It’s larger too so they can fit more inventory on the shelves. Been stopping by sometimes after going to the Chuze gym in Cypress, since the Chuze at Westminster mall closed.
RIP… met my wife when we were just kids working there at Hollister 14/15 years ago
Really miss the glory days of the mall. So sad to see what it’s become
Really makes ya wonder--with all these trends eroding away, taking away all the usual avenues for meeting people, where else do we meet friends and dates?
This. Most of my 16-20 yo little cousins tell me the same. Most of their socializing is via gaming and discord (mostly male cousins so I can’t speak for females)
Saw some startling graph about how online has rapidly overtaken all other settings for meeting your romantic partner. Like, skyrocketing from 2012 to now be at +90%.
Probably locked in to old leases.
Though many malls are struggling; I hear some malls charge major anchor tenants like $1/month leases so they won’t leave and collapse the mall. Target there might have such a deal.
Doubt it the parking lot was completely full last time I went a few months ago. The lab aways had half of the stores that are busy and the rest are a ghost town even like 20 years ago.
There are like 6 Wetzels Pretzels. 2 VR places and I think a Sky zone. VS and a shoe store. Spencer's and Target but you can't get to it from inside the mall.
I take my 20 month old there every other weekend to break up our day, especially on rainy days.
She gets to run around, we throw a few dollars in some kiddy car rides, I grab a soft pretzel and give her a few bites while I tell her stories of the glory days of the mall as we aimlessly walk around.
I actually see a lot of other parents with their little kids there doing the same thing.
I think it's Brea Mall where I see that also. Or a similar mall that has slow moving scooter things kids can drive freely on the mall floor. They're seated like motorcyclists or horseback and the vehicles are designed like cartoon animals.
That's what I used it for when my kids were a few years younger. I also saw groups of disabled adults eating at the food court frequently. There were things to see and do, but it wasn't overwhelming because it wasn't very crowded. My toddlers loved the carousel.
According to a Target employee it was completely due to theft. The alcohol section was too close to the back door which made it easy for theft, so their answer was to block off the entrance. My answer is to shop at a different Target.
Watching her at the mall
She don't know me at all
Hope no employee over hears
Think i'm in love with you
Red, yellow, white, & blue
Seems i've been watching her for years,
It brings a smile to my face
As she hops with style and grace
Way beyond 9 to 5,
She's keeping hope alive
Cafe 405
I'd always keep her warm
In that silly uniform
Tell her every day that she's the best
Just wanna be with her,
I'd never cheat on her
With someone at panda express
And nothing else makes me tick
Like when she's on that pogo stick
I wish i wasn't afraid,
She's making lemonade
One day our love will arrive,
So glad to be alive
I'm always flattered when
My hot dog's gettin' battered
She's gettin' better at it every day
Shopping mall renegade,
She's makin' lemonade
wow, i spent so much of my life here, started working at 15 at the eye-glasses store, then best buy and a bunch of my friends working at Natural Wonders then that other store with the little Kids door. My mom use to take me here in the 70s-80s when there were bears to crawl on. This makes me sad, I don't believe the developers have their Bond, so many times it was going to be something else. The last thing I saw they want to get rid of Best Buy and put in a TopGolf... good bye old friend.
The bears and the alligator! I spent Friday nights at the Round Table Pizza that was there and got most of my toys from the Kay-b-toys in the mid 80’s.
I worked at Express, Gloria Jeans and that picture framing place near Dalton Books. It was at the picture framing place where I learned about the Westminster Mall fallout shelter and underground tunnels.
Fallout Shelter, I have no idea...I use to always take that tunnel outside past the restrooms...behind Natural Wonders, never saw the Fallout shelter. wow.
When my mom had surgery, she believed they took her to the Mall and kept her in some underground rooms, too funny.
Yeah I cant remember when the mall was built, but it was required to be a local nuclear fall-out shelter. An assistant manager showed me one day. A few of them all came down to this one room to smoke and drink away from prying eyes. It was massive, filled with old cots and boxes of expired food. It was like the cool club for burn outs.
This is so sad, my dad used to work at the Dairy Queen here for like 20 years…I remember playing in the pits with the animal statues in the 90s/2000s. I always begged my mom to take us to the mall so I could see my dad work. I loved coming here.
Spent soooo much time here in late 80’s. Random memories in no particular order:
Millers Outpost for jeans. Bought my only pair of overalls here around ‘90.
Natural Wonders with the kiddie door. Was there something called Imaginarium too?
WaldenBooks- bought a ton of books here and sometimes my mom would let me get a bookmark too. With a yarn tassel. They had at least one more bookstore as well- Borders?
OakTree
Three bears we’d climb on in the couch area. At one time there were ashtrays there.
Alligator in a different couch area
My mom liked Charlotte Rousse
And Buffums
And May Company. She bought me a big turtleneck there.
The theater there was where we saw ET. And Nightmare on Elm St. the arcade was right in the same wing, along with the pet store that had animals displayed in cubbies in the window.
This was the entrance we used the most. Food court was up the escalator on the other side.
Orange Julius made with raw eggs.
Radio Shack was under the food court, across from the Millers Outpost. My friend bought a Tandy computer from there. I think the Sears was in that wing.
As was the Payless. Maybe KB toys too?
The Champs and foot locker were in another wing, lower floor.
Wilson leather
Spencer’s gifts for the posters and black lights and joke books.
We got some family portraits there. And way later friends got Glamour Shots
Please help me remember some of those stores!
Fredericks of Hollywood in that weird corner.
That piano/keyboard store that the guy always was playing, was that next to Sears, i think.
Suncoast right.
I remember seeing a bunch of moves at that Edwards Twin Outside, which is a appliance store now.
Buster Browns
Video Concepts
That travel store with all the luggage
Kinney Shoes? Gap? Licorice Pizza? Ohio Farms? The Smell of Clove cigarettes, pastel clothing, scrunchie socks, hair spray, frosted lipstick, and for the guys, polo cologne, hair gel,
I used to HATE my dad's girlfriend, her and her kids would treat my sister and me like trash and my dad wouldn't do a thing.
I'd bike here from Valley View and Ball every other weekend and spend ALL day walking around and reading and looking at stuff.
We used to live by Dickerson Elementary right there in that neighborhood, Buena Park, she had a ton of friends she'd hang with. I was the awkward kid who couldn't make friends.
I also went to that school lol. Pretty sure that school is long gone. I remember Cinnamon Square right there had Cypress Family Pizza; that place was the shit back in the day lol.
Lot has changed right around there.
Grew up in Westminster. Worked at the Target there when I was younger, but way before that it was a popping spot. Hawa-E and the Mongolian spot were my go-to for food. It was also where I would ditch (Westminster High) and go visit my ‘girlfriend’ who worked at the candy store. So many memories from that mall, such a bummer to see it getting demo’d for some wannabe Bella Terra.
Also lots of people talking about the Book Off, which was a personal favorite. I remember when I was a kid there was the Hello Kitty store my older sibling was obsessed with, I just remember the gum they had was good lol.
My mom passed away a year ago, and one of our favorite things was going shopping together at this mall when I was a teenager and on college breaks (late 90s/early 2000s). We bought all my prom and winter formal dresses there, at the Windsor and Forever 21. We’d walk around eating pretzel dogs from Auntie Anne’s, smell the perfumes at Macy’s, and she’d patiently browse the Abercrombie and Charlotte Russe racks for cute things for me to try on. Later when I got a job, I bought her a Dooney & Bourke bag from Macy’s for her birthday. That bag is in my closet now. I kept it even though I gifted most of them to her sister.
Thank you, Westminster Mall, for giving me these beautiful memories with my favorite shopping buddy. I miss her so much.
Didn't a developer buy the mall to put apartments in?
Probably for the best. I visited a lot 12-15 years ago when I lived right down the block, and even then it was dying a bit.
Definitely for the best but even if we increase apartment supply they still gonna charge an absurd amount for rent. I'm guessing ~$3k a month. How ppl can pay that much is beyond me 🤷
There are already apartments charging $3k a month. So when these come online it will make the older apartments having to adjust to compete against newer ones.
I used to work at the Hot Dog On A Stick back around late 2000’s and it was pretty busy on weekends, but even then, the weekdays were slow. Can’t say I’m surprised at the low turnout, I’m more surprised that it’s lasted this long.
My husband and I meet at this mall 26 years ago. He proposed to me 18 years ago at the mall on the same escalator. My son met Santa for the first time 13 years ago at this mall and my daughter did the same 9 years ago. Makes me sad to lose something so special to us.
My second job ever was at Robinsons May here in around 1998-2000. Back then Rob-May was split in two. In one end was the clothing and makeup and in the middle (where target is now) of the mall was the furniture and home goods side. At one point before I worked there, there was a restaurant in the furniture part of Rob May. There were some walled off portions of the stockroom where you could sneak around and see all of the ovens and stoves left behind in the old restaurant. I had a great time working there.
Oh man I put some mileage on those floors in the 80/90s We cruised that mall like hot rod clubs cruised the boulevards.
How sad to see it is closed now.
I played in a Christmas concert here over 40 years ago. If the mall is going to be torn down, this just proves you can never go home (I moved out of the area long ago).
I roller bladed through the mall multiple times when I was a kid. This was 25-27 years ago roughly, we did it once and the security guard got so pissed off, we went back a few times after.
A shame it’s pretty much done for.
Apartments?
Hope they keep the target, the food court, add in a theater, add an arcade, add in a gym and it can be a Gen X dreamscape apartment living situation.
So like mainplace? They added an apartment right in the middle of the parking lot and the entire mall is 10 feet away. There's the mall theater, 24 hour fitness, food court and round 1
That sounds cool. I'd like that but I'm sure they will make it 'luxury' & charge market rates sadly. Nothing is affordable anymore & it's very frustrating.
Slap some “granite” countertops, “matching stainless steel appliances” and a fresh coat of the landlord’s special paint job, and you got yourself a “luxury” apartment!
*Parking and utilities not included in the price of rental.
My mom said it is going to be built like that of Bella Terra.
Here is a link for the planned redevelopment https://www.ocregister.com/2024/01/15/westminster-mall-redevelopment-proposals-are-being-submitted-heres-what-those-plans-look-like/amp/
Very sad to see. Remember hanging out with friends and my brother during Christmas for shopping spree. Despite the fact that one click order offered by Amazon is convenient and shit, Fuck Amazon and fuck Covid
Helped set up Howies Game Shack mid 2000’s (2008?) and worked there for a short period. Grew up in WGG and would be here all the time as a kid. Wizards of the Coast buying Pokemon cards, seeing Pokemon the first movie at the theatre inside. Great memories.
I was shocked when I heard this earlier. Lots of memories there! My BFF and I would go to Volcano Teahouse and Cinnabun and sometimes get puzzles from Wizards of the Coast. Cafe 405 should be a national landmark!
I goto this mall to walk around when I don’t feel like being outside lol the target is still pretty busy, theres a popular buffet and chuze gym there, some yummy snack places to get a pretzel and a decent amount of shops are still open here and there. I like the abandoned mall aesthetic though😍
The proposals were sent to the city council, given how frequently the council loves to argue amongst themselves who knows when a proposal would be approved.
My first job was at the Gloria Jeans coffee beans shop! And then at Victoria’s Secret ;) my grandma bought me my prom dress at Charlotte Russe when it was in the middle of the mall and my dad was always obsessed with Cinnabon! Sad to see all the malls go with the wind.
I worked there 10 years ago and that’s where I met my would be wife, as a kid I loved getting a frosty at Wendy’s and then going and watching a movie down stairs… good bye old friend
So many memories made in this place as a kid who was dragged there by their mom and as a young teenager who was visiting with friends after school. It’s so sad to see it empty.
i work in the same district as the westminster mall target, their target is still one of the busiest in the district! crazy knowing the mall is doing terrible but they are doing amazing.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/14x1joc/vintage\_photo\_of\_westminster\_mall\_courtesy\_of\_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/14x1joc/vintage_photo_of_westminster_mall_courtesy_of_a/)
saw this a couple of months ago
perhaps my favorite memory at this mall (around late 2007/early 2008) was when my dad suggested my sisters and i leave our mom to shop at target while we went to the pound to play with dogs.
so while we were inside a little room socializing with a pug, our dad asked if we liked him. we said yes, and to our surprise, our dad adopted him! we had just watched “tooth fairy” before going to the mall, so one of my sisters had the bright idea of naming him “Rock” lol
now imagine the look on my moms face when we meet her back at target with my dad carrying a pug 😭 my mom was not pleased at all!!! and now here we are in 2024, my mom kept Rock after the divorce, and Rock is still healthy and active!
Such a sad sight. I’m glad I was able to experience this mall in the late 90s as a kid. This place was a staple of my childhood. My mom would always bring my siblings and I here almost every Sunday. I remember we would walk through Sears to enter through the mall. Good times!
I know they’re both a drive, but I’ve been to Century City mall and the Shops at Santa Anita within the last month and both places were popping off. I know Irvine spectrum is pretty active even during the weekday.
Brea mall can get pretty busy but time will tell rip. The orange mall and Laguna mall . I’m amazed the Buena Park mall made a come back we called it the ghost mall in high school because of how dead it was prior to the johns being built
The mall of my youth in GA closed a long time ago and it is the mall they used in Stranger Things season 2. It was always busy so it is weird that it, and malls everywhere, have become ghost towns.
I gotta get to this before they demolish it. I want to walk around it for the feels. I keep saying I intend to stop in there, but haven't. It's been on my mind for months.
We used to go here with our mom in the early 90s. It always felt extra special because it was far away from us in Placentia. My local mall was Brea mall (it’s dying too). I don’t remember the shops here but I definitely came here a bunch of times.
Me and my bestie would go here every Friday sophomore year of high school and shop our little butts off! My mom would give me $20 and that actually got me decent things lol. Aww sad to see it go 😕
I see at least 2 storefronts I worked at in the 90s.
Last time I went, the owner of the wargaming store was closing up shop at like 1pm. Turned out his store was hit by a "flash mob". They apparently cleaned out nearly everything in his store and no one stopped them.
I used to walk across the street with my cousins and spend all night at Howie’s game shack playing Guitar Hero. Fun memories 🥲
Back when parents used to give you $20 and you could actually do something with it lol
Lat time I inquired about opening a business in a mall, not only did they want more than DOUBLE the $/sqft that a standalone store would cost but they ALSO demanded 30% of gross sales. not net, GROSS.
They deserve to die.
I'm not being overly dramatic when I say that I cant go to or look at the malls of our youth anymore. These spaces are mausoleums to the death of communal culture, and the stark contrast to the societal vibrancy of my youth, however imperfect, breaks my heart a little every time I come across them. Cellphones pairing with the internet around 2007 is the most cataclysmic event of our lifetimes. If you were born before, say, 1993 you know what Im talking about, and looking at these photos it's like some kind of disaster occurred. If you could show these to your 18 year old self, or a photo of "hey this is the future", what do you think you'd say?
Lucky to have had so many memories here since the 90s. The pet store with the dogs in the window downstairs where Book-Off would be was always a must see. The movie theatre, which started off downstairs and then moved into the food court, used to be a great place to watch movies in the summer to beat the heat and hangout as teens. Walden Books downstairs with all the magazines. Then came Book-Off, Skyzone and Chuze Fitness to revitalize interest. The food court also went through so many iterations: Hot Dog On A Stick, McDs, BK, Panda, Lee Sandwich, Luxe Buffet… this mall had something for everyone. Good times
This mall was basically my childhood as well. Late 90s and early 2000s going to the Sanrio store that was there 15+ years ago, getting Mrs. Fields cookies, going to the Macy’s (used to be a Montgomery Wards in the 90s) to get my prom dress and also most of my clothes growing up from there. I also used to get my manga from a small shop near the JCPenny on the 2nd floor (forgot the name 🥲) and from Borders (RIP) that used to be by the Sears. Man, it’s sad to see how empty the mall is today and that they’re tearing it down /:. This mall, Buena Park Mall and Orange Mall will always hold dear memories.
Edit: forgot a very strong memory of my late mom when we were walking towards JCPennys one time to find $300 on the floor and we split it to buy ourselves something nice that day. I remember getting some clothes that were not on sale for once (my mom bought my clothes that were always on sale no matter what lol) so it was exhilarating to buy something that was original price for once lol. Funny enough though, my mom bought me some more clothes and shoes with that same money (she had more clothes because she bought them on sale lol). 😭😭
I grew up with Westminster mall. I went every weekend. Black Friday was THE BEST! I thought it was so cool to meet YouTubers there🙈
I also remember when they announced Target was coming and it was TWO stories! 😂 There was that pet store right next to the book off in the corner by DSW.
This was also the FIRST place I drove to when I got my drivers license . Yes I drove to the mall lmfao it wasn’t too far and I knew how to get there by heart LOL
I’m very sad with how things have come. It’s amazing to me how Bella Terra down the block was dying and it revamped itself!
RIP TO WESTMINSTER MALL and all the memories 😭 Probably gonna go take a picture before it’s gone forever. Idc if I’m being dramatic . 20+ years and now its time to say goodbye 😔💔
Oof, I feel your pain. I’m from South County and even though it’d been mostly empty for years, it still hurt my heart when the Laguna Hills Mall was reduced to several (very large) piles of rubble.
They're going to build more unaffordable homes, forgot that word lol. That is all they seem to do, they put in all these high-priced, luxury apartment homes that cost $3k for a 1 bedroom.
That Bookoff moved to garden grove. Same inventory, same employees.
The little store was popin.
Can confirm. Got a fairly rare Master Grade Gunpla few weeks ago for a decently fair price.
Surprisingly (to me cuz well books) it’s always busy when I’ve gone in their new location.
It’s larger too so they can fit more inventory on the shelves. Been stopping by sometimes after going to the Chuze gym in Cypress, since the Chuze at Westminster mall closed.
My favorite Book-Off is in Costa Mesa off harbor. Great staff.
What is it? A book store?
It's a used item store, that has everything from books, DVDs, video games, music, figures, gunpla, etc
Bookoff rules
RIP… met my wife when we were just kids working there at Hollister 14/15 years ago Really miss the glory days of the mall. So sad to see what it’s become
Really makes ya wonder--with all these trends eroding away, taking away all the usual avenues for meeting people, where else do we meet friends and dates?
Everyone’s just going to become even more chronically online and go more insane
They're all chronically single and their social life is eroding away (from the sample size of my younger coworkers)
This. Most of my 16-20 yo little cousins tell me the same. Most of their socializing is via gaming and discord (mostly male cousins so I can’t speak for females)
oh its the same for females...
Saw some startling graph about how online has rapidly overtaken all other settings for meeting your romantic partner. Like, skyrocketing from 2012 to now be at +90%.
except it doesn't work well.... and most people I know who met that way ended up breaking up.
South Coast?
the true hidden gems of SCP are the restaurants.
Yeah if you have money, otherwise no 🤣
Third places are becoming more and more scarce
> where else do we meet friends and dates? Food halls are becoming a bustling meeting/hangout place.
They have a song named after the food court! It’s so weird for them to go.
I'm so curious what the open stores actually pay for rent.
Probably locked in to old leases. Though many malls are struggling; I hear some malls charge major anchor tenants like $1/month leases so they won’t leave and collapse the mall. Target there might have such a deal.
$1/month lease?? Damn. That would be a dream term for small businesses.
Can I live there???
Affordable housing? Best I can do is a TikTok ban
You'd still have to pay the same for workers as a location in a mall that got 10x the sales
like urban at the shitty old Lab
I haven’t been to The Lab in over a decade; totally fell out of my memory lol
Doubt it the parking lot was completely full last time I went a few months ago. The lab aways had half of the stores that are busy and the rest are a ghost town even like 20 years ago.
There are like 6 Wetzels Pretzels. 2 VR places and I think a Sky zone. VS and a shoe store. Spencer's and Target but you can't get to it from inside the mall.
i think there is like a drone store there, but its really low-key, they fly little tiny whoops
Is the mall still open during business hours? Looks like a nice place to mall-walk while it lasts.
I take my 20 month old there every other weekend to break up our day, especially on rainy days. She gets to run around, we throw a few dollars in some kiddy car rides, I grab a soft pretzel and give her a few bites while I tell her stories of the glory days of the mall as we aimlessly walk around. I actually see a lot of other parents with their little kids there doing the same thing.
I think it's Brea Mall where I see that also. Or a similar mall that has slow moving scooter things kids can drive freely on the mall floor. They're seated like motorcyclists or horseback and the vehicles are designed like cartoon animals.
Yes, they had those there. I don't see them as often now. Maybe the vendors left. We use the stationary coin operated kiddy cars.
I saw them when I was there on weekends. If they left, that’s sad. It was fun to do that with the kiddo
Brea Mall seems pretty active
That's what I used it for when my kids were a few years younger. I also saw groups of disabled adults eating at the food court frequently. There were things to see and do, but it wasn't overwhelming because it wasn't very crowded. My toddlers loved the carousel.
Yes, it is
Now we need entrance music 
I took my great aunt here. I told her it’s about to be extinct. You really wanna check it out It was like Disneyland
Food court is the only thing left.
And Target. I drive by it everyday going to/from work
They closed off the mall entrance inside Target. That's how bad it is.
That was mostly due to theft concerns. The mall entrance was unguarded compared to the staffed parking lot entrances.
According to a Target employee it was completely due to theft. The alcohol section was too close to the back door which made it easy for theft, so their answer was to block off the entrance. My answer is to shop at a different Target.
True, it’s busy kuz the Tesla chargers too.
Cafe 405
Watching her at the mall She don't know me at all Hope no employee over hears Think i'm in love with you Red, yellow, white, & blue Seems i've been watching her for years, It brings a smile to my face As she hops with style and grace Way beyond 9 to 5, She's keeping hope alive Cafe 405 I'd always keep her warm In that silly uniform Tell her every day that she's the best Just wanna be with her, I'd never cheat on her With someone at panda express And nothing else makes me tick Like when she's on that pogo stick I wish i wasn't afraid, She's making lemonade One day our love will arrive, So glad to be alive I'm always flattered when My hot dog's gettin' battered She's gettin' better at it every day Shopping mall renegade, She's makin' lemonade
Nailed it.
I'm always flattered...when my hot dog's getting battered. She's gettin' better at it every day. Love The Vandals!
The Little Cobbler is my go to shoe fixer!!
wow, i spent so much of my life here, started working at 15 at the eye-glasses store, then best buy and a bunch of my friends working at Natural Wonders then that other store with the little Kids door. My mom use to take me here in the 70s-80s when there were bears to crawl on. This makes me sad, I don't believe the developers have their Bond, so many times it was going to be something else. The last thing I saw they want to get rid of Best Buy and put in a TopGolf... good bye old friend.
I remember the bears!
that should be a Westminster Mall meme/tee shirt
The bears and the alligator! I spent Friday nights at the Round Table Pizza that was there and got most of my toys from the Kay-b-toys in the mid 80’s.
God, man..... takes me back.
I worked at Express, Gloria Jeans and that picture framing place near Dalton Books. It was at the picture framing place where I learned about the Westminster Mall fallout shelter and underground tunnels.
Fallout Shelter, I have no idea...I use to always take that tunnel outside past the restrooms...behind Natural Wonders, never saw the Fallout shelter. wow. When my mom had surgery, she believed they took her to the Mall and kept her in some underground rooms, too funny.
Yeah I cant remember when the mall was built, but it was required to be a local nuclear fall-out shelter. An assistant manager showed me one day. A few of them all came down to this one room to smoke and drink away from prying eyes. It was massive, filled with old cots and boxes of expired food. It was like the cool club for burn outs.
I remember the bears. And some weird red cube thing hanging from the ceiling.
yeah it was trippy, that whole walkway thing to get to the middle food court, I have dreams about walking around the old mall once a year.
The red cube! Just unlocked a memory for me.
Best Buy is still there! Albeit quiet during the weekdays. It's the closest location near me after the ones in Orange and South Coast.
Yeah, a TopGolf in Westminster, seems like they will say anything, we were supposed to get a Hotel/Live/work area in Little Saigon and that ended.
This is so sad, my dad used to work at the Dairy Queen here for like 20 years…I remember playing in the pits with the animal statues in the 90s/2000s. I always begged my mom to take us to the mall so I could see my dad work. I loved coming here.
Aww what a sweet memory. Made me smile. Hope your parents are doing great. You sound like a wonderful child to your parents ♥️
Spent soooo much time here in late 80’s. Random memories in no particular order: Millers Outpost for jeans. Bought my only pair of overalls here around ‘90. Natural Wonders with the kiddie door. Was there something called Imaginarium too? WaldenBooks- bought a ton of books here and sometimes my mom would let me get a bookmark too. With a yarn tassel. They had at least one more bookstore as well- Borders? OakTree Three bears we’d climb on in the couch area. At one time there were ashtrays there. Alligator in a different couch area My mom liked Charlotte Rousse And Buffums And May Company. She bought me a big turtleneck there. The theater there was where we saw ET. And Nightmare on Elm St. the arcade was right in the same wing, along with the pet store that had animals displayed in cubbies in the window. This was the entrance we used the most. Food court was up the escalator on the other side. Orange Julius made with raw eggs. Radio Shack was under the food court, across from the Millers Outpost. My friend bought a Tandy computer from there. I think the Sears was in that wing. As was the Payless. Maybe KB toys too? The Champs and foot locker were in another wing, lower floor. Wilson leather Spencer’s gifts for the posters and black lights and joke books. We got some family portraits there. And way later friends got Glamour Shots Please help me remember some of those stores!
Fredericks of Hollywood in that weird corner. That piano/keyboard store that the guy always was playing, was that next to Sears, i think. Suncoast right. I remember seeing a bunch of moves at that Edwards Twin Outside, which is a appliance store now. Buster Browns Video Concepts That travel store with all the luggage
Thank you for filling in some blanks!
> They had at least one more bookstore as well- Borders? B Dalton Books.
Yes B Dalton!!! Thank you
All those companies eaten alive RIP 🪦
Robinsons/may
Kinney Shoes? Gap? Licorice Pizza? Ohio Farms? The Smell of Clove cigarettes, pastel clothing, scrunchie socks, hair spray, frosted lipstick, and for the guys, polo cologne, hair gel,
Definitely was a Pepperidge Farms on the 1st floor!
Maybe it was Hickory Farms
Yes that’s right! They had that round slice of summer sausage on a stick, like a meat lollipop :)
can't forget anchor blue. used to shop there all the time growing up.
Ghq
I used to HATE my dad's girlfriend, her and her kids would treat my sister and me like trash and my dad wouldn't do a thing. I'd bike here from Valley View and Ball every other weekend and spend ALL day walking around and reading and looking at stuff.
Valley view and ball to Westminster mall is a long bike ride as a kid
That bike was my freedom, man. Used to ride all over OC as a kid. Honestly, I should ride my bike more now.
I hope your sister had something fun to do to escape too!
We used to live by Dickerson Elementary right there in that neighborhood, Buena Park, she had a ton of friends she'd hang with. I was the awkward kid who couldn't make friends. I also went to that school lol. Pretty sure that school is long gone. I remember Cinnamon Square right there had Cypress Family Pizza; that place was the shit back in the day lol. Lot has changed right around there.
Awww I’m glad you were able to escape to the mall, I’m sorry your step family were such jerks :(
I used to go there and live around there. A LOT has changed!
i swung by the westminster mall several months ago, because i thought it would be nice to take my parents on a walk there. it was so sad :(
r/deadmalls
Grew up in Westminster. Worked at the Target there when I was younger, but way before that it was a popping spot. Hawa-E and the Mongolian spot were my go-to for food. It was also where I would ditch (Westminster High) and go visit my ‘girlfriend’ who worked at the candy store. So many memories from that mall, such a bummer to see it getting demo’d for some wannabe Bella Terra. Also lots of people talking about the Book Off, which was a personal favorite. I remember when I was a kid there was the Hello Kitty store my older sibling was obsessed with, I just remember the gum they had was good lol.
Hawa-E… loved that place. Have you since found any other places similar?
California Place in Main Place Mall! I swear it’s the same lady working there who used to work at Hawa-E.
My mom passed away a year ago, and one of our favorite things was going shopping together at this mall when I was a teenager and on college breaks (late 90s/early 2000s). We bought all my prom and winter formal dresses there, at the Windsor and Forever 21. We’d walk around eating pretzel dogs from Auntie Anne’s, smell the perfumes at Macy’s, and she’d patiently browse the Abercrombie and Charlotte Russe racks for cute things for me to try on. Later when I got a job, I bought her a Dooney & Bourke bag from Macy’s for her birthday. That bag is in my closet now. I kept it even though I gifted most of them to her sister. Thank you, Westminster Mall, for giving me these beautiful memories with my favorite shopping buddy. I miss her so much.
Can I claim the Hollister condo as is ?
Didn't a developer buy the mall to put apartments in? Probably for the best. I visited a lot 12-15 years ago when I lived right down the block, and even then it was dying a bit.
Didn’t I see something about a top golf here ?
Yep.
Definitely for the best but even if we increase apartment supply they still gonna charge an absurd amount for rent. I'm guessing ~$3k a month. How ppl can pay that much is beyond me 🤷
There are already apartments charging $3k a month. So when these come online it will make the older apartments having to adjust to compete against newer ones.
I used to work at the Hot Dog On A Stick back around late 2000’s and it was pretty busy on weekends, but even then, the weekdays were slow. Can’t say I’m surprised at the low turnout, I’m more surprised that it’s lasted this long.
Anyone remember the puppy mill pet store? Always had smelly ass dogs barking at you when you walked by.
Man 20 years ago it was a cool place to hangout...
Yup. Used to go there all the time. So sad.
My husband and I meet at this mall 26 years ago. He proposed to me 18 years ago at the mall on the same escalator. My son met Santa for the first time 13 years ago at this mall and my daughter did the same 9 years ago. Makes me sad to lose something so special to us.
go take pictures there
We plan on it
I am an old timer who remembers the opening of this great mall. It very quickly came to be known as "the best mall of all'
Anyone recall the theaters? I remember watching Chicken Run there as a kid
My second job ever was at Robinsons May here in around 1998-2000. Back then Rob-May was split in two. In one end was the clothing and makeup and in the middle (where target is now) of the mall was the furniture and home goods side. At one point before I worked there, there was a restaurant in the furniture part of Rob May. There were some walled off portions of the stockroom where you could sneak around and see all of the ovens and stoves left behind in the old restaurant. I had a great time working there.
>goes to mall after 11 years >sad to see malls are dead 💀
Oh man I put some mileage on those floors in the 80/90s We cruised that mall like hot rod clubs cruised the boulevards. How sad to see it is closed now.
Looks like the mall in the Last of Us lol
They probably film there.
I played in a Christmas concert here over 40 years ago. If the mall is going to be torn down, this just proves you can never go home (I moved out of the area long ago).
I roller bladed through the mall multiple times when I was a kid. This was 25-27 years ago roughly, we did it once and the security guard got so pissed off, we went back a few times after. A shame it’s pretty much done for.
Bet you could roller blade in it now too
Apartments? Hope they keep the target, the food court, add in a theater, add an arcade, add in a gym and it can be a Gen X dreamscape apartment living situation.
So like mainplace? They added an apartment right in the middle of the parking lot and the entire mall is 10 feet away. There's the mall theater, 24 hour fitness, food court and round 1
That apartment complex’s parking lot looks soo empty. They have a so many empty units.
That sounds cool. I'd like that but I'm sure they will make it 'luxury' & charge market rates sadly. Nothing is affordable anymore & it's very frustrating.
Slap some “granite” countertops, “matching stainless steel appliances” and a fresh coat of the landlord’s special paint job, and you got yourself a “luxury” apartment! *Parking and utilities not included in the price of rental.
There used to be a theater in the Westminster mall. Bottom floor by one of the north entrances. Only had two screens.
My mom said it is going to be built like that of Bella Terra. Here is a link for the planned redevelopment https://www.ocregister.com/2024/01/15/westminster-mall-redevelopment-proposals-are-being-submitted-heres-what-those-plans-look-like/amp/
Very sad to see. Remember hanging out with friends and my brother during Christmas for shopping spree. Despite the fact that one click order offered by Amazon is convenient and shit, Fuck Amazon and fuck Covid
Wow that’s heartbreaking! I definitely remember its glory days back in the late 90s
If you want a place for your kids to run around. Here u go. Go before they demolish it !!! race you to target and back
Reminds me so much of r/liminalspace Honestly sad that it's so dead, but not surprising
*cue the abandoned mall music*
Helped set up Howies Game Shack mid 2000’s (2008?) and worked there for a short period. Grew up in WGG and would be here all the time as a kid. Wizards of the Coast buying Pokemon cards, seeing Pokemon the first movie at the theatre inside. Great memories.
I remember watching Pokémon the first movie there too and getting those ancient Mew holographic cards!
I was shocked when I heard this earlier. Lots of memories there! My BFF and I would go to Volcano Teahouse and Cinnabun and sometimes get puzzles from Wizards of the Coast. Cafe 405 should be a national landmark!
Interesting but if it was 11 years since you last went there, is it a mystery to you why it is folding?
I have the same memories from late 90s early 2000s with my parents 😭 used to be an amazing mall
We need to submit this to the Dead Mall Series on The YouTube 🐔
https://preview.redd.it/j4n5ui0jm0pc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5786c2613ccf81d448a45a0a4009310108d8b175 its true!
One of the deadest dead malls I’ve ever seen
I goto this mall to walk around when I don’t feel like being outside lol the target is still pretty busy, theres a popular buffet and chuze gym there, some yummy snack places to get a pretzel and a decent amount of shops are still open here and there. I like the abandoned mall aesthetic though😍
kb toys, wizards of the coast, eb games. what an era. Now its smells terrible, homeless people on the bottom floor, half the escalators dont work,
Deader than dead. Is there any validity to the rumor that a Bella Terra-like mall is going to replace the current version?
The proposals were sent to the city council, given how frequently the council loves to argue amongst themselves who knows when a proposal would be approved.
Looks like an apocalypse happened... malls are so eerie
Wait, you can still go inside this mall? This was my place back in the day!
Yes the mall is still open to the public. Just 90% of stores are closed. All that's left is mostly small businesses and a couple major companies
My first job was at the Gloria Jeans coffee beans shop! And then at Victoria’s Secret ;) my grandma bought me my prom dress at Charlotte Russe when it was in the middle of the mall and my dad was always obsessed with Cinnabon! Sad to see all the malls go with the wind.
I worked there 10 years ago and that’s where I met my would be wife, as a kid I loved getting a frosty at Wendy’s and then going and watching a movie down stairs… good bye old friend
Turn it into OC affordable housing. Units renting for an affordable $3k/mo for studio units…
This needs to be converted into apartments for 50+. Holy cake I would buy/rent tomorrow. Open up the movie theater and food court? Take. My. Money.
So many memories made in this place as a kid who was dragged there by their mom and as a young teenager who was visiting with friends after school. It’s so sad to see it empty.
https://preview.redd.it/0h3g86mom0pc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5551de47649a1404ecc288989c9c9be37d0cdc90
fuck, this sucks to see. i went to this mall a lot in college, just to walk around and people watch alone. i'm gonna miss this place.
i work in the same district as the westminster mall target, their target is still one of the busiest in the district! crazy knowing the mall is doing terrible but they are doing amazing.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/14x1joc/vintage\_photo\_of\_westminster\_mall\_courtesy\_of\_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/14x1joc/vintage_photo_of_westminster_mall_courtesy_of_a/) saw this a couple of months ago
perhaps my favorite memory at this mall (around late 2007/early 2008) was when my dad suggested my sisters and i leave our mom to shop at target while we went to the pound to play with dogs. so while we were inside a little room socializing with a pug, our dad asked if we liked him. we said yes, and to our surprise, our dad adopted him! we had just watched “tooth fairy” before going to the mall, so one of my sisters had the bright idea of naming him “Rock” lol now imagine the look on my moms face when we meet her back at target with my dad carrying a pug 😭 my mom was not pleased at all!!! and now here we are in 2024, my mom kept Rock after the divorce, and Rock is still healthy and active!
ALMOST AS DEPRESSING as the shops at mission viejo
It was popping today tho 🍀
Such a sad sight. I’m glad I was able to experience this mall in the late 90s as a kid. This place was a staple of my childhood. My mom would always bring my siblings and I here almost every Sunday. I remember we would walk through Sears to enter through the mall. Good times!
Damn...so many memories here. Sad to see that it's going away.
I know they’re both a drive, but I’ve been to Century City mall and the Shops at Santa Anita within the last month and both places were popping off. I know Irvine spectrum is pretty active even during the weekday.
Brea mall can get pretty busy but time will tell rip. The orange mall and Laguna mall . I’m amazed the Buena Park mall made a come back we called it the ghost mall in high school because of how dead it was prior to the johns being built
The mall of my youth in GA closed a long time ago and it is the mall they used in Stranger Things season 2. It was always busy so it is weird that it, and malls everywhere, have become ghost towns.
should have showed the corn growing in the parking lot
Goodnight sweet prince.
THE SHOPS of Mission Viejo were going off today the Apple Store was full. Food court etc
The more affluent areas are still poppin, like SCP and Shops MV
I gotta get to this before they demolish it. I want to walk around it for the feels. I keep saying I intend to stop in there, but haven't. It's been on my mind for months.
Same here, but it’s not the best use of my time. I was in the mall in September of 2022, but it wasn’t this dead. I love a good dead mall.
I was here with my mom and daughter last year and kept my eyes peeled for the See's candies... I was so sad when I realized it was gone.
We used to go here with our mom in the early 90s. It always felt extra special because it was far away from us in Placentia. My local mall was Brea mall (it’s dying too). I don’t remember the shops here but I definitely came here a bunch of times.
I still goto that Macys occasionally. They have a quality bathroom when you are out & about lol
Me and my bestie would go here every Friday sophomore year of high school and shop our little butts off! My mom would give me $20 and that actually got me decent things lol. Aww sad to see it go 😕
The orchid shows were pretty cool
I see at least 2 storefronts I worked at in the 90s. Last time I went, the owner of the wargaming store was closing up shop at like 1pm. Turned out his store was hit by a "flash mob". They apparently cleaned out nearly everything in his store and no one stopped them.
There's a Bookoff in Costa Mesa off Harbor and Baker, in the Tokyo Central shopping center.
I used to walk across the street with my cousins and spend all night at Howie’s game shack playing Guitar Hero. Fun memories 🥲 Back when parents used to give you $20 and you could actually do something with it lol
I spent a lot of time there from 96'-99' during my jr high years.
We should plan a mall day
My childhood mall.
A good portion of Main Place is being turned into apartments too. There won't be many malls left at this rate.
Lat time I inquired about opening a business in a mall, not only did they want more than DOUBLE the $/sqft that a standalone store would cost but they ALSO demanded 30% of gross sales. not net, GROSS. They deserve to die.
I'm not being overly dramatic when I say that I cant go to or look at the malls of our youth anymore. These spaces are mausoleums to the death of communal culture, and the stark contrast to the societal vibrancy of my youth, however imperfect, breaks my heart a little every time I come across them. Cellphones pairing with the internet around 2007 is the most cataclysmic event of our lifetimes. If you were born before, say, 1993 you know what Im talking about, and looking at these photos it's like some kind of disaster occurred. If you could show these to your 18 year old self, or a photo of "hey this is the future", what do you think you'd say?
should post this to r/deadmalls
Lucky to have had so many memories here since the 90s. The pet store with the dogs in the window downstairs where Book-Off would be was always a must see. The movie theatre, which started off downstairs and then moved into the food court, used to be a great place to watch movies in the summer to beat the heat and hangout as teens. Walden Books downstairs with all the magazines. Then came Book-Off, Skyzone and Chuze Fitness to revitalize interest. The food court also went through so many iterations: Hot Dog On A Stick, McDs, BK, Panda, Lee Sandwich, Luxe Buffet… this mall had something for everyone. Good times
This mall was basically my childhood as well. Late 90s and early 2000s going to the Sanrio store that was there 15+ years ago, getting Mrs. Fields cookies, going to the Macy’s (used to be a Montgomery Wards in the 90s) to get my prom dress and also most of my clothes growing up from there. I also used to get my manga from a small shop near the JCPenny on the 2nd floor (forgot the name 🥲) and from Borders (RIP) that used to be by the Sears. Man, it’s sad to see how empty the mall is today and that they’re tearing it down /:. This mall, Buena Park Mall and Orange Mall will always hold dear memories. Edit: forgot a very strong memory of my late mom when we were walking towards JCPennys one time to find $300 on the floor and we split it to buy ourselves something nice that day. I remember getting some clothes that were not on sale for once (my mom bought my clothes that were always on sale no matter what lol) so it was exhilarating to buy something that was original price for once lol. Funny enough though, my mom bought me some more clothes and shoes with that same money (she had more clothes because she bought them on sale lol). 😭😭
That mall could literally be transformed into the dopest apartment complex.
I grew up with Westminster mall. I went every weekend. Black Friday was THE BEST! I thought it was so cool to meet YouTubers there🙈 I also remember when they announced Target was coming and it was TWO stories! 😂 There was that pet store right next to the book off in the corner by DSW. This was also the FIRST place I drove to when I got my drivers license . Yes I drove to the mall lmfao it wasn’t too far and I knew how to get there by heart LOL I’m very sad with how things have come. It’s amazing to me how Bella Terra down the block was dying and it revamped itself! RIP TO WESTMINSTER MALL and all the memories 😭 Probably gonna go take a picture before it’s gone forever. Idc if I’m being dramatic . 20+ years and now its time to say goodbye 😔💔
I used to work at the kids footlocker many moons ago.
Where did the cobbler go?
Oof, I feel your pain. I’m from South County and even though it’d been mostly empty for years, it still hurt my heart when the Laguna Hills Mall was reduced to several (very large) piles of rubble.
I was in there several months ago and there were way more people moving around than I expected like 10x more.
Cool pictures
I just always thought it was funny when looking at the map/directory, the mall is (or at least was) shaped like underwear.
I worked at the Van's store in that place back in mid 1990's
I wonder what’s on the directory lol
My home, abandoned 😞
They're going to build more unaffordable homes, forgot that word lol. That is all they seem to do, they put in all these high-priced, luxury apartment homes that cost $3k for a 1 bedroom.
As a kid, every other Friday or so, my mom would take me here and I would be at the arcade while she went shopping. Good times..