Comments on: Auburn Mall; Auburn, Massachusetts

By: Booker%9Tyler

Booker%9Tyler — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:45:27 +0000

Interesting article. Were did you receive all the info from…

By: Craine Walters

Craine Walters — Fri, 15 May 2009 04:47:38 +0000

In the 70s, my mom was the manager at the Viking Hϋs (House) sold Scandinavian merchandise. My mom would bring me in to work with her on the weekends from morning until closing. I would eat at Liberty Bakery owned by Frank and Joann in the morning, and Friendly’s at lunchtime. I remember watching cartoons at Impulse Electronics Store my third grade science teacher worked their around 1973 he was a teacher for the Charlton School District. My Father was a high school teacher at Auburn High. In the late 80s, early 90s I worked for Caldor’s in the Hardware Automotive Department I met one of my Closest friends he was the Assistant Store Managers Mr. Lovett. I have many great memories.
A late friend of the family Joe Berthiaume, told me that the Auburn Mall was built in such a way that a second floor could be added why that didn’t happen when it was renovated I don’t know. But I do know that the Mall is not the same.

By: mike

mike — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:24:47 +0000

I was the manager of the regal shoe store in the Auburn Mall. I opened the store on March 29TH 1971. The Mall officially opened a couple of days later. We closed our doors 15 years later in 1986, along with 225 other Regal mens stores. We also operated the shoe dept in Shacks. Just as we originally did when Shacks was on main st in Worcester on the same side of the street as the Cottage doughnut shop. Not that anyone cares, but before Regal, I managed WILBAR’S (wilbur shoe) located directly accross from city hall, next to Kresges.
Thank’s for the memories!

Mike

By: Todd

Todd — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:35:56 +0000

Buying concert tickets in the 1970’s was quite different than today. They usually went on sale at 10AM on Saturdays and they would be available only at a number of retail outlets within about a hundred mile radius of wherever the show was gonna take place (there was no ordering by phone until about noon, as I recall, so that those who stood in line would be guaranteed seats – the Internet was pure fantasy, of course). In the late 1970’s, about 1977 maybe, Neil Young was coming to the Springfield Civic Center and I was determined to get tickets.

There was a ticket counter on the second floor of Sears and I had a friend who managed a sport store in the mall. Rather than get up at three in the morning, he allowed a friend and I to sleep in the back room of the store with the understanding that if we were somehow caught, he knew nothing about it and we would have to say we broke in.

We got drunk and finally woke around 8:30. We went out a fire exit, tripping an alarm, and ran around the side of the building to get in the Neil Young line which was about fifty people long. The police arrived shortly and briefly questioned people in line as to whether they’d seen anyone come out of the mall, but most people were too stoned to even see, period. This was the 70’s for a Neil Young concert, remember.

Anyway, that’s my best memory of Auburn Mall.

BTW, Neil was effing incredible! To this day – and I saw EVERYBODY in the 1970’s and 80’s, from Zeppelin to Springsteen – that Neil Young show is in my top five of all time… Loved the Auburn Mall too – but it’s heyday is long over…

By: Forever Filenes

Forever Filenes — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:26:57 +0000

For whatever reason, my mother insisted that we do our shopping @ the Auburn Mall, rather than the cooler Galleria at Worcester center – probably because it had Sear’s as an anchor store, whereas the Galleria had the (slightly) higher-end Jordan-Marsh or Filene’s and, as she used to tell us (constantly) , “We’re not made of money!”

I remember the Auburn Mall as being a VERY 1970s mall: the mall court outside Sears had this very odd fountain shaped like spools of thread (painted fluorescent orange!) and the water wiould bubble on down from the top. Not very dramatic, but kinda cool in a “Brady Bunch’ sort of manner.

Even as a 4th grader I knew this mall was carering to the Lawrence Welk crowd: it had a Singer Seewing Center, an organ store (!) called “Sharps & Flats”, another store called “Fireplace Village” which sold (surprise!) fireplace accessories, Anderson-Little (where my parents bought me an awful powder-blue leisure suit in 5th Grade. It was truly HIDEOUS!) and one of those “Eva Gabor Wigs” stores.

I may be mistaken, but I seem to remember the Eva Gabor store’s walls (yes: WALLS!) were covered in HOT PINK SHAG CARPETING! Very racy for Worcester County.

It has never been anything but ‘practical’ – and has never aspired to be anything but ‘practical, either.

Oh: and Betsy – I t-h-i-n-k the name of the jeans store your referring to was either called “My Store for Levis” – or simply “My Store” – but I could be wrong: as I said earlier’, my parents were too busy outfitting me in powder-blue leisuyre suits in Anderson-Little!

By: Betsy

Betsy — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:46:50 +0000

What was the name of the jeans store next to Cherry & Webb in the mid-1990s? I used to tightroll my jeans from there when I was cool. If anybody can remember please let me know.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:17:58 +0000

Yeah, when the AM opened in ‘71, Denholms anchored the end opposite Sears. A number of other stores took over that space (Forbes and Wallace, anyone?) before the Outlet settled in….and eventually Caldor, now Macy’s. We used to joke that that space was cursed. I remember as a kid going to York Steak House on Sundays for dinner. During the days of the Blue Laws, Yorks was the only place in the mall that could open on Sunday. There were velvet ropes sectioning off the rest of the mall from the restaurant crowd. I’m disappointed to see the ceiling is now painted white. It probably makes the place brighter, but I liked the dark-stained wood that used to be there.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:15:53 +0000

Yes, there was a small cafeteria style place to eat on the second floor of the Sears store. My sister worked there for 16 years and I worked in the mall at So-Fro Fabrics for 4 years before it closed and merged with the bigger Lincoln Plaza store. The small cafeterias in Sears was mainly used by the employees and I sometimes ate there with my sister. It was however open to the public. They had awesome patty melts.

By: Long time resident

Long time resident — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:57:45 +0000

I shopped at the newly opened Auburn Mall in preparation for my wedding in May, 1971. Sears was an anchor store along with Denholm’s. Denholm’s main store was on Main Street in Worcester. Unfortunately, both Denholm locations closed soon after. The former Denholm location has seen many changes over the years, and is now Macy’s Home Store.

John – I don’t ever remember a restaurant in Sears.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:53:18 +0000

The Auburn Mall is a great place to go shopping or just looking around. It has many “peppy” stores for those girls and guys who love up to date styling as well as Macy’s, Sears, Payless Shoes, and lots more. [Abercrombie, American Eagle, Aeropostle, Hollister, The children's Pace, Food court,Lens Crafters]
This place is a wonderful place to enjoy a rainy day. Plenty of place to park, and has daily security. Also has a photography area near Sears Workshop for guys.