The 2000s Mall
Our world has gotten more and more depersonalized by the minute. Adults throwing temper tantrums, not being able to log into a computer without it tracking your account to a certain device, and robots making decisions for us have become the norm. And this is the world that I graduated into to work in. Particularly in the last four years, I have seen people behave in ways that they should be ashamed of. I have seen six-year-olds behave much more maturely than many adults I have seen. I realize that I am only in the first few years of my working life, but not too long ago things were much better. The Internet, cell phones and email are all older than me, but I think we need much, much more moderation of what I grew up with that has now grown out of control. If things could go back to the way they were when I was a kid, and even as a young teenager, life would be so, so much better. I know I have said this before, we need to go back to the 2000s. I have shared on this blog the various bands I listened to during my childhood and still listen to now, and various fashion trends I like from that decade (and am happy that some of them have come back!) but there are so many things from the 2000s that I think made life so much better, and simpler, in all aspects of life. Join me as I go on a trip back in time to more halcyon days at the mall.
I was a small child when it was a big deal to go to the mall and remember the sights, sounds and stores quite well. People were lined up to get food at the restaurants and ice cream at the Dippin' Dots station, and the food courts were always packed full. I remember the colored, neon lights. My family would go to the mall sometimes to walk around and shop. People seemed to enjoy each other's company more and be more pleasant. It was the perfect balance between technology and human kindness and slow living. People weren't scrolling on their phones, instead they were looking at each other, face to face, and talking. Phones were only used for calling and texting and playing the occasional Brick Attack game, not using social media. People of all ages were more patient. Children were lined up to ride the robotic horses. There was a bronze statue of a man sitting on one of the benches, and many plants decked out the mall. My mom gave me and my sister pennies to throw into the fountains.
I remember going into K-B toys when it was still open. I don't remember everything I got there, but I remember wanting anything that glowed in the dark. The thing I remember buying the most was Sproing galaxy gooze. I played with it often, squeezing it between my hands, and even putting it in my mouth! (not recommended). I remember another toy store where we would always go, because the shop had a large iguana in his tank, greeting the customers as they checked out with their toys. I also remember Hungate's hobby store, where I bought a stuffed cat with my allowance money.
My sister loved going to the Disney Store. She loves anything Disney Princess related, and Belle is her favorite. When Mom would take us shopping, we always had to go to the Disney Store. I always wandered over to the AristoCats section, and I bought a stuffed Lucifer cat from Cinderella when I had saved up enough allowance money. My parents still have a cup of my sister's at their house, it is purple with floating water and glitter in the bottom and is Lady and the Tramp themed. Lady floats in the water. If I remember correctly, there was also a Warner Bros. store where I bought a Marvin the Martian change purse keychain for my backpack, also with my allowance money.
A very similar guitar to the one the man at the music store played for me.
A local music store was at one of the malls we went to when I was a kid, and they had the coolest guitars. The man at the store played a pink guitar and showed it to me. "It's a little girl guitar!" he said excitedly as he smiled at me and played. I wanted to be polite and didn't want to ruin his fun and didn't have the heart to tell him that I don't like pink. He played it very well though. 😀 My dad took me in this music store multiple times when I was 6 or 7, and I saw my dream electric that I still have yet to get. It was a Fender Stratocaster with a white pick guard, a maple neck, and a pearl metallic light blue finish. Back then it was called Agave Blue, but the more recent ones are Pelham Blue. As long as it's that shade, no matter what the name of the blue is, I'll be one happy woman when I do find it. This music store is still in business, but it is now selling only pianos and has since moved. They were in the mall until I was a teenager.
My all-time favorite was Claire's. I still go in there periodically, and they have moved the store in the past several years. I think Claire's has jewelry for girls and women of all ages, depending on which area of the store you are in. I first got my ears pierced there when I was 8. At that time, the store was dark with the pink fluorescent light on the ceiling and the "Claire's Accessories" Times New Roman font at the front. They remodeled the store shortly afterwards. I got my second piercing there when I was 12 as well, as Hannah Montana's "Pumpin' Up the Party" played in the store. Over the years, I have bought many earrings there, and of course I enjoyed the makeup compacts with all the different bubbles of glitter lip gloss and eye shadow. I had the infamous cell phone with lip gloss colors and a brush. I also had an earring holder that was a blue glitter cat. I still have a music staff shaped earring holder that I hold my necklaces and earrings on today. I have also found home decor, shimmer mist, perfume, belts, girly office supplies, and even shoes there. There was a bench right outside the store, and I saw multiple Dads sitting there, mine included. One evening we were in there for 45 minutes. Mom kindly asked, "Can we go soon? Dad's had enough of Claire's." I remember going into Afterthoughts a time or two when I visited my relatives across the country, as we did not have an Afterthoughts where I live. There was an Icing in my hometown but it closed around when I was 13 and the mall itself had deteriorated quite a bit. There was an Icing at the mall where I went to college, so I was glad to revisit that store.
Another store I enjoyed visiting was Limited Too. I enjoyed the sequin-covered shirts and cute, trendy outfits. My mom often took us to the clearance rack and got us good deals from that store. This was the beginning of me learning to get expensive quality items for a low price. The fitting rooms and store itself looked like it came out of a girl's room on Disney Channel.
As I got older and the 2000s came to a close, I grew enough to fit into adult clothes. I began shopping at Wet Seal. This store had many sequin going-out tops, and I remember a sequin scarf I got when I was a freshman in high school that was pink, purple, blue and silver striped. My last days shopping at Wet Seal were at the store where I was attending college a few years later, I bought a rainbow yarn sweater, a Thor shirt, and a blue plaid hoodie flannel. I briefly went back to the store in my hometown to buy jeans when I was home for break, but the store closed shortly afterwards. I was sad when they closed up shop.
My mom enjoyed shopping at a store called B-Moss. She spent many a minute there looking for some of her favorite clothing items. There was even a section where they had coloring books and crayons for the kids, complete with a sign that said, "I drew while Mommy shopped!" So much better than tablet time.
Outside of the stores and in the middle of the mall, there were various attractions to see and hear. There was sometimes live music. I remember a man who sold HoverDiscs. He would juggle the giant, inflatable Frisbees and throw them up in the air until they reached the second floor and the people above could catch them. Sometimes there was a rock wall you could pay to climb. You could get your pictures made with the Easter bunny, or with Santa Claus. Santa still comes to the mall, which makes me happy. There was a robotic bear orchestra during Christmas time that would perform on the hour as well. Many kiosks abounded too. I also remember a nail salon, that is still open today, that I went to and got my first salon manicure at. It was dark metallic blue polish with a black and silver design on my ring fingers. I got this manicure with a church group, it was a 5th and 6th grade girls trip shopping.
If we could go back to shopping like this, life would improve by 1000%. ✨❇❈
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