American Shopping Malls, 1989

[K Frame]

"a pair of designer jeans in my life."

I remember when Guess jeans were all the rage.

Came across a girl wearing them, so I guessed...

175 pounds? Hey, if you didn't want me to guess, you shouldn't have worn those jeans!

[HankB]

. . . But, yes, of the three nearest malls, only one has a "music" store. They are dying.

Most of the "music" coming out these days is crap . . . no wonder the "music" stores are dying.

[Scout26]

Ahhhh, yes, Middle and High School years.  (~1977-1983, once I started Kollege, trips to mall ended.)

Hanging out at the video arcade  (I was a champion at Galaga and Tempest), rummaging through the records at Camelot Music (there was another local chain record store in Greenwood Park mall also, I disremember their name.)  And generally, "crusin' around" looking for and at girls.

The movie theater (3 plex) was out in the corner of the parking lot, so all the problems associated with the mid-night movies (Rocky Horror, et al.)  Pretty much stayed out in the parking lot and the theater.

I did collections work for Monkey Wards in the Yorktown Mall, but since I only got a 15 minute break, (and was pretty broke most of the time), I usually just grabbed a can of pop from the soda machine, and stared lovingly at the food in the snack machine in the break room before going back to work.

[RoadKingLarry]

1989. I deployed to the Med in September. We spent the next 6 months playing with the locals and thumbing our nose at Kahdafi and his "line of death" nonsense. We were there when the wall came down, I remember it as being kind of a big deal at the time. I may have visited a shopping mall of sorts when we made a port visit to Toulon, France but it didn't look like any of those pics.

[KD5NRH]

What really startled me is the pictures of people smoking in the malls. I had forgotten that that wsa still allowed, to a limited degree, in 1989.

I can remember some of the grocery stores having ashtrays bracketing the endcap displays every other aisle.

[Angel Eyes]

Instead of boosting the mall, it became another magnet for the troublesome urban youths that are one known cause of mall death.

I will be accused of racism for posting this, but what the heck:

... every town's got two malls: they got the white mall, and the mall white people used to go to. 'Cause there ain't nothing in the black mall. Nothing in the black mall but sneakers and baby clothes.

             

[K Frame]

I distinctly remember people smoking in movie theaters, grocery and department stores, and even doctor's offices.

[Boomhauer]

That website was a trip back to some memories of my childhood, early '90s...the malls were much the same.

I remember smoking in some stores still being allowed.

The local mall looked exactly like many of the photos there. I have to agree, the brown floor tiles were rather ubiquitous, same for the architecture.

[Monkeyleg]

I distinctly remember people smoking in movie theaters, grocery and department stores, and even doctor's offices.

I can remember doctors smoking. I also remember going to see my FIL when he was in the hospital following a heart attack. He and I took a walk down the hall to the lounge and smoked cigarettes.

[MechAg94]

I was just thinking about the big wall of cassette tapes in the music store.

[Perd Hapley]

Most of the "music" coming out these days is crap . . . no wonder the "music" stores are dying.

   That would have been true in the '60s, the '80s, or any other decade. There are musicians making all manner of quality music. In fact, it's easier to find good music now, than at any other time in human history. And much of it is free.

[charby]

That website was a trip back to some memories of my childhood, early '90s...the malls were much the same.

I remember smoking in some stores still being allowed.

The local mall looked exactly like many of the photos there. I have to agree, the brown floor tiles were rather ubiquitous, same for the architecture.

You never got to experience the mall in the mid 1980s. I was preteen/teen then and it was just weird freak show of people watching.

Watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High and that will give you a look back at those days.

[TechMan]

I distinctly remember people smoking in movie theaters, grocery and department stores, and even doctor's offices.

A few years ago, the sales guy that worked with me had a meeting with a chamber of commerce here in Kentucky.  He came back smelling of cigarette smoke, I accused him of going to a bar, but nope the employees of the chamber smoked in the office and had ash trays on each of their desks. 

[K Frame]

You never got to experience the mall in the mid 1980s. I was preteen/teen then and it was just weird freak show of people watching.

Watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High and that will give you a look back at those days.

You should have gone to the mall in the 1970s during the height of the Disco phase. Frigging leisure suits on the men, pants suits on the women, those horrid full body things, prairie skirts, plaid slacks....

Holy hell the 1970s sucked ass!

[KD5NRH]

You should have gone to the mall in the 1970s during the height of the Disco phase. Frigging leisure suits on the men, pants suits on the women, those horrid full body things, prairie skirts, plaid slacks....

Clearly you've never been to Hulen Mall around this time of year.  The 70s would be a massive improvement.

Parks Mall in Arlington is just a fancier version, with designer saggies and more real gold.

[charby]

You should have gone to the mall in the 1970s during the height of the Disco phase. Frigging leisure suits on the men, pants suits on the women, those horrid full body things, prairie skirts, plaid slacks....

Holy hell the 1970s sucked ass!

I'm from Iowa, that was the 1980s.   

[wmenorr67]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UJN8jqD6V4

My home town mall that went tits up due to several reasons.

[HankB]

Evergreen Plaza in the Chicago area has "officially" closed . . . it was going downhill even back when I lived there; as the ghetto approached the hoodrats began taking over. I remember one wearing a T-shirt that said "We took Evergreen Plaza - Ford City is next!"      (Ford City was another shopping center well west of Evergreen Plaza - I understand it's still open, but is going through some major changes.)

Highland Mall in Austin, TX, opened in 1971 . . . it had several anchor stores (Dillards, JCPenny, Macy's) but once these closed, the mall's business pretty much collapsed. Rather than being demolished, however, Austin Community College acquired the property and it is now being redeveloped into offices and a college campus; I believe a handful of smaller stores will remain open until their leases expire.

[K Frame]

There was one here in DC metro, Springfield Mall, that was thriving when I moved to the area in the early 1990s.

It started a crash and burn apparently starting with the dotbomb. It started having gang and related crime problems in the 2000s and was finally closed and redeveloped into a town center concept.

[brimic]

http://onmilwaukee.com/market/articles/northridgetour.html

I got to see the death throes of this one.
I work just down the street from it in its last 5 years of operation.
The area was once a very nice commercial district and area, but is now is perceived to be somewhat ghetto-ish, because of a large number of formerly nice apartment buildings nearby going to section-8 housing.  
The more conservative (and wealthier) suburbs in the area have learned from this example. In a few instances, developers have tried to tie commercial development with section-8 housing added into the mix- the people of these communities barely stopped short of taking the developers and politicians involved and tarring/feathering/running out of town on a rail.

Want to see wealth and prosperity leave a community? Invite the welfare class to move in.

[Scout26]

Evergreen Plaza in the Chicago area has "officially" closed . . . it was going downhill even back when I lived there; as the ghetto approached the hoodrats began taking over. I remember one wearing a T-shirt that said "We took Evergreen Plaza - Ford City is next!"      (Ford City was another shopping center well west of Evergreen Plaza - I understand it's still open, but is going through some major changes.)

Highland Mall in Austin, TX, opened in 1971 . . . it had several anchor stores (Dillards, JCPenny, Macy's) but once these closed, the mall's business pretty much collapsed. Rather than being demolished, however, Austin Community College acquired the property and it is now being redeveloped into offices and a college campus; I believe a handful of smaller stores will remain open until their leases expire.

If the Yelp! reviews are anything to go by, Ford City's days are numbered.

The decline of the anchor stores (Sears, Wards, Penny's, Marshall Fields and the like) are one major factor in their decline, with the Section 8 types coming in a close second.

[HankB]

If the Yelp! reviews are anything to go by, Ford City's days are numbered.

That's unfortunate - back when I was still in Chicago, it was considered to be a nice place to shop. I remember the "Wieboldt's" department store was said to be the largest single-story department store in the USA. The movie theater was pretty nice there, I know my folks bought some furniture from, IIRC, the "John M. Smyth" furniture store, the JCPenny was well-managed . . .

And no problem with hoodrats/mallrats back then.

Things change . . . and seldom for the better.   

[AJ Dual]

If the Yelp! reviews are anything to go by, Ford City's days are numbered.

The decline of the anchor stores (Sears, Wards, Penny's, Marshall Fields and the like) are one major factor in their decline, with the Section 8 types coming in a close second.

I predict the new "redlining" of the 21st century will eventually just be online retailers who won't take EBT, and neighborhoods where UPS, FedEx, and Amazon drones refuse to go.

[never_retreat]

Thats a lot of hair spray.

In the one music store photo there was vinyl, cd's, and cassettes.

[HankB]

In the one music store photo there was vinyl, cd's, and cassettes.

8-tracks were faded by then . . .