Independent MObile JOurnalism Showcasing the "mojo" of HOward COunty
The Columbia Mall Wayback Machine
My wife found a hanger in our coat closet. An old one. It must have belonged to my parents.
She posted the photo of the hanger to FaceBook, and several people indicated they had no recollection of there being a Hutzlers in The Mall in Columbia. Sure enough, I did some digging, and Hutzler's did not have a store in The Mall in Columbia. They had a store at Security Mall, which back in the 70s was similar in stature and scope to Columbia's mall. My grandmother lived near Security Mall, and we would regularly go to the movies there.
So I was wrong about Hutzler's at The Mall in Columbia. (Woodies was, in fact, the other anchor.) But this got me thinking. How many stores could I name from the original, two-anchor configuration of The Mall? If you're a Columbia old-timer, take a minute and try to remember as many stores as you can. For me, it was only a handful, a lot less than I'd originally thought.
Lucky for me (and for everyone living in Howard County) we have The Columbia Archives, under the expert care of Barbara Kellner. I stopped in and Barbara was more than happy to help me satisfy my curiosity, pulling a set of files on the history of The Mall, as well as a 1971 community phone book.
This is an early promotional brochure for The Mall, pointing out the unique design, glass domes (although they're pyramids, not domes, right?), and convenient parking. Interesting to note that The Mall was closed on Sunday, with local blue laws in effect. (For many years, even when The Mall opened on Sundays, the anchors remained closed.)
And here's a mall directory from the 1971 Columbia telephone directory. This is of particular interest because it lists what each store actually is. I would have had no idea that some of these cleverly named places were clothing or shoe stores without this guide.
Any of these stores bring back memories? (They sure do for me!) Leave a comment and share your stories.
(Larger versions of these images can be found on the HoCoMoJo Flickr feed.)
She posted the photo of the hanger to FaceBook, and several people indicated they had no recollection of there being a Hutzlers in The Mall in Columbia. Sure enough, I did some digging, and Hutzler's did not have a store in The Mall in Columbia. They had a store at Security Mall, which back in the 70s was similar in stature and scope to Columbia's mall. My grandmother lived near Security Mall, and we would regularly go to the movies there.
So I was wrong about Hutzler's at The Mall in Columbia. (Woodies was, in fact, the other anchor.) But this got me thinking. How many stores could I name from the original, two-anchor configuration of The Mall? If you're a Columbia old-timer, take a minute and try to remember as many stores as you can. For me, it was only a handful, a lot less than I'd originally thought.
Lucky for me (and for everyone living in Howard County) we have The Columbia Archives, under the expert care of Barbara Kellner. I stopped in and Barbara was more than happy to help me satisfy my curiosity, pulling a set of files on the history of The Mall, as well as a 1971 community phone book.
This is an early promotional brochure for The Mall, pointing out the unique design, glass domes (although they're pyramids, not domes, right?), and convenient parking. Interesting to note that The Mall was closed on Sunday, with local blue laws in effect. (For many years, even when The Mall opened on Sundays, the anchors remained closed.)
And here's a mall directory from the 1971 Columbia telephone directory. This is of particular interest because it lists what each store actually is. I would have had no idea that some of these cleverly named places were clothing or shoe stores without this guide.
Any of these stores bring back memories? (They sure do for me!) Leave a comment and share your stories.
(Larger versions of these images can be found on the HoCoMoJo Flickr feed.)
Comment
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Comment by victor thompson on February 3, 2010 at 2:05am -
there was a Hutzler's???Wow....thanks Dave!!...there was a raw bar??wtf..
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Comment by victor thompson on February 3, 2010 at 2:02am
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there are like a total of 20 stores i remember on the list..Wow..Thom McCann, Hahn Shoes..This list is before there was a McDonalds on the top level!! Patomac Toys..miss that alot..The Jade Palace...Woody's had a bar/restaurant that my dad would hang out at when he would drop us off in the Mall...McCrory's..I stole so much stuff from there....When my family moved here in '83, Heroes World, Merry go Round, Attivo, Musicland..That was the stuff, and the Arcade on the second level..
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Comment by victor thompson on February 3, 2010 at 1:53am
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Also the Columbia Archives don't count..its easier to get info about the last 50 years of the United States at the Smithsonian then to even bother them for the time of day. Worse still is the Historic Ellicott City building near the HoCo court house, god help if they even want to show you anything..
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Comment by victor thompson on February 3, 2010 at 1:48am
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wow. where is the "museum of Columbia" to put those documents in??speaking of which, why hasn't there been an effort to consolidate all Howard County historical artifacts in one place ?? I understand every area such as Elicott City or Savage are historically important to some degree but neglected are other areas like Clarksville,Oella, and especially some areas of Columbia..With alot of old farmland now being utilized for building projects,shopping centers and developments, one would think someone would say to the idea of creating an area for the historical past of Howard County.."Remember when there was a toystore in the Mall??"
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Comment by Summer Romack on January 14, 2010 at 9:29am -
Thanks for sharing, Dave! (And thanks always to Barbara Kellner!)
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Comment by wordbones on January 13, 2010 at 9:02pm -
I worked as a "stock boy" in Bathtique (#12 lower level) when the mall first opened for a Mrs. Barry. Every other teenager in Columbia at that time either worked for Barry's (#45 lower level), Airport (#52 lower level) or Friendly Ice Cream. I guess we were the lower level dwellers...
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