Back in the day, Bangor had some pretty amazing stores.

From 1978, till now, the Bangor Mall has been a mainstay here in the area, and although it has fallen on hard times, it has been an iconic location for many, many years.

It was inevitable when the rise of big box stores like Target and Walmart took over the world, leading to the online shopping phenomenon of Amazon all across the world, that the days of the local malls in America were numbered.

I have very fond memories of hanging out at Spaceport, playing video games, hitting the food court, then just cruising around looking for god knows what. All this got me thinking about some of the legendary stores that ruled during Bangor Mall's heyday

Here now, are 13 of the coolest spots to ever inhabit the Bangor Mall.

Spaceport

Many hours were spent here just hanging out

Chess King

How many of you spent all your back-to-school shopping money here?

Wilson's Leather

This is where we used to go to see all the pretty girls at the mall.

B Dalton

Remember those crazy things called books?

Sbarro

It's a pizza place so good, Michael Scott loves to go there when he's in New York City. I loved grabbing a big slice and a Coke there.

York Steak House

A good old buffet-style steak house, that would be a welcome addition again around here

Sam Goody

Browsing the CDs and tapes for hours was a rite of passage.

Radio Shack

All the new gadgets were always there.

CVS

It was like having a corner store right in the mall.

Ruby Tuesday

There were very few actual restaurants inside the mall, this was one of the best.

Filene's Basement

Spent hours here shopping for great clothes.

KB Toys

No matter what age you were, it was always fun to walk around and look at all the cool toys.

Abercrombie & Fitch

It was like a dance club inside that place.

Bangor Mall is a 60-acre shopping mall located off the Stillwater Avenue exit on Interstate 95, it serves as a shopping center for the surrounding Bangor area.

Bangor Mall is managed by Namdar Realty Group, who acquired the mall for $12.6 million in 2019 after Simon Property Group defaulted on an $80 million loan.

Built in 1977 on a former dairy farm and opened in October 1978, Bangor Mall was once the epicenter of Bangor business.

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Gallery Credit: Arlen Jameson

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