This is actually an entire genre, search 'Dead Mall' videos, guys like Dan Bell, Sal, Retail Archeology, etc. make great videos on old malls, lots of period footage, too.
I love cultural snapshots like that. Thanks. I skimmed through it and I will watch the whole thing later.
Is that your era and area?
I was around 9-10 in '83, I went to that mall every now and then. The area is still physically very similar, but the stores inside and around the mall sure have changed. Cars in the parking are almost all SUVs now...
Found a few others that hit me in the head - like the coney island one... I remember when the trains used to look like that... (around 1:40 into it) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN4ATDfCYmo Thick black graffiti...
I dunno...I was a "mall-age-rat" late 70's/early 80's. I never hung out at them much. Summer time I was busy riding my bike or dirt bike, shooting (dad built me a BB gun range in the basement when I was about 6 or 7), fishing, tromping through the woods or trying to make money for all that and winter time was "project" time. I never really did get into that whole huge "hang-out social scene", there were better things to do.
Honest question- what else were they supposed to do?
Mostly kids, living in suburbia - hang out at the mall to look for partners or work at the mall, so they can buy stuff at the mall...
When I was in high school (1969-73) hanging out at the mall wasn't really a thing yet, at least not here, although I did work at a theater in the mall. We hung out at the park or outside Jack-in-the-Box, cruised Central Ave. in downtown Phoenix or had a desert party (boondocker, kegger).
We lived out on the edge of town and I always describe those times as a mix of "That Seventies Show" and "American Graffiti" with a bit of "The Last Picture Show". If you have seen all three, you will know.
This was my part of town. My high school was about a mile and a half east of where this pic was taken and east of the school there were cows wandering around in the middle of the road. This little community was known as Paradise Valley, not to be confused with the hoity-toity town of Paradise Valley:
Within a one mile radius of this pic, there were about six bars and three feed stores.
Here is a video I found online:
By the eighties, Central had changed and much of the Cruising scene went to Metrocenter Mall.
The theater I worked at was owned by a couple named Red and Viola. Their son Danny was a 19 year old college kid with long hair and a beard. Danny now goes by Dan and owns the sixth largest theater chain in the world.
[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 04-18-2021).]
When I was in high school (1969-73) hanging out at the mall wasn't really a thing yet, at least not here, although I did work at a theater in the mall. We hung out at the park or outside Jack-in-the-Box, cruised Central Ave. in downtown Phoenix or had a desert party (boondocker, kegger).
We lived out on the edge of town and I always describe those times as a mix of "That Seventies Show" and "American Graffiti" with a bit of "The Last Picture Show". If you have seen all three, you will know.
I remember the football part for sure. A few teams have had some luck with tackling.
Keeps the other team
from scoring so often.
Sounds too rough for me.
You don't care
if it was your last game.
You'll never get stomped
for your high school ball team again.
Where's your school spirit?
- Don't know. See, this is what I get for betting
on my own hometown ball team. I ought to have better sense.
Wouldn't hurt if you had a better hometown.
You mind pointing that pool cue somewhere else? I don't want my eye poked out.
You're damn more dangerous in
a pool hall than on a football field.
You ever heard of tackling?
Chicken fry me a steak and use meat this time......
I dunno...I was a "mall-age-rat" late 70's/early 80's. I never hung out at them much. Summer time I was busy riding my bike or dirt bike, shooting (dad built me a BB gun range in the basement when I was about 6 or 7), fishing, tromping through the woods or trying to make money for all that and winter time was "project" time. I never really did get into that whole huge "hang-out social scene", there were better things to do.
x2. bike, bb gun range in the basement, adventures in the woods (or on the water). Much more "Stand by Me" than "Mall Time".
Funny thing is, I am still pretty much the same. Work-type stuff is ALL the "social"| I can handle, and a lot of time too much. I still have no interest in clubs or meetings or hanging around the park benches. If I got a weekend to kill I'll be out in the woods/farm fields/whatever, or working on some sort of project. Going out to do "peopololy" type stuff never crosses my mind.
The only reason to go to the mall was for the Arcade. When the quarters ran out so did I. Later I have gone and just people watch, found that girls like to go shopping at the mall and they drag guys along. No beer so I didn't stay long.
This is actually an entire genre, search 'Dead Mall' videos, guys like Dan Bell, Sal, Retail Archeology, etc. make great videos on old malls, lots of period footage, too.
Them's good people... also add Unicomm Productions, Faded Commerce and Retailpocalypse to that list.
I've been documenting dead malls for over a decade. Lately I've had access to Northridge in Milwaukee, until recently an extremely well-preserved specimen that closed back in 2002, to both photograph it and rescue its media archives for digitization. Love finding generational snapshots like these, which otherwise had been left for sacrifice to the bulldozer gods.
