Overheard a guy at the mall saying his family ran a Toys R Us in 1995

I was checking out an old Macy's that's been empty for years at the Franklin Mills Mall in Philly. There was this older guy sitting on a bench near the food court telling his grandson about working at the mall back in its prime. He said his family ran the Toys R Us when it opened in 1995 and they had lines out the door for Tickle Me Elmo. I never thought about how those stores were someone's whole life before they got abandoned. Made me wonder how many broken hearts are tied up in these empty hallways. Has anyone else ever talked to an old employee at a dead mall? What stories did they share?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jesse8d ago

Whoa! My cousin worked at a Blockbuster that had a Nintendo 64 kiosk.

ninam768d ago

Lines out the door for Tickle Me Elmo" is wild to think about, like that doll was a legit cultural event. I honestly can't imagine a toy causing that level of chaos today, it feels like a whole different world. Kinda makes you wonder what we'll tell our grandkids about, you know?