The downtown Kalamazoo Mall was the first outdoor pedestrian mall in the nation. Constructed in 1959 the project became a model for cities across the country.
What many people may not know about the Kalamazoo/Portage area is the fact that we were on our way to becoming the Mall capital of Michigan. During the 80’s Kalamazoo had a minimum of 4 malls. Today, there is only one. Is the Crossroads Mall going to be the exception, or will it too join these abandoned and demolished malls of Kalamazoo’s past?
More peaceful protests over the weekend in and around Bronson Park continued to show that Kalamazoo is not full of violent people, and the demonstrators want to show the world that they're above the violence, yet, these protests will continue until the system which has oppressed them for over 400 years is changed.
Registration for the Mardi Gras Bar Crawl on the Kalamazoo Mall will be at Old Burdicks March 2nd from noon to 3:00pm. You MUST be 21 years-of-age or older to attend and make sure to bring an ID; it will be checked at every bar. Once you've got your wristbands and grabbed your map, you are on your own to plot your course. Go wild and hit all the stops, or go Big Easy and enjoy a leisurely afternoon.
So whether you're running in to Central City Tap for a gift card, squaring away your kid's teachers at Pop City Popcorn, or stocking up on stocking-stuffers at Rocket Fizz, you can park close to the Kalamazoo Mall businesses without shelling out a shilling.
Kalamazoo is known as Mall City, and what better way to celebrate the first pedestrian mall in the country than by taking part in Kalamazoo's annual Downtown Sidewalk Sale?
The Kalamazoo Mall is truly one of a kind. Outdoor malls are all the rage now, with many opening up in our own state. But Kalamazoo's Mall was the first of its kind to open in 1959