As of January 12th, 2013 Parkway Center Mall located just off the Parkway West in Pittsburgh, PA is closed. I grew up in the area and spent a lot of time at the mall in the 90s and with the closing of its doors I started reminiscing about some of the memories I had at the mall... how American of me! Here's an old layout of the mall that I found so that you can play along.
The arcade in Parkway Center Mall provided some of the fondest memories of my youth. That's where I first learned about arcade etiquette and placing your quarter on a machine to reserve your turn. I remember standing by for hours to play Mortal Kombat 2 for the first time, then getting pummeled by some teenager who knew every combo already. Speaking of gaming, most of my video game purchases and trade-in ripoffs came from the FuncoLand on the lower level. I didn't just waste my time on video games at the mall, I also learned how to play pool at Mr. Pockets. Part of me was always a little bummed that I was too old to play at Dino Kingdom.
I bought my first album at the Phar-Mor attached to the mall, Green Day's Dookie on cassette My brother and I pooled our money together so that we could afford it. I've held onto that cassette all these years and it's still part of my record collection.
I also purchased my first two CDs at the National Record Mart (NRM) located in the lower level of the mall, Jock Jams Volume 1 and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins. NRM was a second home to me as a teenager while I started really getting into music. I would spend my allowance and grass cutting money there every week. I loved digging through the "Various Artists" section browsing for cheap punk and ska comps. They were usually under $5, so it wasn't that big of a deal if one was a dud. I discovered a lot of great bands that way! I could probably dig through my record collection and tell you every CD that I bought at that NRM. I'm not sure when, but a CD Warehouse eventually popped up in a building adjacent to the mall, I spent hundreds of dollars there as well once I had a real job.
Before I devoted all of my money to music I would spend my hard earned allowance on hockey cards and comic books. Most of my hockey cards came from the flea market, but the comics were all from Phantom of the Attic on the upper level of the mall. I was (and still am) a Marvel guy, Amazing Spider-Man and the X-Men were what I read back then. Phantom of the Attic was one of the last stores at Parkway Center Mall, the shop relocated and currently resides down the hill at 2351 Noblestown Road. When Pogs were a thing, I remember buying most of mine at a kiosk across the hall from the comic shop. I mentioned that I mainly purchased my hockey cards at the flea market, but I do remember collecting the "cards in a can" at K-Mart. They were literally sports cards in a CAN!
The food court was a frequent hangout for my group of friends. They had great hot dogs and amazing french fries! The first time I met someone from the Internet was at the food court... of course it was a girl. Remember when that was taboo? We were safe and pretty cautious about the meet up though, having known each other for a few months prior, talking on instant messenger and the phone. I don't remember everything we did that day, but I do remember buying Punk-O-Rama III at NRM! Although it wasn't part of the food court, I'm still a little upset that Chi-Chi's no longer exists -- nothing beat their churros and hot chocolate sauce!
From my youth until now I've always been fascinated by computers and every week when the Sunday paper was delivered I would spend the morning looking at every product in the CompUSA circular. I loved analyzing the specs of the computers that I dreamed of one day owning. 2gb hard drives! 64mb of RAM! 8x optical drives! Anytime I went to the mall I always made a stop at the CompUSA on the 3rd floor. I could spend hours playing with all of the demo computers and looking at software. I fondly remember pining over the Creative Nomad Jukebox (one of the first MP3 players with a large hard drive) for months. It was only fitting that I would eventually work for CompUSA. Sadly, I didn't start working there until after they moved away from Parkway Center Mall to Robinson Township.
Remember Club Zoo? No, not the former music venue, I'm referring to the under 21 dance club. Before it moved to Harmarville it was located in the lower level of the mall, by the Giant Eagle entrance. I was dragged there a few times by my friends in high school. Dance clubs definitely weren't my thing though -- I don't think Offspring t-shirts and JNCOS really fit in there, heh.
Currently, only Giant Eagle survives on the ski slopes known as the Parkway Center Mall parking lot. Who knows what will come of the site, but hopefully the great location doesn't go to waste.
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