70's And 80's Mall Stores

[memebag]

Almeda Mall had a pipe tobacco store w/ all those big jars...that place smelled good, I think it was called the "Pipe Pub".

Yes it was, and I believe Baybrook had one, too. They were great stores for cigars back before cigars were trendy.

[TJones]

I bought a ton of my clothes from a store at San Jacinto mall. It was a surf shop and I had pretty much every new Maui & Sons T-shirt that came out. Always bought good clothes, Polo, Generra, Guess at Foley's or Macy's at Baybrook. Had some Z.Cavaricci stuff that I bought at The Go Round( Merry Go Round?).

[sevfiv]

I remember shopping at places that are still around (like JC Penneys) - when did Meyer Bros. go away?

Other specific places escape my memory, but some of the brands are seared in my brain -

-Lotto shoes (with the little velcro attachments)

-Skidz pants (lol)

-Jordache jeans

-Members Only jackets

-LA Gear

-ESPRIT

-Generra / Hypercolor

-Z Cavaricci jeans (maybe more early 90s)

-Girbaud jeans (maybe more early 90s too)

[EastEnd Susan]

Yes it was, and I believe Baybrook had one, too. They were great stores for cigars back before cigars were trendy.

I remember that place and yes it smelled great. I would go there to buy these extremely long cigarettes that came in different colors with gold filters. I was so cool.... NOT!

[Vertigo58]

For a real Nostalgia trip, see Fast Times at Ridgemont High and others of the era like Valley Girl. These films will have numerous scenes that depict 80's mall world/life to the T.

I still say watching store managers or rent a cop security dudes bust shoplifters in the malls in 70's and 80's was bizarre!

Thats when they used to hide behind those 2 way (so obvious) mirrors to see unsuspecting teens stuff everything under the sun in to their little jackets, pockets, purses. We sales clerks used to see it 1st hand on ocassion. There were not many surveillance cams in those days. It was just silly nosey clerks or creepy security peeking behind shelves & junk. Hilarious.

Get Christie Love! Your under arrest Sugar!

[scrubba]

I remember many of those places. I also remember:

Units - Remember this fad?! It was basic knit pieces that you mixed and matched -most outfits were finished off with a fabric "belt" ( a tube of fabric). I remember the stores having walls of cubbies w/ the pieces in there.

Contempo - didn't shop there much, but some friends did

579 -I think these might still exist

I remember Outback Red clothes, but can't remember who sold them.

I also shopped sometimes at Gap, Express, Lerners (now NY&Co) and Banana Republic - all stores that still exist.

BTW these would be mid -late 80's stores.

[/quote

Ya'all gonna hate me fer this but I shopped over at the Southwest Common Flea market at S W freeway and Chimney Rock

Ed shaver, Scrubba

[sevfiv]

[METALHOUSTON]

When I 1st saw this thread and read "70's and 80's mall stores" I had all kinds of memories goin' through my head of ALL the places in the mall I liked to go to but "places you loved to buy your clothes as a teen?" narrowed it down a bit.

Hell, the only "Contempo" I remember goin' to was at Astroworld and.....well, it was hard to find places in malls for clothes I liked. I had to go to places like Texas Tapes N Records on Spencer HWY. (I think it was 1615 Spencer? I'll have to look at my Houston Headbangers membership card....yep 1615 highway, South Houston, TX 77587.) Well, there was a place called Dream Merchant in Sharpstown mall where I would by some clothes. That was in the early and mid 80s before it moved to a church at 1658 Westheimer. It was still a cool place at the new location but it was never as good as it used to be. And I think I mighta bought a couple of shits from Sheer Insanity when it was in the Galleria.

I miss all that man! What is there today to buy cool clothes at in the malls? Yeah, there's that wannabe Goth store "Hot Topic" but it ain't as cool as TT&R and Dream Merchant were. Oh and there's still a couple of Spencer's Gifts around too.

TT&R was where the Fiesta is now and Jeff (the guy who ran TT&R) has a smaller place across the street called "Puff N' Stuff" at 1418 Spencer Hwy where I still buy some shirts but it AIN'T the same.

Oh well, they weren't in a mall anyway.

[Retama]

I never bought anything there but it seemed like Benetton was everywhere back in the 1980s. They always had those "edgy" ads that were designed to hack people off.

[TJones]

I never bought anything there but it seemed like Benetton was everywhere back in the 1980s. They always had those "edgy" ads that were designed to hack people off.

Hey Retama, I remember that San Jac Mall pretty much had every cheesy retailer of the 80's. We even had a "County Seat".

I even recall the jingle. County Seat, the County Seeeeeeeaaat, come direct your feet into the County Seeeeaaatt !

Edited January 14, 2009 by TJones

[Retama]

Hey Retama, I remember that San Jac Mall pretty much had every cheesy retailer of the 80's. We even had a "County Seat".

I even recall the jingle. County Seat, the County Seeeeeeeaaat, come direct your feet into the County Seeeeaaatt !

Oh, yeah we had a County Seat and even had a Gap and both a Waldenbooks and a B. Dalton!

[Original Timmy Chan's]

mom used to drag me to weiners. i hated going there. fortunately, the conroe location closed during my teen years.

Seems all my clothes came from Weiners, the Sears Surplus near Almeda Mall (same shopping center as Millers Outpost, incidentally), KMart and Target. When we left town in the 80's and dad got a better paying job, we actually shopped at JCPenney's sometimes!!!

I recall being embarassed about this in junior high, but by high school I could care less. Mom and Dad buying me some jeans at Sears beat the hell out of me buying my own clothes!

After I became responsible for myself, I realized that even Sears is out of their minds on price! Most of my clothes come from Sam's Club now. I can appreciate $15 slacks, $12 jeans and $15 shirts.

[westguy76]

As I stated earlier my mom bought my clothes 90% of the time from the Penny's catalog. I had a lot of bugle boy clothes.

That or I got my brother's hand-me-downs.

I do remember going into Gulfgate and buying some shorts and shoes from Vision Street wear. sort of skater clothes.

Skidz LOL

[Bombero451]

In the late 70's I pretty much got all my clothes from Sears - Tuffskins jeans and my shoes from K Mart - Traxx.

In the early 80's, I liked going to Hobie for my cool Hobie t-shirts, OP shorts and my checkered Vans. In fat, I still have my old red/white velco OP wallet somehwere in my house.

In the mid to late 80's I shopped mostly at Millers Outpost for jeans, pants, Cosby-esque sweaters and remember going to the mall to buy my penny loafers and boat shoes.

[glzuma]

This was the early 70s now, but.....

Hirsch Brothers Clothing in the Memorial City Mall was a great place for unique, one of a kind shirts.

Warp and Woof Clothiers in the Village had an extensive selection of jeans.

Mid 70s now....

I can't remember where I bought those high waisted baggies (slacks), but I know I got the platform shoes to complete the outfit at The Wild Pair in the Galleria. Everybody wanting the most outrageous shoes did.

[KimmerTX]

Warp and Woof Clothiers in the Village had an extensive selection of jeans.

Woo! They had the BEST selection of Guess jeans, circa 1985.

[sozavac]

Dream Merchant in Sharpstown mall where I would by some clothes.

Dream Merchant was the best place to buy your favorite band t-shirts as well as all sorts of goth/punk related items.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Cosby-esque sweaters and...boat shoes.

[Reefmonkey]

As most teens did in the 80's, I spent a lot of time trolling the mall! I'm trying to remember all those shops we used to love to buy clothes at. Here are some that come to mind:

Clothing:

The Gap (when it was strictly jeans and t-shirts)

I remember the Gap commercials from the early 80s - animated, following the cartoon gold tread on cartoon blue denim, while a man with a very deep bass voice sang in a descending scale: "FALL IN TO THE-GAP"

I thought about that every time I passed the Gap in Greenspoint as a little kid in the early 80s

Hickory Farms

Yeah, I remember when it seemed like every mall had an ATTACHED movie theater that you entered through the mall, a GNC vitamin store, a Hickory Farms, and a pet store.

I remember when the Galleria still had an attached movie theater, where the new section meets Galleria II. Also remember an independent full-service pharmacy on the second or third level of Galleria I, a gag gift store on the rink level of Galleria I (at the Neimans end) and the great old Sam Houston Bookstore on the rink level, where FYE is now. I loved that book store -only place in Houston with a decent selection of James Bond novels.

I very

[Vertigo58]

Just wonder if anyone remebered a ladies store called Margo's Lamode or something close to that?

I have a friend called Margo and it stirred up the memory.

We may have mentioned that very popular trendy hair style place called Command Performance. As you walked past them in the malls, you would always get that terrible whif of burning colored or newly permed hair and the loudness of Jos

[PapillionWyngs]

5-7-9

Casual Corner

I cannot remember the name of the store downtown that carried junior clothing

Foley's

Sakowitz

Joske's

Gap

JC Penney's

Margo's LaMode in Almeda Mall

[Vertigo58]

Margo's LaMode in Almeda Mall

Wow, another Houston mystery solved! Tks Papi!

The pieces of memories puzzle slowly come together...

PS, how can we ever forget the carousel turning around in the center court of Almeda Mall? I am pretty sure it has been mentioned on Haif-a-rama.

[mkultra25]

I know I got the platform shoes to complete the outfit at The Wild Pair in the Galleria. Everybody wanting the most outrageous shoes did.

I was at the Galleria this weekend, and was surprised to see that there's still a Wild Pair there - of course, it looks considerably different than the 70s incarnation. Perhaps it's always been there, and I just never noticed it before, but I thought all of the Wild Pair stores were long gone.

[Reefmonkey]

This is more early 90s, but a place I liked to shop as a high schooler in the Willowbrook Mall was J Riggins. I guess they went out of business.

[Subdude]

In the 1980s wasn't there an Aca Joe store around?

[Vertigo58]

This is more early 90s, but a place I liked to shop as a high schooler in the Willowbrook Mall was J Riggins. I guess they went out of business.

J Riggins was also discussed in detail on other mall topics but I was a regular American Gigolo was a smash at theaters & every guy had to be a Richard Gere clone (before the gerbil controversy a few yrs later).

Riggins was later to be the Miami Vice - Don Johnson look-a-like clothing store. I will never forget the very light weight paperlike pants (light blue) and yep, light pink jacket. They even sold the varied coloered espadrille shoes! They only lasted for a few wks. Now you are Don Johnson just like that! The style would vanish by the next summer.

[marketingwiz]

Wistfully, I remember the 5-7-9 Shop and my ability to legitimately shop there. Just add a zero to the end of each figure to calculate my current size.

Did anyone mention Margo's LaMode? I actually had one of their credit cards.

[IronTiger]

J Riggins was also discussed in detail on other mall topics but I was a regular American Gigolo was a smash at theaters & every guy had to be a Richard Gere clone (before the gerbil controversy a few yrs later).

Riggins was later to be the Miami Vice - Don Johnson look-a-like clothing store. I will never forget the very light weight paperlike pants (light blue) and yep, light pink jacket. They even sold the varied coloered espadrille shoes! They only lasted for a few wks. Now you are Don Johnson just like that! The style would vanish by the next summer.

It's actually J. Riggings, as seen here:

(right click it to see)

Picture taken by me at Mall of the Mainland...

Edited March 19, 2009 by IronTiger

[e streeter]

before my sister graduated high school, my mom would take me shopping with them and i would get to go to the fun stores. one was called dk's on hillcroft. they had great hip huggers (i didn't even have hips back then) and monogrammed purses.

once my sister went to college, i started making my own clothes.

[Vertigo58]

As most teens did in the 80's, I spent a lot of time trolling the mall! I'm trying to remember all those shops we used to love to buy clothes at. Here are some that come to mind:

Wicks n Sticks

Anybody else out there have memories of great shops in the malls of the 70's and 80's? I know there are tons more. Open your memories!

I wonder if this is that store that featured rows and rows of really neat Wax candles ???

I do recall always seeing a candle shop that had really cool candles made to look like ice cream, ala Banana splits, Soda fountains, sundaes. They seemed very realistic from a distance and I think had scents of that specific flavor of ice cream.

I also think they featured inscents?

Another Houston Mall mystery question! 1st winner gets a banana split! Yumm!

once my sister went to college, i started making my own clothes.

Smart, smart, smart! Good for you! This is how some of the most famous designers started!