Shopping Centers...

[Spawn67]

So I recently returned from my vacation back to my home state of Maryland. Most of the shopping centers I grew up with are still there but look completley diffrent from the late 70's-80's and even part of the 90's. They have all been remodled and don't really have that uniqness that they once had. Back then every one had charecter to them and now they just look bland. Of course most of the stores back then are LONG LONG gone at most of them. While I was there I even saw some construction workers remodling one and all i kept thinking about was going there with my grandparents and how unique it was back then.
How about going past a store and thinking how many stores have come and gone at that location since as long as you can remember?

[Mikey]

My old main place - our local rinky-dink mall was torn down in the late 80's

Today a Home Depot and Ruby Tuesdays stands where my mall was.

[samurainoir]

I've noticed shopping malls are increasingly being torn down/renovated/replaced by Big Box Outlets.

[The Toyroom]

Our mall in the 70s was Riverside Mall....back then it was THE place to be. JM Fields, Ormonds, Anderson Little, Kay-Bee Toys, Orange Julius, Baskin-Robbins, Barbara Moss, The Pipe Den, Spencer's, Fay's Drugs, Huckleberry Finn, Friendly's, Burger King, Carmelcorn, Montgomery Ward, Record Giant were some of the establishments I recall.

But it got sizeable competition in 1980 with Sangertown Square, which was much larger, had a 6 screen theatre and a food court.

Riverside Mall couldn't compete and became a shadow of its former self, as stores constantly went under and vanished. They tried to restablish themselves with remodelling, including a food court but it was too little too late.

Management decided to abandon the mall concept....they pretty much blew up the center of the mall, keeping only the anchors buildings at either end. Then they added a free-standing Wal-Mart and that was pretty much the end.

Now, Riverside Center is made up of Lowe's, Wal-Mart, BJs Super Club, and a couple of odds and ends stores...Oh and a free-standing Applebees where the Montgomery Ward Tire Center used to be.

[jwyblejr]

^ I noticed when I was in Syracuse about four years ago,Fayetteville Mall suffered a similar fate as Riverside. They opened up the entire thing and made it a strip mall.

[The Toyroom]

^ Yeah I think once the mighty Carousel Center came to Syracuse it was the death knell for all of the other malls in that era. Great Northern Mall still exists though.

[UnderdogDJLSW]

I recently returned from my vacation back to my home state of Maryland

Which malls? I'm a Maryland boy and would probably know which ones you are talking about. They all seem to be owned by the same company now, so they do look very "cookie-cutter."

[Spawn67]

Which malls? I'm a Maryland boy and would probably know which ones you are talking about. They all seem to be owned by the same company now, so they do look very "cookie-cutter."

I was more refering to the shopping centers in the baltimore county area. As far as malls 2 malls I grew up going to are gone..Hunt Valley Mall and Golden Ring Mall. I didn't get a chance to go to white marsh mall though.
Sucks when you wanna remember a place for how it was in your youth and you go back hoping to catch a glimpse of the past and see its changed or in many cases not there anymore.

[Bill]

Hunt Valley died a slow death. Not sure about Golden Ring, haven't been there in years. The mall in Hannover, PA was always a classic design even into the late 90's, not sure what it's like now.
I just watched Lovely Bones last night and it made me think of those classic PA malls.
The old outdoor Carrolltown mall was kinda cool too, but it was redesigned decades ago.