Retro Mall Video: Wausau Center Mall Commercial

Wausau Center Mall commercial (1983)

Here's a fun 1983 TV commercial for the grand opening of the Wausau Center Mall in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin. This shopping mall (which underwent a mall-wide, multi-million dollar renovation in 2006) is currently anchored by JCPenney, Sears, and Younkers stores.

Watch more Retro Mall videos here!

Retro Mall Video: Mays Department Store Commercial

Mays store TV commercial (1979)

Retro 1979 TV commercial for the popular New York-area Mays department store chain. From everything I've read, Mays sounds like it was a pretty cool department store with lots of colorful character. And I really dig their commercials and catchy jingle! "Every day's a sale day at Mays!"

Best of all, this ad features the ubiquitous Proctor-Silex coffee makers, which were so common in the kitchen back when I was growing up in the 1970s (along with the very groovy Poly*Perks, of course)!

Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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Retro Mall Video: Slim Jeans Commercial

Slim Jeans commercial (early '80s)

Behold, it's Slim Jeans! "The uncommon jeans for people with a common problem!" :D

Wow, I remember seeing these commercials on late night TV back in the day, and even remember seeing these, uh, "jeans" in stores and at the malls. They're actually still sold today in one form or another, especially in the backs of magazines and in gift catalogs and whatnot. Can't believe the stuff we buy sometimes (especially with this kind of ridiculous pitch in mind)!

The quality of this video is terrible, I know, but it's the only full-length one I could find (there's a much better version here on YouTube, but it's missing the beginning and I'm kind of a stickler for that sort of thing).

Retro Mall Video: '70s Sears Optical Department

Sears Optical Department (1970s)

Here's a retro '70s TV commercial for the Optical Department at Sears, in all its weird retro '70s glory. Man, I remember the catchy little jingle in these Sears ads very well from when I was a kid. As for the woman in this one... can you say Stepford Wives?

Retro Mall Video: Members Only Jackets - One Jacket To Rule Them All

Members Only Jackets (1982)

Remember that hip and trendy must-have fashion accessory so popular in the '80s--the "Members Only Jacket"? If you were a teen back then living in the U.S., you definitely do. Especially if you were one of the "cool kids" who's parents could afford to get you a Members Only jacket.

I didn't have one.

Well actually, I had a Members Only knock-off version from Kmart or Montgomery Ward at the mall or something. While I certainly fancied myself as relatively cool (OK, very cool), the jackets came along at a really tight financial time in our household (and I couldn't wait, like every other cool kid I needed one NOW!) so I settled for a jacket that looked very similar to the real thing--unless anyone looked real close at the little front pocket label tag which was on the outside of all genuine Members Only jackets, bearing The Name.

That tiny little tag was quite the status symbol in those days. I forget what my knock-off said, but from a few feet away it looked close enough (and no one ever called me on it either). It was like "Member Only" (singular not plural) or something like that. Close enough. I felt cool (or cooler) and all was well.

So here's a 1982 TV commercial for Members Only Jackets, with Anthony Geary of General Hospital, who was a really popular daytime TV sex symbol in those days. Just look at him, can't you tell?

"When I put one on... something happens."

You look like an uncool idiot?

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Retro Mall Video: '80s Korvettes Toy Land

Korvettes Toy Land (1982)

Korvettes discount stores "Toy Land" TV commercial from 1982, featuring Mego and others! This is a fun companion piece to the other Korvettes commercial I featured before (and I have yet another vintage Korvettes spot on the way next time).

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Retro Mall Video: NorthPark Mall Psychedelic Dance Show

Dallas, Texas - January, 1968

Why is a clip of a vintage Texas television dance show here? Ah patience, young Grasshopper, patience... It's here because it was shot in and broadcast from, the NorthPark Center Mall, in Dallas!

Local Dallas TV station, WFAA-TV, Channel 8, had a studio that was housed inside NorthPark Mall, where they shot the daily "Sump'N Else" teen dance show, which ran in the mid to late '60s. They also produced a morning game show for housewives called "Away We Go", that was shot live from the mall as well.

Anyway, in this context, I thought this groovy video highlight from the Sump'N Else Show (where they were staging a psychedelic light show that day) would be fun to look at here on the blog. Even though you don't technically see any of the shopping mall proper itself, we know it's there, in all its 1968 glory, right outside the studio walls! :)

More NorthPark Center Mall: 1, 2

Retro Mall Video: Bob Dylan Shopping

1965

Well, not so much mall video, but certainly mod video of Bob Dylan shopping for suits and ties in the mid-sixties in some unnamed shop somewhere (maybe in a mall or strip center, who knows?). I think it's kind of groovy.

Heck, why not.

Retro Mall Video: Columbia Mall (aka Avondale Mall) Demolition

Decatur, Georgia - March, 2007

The last Sears wall at the abandoned Columbia/Avondale Mall is razed to make way for a new Wal-Mart Supercenter in its stead--much to the dismay of many local residents (which you can read about in another Columbia Mall entry). Such a sad sight for anyone who's a vintage mall lover.

Note: This video is only part one of four. For your viewing convenience, I put them all on one page in a playlist at YouTube, if you'd like to go watch the rest after this one. Click here for the playlist.

Retro Mall Video: Fox Valley Center (aka Westfield Fox Valley)

1983 Fox Valley Center TV spot

A wacky 1983 Chicago television commercial for the Fox Valley Center mall (aka Westfield Fox Valley), in Aurora, Illinois--using generic Muppet-like local puppet talent.

The mall's current anchor stores are: Carson Pirie Scott (originally a Lord & Taylor), JCPenney, Macy's and Sears.

Mall history: 1975 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: none

Retro Mall Video: New Urbanism - Sprawl Retail Lecture

"San Antonio By Design" Seminar (1991)

Architect and and urban planner, Andrés Duany, conducts a lecture on suburban sprawl, and retail planning/development, in San Antonio, Texas. While some of the focus does center on the San Antonio area, much of the overall message is universal and readily applicable anywhere. Personally, while a tad on the technical side at times (for a layman like me anyway), I found this talk fascinating, and gained some new perspective from it--especially on the retail planning end, which Duany covers in depth (shopping center planning and such). From the video description:

"This 1991 slide show and lecture was given to attendees in San Antonio and is a variation of Andres Duany's very popular and well-received presentation that he gave to universities, architectural conventions, urban planning groups and anybody who would listen to him."

Note: Just to get us started I'm hosting part one here on MOA, but there's 9 segments in all, so after you watch the first one, simply click here to go to the playlist for the rest on YouTube. Hope some of you find it as interesting as I did!

Retro Mall Video: '80s Mall Arcade Training Tape

(part 1)

(part 2)

This is a totally rad find (that I found on YouTube)! It's a 1981 "Space Port" Mall Arcade employee training slideset video.

Space Ports were a franchised chain of shopping mall video arcades that were especially popular in the late-seventies and early-eighties. Mallrats and pretty much any teen who grew up in those days, will remember these loud and funky shopping mall gaming wonderlands. The video above (in two parts) is an interesting (and oftentimes unintentionally funny!) relic of the '70s and '80s shopping mall landscape--albeit from slightly more on the "inside".

Lots of shopping malls had Space Ports--among the ones I can think of are: Aurora Village, and King of Prussia Plaza.

Also see this: Retro Mall Video - Mall Arcade '84 & MOA Galleria - Mall Arcade

Mall Video: Ala Moana Shopping Center

Ala Moana Shopping Center, Honolulu, HI (2006)

Here's a nice little video tour (via Ben's Tours on YouTube) of the Ala Moana Shopping Center as it looks today. I kind of dug this and thought it might be of some interest here as it helps put the mall into some modern perspective for us (as does this link).

Mall history: 1959 - present
Architect: John Graham Jr.
Current aerial view
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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. "

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

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

Retro Mall Video - French shopping center 1980

France - 1980

Here'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