Look! These 5 Retro Mall Commercials Will Take You Back to the Good Old Days in Upstate New York

I am sitting in my office, putting together a story about the good old days when Upstate New York shopping malls were THE place to meet, eat and shop. As I type I am expecting a couple of packages to be delivered to me without going into the mall or a stand-alone store.

The holiday shopping experience has certainly changed over the years but I believe there is still something special about being in the mall and handpicking gifts for my family. Check out the videos below for a look back at Upstate New York shopping Malls and what they were like in the 1980's and 90's.

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COHOES - CROSSGATES MALL, ALBANY, NY

Cohoes Fashions left the city of Cohoes, New York in 1999 and relocated in Crossgates Mall in Albany, NY. Over the years Cohoes Fashions morphed into Burlington Coat Factory and eventually Burlington. Here's a taste from the past.

SHOPPINGTOWN MALL - DEWITT, NY

• Opening in 1957 as an open-air mall
• Enclosed in 1973
• The mall as you knew it closed in March of 2020
• Here's what it looked like in 1990

MCKINLEY MALL - HAMBURG, NY

• Opened in 1985 near Buffalo, NY
• 80 stores
• Food court known as "The Garden"
• Here's a look at the mall as it was in 1988

COLONIE CENTER MALL - ALBANY, NY

• Opened in 1966
• The first enclosed shopping mall in the Capital Region
• Do you remember what it looked like in 1986?
• This video will help

It's always fun to look back but remember, these too are the good old days. I'll leave you with this from Crossgates Mall.