Eastwood Mall

I entered the Eastwood Mall in Niles, OH through the main entrance. As I came to middle concourse, I swirled back in my mind to Woolworth's and the cafeteria there at least 40 years ago. We spent many Saturdays at this mall or Southern Park Mall, mostly the dark short Saturdays of winter. We ate at Woolworth's cafeteria one evening and Barney Bean, the local host of a kid's cartoon show, also chose this establishment to dine. I was beside myself. He just nodded and had a vague smile as he sensed we recognize him, but we didn't bother him. I didn't even ask him to make a picture of my initials. That was the special thing he did for the one person's birthday on his show. I never got to go to a recording of his show. The other Girl Scout troop in town did, though.
Now Woolworth's is fancy little girl shops with fake chandeliers. An E-quarium entertains now on the east to west wing by Macy's, which used to be Stauss's, Straus, Kauffman's, the finer department store. I wander down the north hall, the movie theater is gone. Now if you want to relax, there are stuffed chairs and TV with Jerry Springer. I enter JC Penney's. I look toward the west entrance where the restaurant is now the children's department. Ate pie with Sandy Flowers one time there.
My book store is there, but is no longer Walden's, where Dad bought me the whole set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Mom picked out book labels for me there with a black cat sitting on a pile of books, yellow and black, very dignified-Ex Libras. I was quite proud of those stickers to put in my books.
I continue my journey. I think it is so neat they have a train for the kids, now. When Katie and Mary Ellen were young they had a carosel, two tiered. I round the corner where the Gap was. A rite of passage was when we as teenagers were allowed to drive to Eastwood Mall by ourselves. I came over to buy my favorite Levi's- 28X34, so I could cuff them.
Fudrukker's is where York Steak House had been. David and I had our engagement dinner here after buying my ring at King's Jeweler's. Had flaming cherries for dessert. Whenever I scan this, I'll share the picture of how happy I was that night, in my rabbit fur jacket I bought at Fashion Bug.
When we shopped over there, food was always involved, even if it was just Baskin Robbin's where the License Bureau is now. That felt like a cruel joke today. Mostly we went on Saturdays as I said, but sometimes we went on cool summer evenings, when Dad got off work. I remember going on a Sunday, when nothing was opened but Thrift Drug. The mall seemed so mysterious in the half light.
Mom loved to shop and Dad didn't mind taking us. He sat in the plastic built in chairs and rested. We put our bags with him and go spend more of his money. He joined us in bookstores and sometimes Spencer's Gifts, which is still there.
This what I got today, the two CD's at the bookstore.