This isn’t news to the eighties babies. But in the years leading up to Kevin Smith’s 1995 film “Mallrats,” the mall was the place to be.
Shopping was a physical activity then. Even if you were penniless, window-shopping was a good way to spend an afternoon. It was more of a stroll than a shopping excursion. A long lap around hundreds of thousands of square feet of possibility.
You could browse the new cassette tapes at Musicland, of course. You could even sit on a couch and watch skate videos at Zumiez. But even better than all of that, you might run into your crush doing the same thing—or leaning over the rail to talk about kids from school while ice skating.
It was like “American Graffiti” without the cars.
Lloyd Center, in Portland, Oregon, was one of the largest malls in the country when it opened in 1960. But it may be most famous because its ice rink was a practice spot for skate sensation Tonya Harding. (Legend has it you could actually see her in the early 90s at the Tilt arcade, swinging a club at Whack-a-Mole. Look out!).
In recent years, reports about the death of Lloyd Center have been plentiful. It buckled under the weight of Amazon. With no anchor tenants left, you could call the thing a sarcophagus.
Rebirth of the mall
But to visit today is to witness a scene where the apocalypse may still be averted by creativity, optimism, and grit. Local shopkeepers, in search of lower rents and a new community, are taking over, one storefront at a time.
Near the skating rink we browse records and zines at Musique Plastique, and eventually settle on a Wendy Carlos Williams t-shirt. There’s a DJ console set up in the window, where they broadcast live shows and play parties.
A friend of the owner stops by to show off a beautiful stereo component he’s been building. Polished brown wood, like something your dad used to have his turntable plugged into.
We stop off at the arcade and get ripped off by a claw machine. Some things never change.
Upstairs at All American Magic PDX, an old Waldenbooks or something has transformed into a blackbox theater and magic shop. We browse the tricks and pick up some tarot cards. The friendly manager says that, honestly, if it’s tarot cards we’re after, there are probably more options at Gambits. We stick with him anyway.
Another entrepreneur stops by to show off a new piece of jewelry she’d made. She sells her wares at one of those kiosks in the middle of the hallway.
My wife procures a box of the good stuff from mall stalwart Joe Brown’s Carmel Corn.
The kids spend a solid hour browsing books and stickers at Floating World Comics, which moved over from its Old Town Portland location. I find a VHS video review zine that I definitely need. When we reconvene the carmel corn is gone.
Mallrats are returning to their natural habitat
Floating World Comics has flyers up for a book signing. And in the vacant space next door there are flyers for an art market and a monster costume party. That grass roots word-of-mouth independent spirit is a lot of what makes this impending renaissance so much fun.
Art Markets, Secret Roller Discos, Winter Solstice Fashion Shows. You find out about these events the way you used to–posters on wooden telephone poles. (Or you can just follow some Instagram feeds.)
More Lloyd Center stores and resources
Have you been to Lloyd Center recently? What’d you think? Do you have a mall in your town that’s experimenting with its business model?