5 years ago
• Peek inside an old JCPenney store
• This Pathmark store closed over 12 years ago

Such is the case for a portion of a huge shopping center in Egg Harbor Township.

Empty Strip of Stores in Egg Harbor Township

Our travels today take us to the Cardiff Center on the Black Horse Pike, right in the shadow of the Garden State Parkway.

Locals know this as the shopping center where Pathmark was for years along with Big Lots and Cox Floors to Go; Bradlees was there a really long time ago, too.

Today, the Cardiff Center has several successful businesses -- in the back corner, Atilis Gym is always crowded, Forman Mills is on the other side, and there's a huge charter school at the front.

But between the gym and Forman Mills sits a strip of stores that have been vacant for as long as anyone can remember.

It's been vacant for so long, that it's hard to find any information about the businesses that used to be there.

Based on some old Google Maps images, Karin's Kurtains was on one end, a Chinese buffet was in the middle along with a pizza place, a nail salon was back there at some point, and a local political party briefly rented some space around an election cycle.

But again, that was countless years ago.

Intrigued as to what it might look like now, I recently took a walk along those storefronts and peered in the windows.

It went from bad to worse to a zombie apocalypse setting pretty quickly.

Simply put, I was shocked.

Before we take a look inside, take note: this shopping center is NOT abandoned. Several stores are open here. Do not break into the empty stores to explore these spaces. For starters, you'll be arrested and secondly, it's probably safe to assume there are severe health risks.