Who remembers Fall River’s Harbour Mall? Here is a look back

FALL RIVER – While some predicted its demise before it was even completed, the SouthCoast Marketplace continues to be a popular destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment in Fall River, and rightfully so. However, many of us still have fond memories of its predecessor, the Harbour Mall which was the place to be in its heyday.

Harbour Mall opened in 1971 on William S. Canning Blvd. with anchor tenants Bradlees and Grant City.

One of, if not the most popular, spot at the mall was the movie theater. While it became the butt of jokes in its later years, it is where I saw many of my first movies. To date myself, the Muppet movies were among them. I also saw the two “Break Dancing” movies there. Sadly, the family members that took me as a child have all passed away, but the memories remain. Back then, you could even win movie passes by hitting on some sports trivia on WALE radio.

If you were a child of the 80s in Fall River, while strolling through the mall corridor, you had to have asked your parents at least a handful of times to stop in the arcade. It may have been my favorite place to go in the city. It wasn’t a huge arcade, and changed names multiple times, but if you were a video game lover, it was the place to be.

If you were hungry, you could stop in for a pizza in Papa Ginos. While there, you could play a song from the jukebox while sitting in a booth eating a slice or two. If pizza wasn’t your thing, you could grab a bite at the restaurant located inside of Kmart while waiting for a “blue light special”. If you wanted dessert, you could make a stop at Brigham’s.

Before its removal, the Harbour Mall fountain was a popular destination to throw in a penny and make a wish. Wishes that may seem as trivial as an older adult, but it gave us hope.

Holidays at Harbour Mall were always fun as a child. Santa visited at Christmas time and the Easter Bunny at Easter which was always exciting. Citizens For Citizens also put on a big production near the end of the year to help raise money to provide toys for those who were less fortunate.

At the mall’s height, in addition to what has already been mentioned, you could also pick up your favorite toys at Kay-Bee or find the hottest music at the Music Store. You could even smell the candles while passing by the Hallmark store. At a time when collecting sports cards were more popular, you could pick up the latest set of Topps trading cards at the sports memorabilia store at the front of the mall. I remember meeting former Boston Red Sox infielder Rico Petrocelli there and nabbing his autograph.

When the Bradlees retail chain closed, it looked like it may be the end for the mall, but Walmart came in and took its spot before moving to Quequechan Street and becoming a superstore in 2013.

With the movie theater, retailers and arcade gone, the mall closed for good in the beginning of 2016 finishing its days dark and relatively empty, but for those of us who still remember, it hasn’t left our hearts.

What are your fondest memories of Harbour Mall?