ST. LOUIS COUNTY – According to the St. Louis County Facebook page, the demolition of Jamestown Mall will start on Tuesday, September 26. On their page, they have asked residents to share their favorite memories of Jamestown Mall.
The St. Louis County Port Authority has revealed that it has accepted a bid from Target Contractors LLC, based in South Carolina, for the demolition of the property.
Jamestown Mall, which opened in 1973, was forced to close down in 2014 after years of challenges. It has remained abandoned since then. St. Louis County invested one million dollars to purchase all the property parcels, making it easier for potential developers.
“This is exciting news for North County,” stated St. Louis County in their Facebook post. “However, this mall holds many special memories for people throughout our area, from shopping at Stix Baer & Fuller to playing games at Aladdin’s Castle Arcade.”
Stix Baer & Fuller was a department store chain in St. Louis, Missouri, operating from 1892 to 1984. Aladdin’s Castle was a nationwide network of game arcades. In 1974, Bally Manufacturing acquired the chain, eventually becoming a prominent producer of coin-operated video games in the 1980s.
The page encouraged residents to share their memories in the comments, and some of the memories shared on the thread include:
Marcus A. said, “I met my wife at Zales. We will be celebrating our 20th anniversary next year in March. We are excited about the progress, but we can’t help but feel saddened by the memories that will be lost.”
Ray P. mentioned, “I miss the days of shopping at the mall. I used to visit Jamestown, Crestwood, or Northwest Plaza, and now all three are gone. Now I have to go to South County or West County.”
Christopher C. recalled, “I used to hang out at the movie theater and [go to] Sam Goody.”
Sam Goody was a store in Jamestown that sold VHS tapes, DVDs, games, posters, video games, cassettes, and other entertainment merchandise.
As the destruction of Jamestown Mall gets closer, it can be a sad time for some people in the community. Memories have been created over the decades of the mall’s existence.