I went to the mall today. I think that was the first time in over three years! I was very curious to know what state the mall would be in post-Covid. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were a good amount of people walking around, and most were wearing masks. The whole mall smelled of popcorn. All the stores I remembered being there were still open for business, plus a few new ones. It was clean and bright. Kids were riding the electronic ponies and begging their parents for a quarter to get a gumball out of the machine. All of the store clerks were genuinely friendly and willing to help. I really enjoyed the whole experience, to the point that I think I should go more often, and take my daughter with me. I know, I know… Why would I think of taking my daughter, knowing full well that she can find something in every store that she wants? Because it’s something to do that’s somewhat entertaining (and I know how to say NO).

When I was in 5th grade, I went to the mall almost every Friday night. I either went with my friend, Carrie, or my friend, Diana, and then I would sleep over at their respective homes afterwards. We would buy the five foot long strings of red licorice from the candy kiosk and have competitions to see who could eat theirs first without using their hands. We would walk the whole mall and go into all of our favorite stores: Gap, 5-7-9, Deb, Contempo Casuals, Record Town, B. Moss, Waldenbooks, Bob Stores, Suncoast Motion Picture Company, Baubles, Bangles ‘N’ Beads, Bradlees, Rave, and KayBee Toy & Hobby.

I didn’t have a lot of spending money, just whatever allowance I earned from doing chores, so I didn’t get something every week. In a way, lack of funds made the trips to the mall better, because I could make a mental list of what I really wanted, and if, when I went back, I still wanted it, it was still there, and I finally had enough money to buy it, then it was so much more rewarding to make the purchase. Score! Even if I couldn’t buy everything I wanted, I still found it fun to just walk around and look at all the stuff (in 3-D!) that people came up with to sell, and to know what was popular.

I admit I’ve given in to the convenience of online shopping, but I’ve made a promise to myself to only buy shoes and clothes in-store from now on. And I’m going to start walking the mall with my daughter a couple times a year. I don’t want malls to disappear, so if I can help just a little, then I will.