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Iverson Mall, Continued
When the mall first opened there were decent named tenants like Philipsborn, Joseph R. Harris, Casual Corner, Regal and Thom McAn Shoes, etc. As years passed the well known chains moved out being replaced by local tenants. This is very true today. There are very few national tenants, all having been replaced by low budget discount / no-name stores. The only original tenants are Kay Jewelers and Lawrence Reed. After opening in 1967 the first main casualty was the short lived Longworth Cafeteria. This was a very large operation and didn't get enough foot traffic to survive. I think it closed in only a year or two of business. Later it was replaced and divided up into smaller stores (Walden Books, Spencer Gifts, Roy Rogers). They are all now long gone too. Montgomery Wards had a small restaurant that closed around 1982. Peoples Drug had a lunch counter that closed around 1985. Woodie's had a restaurant that closed in the early years.
There was never really anything "cool" about the mall. The fountains were nice but the original orange carpeting throughout the mall was very disturbing [wait a minute, this WAS the 60s and 70s, so burnt orange was in “style]. The fountains and carpet were ripped out in 1985 when the mall got it's only remodeling. As you will see on your trip, the mall is stuck in 1985. It's starting to look very shabby and sometimes I question if the mall will continue to survive. There are very few remnants of the 1967 design. One funny thing that remains is a sign on the escalators with a drawing of a lady with the warning 'NO MAXI GARMENTS'. This was to imply that if a woman wore a maxi garment on the escalator it would be chewed up by the escalator teeth. It never fails to surprise when I see this sign still there since the mall opened. Be sure to look out for it.
On the malls 25th anniversary there was a photo display of how the mall looked when it opened. This must have been put together by the mall management. They were nice 8x10 black and white photos. It might be worth asking them if you could have a look. [I have contacted the mall manager she’s supposed to send me something]. I do have a mall directory from the grand opening in 1967. I also have one from the 1985 remodel. I would need to dig it out and scan it [great, let’s see them both] [Courtesy of Gary, www.dcgrocery.com].
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