Comments on: North Park Mall; Villa Park, Illinois

By: none

none — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:25:33 +0000

@Bobby,

fruit and meat market was originally half of the dominicks, Chubb the computer school was the other half. chubb has closed and now the meat and fruit market has taken over the whole space which use to be dominics. North Ave and Addison road.
I went to chubb in 1999 approx and this is when the fruit and meat store opened.

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:51:28 +0000

Wow, I just remembered, does anybody remember Carnival Video? It used to occupy both spaces where Pet Supplies and Discovery is. This mall has always fascinated me, I remember the day they closed the arcade, that was pretty much the decline for me, God I miss that place

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:47:49 +0000

I believe the name of the restaurant/bar across North Ave from the mall was called Danny’s Bar & Grill, I think. Somebody has got to have some old pics of the mall buried somewhere…these pics on here depress me so much. If anyone has ANY PICTURE from the mall, like late 80’s/early 90’s please submit it!!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:20:45 +0000

Hubby and I both lived around NPM years ago – we were out that way tonite and were trying to remember the name of a restaurant/bar that was across from the mall on the corner of North and Addison (southeast). It served these great reuben sandwiches with several dips. We asked some family members that are from area but they had no idea. It is drving us nuts trying to remember the name – anywone know?

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:29:04 +0000

What a riot! For some reason, I wanted to find out if NPM was even still around so I found this site by chance after a google search. Such a trip down memory lane.
I remember the mall as a child in the very early 80s. The interior always fascinated me, it was so different then other shopping malls. Much of the physical features are still there (same round seating, brown floor, rounded off square store signs, etc) but the lighting is much changed. It was almost entirely can (track) lights with spot lights back then & very moody, almost dreary. Everything was brown or “earth tone”. It really screamed the mid-late 70’s and you could tell it was designed and built on the cheap.
For me, I mostly remember the Dominick’s as my mom shopped there and the Garabaldi’s. I’m so surprised its still there!! I loved it as a 4-5 year old, and again I remember the funky look to the place. Its stuck in my head, plain as day, 25+ years later. I also remember the oddball sloped floors, the Hot Sams pretzels and later on the little interior shops, incl. one that had a glass artist and the airbrushed clothing. I think the last time I was in the mall had to be 1990 or so, and even then it seemed like it was struggling pretty bad. I do think there was a demographic shift and as much of the surrounding area started to become more affluent (or at least “upper” middle class) more and more people visited Yorktown or Oak Brook Center. NPM struggled with its identity and still does. I hardly ever make it to the western burbs anymore, but if I do I will make a point to go to Garabaldi’s!

By: keith

keith — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:57:48 +0000

I worked at JC Penney Outlet there from 1986 to 1990 I know that penneys used to be down the road where parts city / bingo hall is now, And moved there in the early 80’s. My mom worked for them from 76 to when it closed. The outlet pulled out becuse there where to many outlets in the il area already and it was getting old. That store used to rake in the money. We used to get bus loads of people on the weekends and you couldn’t find a parking spot in the mall on the weekends. The mall had full occupancy at that time. Like many others I was 16 when I started there and have may great memories of hanging in the mall on lunch and nights. I have been to Hobos to by stuff, But I have not been in the mall itself sine about 98 I might have to stop by this week and walk the old memory row….

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 05:10:45 +0000

Ok now facts,North park mall was sold in the early to mid 90s,story goes the owner had passed away, left it to his sons (thats when the lease and price increase came to play with the tenants)Somewhere in there the mall after all the decline,was going to be torn down and target(now down at north and ardmore) was to be built there along with from what i was told years ago a Home depot well that never happened .Now it is owned by company who also owns the shopping center on butterfield rd where the olive garden is located on downers grove.I used to plow snow there for a guy,but the place has goen to the pits and I honestly see it when the economy comes back being knock down

By: Tomm

Tomm — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:36:38 +0000

I live near NP Mall in Elmhurst and it opened in late 70’s. The JC Penney’s there was always an Outlet store, not a full JCP, which is still at nearby Yorktown Mall.

NP Mall was called ‘poor man’s Woodfield’, but to me it was tacky, even in the 80’s heyday of malls. [I was in my 20's, then, target shopper] Seemed like it was trying too hard to be trendy with Hot Sam, Glamour Shots, and Jeans West; stores that were poor knock-offs. They couldn’t compete with Oak Brook and Yorktown mall’s name brand stores.

The indoor store signs had splashy logos which were dated by 1986. The entrance by Girbaldi’s smelled of Pizza and hair slaon chemicals. I’d go there mostly for a good laugh, especially the novelty store that sold computer print outs of your face, so “70’s” in the late 80’s

Robert Hall Village was a discount store that didn’t last long, and K Mart took its place. In the 80’s, K Mart was a big “no way” to young shoppers and that alone turned “mall rats” away.

By: Jeff Spitalnik

Jeff Spitalnik — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:45:19 +0000

I was involved with the Robert Hall Village Stores when they were opened which was in the Mid70’s. There were five stores that were opned at the same time in Chicagoland. I recall the stores in Homewood, Hoffman Estates, Villa Park , Crystal lakeand the last which escapes my memory. The stores were a forerunner to K-mart and they were built to emphasis the clothing merchandising of Robert Hall Clothes. The other merchandising groups in the stores were leased departments. The store were all the same sizes , about 120,000sq ft. They were flips of one another. At the time Robert Hall Clothes consisted of a nationwide chain of 500 family clothing stores. Each of the family clothing stores were 8000sq. ft. The chain which strted in about 1940 declared bankruptcy in 1975.

By: Steve Vee

Steve Vee — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:12:36 +0000

My mom would give my brother and I $5 each and let us wander the mall when she would go shopping for herself. I was between 8-12 years old when we went there regularly.

Ha. Nick and MC, I bet I fought you on the original Street Fighter 2 in Just for Fun.

Hot Sams had THE BEST pretzels ever. But I think this spot closed down and turned into an airbrushing place. I once had my hoodie airbrushed there.

I used to buy model rockets and a few Transformers toys at Don’s Toy’s and Hobbies and yes, these were overpriced.

Bought a few Dungeons and Dragon’s books as well as Warhammer figurines from Gamers Paradise. Even bought the original NES there when it first came out. I had a friend that ended up working there. Gamers Paradise ended up moving across the hall for some reason and I know that it didn’t last long there.

I can confirm that Dominick’s was where the fruit and meat market are now.

If I remember correctly, I think the bathroom hallway was next to Don’s.

Also, there was a hair salon next to the inside Garibaldi’s entrance and then Just for Fun.

Currently, there is a Discovery womens clothing store next to the chinese restaurant that has an entrance both outside and inside the mall.

The flea market that resided where the KMart used to be has now moved into the mall. Not sure what exactly is going to happen from here on, but I hope the owner’s can get this place booming again.