A security guard's story made me see the old Willowbrook Mall different

Was out at the dead Willowbrook Mall in upstate New York last Saturday, just walking the empty concourse near the old food court. A retired security guard, guy named Ed, came by to check who I was, and we got talking. He told me he used to work that mall back in the 90s when it was packed, and he remembered a kid who got lost for two hours in the department store, crying by the escalator. Said the weirdest part now is seeing all these blank storefronts where he used to know every shopkeeper by name, and he could still point out where the pretzel stand had that broken floor tile. That hit me because I always come to these places for the decay and quiet, but he saw it as a graveyard of conversations and routines. Has anyone else met a former employee or regular who made them see a dead mall as something more than just peeling paint?

2 comments

2 Comments

vera_murphy21d ago

I read a piece about how malls were basically the town square for a whole generation, so this tracks.

leo61221d ago

@vera_murphy my local mall had this arcade and food court combo that basically raised half my friend group. We'd meet there after school just to hang, grab a slice, and waste quarters for hours. Malls were more about the social stuff than the shopping for sure.

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