It seems like several times a week we are hearing about another retail business closing its doors for good. The media calls this the "Retail Apocalypse" and Massachusetts is not immune to it as the Bay State has had several retail businesses shut down over the past few years. Even though mall life doesn't seem to be as popular as it once was it's comforting to know that malls like the Holyoke Mall in Holyoke and the biggest mall in Massachusetts and New England, the Natick Mall in Natick are still in operation today.

WSBS 860AM logo
Get our free mobile app

I started thinking about the good old days of the mall after I recently read that everything in the former Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough is for sale and is being sold on various Facebook groups including the old food court furniture, trash cans, chairs from the former theater...you name it, it's for sale.

The Berkshire Mall does bring back many fond memories from eating at Hot Dogs & More in the food court, to purchasing the latest cassettes and CDs from Tape World to checking out the latest video games and Babbages, the Berkshire Mall was the place to be especially on the weekend. I remember there were times when my parents and I would have to drive around the building several times to find a parking space.

Christmas was extra special at the Berkshire Mall as kids were able to pose for a photo with Santa while giving him the extra long list of presents that little Johnny and little Susie wanted under their Christmas trees and stockings on the morning of December 25. Although the Berkshire Mall is no more and probably will never be used as a mall again, we can take a walk down memory lane and view the photos below of some of the stores that once existed inside of the Berkshire Mall.

65 Berkshire Mall Stores Remembered

LOOK: 50 Famous brands that no longer exist

Stacker compiled a list of more than four dozen famous consumer brands that no longer exist, consulting sites such as TheStreet, Good Housekeeping, and Eat This, Not That!, along with numerous throwback sites dedicated to consumer brands.

Gallery Credit: Liz Barrett Foster

LOOK: 50 Beloved Retail Chains That No Longer Exist

Stacker takes a look at 50 major retail chains that no longer exist and the reasons for their demise.  

Gallery Credit: Madison Troyer

LOOK: Things from the year you were born that don't exist anymore

The iconic (and at times silly) toys, technologies, and electronics have been usurped since their grand entrance, either by advances in technology or breakthroughs in common sense. See how many things on this list trigger childhood memories—and which ones were here and gone so fast you missed them entirely.

Gallery Credit: Stacey Marcus

 

More From WSBS 860AM