MOA Galleria - Spider-Man At Korvettes In Sunrise Mall, 1977

Massapequa, New York - 1977

Spider-Man makes a promotional appearance at the Korvettes store in Sunrise Mall in 1977! This image is courtesy of my friends at the fantastic Mego Museum, the website devoted to vintage Mego toys (thanks especially to Brian over there, for alerting me to these!). Here's a description from their page (where there's more shots!):

"We've all heard of Mego Store appearances to promote toy lines, many of us even have fond fond memories but few photographs remain. Enter Megomuseum member Doug Knoth with his amazing recently unearthed photos from a store appearance at a Korvette's in the Sunrise Mall, Masapequa NY around 1977 to promote the World's Greatest Superheroes as well as the Micronauts. Spider-Man and Acroyear pose (above) in the mall for children next to my parents patio furniture."

And hey, while you're digging on this photo, don't forget about the other Spider-Man mall shot I blogged before from an old East Towne Mall appearance. You can dig on that one, too! :)

See more Sunrise Mall here!
See more MOA Galleria here!

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!

MOA Galleria - Downtown Shopping Park

Grand Junction, Colorado - circa 1960s

A beautiful and sunny '60s view of the Downtown Shopping Park (or Main Street Shopping Park), at the heart of the historic (and pedestrian-friendly) downtown shopping district in Grand Junction, CO.

Pleasantville, here we come!

MOA Galleria - Belknap Mall Zayre Store

Belmont, New Hampshire - April 1978

What lies at the end of the rainbow? A shopping mall of course!

In this case it's Belknap Mall, pictured here in April of 1978, from the parking lot in front of the mall's Zayre department store just after a late-afternoon or evening Spring rain, it would appear. Image via habspuck's photos on Flickr.

More Belknap Mall: 1
See more Galleria here!

MOA Galleria - Sixties Retro Store Logos

House Beautiful - October 1969

From the October 1969 issue of House Beautiful magazine comes this cool retro ad heralding House Beautiful's alliance with 17 of "America's Great Stores", to help with all your various decorating and decor needs. There's some nifty vintage store names and logos here, from The Bon Marche, B Altman Co., and Jordan Marsh, to Gimbels, Rich's, and Bullock's. Thanks, Jay, for another great submission!

See more Galleria here!

MOA Galleria - '70s Fashion Shopping

Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Fall, 1972

Two very groovy, happenin' ladies check out the trendy '70s Fall fashions they intend to rock, as they shop at Haber's department store in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

See more Galleria here!

(Study images courtesy & © the State Library and Archives of Florida)

MOA Galleria - Universal Mall Vintage Decor

Warren, Michigan - circa 1980s

Since precious little vintage Universal Mall material has surfaced online (or in my inbox) yet, I'm reduced to recreating my own for this relatively obscure little cult mall I grew up with in Warren, MI. And that's what the above graphic is. It's my own Photoshop rendition of the forest-themed wall mural (or wallpaper) that hung in certain areas of Universal Mall's funky interior back in the early to mid '80s, and possibly before.

This design is based on my 1986 Universal Mall Boat Show video, where you can see quick glimpses of the mall's mural art in the background of certain shots. Obviously it was there in early 1986 (the time of the video), but my own youthful memories of this decor element go further back than that. How far back it actually does date in the mall I'm not sure, but it's possible it goes back to the late '70s at least (not that anyone on Earth really cares besides me). Either way, I just dug the design and thought I'd try to recreate it and document it here on the blog--for posterity's sake if nothing else.

More Universal Mall: 1, 2

MOA Galleria - Escalators

photo ©2004 Finn O'Hara

Escalators at Canary Wharf, in London, England. While there are certainly plenty of stores and shopping opportunities to be had at and around Canary Wharf for the retail-minded, my focus for this Galleria post is simply on its escalators.

This very cool shot was taken by Toronto photographer, Finn O'Hara, and I just really dig it. Not a mall shot, but I still dig it. Like the mannequin pictures I (for whatever reason) enjoy featuring often here at Malls of America, you can also add escalators to the list. I like pictures of those, too. Now that I think of it, I like riding on them as well. So when are they finally going to turn all our sidewalks into 'em like on the Jetsons? I want that!

Also see: Bullock's Store at Stonestown Shopping Center, Department Store Escalators Study

MOA Galleria - Northway Mall Ball

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - 1964

Vintage photo of folks dancing inside Northway Mall during some special event in 1964. I couldn't resist also including the still below, from one of my favorite weird movies, Carnival of Souls (1962). When I saw the Northway Mall picture, I instantly thought of this scene from the movie (yes, I'm strange like that)...

Carnival of Souls - 1962

But mainly I just dug the idea that these people (in the first pic) were actually ballroom dancing inside Northway Mall! Something kind of odd looking (and spooky) about that scene. I doubt the mall does this anymore, though, heh.

Mall history: 1962 - present
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

(Study image courtesy The Shoppes at Northway)

MOA Galleria - Dixie Square Mall Montgomery Wards

Montgomery Wards interior

(©2001 Christopher W. Trice)

Funky interior design--'70s shopping mall style! Back in 2001 photographer, Christopher Trice, documented the abandoned remnants of the Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois, for his "Dixie Square Mall Series". Here are a couple of the Montgomery Ward images from it that I dug due to the obviously frozen-in-time state of vintage '70s (or '60s?) decor they capture--interior store design still left over from retail days long gone by.

Men’s Jackets, Montgomery Wards

(©2001 Christopher W. Trice)

Of this series Trice said: "My work at Dixie Square Mall is an effort not to find beauty, but to create it." Tough assignment from the looks of things.

Here's an overview from the site I found these photos at:

"In The Dixie Square Mall Series, Christopher Trice examines the space and socioeconomic import of a long-abandoned shopping center in one of Chicago’s south suburbs. Dangling wires, fallen ceiling tiles, and peeling wallpaper evidence the decay of otherwise familiar store interiors now ravaged by vandals and weather alike. Yet the attention to color and closely controlled composition of Trice’s photographs transcend the merely documentary, generating a beauty otherwise absent from this crumbling structure."

More Dixie Square Mall: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

MOA Galleria - Eastwood Mall Fashion Shop

Birmingham, Alabama - 1960's

Swinging '60s ladies shopping and chit-chatting inside a fashionable store in a vintage-era Eastwood Mall. Don't know if this was a boutique, salon, or just the women's department of some larger store, but whatever it is, it looks pretty groovy to me.

In the '70s I remember getting dragged into lots of these kinds of stores by my mom as a kid. I didn't mind too much though, because even at that young age (we'll say around 10) I'd always use the opportunity to "scope out the chicks"! Usually meaning any cute 9 or 10 year-old girls who got dragged in by their mothers, too. And sure, sometimes I even scoped out their foxy, hot pantsted, go-go booted moms, too, I'll admit it. I had that kind of game.

More Eastwood Mall: 1, 2

(Study image © & courtesy The Birmingham News)

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)

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!

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).

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).

MOA Galleria - Montgomery Wards Building Oakland

"Wards VI" (2001)
by Katherine Westerhout

Cool 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.

MOA Galleria - Knollwood Plaza Cows

St. Louis Park, Minnesota - June 21, 1960

Region 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)

MOA Galleria - Shopping Mall

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

Also see this: Passages, Shopping Center

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)

MOA Galleria - Store Mannequin

Mannequin in a store window.