Friday, May 09, 2008

Giant Escalators Moving Shoppers


A postcard I forgot I had! Another beauty of Sunvalley Mall, very similar to the previous post. This picture clearly taken a few years later (based on style of clothing).

This card, again, shows the center court, taken near the rare portals to the lower level (we affectionately called "the dungeon" in the early 80s). Visible is the B. Dalton Bookseller, which ultimately relocated between Macy's and Penney's. Music Box is still there, but the Camera Center wasn't visible or even present in the earlier postcard.

The back of the card reads "Giant escalators move shoppers swiftly from one mall level to the other at SunValley, the world's largest enclosed, air conditioned shopping center."

A question for loyal mallrats, was the blue panel above the exit always there?

Enjoy!
Scott

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very nice postcard. The main court is a lot more open-feeling now, though the lower corridors still feel a bit claustrophobic -- especially when one gets towards Sears. It's still a very busy place though.

Did Sunvalley ever have any of those two-level stores that went down to the lower level??

Anonymous said...

Dean, 24 hour fitness is two level. You enter inside the mall on the upper level and from outside on the lower level.

Does anyone know what used to be in it's space(s) ?

Georob said...

Roos-Atkins had a two level store inside SunValley. It also had a direct parking lot entrance on the upper level facing Contra Costa Blvd.

In looking at the current SunValley map, 24 Hour Fitness sits approximately where that Roos-Atkins store was, though I'm sure there have been several different occupants over the years.

Maxine Weiss said...

Were B.Dalton and Pic-wick Books one and the same ?

I always liked Walden Books better than B. Dalton. It was quieter in Walden, and you could do more in-store reading.

I miss all the shoe stores, Florsheim, Gallenkamp, Jarman, etc...

Anonymous said...

This was the center of the mall if you had your back towards Macys. Granat Bros was there forever, until it was eventually replaced with Bailey Banks and Biddle.

I totally forgot B Dalton used to be across from Macys, until it relocated into a much bigger location-- kinda where I believe 24 hour fitness is now.

The one thing I do miss is the escalators they had in front of Macys. Now it's the staircase off to one side and a glass elevator. But it used to be so much more convenient.