The Last Stand of the Chesterfield Mall

Busy past and a quieter present.

I have written about my fondness for the Mall in Chesterfield, Missouri. It has seen great days...but is currently in its last days. Once full of stores, a carousel, and all kinds of fun, it is on its way out. The Chesterfield Mall will officially have its last day on August 31st, 2024. Tenants have to vacate as of that day and the Mall will become closed to the public. It shall then be demolished to become a big mixed-use plaza of stores and homes. The Mall is not dead yet, however, and I'd argue still worth visiting for several cool stores. There is not a full food court, but there is a Tabla Restaurant STL which serves delicious grub in addition to a Cheesecake Factory still operating. The Vintage Stock in the Mall has some delightful employees and is one of the best-organized VStocks in the area (it has plans to relocate upon the Mall's closure). The Chesterfield Community Center still has the mall as its home and is a lovely place to hang out. Leftovers Etc. is a really cool nonprofit that focuses on reusing all kinds of fun resources for learning and crafts. Plus there are two antique stores. 

There is Piddle Crick Hill Mercantile and Cheetah-Lu. I have talked with the owners of both at various times and would recommend both places. Vince of Piddle Crick is a nice guy and Bill at Cheetah-Lu has a ton of stuff too. Bill was kind enough to pose in front of his store for me when I told him how I was writing this article about stores in the Mall:

I've talked about the great people at Grape's Games previously and there is a really cool record store called the Vinyl Goat. I also saw a store with cool skincare products that offered group classes to learn more about skin and make your own skin products called Butter By Jay Renee. There are even more businesses so it is clear that even if the Mall is on its way out, it ain't dead yet. While it may be a bit more barren than in the past and a chunk of the hallways are being used now for Pickleball, it remains a cool place to visit...while you still can.

The ToyMan for August 2023 Was a Treat!

I wasn't sure if I'd make it to this ToyMan Show as we had Gibson right after the last one. However, it worked out for me to go so I was excited to get some great comics and see all the cool folks! It was an outrageously fun show as always and continues to be the #1 show I recommend if you're after stuff. By, "Stuff," I of course mean comics, toys, Lego, Funko, old posters, diecast toys, and anything else cool you can think up. I kicked off the show saying hello to my friend Tim Metzger and chatting with John Chaffee of Bigfoot Comics and Collectibles. I then caught up with Spike from Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles. Tom from Alliance Comics, Toys, and Games had a lot of cool stuff too and I saw the delightful Kristen and Andy of Grape's Games. I traded some of my comics and threw in some cash to buy a gorgeous copy of, "Uncanny X-Men," #130 from Vince of VK Toys. There are some crazy-sounding rumors about Taylor Swift possibly having a cameo as Dazzler in the upcoming, "Deadpool 3," but I'm not sure how much stock I put into that. I just like Dazzler regardless of any film adaptations! Take a look:

When I went upstairs I had the chance to see my usual awesome friends, Jessica Mathews, Lindsay Hornsby, and Debbie Manbe Kupfer. They all are fantastic authors and I enjoy having a number of their works on my bookshelf! I also saw Amanda Baker who's Bound in Art business makes cool custom resin creations. I chatted with author Christine E. Schulze too, who had a number of neat fantasy books for sale. It had been a bit since I'd run into J.E. Nelson but she was doing great as well! Heroes for Kids was upstairs too, discussing how their recent show had been fun (I was unable to attend as Gibson had just been born). I bought a very cute alphabet sing-a-long book from Jacqueline James and I'm sure Clarkson and Gibson will both enjoy it. Here is a picture:

Today's ToyMan was full of lovely people, and awesome things to buy. It continues to be one of my favorite shows to attend as any time I go I'm basically guaranteed to to find something cool (or multiple things) I want to have come home with me. The next show is on November 5th, so mark your calendars and make sure to attend if you're able!

Today's ToyMan Show Was an Incredibly Good Time!

I was able to be at the ToyMan show today for a smidgen in the morning and had a ball! I saw plenty of friends, found some cool stuff, and otherwise was impressed as always with the wide variety of good stuff for sale. 

I started the show by chatting with my good chum, Spike of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles. I then talked with Tom from Alliance Comics, Toys, and Games about how he'd been doing. Kristen and Andy of Grapes Games were at the show with lots of neat stuff for sale as well! Vince of VK Toys had a ton of awesome comics and we did a big trade, I was pleased to see him. I had fun talking with Tim Metzger too, he's a cool guy with great stuff! Also, I ran into my friend Jack Thomas of Fortress Comics and acquired this awesome, "Daredevil," slabbed comic from him featuring the first cover appearance of Maya Lopez AKA Echo: 

In the upstairs area, I first ran into Jessica Mathews and we chatted about how her latest books were coming along. I also saw Lindsay Hornsby and admired a lot of cool buttons she's been making and selling now! Debbie Manbe Kupfer and her son Joey Kupfer were at the show and I bought a children's book of logic puzzles they collaborated on titled, "Paws4Thought." I'm bad at physical puzzles but enjoy using logic, so I thought it would be fun to grab. Here's a picture:

When I saw all my friends at today's ToyMan show I let them know I'd probably be missing the next one in late August as we're going to be busy very soon with our upcoming baby. Today's show was full of great finds and cool folks for sure. If you can visit the next ToyMan on August 27th I'd recommend you do so as clearly I had a stupendous time!

Visit Grape's Games at the Chesterfield Mall!

For a chunk of time, there was not much in the Chesterfield Mall, but it has actually been getting some cool stores added lately. One of those new businesses would be Grape's Games. It just opened May 12th and is owned by two folks named Kristen and Andy. I checked their store out the other day and was impressed by it! Their business sells everything from Pokemon cards and related items to Funko Pops, board games, miniature toys, plush items, and more! If you don't live within the Saint Louis area you can order stuff from them to be shipped as well via their website. If you do live around here, make sure to stop by and say hello to them. The store is located right by the escalators in the mall that go up to the AMC movie theater, so you can't miss them!