Growing Up Gen X, The Mall Was Everything

Okay maybe the mall wasn't "everything", but still

Indoor shopping malls hold a special place in the heart of most Gen-Xers. We met our friends at the arcades to play Asteroids, Qbert, and Frogger, went back-to-school shopping for the “cool clothes”, and generally loitered just to people-watch (or babe-watch, depending on your age). Before the age of internet social media, streaming services, and advanced home video game systems, the indoor shopping mall was a Mecca for American tweens and teens itching to connect and have fun.

Stacy’s like, “Malls are featured in almost every teen movie in the ‘80s” and Linda’s all “It’s a trope for a reason, Stace”

As readers of GenXcellent who’ve been here from the start know, I grew up in the Twin Cities metro area. This means shopping malls have an extra special place in my heart; Minnesota has both the first indoor, climate-controlled shopping mall ever built in the US (Southdale Mall, 1956), as well as the largest indoor shopping mall in the US (Mall of America, 1992). Southdale Mall was conceived when the guy who owned Dayton’s department store realized Minnesotans would go shopping more often during the freezing months if they didn’t have to pile on 7 layers of clothing and risk life and limb to drive on icy roads going from store to store. Next thing they knew, copycat shopping centers started popping up all over the country. Since we had the first indoor mall, the powers that be said “Fuck it—let’s build the biggest mall here, too!”

In many parts of the country, the mall’s heyday is over. Visiting shopping malls that have withered to almost nothingness today is a depressing experience for Gen-Xers. When we see all the empty store spaces, zero crowds even on a Saturday, and almost no teenagers hanging out, it feels like the end of an era. But it makes sense why malls have dwindled in popularity. With the modern ease of internet shopping, we can avoid crowds during the Christmas season (remember what a bitch it was just to find parking?), we can avoid traffic, and kids nowadays can play video games with friends online. Plus, social media provides a way to connect with others with whom you may have more in common, whereas when we were kids we relied on making friends with people who just happened to be in proximity to us.

Some of my happiest memories are from my mallrat years, beginning at 12 years old. I met friends for pizza, shopping, and obnoxious goofing off. I’ll never forget the first time I drank an Orange Julius, tried on expensive make-up in Donaldson’s and felt guilty because I knew I was wasting the sales lady’s time, and peed my pants from laughing too hard (thank the clothing gods that it was cool back then to wear a cardigan tied around your neck or waist). In the 9th grade, my best friend Jessica and I would “miss the bus” after school and walk down to the nearby arcade in the hopes we’d meet cute boys. At the mall by myself, I would peruse new music in record stores, admiring the cover art.

In the ‘80s, there was intense pressure to wear designer clothes that would fend off the dreaded label “nerd”, so I also spent a pretty penny at the mall. With babysitting funds I’d saved, I bought a lemon yellow Esprit tote bag at Brookdale Mall to carry my school books for 7th grade, a striped Forenza sweater that was rad to the max, a pair of light blue Guess skinny jeans that promptly got ruined (that story’s for a future post), and a pair of Girbaud jeans.

I couldn’t find any pictures of me with my Esprit bag so here’s a grumpy lady modeling it but imagine her with dark curly hair in a banana clip and happily bouncing up the steps of her junior high school

My most interesting mall experiences happened in the ‘90s, many of which occurred at the Mall of America after it opened in 1992. My friends and I would meet up at “the mega mall” every weekend and spend all day there, mesmerized by the roller coasters in Camp Snoopy (an ode to Minnesota’s Charles Schulz), the oddly specific stores (“They only sell socks?”), the theme restaurants (my introduction to The Rainforest Cafe), and the 4th level comprised of nightclubs, bars, a comedy club, a bowling alley, and a Planet Hollywood. Remember Michael Fay? I spotted him tending bar at Planet Hollywood sometime after he made headlines. I knew it was him because I have scary good facial recognition skills (seriously—I’ve won bets with people by identifying faces correctly).

The Psychic Friends Network set up shop in one of the expansive open areas of the Mall of America, circa ‘93 or ‘94. I just happened to be there shopping when I discovered the mini cubicles, long lines, and Dionne Warwick’s face on an enormous pennant draped over a second floor ledge. Look, I don’t believe in psychic abilities, so I’ve never spent $3.99 a minute to hear someone take advantage of my vulnerable emotional state, but you best believe I wasn’t going to waste a chance to get a free psychic reading. Of course, it cost me waiting in line for almost 2 hours, but still. Once I got to my “psychic”, a white lady with short brown hair, I saw a sign that said there was a 2-minute limit. Out of that 2-minute reading, the only thing I remember her saying was that an old love would re-enter my life. That was interesting, because she was describing the past, not the future. I actually had run into an old boyfriend while at the MoA one day in the months prior.

One Halloween night, I went as a witch to the nightclubs on the 4th level of the MoA, where they were having a costume contest with big prizes. It was crazy busy, with tons of people wearing intricate, unique costumes. While standing in a circle chatting with friends, a guy we didn’t know walked up to us wearing a long trench coat and sneakers. We paused and looked at him, probably trying to figure out what his costume was supposed to be, when he suddenly opened his trench coat to reveal he was naked except for an enormous plushy-looking fake penis with fake furry testicles dangling underneath. Then he swiftly closed his coat again and walked away smiling while we stood there in shocked silence. We glanced back at each other, wordlessly communicating “What the fuck?”, then chuckled while rolling our eyes. There’s no doubt that guy wanted to flash women in real life but knew this was the only way to get away with it legally.

I was an audience member for an episode of Hardball with Chris Matthews that was filmed in the MoA, sometime between 1998-2001. It was probably when Jesse Ventura was elected Governor, because I remember meeting him when he signed my t-shirt. I think I have that episode recorded on a VHS tape stashed away in a box of memorabilia, I should find it and have it digitized.

I got a job working at the Abercrombie & Fitch in the MoA, because apparently it wasn’t enough for me to be a mallrat, I had to be a mall employee, too. Their clothes were too expensive but working there meant I got 40% off, a big incentive for a young adult wanting to build a sexy wardrobe. Say what you want about their controversial catalogues—their clothes were made to last. I still wear the shorts I bought there.

After I moved to Southern California in 2002, I returned to Minnesota a few times over the years for family events. When I visited the Mall of America, what I saw as “the happiest place on Earth” second to Disneyland had disintegrated like so many other malls. I was shocked to see it sparsely populated with shoppers and the entire 4th level had cleared out. The recession of ‘08 hit retail and restaurants the hardest.

Fast forward to 2022, my husband and I took our son to the Mall of America for the first time while visiting family and I was blown away. It was now thriving and gorgeous, even bigger and better than it had ever been! We marveled at the fantastic displays of art, had fun in the amusement park rebranded as Nickelodeon Universe (RIP Camp Snoopy), enjoyed the underground aquarium, and met up with one of my best high school friends and her son for dinner at the Japanese steakhouse. I would say the MoA made a comeback but it would probably reply “Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years…” (if the L.L. Cool J song isn’t now playing in your head, I’m taking your Gen X card).

Our son was like “Can we go back again tomorrow?” And we said “Money doesn’t grow on trees, kid. You need to learn the value of a dollar”. Just kidding, we’re not Boomers

As a former mallrat, I have too many stories to share in 1 post (I previously wrote about one of my favorite shopping mall memories, curious cats who missed it can read about it here). But I’d love to hear about your GenXcellent mall memories from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s so share your stories with me in the comments!

Of course there’s a photo of me wearing an MTV t-shirt in an arcade at the Mall of America in the year of our lord, 2022