Dropped $60 on a mall directory map from 1987 and it was totally worth it

I found a guy on eBay selling original directory maps from the Franklin Park Mall that closed near Toledo in 2019. Snagged one for $60 and it arrived yesterday with all the old store names like The Limited and Waldenbooks. It's wild seeing how many anchors were there before the place fell apart. Anyone else collect weird old mall memorabilia like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

leo10711d ago

Wait, Waldenbooks? That takes me back. My local mall had one until like 2008 and I remember the yellow and red logo so clearly. Dropping $60 on a piece of dead mall history seems totally reasonable to me, honestly. Franklin Park must have been something else in its prime if it had that many original anchors.

grant_ross2711d ago

Gotta correct you a little there @leo107. Waldenbooks was actually around way longer than 2008. Some stores in smaller malls held on until like 2011 or even 2012. I remember walking past one in a dying mall in Ohio around 2010 and it was still chugging along with that yellow and red sign. Franklin Park was definitely a beast back in the day though. You're right that having that many original anchors was rare for a mid-tier mall. Makes you wonder if any of those big department store buildings are even still standing.