FLASHBACK: Machesney Park Mall in Machesney Park, Illinois

          The Machesney Park mall in Machesney Park, Illinois, outside the city of Rockford, has changed significantly over the years, from prospering enclosed mall to struggling redevelopment. My original post about the Machesney Park Mall back in December basically gives a run down of what the mall was like when it was new, when it was opened, and what happened to how it ended up as what its known today as the Machesney Town Center. I had recently been back to the site of the former mall to see if anything has changed, and to be honest its looking a bit better, but nothing significant, I got pictures from May 2015 in my update post.

          Thanks to fellow mall blogger Labelscar, there post about the mall in 2006, I have found a series of old pictures from 2001 and 2005, as well as a few vintage shots of the original stores that opened at the mall.

Here are some of the pictures from the vintage years of the mall with local chains Prange Way and when Younker's was in the Rockford area.

Vintage Kohl's sign

Here are pictures from 2001, although the mall seems empty, its just the time the pictures were taken, the mall was closed for the night, in later years it will look much worse.

Very cool old Radioshack sign

Kay-Bee Toys

Here are pictures from 2005, now most to all the actual stores are gone, and some of the spots are taken up by those dumpy, little self made businesses.

Why is the Penney's also in another store front

          I like to give a big thanks to Labelscar for displaying these pictures to the public and for me to be able to use them to gain a new perspective because I wasn't there to physically see the mall at these points of its history, as the pictures I have taken are when the mall is already far gone.

Thank you for reading and remember to ask questions and post comments below.