Nostalgic Mall Memories: The Vibe of the 80s Shopping Experience

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Talking to my coworkers, I often notice a generational gap when they give me perplexed looks after I mention things I loved as a kid. It’s funny how quickly the world changes, leaving some of our fondest memories behind like relics of a forgotten time. One memory that always brings a smile to my face is the joy of going to the mall with my sister and mama. The malls of the 1980s were a world unto themselves—nothing like the stripped-down, big-box store clusters we have today.

Picture this: imagine taking all the departments of Walmart or Target, splitting them into individual stores and arranging them inside a sprawling, sometimes multilevel, building. Add in anchor stores like, Sears, Montgomery Ward, JC Penney and Macy's at the ends of the hallways, sprinkle in specialty shops galore and you’d get a taste of the unique ecosystem that was the 80s mall. You could find everything from a video arcade like Aladdin’s Castle to quirky spots selling hearing aids, vacuum cleaners or sewing machines. There was even a piano and organ store tucked in, alongside the beloved pet shop that kept kids mesmerized by puppies, snakes and tropical fish.

Oh, and the movie theaters! Unlike today’s cinemas with their 10+ screens, mall theaters back then offered two to six options—just enough variety to make picking a flick exciting without overwhelming you.

And before food courts became the norm in the late 80s and 90s, malls had standalone eateries peppered around their parking lots. In Mobile, Bel Air Mall boasted a McDonald’s and Morrison’s Cafeteria inside the mall. Over in Pensacola, University Mall wasn’t really designed for a food court, but Cordova Mall eventually added one.

The mall wasn’t just practical; it was full of surprises. Stores that sold wicker furniture, waterbeds and even dental services thrived back then. Yes, you could get a cavity filled at a dentist’s office conveniently located in Cordova Mall—and they were open on weekends. For me, Hickory Farms was a personal favorite, though now it only pops up for the holidays where I live. And Sanrio Surprise, home of Hello Kitty, had me dreaming of their adorable merchandise, even though Mama firmly declared, “That’s for girls.”

Toy stores and record shops were the heartbeat of the mall for many kids. I remember gazing at the shelves in KB Toys and begging Mama for the He-Man action figure I didn’t need but desperately wanted. Music stores were magical, too—you could pick up anything from guitars and harmonicas to sheet music and full-sized organs.

There was something special about knowing you could buy the latest cassette tape next to the Radio Shack where you could grab a microphone or even a capacitator. These niche stores slowly vanished with the rise of superstores like Best Buy, only to be downsized itself as online giants like Amazon took over. While I love the convenience of online shopping, I miss wandering through cool stores, discovering treasures I didn’t even know I wanted and indulging in the thrill of impulse purchases.
Malls were more than just places to shop. They were vibrant, bustling communities where you could repair your shoes, replace your watch battery and enjoy a moment of serendipity, all while walking under the glow of neon signs and soft elevator music.

Now that most of these specialty shops are gone, it feels like we lost more than just stores—we lost an experience. The one-stop shop of my childhood had a charm that no click-and-deliver service can replicate. Thinking about how shopping malls have evolved, it really strikes me sad that many are closing up or dying a slow death. Even throughout my years as a manager at Brookstone, which also became a casualty to the evolution of malls, I noticed the clientele changes as well as the closure of many businesses that one would never have thought they would close in a million years.

Let’s keep the conversation going! Share your own mall memories in the comments below—I’d love to hear them. If this trip down memory lane brought back some warm feelings, consider contributing to keep this blog alive and thriving. Your support means the world and I can’t wait to hear your stories!


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