At the mall, late 80s

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Lateapexer@reddit

Chess King, Steinbachs, Papyrus, Wilson Leather, Thom MCann, wicks N sticks, service merchandise, radio shack,Herman’s sporting goods, Lechters.

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PedalSteelBill2@reddit

Video stores, game stores, record stores, book stores.

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Reality25bites@reddit

Orange Julius, Mrs. Fields, a safari-themed Banana Republic with a jeep in the middle of the store, the poor teens who worked at Hot-Dog-On-a-Stick.

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I think you mean "The Super-Hot Girls, Who, For Some Unfathomable Reason, Worked At Hot-Dog-On-A-Stick." I went to a lot of malls, in a lot of towns in the 80's and always, there they were. Very Hot Girls in Godawful Hats, Not Selling Hot Dogs On Sticks. (Those were some gross-looking hot dogs.) WTF was the recruiting strategy at that place? It damn sure wasn't the uniforms. Was the pay good?

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bored2death2@reddit

Wife worked there, she's hot, this is true and confirmed.

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AdJunior4923@reddit

OK, Dr. Jones, you know your mission. HOW did they get all those fine-ass girls to wear those dorky-ass uniforms? Were there secret meetings? We're depending on you now.

gif

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bored2death2@reddit

Ok... so it took me a while to find a subtle way to introduce the topic into a normal bit of conversation. Good news, the kids were with us on a vacation last week and I introduced the topic of "first jobs". There it was - the topic to find out how.

Sadly the answer isn't very much different than I expected.

Manager basically looked her over and said "you are hired", this the expected uniform (handing it to her), and then offered something more than minimum wage to distract her from the costume she was handed.

The managers must have been trained on the art of subterfuge and distraction.

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AdJunior4923@reddit

Good work…but the search for the Grail (on a stick) continues.

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bored2death2@reddit

She did say she lasted about a month before it occurred it to her the uniform was... something she wasn't comfortable wearing in public. Too may old (like our age now) men goggling her while ordering a lemonade.

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bemenaker@reddit

This is so true

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Hot_Improvement9221@reddit

B. Dalton Books!

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Obi-Juan-K-Nobi@reddit

And Waldenbooks!

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tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

I miss that incarnation of Banana Republic.

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two_awesome_dogs@reddit

The Limited, Express, Things Remembered, The Gap, Banana Republic, an art supply store with just art supplies (not like Michael’s)

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bored2death2@reddit

Jeez I worked at a Things Remembered - at Christmas. I still don't know why people would buy that crap. It's literally trash with an engraved plaque on it.

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jj_brooklyn@reddit

I worked there too for a hot minute and legit forgot what it was called until I saw this post 😂

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Obi-Juan-K-Nobi@reddit

“Not Things Remembered”

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Candlemom@reddit

I worked there during college. It was awful

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lalachichiwon@reddit

Reminds me of PA.

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two_awesome_dogs@reddit

That’s where it was 😁

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lalachichiwon@reddit

Grew up there

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Trick-Upstairs-5469@reddit

Maurice’s, The Closet, Benetton. We had an arcade. Ro Ro’s funnel cakes, movie theater, a few department stores.

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two_awesome_dogs@reddit

I loved Benetton! I actually still have a sweater that I had in 10th grade! It was my favorite sweater.

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Blue_Henri@reddit

I LOVED the Limited and Express. I felt so cool in that black quilted leather jacket all the way through college. And my navy peacoat! Such treasures.

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Reality25bites@reddit

I really miss their clothing. It’s too boring and beige now. I wore a blazer from them on my first day of college. It’s also WAY too expensive.

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tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

I think I may have one dress from them. The clothing just seems so . . . nondescript, even for basics. And much too expensive.

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Blue_Henri@reddit

But it lasts for YEARS.

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Prize_Essay6803@reddit

I had so many great clothes from there.

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tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

I bought the Fur Felt Fedora, which I never wore.

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tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

I bought a fedora that I never wore.

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lazygerm@reddit

It was so fun!

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RobF15@reddit

I forgot about the old “safari” Banana Republic. There was a free standing BR in the downtown harbor area of Annapolis, MD. When I was a kid there was a jeep in the front of the store. My aunt bought me a pocket t-shirt that I wore until it was threaded bare.

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Thirty_Helens_Agree@reddit

The one in my town kept it that way until the early 2000s. I’d be trying on these elegant clothes in the tiki hut fitting rooms.

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two_awesome_dogs@reddit

Me too

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two_awesome_dogs@reddit

Also Guess. We had a little store near me that carried all Guess and Esprit for tweens/teens. I got a striped colorblock shirt and matching blue striped shorts from there for my birthday in about 8th grade. I wore that outfit with a jean jacket. Loved it.

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feder_online@reddit

An Arcade, a movie theater that had weekend Midnight Movies, west coast likely had a Farrell's

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mybloodyballentine@reddit

We had Farrell’s on Staten Island.

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badcarburetor@reddit

And in Atlanta.

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this_kitty68@reddit

Farrell’s is fabulous fun!

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Head_Effect3728@reddit

East coast had Farrell's too. It reminds me of the place where Napolean achieved that pig contest in Bill and Ted's.

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feder_online@reddit

Totally like a Farrell's!!

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MrBrawn@reddit

I can smell all of those right now.

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Whiteside-parkway@reddit

I really miss Orange Julius! The taste is pure nostalgia.

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herbal_thought@reddit

A trip to Montreal would fix that. https://orangejulep.ca/

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Blue_Henri@reddit

Noted and thank you!

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Whiteside-parkway@reddit

Thanks, man!!

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Dapper_Size_5921@reddit

Go to Dairy Queen. They bought it.

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revchewie@reddit

But you can't get the classic, with a raw egg in it.

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Blue_Henri@reddit

The egg!!! Magical.

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Hungry-Tonight8633@reddit

But I'm allergic to eggs. Found out the hard way i couldn't enjoy an Orange Julius.

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DAS_COMMENT@reddit

I meant to say 'party trick' but it goes along with the party drink

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DAS_COMMENT@reddit

Thanks for telling me, now I really have a great party drink

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Lou_Hodo@reddit

Yeah now they make it with a powdered mix.

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OGCelaris@reddit

Not at the dairy queens by me sadly. They stopped offering them about a decade ago.

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DangerBird-@reddit

There’s one in my town, been really wanting to stop in and grab one!

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Whiteside-parkway@reddit

SWEET! I will try it! Many thanks.

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Ok-Rock2345@reddit

Sbarro's spinach calzone. Hmmmm

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Lou_Hodo@reddit

I have been craving an Orange Julius, the real one, not that powdered crap they serve at some DQs now. And a Hot-Dog-On-A-Stick.

Also Sbarro's Pizza in every mall.

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BlueSnaggleTooth359@reddit

https://youtu.be/bNMwLsy80-c?si=igGPmXEKLTPKXxUl (inside mall with MTV, Hanover, MA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHJTyDCSXa4 (inside mall with MTV, Hanover, MA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yiMsKYeeUU (Cookeville Mall part 1 in the South)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz-fMBx5JS0 (Cookeville Mall part 2 in the South)

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BlueSnaggleTooth359@reddit

Create-A-Potato

many had electronics, home computer and video game stores, coin stores

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BlueSnaggleTooth359@reddit

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BlueSnaggleTooth359@reddit

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SugarHooves@reddit

The BR at my mall had an airplane crashed into the overhang at the entrance to the store. The jeep was parked inside.

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MT_Vailima@reddit

You just described Pearl Ridge (back then) in Pearl City, HI!!! 😆🫡🤙🏽

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Reality25bites@reddit

Not Ala Moana? lol (I used to work there.)

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Agreeable_Initial667@reddit

I'd kill for an Orange Julius right now. My friend broke some kind of house rule and his mom made him work at Hot Dog on A Stick just to shame him into wearing that uniform.

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tultommy@reddit

Especially the girls... those tank tops while making that lemonade was practically obscene lol.

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markshure@reddit

There was always a store that sold nothing but posters. And many of them were dirty.

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Aggressive-Method622@reddit

5-7-9 store, Hickory Farms, fabric store, Spencer’s

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A-Druid-Life@reddit

The sounds of the arcade calling from halfway across the mall..........

Calling to every quarter in 'yer pocket.

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baloneysmom@reddit

Waiting for friends dad to bring us to the mall

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LA-123456@reddit

Love this and the wood-paneled station wagon too! Memories!

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baloneysmom@reddit

Oh no no- the wagoneer. I loved that behemoth!

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No-Equivalent-1642@reddit

Gotta love the woodie

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monkeyzero76@reddit

Have you seen the price on a 2025 Wagoneer? 😳

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baloneysmom@reddit

Heartbreaking! And the transmission sucks

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viperspm@reddit

That’s a car belt😂

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chicadeaqua@reddit

Did you have to pitch in for gas? I remember having to come up with $2 for my friend’s dad.

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Capital_Secret4962@reddit

If you didn't have cash or grass...😀

Cause no one rides for free!

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Chicagogirl72@reddit

WTF

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bbix246@reddit

Lmao. I had to check to make sure the brunette wasn't me.

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baloneysmom@reddit

Thats me! New perm, spritzed with Rave, of course

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bbix246@reddit

I had a matching perm and also sprayed with Rave.

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NotPennysBoat721@reddit

OMG, I had that same blue tie-dyed outfit!

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Tifstr2@reddit

Me too. I also had it in pink and purple!

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No-Equivalent-1642@reddit

Aladdin's Castle

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Vegetable-Soil-9406@reddit

Malls playing the catchy tunes of Roxette: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Aen6vj3eTRAhE9dJj1xHZ?si=anlP_Ao9QM2Y7Gu4PWQwMQ

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Mo_Steins_Ghost@reddit

My parents didn't have a lot of money so I was never in any of the trendy clothing stores... always the movie theater and adjacent arcade. Once in a while Musicland/Sam Goody. Spent a summer working in the men's department at a store called Dayton's (sister company to Marshall Fields).

I grew up in a small town (population \~50kish) and the highlight was when the local mall finally got a McDonalds... I had never actually seen one in a mall prior to that.

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Nothingelsematters22@reddit

County Seat, Sears, Montgomery Ward

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Beardog-1@reddit

Weiner King

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Comprehensive-Pear84@reddit

Miller's Outpost Hot Topic Hot Dog On A Stick Spencer's Gifts Sears Dillards Montgomery Ward JC Penney Wilson's Leather and Suede KB Toys Crown Books Pier 1 Imports Foot Locker S'barro Walden Books Vans

And for some reason there was always a random luggage store....

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mustang-and-a-truck@reddit

Does anyone remember Spencer’s? I wonder if it was locally owned.

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Fun4TheNight218@reddit

Nope, pretty wide spread. Gag gifts in the front, pot merch in the middle, sex stuff in the back.

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MotherOfGremlincats@reddit

The Wild Pair Shoes, Laura Ashley, County Seat, Merle Norman, Joske's, Montgomery Ward, Woolworth's, Regis Hair Salon, Sears, JC Penny's, Camelot Music, Casual Corner, Musicland, Jeans West, Florsheim Shoes, Hickory Farms, Fashion Bug, Benetton, dEliA*s , 5-7-9, Afterthoughts, Merry-Go-Round, Service Merchandise

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Fun4TheNight218@reddit

dEliA*s had actual stores? I remember them as a catalog from the 90s

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tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

A much greater variety of anchor stores, including but not limited to:

Bloomingdale's
Macy's (but not nearly so many of them)
May Co.
Robinson's (later Robinson's-May)
Joske (later Dillard's)
Frost Brothers
Foley's
Sears
JC Penney
Neiman Marcus
Lord & Taylor
Montgomery Ward
Bullock's
The Broadway
Marshall Field
Hecht's
Garfinkel's

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Just-Finish5767@reddit

I'm not sure how, but our suburban mall had a Saks 5th Avenue. Also missing from this list is Hudson's in Michigan, who staged their first Thanksgiving Day Parade 2 years before Macy's did.

I also can't believe UNITS is nowhere in this thread.

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sharkycharming@reddit

Thank you. I will not stand for this UNITS erasure -- literally the first store I thought of that would not be in any mall now. It was right at the entrance we (my grandmother and I) used at Marley Station Mall in Glen Burnie, Maryland. It was across the corridor from Banana Republic, which had an actual Jeep halfway in, halfway out of the front window. Such a different store back then! If I concentrated hard, I bet I could name 75% of the stores that were in that mall.

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Fun4TheNight218@reddit

Was eventually turned into a Cartoon Cuts. God how much time I spent in that mall, but I was a bit late, more mid-90s. Remember walking past the Godiva and being convinced you'd gain weight just from the smell?

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the-largest-marge@reddit

That’s where I bought my first leather coat… the brown one with maps on the liner that was sold at so many stores. My then boyfriend helped me pay for it. We’ve been married 33 years now… spent a lot of time in our dating years at Marley Station! We always parked at the Ruby Tuesday/movie theater entrance. That Ruby Tuesday is where I had my first chimichanga and my first fajitas… still two of my favorite foods.

I actually remember when Harundale, Jumpers, and Glen Burnie Mall were the spots and they started talking about building a bigger, upscale mall. Almost everyone thought Marley Station was too high end for GB and would fail quickly. Also remember getting a footlong and milkshake at Ann’s and shopping at Babbage’s when we got our first computer, an IBM PS1 I bought at the Sears that was across from the DMV.

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tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

Units! We had to buy them for sorority rush, and it seemed too expensive for what it was.

Or maybe we had to buy Multiples.

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Heathers4ever@reddit

All of our malls tended to have the same anchor stores. JCPenney, Sears, Montgomery Ward-all mid level. Higher level Burdines that became Macys, Ivey‘s that became Dillard’s-but it might have been Maison Blanche in the middle.

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Heathers4ever@reddit

RIP Sears, Burdines and Montgomery Wards.

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haileyskydiamonds@reddit

Oh, my Grandma ADORED Foley’s, lol.

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tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

It was my least favorite of the anchor stores at our closest mall, at least until Joske's became Dillards and Frost Brothers closed and was replaced by Mervyn's California.

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haileyskydiamonds@reddit

I don’t remember much about it. That woman could shop, lol. She would close a mall down one day and come back the next to pick up where she left off, lol.

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tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

It had a strange layout and the clothes just seemed meh. Maybe I would have liked them if I hadn't been 15.

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Malika-K66@reddit

Burdines (before Macy's)
Service Merchandise

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tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

And Best, which was the Service Merchandise I grew up with in Maryland.

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morthanafeeling@reddit

I went to school with someone whose family owned Hechts. I'm from a different part of the country & didn't know what it was till they said it was "like Macy's". Almost fell off my f'ing chair.

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CynfullyDelicious@reddit

Nordstrom
Rich’s
Davison’s
Bon Marché

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cricket_bacon@reddit

Nordstrom

Worked in Ladies Shoes during the summer while in college: 1989

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Redsmoker37@reddit

4 years there 89-93 (12th grade through 3 years of college).

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cricket_bacon@reddit

I was at the Stanford Shopping Center Nordstrom in Palo Alto, CA.

Which one were you at?

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Redsmoker37@reddit

Did you do sales? or were you a "ringer"? Seemed like most of the ones hired for the summer sales were ringers. I remember when I went through "register training" (in the early summer) I was the only one who had a selling job in a dept, the rest were just learning how to ring people up.

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cricket_bacon@reddit

Stock boy.

We stayed pretty busy. It was a fun job. ... except for the big inventory and the annual sales events.

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Redsmoker37@reddit

oic. Ladies' shoes had stock people. (They were the next dept over to us so I knew those guys). In children's we did our own stock between sales. We were too small for a stockperson. I was actually kinda young getting a selling job when i'd just turned 17.

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Redsmoker37@reddit

Lloyd Center (Portland) Store 21, Children's shoes. My 1st boss had come from Walnut Creek.

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Candlemom@reddit

I remember Rich’s!

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TheJokersChild@reddit

Hess's/Bon-Ton in my area.

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TheJokersChild@reddit

Bloomingdale's
May Co.
Robinson's (later Robinson's-May)
Marshall Field
Hecht's

All of these (plus Stern's and maybe a couple of others) got swallowed by up Macy's when they merged with Federated. All but Bloomingdale's were converted to Macy's (Macies'?), and that's why there are so many of them now. And probably why Macy's doesn't feel as upscale as it once did.

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tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

Oh, definitely.

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JJbooks@reddit

Pour one out for Hecht's, which is where my grandma bought all of my Christmas and birthday gifts (all clothes, all hideous) from my birth until 2005.

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Fun4TheNight218@reddit

Claire's with cheap jewelry and hair accessories and preteens getting their ears pierced by older teens who had 5 minutes of instruction on how to use the piercing gun.

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P_Fossil@reddit

the gap, The Limited, Esprit, Laura Ashley and/or Outback Red, 5 - 7 - 9, Mrs. Field’s, Morrow’s Nut House and/or Hickory Farms, a movie theater (whatever your regional chain was) with about 6-8 screens, Claire’s, Oshman’s (sporting goods), Brentano’s if it was a “good/fancy” mall, Orange Julius, a couple of places to get a slice of pizza, a Mexican restaurant (El Fenix was local for us) … and of course, as others have mentioned, B. Dalton, Waldenbooks, Sam Goody, Camelot.

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Charming_Resist_7685@reddit

Oshman's! That's a name I had completely forgotten about!

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Darkling_Antiquarian@reddit

Alladins Castle

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dietrerun@reddit

Spencer’s Camelot CFA Orange Julius Walden books

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JMU_88@reddit

Dress Barn and Spencer's.

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HalfShelli@reddit

Spencer's Gifts, Strawberry's Records & Tapes

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Antique_Chemistry_92@reddit

Orange Julius!

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HalfShelli@reddit

I see we haunted the same malls 😜

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Antique_Chemistry_92@reddit

Sam Goody, Guess, Radio Shack…

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PNW_Stargazur@reddit

I’m certain they’ve been mentioned, and apologize for being too lazy to check, but my favorites were The Squire Shop and The Gap (no, spellcheck NOT the Fap!), and Wilson’s leathers. I did a layaway at Wilson’s on a supremely cool biker style jacket, only to leave it behind at a party in a stoned, drunken fog just 5 months later.

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shouldiknowthat@reddit

Sears

JCPenney

Macy's/Bloomingdale's/Rich's/Hudson's/Gayfers/Dillard's

Chess King

Foot Locker

5-7-9

Lerner

Lane Bryant

Spencer Gifts

B Dalton/WaldenBooks

Toyland/KayBee

Sam Goody/Record Zone

Foxmoor

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kmwade66@reddit

Miller’s Outpost Mervyns

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GravityTracker@reddit

Hennessy's. It seemed so upscale. At the other end was JC Penny's, which was more our style. Also there was a salon attached to the Penny's where my mom and sisters got their hair perms.

In the middle of the mall there was a JBs but then it became an Old Country Buffet. If you didn't want sit-down, there was an Orange Julius and a couple other options. On the other side.

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stabbingrabbit@reddit

Spencer's

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OhioResidentForLife@reddit

Girls, why else would we go to a mall?

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Potatocannondums@reddit

International imports, suncoast video, Sam goody records, actual arcades.

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thibgeno@reddit

Ones I can remember from the Pheasant Lane and Nashua Malls growing up in the 80's; Tape World, Kaybee Toys, Strawberries, Spencer Gifts, Chess King, Barbara Moss, ACA Joe, Cherry, Webb and Touraine, TCBY, Orange Julius, The Limited, Thom Mcan.

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No-Novel965@reddit

Probably already mentioned but Spencer’s !

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FlowAshamed6964@reddit

Deb , Camelot

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Cptn_Beefheart@reddit

Spencers

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Crislyg@reddit

We had a Friendly’s. I miss it. They don’t have them in California.

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GoddessRayne@reddit

T-Shirts Plus

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SuburbaniteMermaid@reddit

KayBee toys

Payless Shoes

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Comprehensive-Fee63@reddit

Footlocker.

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RetiredTwo-Mtns@reddit

Montgomery Wards, Crazy Horse (sold leather purses etc), Wicks & Sticks (candles), Hecht Co., The Limited, Tippy Tacos, Garfinkles, Wilson’s Leather Goods, Music Box Co., Bennigan’s Restaurants, Glamour Shots, Payless Shoes, 9 West Shoes, Linens & Things, Watchman, London Fog, Gunni Sak (prom gowns), Arcades, huge Food Courts, record stores (names ?), Izod, Fleishman Shoes, Bostonian Shoes, Kenny’s Shoes, Photo Booths, Photo Mats, Merle Norman (makeup/makeovers), Perfume Sprayers (😝), Western Wear Store, boots, clothes (name ?), Candy Shops (self serve scoop & bag), Radio Shack, Sharper Image, Gift wrapping kiosks, Buster Brown Shoes

lol I remember the shoe stores best cause my feet kept growing. Dad used to say I’d be wearing the shoe boxes if my feet didn’t stop growing. Definitely not something a girl wanted to hear.

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Cruise1313@reddit

Spencers, JC Penney, Mrs. Fields, Morrison cafeteria, Chik-fil-a, Orange Julius, Dairy Queen, a movie theater and an Arcade.

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ItsYourCousinArnie@reddit

Chess King remembers

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That_70s_chick@reddit

Natural Wonders, Contempo Casuals, Brookstone, Wick N Sticks, County Seat, Wilson’s Leather.

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BreadfruitOk6160@reddit

Spencer’s Gifts, Hallmark

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robotcoup@reddit

Esprit Coconut Joe

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ottermann@reddit

Seeing Weird Al at the Sam Goody.

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teriKatty@reddit

Disney store, Brookstone, Musicland, EB Games. At our local mall/Galleria Chick-fil-A has been there since it was built in the mid 70s.

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teriKatty@reddit

Parisian Department Store and McRae's

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teriKatty@reddit

Also Boardwalk fries

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teriKatty@reddit

Also Parisian Department Store and McRae's

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sisandsas@reddit

Lots of neon and mesh clothing. Thanks Madonna 😁

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philemonslady@reddit

Kay Bee toys. Sbarro pizza. Glamour Shots.

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Paint-by-numberrs@reddit

5-7-9 clothing store.

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scorpion_71@reddit

I would go to Babbage's for computer games. Waldenbooks was my favorite place for magazines. KB Toys was a stop for toys and board games. Foot Locker was a big athletic shoe store. I'd always look at stuff in Spencer's Gifts and Brookstone.

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GupChezzna@reddit

Just Pants…Country Legend…McCrorey’s

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tinycitygirl@reddit

Space port arcade!!!

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Hungry_Spring_9079@reddit

Deb and 5,7,9 for fashion. I also liked a store called Rave. I was the assistant manager at Brooks fashions.

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profcate@reddit

Rainbow Records

Contempo Casual

Emporium Capwell's

Lerner

Mervyn's (best deals for back to school stuff)

And while not in the mall....

Gemco

Tower Records (iconic)

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this_kitty68@reddit

Contempo!!!! My favorite! I still remember some of the outfits I bought there.

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profcate@reddit

Remember the argyle vests, the beaded necklaces, and the pink stripped mini skirts? I LOVED going there. That was THE 80s place to look cool. I think I bought my first pair of Guess jeans there as well. Ahhh....the simpler times.

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violet_pike@reddit

This wouldn’t happen to be Sunvalley Mall? Would it?

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profcate@reddit

Yep!!!

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JazzfanRS@reddit

Sky City: Retail History: Search results for clearwater

I wasn't around when it was torn down, otherwise I would have grabbed one of the 'peacock' motifed concrete blocks. I essentially grew up in that mall. It was like a second home.

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ThredFlamingo@reddit

Brass Buckle, Spencer’s, some bookstores, 7-8-9

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FunkMamaT@reddit

Spencers. You must have a Spencers in your project! It was always filled with teens laughing and buying posters. Or maybe that was the early 80s?

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Alternative-Pin5760@reddit

Always a frozen yogurt place and a Spencer’s

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Imaginary-List-4945@reddit

What was the kids' clothing store that had a slide? I think of that every once in a while and can never remember if it was Gymboree or Children's Place or something else.

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tultommy@reddit

JW Apparel, Kids Gap, Osh Kosh, Arcades, Hot Dog on a Stick, Subway, Chick Fil A, KayBee Toys, WaldenBooks, Books a million, Hot Topic, Spencers, Elephant Trunk, Orange Julius, Claires, Radio Shack, Gadzooks, Sam Goody, Babbages, Sharper Image, Glamor Shots, Deb, Foot Locker, EB Games, Service Merchandise, Wicks N Sticks, Hickory Farms, Espirit, Benneton, Disney Store, Lerner, The Limited... the list goes on lol.

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Cold_in_Lifes_Throes@reddit

OMG! I had forgotten about Wick’s N Sticks! I loved that store.

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Imaginary-List-4945@reddit

The year I turned 9, my family moved from Louisiana to California, but along the way we lived in a furnished apartment in Texas for three months. My mom let me pick out a blue candle shaped like a butterfly at Wicks N Sticks to decorate my otherwise totally barren room (all our stuff was in storage and we only had the clothes we'd packed in suitcases for the move). I kept that candle unburned for years!

[-]

Blue_Henri@reddit

One of my very good friends owned the one in the mall in South Bend, IN. 😊

[-]

OkManufacturer767@reddit

Hot Topic not 80's.

First one opened in 1989.

[-]

quasi2022@reddit

Ah yes, we cannot forget glamour shots!

[-]

tultommy@reddit

Oh I forgot the ubiquitous vaguely Asian themed restaurant that everyone went to for Bourbon chicken, which to this day has never been successfully recreated outside of a mall food court lol.

[-]

Gamergrrl72@reddit

Record stores, Benetton, B. Daltons Book Store, Woolworths, color changing fountains, feral teenagers

[-]

Particular_Tie7430@reddit

The Wall - best Record store!

Sam Goodey - Record Store

We 3 Records

Spaceport - Video Game - many many quarters spent at Spaceport

[-]

Imaginary-List-4945@reddit

I got my ears pierced at Spencer's for my 14th birthday. As an experience, it was somewhere in between going to Claire's and having your friend do it at a slumber party with a needle and an ice cube.

[-]

SirMellencamp@reddit

We never had The Wall or Sam Goodey. We had Record Bar and Peaches (all the albums and cassettes would be in peach crates). Man I loved all the cool posters. Still remember the gigantic Pearl Jam Ten poster Peaches had. I wanted that so bad

[-]

atowntommy@reddit

Don't forget MusicLand. My mall had Sam Goody at one end MusicLand. there was also a chain out west called Sound Warehouse (sp?)

For books there was B. Dalton and Walton Books.

And a Hallmark store.

[-]

SugarHooves@reddit

Tower Records forever!

[-]

marythegr8@reddit

Musicland, Suncoast motion picture company, Disney, Warner Bros. 31 flavors, a bulk candy store, Arcadia, Sanrio

[-]

bemenaker@reddit

No the back of Spencers is a mini Hustler Hollywood.

[-]

ToastyWonder@reddit

Ahh Spaceport. The place to be on a Friday night if you weren't old enough to cruise Main Street.

[-]

morthanafeeling@reddit

Spencer's, Radio Shack, Filene's, Fannie Farmer (but too expensive, so just had to look at the chocolates and wish I could have that one...)

[-]

us2bcool@reddit

And the Sam Goody's is fully stocked with tape cassettes.

[-]

JJbooks@reddit

We had Waldenbooks instead of B. Dalton, but otherwise yes.

[-]

haileyskydiamonds@reddit

We had both! And Claire’s AND Afterthoughts.

[-]

morthanafeeling@reddit

B. Dalton and Waldenbooks!! Right!!! And the record storec- was it Music Smith or Record Smith (then they added Videosmith...)

[-]

IainwithanI@reddit

And Bookland, probably only in the southeast

[-]

Agreeable_Initial667@reddit

Put me in a Sharper Image and I'll be tied up for about 6-8 hours lol

[-]

MuttleyDastardly@reddit

Chess King

[-]

atowntommy@reddit

Thom McAnn, Montgomery Ward, Fashion Bug, Aladdin's Castley.

[-]

Character_Bend_5824@reddit

Sam Goody, Wix & Stix, Suncoast Video

[-]

foood@reddit

Toy stores: Circus World. KB Toys. Central indoor courtyard area with skylights and trees. Mauve carpet. Navy blue 100% polyester McDonald's uniforms with tennis visors. Aladdin's Castle coin op arcade. Department stores with cafeterias inside of them. Music store still selling home organs to the older folks, pianos out on the floor and rows of brightly colored Kramer guitars in the back. Orange Julius and Cookie Factory. Spencer's Gifts, which, at the time had a back section filled with awesome fiber optic lights and black light posters.

[-]

pocketdare@reddit

Aladdin's Castle was pretty much the only one that I cared about as a kid!

[-]

Capital_Secret4962@reddit

I've still got a token lol

[-]

foood@reddit

Same!

[-]

foood@reddit

It was all I thought about for a very long time.

[-]

JeffTS@reddit

Walden Books, KB Toys, Sears, Papa Ginos.

[-]

Capital_Secret4962@reddit

Papa Gino's is still in business!

[-]

JeffTS@reddit

Yeah, I discovered that last year! I always thought it was a local pizza shop. I had no idea it was actually a chain.

[-]

thereisnospoon-1312@reddit

Aladdin's Castle

[-]

Heliotrope88@reddit

Hit or Miss

[-]

New_Dealer8376@reddit

T-shirt shops where they had all of the images you could get printed in a t- shirt while you waited. I had a ton of Pink Panther, but my God the smell

[-]

Weekly-Watercress915@reddit

Oh yeah! I loved that smell! I had a Gemini t-shirt from one of those and was so proud of it.

[-]

AfternoonNo6827@reddit

Even the small town malls had arcades.

[-]

Abyssal_Mermaid@reddit

A central fountain with an area for pictures with the Easter bunny or Santa, and possibly a two story tall mall sculpture.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeforest_Mall#/media/File%3ALakeforest_Mall_red_sculpture_Gaithersburg_MD_2021-08-21_13-23-20_1.jpg

[-]

Logical-Jury-1974@reddit

Sam Goody. Or as we called it, Sam 'Greedy'.

[-]

otherwise_data@reddit

Record Bar, Walden Books, an arcade, Cookie Factory…

[-]

Excellent_Novel7252@reddit

Sears , JC Penny's , The Gap , Kinney shoes Emporium capwells , Radio Shack

[-]

RicsGhost@reddit

Strangely enought gun stores. Turtles, hickory farms, head shops, barbers, key makers and arcades.

[-]

cacecil1@reddit

Sears, Fashion Bug, JC Penney, Radio Shack, WaldenBooks, KB Toys, Bugle Boy

[-]

Sushisushi70@reddit

The Limited and their Outback Red brand! ❤️

[-]

Trick-Upstairs-5469@reddit

I worked there for years in high school and college. Jodhpurs were in one year. Do you remember?

[-]

Blue_Henri@reddit

Oh, yes.

[-]

Blue_Henri@reddit

Wet Seal and Everything But Water

[-]

lotsalotsacoffee@reddit

KB Toys, Waldenbooks, United Colors of Benetton, Babbages, Suncoast Motion Picture Company, The Nature Company.

Oh, and I feel like most malls had a "mall ninja" store back then.

[-]

Blue_Henri@reddit

The Nature a company had a rain stick my mom got me for my birthday one year. I have no idea where it is now but the sound was magical.

[-]

Osinuous@reddit

God damn Babbages. Haha have t thought of that place in ages.

[-]

Randomiscool-31@reddit

Hahahaha!!!!!!

[-]

2Dogs3Tents@reddit

Suncoast was the best.

[-]

haileyskydiamonds@reddit

I loved Suncoast! They had the coolest stuff.

[-]

Dapper_Size_5921@reddit

Good friend of mine was an assistant manager of a Suncoast in one of the malls in my city. They had a truly impressive selection, especially for a mall store.

[-]

udonbeatsramen@reddit

The Sharper Image - hard to explain, just a store full of futuristic gadgets you didn't know existed and serve no real purpose, but fun to look around

Poster stores - these barely exist now. I saw one recently at Pier 39 in San Francisco

Software stores, kind of a precursor to GameStop but not just games - Egghead Software, ComputerLand, Electronics Boutique

Fredericks of Hollywood - lingerie chain, before Victoria's Secret became a big thing

Also watch Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure to get an idea, there's a great 80's mall scene. The ice cream parlor I think is based off of Farrell's Ice Cream, which also was in a lot of malls

[-]

Randomiscool-31@reddit

Oh god!!!! Poster shopping!

[-]

Blue_Henri@reddit

And sticker books. There was a time in elementary school when I remember wanting to go to the store that was devoted to just stickers. Puffy, googly eyes, scratch-n-sniff…

[-]

BabadookOfEarl@reddit

Sharper image was like those “As Seen on TV” stores for products that didn’t have an infomercial.

[-]

Consistent_Sale_7541@reddit

it had one of those gyroscopic things that you stood up in and were strapped in then went upside down and sideways. so much fun! plus massage chairs etc

[-]

morthanafeeling@reddit

OMG Fredericks of Hollywood. Skanky but we thought we'd look hot...if ours mom's wouldn't have killed us, raised us from the dead and killed us again had they even known we were looking, never mind if we'd bought something ..somehow....

[-]

mot_lionz@reddit

Popcorn Palace🍿🍭

[-]

Scary_Bus8551@reddit

Am I the only one here who remembers Units? Separates that were sold packaged in mix and match colors? I was the only teenage male Becky Connor when I hit that store!

[-]

Western_Ship_7103@reddit

Like stretch knit solid colors? I think I remember this.

[-]

Scary_Bus8551@reddit

Yep!

[-]

AdCandid4609@reddit

Spencers, Judys, Contempo, Jean Nicole, Kinneys Shoes, Leeds Shoes, Tower Records, Sharper Image

[-]

mrtoad47@reddit

Stores aside there was the just walking around, people watching. E.g. the oldsters getting their laps in. And, just to be real, as a teenage boy, getting a good angle on the girls coming up the escalator was always a bonus. He’ll, I remember my then girlfriend, now wife of many decades, helping to point out the “scenery.” It was a part of the mall experience even if it seems weird today.

[-]

MasterAlchemi@reddit

Growing up in Des Moines, IA, all our malls had movie theaters in them.

Southridge 3, Valley 3, Fleur 4, Forum 4, Century 6…

First non-agricultural job was at the Sierra 3 in WDM.

I think all are gone now. I think in the early 80’s we had something like a dozen indoor and a half dozen drive inns. You can still see an overgrown screen on SE 14th.

For some reason I was thinking of these earlier this week.

[-]

GibsonMD5150@reddit

Gotta stop by the pizza inn when you get hungry

[-]

kaxon82663@reddit

KB Toys. GNC. Most of all... Sears...

[-]

jj_brooklyn@reddit

Benetton, Sam Goody, GAP, Borders Books, Chess King, Claire’s, Limited, Structure, Cinnabon

[-]

Capital_Secret4962@reddit

We had a Ground Round restaraunt that finally started serving beer at the mall. That was a big deal in RI back in the day

[-]

HeadHeart3067@reddit

The great American cookie company, Claire’s, an arcade, JCPenney, 5-7-9, Petite Sophisticate, The Limited, Sears, Sbarro

[-]

bingerfang57@reddit

Was Chess King a thing for you all or was that just in Florida?

[-]

Capital_Secret4962@reddit

We had it in RI

[-]

Under_Sensitive@reddit

The Fudgery

[-]

Capital_Secret4962@reddit

🤣

[-]

grahsam@reddit

Pet stores.

Arcades.

KB Toys.

[-]

Capital_Secret4962@reddit

The kiosks that sold stickers and those wide break dance shoelaces lol

[-]

Capital_Secret4962@reddit

I never shopped there, but...Florsheim Shoes

[-]

Capital_Secret4962@reddit

Chess King, Aladdin's Castle, Woolworth, Barnes & Nobles, Newport Creamery...

[-]

Western_Ship_7103@reddit

Earring Tree

[-]

Satans_colon@reddit

Merry Go-Round, Parachute, The Limited, chess King the County Seat (80s fashions), Panera, Aunt Annie’s pretzels, Glamour Shots, The Wild Pair, PAC Sun, Warner Bros Studio Store.

[-]

Western_Ship_7103@reddit

Been looking for Camelot Music! I worked there and we always joked that having a music store job was the coolest except Camelot was the least cool music store.

[-]

Dimeadozen21@reddit

Stuart’s, Ups and Downs, Contempo Casuals, Merry-Go-Round, County Seat, Musicland, Wicks ‘n Sticks, The Bombay Company, Paul Harris, Casual Corner, Sam Goody, Lerner, Banana Republic, Structure, Marshall Field’s, The Original Cookie, Sbarro, Walden Books, Kinney Shoes, Suncoast, Deck the Walls, Tinder Box, Hickory Farms, Wilson’s (for your essential 1980s leather bomber jacket).

[-]

Western_Ship_7103@reddit

Paul Harris!

[-]

haileyskydiamonds@reddit

Structure and Express. Bath & Body Works was just a corner in the back of the Express store.

[-]

JJbooks@reddit

We used to cruise into Wilson's on every visit just to smell everything. And maybe pretend we were gonna buy a full leather ensemble like the white one in "Can't Buy Me Love." Anyone else? (Now I'm vegan and cringing at myself.)

[-]

SpicyRitas@reddit

You said “and other things”… well our mall had clouds of cigarette smoke. I didn’t smoke but I’m surprised there weren’t any aqua net fires.

Our mall had a roller skating rink in the middle. the next town over had an ice skating rink.

[-]

thisfriggingguy@reddit

The original Chick-fil-A restaurants were typically in shopping malls, at least in the area I grew up in. I remember they used to offer free samples. I could make a meal out of samples if the person giving them out didn't care.

[-]

ElYodaPagoda@reddit

For a time, the only days I would go to the mall were Sundays, and of course Chick-Fil-A was closed. I think it was 10 years before I finally saw it open!

[-]

Thirty_Helens_Agree@reddit

At my town’s mall, the Chick-Fil-A was around the corner from Hickory Farms, so double samples just steps apart.

[-]

count_strahd_z@reddit

Definitely a Hickory Farms stand in every mall around the holidays.

[-]

AdJunior4923@reddit

Concur. Didn't love their food back then (it's improved) but they were always my first stop to fuel up before the arcade.

[-]

Solid_College_9145@reddit

Spencers, The Gap, Radio Shack, Sam Goody record store, the arcade

[-]

edwoodjrjr@reddit

You’ll find me at Babbage’s, hanging out between the dot matrix and the floppies.

[-]

Putrid-Room-4602@reddit

One of the mall in my hometown had a full-on sword, knife, and razor store. They did scissor, kitchen knife sharpening, but had every kind of replica historical or movie sword on display. It was crazy.

[-]

HonoluluLongBeach@reddit

Banana Republic as a cool travel store. Wet Seal. Liberty House. Bebe.

[-]

Frequent-Community-3@reddit

Ashtrays right inside

[-]

More-Adeptness-5523@reddit

The anchor stores were Buffums, Bullocks, Robinsons, the Broadway, May Company, Mervyns ; only JC Penny, Nordstrom, and Sears are still around (probably not for long).

[-]

SJB3717@reddit

Chess King, Foot Locker, Wee Bee Three Records, Shenk & Tittle, and Merry-Go-Round

[-]

simmering_cauldron@reddit

The Limited. And me at work folding sweaters!

[-]

marshdd@reddit

BookSmith and MusicSmith.

[-]

Boondock830@reddit

gif

[-]

RugTiedMyName2Gether@reddit

Thrifty Ice Cream, double chocolate malted crunch.

Chess King

Pizza D’Amore

Gold Mine Arcade

[-]

ClassicOutrageous447@reddit

I felt really edgy shopping at Contempo Casuals.

[-]

sammy99x@reddit

Camelot music, Spencer's Gifts, Radio Shack, Music Land, Chest King, KB toys, Oshman's sporting goods, Arcade Zone, AMC theater and even a chick fil

[-]

jseger9000@reddit

I miss B. Dalton and Waldenbooks.

[-]

DistantBethie@reddit

Chess King, Merry Go Round, Wilson Leather, Zales, Ormond, Record Bar, Turtles, Sound Shop, Sanrio Surprises, a store that sold musical instruments, Sbarro, a photo booth to take pics with friends.

[-]

rabbitales27@reddit

Orange Julias , French fries with those 60’s yellow stained glass booths, and and white keds.

[-]

Randomiscool-31@reddit

Famous Barr was just going in as an anchor. Worked at Mr. Bulky, next to J Riggings…

[-]

Tyezilla@reddit

Sam Goody, Benneton, Electronics Botique.

[-]

wakattawakaranai@reddit

let's see how many I can name from our upper-midwest jank-ass mall...

JC Penney, Sears, Camelot Music, Things Remembered, Orange Julius, McDonalds (next to the independent arcade, smart), Waldenbooks, Deb, KB toys, and uh. A couple of high-end jewelry stores right in the middle for some reason, and like five separate shoe stores selling more or less the same thing. One definitely a Payless.

We had to take a special spring break trip to the Mall of America before I ever saw things like Nature Company, Rainforest Cafe, or the other chains of record and book stores, let alone Gap or other high-end (at the time) clothing chains. Bumfuck Wisconsin was not a paragon of culture.

[-]

HandleAccomplished11@reddit

Ashtrays, and the smell of smoke.

[-]

Woody_Roger@reddit

Chess King!

[-]

vegashouse@reddit

dont forget the best ones: Record Bar & Aladdin's Castle

[-]

ElectronicBusiness74@reddit

Waldenbooks, Musicland, KB Toys/ Circus World, Hickory Farms, Radio Shack, Sam Goody, Spencer's Gifts, Aladdins Castle, County Seat, Glamour Shots, Zales, Claires, Athletes Foot, Thom McAn, Deck the Walls, Deb, Footlocker

[-]

No_Fudge1228@reddit

Spencer’s and Time Out!

[-]

LWydra@reddit

A pet store with a lot of sad dogs and cats in cages. You could sort of pet them through the bars.

An arcade with that one guy who shows up to school maybe once a week dealing weed.

York Steak House.

[-]

Separate_Job_9587@reddit

Going to the smoking section because my dad needed a smoke.

[-]

randomname5478@reddit

Section? I remember my parents smoking everywhere.

[-]

Separate_Job_9587@reddit

I just remember certain areas had those ashtrays attached to the benches. I don’t think people were allowed to walk around the mall smoking. I’m in Canada though. Might’ve been different.

[-]

randomname5478@reddit

In Michigan there was smoking everywhere. Like inside the doctor’s office at the grocery store. I remember smoke rolling out of the teachers lounge when they opened the door in middle school.

[-]

heathenliberal@reddit

A fountain.

[-]

HLAW8S@reddit

We had a fountain and during the holidays it was turned off and a stage was placed over it for carolers.

[-]

Impressive_Crazy_223@reddit

Wait, has no one mentioned an ice skating rink yet? Or was that just a thing in Texas?

[-]

StarDewbie@reddit

We had one at Topanga Plaza in California too!

[-]

AllReihledUp@reddit

Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL had an ice skating rink. The restaurant next door (John's Garage) had an observation window overlooking the rink.

[-]

Roddy_Piper2000@reddit

Talking about the Galleria in Houston?

[-]

Impressive_Crazy_223@reddit

That one and all the ones in the DFW area, too.

[-]

StarDewbie@reddit

Hot nut stands. I just recalled as a child, one of the first mall memories was the smell (and taste!) of warm nuts. lol Yes, funny words, but still...they don't do this anymore and it was such a vibe; seeing the nuts and probably other things (I want to say it was part of "Popcorn Palace", which, do they sell different popcorn anymore either, now that I think about it??

[-]

DfWZrgYf@reddit

We had a store in the mall where you could rent furniture, TVs, stereos, etc

[-]

haileyskydiamonds@reddit

We had a lot of stores already mentioned, but I remember my favorites being

Waldenbooks

B. Dalton Booksellers

Tape World

Express with Bath & Body Works tucked into the back corner)

Payless Shoes

Suncoast

Kay Bee Toys

Claire’s

Afterthoughts

The Gap

United Colors of Benetton

Kirkland’s

Espirit

Eckerd Drug

Wicks & Sticks

Sanrio

Extras: Arcade, movie theater, Sbarro, Chick-Fil-A, the cafeteria style restaurant, the candy store

Flagship Stores: J. C. Penney’s, Sears, Dillard’s, McRae’s

[-]

ArtisticDegree3915@reddit

Diamond Jim's arcade. KayBee toys. Warner Bros store. Discovery store. Some kind of big candy store with huge lollipops. Music store. I don't know about a specific one. But obviously something mostly with cassettes and then transitioning into cds.

Macy's. Sears. Some of our department stores are going to be more regional or localized like McRae's and Parisian.

Levi's store.

Spencer's gifts.

Some place selling Western Wear but not like nice Western Wear. Some of it might be nice. But it wasn't really geared towards cowboys. More towards like alt people. So a lot of snakeskin stuff. Ours was called Stampede.

A cheap suit store for men. Where suits are on sale for $99 50 weeks out of the year. But the place looks nice. They just employ mostly young people and work on volume.

Food court. Chick-fil-A used to only be in the malls.

I'm not sure how many people experienced a big Just for Feet shoe store. But they had like a half basketball court in the store, technically that was outside the mall.

There was some restaurants kind of open air to the mall. So what I mean is you walk into the restaurant to the host stand and then when you get to your table there was only a half wall separating you from people walking by. This could be changed or local places.

Farrell's ice cream.

A knife or cutlery store that sells really expensive knives and because it was the '80s, people bought them.

[-]

FallonFury@reddit

Contempo Casuals, Chess King, the Piercing Pagoda, Kay Jewlers, Bon Ton... I miss malls.

[-]

Bigfoot_Fishing@reddit

Poster stores where I managed to convince my parents to let me put up Samantha Fox, Nicole Eggart, Christina Applegate, some slutty “California Girls,” and got to have the girl on the hood of the red Porche 911!

[-]

Cold_in_Lifes_Throes@reddit

Ok what was that Jean store with gigantic pair hanging up front??? Damn I can’t remember.

[-]

jojo11665@reddit

Orange Julius, peoples drug, Woolworths, JC Penny's, Camalot music, movie theater, Montgomery Wards, O'Neil, Spencer's gifts... There was more. I just can't remember.

[-]

aradiacat@reddit

Merry Go Round, Spencer's, Papagallo. Record Bar.. I think the last two were regional.

[-]

RG1527@reddit

Walden Books, Camelot Music, Rave, Chess King, Borders, Sears, Kmart

[-]

Wrong_Profession_512@reddit

Britches, Eddie Bauer, Merry-Go-Round, G+G, Contemporary Casuals, Units, Chess King, Alwilk Records, Sam Goody, Glamour Shots, Jean Country (if you were lucky enough to grow up in Jersey), Sharron, the Great Steak Escape, Panda Express, Roll Boli, Everything Yogurt, Sharper Image, the Nature Company

[-]

Mail_Order_Lutefisk@reddit

You have an exhaustive list in this thread and the only one I would add is Brass Buckle, which is now called The Buckle and still operates in some malls. Brass Buckle was rapidly growing in the late ‘80’s and was huge by the early ‘90’s.

[-]

FlightlessBird201@reddit

I loved the Buckle, but I was driving by the time it was in our mall so it was early 90’s. I was so sad when my favorite outfit from there became outdated.

[-]

FlightlessBird201@reddit

Sbarro, Elder Beerman, Montgomery Ward, LS Ayer’s, Lazarus, the leather store that I can’t remember the name of, but I bought a pink suede mini skirt from that was ruined in the rain my senior year. Spencer’s, B Dalton, a bulk candy store, Limited, UC Benetton, Zale’s, Kay’s Jewelry. I’m sure I’ll remember more in the middle of the night.

[-]

Frosty-Ad8457@reddit

Orange Julius, the limited, Leeds, the warehouse, Macy’s, above the belt, JCPenney, Le Petit boulangerie

[-]

strum-and-dang@reddit

A kiosk selling T-shirts, where you could pick your iron-on design and shirt color and style, and they'd print it up for you.

[-]

Cinnamon_bear01@reddit

Fashion Bug, Dots

[-]

Consistent_Sale_7541@reddit

spencer gifts and a jewellery shop was it called claires??

[-]

Head_Sound_8692@reddit

Claire's...the go to place to get our ears pierced and buy jewelry and hair accessories...so many choices!

[-]

Winterwynd@reddit

Tower Records.

[-]

Rough_Ear_9956@reddit

If you didn’t drink the little bottles of New York seltzers from Sbarro you weren’t cool.

[-]

chefybpoodling@reddit

This was the rise of Victoria’s Secret, limited, express, gap. Things Remembered,

[-]

flyinghigh1965@reddit

I don’t remember the names of some of these but Spencer’s, Foot Locker, Sears, JC Penny’s, Carson Pirie Scott, a giant cookie place, a coffee place before Starbucks took over everything. A food court with a Sbaros, Asian, burgers, Hot Dog on a stick, deli place, Baskin Robins. Old Navy, Chess King, some nail salon, Walden books, Musicland records and tapes, KB Toys, jewelry stores, Radio Shack, a high end tv and home stereo store, Cinnabon, a knife shop with cutlery and Swiss Army knives, a GNC, a pet store, cinemas, Aladdin game arcades, hobby stores, a store that sold dried fruit, nuts and candy by the pound, large number of women’s clothing stores, Hallmark stores, Montgomery Wards, sporting goods, Things Remembered, a T-shirt shop, Margaritaville Mexican restaurant, TCBY yoghurt, store for nursing uniforms, Motherhood for expecting mothers clothes, Kids Emporium kids clothing, Christian book store, Hollywood videos, Walden books.

[-]

AdJunior4923@reddit

This kid not only malls, but is somehow currently at The Good Mall.

[-]

JJbooks@reddit

a pet store,

I forgot about this. It's important to note that live puppies were sold in the pet store. Visiting the puppies was a crucial part of every mall trip. Now, I shudder to think of it.

[-]

Apprehensive_Judge_5@reddit

One mall in Cleveland has a shoe store called Faflik's that kept a monkey in a cage at the back of the store. 😥

[-]

Candlemom@reddit

So so true. Puppies in cages stacked 3-4 high

[-]

sirhighhorse@reddit

chess king -

[-]

Chemical_Author7880@reddit

Merry-Go-Round

Brooks

Walden Books

Thom McAn

Spencer’s Gifts

sharper image

[-]

ironeagle2006@reddit

The pretzel shop either aunty's Annie or the other one. My local mall had a Fannie Mae candy store and a Baskin Robbins plus a Sabbros. You could get stuffed on a huge slice get a large lemonade and then candy for 5 bucks.

[-]

OolongGeer@reddit

Benetton, Waldenbooks, B. Dalton Books, Oak Tree, The Gap, Woolworth.

[-]

AllReihledUp@reddit

Jean Nicole Stuart's Contempo Casuals The Limited Merry Go Round County Seat Just Pants Chess King Benneton Talbots The Gap Banana Republic JC Penney Sears Marshall Fields Lord & Taylor Hickory Farms Golden Dolphin Tinder Box Merle Norman Cosmetics The Flip Side Musicland Kinney's Shoes Mailings Wild Pair Two Plus Two Hermann's Sporting Goods The Alley Laura Ashley

[-]

reverievt@reddit

Claire’s jewelry and accessories. They also did ear piercings.

[-]

cjc4096@reddit

BMX demonstration.

[-]

splorp_evilbastard@reddit

Aladdin's Castle

[-]

JLMezz@reddit

ACA JOE, The Limited, Express & Banana Republic when it was cool (nothing like today).

[-]

blacklab@reddit

Well I’m wearing my letterman’s jacket for starters

[-]

jefftatro1@reddit

I'd drive there with a few friends, drink in the parking lot, then go in and meet girls. We were about 17.

[-]

Severe_Broccoli7258@reddit

The Body Shop

[-]

tungstencoil@reddit

Merry Go Round

[-]

Sometimeswan@reddit

5-7-9

[-]

Severe_Broccoli7258@reddit

Yes! And The Body Shop!

[-]

ToasterBath4613@reddit

Chess King for those Z Cavariccis!

[-]

3Bucksm0m@reddit

Gonna stop at Afterthoughts to get a pair of earrings before my afterschool shift at Woolworth’s 🥰

[-]

Tifstr2@reddit

The Tshirt/Sweatshirt kiosk that had iron ons for every band. They would airbrush your name. The one in my mall would actually stitch your name ( for an ungraded price) I had a pink sweatshirt with an image of Michael Jackson from the Billy Jean video. And my name stitched in cursive on the sleeve. I used my babysitting money to buy it.

[-]

MoonstoneBouncyHouse@reddit

Lechmere Jordan Marsh JC Penney ACA Joe Benetton Esprit Body Shop Tellos Hallmark Store Filene’s

[-]

katiehatesjazz@reddit

The Limited (I only liked the v-neck Forenza sweaters that I wore backwards w/ a concert T), Spencer’s, Waldenbooks

[-]

Tony_Tanna78@reddit

Aladdin's Castle, Foot Locker, Diamond Jim's, Books-A-Million, Sears, JC Penney and Rich's.

[-]

susannahstar2000@reddit

Waldenbooks!

[-]

Straight-Attitude597@reddit

You would find me and my friends duct taping a friend to a light pole and later making fun of, and then running from the mall police.

[-]

Sally4464@reddit

Learners, 5-7-9, Sbarros

[-]

CatherinePiedi@reddit

A coin operated arcade of some sort.

[-]

Candlemom@reddit

We had Diamond Jim’s

[-]

kckitty71@reddit

I’m going to guess that a lot of arcades were named Diamond Jim’s because that was the name of the arcade at one of the malls. But I seriously doubt you live in Upstate SC.

[-]

atowntommy@reddit

Let us not forget the pet store.

[-]

Impressive_Storm1061@reddit

Giant food courts, tons of clothing, shoes, toys, gag gift/magic shops, jewelry stores, movie theater, travel, haircuts, art, music, housewares, restaurants, arcades, and so much more! It's amazing how the world has changed since then. People get murdered before they even park their car.

[-]

elevatedtv@reddit

Waldenbooks, Chess King, Spencer’s, Kay-Bee Toys

[-]

Radicalized_Spite@reddit

Spencer’s. An arcade. Orange Julius. Chess King.

[-]

Stillmaineiac88@reddit

My first indoor job was at Spencer’s Gifts.

[-]

BoogerbeansGrandma@reddit

Hallmark, Sears, Charlotte Russe…

[-]

beththebookgirl@reddit

Walden Books. National Record Mart. Orange Julius. Arcades. PAC Man. Pizza Hut.

[-]

Accurate-Bumblebee14@reddit

Chess King! Still have my black parachute pants

[-]

No_Objective4438@reddit

Spencer’s GAP Kinney shoes Service merchandise Thom Mcan Hickory farms Disney store Wolf cameras

A section to rent strollers and little ride ons.

[-]

Scary_Bus8551@reddit

Hickory Farms in my town sold gin and tonic flavored hard candies- leading to a lifetime of bad decisions.

[-]

Necessary-Peace9672@reddit

Aladdin arcade…Casual Corner…Spencer’s

[-]

CynfullyDelicious@reddit

5-7-9
Merry-Go-Round
B. Dalton
Wicks & Sticks
The Tinder Box (best place for OG clove cigarettes)
The Magic Pan
Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour (along with every kid’s dream and parent’s nightmare, the Olde Fashioned Candy Shop where the register was)
Crabtree & Evelyn

[-]

herbal_thought@reddit

The Tinder Box (best place for OG clove cigarettes)

I worked there, smoked everything in the store, and yes, loved clove cigarettes.

[-]

SugarHooves@reddit

The Tinder Box had really cool statues of dragons, unicorns and the like. It was an upscale head shop.

[-]

AdJunior4923@reddit

OMG getting stinkeye from the old man at the Tinder Box for buying TOBACCO pipe screens.

[-]

lls1462@reddit

The Wild Pair shoe store

[-]

moscowramada@reddit

Remember the left handed stores & kiosks?

Pepperidge farm remembers.

[-]

kembr12@reddit

Chick-fil-a

Movie theater

TSO

Wyatt's Cafeteria

JC Penney

Sears

Shakey's Pizza

[-]

Zenitharr@reddit

An arcade

[-]

ILIVE2Travel@reddit

My old mall (Pittsburgh area) had a Pup-a-go-go. This was before food courts. Anyway, they had the best hot dogs. Never had any as good as they made them. They had that "snap" to them. Not sure if Pup-a-go-go was a chain or not.

[-]

aaron_grice@reddit

Hickory Farms (even when it wasn’t the holidays), Swiss Colony, Successories, The Nature Store, Aladdin’s Castle, and my personal favorite, Sharper Image when it was still the coolest gadget store ever.

[-]

No_Secret_4560@reddit

Spencer's Gifts

[-]

NotWorriedABunch@reddit

Sam Goody

[-]

Burned_Biscuit@reddit

Maurices, B. Dalton or Walden Books, Sears, Montgomery Wards, Spencer's, Things Remembered, an arcade, a corn dog place, Bakers Shoe Store

[-]

-Blixx-@reddit

Actual regional department stores instead of everything being rolled up into federated or Macy's.

Roller coasters, carosels, fountains...stuff like that.

Walgreens with a lunch counter.

[-]

Asleep_Category1697@reddit

Hog Dog on a Stick. Any remember how the lemonade was made?!

[-]

cwgrlbelle@reddit

Gloria Jean's.
Pet Stores that sold living pets.
Arcades that had no supervision, at all (no change maker or babysitter, just a dark cave in some forgotten corner)
cigarette vending machines and ashtrays.
Miller's Outpost
Bookstores that sold only books and the occasional revolving rack of bookmarks (We had two, i think one was Dalton?)
Stationary Store, sorta like hallmark but before hallmark became a stand alone, and they had miles of literal 'write a letter and mail it in a coordinating envelope' stationary with expensive pens and mechanical pencils (McWhorters?)
Sees
Coldwater Creek (their stuff was ridiculous expensive, but i always went there to gift shop for my mom)
ack! the meat store, sold like.. sausage and cheeses? you shopped there for the weird aunt or teacher's gift
Ours had two record stores but the main attraction was the poster store. thousands of posters. you could buy one just rolled up, or if it was a special occasion, you could spend the extra $15 to get your Nagel framed in a cheap thin, plastic black frame.

[-]

mmakire@reddit

Has anyone said Guess yet? Cause Guess (complete with the Anna Nicole Smith posters).

And that weird store that was around for a while that was all various pieces of jersey that you could use to create a mix and match capsule wardrobe (like garanamials for adults - but it was all stretch material).

Jean Nicole

Suncoast Video. Have we said Suncoast Video?

Jay Jacobs

And 2 or 3 immigrant owned food places that were absolutely FIRE and the best deal in the mall. If you slept on those places, condolences.

[-]

SamWhittemore75@reddit

Bombay furniture company.

Sharper Image.

[-]

count_strahd_z@reddit

Bombay - there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. I definitely remember those.

[-]

Asleep_Category1697@reddit

Licorice Pizza, Sam Goody, K&B Toys

[-]

TheJokersChild@reddit

Food court with at least a dozen places (Mrs. Field's, Orange Julius, Chick-Fil-A, Sbarro among them, maybe even a Blimpie), maybe outparcels with actual restaurants like Pizza Hut, Ponderosa, Friendly's, Friday's or Bennigan's

At least one music store: Sam Goody, Camelot, Wall-To-Wall Sound & Video (later just The Wall; even later FYE)

Suncoast Video (or other place you could buy VHS movies)

Book store: Waldenbooks, B. Dalton or Brentano's inside the mall, Borders outside the mall

Thom McAn and Kinney for shoes (maybe even Fayva). Malls had lots of shoe stores then

Neon on the ceiling and "galleria" style roof with lots of glass

Arcade

Fountain or some other water feature with benches for kids to hang at

[-]

count_strahd_z@reddit

Suncoast, I was blanking on the name for some reason, but they were definitely common by the late 80s.

[-]

rosie666@reddit

tobacco store that sold clove cigarettes.

[-]

squirrelsrcool9@reddit

I used to love Contempo Casuals.

[-]

vodeodeo55@reddit

Water features, live plants, record stores, Claire's Boutique

[-]

count_strahd_z@reddit

Always pennies in the water fountains

[-]

Osinuous@reddit

Walden books, service merchandise, Sam goody, maybe a Zayers or a Bradlees. Chess king? Caldor? Fuck the nostalgia is hitting hard.

[-]

MarcusAurelius68@reddit

Radio Shack

[-]

DangerBird-@reddit

I miss Radio Shack. Everything’s wireless now. Any analog connection that still exists changes every year.

[-]

count_strahd_z@reddit

Basing this on the mall I frequented most as a teen in the late 80s, Montgomery Mall in Montgomeryville, PA

Anchor stores - Sears, JC Penny, Macy's, Strawbridge's
A music store - we had Sam Goody, Wall to Wall Sound & Video, and a place called We Three Records at one point
A book store - we had both B. Dalton's and Waldenbooks
Electronics Boutique for computer/video games
Spencer's Gifts
A food court with various places
Sbarro
Auntie Anne's Pretzels
Orange Julius
A pet store - with dogs and cats
A hobby store - One Stop Hobbies was ours
Radio Shack
Shoe stores
An arcade
Jewelry Stores like Kay's
Lenscrafters
Various smaller clothing stores, mainly women's clothes including Victoria's Secret
I'm sure I'm missing a lot.

[-]

count_strahd_z@reddit

Kay-Bee toys

Pay phones - ours were on the back side of the stair cases between the two levels

[-]

lowcarbbq@reddit

our usual set would include:

KB toys

Spencers

Sam Goody

Tape World

Waldenbooks

B Dalton Bookstore

Radio Shack

Egghead Software

swing by the food court for some sbarro pizza and an orange julius

[-]

count_strahd_z@reddit

I forgot about Kay-Bee - they were very common in malls

[-]

cricket_bacon@reddit

B Dalton Bookstore

Yes!

[-]

LeafyCandy@reddit

Original Cookie Company, Chez Chocolat, Weathervane, Ormond’s, Chess King, Walden Books, record stores. An arcade. Fountains and skylights everywhere. Movie theater.

[-]

Candid_Albatross_271@reddit

Jay Jacob’s ! Sports Authority! Zales! Sears!

[-]

GatorOnTheLawn@reddit

Record stores, WaldenBooks, 5-7-9 store, Wild Pair shoes, Spencer’s Gifts, The Body Shop, Caswell Massey, Jelly Belly store, The Gap.

[-]

OtakuTacos@reddit

Millers Outpost

[-]

CyndiIsOnReddit@reddit

Walking through the front entrance: Arcade, cookie shop, pretzel shop, bathrooms and the movie theater. Other side was a pet store (with cats and dogs in cages!) a sunglass hut, a hot dog factory. Then you could go either way, but the flagship stores were Goldsmiths in the center, Penneys on one end and Sears on the other. There was a Macy's but I think it was early 90s when that was added, and Goldsmiths became Rich's. Let me try to get this straight. Merry-Go-Round, a custom airbrush shop, Rave, Lerners and County Seat, Camelot Music, a shop with different types of overpriced electronics and like those vibrating chairs but you couldn't sit on them. There was a tux rental store by the Goldsmiths. There was a Christmas shop and a Things Remembered, and a shoe store I think specializing in women's shoes. I think Butlers? Then coming back from Penneys there was a little pizza place, the Waldenbooks, Spencers, a Chess King, a toy store... I can't remember the name but I loved that toy store! There was a stationary shop... can't recall the name. It wasn't like Zondervan, I think one of those came later. They had a lot of cute Sanrio school supplies there. There was a Hickory Farms outside that Christmas shop in the center, not inside a building. There was another center display where they sold gold jewelry, especially chais you could buy by length. They'd cut it and put the ends on there in the store. There was a hair place. I think Goulds, and at the other end a regular barber shop. There was a Payless but that have been later too. There was a wig shop too I can't remember the name of, but nobody was allowed in there unless you were an adult because they didn't want us kids messing up the wigs trying them on. Because we woulda, for sure. :)

[-]

CyndiIsOnReddit@reddit

I had to laugh at the mod saying I have to come back and add paragraph breaks for this, but it was essentially a list. I can make some FAKE paragraph breaks though, if it helps the mod feel better.

[-]

frozen_charlotte@reddit

Contempo Casuals

Spencer’s Gifts

The Hallmark Store

Bob’s Big Boy

Montgomery Ward

Hickory Farms

[-]

KarmaBike@reddit

Sam Goody (record store) Chess King

[-]

OnehappyOwl44@reddit

Pet store, Record Store, Arcade, often a big water feature that you could throw pennies into.

[-]

Jgibbjr@reddit

Spencer's Gifts, Berman's Leather Goods, Record Mart, Orange Julius.

[-]

benbenpens@reddit

JC Penney’s, Ritz Camera, Kay-bee toys, Waldenbooks, B Dalton books, the Gap, barber shop, Radio Shack, food court (varied), Palais Royal, Foley’s, arcade/gameroom, pipe pub (tobacco store)…lots more I don’t remember.

[-]

Caspers_Shadow@reddit

Chess King. Need to pick up a zippered leather jacket? That is your place.

[-]

AbsintheRedux@reddit

Don’t forget the Units! Remember them??? It was like Garanimals for grown women lol.

[-]

ridingtimesarrow@reddit

Hifi was super big in the 80s. I remember drooling over the stereo systems at the Harmon Kardon store in the Dallas Galleria

[-]

Beenthere-doneit55@reddit

Benetton — wife worked there. Once had the guys from ZZ Top coming in and buy about 25% of the store’s merchandise for the women in their group. About the most 80’s experience you can have at a mall…..well that and Orange Julius.

[-]

randomquirk@reddit

Units

[-]

Friendly_Ad_2256@reddit

Chess King, Britches, Structure, Limited

[-]

NotaMillenialatAll@reddit

Espirit, Express, Ocean Pacific

[-]

cnacarver@reddit

Barnies Coffee

[-]

PacRat48@reddit

Coconuts and Aladdin’s Castle

[-]

BCSully@reddit

New England here.

Filene's

Musicsmith

Paperback Booksmith

J.C. Penney

Sears

Wilson's Leather

Spencer's Gifts

Tweeter

Radio Shack

Kinney Shoes

The Gap

Casual Corner

and there was an Arcade. Don't remember the name

[-]

Ornery_Day_6483@reddit

Wicks and Sticks or some other Goth/Punk/Candle store before it was co-opted by Hot Topic. PacSun.

[-]

SarcasticGirl27@reddit

Love me some Wicks & Sticks! I would spend hours picking out small candles that would burn in less than an hour. I loved them!

[-]

Bobaloo23@reddit

The only one I thought of that I don't see mentioned yet is Gamekeeper. Always the first stop for a nerd like me. It was "rarer" in the grand scheme, though.

[-]

wjrj@reddit

Visible Changes, Chick fil-a (used to only be in malls) , Aladdin's Castle, and Pipe Pub. Also, some sort of t-shirt shop that did iron on decals and air brushing.

[-]

Patient_Doctor4480@reddit

Spencer's, ear piercing kiosks, Claire's, Radio Shack, Toys R Us.

[-]

RobF15@reddit

The Decline of Mall Civilization: by Michael Galinsky might make for a good visual aid.

https://www.peel.gallery/shop/p/decline-of-mall-civilization-by-michael-galinsky

[-]

Life_Transformed@reddit

The Athlete’s Foot

Thom McAn

Stride Rite (kids shoes)

Hickory Farms (free samples!)

MusicLand

[-]

vtqltr92@reddit

A stationery store that was mostly stickers on a roll that you bought for $.25 each.

[-]

Appropriate_Answer_2@reddit

Plum Pretty was a larger ladies store that I'm not sure was ubiquitous, Claire's or something like it, we had a magazine store where you ordered from a variety of catalogs and had things delivered there, a knife store that also sold zippos and maybe cigars, Karmel Korn which was tinned popcorn with varieties to make your own. A Supercuts. We didn't have Spencer's but did have International Imports which was somewhat the same with incense and if you were in the know could buy "lamp parts" that could be weed pipes

[-]

Mr_Auric_Goldfinger@reddit

Hot Sam's. Pretzels on a stick dipped in melted cheese food product.

[-]

Sea-Membership-9643@reddit

Or dipped in pizza sauce and sprinkled with tons of that crappy dry parmesan cheese and an Orange Julius from the next bay over to wash it down.

[-]

RobF15@reddit

A water fountain filled with kid’s wishes in the form of coins.

[-]

mjohnson414@reddit

People smoking in the food court!

[-]

FabAmy@reddit

Outback Red

[-]

winediva78@reddit

Brooks, Merry Go Round, 5-7-9, Express, Casual Corner, Foot Locker, Kinney Shoes, Payless, Montgomery Ward, Sears, Foley's, Gap

[-]

Chicagogirl72@reddit

Marshall Fields, Express, Limited. when I was little my favorite store was the Hello Kitty store, not like the ones I have now.

[-]

Candlemom@reddit

Yes the Sanrio store!

[-]

Chicagogirl72@reddit

❤️

[-]

Suspicious_Time7239@reddit

I didn't see Thing Remembered mentioned.. probably missed it.

[-]

Glass_Net_7445@reddit

Had a sweet little job at This End Up.

[-]

gaddnyc@reddit

Chess King, Spencers, No Name, Thom McAnn, Athletic Attic,

[-]

Suspicious_Time7239@reddit

Thank you.. i couldn't remember the name of Chess King.

[-]

namealreadytakentrya@reddit

millers outpost, capwells, woolworths, orange julius, beadazzled, hallmark store

[-]

lonnie440@reddit

Spencer’s,orange Julius, the arcade

[-]

Garguyal@reddit

Hot Topic, Paramount (later Sun Coast) Pictures, Electronics Boutique, Babbages

[-]

JoJoTheDogFace@reddit

spencers

[-]

WonderfulBluebird8@reddit

Pananma Jack and Bennetton

[-]

Hamburgler4077@reddit

Found a photo of the mall directory from 1987.

Clover, JC Penny, Pomeroy's, Sears and Watt & Shand were the main department stores.

Weis Markets (grocery), Woolworth,

Apparel: Anderson-Little, Gap, Great American Eagle Outfitters, Just Pants, The Limited, Merry-Go-Round, Sunglass Hut, Victoria's Secret

Shoes: Big Sky, Buster Brown, Hush Puppy, Sports Page, Thom McAnn (2 of them!!)

CVS

Lots and lots of fast food and several banks and hair styling places

Entertainment/Music: Radio Shack, Sam Goody, Camelot Music, Jolly Time Arcade, Superstar Recording Studio

Toys/Hobby: Kay Bee Toy & Hobby, Plush Place, Shenk Bros, Spencer Gifts

State Driver's License Photo

[-]

SpatsAreBack3@reddit

Merry Go Round and Chess King for the latest fashion

[-]

No-Responsibility110@reddit

Best Products, I. Magnin, Bullock's, Emporium-Capwell, Orange Julius, Crown Books, Montgomery Ward

[-]

krossPlains@reddit

The GAP

[-]

LnGass@reddit

Radio Shack, free battery of the Month club.

[-]

Ryno5150@reddit

Chess King Tape World National Record Mart Sears Gold Mine (arcade)

[-]

StrictFinance2177@reddit

I never experienced the stereotypical mall in the 80s. Ours had elements of things as have been mentioned, the General Cinemas theater and Woolworths. But it was a gangland. We saw people get stabbed, homeless people that slept in the underground passages and tunnels. Toy stores had anything over $20 locked up. Chicago in the 80s were not that dangerous, but a lot of the malls were. We used to go to Ford City on our bikes and get chased by bigger kids with baseball bats and brass knuckles. But we navigated safe spots and still went to see movies.

[-]

marshallkrich@reddit

Roy Roger's, Kay B Toys, a pet store, Mrs Fields cookies, a random mom and pop pizza store. A comic book store, Macy's.

[-]

overitt76@reddit

Wilson's leather

[-]

Pirates3178@reddit

Kay-bee toys, Electronics Boutique

[-]

Federal-Ruin2276@reddit

B. Dalton, Chelsea, Foot Locker, Sbarro's

[-]

middle_age_zombie@reddit

I think it would be regional and according to size. I lived in a small city. I remember Maurices, Kmart(later became Younkers), JC Penney, and B Dalton.

[-]

Redsmoker37@reddit

You'd have the anchors: May Co/Foleys/Meier & Frank; Nordstrom (or other regional store such as Dillards, Von Maur); Penney's; Sears; Mervyns (maybe); Wards (maybe).

The record stores: Musicland/Sam Goody/Tower Records

Bookstores: Waldenbooks/B Dalton

Video Arcade

Food: Orange Julius/Arby's/Steak Escape/Hotdog on a Stick

"Gifts": Spencers, Bag n Baggage, Things remembered.

A whole bunch of women's stores, including the "large" woman stores: Lane Bryant, Women's World

Structure/Gap/Banana Republic

An ear piercing place

Maybe some shitty "dime" stores--Woolworths, Pay-n-Save, Newberry's

Some shoe stores--Tom McCann, Florscheim, Shoe Mill, Foot Locker

Athletic Store--balls, tennis rackets, cleats, stuff like that.

Fabric Store--JoAnns or House of Fabric

Probably a kid's clothing store

Toystore (usually a smaller one, not a Toys r Us)

[-]

Candlemom@reddit

Waldenbooks

[-]

asscheese2000@reddit

Things Remembered

Zales

Record World

Florsheim Shoes

Cracker Barrel

Caldor

[-]

Psychological_Tap187@reddit

Merry-go-round

Just jeans

Fannie Mae

[-]

Plane-Fan9006@reddit

Merry Go Round

The Limited

Aladdin's

KayBee Toys

Lazarus

[-]

The_ZombyWoof@reddit

From my neck of the woods, probably early 80s, though, Kingdom of Oz was an arcade that later became Sega Center.

[-]

The_ZombyWoof@reddit

Just noticed something on here that you never see anymore, a travel agency.

Remember those?

[-]

baloneysmom@reddit

He should've. That big-ass wagoneer probably got 3 mpg

[-]

Caninetrainer@reddit

Canadians and Pants Plus. How can anyone forget Merry Go Round? Omg how the fuck can I remember that?

[-]

Caninetrainer@reddit

Canadians and Pants Plus. How can anyone forget Merry Go Round? Omg how the fuck can I remember that?

[-]

dauphineep@reddit

https://youtu.be/m27uvUsrMl4?si=37u4HToYUL2ytQ2a

[-]

Medium-Mission5072@reddit

Here in CT it would be, G.Fox, and Sage Allen, in addition to the usual mall staples, K.B. Toys, Spencer (minus the wall of sex toys in the back, with Nag Champa incense burning inside), Sam Goody, Waldenbooks , Radio Shack, and Babbage's.

[-]

lilbearpie@reddit

Chess King, the County Seat, Aladdin's Castle, Musicland

[-]

HiOscillation@reddit

Spencer Gifts, Macy's, JC Penney, a Record Store (locally owned, not a chain), Chess King (men's clothing).

Food court. Fountains.

This video will help you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w2LL3bf8VE

[-]

Valek189@reddit

Chess King, 5,7,9, Wilson’s Leather, Record Town, Thom McCann and Spencer’s.

[-]

draggar@reddit

Babbages

Electronics Boutique

Walden Books / Walden Software

KayBee Toys

Record Town / Tape World

An arcade

Sears (anchor)

Spencer's (gifts, gags)

CVS (more common than you'd think)

A food court that seemed to have one space that was always changing

Hickory Farms (usually a kiosk)

Not sure if late 80's or early 90's:

Suncoast (video)

Sam Goody (Music)

[-]

Thirty_Helens_Agree@reddit

Hot Sam pretzels

York Steak House

[-]

udonbeatsramen@reddit

Hot Sams was so great. Auntie Annes is an OK twist (no pun intended) but nothing beats the classic, ballpark style

[-]

palmveach1972@reddit

News Rack, not sure if this was a chain. But it was in our local fancy mall. 14 miles away. It had every magazine. Newspapers from across the country. I would get the Village Voice NYC, I lived in CT. I look for stuff I wanted to check out and take the train to the city. Go to see music, clubs art ect. I still love magazines.

[-]

CivilBridge7792@reddit

Millers Outpost - was that just a west coast thing?

[-]

kerfuffle_fwump@reddit

I miss Suncoast Video, Walden Books, KB Toys, and the shop that used to sell good quality art supplies.

[-]

Plastic-Sentence9429@reddit

I worked the Frontier Fruit and Nut Company kiosk. Or whatever it was called. Fucking popcorn machine wasn't properly grounded. Bzzzzzt.

[-]

Jameson-Mc@reddit

Don't know but grab me a bodyglove bracelet while you are back there

[-]

kellanjacobs@reddit

For us the places I thought of that I didn't see yet, Gold Mine (An Arcade might have been a bay area thing) And TCBY stood for the countries best yogurt.

[-]

JustFaithlessness178@reddit

Musicland, Kinney Shoes, Casual Corner, B. Dalton, Hallmark, Contempo, Maurice, 5 7 9, Jc penny

[-]

SnuffShock@reddit

Swatch Store

[-]

Pretend_Command993@reddit

really stoned at the music store

[-]

mr_oof@reddit

Don’t forget the non-chain mall stores, back before rental prices went through the roof. Tailors, travel agents, the Greek guy in the food court who made chow mein and fried mushrooms and fish and chips, and the only guy that had Barq’s… our mall had a bonefide button and needle store.

[-]

itsmellslikefish@reddit

Suncoast!

[-]

itsmellslikefish@reddit

Babbage's!

[-]

tardisrider613@reddit

Guys selling weed.

[-]

Dapper_Size_5921@reddit

Those jungle safari themed stores that sold "rain sticks" and tiger t shirts and other rainforest tchotchkes.
An Auntie Anne's Pretzels, tucked away in a weird location because it probably predated the mall's food court.
Spencer's Gifts, selling naughty items to giggling teen (and preteen) perverts
Kay Bee Toy store.
A Radio Shack selling electronic crap gifts that the adults buy for each other at the Holidays, to be passed around the room at the party and be mildly chuckled at, and then relegated to a box in the basement underneath the Chrismas decorations and never used again. They also sell stereo equipment.
A Foot Locker. At the other end of the mall, a Journey's and a Merry-Go-Round.
Waldenbooks.

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bene_gesserit_mitch@reddit

Dairy Queen, Sears, Radio Shack (pre-cellphone), KarmelKorn, Hardee's, B. Dalton Bookseller, Younkers, JC Penney's, Wilson Leather, WaldenBooks, Team Electronics, K. B. Toys, County Seat, Disk Jockey, MusicLand, Suncoast, Arby's, One Potato Two, Taco John, Aladdin's Castle, and some place that sold Kimball organs, usually had some swanky guy playing Beer Barrel Polka or something more contemporary.

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Ckn-bns-jns@reddit

Sam Goody Footlocker Hot Dog on a Stick

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FairyGothMommy@reddit

JC Penbey, Sears, Spencer's. Dots. Forever 21. KB toys. Payless shoes

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ChapterOk4000@reddit

Merry Go Round, Spencer Gifts, Banan Republic (with the Jeep sticking out the front window), The Gap, Chess King, Kay Bee Toys, Sam Goody, Walden books, Aladdin's Castle

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NotPennysBoat721@reddit

Merry-Go-Round, Marianne, Bakers Shoes, Olga's Kitchen, Chessman. 5-7-9, Deb, Waldenbooks, Rave

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foood@reddit

Here's a very cool Radiolab segment called 'City X', which gives a historical perspective on The Mall and has specific references to White Oaks Mall in Springfield, IL.

City X

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Verme@reddit

A nice big arcade

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eggs_erroneous@reddit

Aladdin's Castle, B. Dalton Booksellers, Camelot Music, Sbarro

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ElectrifiedCupcake@reddit

Claire’s Boutique Sharper Image Hong Kong Bazaar Cinnabon K B Toys Bennigan’s

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cricket_bacon@reddit

Cinnabon

In the 1980s?

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ElectrifiedCupcake@reddit

Definitely.

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cricket_bacon@reddit

The first Cinnabon bakery opened on December 4, 1985, in SeaTac Mall, now called The Commons at Federal Way.

Cinnabon's first franchise-operated store opened in August 1986 just outside of Philadelphia at the King of Prussia Mall.

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ElectrifiedCupcake@reddit

I remember when they came to our mall- 1988.

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AdJunior4923@reddit

This kid malls.

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revchewie@reddit

14 shoe stores, 6 jewelry stores, 27 women's wear stores, 1 Men's Wearhouse.

Mervyn's, Penney's, Sears, Macy's, May Company, Emporium Capwells, or other anchor stores/department stores.

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makeup1508@reddit

Spencer's Gifts, Musicland, here in the midwest we had Dayton's-replaced by Macy's when they were acquired. We also had Vanity, Younkers & Orange Julius.

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cricket_bacon@reddit

B. Dalton Books.

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Waffuru@reddit

They've all already been said, but I just wanna shout out my favorites: The places my Mom would stand outside while I explored as a reward for putting up with the hour we just spent in JC Pennys:

KayBee Toys

Software Etc

Babbages

Radio Shack

There was also a really cool international toy store that my Dad would make a special trip to Sherman Oaks Galleria just to take me there. Sadly, I no longer remember its name and the internet hasn't been helpful =/

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2Dogs3Tents@reddit

David's Cookies

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ngreenaway@reddit

ashtrays. not nostalgic for them, but they were there then, not there now

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BabadookOfEarl@reddit

Especially the hard, round bench seats when there was an ashtray in the middle instead of plants.

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Silly-Mountain-6702@reddit

The Gold Mine - full of video games and actual pinball machines. Also, a change maker that you feed dollar bills into in order to get quarters but it's never working. Plus, smoking.