Tag Archives: Northtown Mall Spokane

Black Friday Transformation

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Back in the mid to late 1990s, shopping malls were still in their heyday. So was our Reser Thanksgiving celebration that took place at my parents’ house and included my dad’s seven siblings and their families. After a joyous, crazy, loud, and fun Turkey Day, my siblings and I would tag along with our aunts, uncles, and cousins to Northtown Mall for Black Friday shopping.

It was a spectacle. Police had to direct traffic in the parking lots, the building was filled to capacity, stores went to great lengths to attract people through their doors, and elaborate Christmas decorations along with the presence of Santa made the mall a special place to be…especially for a 10-year-old boy.

My Black Fridays as a kid were spent at the mall.

Those were my first memories of Black Friday. Since then, things have changed. Throughout my lifetime I have witnessed the day after Thanksgiving evolve from congregating at malls disguised as winter wonderlands to something almost unrecognizable. Black Friday moved from shopping centers to standalone retail stores. The day itself grew longer too as businesses opened in the wee hours of the morning. Then that wasn’t enough so Black Friday Eve (aka shopping on Thanksgiving) became a thing. The digital revolution then exploded and allowed shoppers to take advantage of the “deals” without even stepping foot into a crowded hell many people refer to as Target.

But then the pandemic came along. Consumerism and holiday cheer took a big hit last year and enthusiasm for Black Friday lessened.

With the COVID landscape improved from 2020, Black Friday is back and so are some of the more traditional aspects of it. I have watched my wife frantically scribble in a notebook the past week as she records Nov. 26 deals. She has scanned newspaper ads, browsed her phone, and formulated a game plan for Black Friday that will have her visiting stores around Spokane and me watching “An Elf’s Story” with the kids.

Trying to find hidden treasure in a bin of DVDs (of all things) on Black Friday 2012.

The wonderment I had with Black Friday 25 years ago has been mostly replaced with cynicism and bank account anxiety. But I must admit, seeing Sidney’s intensity and dedication to Black Friday 2021 has been kind of…um…inspiring? I guess that is what a pandemic will do to you. Don’t Blink.

Monopoly Thursday Rundown

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Let the countdown begin! We are just one week away from Thanksgiving. On that enthusiastic note, let’s get to tonight’s five topics in my latest Thursday Rundown…

Throwback Thursday – Last weekend, my Aunt Nancy sent me something that I had never seen before. It was a photo of me with Santa Claus at Northtown Mall on Black Friday in perhaps 1997. When I saw the image I remembered that specific day going Black Friday shopping with my relatives, including sitting on Santa’s lap. I also remembered wearing my Duke hat but I would be lying if I said I remembered that striped shirt tucked into my sweat pants. Regardless, it was funny to see my pudgy self a quarter century ago.

Me sitting with Santa at Northtown Mall in Spokane in probably 1997 or 1998.

Special Monopoly – So readers, what do you think of specialized Monopoly games? You know, the ones based off a sports team, movie franchise, or town? As crazy as it sounds, I don’t think I have ever played a non-classic Monopoly board game besides Jr. Monopoly. When I was at Walgreens last night I ran into this display of themed Monopoly games, which included a version based on the city I live in and the employer I work for. If this stuff interested me I suppose I would have had Mac and Cheese Monopoly or Don’t Blink Monopoly a long time ago.

I stumbled upon these Monopoly-based games last night at Walgreens.

Ron’s Gone Wrong – Last Saturday I took Sloan to the movie theater to watch “Ron’s Gone Wrong.” The film is about a future society where all children have “B-Bots,” basically a personal assistant robot who knows everything about their child owner and who helps that child develop friendships with others. I think it was a little over Sloan’s head but if you have a son or daughter in the 7-12 age range, I think they would like it. Gen Z and millennial adults will like it too as the film contains many parallels and jokes about the current digital age.

Besides the price for a matinee, there wasn’t too much wrong with “Ron’s Gone Wrong.”

Latest Movies – I discussed the movie I went to the theater to watch so I figure I should address a couple of the movies I went to my living room to watch. This week I watched “Awakenings” and “A River Runs Through It.” Robin Williams is a doctor and Robert De Niro is a mental patient in “Awakenings,” a 1990 film based on true events in 1969. It is a slower movie but told a fascinating tale about something I knew nothing about. As someone who lived in Missoula for eight years, I am embarrassed to say I had not watched “A River Runs Through It” until just this past Sunday. With that said, I don’t think I necessarily missed out on anything. I found the movie to have very little of a plot and even though it is “based” in Missoula it wasn’t even filmed there.

This week I have watched “Awakenings” and “A River Runs Through It.”

Sunset Scene – One current and unfortunate development with my weekly commute to Pullman is that the drive in the morning and the drive back to Spokane in the evening take place almost entirely in the dark. But a really cool sunset this past Tuesday added at least a little bit of beauty to the drive. Got to think positive!

I took this photo on my way back to Spokane after working in Pullman on Tuesday, Nov. 16.

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For those who will be slipping into a week-long Thanksgiving vacation after tomorrow, have fun! Thanks for reading and enjoy your Friday. Don’t Blink.