Were You a ‘Mall Rat’ in the ’80s in Shreveport-Bossier City, LA?

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I was catching up with a friend the other day who I've known since our days at Meadowview Elementary and Cope Junior High in Bossier City, LA. As always, we got to reminiscing about the good old days. We laughed about our trips to Pancho's Mexican Buffet and lamented about how we'd love to see those classic Tretorn tennis shoes with the velcro patches make a comeback.

If you're from our generation and grew up around here, you probably spent your weekends at Pierre Bossier Mall, Southpark Mall, or Mall St. Vincent. And if you scored a job at one of the stores like Gadzooks or The Gap, you were basically the epitome of cool. It's kind of sad to see that malls are slowly fading away now.

Even though I never had a job at the mall, it's chock full of memories for me. When I was in elementary school, the highlight of my week was when my family would pile into the car and head to town on Saturdays. I'm pretty sure the employees at KB Toys dreaded working Saturdays. I'd spend hours exploring every aisle and being the annoying kid I was, I made sure to play with every toy that made noise that they had!

In a way, Pierre Bossier Mall was a part of my childhood. I got my ears pierced at Claire's in Pierre Bossier Mall, and I'll never forget the thrill of my brother giving me my first pair of 'diamond' earrings from Piercing Pagoda.

Back in junior high—before it was called 'middle school'—the movie theater was the place to be for us tweens. It was all about trying to snag a seat next to your crush and checking out who else was 'going together.' If you were really lucky, maybe you even got to hold hands!

Moving into high school, cruising the parking lot of Pierre Bossier Mall was a rite of passage, especially for us from Bossier Parish. My family had moved to Ohio by the time things got rough, but meeting up with friends and cruising was the highlight of the weekend when football season wasn't in full swing.

Ah, those were the years of big hair, earrings meticulously coordinated with your Limited or Outback Red shirt, and jeans tight-rolled just right. Looking back, it's all nostalgic fun, but seriously, what were we thinking with all that blue eyeliner?

What's your fondest memory of being a mall rat in Shreveport-Bossier in the '80s? I'd love to hear from you! Drop me a message in our free app or shoot me an email at erin.bristol@townsquaremedia.com.