This post is not like my other posts - I promise I will be back with more humor on Friday.
Most of you probably have never heard of the Mac Dade Mall, unless, of course, you lived in Delaware County. I have very fond memories of this tiny, often overlooked, place. I went back on Monday, probably for the last time, just to pay tribute to it. Not many stores are left, and the quiet was eerie.
My mom used to take me up there all the time when I was just a little “Los.” We would walk the 15 minutes, shop at the Super Saver (now an Acme), walk through the nicely air-conditioned mall, down to the Woolco (now a K-Mart), eat a soft pretzel and drink an Icee.
When my friends and I went to the ERIC theatre, we would first stop at the Richards 5&10 and pick up some snacks, so we didn’t have to pay those outrageous movie theatre prices.
I would sometimes buy fancy clothes at the Carlton Shoppe, maybe play some arcade games at the Time Zone (always hoping that Punchout or Tag Team Wrestling didn’t have a line).
In my teenage years, I worked at Seven Seas Pet Center (then, Hooked on Pets, and then again Seven Seas Pet Center). I made many friends at the Italian Delight, K-Mart, Hot Diggity Dog, Mac Dade Eatery, and other stores working there. Most of those stores are now long gone. I fought back the tears walking down the empty mall, trying to remember which stores were located where.
I know that Smokin’ Steve is probably going through the same or more – as he spent much more time at the mall than I did (his mom has been the manager there for, what seems like, ever). We’ll have to go out one night soon, and make a toast to the place that watched us grow up.
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5 comments:
Reminds me of Christown Mall when I was a kid. The movie theatre was upstairs and only had 3 or 4 screens and they weren't very big. There was a Pizza D'Amore that had the tastiest, greasy pizza ever. I bought my homecoming and prom dresses there. At it's peak Christown had those sand sculptures all around the mall. I remember we had a Woolworths (kind of a cross between Walgreens and K-Mart) where I secretly bought some of my first make-up. I also remember that they had the most beautiful Christmas lights every year.
I opened my first savings account at the Great American Bank that was in the west parking lot of the mall.
After highschool some of the major retailers started backing out as the mall became delapidated and neglected. The "element" moved in and soon the outer walls of mall were covered in graffiti and cautious people didn't go there at night. The mall has been revived someone and is now called Spectrum mall. I'll always have a soft spot for that mall.
I understand your saddness and I feel for you. You aren't just losing a mall, you're losing a warehouse of memories.
I think I opened my first bank account at the Mac Dade Mall as well.
Had my first "date" there, too - took a girl up there for a soft pretzel and a soda in the 7th grade ... sigh.
That makes me think of Hunt Valley Mall back where I grew up. It used to be a bustling urban center. The last time I went up there (around 3 years ago) it was no more.
I used to go hang out there with friends, get some fries at the Boarwalk Fries.
Play video games in the Spacecade. Such classics as Mortal Kombat or Tekken.
My favorite stores in the mall were Wang's Gifts (get your mind outta the gutter Karl) and the Sun House. Wang's was an Oriental gift shop, probably where I first built my love for Oriental art. The Sun House was another home/gift shop with many different themes... good stuff and cheap.
And the sights... the beautiful sights....
I HATED the mall. Yes I know that this is impossible to beleive that a girl doesn't like the mall...People are all walking on the wrong side you can't get away from them. UGH!!!
I have found the joy of "strip" malls and no there are no dancers there(I honestly thought that is what it meant)DUH!
I used to go to the roller rink. OH YEAH! last year I drove by it in Spokane...WOW Why is it that it seemed SO BIG when I was 11????
I honestly have not been there in a few months. I don't know if I can handle seeing it in its current state.
The mall is going to go through a radical change. That much I do know. That is why the stores are going. Their leases are being allowed to expire so they can begin the major renovation.
The new owners have a plan. But I know nothing more than that.
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