When I was a kid in the 70's the "thing" to do whe
n you got your drivers license was to cruise
Antioch Shopping Center in the Northland.
Cruising the open air mall that contained stores like Adlers, Bakers shoes, Topsy's Popcorn, Zales Jewelers and House of Flowers. It was fun and innocent.
Now that I'm 52 I think about how silly it seems and what a waste of gas. But at that time it was harmless and gas was roughly about 25 cents per gallon. (My how times change)
Through the years Antioch Center evolved. Patrons were tired of being exposed to the elements when they shopped. And listening to their patrons, Antioch was enclosed with a roof that kept shoppers dry.
Rather than driving around Antioch, some of those same people had greyed and were walking inside the mall as a form of exercise.
Unfortunately Antioch Shopping Center in the Northland has been dying a slow miserable death with the newness of strip malls and larger shopping centers moving further north.
In 2003, the leaders in the Northland had a vision for a revamped open air Antioch Center (history repeats itself) that would help stimulate business around Vivion Road and Chouteau Trafficway.
It's sad to say that the 82.7 million dollar project was recently denied state tax increment financing of 8 million dollars.
Now it's back to the drawing board for the owners of Antioch Center.
;)
;)
