Milestones of life can be measured out in trips to the mall

A July 24, 1990 Buffalo News article reported: Seneca Mall Gives Concrete Menagerie to Buffalo Zoo. 

Amy Sieracki, of Kenmore, had many reasons to go to the mall.

When I was in grade school, climbing on the gigantic camel, the whale, and the llama was a reward Mom allowed us after all the errands at that mall were done – Christmas shopping, back to school shopping, or grew-out-of-your-shoes-again shopping.

Soon enough we were too cool for that – fast forward to high school. A friend used to buy clothes from The Limited, tuck in the tags and wear them, then return them. An eagle-eyed clerk caught on to it when she found a ticket stub from a recent Sabres game in the pocket of a cute little jacket – new with tags – being returned.

For the junior prom. I picked out a drop-waisted Gunne Sax dress – white lace – from one of the stores there. At the time it seemed like I hit the glamor jackpot. Looking at those pictures now, it appears to be an oversized First Communion dress. I ask myself what I was thinking and, finding the dress now among the vintage stuff on eBay, my opinion remains unchanged.

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Walden Galleria was the place to be for my 20-something, single-with-money-to-spend self. A lot of my working girl wardrobe came from Sibley’s, including a teal wool winter coat with a dramatic faux fur collar, also teal. The manager at the Casual Corner there knew my friend by name – she was a big spender and a VIP customer.

The food court at the Boulevard Mall was a great Friday night place for a single mom with two active preschool boys – kid-friendly food, bathrooms close by, and space to walk around and let off steam.

While the boys ate nuggets and fries from McDonalds, their eyes were fixed on the carousel. On really good nights they rode it twice – once before dinner and once after we finished – and then fell asleep in the car on the way home.

As preteens, both boys were enthusiastic customers of Aeropostale – also at the Boulevard Mall. Ian loved the low-slung skinny jeans with names like “distressed light wash,” “Essex straight leg,” or “medium wash destroyed.” One summer he asked for the 87 cologne spray for men. The answer was no.

That same summer, he was allowed to get the tips of his brown hair highlighted at Supercuts. Back then we were still monitoring his social media – he posted: “Got tips at Supercuts – it looks like God peed in my hair.”

Peter loved Aero’s super bright plaid shirts, and the super bright cotton boxer shorts. A favorite photo shows him working on a project at school – with bright orange and lemon yellow Hawaiian flowered boxers sticking out above the waistband of his shredded jeans.

By high school, Peter’s taste had morphed to fashions from Hot Topic. Some of the edgy rock-themed t-shirts we bought there are probably still in the back of his closet.

Maybe it was because things were different 30 years ago, and more different 15 years ago. Maybe it was the mall itself. But it seemed like malls made it easier to celebrate things like prom, and the end of a working mom’s work week. It seemed like it was easier to reward a good report card, bolster a tweenager’s fragile self-esteem or comfort a bruised ego. Find the perfect prom dress, ride a merry-go-round, or send kids into the dressing room with an armful of stuff.

They emerged feeling confident, validated and loved.

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