Another flower arranging therapy Reel, this time w Another flower arranging therapy Reel, this time with roses and a little Stevie Wonder. I could do this all day! 🌹 #traderjoes #flowers #roses #therapy #selfcare
Mimosas, beignets, and Benedicts, oh my! Brunch is Mimosas, beignets, and Benedicts, oh my! Brunch is my absolute favorite meal and @louieswinedive in Clayton treated us so well! I will definitely be back. 

#brunch #stl #stlouis #food #stlfoodie #hosted
Brunch vibes. #latergram #brunch #stl #stlouis Brunch vibes. #latergram #brunch #stl #stlouis
A generous heart is always open, always ready to r A generous heart is always open, always ready to receive our going and coming. In the midst of such love, we need never fear abandonment. This is the most precious gift true love offers – the experience of knowing we always belong.” — bell hooks
One more week before she goes back to school for h One more week before she goes back to school for her second semester. Reppin #stl and @seriessixcompany. 

#stlouis #collegekid #stlmade #mykid
Flower arranging has become the self-care I didn’t know I needed. It’s a tranquil and relaxing experience for me. Get into it. 💐 #traderjoes #flowers #therapy #selfcare
It was about a mellow mood & self-care for me toda It was about a mellow mood & self-care for me today as I spent the first day of the year taking care of my mind, body, and soul. It went something like this…. #newyear #selfcare #overforty #fortyish
We made it a family night at @stlouiswheelpark. A We made it a family night at @stlouiswheelpark. A time was had and memories were made. Grateful that I got some extra days with these guys (thanks Southwest—now run my son back his reimbursement 😂).
My family gifted me $250 worth of Sephora gift car My family gifted me $250 worth of Sephora gift cards as one of my Christmas surprises. Take a look at my haul which includes makeup for oily skin and a some faves! #sephora #haul #skin #oilyskin #beautyproducts #overforty #midlifewomen
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80's baby, Culture, Midlife · July 27, 2022

Once Upon a Time: Throwback To The 80’s Mall Era


The 80's mall experience--what a time to be alive! Walk down memory lane with me as I revisit this magical time in history.

I remember my first memory of going to the mall. It was 1982 and I was six or seven years old. We were living in Houston then, and my father took me to a very large mall in the area with an expansive food court with everything from a Luby’s Cafeteria (or was it Piccadilly?) to a fast food restaurant that sold all sorts of potato items (fries, baked potatoes, stuffed potatoes, you name it). The name escapes me, but I remember my dad selecting this as the place where we would dine that evening.

The Great American 80’s Mall–oh what a time. The majority of my shopping in the 80’s and 90’s revolved around the mall. Growing up in Phoenix (where we landed after Houston), the Metrocenter was the place to be, and I spent hours there with my friends shopping at stores like Contempo Casuals, 5-7-9, Camelot Music, Spencer’s Gifts, and Waldenbooks. Our parents would take turns dropping us off and picking us up, and occasionally when I was a little older, we’d take the bus from Glendale to Phoenix to hang in the mall. We’d look at boys, scope out the latest fashions and spend time skating in the ice skating rink which was located near the food court. It was also known as a car cruising spot where teens and young adults would post off and cruise the lot showing by off their rides.

The 80's mall experience--what a time to be alive! Walk down memory lane with me as I revisit this magical time in history.
Metrocenter in Phoenix

As kids of 80’s malls, our lives revolved around this activity. Most of the money earned by babysitting or odd jobs would end up in a mall’s cash till at some point. If I needed school clothes, I headed to the mall. A gift for a friend’s birthday? We went to the mall to buy it. Bored on a Saturday? No problem, let’s go to the mall and make sure to stop by Orange Julius dressed in our Guess jean overalls or Esprit sweater and Keds.

Another Arizona favorite was West Valley Mall, which at one time housed a Bob’s Big Boy, Montgomery Ward, and a movie theater which had $1 movies on special days. That theater is where I saw Dirty Dancing umpteen times alongside She’s Having a Baby, Heartburn, Under the Cherry Moon, and dozens of other movies that I can’t at this time remember. I recently googled West Valley Mall and it is no longer there.

The 80's mall experience--what a time to be alive! Walk down memory lane with me as I revisit this magical time in history.
Valley West Mall in the 80’s

Have you seen my childhood?

Mall life was everything back then. It was the common bond that connected us as youths. No matter what city, state, or town you lived in, being a mall rat at some point was par for the course.

Now, getting what you want only takes a WiFi connection and a few keystrokes. Malls across America have become desolate wastelands of invisible tumbleweeds, broken mannequins, and dusty kiosks which never found another home. Here in St. Louis, there are several malls that are currently abandoned, with no concrete plans of how to reuse the land or the structure. They sit there to remind us that they used to exist.

I sometimes pass by them and wonder about the memories that happened there. The joy. The excitement. The promise that maybe never came to be. It’s a relic that I wax poetic about during my downtime as I reflect on how much time I spent at malls during my formative years.

The 80's mall experience--what a time to be alive! Walk down memory lane with me as I revisit this magical time in history.
Me during my epic 80’s mall era.

St. Louis still has several major malls that are still thriving including West County Center and The Galleria. They all have food courts with stores like Bath and Body Works, Sephora, The Body Shop, and Victoria’s Secret. Anchor stores like Macy’s and JCPenney are still staying alive, albeit barely. When I walk through them now during an occasional visit, I muse about how so much has changed. But I still observe teens in groups laughing while holding bags of their goods, and I’d like to think they are making memories of their own, too.

I reminisce on my youth and the carefree spirit that came with it. I miss going to the mall with my Christmas or birthday money spending it all because I didn’t have any bills to pay. I miss the innocence and the careless era of the time when malls reigned supreme.

Were you a mall rat? Come mosey on down memory lane with me and share your 80’s mall stories.

The 80's mall experience--what a time to be alive! Walk down memory lane with me as I revisit this magical time in history.


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In: 80's baby, Culture, Midlife · Tagged: 80's, Malls, midlife, throwback

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Another flower arranging therapy Reel, this time w Another flower arranging therapy Reel, this time with roses and a little Stevie Wonder. I could do this all day! 🌹 #traderjoes #flowers #roses #therapy #selfcare
Mimosas, beignets, and Benedicts, oh my! Brunch is Mimosas, beignets, and Benedicts, oh my! Brunch is my absolute favorite meal and @louieswinedive in Clayton treated us so well! I will definitely be back. 

#brunch #stl #stlouis #food #stlfoodie #hosted
Brunch vibes. #latergram #brunch #stl #stlouis Brunch vibes. #latergram #brunch #stl #stlouis
A generous heart is always open, always ready to r A generous heart is always open, always ready to receive our going and coming. In the midst of such love, we need never fear abandonment. This is the most precious gift true love offers – the experience of knowing we always belong.” — bell hooks
One more week before she goes back to school for h One more week before she goes back to school for her second semester. Reppin #stl and @seriessixcompany. 

#stlouis #collegekid #stlmade #mykid
Flower arranging has become the self-care I didn’t know I needed. It’s a tranquil and relaxing experience for me. Get into it. 💐 #traderjoes #flowers #therapy #selfcare
It was about a mellow mood & self-care for me toda It was about a mellow mood & self-care for me today as I spent the first day of the year taking care of my mind, body, and soul. It went something like this…. #newyear #selfcare #overforty #fortyish
We made it a family night at @stlouiswheelpark. A We made it a family night at @stlouiswheelpark. A time was had and memories were made. Grateful that I got some extra days with these guys (thanks Southwest—now run my son back his reimbursement 😂).
My family gifted me $250 worth of Sephora gift car My family gifted me $250 worth of Sephora gift cards as one of my Christmas surprises. Take a look at my haul which includes makeup for oily skin and a some faves! #sephora #haul #skin #oilyskin #beautyproducts #overforty #midlifewomen
It’s #giveaway time! Enter to win 2 silk pillowc It’s #giveaway time! Enter to win 2 silk pillowcases from @celestialsilk made of 100% mulberry silk. Sleep better in the new year and take care of you! Entry detail link in bio. #selfcare #sleeping #newyear #review
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