Friday, April 27, 2007

Woodward Avenue Kresge & Shopping District


Detroit, Michigan - circa 1960s

Though not a shopping mall here, I'm posting this postcard photo I bought recently, for three reasons: 1. because I really dig the old Kresge five & dime stores, 2. because it's just so gloriously kitschy looking, and 3. because I paid good money for it so you're darn right I'm gonna use it! :)

This is a vintage view of Woodward Avenue's shopping district back in its glory days. The snazzy "DDD" flags you see here stood for Downtown Detroit Days, a regular Woodward Avenue shopping tradition where the merchants along the avenue would work together to offer special promotions and deals to shoppers--what a concept! Here's the card's short but sweet caption:
"Looking north on famous Woodward Avenue in the heart of Detroit's shopping district."
Yeah, Woodward Avenue's still there, and stores are still there, but this kind of swankiness isn't.

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The Daily Mall Reader: J.L. Hudson's

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"How J.L. Hudson changed the way we shop"

(Excerpt) In keeping with the founder's 'more and better' philosophy, Hudson's opened the world's first shopping center, Northland, March 22, 1954, in the city of Southfield.

This huge suburban mall offered parking for 10,500 cars to shoppers who were lured to the mall by its 53 stores, including Hudson's. The complex eventually grew to more than 125 stores and helped transform the way the nation shopped. Other malls quickly opened in the Detroit suburbs.

But the downtown store still reigned supreme.

Read the full article here.

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Bullock's Store at Stonestown Shopping Center


San Francisco, California - early '60s

Exterior view of a Bullock's department store court entrance and escalator in the Stonestown Shopping Center (aka Stonestown Galleria). Some notes from Wikipedia (where you can read the rest of the story) on the early history of the Bullock's chain:
"Bullock's was founded in 1907 at Seventh & Broadway in downtown Los Angeles by John G. Bullock, with the support of The Broadway Department Store owner Arthur Letts. In 1923, Bullock and business partner P.G. Winnett bought out Letts' interest after his death and the companies became completely separated. In 1929 Bullock & Winnett opened a luxury branch on Wilshire Boulevard, named, appropriately enough Bullocks Wilshire.

In 1944 Bullock's acquired I. Magnin & Co., a venerable, San Francisco-based luxury chain. This was followed by the acquisition of the then public-owned Bullock's-I. Magnin organization in 1964 by Federated Department Stores, much to the dismay of surviving founder P.G. Winnett, who publicly lambasted the deal (which was initiated by his own son-in-law Bullock's President Walter W. Candy Jr.)."
Mall history: 1952 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Reference links: 1, 2
Previous entries: 1

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Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Stylish Tacoma Mall Interior, 1972


Tacoma, Washington - 1972

Inside Tacoma Mall in the early seventies. Below is the accompanying caption for this vintage reference photo (most shopping malls don't even bother to do such local, community-centric things like this anymore):
"Display of portraits of the officers and directors of the Greater Tacoma Chamber of Commerce surrounding pillars within the Tacoma Mall. Shoppers at the mall in 1972 were invited to meet the area's business leaders via their color portraits taken by the Richards Studio. A label identifying the individual was in the corner of each gold and wood framed picture."
Mall history: 1964 - present
Architect: John Graham
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4

(Study image courtesy Tacoma Public Library, Richards Studio Collection D160900-352C)

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MOA Galleria - 1968 Northway Mall Art Show


Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - 1968

Two little shoppers-in-training contemplate an abstract piece at a 1968 Northway Mall art show.

"Hmm, where are the bird and monkey cages again?..."

More Northway Mall: 1, 2, 3, 4

(Study image courtesy The Shoppes at Northway)

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The Daily Mall Reader: Stanford Shopping Center

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"Slice of cheese pizza at Tresidder Union: $2.75
Econ 1 textbook: $123.56
Undergraduate tuition: $29,847
Bloomingdale's across the street . . . Priceless"


Stanford Magazine - July/August 2004

(Excerpt) If shopping malls typically sprouted on university grounds, it might be reasonable to expect them to include a Gap, a Banana Republic, an Abercrombie & Fitch, or even a J.Crew—all of which have branches at Stanford. But the University is also home to a Brooks Brothers, an A|X Armani Exchange and an enormous, ornate Polo store.

Need high-end stereo equipment? There is a Bose shop and a Bang & Olufsen within Stanford’s borders. Furniture? You’ll have to travel off campus for a futon, but at Stanford you can select cherrywood dining tables and leather club chairs from Crate & Barrel’s first West Coast home store.

Read the full article here.

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Stanford Shopping Center & Emporium Department Store


Palo Alto, California - late '50s early '60s

C
olorful postcard view of the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, California (now a Simon mall anchored by Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and Macy's), with a nice shot of the mall's old Emporium department store facade/entrance as well. Some Wikipedia history notes on the mall's store lineups over the years:
"Macy's California joined the center in 1961 and Saks Fifth Avenue opened a store in 1962. Further expansion came again in 1972 with the addition Los Angeles-based Bullock's, owned by Bloomingdale's parent company Federated Department Stores. Bullock's only lasted eleven years, closing its Northern California stores in 1983 and selling its Stanford location to Nordstrom, which opened in November 1984. Neiman Marcus became the sixth anchor in August 1985.

Saks Fifth Avenue closed their store in 1994 and was replaced by Crate and Barrel and Andronico's food market. By 1995, Federated Department Stores had acquired the Macy's, I. Magnin, and Emporium chains. As part of the company's rationalization, the I. Magnin chain was closed, and the location at Stanford became a separate Macy's Men's Store in 1995. The Emporium store was shuttered and rebranded as Bloomingdale's in November 1996, this being the first northern California location for that division of Federated."
For an added bonus, check out this cool "virtual reality" panorama view of the Stanford Shopping Center.

Mall history: 1956 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Reference links: 1, 2, 3
Previous entries: none

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Sunday, April 22, 2007

MOA Galleria - Retro Shopping Time!


circa 1959

Late-fifties photo from an old Mercury car ad. Even though this appears to be taken outside a grocery store as opposed to a shopping mall per se, I'm still sharing it here because, man... it's just so dang nice and the mood so right! Close enough for our purposes in the "Galleria" anyway, I think. And who knows, maybe the mall is right next door and we just can't see it. They're probably stopping there next, in fact. ;)

I'm no expert on them, but this looks to be taken in front of a Market Basket supermarket, judging by the bit of logo visible. Be that as it may, this great vintage graphic is via one of my favorites, Plan59, which has lots more beautiful, classic print ad art and is well worth a visit--or 20!

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The Daily Mall Reader: World’s Largest Shopping Malls

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"The world’s largest shopping malls"
Asia builds colossal new shopping centers, while the U.S. redevelops

Forbes.com - January 9, 2007

(Excerpt) Heading out to the mall--isn't that yesterday's way to shop?

Not in Asia, where a building boom has enormous shopping malls popping up in China, Malaysia and the Philippines, with India expected to jump into the fold soon.

While many traditional malls in North America are getting squeezed by a big-box era that includes the likes of Wal-Mart Stores, Best Buy and Target in nearly every county, Asia's rapidly growing economy has spawned a new wave of consumers looking for places to shop and play. Most of them are quite ritzy, too.

Read the full article here.

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Stonestown Shopping Center (aka Stonestown Galleria)



San Francisco, California - early '60s

Vintage fifties exterior photos of The Emporium department store (which became Macy's in 1995), among others, at the venerable old Stonestown Shopping Center (aka Stonestown Galleria, or just "Stonestown") in San Francisco, California.

At first glance, these pictures kind of remind me of a drive-in movie theater--especially that first shot. Probably could have shown movies on that Emporium "E" storefront facade if they wanted to! At any rate, very cool and swanky design here, from the Golden Age of retail.

Mall history: 1952 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Reference links: 1, 2
Previous entries: none

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Retro Mall Video: '80s Dance Station Booth


Shopping Mall - late '80s

Here's a weird video I recently came across on YouTube, and in my effort to leave absolutely no vintage mall stone unturned, I present it here. For what it's worth. Thought some of you guys might get a (nostalgic?) kick out of it as well, especially the bona fide '80s Mallrats among us.

Remember when shopping malls back then featured totally rad, extra cheesy stuff like this to draw shoppers and teens in? To a certain extent many still do, I guess, but I'm not so sure there are any of these Huey Lewis-powered green screen video dance booth thingies still out there anymore. This clip happens to star a young David Deeble, who it turns out, went on to become a famous comedy juggler. From the video's description:
"David Deeble in the late '80's at some mall that let you dance around in front of a camera with some video effects for a few minutes and they would tape it and give you a copy. MTV was involved, I think a lot of the technology was on loan from NASA. "

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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

MOA Galleria - I Heart Retail Store Mannequins



Whether they be lounging about the aisles minding their own business, or just taking it easy in a darkened window display, I dig store mannequins. No, not in a weird, "unhealthy" way mind you (so stop thinking what you're thinking), just in a "I think they're kinda zombie-creepy but still really groovy" way. :)

So I like posting pictures of them here for that spooky, after hours mall ambiance they provide--in case you're ever wondering why I do it so much. Mannequins just make me think of shopping malls, and shopping malls make me think of mannequins.

Plus, I think there's Art to be found in pictures of them. Like the one above (by Hyperlux).

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Michigan Mall in Downtown Battle Creek


Battle Creek, Michigan - circa 1970s

Great vintage view of a stylish and welcoming court area on the Michigan Mall (pedestrian shopping strip) in downtown Battle Creek, Michigan. You can make out part of a Kresge store sign on the left, and you just gotta love that retro clock sculpture in the center--though I'm not so sure "retro" quite describes its design, as it actually looks quite futuristic now that I think about it!

More Michigan Mall

(Study image courtesy of the Willard Public Library, Battle Creek)

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Shopping Mall Sign: Regency Mall


Augusta, Georgia

E
ntrance sign (along with cinema listings) for Regency Mall, in Augusta, Georgia. While the above photo was taken in 2006, this dead mall has been long-abandoned and was never updated during its lifespan, so the sign you see here is frozen in time, still sporting its original 1970s look! Some design notes from Wikipedia:
"Regency Mall was configured in a Y-shaped layout. Its surrounding landscape was terraced, providing ground-level entrances to the upper and lower levels. The mall’s interior was decorated in an alabaster motif with brown accents, and its floors were finished in brown-speckled terrazzo tile. Live trees were planted at intervals along the lower-level concourses.

The mall’s three wings met at a 28,000 square-foot center court, framed by 45-foot pillars and featuring a fountain, a 28-foot clock tower and a stage area floored in brown tile. Regency Mall had more than 800,000 square feet of space; when it opened, it was the largest enclosed shopping mall in Georgia."
Btw, take a look at my recent Randall Park Mall video (Ohio). Aside from the name of course, the entrance sign seen there looks identical to this one. Same developer, same era, so it makes sense, but still interesting to note.

Mall history: 1978 - 2002
Developer: Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr.
Current website: n/a
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Reference links: 1
Previous entries: none

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The Daily Mall Reader: Desert Sky Mall

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"Retailers shopping for new home at Desert Sky Mall"
Scottsdale Airpark grows as economic powerhouse

(Excerpt) When Desert Sky Mall recently signed on Burlington Coat Factory as a new tenant, the West-side shopping center started drawing a flurry of interest from other retailers also seeking space, say officials.

The Burlington department store will take up the 92,000-square-foot space left vacant when Montgomery Ward closed last year, according to mall spokesman David Madrid. It is slated to open in October.

Desert Sky is a Westcor Shopping Center property.

Read the full article here.

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Fairlane Town Center with Dearborn Hyatt & Monorail


Dearborn, Michigan - late '70s early '80s

Aerial view of both the Fairlane Town Center mall (top of photo), along with the nearby Dearborn Hyatt Regency (bottom). If you look closely, you can also make out the actual track for the famous shuttle monorail that I featured in my last Fairlane Town Center entry, as it winds its way across/above the shopping mall's parking lot, over to the adjoining hotel--a trip which took 91 seconds.

Mall history: 1976 - present
Developer: A. Alfred Taubman
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2

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Monday, April 16, 2007

Louis Joliet Mall (aka Westfield Louis Joliet)


Joliet, Illinois - circa late '70s

Family shopping trip... late-seventies style! Welcome to Louis Joliet Mall, or Westfield Louis Joliet, as it's officially known these days (naturally). This photo is from a print ad dating to around the late 1970s or so. Here's the ad copy:
"Whatever you have in mind, we have in store. Explore Louis Joliet Mall and find more of what you're looking for. More choices. More variety. More of the latest fashions in over 100 fine stores. Plus a mouth-watering variety of foods to suit every taste. Convenient services that put an end to driving all over town. And exciting special events. So when you're looking for more, discover... Louis Joliet Mall

More than 100 fine shops and services including Sears, Marshall Field's, Bergner's, and J.C. Penney"
Here's some excerpted history from its Wikipedia page:
"The mall opened in 1978 (August 2) with Sears and Marshall Field & Company. Bergner's opened in September 1979, and JCPenney would move from downtown to the mall one month later. In the beginning, Louis Joliet Mall had stiff competition from the slightly older mall a few miles away on Jefferson Street, Jefferson Square Mall.

The Westfield Group acquired the shopping center in 2003, and renamed it 'Westfield Shoppingtown Louis Joliet', dropping the 'Shoppingtown' name in June 2005. However, most locals do not use the Westfield name for the mall. Many call it 'Joliet Mall', or 'Louie Mall'."
Mall history: 1978 - present
Developer: Homart Development
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Reference links: 1, 2
Previous entries: none

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MOA Galleria - 1950s Family Shopping


Vintage ad - 1959

"America's family shopping cart." This is some great late '50s retro advertising art. I cropped this image out of an old faded Ford Motor Company print ad. Reason being of course, the super cool picture it features, taken at an unnamed shopping center at the time, somewhere in America (who knows where).

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The Daily Mall Reader: Joliet Mall Makeover

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"Joliet Mall Overhaul In Works"
'Lifestyle centers' may be the trend, but Westfield has plans to stay competitive

The Herald News - March 13, 2007

(Excerpt) JOLIET -- Lifestyle malls, with their fancy architecture and enticing boutiques, may be trying to woo shoppers away from the boxy, old malls, but not everyone is willing to lose business to the latest retail mistress.

Westfield Group, the Los Angeles-based company that owns Westfield Louis Joliet, is planning not only to update the interior of the 29-year-old building but also to construct a new shopping plaza and movie theater.

"New elements, new life, new energy," is how Catharine Dickey, a Westfield spokeswoman, described the plan.

Read the full article here.

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Retro Mall Video: Randall Park Mall Corvette Auto Show


North Randall, Ohio - Sep. 16, 1984

Portions from an episode of The NightLife Show, an early '80s Florida cable access TV show (ran 1980-1986). This clip I recently came across on YouTube (which aired January 25, 1985), features a cool segment that was taped inside the now-defunct Randall Park Mall, at a 1984 Corvette Auto Show. The focus of the video is mainly the cars, yes, but, luckily for our purposes, the shopping mall does manage to sneak into the shot a little here and there.

Mall history: 1976 - early '00s (dead)
Current website: n/a
Developer: Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr.
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Reference links: 1, 2
Previous entries: none

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Friday, April 13, 2007

Midtown Plaza Shopping Mall & "Clock of the Nations"


Rochester, New York - circa early '60s

Vintage sixties interior postcard photo of the "Clock of the Nations (click to see it in action!)" and central court area in Midtown Plaza.

Mall history: 1961 - present
Architect: Victor Gruen
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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Retro Mall Video: Metrocenter Mall


Phoenix, Arizona - circa 1990

Here's a quick peek inside Metrocenter Mall around 1990. The footage is short (and I wish more vintage), but still nice enough to take a look at.

Metrocenter Mall appeared in the movie, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), as the "San Dimas Mall", and according to its Wikipedia entry, is the current location for the upcoming Universal Pictures film, Kids in America, starring Topher Grace. Here's more history:
"Metrocenter was a joint venture of Westcor, a regional shopping center development firm headed by a group of real estate investors and developers led by Russ 'Rusty' Lyon, Jr., and Homart Development Company, the real estate division of Sears, Roebuck and Company. The project was announced in November of 1970, the first site plans and artist renderings announced in the spring of 1972, and construction beginning in June 1972.

The mall was opened for business in October of 1973, and when it opened as the first two-level, five-anchor mall in the U.S., it was the largest shopping center in Arizona to date (housing more shopping space than the entire Phoenix metropolitan area had in 1957) and was considered one of the largest shopping centers in the United States."
Mall history: 1973 - present
Developer: Westcor & Homart Development Co.
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: none

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The Daily Mall Reader: Phoenix Spectrum Mall (Chris-Town)

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"Aging malls get new life"
Creativity propelling rebirth of Spectrum

The Arizona Republic - May 14, 2003

(Excerpt) Chris-Town Mall was a retailing destination when it opened in 1961, one of the biggest shopping centers in the West and the first in Phoenix with air-conditioning.

Anchors included Korricks, JCPenney and Montgomery Ward. So many people showed up on opening day that one shopper remarked that it "looked like New York." More anchors came and went over the years, but the central Phoenix mall thrived.

Fast forward to today: The department stores are gone, replaced by Wal-Mart and Costco. Shoppers push carts down the mall's long corridors, and Chris-Town has a new name, Phoenix Spectrum Mall.

Read the full article here.

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MOA Galleria - Montgomery Wards Building Oakland


"Wards VI" (2001)
by Katherine Westerhout

C
ool photograph taken by artist, Katherine Westerhout, in the now demolished Montgomery Ward building in Oakland, California.

I really loved shopping at Wards growing up. It was one of our family's favorite department stores. The name alone still brings back many wonderful childhood memories for me the instant I hear it. Sure do miss that store.

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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Garden State Plaza Mall in the Sixties


Paramus, New Jersey - circa 1960s

Garden State Plaza, from back in the early days when it was still an open-air shopping mall. Some stores visible in the photo are: Gimbels, Lorrys, and, though in shadow and hard to see, Arcadian Gardens (to the right), which was a restaurant, I believe.

Garden State Plaza is now an enclosed Westfield-owned shopping mall. But once, a long time ago, it looked cool like this.

Mall history: 1957 - present
Developer: R.H. Macy & Co.
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2

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'70s Decor of Windsor Park Mall


San Antonio, Texas - 1976

V
intage newspaper article (courtesy of Coddat on Webshots) detailing the swanky interior design and decor of the then newly-opened, Windsor Park Mall, in Northeast San Antonio, which is gone now (the mall, not San Antonio). This is a nice glimpse into the natural, earthy shopping mall design aesthetics of the seventies.
"A natural decor with lots of wood, lush green plants and limestone brick sets of the interior of Windsor Park Mall.

The use of 'natural' materials helps to make the mall a 'warm and friendly place, where people can be comfortable."
Also see this: Windsor Park Mall - "The Final Call"

Mall history: 1976 - 2005 (dead)
Reference links: 1
Previous entries: 1

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MOA Galleria - Knollwood Plaza Cows


St. Louis Park, Minnesota - June 21, 1960

R
egion VII Dairy Day champions and their animals at Knollwood Plaza shopping center. These guys are probably headed for The Leather Loft.

Previous entries: 1

(Study image courtesy and © Minnesota Historical Society)

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The Daily Mall Reader: Mall Madness

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"Mall madness"
Anchor exits cause concern, but create opportunities for slumping properties

San Antonio Business Journal - January 26, 2001

(Excerpt) Several San Antonio malls, already hit by competition with power centers, have taken another blow.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization of Texas retailer Stage Stores has led to the closing of four Bealls stores, three at local malls. Then, anchor tenant Montgomery Ward announced it was filing for bankruptcy liquidation, closing its stores at Windsor Park Mall, Crossroads Mall, Westlakes Mall and McCreless Mall.

To retail analysts, the situation for lower-end malls looks bleak. Some expect surviving retailers will slash operations further in an effort to cut costs in a belt-tightening market, resulting in more vacancies. In fact, this week J.C. Penney announced that it would close 50 stores.

Town centers such as the Derby Street Shoppes here are the latest answer. Because all stores can be entered from the parking lots, these topless malls satisfy busy shoppers' desire to run in and out.

Read the full article here.

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Retro Robert Hall Clothing Store Commercial


Here's a nifty old '50s commercial spot for Robert Hall Clothing Stores, and their line of Westerfield all wool flannel suits. Of course, it comes complete with one of their usual catchy ad jingles you can't get out of your head once you've heard it.

Also see this: Retro Mall Video - Robert Hall Fashion Centers

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Sunday, April 08, 2007

Lincoln Road Mall Night Shopping


Miami Beach, Florida - circa 1960s(?)

Not an enclosed shopping mall photo, but an outdoor one that I had to post, just because it looks so darn nice. Here's a beautiful nighttime view of the historic Sterling Building and storefront, on the famous Lincoln Mall pedestrian shopping district, in Miami Florida. And dig that nifty looking lighted sculpture thingie! I'd give anything to have one of those for my front lawn, wouldn't you?

I believe this photograph dates to somewhere in the mid to late '60s or so, but I'm not positive of the exact year. See the previous entry below for another nice Lincoln Road Mall picture.

Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1

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'70s Easter at Lloyd Center


Portland, Oregon - circa late '70s

W
hat's Easter without a shopping mall Easter Bunny photo, right? Only way to sweeten that deal is when it's one from the 1970s, and it's from Lloyd Center mall! That's just about everything you need right there. It's everything I need at any rate. Save maybe a chocolate bunny and colored egg, of course.

The groovy snapshot above, comes courtesy of, Meegan Blue, and is an old family photo taken at Lloyd Center, around 1977 or 1978.
"...I do know that we were at the Lloyd Center. Nowadays it's just a regular, enclosed, everyday mall, but back then it looked like this. Oh, if only they had embraced its open-air Mid Century coolness and left it alone, just think of the fun we'd have!"
Amen, Meegan.

Finally, allow me to take this opportunity to wish everyone out there who's observing it, a very Happy Easter! To those who aren't, hey, Happy Sunday! :)

PS: Don't forget, the Easter Bunny's in that 1986 Universal Mall Boat Show video I shared here recently.

Mall history: 1960 - present
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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Easter Bunny at Monmouth Mall


Eatontown, New Jersey - 1981

Vintage newspaper ad promoting the Easter Bunny's arrival at Monmouth Mall in 1981. Thanks to, Pat Richardson, for this fun (and timely) submission! Here's a little overview from long-branch.net:
"Monmouth Mall, New Jersey's fifth largest shopping center, is 1.5 million square feet. The center first opened as a 500,000 square foot open-air center on March 1, 1960. In 1975, the mall was enclosed and expanded to it's current size. The mall underwent major renovations in 1987 and again in 1996. During the 1996 renovation, Monmouth Mall added a 700-seat food court and the 15-screen Loews Theatre."
Mall history: 1960 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: none

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Jefferson Square Mall


Joliet, Illinois - 1981

I
nterior view of the now defunct, Jefferson Square Mall, as it looked back in 1981, which is pretty snazzy, I must say! Here's a small snippet from the shopping center's entry over at Dead Malls, where you can read an excellent history of the place if you're interested in all the details (I mainly just like looking at pretty pictures myself, lol):
"Built in 1975 as the first enclosed mall in Joliet, Illinois, a city about 45 miles southwest of Chicago's Loop, Jefferson Square Mall boasted 65 stores, Walgreen's, Woolworth's, Wieboldt's, and Montgomery Ward. The mall was built such that the central court had four branches off it.

The central court was oriented such that the north and east wings branched off at the northeast end, and the south and west wings branched off at the southwest end. At the northeast end of the court was a bandshell with a water feature around it, and at the southwest end was a kiosk with four shops. Between was open space."
Mall history: 1975 - 2006 (redeveloped)
Current website: n/a
Current aerial view: n/a
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: none

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Macy Sky vs. Macy*s Store

Someone e-mailed me out of the blue recently asking a weird question that took a little intensive "research" on the web to finally understand. He wrote: "Where's your Macy Sky stuff? Got any? I surfed over to your site but I don't see her anywhere, just a bunch of old shopping malls! What's going on dude?"

Let me just take a second to to clear something up. :)

A note to anyone else out there searching for "Macy Sky" stuff: sorry, but the only "Macy" related grooviness you might find here is about Macy*s--the department store chain. This is a blog devoted to vintage shopping malls and the stores therein.

Macy Sky, the (ahem) "glamour model", while a beautiful and talented young lass, to be sure, simply doesn't quite fit in with the theme and focus of this site.

And I really should do something about that.

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Thursday, April 05, 2007

Coddingtown Mall


Santa Rosa, California - circa 1960s

Great aerial view of one of Sonoma County's classic shopping destinations, Coddingtown Mall (now partly owned by Simon Property Group, Inc.). The mall is currently anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, and Gottschalk's, and is still a beautiful place to shop even today, according to our resident Northern California malls expert, BIGMallrat, who noted:

"Coddingtown Mall has the most beautiful ceiling I've ever seen in an enclosed shopping center. It reflects the redwood surroundings of Santa Rosa.

The mall is light and bright and really pleasant. The interior corridors are wide and easy to stroll. You can tell this was an open air center at one time because the floor is noticeable higher in some areas."

Mall history: 1961 - present
Developer: Codding Enterprises
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: none

(Study image courtesy of Sonoma State University Library)

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MOA Galleria - Shopping Mall


"Shopping Mall, Rockland, ME" (2003)
Oil on canvas painting by Yvonne Jacquette

Also see this: Passages, Shopping Center

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The Daily Mall Reader: Shoppers turn to town centers

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

Shoppers turn to town centers

USA TODAY - 1/31/2007

(Excerpt) HINGHAM, Mass. — Carolyn Kennedy wants to add a bocce court to the "lifestyle" shopping center she runs in this Boston suburb. The guys who sit smiling on the benches at the outdoor mall could use something else to do.

It's a problem a lot of malls would like to have. Women outnumber male shoppers by about 2-to-1, and men spend an average of 10 minutes less per mall visit. Because browsers spend 15% more than so-called destination shoppers, stores do everything they can to keep shoppers around.

Town centers such as the Derby Street Shoppes here are the latest answer. Because all stores can be entered from the parking lots, these topless malls satisfy busy shoppers' desire to run in and out.

Read the full article here.

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Dinosaurs at Roebuck Shopping City!


Birmingham, Alabama - March, 1967

In March of 1967, a traveling dinosaur display sponsored by the Sinclair Oil Corporation (the dinos were originally from the 1964 Worlds Fair), made a stop at Roebuck Shopping City, one of Birmingham's earliest shopping centers. And we have the pictures to prove it! (courtesy of Birmingham Rewound)





I'm not real up on Roebuck Shopping City, so I have no idea whether or not it's still there and all that other good stuff (or where those dinosaurs may have stomped off to). A quick cursory web search turned up little. Please comment if you know anything about this shopping center today, or what it's fate ultimately was. I'm just curious.

Also see this: Jurassic Shopping Center!

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Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Burbank's Golden Mall


Burbank, California - circa 1970s

Field trip time outside! Here's the famous Golden Mall, an outdoor pedestrian shopping mall district that was located in downtown Burbank, and looking ever the place to be, here in this nifty early '70s vintage postcard I just couldn't resist posting. That's the Bur-Cal clothing store you see on the end with the cool script logo above the entrance.

Alas, the beautiful mall was completely removed and the area reopened to traffic in 1989 (the mall having originally opened in 1967). But if you're interested in learning more about The Golden Mall and would dig seeing lots more great pictures of it, be sure and visit the nice photo essay at Burbankia, by Wes Clark, of the fabulous Avocado Memories website (which I've loved for years), and Mike McDaniel. Tell 'em Malls of America sent ya! ;)

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MOA Galleria - Dayton's TV & Stereo Department


Edina, Minnesota - March 7, 1958

Inside the television, radio and phonograph department at the Dayton's department store in Southdale Center Mall in the fifties.

More Southdale Center: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

(Study image courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society)

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Westgate Shopping Center sign


Albany, New York - October 1960

The photo above accompanied the article below entitled "90 Feet in the Air", from the October 1960 issue of Signs of the Times Magazine. Apparently both the shopping center and its beautiful sign are still there today (such as they are), but a look at this page will show that it doesn't look quite the same these days. But at least it's still there (as of 2005 anyway).

Now on to the original article:

"The trend toward bigger and bigger signs is well exemplified by the gigantic Westgate Shopping Center spectacular in Albany, N. Y., that rises 90 feet in the air above the parking lot entrance to the store group. The king-sized identification, incorporating neonized copy, a chasing border action and a jump clock, is raised on two towering steel uprights.

The uprights are formed of 30-inch wide flange, 108-pound steel. Each section is 100 feet long--extending 90 feet above ground and 10 feet below grade, based in 33 tons of concrete. The columns were delivered to Albany on two railroad flat cars and emplaced by a pair of 100-foot boom cranes.

The single copy panel, a 30 by 20-foot oval, is faced with porcelain with white porcelain channel letters. The double-faced sections are turquoise, rimmed with yellow porcelain. The huge 'W' is 8 feet tall, outlined with four rows of clear red tubing. Three rows of red illuminate the remaining 'Westgate' letters. The remaining copy is double tubed in turquoise. Some 1500 yellow incandescent lamps border the oval and, activated by two flashers, create a rotating light effect.

The background for the clock, which utilizes 36-inch letters, is black satin finished enamel. Filler for both the clock unit and the copy panel is stainless steel. The enclosure at the sign base, which houses the electrical service equipment, also is formed of porcelain and stainless steel.

The contract for construction of the display, exclusive of the planter, was awarded to Judge Neon Sign Co., Inc., Albany, N. Y. The steel structure was subcontracted to a local steel fabricator. Judge Neon completed all excavating work, set the footings and constructed and installed all other elements of the sign under the supervision of Mr. Trembly, Judge production manager.

Tests were performed to determine the proper height of the proposed sign in regard to several nearby obstacles which would tend to obscure visibility from desired directions. After determination of the general size and shape, rough drawings were prepared by Raymond Murphy, sign company designer.

A steel rung ladder has been welded to one of the steel columns to give service crews access to the towering sign. A trolley track has been incorporated at the top of the sign from which scaffolding or a bos'n chair can be suspended to reach the various parts of the display. Three platforms have been installed between the two ovals which provide access through the rear of the sign. An additional platform was placed below he clock unit for this servicing."

Mall history: 1957 - present
Current website: n/a
Current aerial view
Previous entries: none

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Retro Mall Video - French shopping center 1980


France - 1980

H
ere's another very zany but swanky French TV commercial shot inside a ritzy looking shopping mall somewhere in France. (Paris? Probably.) This one, a 1980 TV commercial for Miko Ice Cream. Um, enjoy! :)

Also see: Parly 2 Shopping Centre

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The Daily Mall Reader: Mall Rats

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

Malls' night restrictions on teens paying off

USA TODAY - 3/15/2007

(Excerpt) CHICAGO — A growing number of shopping malls are turning away teenagers during evening hours unless they're accompanied by adults.

Restrictions at some malls apply every night, others on Fridays and Saturdays. Hours and ages vary. The rules are meant to reduce fighting and ensure that adults and families don't avoid malls where rowdy teenagers take over stores, corridors and food courts.

The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., was the first U.S. mall to create an "escort policy" in 1996, says the International Council of Shopping Centers. The idea has caught on: 39 malls now have limits on teenagers. Fifteen implemented such policies in the past two years and dozens more are considering them.

Read the full article here.

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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Macy's at Hillsdale Shopping Center


San Mateo, California - circa 1950s

Hillsdale Shopping Center, in the "heart of the peninsula", in San Mateo, California. This keen vintage postcard image is a keeper I'd say! The Macy's store entrance, as well as the shopping center's beautiful sign, are both visible nicely here in one handy, very pretty, shot--that I'd love to step right the heck into.

If you're new here, don't forget to check out my "Shopping Can Be Fun" Hillsdale video, too!

Mall history: 1954 - present
Developer: David Bohannon
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4

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MOA Galleria - Store Mannequin

Mannequin in a store window.

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The Daily Mall Reader: Mannequins of the '70s

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"And Now, The Group"

TIME Magazine - Monday, Jan. 14, 1974

(Excerpt) The first distinctive changes were cautious: fluttering, real-life lashes and movable glass eyes. Later, as the times grew more daring, belly buttons appeared between skimpy bikini halves; dimpled knees and smooth, fleshy thighs flashed below microminis; nipples poked through braless blouses. Even mannequins, it seems, keep up with the times.

Last week a window of Manhattan's R.H. Macy's displayed the latest trend in store dummies: "groupings." There, apparently engaged in conversation, was a trio of plastic, stylized males with featureless faces and bald heads. Such clusters of interacting mannequins, now on display at many major department stores, often waltz, golf, and even play baseball, as silent spectators look on at the fence. "The old mannequins with their screwed-on heads and half-witted expressions are gone," says Norman Glazer, national sales manager for Wolf & Vine, a Los Angeles mannequin manufacturer. "They were real dummies, no better than hangers with heads."

Read the full article here.

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International Malls: Sears in San Juan


San Juan, Puerto Rico - 1972

Sears Shopping Center in the Hato Rey business district in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1972. If I didn't know it, I'd assume this was a shopping center somewhere in the U.S., wouldn't you? Looks like maybe Florida or something. Either way it just goes to show that retail Swank is universal! ...Or was, at any rate.

And man, that classic old-style Sears script logo sure looks nice. Always reminds me of my childhood whenever I see it--similar to Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, and Kmart, to name a few more.

(photo courtesy & © University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries)

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