Mall bookstores always made me so happy!

@JanieBean

2 ай бұрын

Oh yes...I worked in a mall bookstore in the mid to late 70s. Sold lots of romance novels, poetry books and of course, the iconic Farrah Fawcett poster! Those were the BEST days ever!

@snowmountain2007

2 ай бұрын

Oh yesss! Always loved going to the bookstores! Never left without a purchase! 📚 😊

@alangrant5684

2 ай бұрын

Yes a real get-away for me to get lost in other worlds.

@timfankell4242

2 ай бұрын

Waldenbooks, B Dalton, Paperback Booksmith...

@scotsmith2391

2 ай бұрын

Same. I used to drift between Waldenbooks and B. Dalton all the time.

I especially miss malls during the holidays. As a kid growing up in the '70s/'80s, a trip to the mall to go Christmas shopping was a big part of the holiday experience: the music, the decorations, the hustle and bustle, kids waiting to see Santa, the kiddie train, etc.

@nickadamson6053

2 ай бұрын

I seriously miss that so much, too. And you didn't see Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving, just made that time of year so special. Seemed like everyone in the mall was "in the spirit".

@jackilynpyzocha662

2 ай бұрын

The former Eastfield Mall(now demolished) on Boston Road, Springfield had it all; movies, restaurants, shops, and socializing! In temperature-controlled comfort! We saw "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" during the Christmas season of 1963, fifty years ago last December, two screens. That "Wondrous Boat Ride" was terrifying to a ten-year-old me! We still have Holyoke Mall, thankfully! Both in Massachusetts. I also checked out electronics, mostly computers, 1992, at Eastfield Mall, Radio Shack. Eating places were "The Flaming Pit", "Friendly's" and the ubiquitous "Orange Julius"! I am going to miss this mall!

@AngelAPAVLOVSCornDog

Ай бұрын

😢 life will never be that good again

@LanielPhoto

Ай бұрын

I don't miss them - I still go to them for all my shopping trips (and they have free parking!). Guess I'm lucky - 5 large malls all within a 15 minute drive.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

we had a jewish-owned mall where i grew up, so we didn't have a santa there. we had a huge talking snowman with scary red eyes- i survived it.

I enjoyed the malls with their extravagant holiday decorations.

@user-ht1xu4gv2u

2 ай бұрын

And thefts cars getting stolen

@jackilynpyzocha662

26 күн бұрын

The former Baystate West(now Tower Square), the now-demolished Eastfield Mall, on Boston Road in Springfield, MA. Holyoke, Hampshire and nearby malls had everything under one roof! You had to remember where you parked your vehicle, especially if you had a snow storm while you were "in" the mall!

I remember not having any money and yet walking the malls and enjoying the lovely scenery !

@texaswunderkind

2 ай бұрын

Today the jack-booted rent-a-cops would harass the teens and the Boomers would clutch their pearls at the dangerous gangs.

@Traindude7777

Ай бұрын

I enjoy it today

I grieve the loss & closing of malls. As a kid who grew up in the '70's & '80's, it was the ultimate place to shop.

You really don’t realize how good times were,until you compare to this present time.Wish I could go back to live it again,even if it’s for a day.👍🏼

@jackilynpyzocha662

2 ай бұрын

There was a well-known department store chain, "Albert Steiger & Company" here in Western New England. (Massachusetts), it figured prominently in the area. For decades. It was sold to other buyers, a shame. The Eastfield Mall, Springfield, MA, has been demolished. Holyoke Mall, also in Massachusetts, is still going strong! the locals called it "Steiger's" it was everywhere! In all malls.

@cherrybomb2600

2 ай бұрын

I would give all of my tomorrows for a single day. Seriously.

@tonystevenson26

2 ай бұрын

From Jimmy Carter to Joe "lobotomy " Biden

@goofygrandlouis6296

Ай бұрын

Also.... EVERYONE WAS THIN !! So obvious. wow what happened, America ?

@Albert-777

Ай бұрын

@@goofygrandlouis6296 😂 so true

I wish I could go back to those times. Things were simpler then.

@pc8134

2 ай бұрын

People were so much thinner then.

@ljprep6250

2 ай бұрын

Simpler, more honest, and much, much cheaper.

@joejones9520

2 ай бұрын

go a few days living your life as if the internet doesnt exist...that's the first step toward recapturing those times...bet youll decide this is best!

@Tropicaya

2 ай бұрын

Less humans, less problems.

@doorswhofan

2 ай бұрын

You're far from alone. The world is a much, MUCH darker place now.

The mall was such a fun and exciting place on Friday and Saturday nights - just plain fun! And at Christmastime - WOW!

@texaswunderkind

2 ай бұрын

It was a golden age for child molesters.

I am 61 years old...I grew up in Dallas during the 70's...there were many malls all around us...but the mall all my friends went to was in Mesquite, Texas, (we all lived in the eastern part of Dallas next to Mesquite)...The Mall was a three level circular megamall called Town East...And we did far more socializing than shopping...meeting together, eating at the food court, going to the movies, perusing book stores, or even buying the latest clothes or records...every Friday or Saturday, It was the place to be, and be seen...I look back now and am sad at the demise of this once community center...malls are now dead...killed by the Internet and laziness...there is no community now...just people fighting each other on "Social" media...I am thankful I lived during those times...but I cry for my children and grandchildren...

@alfx5432

2 ай бұрын

I'm with you on that , I'm 62 I remember going to the mall with my sisters and her friend when I was a kid it was something to do. The internet and on-line shopping killed it.

@aaronworley8177

2 ай бұрын

The Almighty Town East Mall...Mesquite, Tx...right down the road from Balch Springs, and Seagoville...the Good old days...miss them. What about Bruton Terrace Movie Theater? Back then everybody knew everybody. These kids today numb from the neck up.

@scott-in-dfw3005

2 ай бұрын

Wasn't Big Town out that way? I grew up in Denton. I remember finally getting our mall, Golden Triangle in 1980. Before that we had to go to the Galleria, Valley View, or that one just north of those that had an ice rink. There was the Tandy Center downtown Fort Worth. It had an ice rink too.

@sharonh2991

2 ай бұрын

You’re my age and our mall was Cinderella City. It had everything including an arcade just for teens (Funway Freeway) as well as a wing resembling a dark British alley where the head shops were located. This section of the mall was completely secluded so that families weren’t accosted by the noisy shops selling bongs, pipes and incense. If you were in Cinder Alley you were specifically looking for drug paraphernalia. We, and all the kids from school as well as kids from neighboring high schools lived at that mall. There were probably 5 or 6 large high schools in the area so there were lots of us. At that time it was the largest mall west of the Mississippi.

@nickadamson6053

2 ай бұрын

@@scott-in-dfw3005 Oh my gosh how could I forget the Tandy Center! Thanks for that reminder. Last time I went there was in the 2001 I think, it was starting to fizzle out at that point sadly.

Malls were a comfortable, safe place to shop even when the weather was bad. Everything was in one place. You could meet friends, have lunch, see a movie and in the early days some had ice skating rinks and pet stores where you could go see the puppies. We had this in North Hollywood, CA. When video games became popular, every teen in town was there. It was a wonderful time. Now, it's just ANOTHER THING THE INTERNET DESTROYED !

@LaurenMirandaG

3 ай бұрын

Laurel Plaza?

@Number6_

2 ай бұрын

Malls were already on their way out in the 90s before internet was a thing. It was a failing economy that killed off the malls along with other social factors. Don't let your hatred of internet and computers cloud your reason!

@louc4130

2 ай бұрын

Yep! Lived in North Hollywood with my aunt during the early to mid 1970's. The mall was a fun place to go, and then at night cruise Van Nuys Blvd. in my 69 Roadrunner. Great times.

@ljprep6250

2 ай бұрын

No, the internet didn't destroy malls. Greed did. Land got expensive, rents went up, stores charged more, and we stopped shopping there. Simple.

@ljprep6250

2 ай бұрын

@@LaurenMirandaG My local mall was the May Company Mall at El Camino Real and Highway 78 in Carlsbad, CA. May Co is gone from there, but the mall remains, amazingly enough.

The Internet destroyed the Malls.

@jec1ny

3 ай бұрын

Along with a lot of good stuff.

@doctordetroit4339

3 ай бұрын

no, people acting like fools and slobs did. Malls are huge in Asia and they have better internet than we do.

@-Thauma-

3 ай бұрын

​@@doctordetroit4339"better internet" What does it even mean? 😒

@doctordetroit4339

3 ай бұрын

@@-Thauma- they can order stuff faster, their tech is better and has been for decades. Go live in Japan for awhile, you'll see. Same all over Asia. The malls in the US failed because of animalistic feral behaviors primarily. People in the US have become disgusting in dress and conduct. Which is why most vote left demcrap. Go to Asia and visit a mall...you will see what it used to be like here.

@johnsmith-ug5tp

3 ай бұрын

Amazon was the death nail in the mall coffin.

I miss the Orange Julius stores. And the smell of the Cinnabon stores. I get fat thinking of them.

@porkbeans4792

2 ай бұрын

Orange Julius 😋😋😋😋

@christinescott5002

2 ай бұрын

You can get them at some Dairy Queen joints.

@0ooTheMAXXoo0

Ай бұрын

All the malls still have cinnabon stores... The malls are all still around, just a bit less crowded... Around here they are growing, expanding...

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

they had great chicago dogs at OJ. if a chick in a hot dog-on-a-stick uniform looked cute- she really WAS certifiably hot.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

@@0ooTheMAXXoo0 not true- they are having a tough time of it. ask a management person like one of the higher-ups like westfield or simon bros.

Malls had everything. Girls, frozen coke, hot pretzels, arcades, record stores, and much more. It was my hangout for years.

@0ooTheMAXXoo0

Ай бұрын

Malls are still around, at least around Chicago area they are seemingly doing well...

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

don't forget ice cream joints and model trains

It was a place for the Older and the younger generation to hang out, shop talk to friends and people they may have not seen for a while. restaurants. NO CELL PHONES either. Great era to have experienced miss those days.

@0ooTheMAXXoo0

Ай бұрын

Was? nothing has changed. Malls are still where youth come to hang out...

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

no- but a lot of us kids got CB radios when we got our first cars.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

@@0ooTheMAXXoo0 once again- a lot of them are gone. in the past 7 years- nearly 8000 US indoor shopping malls have gone under.

@MsJamiewoods

16 күн бұрын

Today's youth cannot believe that in the 1970s and 1980s entire families SHARED a single phone line.

I think the women in the 1970s were absolutely beautiful

@jimmyday9536

2 ай бұрын

That was before tattoos, body piercings, and fishhooks in the nose.

@charlesming7875

Ай бұрын

That’s because they are of normal weight, not obese

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

and theyre all grannies now

@danityvanityinsanity

Ай бұрын

Naturally so too!😃

@billgus5396

Ай бұрын

@@danityvanityinsanity I agree girlfriend

Born in 1965, the 70’s were great ! Don’t get me started on the music 🎶

@JeffKopis

2 ай бұрын

Same here, October 1965. So in the 70s I went from age 4 to 15. Great time to be a kid, except for the gas shortages, the 55 mph speed limit, and lethargic, bloated, smog era cars. But the music ruled!

@leospring6264

2 ай бұрын

born in '64 and feel the same way

@MichaelSellers5691

2 ай бұрын

I was born November 1965. I feel you brother.

@invisiblerevolution

2 ай бұрын

Born in 1977..... culturally I'm a 80's Baby, but can fully RESPECT the 70's!

@sawboss216

Ай бұрын

Same here. 1965 baby. We didn't realize back then how great the times were. Glad to have lived it!

People who didn't grow up going to the mall in the 70's, 80's, and I would say even into the 90's, just don't understand what it was like. Not only was it THE social scene, but it was safe. Malls weren't dodgy places with roving packs of thugs shoplifting the stores, attacking women in the parking lots, or brawling in the food court. You didn't see a bunch of empty store fronts, either. Those spaces commanded a premium.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

if that were only true- a lot more of them would still be vital....

@russellmarsden6316

15 күн бұрын

@@tommurphy4307 It was true.

The girls where so slim and beautifully put together back then! Right down to their hair and shoes! Loved those 70s

@joejones9520

2 ай бұрын

even now the rare slim girl can blow up in literally months, ive seen it...they never come back down either, bizarre stuff, i dont know if it's fast food or no exercise or both but fast food's been around since 1950s and used to be no diet sodas.

@scotsmith2391

2 ай бұрын

At least the models for the photos, LOL

@raross6119

2 ай бұрын

And hoes were very rare

@YAMISOOLD2009

2 ай бұрын

Very true!

@mtlicq

2 ай бұрын

@@joejones9520 _"even now the rare slim girl can blow up in literally months"_ 9 months ? 🤭👶🏻 Anyways, maybe it is because the inflammatory chemicals (sodium phosphates etc etc) plus the use of GMO HFCS in everything (including mustard and meats) instead of regular sugar, and everything back then was "organic" - no gmo. HFCS prevents feeling satiated so people just keep on eating/drinking without ever feeling full. PS - artificial sweeteners cause weight gain and diabetes

They were great. Indoors with air condition and heat and all the stores in one place.

@patriciaclark7342

3 ай бұрын

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

@MichaelSellers5691

2 ай бұрын

And the movie theaters

@0ooTheMAXXoo0

Ай бұрын

Were? Malls are still around, still have similar features...

@SteelHorseTexasTwangExchange

Ай бұрын

@@0ooTheMAXXoo0 some around DFW are gone. Some are open with just a handful it stores. Search youtube for abandoned malls and find them around the country empty but with electricity and AC still running.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

who could forget leaving the mall at closing time and walking thru the slush and snow to our car?

Between 1965 and 1995 life was amazing.

@purplepanther2771

2 ай бұрын

I think that the major decline can be traced to 9/11. Things really started to get worse at some time after 2012, so maybe the Mayans were right.

@texaswunderkind

2 ай бұрын

The only thing that changed is that you got old.

@goofygrandlouis6296

Ай бұрын

And *globalism* kicked in... and the US was destroyed. Then the neocons, then more wars.. THE END.

@goofygrandlouis6296

Ай бұрын

@@texaswunderkind Nah. This is decadence, just like with Rome. Asia, yes, they are factually on the rise, especially VietNam right now.

@julieerin115

Ай бұрын

@@purplepanther2771 And let's not forget March of 2020---wondering if we're on our last legs.

I used to love Spencer gifts.Picking out a tee shirt silk screen was fun .

@mikes1686

2 ай бұрын

We still have a Spencer's in our mall. I think it's the only original store in the mall besides Penny's. I'm in my early 60s and still have to go in there and look around if I'm in the mall maybe once a year just for the memories😊

@doorswhofan

2 ай бұрын

The Methuen Mall (Methuen, Mass.) circa 1975: Spencer's Gifts (if you remember that retail chain) was painted all black inside and lit only with blacklights and strobes. You could smoke in stores back then -- and not all of it was tobacco. 🙂 The rock music was ROARING in that place, sometimes 104.1 FM-WBCN out of Boston, other times tapes, but it was constantly Led Zeppelin, the Who, the Stones, etc. They sold blacklight posters, water bongs, incense, novelties, etc. It was a huge hippie-fest. 7 years or less later it was just plain white lights, the male clerks wore collared shirts and ties, the gifts sold were far more mainstream, there was no smoking allowed. The entire culture had changed. In the late 80s, the whole mall closed, was torn down, and the property turned into a housing development.

@mikes1686

2 ай бұрын

@@doorswhofan We had another store in our mall next to Spencer's called the Moon Fun Shop. They had pipes and bongs and all the related supplies. Lol !

@tulip2084

Ай бұрын

They had mugs that looked like boobs.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

i used to like showing pictures of that chubby pin-up girl bridget to my mom and it would totally disgust her.

I loved malls in the 70s and 80s! Even if you didnt always buy a lot, it was fun. They were such an integral part of life, it never occured to me the possibility that fairly soon they would all but disappear. I'm still not over it. 😢 Thanks for the memories! 😊

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

the most common problems were malls located in marginal, low-income neighborhoods- many of these failed just because of the logistics.

i didn’t know how much i missed by not ‘malling’ … truly a consumers paradise!

@texaswunderkind

2 ай бұрын

It wasn't. You would walk around for hours, looking at overpriced crap, and then grab some cardboard-tasting pizza on your way out the door.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

@@texaswunderkind youre calling sears a store with overpriced 'crap'- on the contrary- if that were true, they would probably still be around. i agree with you on the food- only the finer department stores had decent eateries. sears had a better-than-average coffee shop with great desserts.

thumbnail is off. 70's was "natural" era. long straight hair. minimal makeup. jeans we aged to perfection through wearing, embroidery. we made our own cut offs. in high school we weren't trying to look like a hoochie. people were a lot more innocent n innocence wasn't a bad thing. yes young girls are beautiful but a lot of us didn't know it because the culture wasn't so focused on looks 24/7. people had crooked teeth, imperfect skin, wore mostly only clothes your mom ok'd. endless credit cards/$$$$ were not spent on us. not everyone was "cool". if you had a few friends and the basics, a lot of us were pretty happy. yes farrah fawcett hit the scene in 76 but none of us looked like her. malls meant independence. you got dropped off with your friends and got to buy what you'd saved for and eat what you wanted. it was a treat. i still remember the smell of a bottle of tangerine oil in a shop with stuff from india, baskets, posters, plants, sheer paisley batik fabric we used as bedspreads, incense galore and going record shopping and then memorizing all the words of the songs for a few days. we had a lot of fun.

@Thelake9667

3 ай бұрын

And Patchouli!! And Spencer Gifts!!🙂

@sammyrothrock6981

2 ай бұрын

The girls where mostly all slim and took care of themselves! Beautiful jeans 👖 and fit like a glove!

@davidnec571

2 ай бұрын

Is that Farrah Fawcett in the thumbnail?

@stevenpivornik9982

2 ай бұрын

The women then were real women. Nothing fake. All natural. Wish I was born in that era

@joejones9520

2 ай бұрын

fashions varied a lot more back then according to which area of the country one was in....in 1976 delaware straight leg jeans were in and bell-bottoms were embarrassing but in 1978 Arkansas full on 70s bells were still in style and straight leg were unheard of.

I was waiting for an image of Radio Shack with the TRS-80 in the window along with Electronics Kits.

@TheUtuber999

Ай бұрын

Heathkit!

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

the problem with mall-based radio shack stores was they usually had fewer parts and lots more expensive appliances, hi-fi, and TV's

@jamesross3939

Ай бұрын

Yep!!! Fun times. My first computer was a TRS-80 Color Computer w/ 4K RAM I bought in 1981,

Personally, I love the darker woods and Earthly tones of the 70s. Give us back our Earthy tones!!

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

i love earth tones- always in style on the west coast. i also love earthy smells like when i'm chiefing out in front of the tube.....

@fredWaxBeans11111

Ай бұрын

@@tommurphy4307 Earthy smells are the best 👍👃

If only I could go back to the beginning of the mall era (1950’s to 1960’s) and live through it all, and shopping the whole time! Tom Sisson

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

there were no indoor malls in the 50's

I'm a real 80s buff..& I liked buying (cassette tape)📼 magazines, going to the movies, eating in the food court-grabbing a burger or getting a Coke Slushy..I could have a hay day in a Drug Store or card store-where people actually bought cards. And, people also saved them. One more thing, I like to buy the occasional stuffed animal..& getting a coffee ☕ ❤ 😍 Those are my 80s days, favorites!!👍👍 😊Great Times!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

@kl0wnkiller912

2 ай бұрын

I still have all my records of 70s and 80s rock music that I bought back then. Still play them on the weekends... loud!

@ImaOkie

Ай бұрын

Yeah the food courts were always nice , a variety to please every palate !

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

they didn't have food courts in the early mall years- the eateries were spread all about the mall to make the competition seem less apparent. and BTW- the word is 'heyday'.

God, what I wouldn't give to go back to the golden age of the mall era. I love malls. There is now only one good mall near me, and it's located in a rather upscale area. It makes no sense to me why so many malls failed.

@bunion8579

3 ай бұрын

I live in Australia and malls like these are as popular as ever here. I'm curious as to why they declined in the U.S.

@byteme0000

3 ай бұрын

@@bunion8579 Many folks here blame the Internet, but I don't think that would explain it completely.

@byteme0000

2 ай бұрын

After thinking about it, I’m going to blame lazy and greedy management. It’s looking more and more to me like a management issue.

@VideoInvasion

2 ай бұрын

The malls here still thrive in high trust areas @@bunion8579

@joejones9520

2 ай бұрын

@@bunion8579 your nation doesnt have something that we have lots of and theyre drawn toward group settings like malls...

Before we shopped online and before mega corps bought out all the smaller retailers...... ALL the stores you could imagine all in one place. Plus food and arcades and music and books... It was a BLAST! I miss those days.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

big-box operations were also a big factor in killing off the malls.

Wow the design of the malls in the '70s was really cool.

Basically they were fun. Can't have any of that can we WEF? I remember pumping gas and not paying until after you knew how much your tank held.

@joejones9520

2 ай бұрын

when they first started making people pay first several times i paid and then drove off forgetting to get gas

@paulhare662

2 ай бұрын

At my first job, 1974, I did that for you, washed your windshield and checked under the hood. 14 years old with $1200 in sales in my pocket, one of those 4 tube change dispensers on my belt. Never worried about getting robbed.

@lisamh9037

2 ай бұрын

​@@joejones9520lol yes it became confusing haha!

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

@@paulhare662 i worked at a honda car dealer when i was a sophomore in HS. i used to get paid straight commission selling 1973 honda civics- had to be the easiest sell in the world. i used to sell about 5 cars a week- if we had them on the lot.

Maybe if the malls didn't charge such an exorbitant amount of rent for shops/spaces, they wouldn't have shut down. Greed has a way of ruining things.

@byteme0000

3 ай бұрын

True. Many merchants I got to know complained about how greedy the mall owners were as time went on.

@Agislife1960

2 ай бұрын

Mail order also did a lot to take malls down

@wingitprod

2 ай бұрын

Demographics killed my mall (which still operates somehow with barely 30% occupancy) A shooting, pushy Gypsies operating kiosks, and White flight ruined my attendance. A chick-fil-a, movie theater, nail salon, and a cosmetology school is what dominates.

@wingitprod

2 ай бұрын

@@Agislife1960Not an efficient use resources when you analyze it. It certainly contributed but malls were dying in the 90s.

@Matthewseven13

2 ай бұрын

Maybe if government wasn't so greedy with wanting more and more in taxes and quit increasing overbearing regulations then malls could have charged less rent.

I loved malls and am sorry they have declined. Shopping online is convenient, but I like to see what I am buying and some things, like shoes, must be tried on to insure a proper fit. I cold spend hours in Sears drooling over the tools!

@owend4358

2 ай бұрын

I just bought shoes on-line and they fit perfectly. Free shipping and returns.😅

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

i don't know what to say to you- maybe call the snap-on guy and perhaps you can walk thru his truck- it will change your thoughts on the quality of craftsman tools....

@ghw7192

Ай бұрын

@@tommurphy4307 I also have Snap On.

I was 13 in 1978 and going to the mall was the place to be

Just one more thing kids today will never get to enjoy. I thank God that I was born when I was.

I liked the smells at the mall. It was perfume, like Eternity from CK, mixed with freshly baked pretzels. My favorite store was Contempo Casuals. Hot pink walls, bright red carpet, loud music. They had such artsy style, fishnets, spiky jewelry, neon-colored accessories, stuff Cindy Lauper or Madonna would wear, jacquard longline blazers, black satin vests, corsets and bustiers, lace dresses, spandex jumpsuits, ruffle white swashbuckling shirts, with a little bit of a gothic flavor. And then, there was the books stores.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

my fave was lane bryant where all the big women went to buy clothes

Great time to be alive

I remember going to Woodfield Mall outside Chicago at Christmas time in 1970. The Mall was the attraction and it was packed with people.

@Hardwareman1343

2 ай бұрын

As I recall Woodfield was THE biggest mall for a while.

@natehenson71

2 ай бұрын

Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg was epic! Old Chicago Mall was great, too!

@TheMoogleMaster

Ай бұрын

It was absolutely gigantic, perhaps the biggest mall I've ever been in, would go there all the time. I forget of Gurnee Mills was bigger, didn't got there as much, maybe once or twice.

Loved going to the mall. The stores, record/ music stores, food court, meeting friends, and enjoyment of it all. True, some prices were outrageous, but it was a nice clean enjoyment.

It was a sweeter time. People were more trusting and trustworthy. They actually dressed up to go to the mall. You didn't see a lot of bratty children and shoplifters.

@captaintrips2980

2 ай бұрын

We left our kids at the mall arcade while we shopped. Put the oldest (14 yrs) in charge of the younger two. No worries at all. Not bad parenting then, but I'd not try that today. I don't even want to be alone in a mall, lol.

@Tr0nzoid

2 ай бұрын

I could wander off to the arcade, a music store, a toy store, or a different department. It never occurred to me to do anything wrong or to leave the place. We would just have to find each other. However, that was my parents. If I was visiting my grandparents, they wouldn't let me out of reach. Weirdly, my parents became closer to "helicopter parents" as I got older and well into adulthood.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

they were a lot more naive then, too.

We had 3 malls here in Central Ohio in the '70s.. all identical to one another.. Eastland, Northland and Westland. Fun times at each one!

@Davett53

3 ай бұрын

I moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1977 and was a regular shopper at Northland Mall. Once and a while at Westland, too. They were fun, & useful.

@franks2910

2 ай бұрын

That's funny. Here in the Detroit area we had Northland, (see my previous post), Southland, Eastland and Westland too.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

my family used to go to the state fair every fall- the oktoberfest in columbus' german village was awesome.

Ahhhh, the 70's! We certainly made our mark in history 😂❤☮

There are still thriving malls where I live. They built a bunch of super malls at once and the excess closed down while the popular ones remain open and busy. London, Ontario.

@joejones9520

2 ай бұрын

there's a key reason but it cant be said here

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

the race team i used to crew with (nelson ledges, summit point, mid- ohio) would drive their van from akron up into ontario at the peace bridge and buy 9 cases of labatt 50 ale, 9 cases of labatt blue beer and 18 cases of molson golden ale and we always brought them 432 empty bottles in trade. wow did we ever stay pasted during the summer. i didn't grow cannabis back then, but we could usually find something in canada for the ride back.

Thanks for including the Oxford Valley Mall in Langhorne PA. Loved going there as kid; I loved running up that ramp in the picture. I saw Gerald Ford there in 1976 when he was campaigning against Jimmy Carter. Ford was on a stage opposite a huge office building associated with the Mall with the words emblazoned on the side of the structure in glowing letters ten fight high reading "Oxford Valley One." Ford began his speech by saying, "Welcome, everyone, to the ORCHARD Valley Mall!" The whole crowd groaned; "look at the damn sign, Jerry!" we all thought. Still rooted for him in the election (wasn't old enough to vote yet.) The Mall was still open two years ago although it was starting to look run down. It may be closed now.

@recycleman2900

2 ай бұрын

Still open, but barely. Same for Neshaminy Mall. Sad, such great memories.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

gerald ford had to climb steps?? OMG!!

During the 80s I use to live near Orange Park, FL. And Orange Park Mall was a great place to meet girls and have lots of fun, video arcade, theater, food court. I was a teen and 20s then.

The malls were great. For teens, for families, just a day out. Fun. Festive at times. A break from summer heat. Loved them. Hope they come back, online shopping is lame. It was a meeting place, a gathering place.

@bunion8579

3 ай бұрын

I live in Australia and malls like these are as popular as ever here. I'm curious as to why they declined in the U.S.

@crossbow3539

3 ай бұрын

@@bunion8579on line shopping is what most people say. People today would rather look on line pick something out and have it delivered to your door in a day. Amazon is killing all of the stores, that and everybody is too damn lazy to get in they’re car, drive to the store, find what they want, and buy it and go back home. It started getting real bad in the 2000’s and stores began closing everywhere. Won’t be long the only stores you’ll see are grocery stores, a few home improvement stores, and Walmart. I guess kids born in the late 90’s never went to the malls and all the kids are addicted to they’re phones, they would rather stare at they’re phones then meet somewhere and socialize with other kids. We had two malls here where I live one turned into an outside shopping center the other has no big anchor stores left and maybe ten women’s clothing stores where they used to have about 100 and in the food court only one bender is left. It’s just an eerie ghost town oh there is also a Planet Fittness that’s not accessible from inside the mall and that’s it. Cell Phones and the internet have changed everything some ways good many ways not so good!

@newdefsys

2 ай бұрын

@@bunion8579 Blacks, its the blacks.

@robin231176

2 ай бұрын

@@bunion8579 Same in Italy.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

@@bunion8579 read some comments- maybe you'll find out.

It was always a treat when i was young to go to Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem NC.back in the late 70's early 80's

In 1968 a big Mall was built near my house, out in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. I began high school in 1969, and me and my friends loved hanging out at the mall. We bought our bellbottoms, and wide leather belts, and leather sandals. We ate fun mall foods,....Orange Julius,....big soft pretzels, slushee....shaved ice with Coca Cola over the top. We'd ogle the pretty girls, from our school, who were there in droves. We shopped for cool items for our bedrooms, at Spencer Gifts, which had the latest Hippie/Counter culture decor. Black light reactive posters, posters of the sexy female stars of the day. Mobiles with Op Art & Pop Art imagery. Strobe lights, incense, plastic beaded veils that could hang in a doorway. By 1970, many people were smoking weed and getting stoned, and it was a hoot to go to the mall, to people watch, in that altered state of mind. Malls started exhibiting real art made by local community members. In high school I was already making art, and I was in a couple exhibits, sponsored by a local art gallery. Crafts-workers had stand-alone kiosks,....you could find smoking pipes made of animal antlers, & people who manipulated colorful sand within glass bottles. Tons of unique hand made jewelry.

@meatballmagoo6134

3 ай бұрын

Randall Dark Mall ?

@Davett53

3 ай бұрын

@@meatballmagoo6134 No. Eastern suburb one, called Severance Center. Named after some rich family. Same family had something to do with the Cleveland Symphony music hall at University Circle.

@ronhoover5516

2 ай бұрын

@@meatballmagoo6134 That one opened in 1976 and was torn down years ago.Anyone from around here gets the reference. It wasn't wrong BTW. I'm guessing this one was actually Richmond Mall.

@doorswhofan

2 ай бұрын

The Methuen Mall (Methuen, Mass.) circa 1975: Spencer's Gifts (if you remember that retail chain) was painted all black inside and lit only with blacklights and strobes. You could smoke in stores back then -- and not all of it was tobacco. 🙂 The rock music was ROARING in that place, sometimes 104.1 FM-WBCN out of Boston, other times tapes, but it was constantly Led Zeppelin, the Who, the Stones, etc. They sold blacklight posters, water bongs, incense, novelties, etc. It was a huge hippie-fest. 7 years or less later it was just plain white lights, the male clerks wore collared shirts and ties, the gifts sold were far more mainstream, there was no smoking allowed. The entire culture had changed. In the late 80s, the whole mall closed, was torn down, and the property turned into a housing development.

@Davett53

2 ай бұрын

@@doorswhofan Yay for Spencer Gifts!...Ours, in Cleveland Ohio and other close by cities was not "as hep" as your was. They did sell all the black light posters & strobe lights, other things to simulate a "psychedelic trip",,,or enhance the one you might take. I wasn't a cigarette smoker until I was 30,...but I began smoking weed at age 17. We were too paranoid to smoke weed in public,....but had all sorts of rituals and places to sneak off to. In our cars, in friend's basements, out at parks. Cleveland, Ohio, & Columbus, Ohio, and all colleges in Ohio, were flush with weed. College towns always had plenty of "Head Shops" & record stores, that sold pipes, rolling papers, bongs, water pipes, backlights & posters. It was pretty funny,...back then I began growing some pot plants, on a small outside porch, outside of my bedroom, at my folks house. My folks were oblivious, and knew nothing about such matters. This was before people grew pot indoors with grow lights. I was a senior in high school at the time. (my asshole older sister busted me,....ratted me out, to our mom.) My mom was a teacher, and was somewhat aware of the emerging recreational drug culture. I wasn't punished,...but I had to give my plants away to a friend, to grow in their house. It was a low grade Mexican weed, hardly worth the effort. Much later, after I graduated from Grad. school,....my Mom was very curious about trying weed herself. She was open minded, and let me explain & educate her about weed, & hashish. She seemed genuinely curious about it, and who knows, she may have even tried it. She & my Pop were not drinkers,...not beer, wine or anything. They didn't smoke cigarettes, either, though my Pop smoked a tobacco pipe, and a once-in-a while cigar.

Just look at all the people. No cell phones, no iPads, and no over weight kids. And they all took pride in themselves. I miss the malls but that isn’t what changed society.

Wow. That brought back some memories.

Great memories going to the Meriden Square in CT. during the late 70s, 80's and into the early 90's.

Great vid!! Born in 1968, I remember these indoor mall’s being so busy in mid to late ‘70’s and into the ‘80’s. Oh, the memories!! Lol

I can remember the local malls were jam packed!

The thumbnail answers your question.

Sad to see all of the stores that are no longer around. The 70s and 80s were the best Era, in my opinion. The internet certainly changed everything. We are such a throw-away society now.

The mall had everything!! Great way to window shop. Miss that era.

Malls started to take off here in Australia around 1960. They were a huge part of growing up in the 70s and 80s. My mother would drive much further than she needed to, just to get groceries, have a coffee and stay in the air-conditioning as possible before getting in her croaky old Valiant with NO aircon and driving home again! We were only able to go with her during the school holidays, which was annoying but exciting. Simpler times!

The internet caused alot separations in family and togetherness.

@nicolee2649

2 ай бұрын

No doubt true words!

@SearchIndex

Ай бұрын

Tik Tok has an actual “Parental Estrangement Phenomenon”

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

only if people let it happen.

@strongdelusion9442

Ай бұрын

I think that's called "Divide to conquer"?

I love see all of the different stores they had back then and seeing if they are still in business. Like Basket House is no more but Buddy Squirrel is still around so I ordered some stuff from them.

We had several of those older original malls in the Detroit metro area when growing up in the 60s and 70s. Macomb Mall was where our family went every Saturday. Sears of course. Then in 76, the first huge mall was built. Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights, MI. Located on M-59 (Hall Road). It was the place to be back in the day. It's still around in 2024.

I wish in my heart of hearts I could go back.

I vaguely remember a mall when I was very little in Minnesota. I just remember it was large with walkways and that aspect just stuck with me.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

mall of america

@schizoidboy

Ай бұрын

@@tommurphy4307 Could be...

wanna go to the mall?

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

oakley-doakley

The late 70s and 80s was a great time to be Young

Lycoming mall in Williamsport PA will always be my favorite growing up as a kid in 1978 I was 15 and 16 those beautiful days!

👍👍👍👍👍 Thank you!!!

Thanks ❣️🤗

I used to love being in the mall when it rained!! The rain on all the skylights sounded wonderful to me.

life was so magical back then, it still is, but the overall balance of the world was on a much chiller frequency

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

we thought pocket calculators were incredible back in the late 60's.

Malls were fun and safe. They were in middle class neighborhoods, so the people who went there were middle class and well behaved. What changed?

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

not all malls were in decent neighborhoods- many were in low-income areas. some areas were decent but some turned ghetto- thats what changed.

Grew up in the shadow of Brookdale Mall, the 3rd built. The others being Southdale mentioned here as the first built mall, and Rosedale and Ridgedale. They were built by the Dayton Hudson company (Daytons). Brookdale had a large aviary and white tiled aquariums. Hung out at the arcade and food court nearly every day. Kids nowadays have nowhere to gather and hang out.

I still go to Malls. I still love and appreciate the shopping experience. I only resort to online shopping when i can find what i'm looking for locally. (and i'm not talking about amazon either) The Internet hasn't destroyed everything .

As a teen in the 70's, one of my favorite things to do was to go shopping at the mall with a couple of my friends. We would try on different clothes then get the opinion of the others how it looked, etc. It was a time when you could actually try it on, know how something fitted, the quality, and how it looked on you BEFORE you paid for it and brought it home. It was also a social time when we would see other classmates there and get together with them for a while. Much different than the increasing on-line shopping is, now!I really miss those days! Things were much better then in many ways!

Northgate Mall, Seattle? "Northgate started as an open-air shopping mall in the northern environs of Seattle. It was the first post-war shopping mall in the United States"

@franks2910

2 ай бұрын

Northland in Southfield Michigan was opened in 1954. It was the third oldest mall in America.

@strongdelusion9442

Ай бұрын

I lived in N Seattle at the time and enjoyed Aurora Village Mall growing up in the 70's!

Some of the newer malls built in the country I live in have condos built as part of the mall. Quite convenient living if you ask me.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

built-in customers- good idea.

Christmas decorations were so wonderful in the 1970-80s at the big malls. I remember so many of the stores shown here.

Great music in this video! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

A time ago, a buddy had a need for some speakers.(hifi speakers you actually listened to) Problem we are in Maine they are in the FoxRun mall in New Hampshire. (2 hrs away) We have a two hour window at work. I have a fast truck (Cabellero). Down an back in one hour ten minutes. Some laws were broken. To much traffic today. No one listens to music out loud any more.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

unless you live in my neighborhood- especially on friday nights near the air b-n-b's. what kind of speakers were they?

Hot Sam pretzels were 25 cents!🥨

Brooklyn got its first mall in 1970, anchored by Macy's and Alexander's. I was 12 and was there the morning it opened, with my mom, we were there for the ribbon cutting. I grew up in the Marine Park section, within walking distance. Spent pretty much all my weekends there in years to come, hanging with friends, as well as spending time with my family particularly my older sister- we'd go to Sam Goody and pick out an LP together just for fun. I had my first date there. Just wonderful memories!..

@RTDF516

Ай бұрын

King's Plaza I'm guessing by your description! Took organ lessons there- and was always cool getting new stuff for the train set at the hobby shop! The delights of being 8....

Valco shipping center in Cupertino. That was the place for Christmas Shopping.

Love this video. My only critique is the picture for the record store is from 1980's. The posters show Missing Persons and Queen's "The Works" both from 1984.

@captaintrips2980

2 ай бұрын

Great catch! You should edit your comment and add the time. I rewatched it to see.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

what are words for?

Such a beautiful time in history! Love those times in the 70s hang out with friends go to the listening booth or sam goody to check out new music . So many cool places to eat and even catch a movie on a Saturday night! Great for bad weather also !

They were massive! Valley Hills Mall was my stomping ground as a teen in the late 70's.

Belo Horizonte Brasil 👏🇧🇷🇺🇸

Back when people paid for stuff instead of running out the door with it.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

they say they are are going to fix that law soon, but not very many southern califonians trust anybody in sacramento.

ahh, I'm 55 this is my generation! Love it.

Grew up in central valley of CA, so we had many malls around. Sherwood & webberstown in Stockton, several in Sacramento, vintage fare mall in Modesto,... Now after 12 years of traveling thru our US and seeing many closed or almost dead malls, i live in a small town in western Kentucky & they still have a functioning mall! ❤

Its been downhill since then. We is doomed

@princeeverlove

Ай бұрын

Great name choice..and oh so true

The Malls eventually just became a location where a certain minority could PREY upon the people going there ! That Minority found that the malls provided them with fertile hunting grounds and as the neighborhoods around the malls declined due to THAT MINORITY moving in, so did the Malls !

I was a teenager in the 70s my dad was a construction electrician so he spent two great years building our local mall. he really enjoyed that and then when it opened I really enjoyed mall. We didn’t have cell phones. We also didn’t have Amazon or eBay or any online buying because we didn’t have the Internet yet all we had was a telephone connected to the wall-cord in our house. So my friends and I would usually call each other and say hey meet me at the mall at such and such a time, to hang out or meet there and go do other things but the mall was like the centerpiece of the town for a while because it was new And the only happening place around. And nearly every store was hiring so you could get a job anywhere in retail at that time.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

this might be of interest to you- my hometown mall, chapel hill mall in akron was the first totally self-contained shopping facility in the US. they no longer use their CNG powerplant (firstenergy supplies power now) and their water tower is still there. i don't think their natural gas well is in use anymore. chapel hill is just about slated for demolition. summit mall on akron's wealthier west side is still quite vital (demographics at work here).

Went to the Mall for the first time in 1968…Midway Mall in Elyria Ohio…went there many times…now a ghost town…so sad…😢.

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

reminds me of oberlin- love that little town and school.

Mall were awesome back then, the place to be seen and to see. If you want a peek of that now...go to Asia and see their malls. They are clean, packed and the people don;t look or dress like it's halloween like in the west.

I truly miss those days.

They were air conditioned and usually had some cute girls.

Malls brought people indoors to shop in a contained environment where they could grab a snack and shop and even drop the kids off to play games at the mall arcade. It was weatherproof in that you could walk from store to store and not be worried about rain or heat.

Briarwood Mall Ann Arbor, Michigan was my favorite place for my husband and myself to spend time mall walking , shopping, taking in a movie or enjoying ice cream at Farrell's! I truly miss those days. Briarwood Mall is still open!!

Here is the time line: malls killed main street, big-box killed malls, the internet killed big box.

@captaintrips2980

2 ай бұрын

What would you predict is next? Where is there to go now that most anything can be delivered to your door? I'm so hooked up, I don't have to shop anywhere. Introverts and loners have never had it so good.

@calfolk7381

2 ай бұрын

Not sure what’s next but you’re right that it is convenient to shop online, except when we have to return things lol

@captaintrips2980

2 ай бұрын

@@calfolk7381 Therein lies the rub. Thanks for replying. ✌️

@tommurphy4307

Ай бұрын

@@captaintrips2980 just remember when you order something delivered, part of that carbon-footprint is YOURS.

Mall Killers are as follows …..Walmart, Internet, Amazon, Ebay.

@jamescuratalo2609

Ай бұрын

Rampaging Racist Gangs and stores being swarmed and looted and customers getting beat up and robbed. THATS WHAT KILLED MALLS! This is post-Obama America. This is what Fundamental Change looks like. Obama Built This!