Another glorious, 80’s style mall has bitten the dust. This time, it’s the one near my house. Paradise Valley Mall, a relic of my generation, with department stores, a food court, a theater, and even a carousel, is now in the process of being torn down.
Last night, Rex rode his bike by the demolition in progress and grabbed a broken piece of black granite from the former Macy’s. He placed it on his nightstand like an archeological artifact from a long-lost era.
The downfall of this mall is making me grumpy and nostalgic for my youth. While I grew up outside of San Francisco, we had Hillsdale Mall, not unlike Paradise Valley Mall. It was the place to go on a Saturday afternoon with Mom, where you bought Christmas gifts and prom dresses and records. Hillsdale was where you’d go to hang out with friends or while away a couple of hours when you just wanted to get out of the house.
Cities across the country had these malls, that served as far more than retail establishments. Now, they’re rapidly going the way of other mostly lost items of my younger years—like corduroy pants, salad bars, and K-Tel records.
Paradise Valley Mall wasn’t particularly attractive or notable. But I did read that it was used in the filming of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure which certainly gives it some street cred. There wasn’t a Barney’s or a Neiman Marcus or even a Nordstrom. No, it was a mall for the everyday shopper. And that’s what I liked about it.
I get that Amazon and other online retailers have their place in this largely digital age that we live in. I bought a ping-pong table cover on Amazon just the other day, and it was a wonderful experience. Twenty years ago, I would have needed to search through the phone book to find a store that sold ping-pong table covers. Today, I can order one in a matter of seconds and have it delivered in a couple of days. Good stuff!
But I don’t want to peruse Amazon to buy myself bras, pajamas for the boys, or some new hand towels for the guest bathroom.
I WANT TO SHOP!
I want to go into an air-conditioned store, look around, touch things, and walk out with a bag in my hand. I enjoy the shopping experience, and I don’t want it to go away.
According to the Paradise Valley Mall redevelopment website, the mall is going to be transformed to include an “exciting mix of retail shops, grocery store, restaurants, multi-family residential units, entertainment, office, self storage, and other uses.”
Blah, blah, blah.
I bet these new retail shops in the works won’t be as cool as Rainbow Records where I bought my first album. I doubt that the restaurant selection will include an Orange Julius. God, I still remember how delightful it was to enjoy a strawberry Julius and a hotdog at the food court after a long morning of digging through the clearance racks at Contempo Casuals, Kinney Shoes, and the Emporium. Grocery store? We already have a multitude of grocery stores around us. Do we really need another one? Apparently so.
This blog is making me sound old and crodgity. Maybe I am when it comes to shopping malls. They were a big part of my childhood, and I don’t want them to go away.
Amazon obviously gets that most people now want the convenience of online shopping. But, what about the proud shoppers who won’t buy a pair of shoes online or who believe browsing is something you do when you’re not on a computer.
So, I’ll sit tight and see how this “redevelopment” reveals itself. In the meantime, I’ll reminisce about my youthful days at the mall. Long live the department stores, the food court, the clearance racks, and the good times.
Song of the Day: Another One Bites the Dust - Queen