Skip to main content

Vintage mall directory archive

Bay Area, California & beyond

Welcome to the vintage mall directory archive — a curated digital collection of shopping mall directories from the golden age of retail. Whether you're a fan of mid-century mall architecture, a collector of department store ephemera, or simply nostalgic for a time when you could buy jeans, see a movie, and go ice skating under one roof—this archive is for you.

The focus here is on California, particularly the Bay Area, but we’re also expanding to include malls from across the U.S. and internationally.

Featured: Bay Area, California

  • Hillsdale Shopping Center (1982 Directory)
    Explore Hillsdale Mall after its major 1981 expansion, including Nordstrom’s debut and a full-service map.
    Read the post
  • Solano Mall (1985)
    Step back in time when Sears was still in its first location and before Edwards Cinema was added to the upper level.
    View the post
  • Valley Fair Mall – Emporium-Capwell Directory (1986)
    Discover the Emporium-Capwell at the newly rebuilt Valley Fair, complete with services like Ticketron, alterations, and travel bureau.
    See the directory
  • Somersville Towne Center (2010 Directory)
    Explore Somersville Towne Center just after Gottschalks and Mervyn's closed in 2009.
    Read the post

Greater California

  • (Coming soon)

USA

  • Reno, NV – Meadowood Mall (1989 Directory)
    Explore Meadowood Mall before Sears and the food court arrived in 1989.
    View the post

International & other finds

  • (Coming soon)

Last updated: August 2025

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lost malls of the Bay Area: San Mateo Fashion Island (1981—1995)

Grand opening in 1981: when Fashion Island was the future San Mateo Fashion Island opened on September 24, 1981. It was the latest and greatest mall to open in the Bay Area. Grand opening ad for San Mateo Fashion Island mall—look to us! "Look to us, look to us, Fashion Island, San Mateo, look to us" says the jingle on the radio around 1982. Although I also remember "Hillsdale, it's exciting, Hillsdale, it's inviting. More than any other shopping center, it's happening at Hillsdale now." Weird what sticks. The famous tent on Bullock’s: iconic and unforgettable But everyone’s favorite thing? The tent. The actual tent they slapped onto Bullock’s. It was so big and weird and wonderful that it felt like Cirque du Soleil might appear at any moment—or maybe a three-day clearance sale. From a newspaper photo—The tent roof on Bullock's San Mateo Fashion Island. 1983 Fashion Island Mall directory: a vintage snapshot A directory for the now dead San M...

Top 10 largest malls in Northern California

Looking to explore the biggest shopping destinations in Northern California? Here's a ranked list of the 10 largest malls in the region, based on Gross Leasable Area (GLA)—which usually includes in-line tenants, common area, and anchors. GLA figures are sourced from mall operators and industry data, though slight variations may exist due to rounding or differing definitions. Whether you're a retail enthusiast, real estate researcher, or mall nostalgia buff, these are the heavyweights of Northern California shopping: Top 10 largest malls in Northern California 1.  Westfield Valley Fair  - San Jose Valley Fair Mall, the largest mall in Northern California, is a luxury retail destination—just minutes from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino. 1,960,000~ sq. ft. Visit Westfield Valley Fair 2. San Francisco Centre - San Francisco 1,500,000~ sq. ft. A flagship urban mall combining historic architecture with luxury retailers. Now facing a wave of tenant closures and vacancy. Vi...

The history of Southland Mall in Hayward — chandeliers, aviaries, and an ice rink

Southland Mall in Hayward will always be the mall that defined my "mall senses." The swoosh of air as you opened the doors, the sound of birds chirping and water trickling, and the smell of popcorn with a hint of chlorine.  Before it became Southland Mall, it almost had a different identity—“Palma Ceia” was the original name for this shopping destination in Hayward. But by the time the doors officially opened on October 22, 1964, the center had taken on a new name, one more fitting for the suburban sprawl it was set to serve. Southland wasn’t built from scratch—it was stitched together. The original Sears store had already been anchoring the area since November 6, 1958. With the addition of a new JCPenney and an enclosed corridor of shops, Southland Mall came to life as one of the East Bay’s most modern shopping experiences. The future had no doors Featured in the May 1965 edition of Architectural Record, Southland Mall was celebrated for a novel idea: an enclosed mall wit...