The Daily Mall Reader: Shopping Malls Grow With Suburbs

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"Flight To The Suburbs"
Business Must Follow The Dollar

TIME Magazine - Monday, Mar. 22, 1954

(Excerpt) The enormous growth of the U.S. population has meant vast new markets in everything from baby carriages to washing machines and wrist watches. Will every retailer cash in on the bonanza? Not at all. The reason is that since 1940, almost half of the 28 million national population increase has taken place in residential suburban areas, anywhere from ten to 40 miles away from traditional big-city shopping centers. Thus, to win the new customers' dollars, merchants will have to follow the flight to the suburbs.

In the ten years from 1940 to 1950, St. Louis' suburbs grew 48% while the city itself added only 6% to its population. In the same period, Philadelphia's suburbs expanded twice as fast, Boston's eight times as fast, as their already-crowded metropolitan districts. The numbers tell only part of the story. Suburbia offers not only more new customers but better customers.

Read the full article here.

Mall Sign: Lakewood Shopping Center

Lakewood, California - circa 1950s

The very bold and distinctive looking entrance sign at the Lakewood Shopping Center (or just Lakewood Center) as seen in the 1950s. This photo find comes courtesy of Brian Neuroth. Thanks, Brian! This is a great sign design to study, where less (in this case anyway), is obviously more.

Mall history: 1952 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4

MOA Galleria - Lora Lee Dress Shop Window

New York - circa 1950s

Nighttime in 1950s New York. And here's the posh and fashionable window display (complete with Mannequins) at the Lora Lee Dress Shop, just oozing charm and retro swank!

See more MOA Galleria here!

Stonestown Shopping Center (aka Stonestown Galleria)

San Francisco, California - circa 1950s

A very moody old newspaper photograph of the Stonestown Shopping Center (now Stonestown Galleria) back in its 1950s heyday. Once again, there's that distinctive Emporium store facade design looming high over the mall, which can also be seen more clearly in one of my past entries on this classic San Francisco shopping center. A few Wikipedia notes on its early years:

"Stonestown Galleria, originally Stonestown Shopping Center was built in 1952, by the Stoneson brothers. It was built in the Lake Merced neighborhood along with apartments that could house 3,000-3,500 people. The major tenant, the Emporium department store, opened on July 16, 1952. Other early businesses included Walgreens, Butler Brothers, Gallenkamp Shoes, the Red Chimney restaurant and Woolworth's. There were also stores for local residents, including a grocery store, a bakery, and movie theaters. The Stoneson brothers' development firm was also responsible for the later Stoneridge Shopping Center and Lakeside Village."

Thanks for this image find goes (once again) to, Brian Neuroth, for spotting it in this great Flickr collection!

Mall history: 1952 - present
Developer: Stoneson Development Corp.
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Reference links: 1, 2
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3

Stonestown Shopping Center (aka Stonestown Galleria)

San Francisco, California - circa 1950s

Swanky '50s postcard photo of the Stonestown Shopping Center (now Stonestown Galleria) in San Francisco, California. Lots of vintage store signage on display in this shot, including Walgreens, JM (was this the clothing store?), and The Emporium department store (with the distinctive "E" logo) in the background.

Thanks very much to, Brian Neuroth, for pointing me to this one!

Mall history: 1952 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Reference links: 1, 2
Previous entries: 1, 2

Broadway Plaza Shopping Center

Walnut Creek, California - circa 1950s

Vintage postcard depicting the Broadway Plaza Shopping Center (and its very distinctive sign!) in Walnut Creek, California, which is currently anchored by Macy's & Nordstrom's. Other retailers comprising this venerable upscale open-air regional shopping center include: David M. Brian, The Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Victoria's Secret and Build-A-Bear Workshop. The above photos are from early on in the Broadway Plaza's retail life.

Mall history: 1951 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: none

Miracle Mile Shopping Center (Monroeville, PA)

Monroeville, Pennsylvania - circa 1950s

Vintage postcard view of the bustling Miracle Mile Shopping Center in Monroeville, PA, which opened in November of 1954, and was originally officially named Pittsburgh Miracle Mile Town & Country Shopping Center Inc.--thank the Shopping Gods it got shortened! Cool shot here of the mall's S. S. Kresge and Sun Drugs stores

Mall history: 1954 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1

Mall Sign: Edgemoor Plaza Shopping Center

Wichita, Kansas - circa 1956

Swanktastic sign (designed and built by Claude Neon Federal Signs) at the Edgemoor Plaza shopping center in Wichita, KS. Edgemoor Plaza originally opened to shoppers in 1954. Not sure if it's still there today (and if so, under what name).

See more mall signs here!

(Study image courtesy of the Howard Eastwood Collection, Wichita State University Libraries' Department of Special Collections)

Town & Country Shopping Center construction

Fort Worth, Texas - 1958

Aerial photo of the Town & Country Shopping Center as it looked under construction in 1958. An interesting and raw look at the early stages of a shopping center's development (compare this with the finished, modern aerial view).

Can't find much background on this Town & Country Shopping Center, but it appears it's still around today. I've linked to a current aerial below, and do see some passing references to it being made on Google here and there. Don't see an official website or anything much in the way of solid historical info, so if anyone else out there is familiar with this shopping center I'd appreciate a few details. I'm mainly wondering what year it opened, and also, what its current retail health is like these days--assuming it still has some.

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

Stanford Shopping Center & Emporium Department Store

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

Colorful 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

Miracle Mile Shopping Center (Monroeville, PA)

Monroeville, Pennsylvania - circa late '50s

The Monroeville Shopping Center (not to be confused with the later Monroeville Mall), is featured in this vintage postcard I purchased last year. Stores visible are J.C. Penney, W.T. Grant, and Thom McCann Shoes, among others I can't quite make out.

I don't know much about this shopping center, other than the fact that it appears to be an open-air strip mall, and was located in Monroeville, PA, dating back to the 1950s. I have no idea whether it's still around anymore, and if so, what the name of the center is now. Was this the basis site for Monroeville Mall years later in 1969? Not really sure. The back of this card simply says: "The beautiful Monroeville Shopping Center". Guess I'll just leave it at that, too.

Edit: Updated post title to reflect that this is the Miracle Mile Shopping Center.