With Christmas Season approaching, the time has come to pay another visit to the mall. And what better way to do so than in the past, thanks to some vintage images?
As often happens with many of these images found online, no locations or dates were provided on most. However, I’m sure the comments section will start to provide clues on where these malls and shopping centers were located.
Picture 5 is the Humbertown Shopping Centre in Etobicoke (Toronto). Taken in 1961 by the vehicle mix and black license plates.
Loblaws store on the left. They still gave out food stamps at the time, shown by the sign in their window. Being on the Kingsway, a more upper income area, not sure how that may have helped their sales at that location.
Nice red VW Type 3 notchback in that photo. Were they officially sold in Canada? When I first visited my sister after she moved to Canada in 1974 I remember her telling my how to pronounce Etobicoke. And telling me about the owner of Loblaw’s, Bob Loblaw (say that quickly a few times).
In the second photo–the B&W taken in the late 50’s I’m guessing, has a rather rare `57 Studebaker Scotsman sedan coming towards the camera. The Sears itself is a rather plain Jane design for a stand-alone store. Nothing fancier in the parking lot that a `57 Olds 88 up by the entrance.
It makes a nice contrast to the Mays store with the Imperial, Continental and Cadillac forming an exclusive club!
Thanks for this great post from The Ghost of Christmas 🎄 PAST ! Still hard to believe that commercial giants like SEARS, MONTGOMERY WARD, KRESKE, et.al. like so many of the cars are NOW but a memory. Mine include annual Christmas shopping via Nash AMBASSADOR, DeSoto, and Chryslers to MARSHALL FIELDS State St. Store to view the windows and tree 🎄, shop, visit Santa, and have a delicious lunch in the Walnut Room. 👻 Looking 👉 to the Future, I see 👀 many more Ghosts! Am I dreaming? Will EBENEZER turn over a new leaf? Will we indeed have many more Merry Christmas experiences? The clock is ticking toward a New Year 🍾 🥂! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 and a Happy New Year!
Some nice CC’s here, but what really strikes me about these photos is the steady disappearance of American malls. Once a valued status symbol for suburban communities, there hasn’t been a regional mall built in the United States since 2006. Typical was Landover Mall, built in suburban Washington DC in 1972. The largest mall in the country when it was built, it featured lavish fountains, movie theaters and five anchor department stores. By 2000 it was done, a vacant derelict done in by changing demographics and economic factors.
Sears, Wards, Kresge, Grants…what a blast from the past. These days I guess we’re down to Walmart, Target and Amazon…..
I worked for Sears parttime for 16 years starting in high school, through college, through establishing my career in education, and up until I became an administrator. I worked hard for them and they treated me well, but you could see the writing on the wall for their demise starting in the late ’70s when they tried to beat back the K-Mart threat but took their eye off the embryonic Walmart baby.
As George Harrison so succinctly said, all things must pass….
The lede photo is a trip! Imperial, Lincoln and Cadillac bracketed by two Chevrolets.