They Officially Start Demolishing the Chesterfield Mall on October 15th

I've written about the Chesterfield Mall in our region and how I'm sad it will soon be no more. It was struggling a bit before the COVID-19 pandemic, and ever since then had been mortally wounded and limping along with a small number of stores left as a bit of a last stand. Long-gestating plans to demolish the Mall and build a big mixed-use area of shopping, businesses, and apartments/condos finally were approved and the Mall officially closes on August 31st, 2024. My favorite Vintage Stock location is at the Chesterfield Mall and their last day is July 28th, 2024. A number of shops that were still in the Mall have left or are making plans to relocate. The aforementioned Vintage Stock is just shutting down and that has me really disappointed in corporate for not finding a new spot nearby so that all the employees I adore there could relocate. The day is now in the books for when they begin to tear the Mall down and it will be October 15th.

Once it is mid-October it all starts coming down. After six months we will be left with a crater and construction will begin anew on Downtown Chesterfield or whatever the final name ends up being. I appreciate that whatever comes next could be pretty cool, but I'm still bummed the Chesterfield Mall will only exist before too long as a memory. I and others will miss it.

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.

Three Great Comic Shops in Colorado Springs

I was recently on a trip to visit some of my wife's family in Colorado Springs. While were there I had a smidgen of time that I used to visit Three fantastic comics shops in the region! There were even more stores I did not have a chance to stop by (maybe on another visit), but the three I had a chance to explore were all lovely. Here they are in the order I visited them...

Video Game Exchange and Comics

Just some of the comics and books for sale!

This shop had a lot of cool newer and older comics in addition to selling a bunch of video-games, toys, and Funko Pops. The owner was incredibly nice and the comics were all priced very reasonably. I enjoyed digging through the comics for sale and admiring how much neat stuff there was within the store! The sheer amount of video-games present was just plain awesome as well, making this a haven for gamers as well as comic-book aficionados.

KaPow Comics and Coffee

If you love comics and coffee--like me--then this is the store for you! We met Matt, who handles the comic-book aspects of the store while his sister handles the coffee and such (she wasn't there when we stopped by). The shop had a bunch of new releases, tons of older stuff, and ample dollar bins! Plus, the names of various coffee drinks were inspired by comics which was really neat! There were some Funko Pops here as well and Samii bought a cute one themed for a Coca-Cola can!

EntertainMart Colorado Springs

Interestingly enough, EntertainMart is owned by the same parent company that has Vintage Stock (which we have in Saint Louis). This location was incredibly large, however, and chock full of items. Movies, music, books, games, toys, and the thing that I was after--comics! There were some more expensive books in the locked cabinets that an employee was kind enough to let me inspect and a bunch of good reads in the general back issues section as well. It was a fun place to close out my browsing adventures. I hope the next time I get back out here I can visit some more fun shops!