Dead Mall Stores we miss in Memphis. (Spencer: house, buying)

[Senor Boogie Woogie]

I subscribe to another board called Goner Records.

Howdy!

Been away from America for several years, living in China.

On the these of restaurants we miss, what about stores in the now extinct Mall of Memphis or the Hickory Ridge Mall? I am sad that these places
are gone because I spent a lot of time in those two malls. Do most of you miss these two malls? They were in a central location, and Oak Court has always seemed to be a bit more upscale.

I miss the Mall of Memphis food court. Actually, I thought the food at Hickory Ridge was better, but it was cool to sit up there and look at the ice skating rink and all the bewildered southern people falling ass over end.

I remember that the Service Merchandise which turned into Wilson's, mainly because a mentally slow sister of a classmate worked in there for many years, as in about 10 in that store. Probably the most senior employee in all the mall.

I remember doing a lot of reading at the Christian Book Store on the second floor near the Dillards. There was another excellent, big bookstore on the opposite end. There was a great toy shop on the first floor on the JC Penny end, it wasn't like a "Toys R' Us" type of place, it had games and models and stuff like that. It went away years before the mall closed.

Then of course, is Spencer's Gifts. That place was stoner heaven and a place I always visited when at the Mall. Thing about it is though, I do not think I ever bought a damn thing there. I just liked seeing the crap they sold.

A few stores in the Mall never made much sense to me. For example, why do people shop at Hickory Farms? What was the purpose of that place? I doubt anyone has ever left the house meaning to end up buying a big bologna hotdog in red plastic wrap, and funny little cheese from Liechenstien.

Same could be said about Radio Shack.

Remember back in the 1980's that a second floor of a mall collapsed, and people were worried about the second floor at the Mall of Memphis because you could actually feel the floor vibrate every so often.

I enjoyed all the arcades of the mall back in the 1980s. I spent hours and a fortune at "The Gold Mine" arcade in the Mall of Memphis. The Hickory Ridge had a good arcade too. I remember the Raleigh Springs Mall had an arcade that was manned by a strange, crazy looking old fellow. He also knew how to work on the machines. Another fellow who has been a mall employee forever.

Hickory Ridge Mall had something interesting places to. The Carosel in the middle of the mall was really beautiful (never rode it.) As I said before, I always thought the food in the Hickory Ridge Mall was better than the Mall of Memphis. Hickory Ridge also had a great candystore that sold all kind of things, it was one of those places where you fill up your bag and off you go.

I actually had a job selling shoes one summer in a Thom Mckhan (or whoever its spelled). Got fired about two weeks later. Wasn't even as good as Al Bundy.

I remember the last time I went inside the Mall of Memphis, which was around 1999 or 2000. I knew the Mall was near death and wanted to say goodbye to an old friend. The mall was totally gone with about five "ghetto" like stores, including one that featured African art works. An Act of God killed the Hickory Ridge Mall, was it dying before the tornado? II realize the demographic of Hickory Hill has changed, but the area wasn't impoverished when I left, and people need clothes and cheap plastic crap.

Anyway, just a few thoughts. One can even talk about other malls in the area. I remember living in Whitehaven going to the Southbrook Mall as a kid and getting a cherry slurpee and corn dogs at Woolworths, and playing pinball in their arcade. When I was a little kid, I went through Safetytown in front of the Mall, but for some reason, I pissed off the people running it. Why? I dunno. It was 1972.