In this episode of Retail Archaeology we visit Tucson Mall in Tucson, AZ. Twitter: @Ret_Archaeology Instagram: @Retailarchaeology Facebook: @RetailArchaeology Patreon: / retailarchaeology
It prob has to do with the fact that a lot of people from sonora mexico come to tucson specifically to shop at that mall and the shops near it like ross and burlington, during the pandemic when the border was closed to non us citizens/residents the mall was a ghost town even when it was open.
Wow, this entire mall is in great shape and seems to be doing really well but that arcade is amazing. It makes me feel like I'm 12 again in the best way possible.
@@animeshock2006 It's all about location. Malls near higher income areas are still profitable because those people don't care about cheaper online shopping. It's the malls built near more middle income/blue collar areas that are in decline.
It's also in Tucson...there isn't much to do there as it's essentially relegated to an afterthought next to Phoenix, so a mall like this will be looked after as it's still considered a viable commercial/entertainment hub for a smaller city.
I've been going to Tucson Mall for just over 40 years. They used to have the best Red Robin I've ever eaten in. It was unlike the newer ones. It was covered in framed vintage posters, and it had multiple areas.
The circular area on the Macy’s end looked surprisingly like Y2K era architecture to me, versus the early 80s vibe that still comes through in the columns and some of the skylights. That area wasn’t a later addition, was it?
That particular Red Robin was one of the first restaurants both my niece and my little sister enjoyed. I have some good memories eating there. I even worked at the H&M in the mall for a few months back in 2016. Good times.
Red Robin?? Darn haha . They're in Vancouver Canada, around 6 locations. It will also blow your mind they have A & W restaurants there still! I bought my 50 year old uncle there and he almost started crying due to nostalgia..
*That arcade is AWESOME!* They need to get the word out that they are in the mall! Probably a lot of people don't know it exists! Sure enough you saw that kind of arcade at many malls in the 80s and until the mid 90s.
A lot of the games were not working. I almost went nuts when I saw Mortal Kombat, and my kids had to calm me down. I still remember my older brother breaking Galaga records and almost every week, some punk kid, would break it, and it was a tit for tat every month, until the machine disappeared for repair.
@@animeshock2006I couldn't tell from the video but the store needs need to post a picture of the inside of the arcadias in front of the mall to tell people that it's actually in there .I wood thank the was the stores stocked room
That's what I thought during the first shots as this video started.. It's nice to know that this mall is still doing good, it's only the place where Ronald McDonald Miller and Cindy Mancini "sealed the deal".. 😂 Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure we lost the Fast Times mall already, hopefully the CBML mall won't suffer the same fate.. 😢
In the late 80s, don't remember the exact year but I was small enough to fit my head in between the structure bars on the 2nd floor perimeter fence of the Tucson Mall. It was wide enough to fit an adult sized foot or in my case, a little boy's head thought it. Long story short, I coudn't pop my head back out and the Tucson FD had to come and rescue me. Until they put the see-through glass that is there today, an extra bar was welded in between the original bars throughout the entire 2nd floor because of me. LOL! In any case, I love that mall and will always be a part of my childhood.
Lmfao I did the same thing around the same time at the same mall. Except security got me out. My dad still tells that story. I'm glad to read I wasn't the only one. Cheers!
@@thechameleon77 Wow! And here I thought I was the only one... also glad to know I wasn't alone. Happy you were able to keep the FD from coming. Great memories 😅
"I saw that Lost world Jurassic Park cabinet, and I was happy to see that a newer game was in here. And then I remembered that movie came out in 1997... And then my back hurt." That was way too accurate of a description of one's realization of time passing. In other words, I feel you.
My dad who's in his 60s, told me when he was young it was all about penny slot racing car tracks that kids would go to. They closed up when video game arcades came into fashion. The rc racetracks make me think of those stories
I'm in my 50's and I remember at the end of the 70's when I was in grade school, there was a slot car track near us that my granddad would take me to. Damn, forgot all about those. hehe. It was a mind blowing thing to see and do at that age. I can still smell that "electrical" smell that was in the air.
Dude. This is such a left hook of nostalgia right across my face. I grew up in Tucson, went to that mall my entire life and even worked at the Old Navy there in 2006 (I wonder if it's still there?). I remember a few stores that used to be there; like a Pac Sun, Walden's Books, KB Toys, and Glamour Shots. Arizona Avenue used to be a lot more of a showcase for local-themed kitschy stuff: t-shirts, jewelry, mugs, snowglobes, etc., so it was kinda sad to see it so pared down--especially that nook with the vending machines. I've been gone from AZ for a while, but still visit on occasion for family and whatnot. I had seen it a little before leaving, but especially afterward, I heard that the mall had been flagging for a while and it seemed like it would close. However, it looks like it got a shot in the arm with the addition of a Cheesecake Factory and REI. That retro arcade is definitely a new addition and I would love to visit just to experience it. Great work on this. You definitely made me feel a bit homesick (mostly for the time gone by, less so for Tucson itself). I'm not even a subscriber to your channel or seen any other videos, so I think YT suggesting this was a win for their algorithm lol.
Recently moved to Australia from the US, and malls are everywhere and are thriving here. Main reason is they put 2 to 3 grocery stores in every mall, so it’s busy all day every day. Downside is the parking for them is like parking for a typical grocery store in the US, not a mall, so it can be a nightmare finding a spot. Also super expensive here, and that’s coming from someone who lived in Northern Virginia
It's the same way in Colombia every mall is full especially on the weekends. The food courts are packed. Definitely reminds me of the 80s early 90s. Grocery stores in every mall And theaters. There's also casinos in every mall
@@dannybachner899 He's right. We really don't care. Malls are dead in the US, and only third-world countries like Columbia and Australia (you can thank Pauline Lee Hanson for that demotion) still give a shit about them. We have stuff delivered to us, you have to go get it. Call us "micro pen" (WTF?) all you want, we're still better than you.
That's the most mall-mall I've seen in decades. Especially that great mini-arcade. I hope it gets a lot of traffic, the locals are lucky to have something like this in their community. Mall/arcade/movie theater life is one thing from my childhood I wish the current gen of kids could experience. Screw Tiktok and Twitter
@@jasonkeith2832that makes sense they probably are trying to keep the low-income people out of the mall, that area sounds like the rich part of town, we're lucky here in Fresno California we have a mall all that they used to be mostly the rich part of town ,but now it's mostly middle-class people and everybody still goes to it no matter who if they rich middle-class or even poor And it's accessible to the bus system to.
That arcade is so cool. It definitely makes me want to take a trip down to Tucson to check it out. Also, that price for a mall burger is absurd at that rate It's reaching theme park prices!
I think I paid about $12 just for a prezzie with cheese and a lemonade at my local mall I felt like I was ripped off one of the reasons why I hate going to malls now
I hate going to actual malls, but I love watching these videos for some reason 😂🤣. This channel is providing a tremendous service for people who hate crowds LOL.
Just stop...I bet you were one that peaked in high school and a popular kid, but now all of a sudden "hate crowds and people" cause it's Cool now to be an "introvert" since it's a label and trendy now
@@Gunslinger_Disciple don't have to do personal attacks people do change overtime. I wasn't a popular kid did enjoy going to the mall to play some card games with my friends but now sometimes large crowds can overstimulate me since I have developed anxiety
As a teenager who hung out at the mall in the 1980's, I would have never imagined that the whole "mall concept" would become archaic. My friends and I did seem to know that something would soon replace cassette tapes however. hehe
This mall used to have sooo many fountains! There were 2 ea near Sears and JC Penneys (smaller ones), two medium ones that used to be in the play areas by Dillards, the huge one that’s where that boring waterfall one is now, a decent size one outside of the food court, and the smaller one that was turned off (I’m pretty sure there was another one of those by Macy’s, too). Anyway, there’s a video on here of Tucson Mall from 1999 and it shows most of the fountains
I loved the fountains! If we were going to the mall when I was a little kid I always wanted to know if it was the one with the fountains and the carousel. That’s pretty much all I was interested in. So sad that’s all gone. It was definitely more visually interesting. 😢
I'm really happy with the direction this mall has been going. You didn't even touch all the comic book shops and the game store (with "secret" tavern). It's really becoming a hub of all things nerdy and fandom-related in Tucson.
I love taking photos of liminal spaces and things like malls are always more cozy to me rather than spooky. Seeing that arcade area was a little claustrophobic but the colours and neon lights between the game cabinets and carpet made me feel at home :]
That arcade looks like so much fun! I think that retro arcades are a great addition to malls. There's been a few that have popped up in my area (NJ/PA)
I love that this place has "All American Burger". That's where Brad worked in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Whoever owns that arcade is definitely my spirit animal. I think this may be my favorite mall you have ever visited on this channel.
$18 for a burger and fries is outrageous. That's got to be close to stadium pricing. No wonder the mall employees use the sad vendo room for a break room.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought this. I use to live a few blocks away from this mall and I refused to pay that much, and instead always went across the street to Chick-fil-A or In-N-Out burger! Sometimes I’d just get delivery and it would still be cheaper or about the same price.
Being from the edges of Appalachia the retail and especially mall apocalypse happened in the early 2000s. Virtually nothing was left in my area after 2008 at the latest. This mall does feel a little underwhelming but at the same time very healthy by some standards. I am totally with you on the asymmetrical escalators. Very nice touch.
I grew up / live in Tucson, and have many great memories there. I even worked at the H&M several years ago. I'll never forget hearing the creepy oldies played throughout the empty mall, when it was closed, especially when we did inventory from midnight to four in the morning. It still has many of the features it's had for decades, and the food court always takes me back to the early-90's. Too bad our mid-century mall El Con was mostly demo'd to make an outdoor outlet mall. If folks come to visit, they should check out the Park Place Mall too. It's a little newer, but very much a functioning and thriving retail space.
What makes the El Con failure even sadder is that the beautiful historic El Conquistador Hotel was demolished to make way for the mall. And now we don’t even have that! Just a collection of big box stores and outlets like Home Depot and Burlington.
This was also my childhood mall. Grew up in Ft. Huachuca, so the drive to Tucson to see "the big city" was always exciting. Sad to see the fountains gone, that was one of my favorites. I was laughing about your burger price comment. I just got back from Vegas and that was what I kept complaining about lol. 25 bucks for a burger and tots, no drink included. Absolutely crazy.
I lived in Casa Grande, Az for a long time and I'd occasionally go down to this mall. After watching this, a lot of nostalgic memories came flooding back. I know I watche Serenity here with a friend the year it came out. I have to admit I loved the gamestore/arcade.
Loved this mall growing up as a kid in Tucson. It seemed even better in the 80s. There used to be giant 40' tall sprouting fountains near the food court by the glass elevator. Only thing you missed in your video was Tucson Gadgets and Games and the hidden bar the Short Rest Tavern, its really a gem and amazing portal into a different place.
Omg!!! A Sbarro??! That’s like an endangered species now. They were my favorite thing about going to the mall as a kid besides the arcade, and Electronics Boutique or Babbages (depending on the mall) I loved their pizza.
The only sbarro in San antonio TX I see is the airport. I will feel odd going in just for the sbarro. I missed the baked zitti and complementary bread.
Sbarro closed at Crossroads Mall at the end of 2021 Kazoo small business pizza place took over they were on the lower level when it first opened last year they had a lot of stuff on the menu than a pizza. Now they just do pizza, bread sticks & salads along with a cookies.
I was just at my local mall today and I usually skip the food court because of the pricing. You can get a better meal at a sit down restaurant for just a few dollars more (if even) than you pay these days, so I can confirm this isn't just an Arizona problem.
Omg. I knew that mall was still going. I was there back in the late 80s. Am 49 and missing this whole aesthetic. I went to the mall last year in San Antonio on the River Walk and even though it looked the same outside, it was filled with nothing but no name, junk shops, and nail/hair/jewelry/lotion shops.😢
Thank you for this! The algorithm mysteriously put this in front of me just a week before my trip to Tucson and it inspired me to hit up the mall and that "secret" arcade. That was a blast of nostalgia!
If memory serves me correctly, there used to be a huge fountain in the middle of the mall that would almost reach the top and fluctuate up and down. It was fun to watch.
Tucson Mall, Foothills Fashion Plaza, Elcon Mall and Park Mall. in the early 80's I worked for the architect firm that did the soil work for all the parking lots surrounding the Mall. it had it's food court completely separate from the rest of the Mall. 82, I think there was a Panda Express. that's some nostalgia nudge
I once worked a summer job helping clean a large shopping mall. Came in at 10:00 PM to start getting things together. Of course we didnt clean inside the stores themselves, just the bathrooms, mall offices, and the mall floor. The entrances were always the worst. It was "strange" but not scary. Put me in mind of the Dawn of the Dead movie! I thought it was a pretty cool job but the pay and hours sucked big time!!!!
Back around 1985-1986 there was a video arcade near the west entrance of the Sears. Also, my uncle ran the Automotive department at the Sears. Other stores that I remember at the Tucson Mall back in the 80s was a Kaybee Toy & Hobby, a knife store (forget the name), a Kinney Shoes, and a piano/organ store. Bonus: my mom swears that she once saw Elizabeth Taylor hanging out by herself at the Tucson Mall.
Tucson Mall is one of my favorite places to hang out around the city! And it seems like you hadn’t even seen half of what’s there! Sure, Park Place had Round One, but Gamers Warehouse is so cool seeing all the retro game cabinets. If you ever return to Tucson mall, there’s so many more cool and unique shops to check out! Like Tucson Games & Gadgets with a hole-in-the-wall tavern hidden in the back. And Kebab King actually has some great middle eastern food, and still less than a burger. JA Ramen & Curry is also a great new addition to the food court! Such a great and iconic mall…
You referred to the stuff in FYE as "junk" while aiming you camera at a Kirby plushie. That, good sir, is not junk! It's awesome to see a mall still surviving and it is beautiful.
Hey that’s my mall! I remember going there when I was like 4, and it has really changed over the years. It’s good to see that it’s survived, when other Tucson malls like Foothills have all but died. Lots of memories buying Christmas presents or people watching at ole Tucson Mall.
I grew up in Tucson and this mall was my stomping ground as a kid. I could tell you so much about what used to be there. I'm told there is a secret pub/boardgame store there now, too.
That Game store / Arcade brought back so much nostalgia! I can`t count how many hours I wasted on Kung-Fu Master😄. Reminds me of the arcade we had in our local mall in Pennsylvania, that's long closed. Only thing missing is the air hockey table, thanks for posting this 👍
Man that is a time capsule, I miss the 80’s a lot. Even though I was 18 in 84’ I played arcade games and still play video games on occasion, thanks for taking us along ✌️🇺🇸
When Tucson Mall opened we were SO excited because 1. it was a fancy new high-80s style mall, and 2. it was half the distance from my house as the other malls. It was exactly the right mall in exactly the right place.
That arcade was bad ass! Tuscon Mall is an absolute gem. My old hangout in San Antonio (Windsor Park) was converted by a large business (Rack Space) after shutting down. A lot of similar design elements from back in the late 80s/early 90s but this one is definitely more interesting.
I used to work in this mall when I was younger. This brings back such fond memories for me and to see it actually doing well still and not looking at all different than when I was there as a 15 year old kid is a big magical. Will stop by when I'm in town again when I can. Thanks for this!
Wow! This is most well maintained mall I have seen in a long time. Im really surprised considering how old it is. Also, $18 for burger fries and a drink is ridiculous. Thanks for the content.
So glad the mall still a full fledged arcade! I remember we had Tilt arcade in southwestern Texas! I miss Sbarro Pizza and FYE, our mall’s FYE closed in 2016, because CDs, DVDs, and even vinyl records which took lots of space and still wasn’t profitable to sustain leasing in its current form. The FYE owners at that time were downsizing their retail business!
I worked in this mall during the "dark times" of the mall era. It's kinda cool that it's popped back up with the Gamers warehouse and the Tavern theme Bar. I don't go often but when I do it's always a good time.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a vending machine with playing cards, hand sanitizer and a first aid kit before. Also, that game store alone, makes me want to travel all the way out there for a visit.
also that arcade you found in the store was in fact the old mall arcade, it was always in that area with the glass sunroom style ceiling. the "shop area" used to be where the prizes section was. they had ticket games and such
Such a THROWBACK. I grew up in Tucson in the 90s and this triggered great memories. That Arcade looked amazing. We just opened an arcade near Philly called Retroware, love if you checked us out one day!!
I’m sure you won’t see this comment, but if you do, I can’t express how emotionally resounding your videos are to me. I sound like a nut, but so many of my favorite memories from childhood take place in malls that are now “dead/struggling”. Your channel is a comfort zone that I watch when I’m having a hard time. Keep it up!
16:00 Thank God someone mentioned it; that burger shop was at the foothills mall before they moved, and my cousins and I always had this habit of shitting on them for their prices. I only went there once because they had a thing going with eegees (anyone who doesn't know they’re a local sandwich joint based in Tucson) where they’d sell the slushies, and the guy working was cussing up a storm to the other cooks and me just because I didn't order anything else. It just amazes me how they’ve remained in this city for so long. I don't want to start shit with them, but as you said, some things are best left said than not.
Grew up in Tucson. Li remember when this was built it was really something special - city was very proud of it. It was also one of the largest malls in the U.S at the time. Glad to see it’s still doing well!
Honestly I'm glad you love Tucson Mall because that was my childhood mall. Of course I haven't been there in years. But it was the place I went there a lot and it's mostly the same as it was on the late 80s to early 90s. Sure some of the older stores no longer exist but as a whole even after the renovation it still had the old charm to it. I remember the big arcade that use to be there.. the good old days.
I remember when Tucson Mall opened I was in elementary school. It was a really big deal for the city because it was a two story mall. The wing that has Macy's in wasn't built when the mall was first opened it came later. Also the fountain by the elevator looked different, they've up dated. It use shot up into to air, it would start off as small amount of water then get larger and higher. I loved watching as a kid. Another little piece of history you could call it Hot Topic use to be located in the wing Macy's is in and right across was the Disney Store. I'm not sure why they moved to the smaller space there in now.
I used to work in a hotel in Tucson, and lots of middle class people would drive over from Mexico just to shop at malls there. I would see SUVs absolutely stuffed with bags from mall stores all of the time. That will help keep them afloat as long as it keep happening.
Taking me back to being a kid in the retro arcade! It being so dark in there, the carpet and the arcades being so crammed and close together. Had tears in my eyes watching that!
Love the arcade. It's not that malls are dying overall it's that there were far too many malls built in the 80's/90's ( it became a fad when it, obviously, was never meant too be one) so with the rise of online shopping a ton of malls were going too fold as there was just too much bloat. I do think malls will continue but just on a far leaner scale. Heck I have 2 malls within 16km of me and both are relatively healthy
This mall truly is an incredible time portal into what it was like to roam around in the 90s. Scattering of meandering shoppers, cramped arcade hidden in the dark, fluorescent hum, dirt-cheap food... ...Okay, it gets MOST of it.
Wow, That’s a beautiful mall! Such a gem in the desert. Thanks for sharing your experience at Tucson Mall, looking forward to see Part 2 of the Mall whenever you get a chance to film Tucson mall again. 🤩
Thanks a lot for filming this one. This was my childhood alongside Foothills. Mostly went here in recent years though for obvious reasons. I will say, on your next trip here, I highly reccomend checking out Tucson Games and Gadgets. If you like tabletop games, this is the place for you. Similar to the arcade, they got a medieval themed tavern in the back of it that I come back for. Believe it or not, as someone who works at a restaurant at Disney, that burger combo is actually more expensive than what it costs here, which is surprising to say the least.
"...and then my back hurt." You're killing me. I would die to see an arcade like this close by. Crap, I'd drive to Helena to visit one if there was one there.
Nice video, I pretty much grew up at this mall in the 80s. When TM opened in the early 80s, there was an arcade that looked alot like the retro arcade in this video, I guess they all looked like that back then. Check out the interior of the Dillard's next time you're there, looks alot like it did back in the 80s.
I was never a huge arcade kid growing up, but that mall arcade is one of the coolest modern ones I've seen. Too bad I don't live anywhere near Arizona or Tucson...
WOW, that mall looks AMAZING, and that arcade seems worth a trip all on it's own. Yeah, growing up my local malls in and around Los Angeles, all had fountain features that were so cool. I would always sit and watch them for ages, as they all had a calming effect on me. That mall was for sure one of the better ones still around, so hopefully it goes well in to the future. As it seems worthy of showing what malls used to be, and what they still can be, so long as the community supports them.
I loved this. First time I’ve seen any of your stuff, definitely checking out more! So many malls near me I’ve seen changer over the last 20-30 years, and more I want to visit for the same reasons. Great stuff man!
I remember this mall from when it was new and shiny. That 2nd fountain was a great place to hang out. I'm glad it's still the same. What I remember from when it was new was how much they advertised that they opened the building really early so old people could do their walking safely and that one compete circuit was like 5 miles or something crazy
My favorite quote from this video: “Mmm, mall tuna.” Great tour of Tucson Mall, Erik. I can’t wait to see more of it next time. By the way, Doug and I totally agree with about the price of that burger combo. Yikes!
I don't ever remember seeing that arcade in Tucson Mall when I attended U of A in the late 2000s. But happy to see the mall still alive and kicking. Yeah, I wish there were still some "classic" arcades in Phoenix too. Only place that really comes to mind is the top floor of Castles and Coasters nowadays.
