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Excelius t1_iyeq33d wrote

Reply to comment by icestormsurfing in Eastland Mall in North Versailles (Pittsburgh area), PA, circa 1963, its first holiday season. Gimbels closed along with the rest of the chain in 1986, and the mall was eventually torn down some twenty years later. Duquesne Light Company photo. Photo courtesy of Pleasant Family Shopping on Facebook by AxlCobainVedder

I'm not old enough to remember the actual mall, but my parents took me to the flea market semi-regularly.

It was interesting though because it was half indoor and half out in the parking lot, and there were a fair number of semi-permanent vendors setup inside.

Maybe it's just the rose colored glasses of youth, but it seemed like there was actually some good stuff for sale. Compare it to the flea market nearby in the old movie theater next to the Walmart, which is just sad and depressing.

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C_DallasMultipass5 t1_iyeqinr wrote

It was a weekly trip for us. I miss it. I agree with the rose colored glasses, but I love getting toys and fake Gucci coats whenever I was younger lol. It was there, I was introduced to chicken on a stick and sriracha.

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Excelius t1_iyes3bh wrote

Seemed like a lot of the vendors back then were semi-permanent semi-professional operations.

Closer to the people you might see setting up booths at a convention or something. They just maybe couldn't afford the rent for a traditional retail space.

I guess those kinds of folks are probably running eBay or Etsy shops now.

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C_DallasMultipass5 t1_iyeza4o wrote

I agree. Most were definitely permanent fixtures there. I remember the one guy in the inside had two tables of various baseball cards and sometimes fake Pokémon cards. Used to get made fun of for having them lol. Great times.

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[deleted] t1_iyfdww3 wrote

The one in Blairsville is kind of like that too. Part of it's outside and part is inside. It's in an old car dealership.

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