The fountains, the food, the unique stores: People share more memories of St. Clair Square

In its 50th year, St. Clair Square mall is one of the longstanding places in the metro-east that made an impact on the community. Members of several community Facebook groups were asked to share their memories of St. Clair Square.

Here’s a collection of memories – and this isn’t even all of the comments – of St. Clair Square from group members (tweaked for spelling, punctuation, etc.):

• Yikes! I could write multiple pages. Like many area residents, I can remember when it was first built, and how “hanging out at the mall” was THE thing to do in the mid-’70s. – John Mike Coggeshall

• Famous-Barr Restaurant and that so delish French Onion Soup. Going there with my grandma and aunt, was a true treat. – Chalice Sandheinrich

• Waldenbooks & B. Dalton bookstores - I think one right above the other, right across from Aladdin’s arcade. – Jean Jordan

• One Christmas there was an Elf House by J.C. Penney and Burger Chef. You would put in a nickel and a little door opened and a candy cane would come out. It actually had someone inside working. Working at Cinnabon across from Pass Pets. Those were so good fresh out of the oven. – John Poole

• I remember having money from my first job and taking it to blow at three stores that were all in a row on the upstairs level near where American Eagle is now. They were Foxmoor, Paul Harris and Brooks Atelier. Wow, 16-year-old me really thought I had made it when I was able to shop in those! – Stephanie Orlet

• Aladdin’s Castle Arcade, Hardee’s, and I was the Easter bunny there one year, like ‘97 or ‘98-ish. – Randy Flach

• Worked at Kay Bee Toy and Hobby Shop on lower level in high school. – Jim Morris

• I was one of the very first employees at the J.C. Penney store in 1976. – Debbie Rensing Thomas

• I worked at Famous Barr when it was the only store there! I worked in the music department selling vinyl albums. Later on Olga’s was a favorite spot as well as the fudge shop and the book stores. – Rosie Neff Hideg

• I worked at Sears (Catalog Stock) in high school. My girlfriend worked at Penney’s in the restaurant. The mall was our date spot on Saturday night. The record store was my favorite. Only bad thing was having my first car stolen from the parking lot while I was at work. Forty years later I replaced it with a nearly identical 1968 Ford Galaxie! – Walt Geminn

• I worked at Famous-Barr men’s department in the ‘70s. I sure learned how to neatly fold shirts! One day after work, I thought I forgot where I parked. No my car was stolen. – Holly Rauk

• Spent winters there walking every day and running into old teachers from Pontiac either walking or hanging out at the food court. … Olga’s Kitchen at least twice a month. The best Halloween for the kids ever. The place was rockin with friendly store employees giving out candy. – Michele Galen Indoe

• My husband was manager of Kay-Bee early 1980s when we started dating. While in high school loved going on Saturday to see your friends. – Sarah Martin Delia

• I worked Pass Pets and friends with a lot of the girls in Leo’s, we used to walk my brother’s bird around the mall and he … wolf whistled at all the girls. – Mark Hitsman

• I worked at Gift Horse, Camelot Music and Foxmore Casual. Gift Horse was fun on Sundays because I got to write names real fancy on mylar balloons to sell! – Margie Ferris Havel

• Glamour shots! My mom use to work there, dressing up in whatever my heart desired and taking pictures with my sister. After mom’s shift Cinnabon would always give us all the left over cinnamon rolls! Structure men’s clothing! When we use to wear boxers as shorts with a matching shirt. (Wouldn’t dare these days) my goal was to get every new boxer! – Jennifer Weatherford

• My dad laid the brick on the inside and put a penny in the wall by Boyds - used to show my friends but then they covered it with drywall (how stupid is that?) – Lisa Eckert

• Camelot music buying albums – Chris Hemmer

• Hung out at the mall early ‘90s. Worked at Sears from ‘94-’00. My ‘87 Cutlass was stolen from the lot on my first day of work. – G.W. Junior

• About 35 years ago I was dressed as a BEAR to promote the TELEPHONE PIONEERS program Operation Teddy Bear in front of the Children’s Shop outside of Famous-Barr. – Bob Vielweber

• With my bud Joe Hillebrand, we would either bus or ride our bikes (down the freshly rock and tar’d Old Collinsville Rd from the east end of Belleville) with a dollar each. Hung out at the Record Bar and had general kids mischievous fun. (i.e. being little s#!?$)The dollar was the exact cost of a burger, fries, and drink at Burger Chef, then load the burger up at the works bar! Good times! – Kevin Cartwright

• Worked at Boyd’s in mid-’70s while in high school and loved to eat at York Steakhouse. – Robin Alvey Buesking

• I remember as a kid, the huge water fountains in the middle. I remember there were a block like step stone bridge threw them. – Chris Thomas

• This was probably around 1999-2000, shopping with my mom and sister at JC Penney’s. We stopped by the restroom, and by some stroke of misfortune, my mom’s purse tips and falls right as she’s flushing the toilet and her keys went right down the drain. She is panicking because how do we get home or get in the house? We get ahold of someone from maintenance and he puts on one rubber glove (to his wrist) and proceeds to plunge elbow-deep into the toilet bowl to hopefully find the keys. No luck. We end up calling my dad and he leaves work in STL to come pick us up. – Mandy Kirleis

• I loved the food at Olga’s!! Also spent a LOT of money in Famous-Barr on Danskin leotard tops and twirly skirts. – Debbie Berger

• I miss going to Olga’s Kitchen! I loved their spinach pie! When my daughter would come home from Arizona, we had to go there! It was our favorite! – Tammy Hogan Engelman

• My first real job was selling books at Famous-Barr, loved reading all day, probably [why] they let me go after Christmas. – Mag Smith-Wells

• Orange freeze, pancake burgers and waffle fries at Olga’s. – Ryan Hoylman

• St. Clair Square was definitely the place to go. I remember the record stores as well: Camelot Music and Record Bar. Pretty sure those are the names. Also the Athletes Foot for sneakers was a big brand that isn’t around anymore as far as I know. – Craig Schwalb

• My kids took music lessons at Ludwig. Mostly intro to music rather than learning to play an instrument. – JoAnn Reith Beers

• Olga’s was always a favorite go for a lunch date with mom after a shopping trip with mom. – Cara Schobert

• My mom worked at the Earring Tree. For a treat we would go have dinner with her at York. Good memories! – Christy Lemansky Chapman

• J Bucks was fantastic! – Katie May

• Chick-fil-A was in the food court and Build-A-Bear was an actual store that hosted birthday parties and not a cart in the middle of the aisle. – Robin Lee

• I loved the stand alone candy shop inside Sears. We would get sesame sticks and chocolate stars by the pound. – Kim Cotton Wasser

• Star of India, they followed you wherever you were in the store. … Saw Ronald Reagan there when he was campaigning. – Diane Tettaton

• Shopping with my mom and deciding where to eat. Loved eating at Famous and Dillard’s. Just felt special, and the food was delicious. Sometimes they had fashion shows while you were dining. – Ann Winkler Hinrichs

• When I was a kid, KB Toys was the place. – Ron Calvert

• Pass Pets! Always had to stop in there to see all the puppies! This is where I bought my Yorkie from and years later my Silkie Terrier. – Karen Woll

• Hanging out at Hardee’s (where Victoria’s Secret is now) with all my friends. That was when it was safe for our parents to just drop us off. – Christy Lemansky Chapman

• Before Hardee’s it was a McDonald’s. I remember they had chairs with the characters on them. We didn’t eat fast food much then so it was always a big deal to go there and try to sit in those chairs. – Andie Susie

• I worked at the kiddie train for several years at St. Clair always a fun job met many great people. – Sandy Kay Thompson

• Oh the memories! I’d forgotten about many of these stores! I do occasionally think about Waldenbooks and B. Dalton. – Carrie Cushing

• I worked at Fannie Mae Candies and there used to be a fountain just outside our store, kids would come up to the counter with a handful of “wet” change and ask what they could get for this much $. – Jane Jungle

• York Steak House was great. Joanns craft store started there with just sewing and yarn products. – Mary Jo Nelson

• My sisters-in-law saw Head East there long ago. – Joann O’Donnell Johnson

• My favorite memory is catching the bus with my friends to go to the mall as a teenager in the ‘90s. I miss buying shoes at Bakers. Especially getting your shoes dyed for weddings, etc. – Crystal Hilson

• Olga’s with my mom, grandma and aunt on a Saturday. Some of the best memories. – Julie Elizabeth

• I worked there as a teenager at County Seat, a retail clothing store. I also remember there being karaoke singing in the middle of the mall from time to time. That’s where we hung out as teenagers. That was the place to go! – Tracy Cameron Birkinbine

• Aladdin’s Castle when it was by the east exit. – Liz Utley

• When my parents took us to York Steak House we felt like we were dining in a 5-star restaurant. We had to be on our absolute best behavior. We were shopping for my sister’s First Communion dress and my mom had been going to school for nursing and working nights. She was EXHAUSTED. We went to York Steak House and it wasn’t very busy that day. As mom leaned forward to get a drink of her Pepsi, she started to nod off. Next thing we know, she sits up and her straw was sticking out of her nose!! Needless to say, we were NOT on our best behavior because we STILL laugh about it!! This would have been on late 70s … Also the store that sold musical instruments—like organs. Don’t remember the name. – Carolyn Griffin

• There was a Deli in the 70’s by the main front door. Can’t remember the name and it drives me crazy. Best Corned Beef sandwich’s. Then one day they were just gone Anyone remember the name? Oh and loved the Shrimp salad sandwich at famous. – Belinda Jo Boshers Shelton

• Leo’s and they had jars of free deli pickles sitting on every table. – Dani Owen

• All the Christmas shopping. You can get all your Christmas shopping back at the mall. Christmas pictures of my kids (are in their 40s now) with Santa … Later, my daughter worked through Christmas seasons at the kiosk in the mall. Big feet slippers and the walking yo-yo’s. So many great memories. – Theresa Olson Larson

• I remember taking money from my York Steak House check and buying cool clothes and shoes at Famous-Barr! I’d buy cute Nine West pumps! – Melissa Beeler AuBuchon

• I got my ears pierced for the first time for my 11th birthday at The Canary & the Elephant in 1990. There was a stand in the mall about that same time that sold big clear balloons with confetti and stuffed animals in them. I wanted one so bad! They also had that simulated roller coaster that was in this machine that looked kind of like a mini van. I begged every time to do it. My parents finally let me do it once and I was the only one in it with one other person and I was creeped out because it was an older male teen/younger man and I wasn’t very old. I never asked to do it again. – Becky Smith

• My grandma walked the mall a couple times a week with friends and would take us when we were with her on school breaks. After we would stop at St. Louis Bread Co. for a bagel or other treat! We also enjoyed The Nature Company too! – Kristin Thompson

• Late ‘70s worked customer service counter at Famous-Barr. Ran the switchboard, processed payments & collected Green Stamp Books from customers who redeemed them for cash or store credit. I also remember: Things Remembered, Hallmark Store, B Dalton, Payless Shoes. – Diane Penn

• My dad poured the basement for Famous-Barr! – Stacy Bryan Deadmond

• The half Volkswagen bug in Gadzooks – Rhiannon Heisner

• I worked at Sears in the Luggage and Lingerie dept. Strange mix! I was top seller of luggage for two months! I loved when school choirs came and sang at the mall at Christmas. All the shoppers would stop shopping to listen to the music. – Donna Holcomb

• My mom, aunt and I used to go shopping every Friday night. They loved Arthur’s clothing store Jerome was the salesman that always took care of them. – Tami Harrison

• I worked at Jean Nicole’s during high school and loved hanging out at the mall. – Kim Cotton Wasser

• Gadzooks was my store back in the day! Then they changed it to all to girls only and ended up out of business… – Kelly Dean Cameron

• My favorite story is when I had a birthday at Libby Lou! I absolutely felt like a princess walking in, getting to make my own lotion, dressing up in the clothes and getting my hair done! Especially when they put glitter in our hair definitely a core memory! Can’t forget dip n dots after! Also limited too was always fun as a little girl! Early 2000s. – Hayley Birkhead

• I worked at the little cafe/diner in J.C. Penney in the early ‘80s. – Tammy Rodriguez

• York Steak House! The only reason my dad would take us to the mall. We ate, then went back home. Didn’t shop the stores. – Kevin Herzberg

• St. Louis Bread Co. when the sandwiches still had sprouts. Mr. Ragz, Gadzooks, Hot Topic, Spencers, Abercrombie & Fitch, Cucumber Melon from Bath and Body or Hemp lotion from the Body Shop, Pass Pets, 99-cent undies from Rue 21, arcade, Mr. Bulky’s, KB Toys, Natural Wonders? Was that the name of one? Nail salon. Man, we had it all. – Liberty Roth

• I miss the fountains, I don’t know how many coins I threw in making wishes, lol. – Patrick Jones

• Do you all remember Fredrick’s of Hollywood? We would walk by and giggle. – Kim Cotton Wasser

• My family, all 10 of us, went to the mall the day it opened. It was so crowded we could barely walk! It was really awesome. Ludwig’s had an organ and piano store on the upper level by Sears. We took lessons there for years. Sears had a candy counter. Let’s not forget York Steak House. – Bonnie Allison

• I took my daughter to see Santa and get her picture taken for 16 years. The last year she wouldn’t do it unless I sat in the picture, too. Got my engagement ring from Sears at St. Clair Square. – Stacie Horton

• I remember Martins Shoes and Thom McAn shoes. I took my kids there in the late ‘90s and early 2000s to see Santa there. When I was in high school there was a great game room with a Galaga game and Pac-Man. – Laura Ann

• I’m a pipe smoker and frequent the fairview Tinder Box, but I have really fond memories of when it used to be in the mall when I was a kid. Just walking in and smelling all the fresh, unburnt tobacco is a very vivid recollection. – Mike Howell

• Catching the bus from Collinsville to the mall with my girlfriends. Hanging out shopping and eating onion soup at Famous-Barr. We would call from a payphone one of our parents when we were ready to leave so they knew when to pick us up from the bus stop. – Donna Kerwin Burton

• I worked at J. Riggins next to Cinnabon and every night they would put out what they didn’t sell for mall employees to take home. It was awesome! – Jodi Ancer-Sienkiewicz

• The Snack Shack, I think it was a father and son who owned it. They had snacks, candies, drinks, and the BEST fresh funnel cake donuts. – Jennie Egler

• Pass Pets and Aladdin’s Castle were my favorite stores growing up. When there were fountains where the main escalators are is where you’d find a lot of the teenagers hanging out. Calling parents from the pay phones when we were ready to go or wanted to stay longer. – Emily Hinterlong-Laut

• York Steak House was always good. Aladdin’s Castle arcade was amazing. Across from there was a little snack bar type place. Meeting friends there on the weekends. Riding the elevators in J.C. Penney, hitting the emergency stop button in between floors and opening up the doors and reading and writing all the graffiti on the walls. Pass Pets pet store was always a great store. Going to the baseball cards shop with my dad in the ‘70s & ‘80s. Gliks and Spencer’s. So many memories. – Scott Stinnett