The Mall

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Forget everything you think you know about the mall.

[AArdvark]

It was a fun place to hang out on a Saturday with friends?

But I doan wanno forget those times! Checking out Marjax sports or TapeWorld was fun!

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Okay, keep your memories, but forget all your conclusions about the current state of our malls.

[AArdvark]

Oh, those.

Hmmmm, gang fights, curfews and more security than a rap concert?

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Okay, please forget everything you know about the mall.

[AArdvark]

My mind is a now a blank canvas for you!

THE
BOB ROSS
HAPPY ACCIDENT
AARDVARK

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

We went to the mall near my nephew's day care starting in November. I'd been taking him to kid parks and mini golf places when the weather was good.

We walked on there and it was empty. Of people! I swear the first time we went in, 8 weeks before Christmas, we were the only "customers" for yards. Meters.

Marketplace Mall back home was wall to wall people back home in November in 1996.

The mall has adapted. There's a Bounce House, Putt Putt, arcade / bowling alley, free kid play area and Escape Room. Like, they realized people aren't coming there to shop like the 90s, so they put fun stuff to make the place a destination. And it's so empty.

I think I worked at that Rochester mall from February 1996 to April 1997. I remember February being the deadest month. There were more people at the mall in Feb 96 than 10 days before Christmas, 2024. It's great. What the worst part of anything these days? Too many people.

So we head in there he does a physical activity, sometimes we get a snack or dinner and I drive him back to my mom's. Highlight of the week. Flack wrote a sweet remembrance of his mall here:

https://www.ninjasandneon.com/p/we-had-the-mall

In a way I'm trying to capture something very similar with my little buddy, as Flack did with his son. Wyatt still actively tries to hold my hand when we walk anywhere, which I know he won't forever, so I'm trying to not take it for granted and show him good stuff. It's been the highlight of my week these last few months.

[Casual Observer]

We went to the mall near my nephew's day care starting in November. I'd been taking him to kid parks and mini golf places when the weather was good.

We walked on there and it was empty. Of people! I swear the first time we went in, 8 weeks before Christmas, we were the only "customers" for yards. Meters.

Marketplace Mall back home was wall to wall people back home in November in 1996.

The mall has adapted. There's a Bounce House, Putt Putt, arcade / bowling alley, free kid play area and Escape Room. Like, they realized people aren't coming there to shop like the 90s, so they put fun stuff to make the place a destination. And it's so empty.

I think I worked at that Rochester mall from February 1996 to April 1997. I remember February being the deadest month. There were more people at the mall in Feb 96 than 10 days before Christmas, 2024. It's great. What the worst part of anything these days? Too many people.

So we head in there he does a physical activity, sometimes we get a snack or dinner and I drive him back to my mom's. Highlight of the week. Flack wrote a sweet remembrance of his mall here:

https://www.ninjasandneon.com/p/we-had-the-mall

In a way I'm trying to capture something very similar with my little buddy, as Flack did with his son. Wyatt still actively tries to hold my hand when we walk anywhere, which I know he won't forever, so I'm trying to not take it for granted and show him good stuff. It's been the highlight of my week these last few months.

I'm guessing you don't have a huge Indian (software kind) population there like we had in Santa Clara and also here in Lynnwood. Both the Westview Valley Fair in Santa Clara and Alderwood mall in Lynnwood WA are frequented almost entirely by people of color. Indians, Hispanics,bother kinds of Asians but almost zero White people. My guess is 2 things happened, the people who grew up on malls decided Amazon is just as good, second is what happened to Greece Ridge Mall: as more whites moved out and more downtown folk went to the mall the whites switched to Marketplace and it was 90% dead by 1996.

[Da King]

Marketplace Mall back home was wall to wall people back home in November in 1996.

You will be sad to hear that 1/2 of Marketplace Mall is now the "University of Rochester Orthopedic Center".

The other half is Zombieland. And not the cool movie version.

[Jizaboz]

The other half is Zombieland. And not the cool movie version.

Ha bro that’s exactly how we felt about our mall in High Point when it was 80% vacant but still open for a while. We called it “the zombie mall”.

Our larger malls in Greensboro and Winston-Damn-Salam have adapted to house huge arcade areas as well and that is a major plus.

[Casual Observer]

The other half is Zombieland. And not the cool movie version.

Ha bro that’s exactly how we felt about our mall in High Point when it was 80% vacant but still open for a while. We called it “the zombie mall”.

Our larger malls in Greensboro and Winston-Damn-Salam have adapted to house huge arcade areas as well and that is a major plus.

Salem had a cool 2 level mall with beggars as t the entrance in the late 80's, is it part arcade now? Cool.

[Da King]

Are people really going to the mall to play $20 rounds of miniature golf and lazer tag?

(HINT: This guy is not.)

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Well, mini golf is eight bucks and the gal that is always in there clerking the register has never acted in any way no matter how many holes we play. She's either the owner or an employee that properly understands how much she should care about her job, which is not at all.

The arcade at the mall IS a rip off. They do the "credits" thing, where you buy 75 credits but a game is like 12.7 credits. I'd rather pay for time. They'll figure it out when people stop paying for it, I guess.

[Jizaboz]

Salem had a cool 2 level mall with beggars as t the entrance in the late 80's, is it part arcade now? Cool.

Ha yes! Forgive me if I've told this story here before but the mall you are thinking of was known as Hanes Mall. I actually modelled it from memory and retro pictures for a level within Duck Slide Range due to all the fond memories of that place despite the bums, etc. Those fountains with the metal sculptures suspended over them were cool as hell. My mom didn't want me laying on the couches in the central hangout/fountain area because of the bums one day.. but I was sick (another story). My favorite corner of this mall for many, many years was one entrance/end that had a Wendy's and a Taco Bell across from an Aladdin's Castle arcade. No food court.. back then restaurants just had "spots".

The fountains at Hanes Mall were removed many years ago any many renovations have been made.. many I really didn't like. Four Seasons in Greensboro on the other hand has had many store changes but the layout remains the same as it was planned better and already had 3 levels.

Are people really going to the mall to play $20 rounds of miniature golf and lazer tag?

(HINT: This guy is not.)

So, the mall in Winston Salem's arcade area from what I understand is a "Dave and Busters". I have never been to any of those. In Greensboro though there is "Round 1" which has the bowling alleys, etc but the arcade is mostly Japanese games which obviously I'm a sucker for. But yes, you can easily blow 40$ between 2 people in less than 40 minutes at Round 1. It's a blast but I have not gone back since before COVID when I had stupid money to blow there on great nights with my GF.

[Casual Observer]

Salem had a cool 2 level mall with beggars as t the entrance in the late 80's, is it part arcade now? Cool.

Ha yes! Forgive me if I've told this story here before but the mall you are thinking of was known as Hanes Mall. I actually modelled it from memory and retro pictures for a level within Duck Slide Range due to all the fond memories of that place despite the bums, etc. Those fountains with the metal sculptures suspended over them were cool as hell. My mom didn't want me laying on the couches in the central hangout/fountain area because of the bums one day.. but I was sick (another story). My favorite corner of this mall for many, many years was one entrance/end that had a Wendy's and a Taco Bell across from an Aladdin's Castle arcade. No food court.. back then restaurants just had "spots".

The fountains at Hanes Mall were removed many years ago any many renovations have been made.. many I really didn't like. Four Seasons in Greensboro on the other hand has had many store changes but the layout remains the same as it was planned better and already had 3 levels.

Are people really going to the mall to play $20 rounds of miniature golf and lazer tag?

(HINT: This guy is not.)

So, the mall in Winston Salem's arcade area from what I understand is a "Dave and Busters". I have never been to any of those. In Greensboro though there is "Round 1" which has the bowling alleys, etc but the arcade is mostly Japanese games which obviously I'm a sucker for. But yes, you can easily blow 40$ between 2 people in less than 40 minutes at Round 1. It's a blast but I have not gone back since before COVID when I had stupid money to blow there on great nights with my GF.

That's right, Hanes Mall because of the Hanes underwear factory that (used to be?) was there.

Curious, do the homeless still stand at the entrance with their cardboard signs? Must be if that was a thing in the 80's.

[Casual Observer]

Are people really going to the mall to play $20 rounds of miniature golf and lazer tag?

(HINT: This guy is not.)

Lazer tag is fun but Paintball is for men. You can blow some serious coin playing Paintball, I haven't done it since I was 15 but still remember that hell of a shot I got someone in the face through a slot in a pallet from like 100 feet, boo ya.

[Da King]

Well, mini golf is eight bucks and the gal that is always in there clerking the register has never acted in any way no matter how many holes we play. She's either the owner or an employee that properly understands how much she should care about her job, which is not at all.

I concede that this is bordering reasonable, especially with bonus holes.

If there were penises, it would be money well spent.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

If someone has a 3D printer they'd like to volunteer for this project, I am sure I could stick one on one of the holes and it would probably just be left there.

[Jizaboz]

Curious, do the homeless still stand at the entrance with their cardboard signs? Must be if that was a thing in the 80's.

If you mean the actual entrances to the parking lot.. YES lol. I would see them every day when I worked over that way for 8 years. They also had a huge camp in the woods near it that had to be cleared out a couple years ago.

[Da King]

If someone has a 3D printer they'd like to volunteer for this project, I am sure I could stick one on one of the holes and it would probably just be left there.

<starts researching the price of 3-D printers...>