| LIFE Holy shit. Century Plaza demo'ed

[planomateo]

And an Amazon center will be going there. Damn times have changed.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Well, Eastwood Mall has been gone for some time. Big, flat area, might as well let Amazon continue to control commerce.

Their tactics are beyond aggressive, and they aid and abet Communist China.

 

[planomateo]

Yup, they closely watch sales of products on their site to decide when to make it as an Amazon basic product. Effectively removing the 3rd party from selling the product.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

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Yes, ripping off the product, and forcing the seller to divulge their supply chain through spurious counterfeit claims. Only the bigger retailers like Williams Sonoma have to pockets to call BS, legally, on them. The little guys are gut shot.

 

[planomateo]

The rich get richer...

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Went there a lot as a kid.

I'm not sure how much longer University Mall in Tuscaloosa is going to survive...

 

[It Takes Eleven]

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Boy, that site will make a great mixed use development. Midtown on steroids.

 

[bama alum]

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That was the place to be, even a few years after the Galleria opened. Here's a video about Century Plaza one of my high school friends posted about Century Plaza last year. Talk about a trip down Nostalgia Lane!


At the 5:05 mark, the only semblance I knew of Chick Fil A until...Geez! Years later. Across from it sat the legendary Camelot Records. Man! The money we plopped down in that store!

 

[planomateo]

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Same here. Remember the Circuit City across the street near the O'Charley's?

Hell, we used to go look at Christmas lights grab some Krispy Kreme across the street or go bowling at the lanes just down the road from Eastwood.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

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I vaguely remember I think. Most of my early mall memories are of Brookwood mall, but both my grandmothers would take me to Century Plaza because they liked to shop there. I remember them building the Galleria and how excited everyone was about, like Birmingham was getting clean drinking water or something. It caught fire one day and delayed the construction/opening date. When it finally opened though, young me thought it was pretty bad ass. The Putt-Putt was no longer, THE place to go. eheh

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

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This is a cool video. I ran across it a few months ago when I went down an "abandoned B'ham" YouTube rabbit hole. Would have been a cool spot to shoot an old 80's movie or something like Stranger Things (which I've only seen 2 episodes of).

I spent my money on music at Turtles... had to get those stamps!

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Have you guys seen the doc on Amazon, Jasper Mall? I haven't yet, but heard it was decent.

 

[sk33tr]

I remember going there as a kid at Christmastime to see the lights, the train,, do some window shopping. Place used to be packed with people.

Another piece of my childhood gone.....

 

[It Takes Eleven]

As a teen, we'd drive up from Chelsea to cruise Eastwood Mall, and get Krispy Kreme. For a country boy, I was in a different world.

Demographic shifts hastened the demise of some of these properties, before online shopping was a thing. The consolidation of department stores was a big factor, particularly the old line local stores of Parisian, Pizitz, Loveman's, and Rich's from Atlanta. Losing an anchor is tough to overcome, and losing a locally-based chain makes it worse. I most regret Parisian going away, great products and service, and it smarts worse because crappy Belk took its place.

I've always been interested in watching the shift of commerce in Montgomery from Eastern Blvd (Montgomery Mall and a big box development nearby) was dramatic, to the cannibalization of Taylor Road's retail explosion. Eastwood Mall and Century Plaza much the same, although Bham has experienced real growth compared to Montgomery. If the mall is in an affluent area, such as Brookwood, then it's doing okay. The Summit has sucked traffic from many places, of course. I haven't followed the Galleria for some time, it seems the only time it gets a mention is when there's a shooting.

 

[bama alum]

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You're spot on here except for Brookwood Mall. Next week, that place will be as barren as it was last month. I grew up in Center Point, so going to Century Plaza and occasionally Eastwood Mall was the norm. Like you expressed, a trip to Brookwood was a different experience in the late 70s and early 80s. (I loved Ferrells!) Now...The Summit has taken a TON of business away from Brookwood Mall. That's a real shame too.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

You guys remember the Kopper Kettle restaurant near Brookwood Mall? Used to love going there as a kid. The best though was going on Sunday afternoon's with the entire family to the Fifth Quarter in Vestavia. That salad bar dominated.