Orange Julis was the first stand in the middle of the mall it was between TG&Y and Walgreen’s. Sometimes I’d get my popcorn at TG&Y and wash it down with an Orange Julis(a devilishly good drink as the cups proclaimed). The next stand was by Danny’s Men’s Wear and sold personal items,I can’t remember the name to save my life. The next stand was Topsy’s and was where the popcorn/carmel corn and candy apples were sold. I always thought the Air Popt machine in TG&Y made the better popcorn. And finally the ice cream stand was Bressler’s . . .boasting 33 flavors. They had a bubble gum flavor with real bubble gun in it. A bit tough to chew. There was a store across from there called Gran Prix where I bought a set of boots circa 1976 that would do Gene Simmons proud! I remeber damn near tripping on the platform heels and going head first down the DOWN escalator at JC Penny’s!!!!
Morten Anderson’s bar was called SPAT’S

we started going to the mall just after it was enclosed. the thing i remember the most and really miss is the christmas display they did at D.H.HOLMES! one year it would be an old english town. the next year it was the winterwonderland! oh i just loved going thru the display time after time!

j.c.penneys was orginally a one story store on the far left hand corner if you are facing the lake, on the veterans blvd side. they had a fabric dept! i remember shopping for school clothes for 7th grade and then they closed that store. they tore down the free standing western auto service dept and put in the two story j c penneys. expanding the mall and opening up many small stores in that area. I remember eating at the walgreens dinette and being served by heavily made up waitresses with bee hive hairdos that didnt like kids eating in there because we didnt tip! (who knew you were supposed to at 11 y rs old!)
i also remember when they opened the levi strauss store. wow that was great!

remember when you shopped at lerners and after selecting your items you had to find someone working on the floor to “write up” the items before you took them to the counter to pay for them. they also had a childrens section in this lerners store [not all lerners had this dept] it was along the causeway side.

also there were stores along the causeway side that didnt open into the mall. that was where the laundrmat was.

someone asked if anyone remembered the card kiosk outside of D.H.HOLMES! yes i remember that! before the hallmark store opened.
I also remember the store someone asked about with the wooden floors! oh how i loved that store. i also remember buying shoes and purses at BAKERS shoe store. you bought shoes and then a purse and had them dyed to match.

and you were really sophisticated if you shopped lady oris! i dont know why! i do remember buying the lil stretch panties that go under a cheerleading skirt at lady oris.
thanks for the memories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The many years of interior renovations and additions are done very well, and has a cohesive look like it was built from the ground up as the big mall it is now. There might be one ceiling a little bit higher here and there, but nothing that is really noticable or stands out. And the floor is the same throughout, I don’t see a difference in the colors and kind of floor. Well that is how it looks to me anyway.

The exterior is in need of an update more than the interior, especially the anchors. The Dillard’s is finally going through some exterior renovations now because it was looking very early 70’s. I guess they want to keep up with the shiny brand new Macy’s about to open. And the exterior of the JCPenney a big square box design, just like the one at Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge. Of course both were built in the mid 70’s and they still look it compared to the newer stores they have built in the last 10 years with the arch entrances. And some of the exterior does have a 70’s mall look, like the entrance between Dillard’s and Pottery Barn with the JCPenney sign above it, but that is part of the cool kind of 70’s charm of the exterior.. And the food court entrance on the other side of the mall, near the JCPenney entrance that faces Veterans Blvd and Severn Ave, and the new parking garage, has a kind of early 90’s look, another cool design. The front entrance facing Veteran’s Blvd is very nice, and contemporary looking, and has landscaping too, see this picture:

http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/lakeside-center-09.jpg

It would be way too costly to take the roof off of the mall anyway. I doubt that it will ever be done and I think it will hurt business too. Maybe a walkway to the satelite center with the Linens N Things behind the mall would be a nice addition, and add a little more safety and easier access to it from the main mall.

And also on there website they listed that Sephora was opening soon, another upscale store along with the Apple store. All the top stores just keep coming to Lakeside.