Comments on: Crossroads Mall; Fort Dodge, Iowa

By: Nathan Bush

Nathan Bush — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:22:03 +0000

Hey it’s me yet again! I visited this mall last month just for shits and giggles and it is still how I left it. I cannot believe after three friggin’ years they have not found ANY businesses to go into the Sears Wing…is it REALLY that hard? I know that rent is expensive, but offer retailers lower priced rent for a year to see if the store will make it in the mall and THEN charge regular rent.

The only things that have recently changed in the mall is that Gordon Jewelers has become Riddles Jewelers (which looks a LOT nicer, actually) and Longlines Wireless has moved in next door to Riddle’s. The Gamestop (old EB Games…it transformed into Gamestop in 2005…even after they built the Gamestop in the strip mall across from Wal-Mart in 2004) in the mall finally closed (though I think they never should of opened a Gamestop OUTSIDE of the mall…), and that’s pretty much it…and yes there is a Buckle, Maurices, and i hear from word of mouth that some japanese steakhouse will be moving in the now closed Bonanza…is there anyone that can confirm this? Thanks!

Nate

By: Dan Zimmermann

Dan Zimmermann — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:50:26 +0000

I have fond memories of growing up in Fort Dodge and visiting the mall when it was still open air. I grew up on a farm just outside of town so didn’t get there often. When I did it was a big deal. Even bigger when they closed it in. Like many teens these days, I enjoyed goint to the mall to hang out with my friends or meet my girlfriend at Orange Julius. Those were the days. Ocassionally I get home to visit and seeing the mall in the sad state it’s in is depressing. I don’t go to the mall where I live now, but when I do, it’s nice to have a nice one to go to.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:46:53 +0000

As sad as it is to say, there are even fewer stores in the mall now than there were when these photos were taken. The Walgreens (Not exactly failed) moved from the mall sometime in the mid 90’s, when they built their own building on the opposite side of buisiness 20. They had planned on puting a small theater in the space, which was shut down when the Cinema 4 became the Fort 8. The “Live Spiders” and “Coin Toss” signs were probably for a program run by the Curious Kids Museum (pictured in many of the adjacent photographs to the signs).
And yes, they do lock the high school seniors up in the mall for a whole night. If I recall correctly, many of the area high school do something similar as an “After Prom” party. FDSH has enough students that no venue in town could properly facilitate an after prom party, so they have a Senior Dinner and all-night party for the graduating class. It’s not so much the “red asphalt” effect, as more of a last hurrah for the seniors. They give away everything from Gift Certificates, to luggage, refridgerators, TV’s, and many other things college students may find useful… I grew up in Fort Dodge, and yeah, the mall is old, and overpriced to rent a space. But in a town that is mostly lower and lower-middle class, what do you really expect? Most people that can afford to buy Abercrombie and Aeropostale, are also willing enough to drive an hour to DSM or Ames.

By: Phil

Phil — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 06:19:36 +0000

The “Dead” Walgreens moved to a freestanding store in 1999. I know this because I worked in the mall at that store front in 1997 while in High school. Mark is a little incorrect about his dates.

By: Dianne Cooper-Vaillancourt

Dianne Cooper-Vaillancourt — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:30:57 +0000

I grew up in Fort Dodge and have fond memories of the open air mall. Every year at Christmas time they had a little train that I would ride all around the mall,I remember how cold it was but I didn’t care because Santa was the driver. My mother worked at Younkers from the time I was in 3rd grade and then I worked there with her for a few years before she passed away. Back in the day Younkers had high standards, now sad to say it is like any other store. Good luck to the mall, looks like it needs some updating and a better selection of stores. I enjoyed looking at the photos.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:06:20 +0000

Um… the “Grandmother’s display” was of Foster Grandparents. These ladies gave their time to the schools in the community. They assisted teachers with lessons and made sure the students were happy. The vest in the show case was their uniform. These grandparents made a difference in many kids life’s that went to Fort Dodge schools. God Bless them!

By: Evan Engel

Evan Engel — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:53:07 +0000

I recall that EB Games is still in business as I visted their store last month. Also, there is a Buckle clothing store but, I don’t remember when they moved into the mall.

By: Jonah Norason

Jonah Norason — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:53:11 +0000

What a creepy place. Everything from the grandmothers to the JCPenney that time forgot…
And Gadzooks did not close ALL of their stores.

By: Mark Spangler

Mark Spangler — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:48:50 +0000

I recall going to the mall as a very small child in the late 1960’s. It was a real treat. And yes, it WAS an open-air mall back then. I can still hear the strains of “Downtown” by Petula Clark waftting through the air (although you have to go over the big bridge to actually get downtown)

Having returned to visit the city in the last year, I was amazed at how much it cleaned up its act. Although my brief visit did not include a trip to the Crossroads Mall, the exterior did seem to look pretty much like I remembered it when I lived there in the 1980s as a radio air talent.

I recall distinctly a “lock in” event one year for an after-prom party at the mall. In order to prevent “red ashphalt” on the streets we locked up the seniors from the public high school and had games, food, etc. I hosted a car giveaway and recall the kid who won was a fellow by the name of Jason Hamburger (true).

This mall is really no great shakes, although I did enjoy shopping at Spencers when I lived in “the Dodge” in 1987-’89. It is far superior to the now defunct “Trolley Center” mall downtown. The only thing that had going for it was a bar called the “Rock and Roll Reunion”. Crossroads is somewhat similar to Southbridge in Mason City, although a bit larger.

Still, those good ole days of Crossroads are a pleasant memory to me. For a small town boy it was like going to New York. I also liked the businesses that ringed the huge parking lot, especially Henry’s Hamburgers.

I now live in Minnesota. Check out River Hills Mall here… it’s a far superior mall than anything you’ll find in similar sized cities in Iowa.

By: Jonah Norason

Jonah Norason — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 19:53:33 +0000

Live Spiders, eh? It’s like one of them roadside displays off Route 66!