Well, it's Easter week – so longtime readers know that means it's time for my traditional Easter parade of vintage ads.
First up is this attractive, full-page ad for Midway Mall heralding the appearance of the Easter Bunny that ran in the Journal back on March 16, 1972. I really like the artwork of the Easter Bunny casually leaning against a basket the size of the one in Lakeview Park (although an egg-rattling earthquake is seemingly in progress).
I don't recall Mom and Dad ever taking my siblings and me to see the Easter Bunny in a department store. In fact, I don't think I ever had a clear image in my mind what a rabbit who delivered Russell Stover and Faroh's Candy, as well as hard-boiled eggs, would look like. Was he six feet 3 and 1/2 inches tall like Harvey in the movie of the same name? Or was he just a little bigger than your average garden variety rabbit?
Plus, the Easter Bunny didn't bring toys, so there wasn't any pressing reason to visit him before the holiday. I do recall that my parents did put little wind-up toys in our baskets one year.
Anyway, over the weekend I had to stop at PetSmart across the way from Midway Mall. It was pretty depressing looking over at the now almost empty shopping complex that's slowly morphing into something else entirely.
For so many years in the late 60s and entire 1970s, Midway Mall truly was the shopping and entertainment hub of Lorain and Elyria, hosting a variety of special events, shows, school exhibits and performances. There's a lot of sentimental memories there for locals. It's hard to imagine that today's youth will look back decades from now with the same kind of affection for shopping meccas like Crocker Park or Legacy Village (which are designed to look like Downtowns) that we have for Midway Mall.
11 comments:
You are correct about the memories we all have from the old Midway Mall.The latest toys from Sears.Then later on as I got older,Craftsman tools.Waffles from Hough Bakeries.Big warm pretzels and a Frozen Coke from Woolworths.Pink bubblegum ice cream from Baskin Robbins.Carved roast beef from Harvest House.The sunken diner on Higbees main floor.The oil rain fountain they had in front of the old Ted Jacobs,which was right in front of Higbees.Plus all the various fashion shows,car shows,events that were all put on there.Now all kids have for memories are ordering take out and getting it delivered by somebody from DoorDash.
You see, science has overcome time and space. Well, Harvey has overcome not only time and space, but any objections.
- Dowd, Elwood P. -
I disagree. Kids today go to Crocker Park and hang out all day just like we used to do at the mall. They have all the same stores available to them - clothes, books, sporting goods, ice cream, food, movie theater, etc. The only difference is it's mostly seasonal and you don't need a pay phone to call your mom to come and get you. Their happy shopping memories are fully intact, just a bit different than ours. The real problem is we don't like it because it's not a traditional mall and it sucks trying to pick up a teenager at CP with all of that traffic.
Looking back, will we have any affection for Crocker Park? Probably not, and even less so for Amazon.
Good Morning from Providence Hospital in Waco!
It's just a recurrence of gout, be home soon.
So many memories of the Mall, so hard to believe that it's in the shape I saw it in last September.
Does Crocker Park have any new car shows?No.Does Crocker Park have real toy stores besides that toy store for toddlers?No.Does Crocker Park have the indoor shopping experience?No.And can kids hang out all day long inside a building out of the weather like they could at any mall all across America at Crocker Park?No.Outdoor shopping centers are just one step above online shopping.
Crocker Park absolutely has car shows, concerts, ice skating, Santa Claus, Christmas tree lighting, Easter bunny, annual festival for kids, farmers markets, etc. Everything the mall used to have, Crocker Park has today. Hell, they even have an indoor amusement park for the kids. You can get a frozen coke and a pretzel if that's your thing as someone mentioned above. The only difference is indoor vs outdoor. I'm not sure why there is so much hate for these places, but you should stop being so grumpy and give it a try sometime. You just might enjoy it and get a little exercise.
In this world, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.
- Dowd, Elwood P. -
I don't think there is hatred for Crocker Park or Legacy Village. They are the latest, most modern, brick-and-mortar shopping experience and very popular, with plenty of special events that are very appealing to families. The point I was trying to make is that by its very name, Midway Mall was connected to Lorain and Elyria. It hosted many school concerts and art shows affiliated with those two cities as well as others in Lorain County. With plenty of places inside to sit and watch the world go by, you inevitably saw people you knew. Crocker Park is in a different county, designed to draw people from all over.
The indoor mall concept replaced old-fashioned downtowns and open air shopping centers (like Sheffield Center) for a reason: a climate-controlled environment where you didn't have to face the elements going from store to store. For me, I'm still surprised people would rather park on the top floor of a parking garage and then take a long walk in the rain to get to the trendy stores, and get wet going from store to store. But people like it apparently because Midway Mall is a ghost town.
On the other hand, I was in Windsor last year and stopped at Devonshire Mall, which is the only mall in that Canadian city. It was huge, utterly packed with shoppers and featured an incredible selection of stores. I kept wondering: why don't malls succeed in the U. S. (at least in Northern Ohio)?
Does Crocker Park have brand new vehicle car shows?I remember Midway Mall would have a new car shows every year.Sort of like a mini IX Center show.And they used to have vintage Corvette shows too.
If we live long enough things will swing full-circle and we’ll be back in enclosed malls and places like Crocker Parks will be abandoned.
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