‘Funeral’ Held For Once Popular Suburban Illinois Mall

An Illinois mall closed over the weekend but not without a touch of fanfare.

Any of us that were around in the 80's, 90's, and early 00's can remember how beloved malls were. They were being built everywhere and they were the social mecca of suburbia. My early dates were to the mall. Wanted to hang out with friends? You go to the mall. Needed a new 'fit? Mall.

Malls had food, random kiosks of random stuff, stores, and stuff to do. What wasn't to love? But some good things can't last forever and online shopping became popular and it killed the mall.

But according to NBC Chicago, some Illinoisans didn't let a mall close without a proper goodbye.

Saying Goodbye

Stratford Square Mall opened in 1981 in Bloomingdale and it was anchored by Sears, Marshall Fields, and Carson Pirie Scott. It struggled to keep up with changes, like many malls have, and now the village of Bloomingdale is planning to make it a "transformative mixed-use development".

Longtime mall janitor Stephen Miller told NBC Chicago he remembers days when the mall was "totally different" and during the Christmas season, they couldn't park in the parking lot because there were so many cars.

That's probably why the 'funeral' for the mall over the weekend looked like this:

The mall closed to the public on Sunday. The new space that Bloomingdale is hoping to make it into would include a collection of restaurants, entertainment venues, housing, and public spaces.

I wouldn't be surprised if malls made a comeback, in the form of 'online shopping but in real life'.