It was only a matter of time. According to the StarTribune this morning, the Brookdale Macy’s store will close. No date was announced, but a final clearance sale will begin next week. Great time to stock up on Apple Bottom jeans and boots with the fur.
Like many Minnesotans, I loathe Macy’s, and I’m shocked at how long this store has lasted at Brookdale, but I honestly feel a little sad about this. We did so much of our “back to school” shopping back when it was Daytons. I can thank the Brookdale Daytons for my reputation as a teenage fashion plate! I would spend HOURS in the Dayton’s juniors department, trying to put together an outfit that make me look like a dazzling recreation of Six from Blossom.
Most of my teenage wardrobe came from the Brookdale Macy’s. Esprit sweatshirts! Esprit book bags! Girbaud jeans! Champion sweatshirts (along with the required white turtleneck to wear underneath)! Calvin Klein “Ck” t-shirts! Long, shapeless button-front floral dresses!
These days, there’s pretty much nothing I’d want to buy at the Brookdale Macy’s. It’s run down, it’s dirty, and it seems to cater to the taste of a hooker. Back in the day, the only “ghetto” clothing the Brookdale Macy’s sold was Cross Colours and those t-shirts with thugged out Looney Tunes characters on them.
I remember going there as recently as 2004, and even though the ghetto fab clothing was slowing creeping in, this Macy’s carried decent brands that I would buy, such as Free People and Lucky. Not anymore! It’s all Sean John, Ecko, and G-Unit clothing these days.
Now, all that’s left are Sears and Barnes & Noble to hold down the fort. No crystal ball needed to predict the future here; Brookdale isn’t going to last much longer. Bring in the wrecking crew…
I’ll try to stop in the store later this week to snap some photos, since I didn’t do that in my Brookdale Mall post.
#1 by Josh on January 8, 2009 - 11:17 am
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It IS sad news indeed. Even though Brookdale’s hey day is long past, Macy’s still served as a sort of link to its better days. Up until this morning, I held out hope that Brookdale could be revitalized and maybe even shine again. Now I think the writing is on the wall. Brookdale is finished. Now I just hope the people running Brooklyn Center will be smart about what to do with the property the mall sits on. RIP, Brookdale.
#2 by TheOldScowl on January 8, 2009 - 4:06 pm
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Thank you for some photos of Village North. I too am surprised that Godfather’s Pizza is still there. I swore it was gone by 2000.
Another good business to mention is the line of ‘Mr. Steak’ restaurants that were in the metro area (many old fine family memories from them).
And there was a hexagonal or octagonal shaped restaurant (at least from the air, but no one owned those skycars back then to see them!) that was located about where White Castle currently is and had been somewhat classy 30+ years ago. I will have to check with a relative about the name and other info on it.
Thanks again for digging up some of the history of the area.
#3 by dumpystripmalls on January 8, 2009 - 9:37 pm
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Hmmm…I very VAGUELY recall that hexagonal-shaped restaurant too…and I can’t remember the name either. It’s going to drive me nuts! Please let me know if you find anything out!
#4 by doctorjazz on January 9, 2009 - 11:43 pm
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Hexagonal restaurants… Quarterback Clubs? Probably not. They had fotball roofs. Red Barn? They had gambrel roofs… ?
#5 by doctorjazz on January 9, 2009 - 11:45 pm
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Hexagonal restaurants… Quarterback Clubs? Probably not. They had football roofs. Red Barn? They had gambrel roofs… ?
#6 by Gatz on January 28, 2009 - 11:39 pm
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I’m thinking the “Hexagonal restaurant” might be have been Gordons in the Park.
There was another one somewhere near Godfathers called the Golden Fox.
#7 by Chad on March 9, 2009 - 4:46 pm
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It truly saddens me to look at Brookdale Mall today. I have such fond memories of it beening a fun place to hang out at when I was younger. I firmly believe that the state welfare programs and low income housing are to blame in large part for the decline of Brooklyn Center and its retail industry.
One memory I have is my mom would take to Brookdale Mall. We’d go to 31 flavors (Baskin Robbins) to get ice-cones and sit to watch the birds beening fed in the afternoon. Does anyone else remember when Brookdale had that huge bird cage that went to the ceiling that used to sit in front of 31 flavors? Once a day the bird trainer/feeder would come in and feed the birds treats and get them to do tricks. It was great!
Another Memory I have is when I was about 10-12 years old and my parents would do almost all the X-mas shopping there. I could wonder around to all of the electronic departments.
And I say “Electronic Departments” because all of the major store like Daytons, Donaldsons, JCpennys and Sears had full electronics departments with everything you could imagine. Including console TV’s, home Hi-Fi, Refrigerators, Washers, Dryer, Cameras and even Atari’s.
By the way the blue and white building in the photo where your bother is golfing is actually the old JCpenny’s Automotive Center. Yup, even JCpenny’s had there own Automotive Service Center until about 1986 or 1987.
I currently have a business in Brooklyn Center right next to the Brookdale Mall. I don’t know what Brooklyn Center is going to do to turn this city around. Because it is truly saddening to see it this way. Brooklyn Center used to be a get little city, now its just another dirty ghetto. Sorry to say that, but its true. I should know I still live here and work here.
Thanks
Sincerely
Chad
#8 by Darlene on August 12, 2009 - 10:51 am
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I worked at Sears in Brookdale, part time for 6 years starting in 1973. Good co-workers especially the kids that were in high school or college. Kids that came from blue-collar families and had good manners and a great work ethic.
At Christmas time we had to park behind the Sears Auto Store which was kind of a long walk at 9:30 at night after closing, but we had no problems.
#9 by BillB on March 11, 2010 - 11:43 pm
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http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2010/02/22/daily49.html
Friday, February 26, 2010
Brookdale Center is sold at auction
Brookdale Center mall received a single bid of $12.5 million at a sheriff’s foreclosure sale Friday, the Star Tribune reported.
The bid was from lender Brookdale Mall HH LLC. A Brooklyn Center city manager confirmed the report.
The Brooklyn Center mall, which is owned by Brooks Mall Properties in Coral Gables, Fla., is being foreclosed on through a voluntary foreclosure by its lenders. The shopping center has seen many of its anchors, including Macy’s, Old Navy and Barnes & Noble, depart in recent years.
Brooks Mall owes $51.8 million on a $54.2 million mortgage, the paper reported.
>>
I owe 51M but will buy it from myself at aucton for 12.5 – how does THAT math work again?
You can fit one metric MetroDome with twice the onsite parking than the current Dome location in this space. Just blocks from an interstate highway too? Wow!
Yo, Ziggy- Hennepin County is already paying for a Twins stadium no one had a chance vote for-so how about it? Can we help you subsidize your private business endevours here as well?