The American malls of the 80s and 90s...with pictures!

[Daehawk]

Mullets, tie-dye and shopping at Tape World: New book sheds light on the American mall in the 1980s - and the off-duty style of shoppers that defined a generation

Feel free to add your own memories and pics and vids. What I linked above is the article that got me started down this path again.

Ill post some pics from it.

Remember Tape World?


Getting some gaming in?


The wall to wall people in their fancy clothes and puffed up hair doos


My own mall experience started with a small local mall in my town that my grandmother took me to. Late 70s early 80s. It was there until about 1990. It had a Sears to play Atari 2600 demos in and a Lays and a Roses . Of course it had the best place to eat, Morrison's Cafeteria. Went there from when I was a kid through my teenage years and even with the girl who became my wife before it was passed by and a new bigger better yet soulless mall was built on the north end of town trying to catch the shoppers going to Chattanooga. But face it , they weren't stopping to shop here and just continued to Chattanooga .

Cause Chattanooga at that time had 3 huge malls itself with the newest one being the biggest in the state for a while there in the late 80s early 90s. The one me and my wife lived in so to speak lol. But thats for another post. What memories or pics and video do you have to share of your own mall love over your life?

[LawBeefaroni]

Mullets, tie-dye and shopping at Tape World: New book sheds light on the American mall in the 1980s - and the off-duty style of shoppers that defined a generation

The original printing of that book goes for $500+.



I grew up in a city with a great downtown and a pretty mediocre mall so never spent a lot of time at the mall.

[hepcat]

Remember Tape World?

Man, they had it all. Scotch, duck, electrical, masking…you name it, they had it.

[McNutt]

They were on the cutting edge and blew everybody away when they released triple-sided tape.

[YellowKing]

We had a Morrison's at our mall as well! It's funny because as a kid I considered that "fine dining."

My favorite memory of the mall was the Hardees we had right across from the arcade. Anytime we hit the mall my mom would take us to lunch at Hardees and we'd eat as fast as we could knowing that afterwards she'd give us a few quarters to hit the arcade. I always spent mine on either Galaga, Pole Position, or Super Pac-Man.

Another great memory was that my granddad would go to the mall to do his walking, so he'd take us with him whenever we were staying over at his house. There was a B. Dalton's bookstore there, and he'd always let my brother and I go in and pick out a book. I still have all the Lone Wolf books he bought for me there. There's no doubt that experience led to my love of fantasy and RPGs, as Choose Your Own Adventure books were also a popular choice.

When I got older they opened a Hungates which was full of D&D stuff and miniatures. I dropped a ton of money in there in high school on RPG books, and that's where I got my start on miniature painting and model building.

The mall is also where my PC gaming obsession started. I'd hit Babbages every visit. It's where I bought all my first PC games (first one was Ultima: Savage Empire, followed by LOOM). All the Gold Box D&D games, Eye of the Beholder. Monkey Island. All came from there.

Our mall now is an empty husk, despite recent efforts to renovate it with a Dick's Sporting Goods and some other attached shops. While it still has some staples like Bath & Body Works and Spencers, it's also filled with empty storefronts, tattoo/piercing shops, and random spaces rented out to churches or martial arts studios.

My daughter enjoys going to the mall with her friends like teens have for decades, but she has no idea what a pale imitation today's lifeless mall is compared to what I had growing up.

[LordMortis]

I grew up in a city with a great downtown and a pretty mediocre mall so never spent a lot of time at the mall.

I spent a lot of my weekend nights at your mall with my WIQB card watching midnight matinees for a buck. Specifically, the Rocky Horror most of the time.

[Jeff V]

Filipinos are still into malls, and The Philippines has some huge, impressive ones. And the other day wife and her friends were talking about driving to Mall of America this weekend (6 hour drive) to go shopping there. I've not encouraged it, and have not heard of any definitive plans as yet.

[Blackhawk]

In Reno I frequented Meadowood and Park Lane. Park Lane is now an empty lot. Meadowoood is still around, but I have no idea how it's held up.

In Terre Haute I had Honeycreek Mall, bought a few years ago and renamed to the awful Haute City Center, with the intention of turning it into an attraction of some sort - plans that either vanished, or got buried by COVID. I spent a lot of time there way back when. As a child, I was mostly there for Kaybee Toys. As a teenager, Camelot was my go-to for music. Disc Jockey was at the other end of the mall, but Camelot was a much better place to shop. My other standards were Waldenbooks and B. Dalton, and I was always up for Pier 1 Imports and Radio Shack. But let's be honest - as a teenager I was mostly there to hang out with my friends, cause trouble, and ogle the girls, which we'd do until we got bored, after which we'd wander across the street to Toys R Us, a large antiques mall, or PharxMor , which was a discount store that provided more snacks, Faygo (a brand of cheap pop), and movie rentals.

That mall is just a shell now, too. Whole hallways are just painted plywood fronts, half of the rest are empty, and the ones that are still open are mostly mass-produced junk, seasonal (Penney's is a Halloween store once per year, there are the usual December calendar shops, etc), and not much else. All three anchor stores (Penney's, Elder Beerman, Sears) are gone. There is one antique/flea market booth rental place where Elder Beerman used to be that I go there for now, once every couple of months. The rest of the place is just depressing. There's the shop that sells nothing but cheap metal signs that's where the Orange Julius where Paul used to work was at. There's the boarded up door to Sears where I used to hang out with Stephanie and Eric. Over there? That karate place was where Osco Drugs used to be - I worked there for a couple of months before moving on to something better.

I do wish that I could go back again with my kids to let them see just how big of a deal a mall was for young people in a town with nothing else to do.

[Daehawk]

Ill come back to this tomorrow and try to post my own memories of our little small town mall. Maybe I can still gather it all together from Facebook pics and stuff.

[em2nought]

Filipinos are still into malls, and The Philippines has some huge, impressive ones. And the other day wife and her friends were talking about driving to Mall of America this weekend (6 hour drive) to go shopping there. I've not encouraged it, and have not heard of any definitive plans as yet.

Likewise Thailand has some HUGE malls with really good & cheap food courts.

Is Mall of America the mall in Canada with the pirate ship inside? I've been hoping Thailand picks up on that theme and builds a mall like that. Oops nevermind, I guess it's the West Edmondton Mall that has the pirate ship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIlTodoP5bc

[Kraken]

Working in mall bookstores (B Dalton, and briefly Waldenbooks) for too many years taught me to hate malls and capitalism and humans. Except for the food courts. Food courts were the shiz.

Before that, malls were wonderlands of game arcades and record stores and even head shops, and I got the sexiest haircut of my life from a mall stylist. Malls were great before they became work. They look a lot different from the other side of the sales counter.

[LawBeefaroni]

I grew up in a city with a great downtown and a pretty mediocre mall so never spent a lot of time at the mall.

I spent a lot of my weekend nights at your mall with my WIQB card watching midnight matinees for a buck. Specifically, the Rocky Horror most of the time.

In HS we always said we were going to the midnight showing of RHPS there but ended up going drinking on State Street.

[dbt1949]

I never hung out at the mall. Just went there and bought what I went for and left. Never understood the whole hangout at the mall thing. But then Again I was an olde fart even back then.

[Kraken]

It used to be a safe place for teens to hang out together, before anybody had their own apartment or even car. Nowadays gangs roam the local mall, occasionally stabbing or even shooting at one another, and locals avoid the place.

[hepcat]

I've probably related this anecdote before, but back in the mid 80s they were planning a big mall in my hometown of New Philadelphia, Ohio. As a promotional event, they had the local newspaper hold a write in campaign to name the new mall. Most folks went with "New Philadelphia Mall" or "Southside Mall" or whatever...except for one person who submitted the name "Buddy Gribble Mall". Unfortunately, that one got a LOT of votes. Enough so that they had to withdraw it at the last minute.

But for most of us in that area? It was still "Let's go to Buddy Gribble Mall this Saturday!" for years.

[Blackhawk]

I never hung out at the mall. Just went there and bought what I went for and left. Never understood the whole hangout at the mall thing. But then Again I was an olde fart even back then.

It was like when you were young, and you and the other young folk would go to the agora to stare at the risque frescoes.

[Blackhawk]

I've probably related this anecdote before, but back in the mid 80s they were planning a big mall in my hometown of New Philadelphia, Ohio. As a promotional event, they had the local newspaper hold a write in campaign to name the new mall. Most folks went with "New Philadelphia Mall" or "Southside Mall" or whatever...except for one person who submitted the name "Buddy Gribble Mall". Unfortunately, that one got a LOT of votes. Enough so that they had to withdraw it at the last minute.

But for most of us in that area? It was still "Let's go to Buddy Gribble Mall this Saturday!" for years.

The original Boaty McBoatface!

[Mandeville]

The first mall I ever went to in the late 70’s early 80’s was over the boarder in White Plains NY called the Galleria. The food court on the bottom level was my favorite part of the trip. There was German, Greek, Chinese, and Mexican food. My parents would get a little from every place. It was my own little EPCOT. Now every food court is the same and it’s just chains. No local flavor.

Malls all had a different vibe back then, now they are all cookie cutter clones of each other. These days there is no reason to go to a different mall besides the convenience of distance. If you’ve been to one you been to all.

[YellowKing]

It used to be a safe place for teens to hang out together, before anybody had their own apartment or even car. Nowadays gangs roam the local mall, occasionally stabbing or even shooting at one another, and locals avoid the place.

Ours was starting to get that way. Gangs, a couple of shootings.

Fortunately a new developer came in and completely revamped it. They added the Dicks anchor store, then developed the area around the mall with a Lidl, and a bunch of decent restaurants. They also completely overhauled the food court. It wasn't enough to completely rejuvenate the mall's glory days, but at least it brought the families back and ran off most of the troublemakers.

It's safe enough now that I' feel fine dropping my daughter off there with her friends for a couple of hours. It's very slowly starting to improve, but I think the rent is just too damn high for most businesses.

[hepcat]

Where I grew up, you would see Amish kids walk into the mall, head to the bathrooms, change into street clothes (and do their hair and makeup), and then come out and mingle with all the other kids. I'm pretty sure their parents had to know this was happening.

[Jeff V]

Mall of America is in Minneapolis. Or St. Paul, as if there's a difference.

My first mall experience was North Riverside Park mall, in, oddly enough, North Riverside, IL. I was a short walk from my house. They ruined a bunch of single-track trails and a small orchard to build it. Then they built an adjacent strip mall, where they drained a swamp we used to catch bull heads at. Both AFAIK are still in business, although the mall seems to be the scene of frequent shootings these days.

[Kraken]

When I said "the sexiest haircut of my life," I didn't mean that my hair approached hepcat quality. I meant that the stylist's tits were in my face throughout without shame or modesty. 55 years later, that's still the only haircut that ever gave me a stiffy, even though I became a loyal customer.

[hepcat]

As long as it was feathered, both instances of sexy can be applied.

[YellowKing]

I had this really hot hairdresser that had been cutting my hair for like 20 years. However she kept getting increasingly more expensive and I was looking for an exit strategy. Then the pandemic happened, and nobody was getting their hair cut so I took that opportunity to ghost. I still feel kind of bad about it but at least I'm back to cheap haircuts.

[em2nought]

When I said "the sexiest haircut of my life," I didn't mean that my hair approached hepcat quality. I meant that the stylist's tits were in my face throughout without shame or modesty. 55 years later, that's still the only haircut that ever gave me a stiffy, even though I became a loyal customer.

I have yet to get that kind of haircut, but I'm optimistic. I was fond of my mom's last and best stylist though. Leslie made my mom look twenty years younger, and almost hip. As if I know anything about "hip".

[Fardaza]

The first thing I noticed when looking at those pictures were actual people in the mall. All the malls I've been to in the last 7 or 8 years appear empty by comparison.

[Fardaza]

I've been to one of the malls in Manila. It was supposed to be the 3rd largest in the world (IIRC). It was huge and busy! This was in 2017. Not sure about today.

But even the smaller malls in a neighborhood are busy. I think it's partly because they're air-conditioned. They also have the best grocery store around.

What I liked most about large Filipino malls was the number of people waiting to assist you in each department. There was almost one person per aisle. I picked up something and continued browsing, and one of them immediately took it, had it nicely wrapped, and brought it back to me. Not like in the U.S. where the only obvious help is running the register.

Every one of the aisle assistants was young and good looking too, male or female! Couldn't get away with that in the U.S.

[Blackhawk]

That would make me insane.

When I walk into a store, I like help to be available, but I prefer that they leave me the hell alone until I ask.

[Daehawk]

Everything I hear about the Philippines makes me wish I lived there.

[dbt1949]

I wouldn't like the humidity and I believe they still have some rebels out there in the islands.

[em2nought]

I wouldn't like the humidity and I believe they still have some rebels out there in the islands.

It's all Islands and there are 7,600+ so you just need to pick the right one. Baguio City is high up and cooler.

[Kraken]

Everything I hear about the Philippines makes me wish I lived there.

You would be happier almost anywhere but where you are.

[Carpet_pissr]

That would make me insane.

When I walk into a store, I like help to be available, but I prefer that they leave me the hell alone until I ask.

Same.

It's a cultural thing, but it's also an employment/developing world/hourly pay thing. Very very common in dev countries to have overstaff for retail places because unemployment rates are typically high so they work for (relative) peanuts. You also see this in airlines, hotels, etc. The retail/customer experience in most places like that are MUCH more... hand holdy than most Western/developed countries, and esp. the US.

I personally think we have gone too far though. I suspect customer service in the US is at an all time low...it certainly feels like a dumpster fire...anecdotally.

[LordMortis]

I personally think we have gone too far though. I suspect customer service in the US is at an all time low...it certainly feels like a dumpster fire...anecdotally.

Retail seems that way. But then umemployment is at an all time low and wages stink relative to what they were in the 80s for retail, when you could meek out a tough living at a retail wage. So now stocking is done by the aisle help during business hours, as is cleaning, and one cashier helps 20 people self check out at a time while there might be an option for two other cashiers in the whole of a megamart. You see more pickers than any other employee and those pickers are the only ones with exclusive jobs. A place like Best Buy? Forget about it, but then the store is pretty empty anyway. I dunno about malls. I haven't been in a mall for a few years. The last time was to replace a battery on my iPhone by appointment. The Apple store was packed and full of help who couldn't keep up but the surrounding stores, not so much.

I also like retail help to obscure until I need them and then hope for them to be within aisle or two or at least somewhere in the department for help. That is never the case. I guess that's the price of investing in 401ks and record stock markets keeping the investor class and retirements chugging along.

[Daehawk]

I wanted to come back to write up a big thing on my old mall but finding pictures to do that is beyond me it seems. It was too old too small and gone before the internet was a thing so no pics or layout of it to post. Needless to say it lay dead a long time before the local big nursing home bought it up and turned it into their offices. I can still remember the stores and how they were laid out inside to this day.

[Carpet_pissr]

I guess that's the price of investing in 401ks and record stock markets keeping the investor class and retirements chugging along.

This seems right.

[Carpet_pissr]

The mall closest to me was ranked in the top ten list of deadest malls in America several years ago LOL. Currently being demolished, but I have been living here since it was both a thriving mall full of some cool stores, to a mostly empty, depressing husk where the BARNES AND NOBLE was keeping it from flatlining (barely). If B&N is your draw these days, you have serious problems obviously.

Can't find that website now, but it might have been this one...don't see a ranked list anymore, though. Find the mall near you for a depressing summary!

https://www.deadmalls.com/stories.html

[Blackhawk]

I personally think we have gone too far though. I suspect customer service in the US is at an all time low...it certainly feels like a dumpster fire...anecdotally.

Retail seems that way. But then umemployment is at an all time low and wages stink relative to what they were in the 80s for retail, when you could meek out a tough living at a retail wage.

Don't forget that we're in an era of retail jobs capping out at three minutes short of full time, preventing most benefits, and keeping many above-minimum-wage hourly jobs from being enough to get by on. I have to imagine that it also has a big negative impact on employer/employee loyalty - high turnover greatly limits expertise.

[hitbyambulance]

Faygo (a brand of cheap pop)

[em2nought]

Faygo (a brand of cheap pop)

You sure wouldn't want that getting placed on the shelf beside the Fabuloso by accident.