Allan,
Noticed your question about Kroch’s and Brentano’s. Yes, it actually was inside Lincoln Mall, next to the Carson’s store. Kroch’s was in all the major Chicago area malls and would always just locate inside next door to one of the more upscale anchors. As a matter of fact, I recognize the Kids for Less store in one of the above photos actually used to be Kroch’s and Brentano’s- I recognize the brick, and ever since they closed the tenants have not remodeled. I also remember they had stores at River Oaks and Orland both right next to the Marshall Field’s stores.

Feeling nostalgic, I actually took an impromptu trip to Lincoln Mall yesterday after periodically reading last year about the alleged retailer difficulties they’ve been facing internally and from the Matteson village hall. I came out of it with mixed feelings…..sure there’s plenty of vacant store space to be had and not much of the chaotic bustle the Mall saw in earlier decades, but the interior decor doesn’t look too shoddy and can be ameliorated by simple refurbishing and a food annex upgrade (say on par with Ford City’s). Of course these ideas will be contingent upon Matteson village officials and the present mall owners coming to their own mutual resolutions, but consider me guilty for having a Charlie Brown heart for the now lost little mall that nobody wants.

I’ve noticed it’s very damn easy to get away with photography at certain malls, such as the very huge ones like Woodfield. However, some are security-heavy, such as Simon-owned malls. (hoping I can find some way to overcome this, as some of my future photography goals include some Simon malls) Simon mall guards seem to use Segways in their malls, but not sure about CBL, but do want to know since my future goals include shooting in some of their malls(i.e. Regency in Racine, Ford City in Chicago, and of course Eastland in Bloomington).

Back to Lincoln Mall, very interesting to see Kroch’s & Brentano’s was at this mall. Was it inside the mall(a la Waldenbooks or B. Dalton), or in an anchor space with an outdoor entrance? And were they ever in any other Chicago area malls?

Well, need to get cooking on some more mall photography I’ve long wanted to do, and trips to malls I’ve yet to visit. From the experiences of others, is photographing in depressed malls tougher to do(and when security targets and gives the best scare to anyone in the act they witness) than in thriving malls? I was considering doing a photography trip to Marquette Mall in Michigan City a little bit down the 2010 road, that’s why I’d like to know if what I’ve occasionally heard is a typical rule of thumb when it comes to indoor mall photography.

Eventually, the track got ripped out, and then Aladdin’s took over. Pinball gave way to video over the years, but didn’t disappear completely. Then the mall got its 1992 redo, and the first thing I noticed was that the arcade was gone.

When the McDonald’s closed (it had been open since the mall was built), I knew it was doomed for sure. I’ve been back a few times over the years, and it’s hardly a shadow of what it once was.

If I had to guess, if it doesn’t become the next Dixie Square, what’s left of it will end up being turned inside out in the manner of Orland Corners. It seems that only a lucky few enclosed malls have a chance these days, and I suspect the issue is visibility. People are in a hurry, and they will more likely visit a store that can be seen from the road than one tucked away in a mall.