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Don Boyd | all galleries >> Memories of Old Hialeah, Old Miami and Old South Florida Photo Galleries - largest non-Facebook collection on the internet >> South Florida SHOPPING CENTERS, STORES, and MALLS Historical Photos Gallery - All Years - click on image to view > 2009 - the former Hollywood Mall looking from the north end to the south (#6158)
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30-MAY-2009 Don Boyd

2009 - the former Hollywood Mall looking from the north end to the south (#6158)

Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, Florida


Woolworth's was previously on the left about where the wall at the end is and probably beginning before the wall. The Sears Hollywood store was further on the right side. The really good deli was on the right where the dark wooden shingles are and it remained open after the rest of the mall was closed off for offices but eventually went out of business. The Mall Barber Shop is to the right out of view and is still open with a nail salon next to it at the north entrance doors to the former mall.

UPDATE 11/1/09: the Mall Barber Shop is no more due to failure in lease negotiations. Bob Hynes and Dave Hintz have moved to TODAY'S MAN at 4747 Hollywood Boulevard, just to the east of the famous Rickey's, on the north side of Hollywood Boulevard and west of Presidential Circle. The phone number is (954-964-5809). FURTHER UPDATE August 2015: Bob Hynes, my barber for almost 40 years, retired a couple of years ago and TODAY'S MAN went out of business. Dave Hintz is cutting hair at a shop just south of Morningstar's Jewelry & Pawn Shop at Hollywood Boulevard and S. 20th Avenue in downtown Hollywood on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays by appointment only 954-983-9599.


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Renee Petrey Medina 10-May-2020 04:26
I remember the Hollywood Mall in the 1960's. We used to go to Bob's Sport Shop all the time because my dad was the Director at Miami Shores Community Center and he used to buy sports equipment from his shop. He used to be located on Hollywood Blvd on the 2nd circle near the Hollywood Bread Building till they moved to the Diplomat Mall. We lived in North Miami at the time and would drive up to Hollywood taking I95, would get off at Hollywood Blvd exit and always loved looking at this house on the left that had a huge picture window with the most beautiful white baby grand piano in the window light up. Oh exciting times, it didn't take much in those days!
Chad 26-Nov-2019 20:27
Sadly, I went by the "mall" earlier this year and this last original area was closed and looked like it was being gutted, I believe for the expansion of the Chewy.com offices that are on the East side of the building :(
Don Boyd28-Aug-2015 05:53
And Darlene, hopefully someone reading this page will remember the store with the old-fashioned soda shop in the back. I was at this mall from time to time during the life of the mall and I don't remember it at all, probably because I never went into the store that had it.

Don
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Don Boyd27-Aug-2015 22:50
No, Adonis "Don" Boyd was the famous Don Boyd who is no relation at all. I met him in 1999 because my aunt passed away and she had a pre-paid memorial service and funeral with Boyd Funeral Homes. I told him about getting out a phony speeding ticket by the crooked Pembroke Pines cops in the early 1970's after producing my driver's license and they saw the name. One cop even said they were sorry that they stopped me. Don Boyd laughed at hearing the story and he told me that he donated a lot of money to charitable functions that the police sponsored or were involved in and that they liked him. He was in his 70's at the time and he was still jogging some miles every day so he was in great shape for his age. He passed away on October 1, 2006 at age 83. His obituary can be read at:
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2006-10-04/news/0610040086_1_memorial-wife-hollywood-mortuary

Don
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Darlene Z 27-Aug-2015 17:19
Is Don Boyd the same Don Boyd associated with the funeral home in Hollywood, FL? I moved from Hollywood in 1996, so I'm not even sure if Boyd's Funeral Home is still there.

Thanks,

Darlene Z
Darlene Z 27-Aug-2015 17:17
I bought a Singer sewing machine @ Woolworth's in 1991 or 1992 for $100 & still have it to this day!! Works great!! Does anyone remember the store near the north exit, I think, that had an old-fashioned soda shop in the back? It was tucked out of the way & if you didn't go into the store, you wouldn't know it was there. I think the store part was a record shop? Thanks for any help you can give!
Darlene
Jeff B 16-Dec-2014 17:20
A few other Woolworth tidbits:
-As I mentioned they did sell semi-automatic weapons. You could literally buy an Uzi there (I saw this with my own two eyes)
-The front of the store (to the left as you walked in) was one of the area's largest souvenir selections
-You could buy birds and fish here
-It had a second level that was mostly used for merchandise storage and where the layaways were kept
-Deliveries cam every Monday morning at 6am. Though there was a huge loading area on the side next to Publix, the delivery truck always unloaded in the back through the emergency exit door
-Saturday nights were the oddest time of the week. It seemed that was when people came from literally out in the sticks to go shopping. I would arrive at 8:30 every Saturday morning and work until 9:30 that night
-In the early 80's the Mall was closed on the 4th of July, Christmas, Easter, New Year's Day and Thanksgiving
-The Publix neon lights were fantastic. Especially when the sunlight from the west was setting
Marky Kelly 12-May-2014 00:27
While going to college I worked at Woolworth's and managed the record department (around the corner from their restaurant / soda fountain) where I made keys and sold the first Texas Instruments calculators for 60 bucks. Also enjoyed those dill pickles at the German deli, and the good cheese slices at the pizza place. Thanks for the memories....
Don Boyd19-Sep-2013 05:39
Mike, thank you much for providing us with that information. I couldn't remember it for anything despite eating there a few times.

Don
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Mike 18-Sep-2013 19:56
//Pat, I can't recall the name of the deli but perhaps someone with a better memory will write in and provide it to us.//

The Deli was HOLLYWOOD MALL DELICATESSEN located in suite 428 later known as Hollywood Mall Delicatessen and Restaurant in suites 428 through 432.
It was affectionately caled "German Restaurant" but there was a restaurant by that name on Taft Street.
Don Boyd18-Jun-2013 19:41
Jeff, thank you for posting and providing that great historical information about Woolworths. They did a darn good business there when the mall was open because the store always had a good number of people in it every time I was at the mall which was fairly frequent in the 70's and at least once a month after that until the mall closed.

Pat, I can't recall the name of the deli but perhaps someone with a better memory will write in and provide it to us.

Mike, thank you for the name of Pearls Bakery on the north side of Sears.

Don
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Jeff 18-Jun-2013 18:35
I worked in the Woolworths in the early 80's and loved the entire mall and all of the shops and people that were a part of it. It's a shame, but like so many other malls across the country, it couldn't survive.
The Woolworths had a lunch counter and snack bar on the south end (near the wall in the picture). The rear of the store was the sporting goods/electronics section where you could buy anything from semi-automatic weapons to LPs.
Pat Calabro 02-May-2012 23:27
What was the name of the German Deli
Mike 26-Mar-2012 18:05
katharine,

The bakery located across the walkway entrance from F.W. Woolworth was Pearls Bakery. It was next to the north end of Sears
Don Boyd11-Mar-2012 14:11
Gary, thank you for your comments. I really loved that mall from the 60's through the 80's and it is a shame that it is no longer around.

Don
Gary 11-Mar-2012 14:07
Mr. Boyd: Thanks very much for this collection of photos. I don't know how I stumbled upon it, but I'm glad I did. My granddad had some men's stores in S Fla. from 1916-1966 and the Hollywood Mall was the reason he decided to retire. I remember going there many times as a kid and I was sad to see that it has gone away. Your photo and the other one of the mall, brings back a flood of memories. I remember Rickey's bar too (on Hollywood Blvd.) Did the barber shop go into what was a dentist's office (a Dr. Greenburg). I think that 4747 was formerly a dental office?
Gary 11-Mar-2012 14:02
Mr. Boyd: Thanks very much for this collection of photos. I don't know how I stumbled upon it, but I'm glad I did. My granddad had some men's stores in S Fla. from 1916-1966 and the Hollywood Mall was the reason he decided to retire. I remember going there many times as a kid and I was sad to see that it has gone away. Your photo and the other one of the mall, brings back a flood of memories.
katharine 27-May-2011 20:56
What was the name of the Bakery that was there near Woolworth? Do you know if they relocated and to where? They had the best cookies
Don Boyd26-Jun-2010 05:30
Thank you, Mike H, for some great information about the mall, especially the closing date for Sears and when Target signed a new lease. Please keep us posted on the 50th anniversary celebration in 2014 (hope I'm around that far off : ) )

Don
mike 25-Jun-2010 19:27
Regarding the picture, it is true that Woolworth was to the left but it actually started just before the wall - where the last green decorative beam is before the wall and then took up 6 storefronts beyond (each storefront being 25’ wide inside dimensions and 26.5’ centerline to centerline.

Where the first bench is in the picture was a small empty shop in the 60’s then – in order - there was Reyes Beauty Shop, Mr. Donut, Paint Fair then Woolworth.

The Mall has a lot of hidden surprises. We are in the 50th year the first and we need to organize a party in Oct 2014 for the anniversary of its opening. I think that is doable.
mh
Mike 25-Jun-2010 18:48
Sorry Robert I did not see your question.

Sears final day and Hollywood Mall was Sep 27, 1992 after its final clearance sale. Target signed its lease in November 1992. The mall was completely renovated; Taget added space on the west side but gave up mall space on the East. Publix moved from its original location to the new 40,000 sq ft addition adjacent to the north. CVS now resides in the space previously occupied by the old Publix.

The New owner of Hollywood Mall, Michael Swerdlow made all the deals as only he can.


mike
Robert 20-May-2010 22:06
I meant to put what year did the Hollywood-Sears mall close?
Robert 20-May-2010 22:05
What year did the Hollywood-Sears Mall. I seem to remember it surviving up until the mid-90's or so. Does anyone know the exact year it closed?
Don Boyd17-May-2010 17:05
Thanks Mike, that's interesting information and far more detailed than what I've heard before. I still miss that mall in its heyday because there were really interesting people there and the Sears there was far better than the new one at Pembroke Lakes Mall.

Don
mike 17-May-2010 00:19
When I get more time, I'll elaborate better but the problem went beyond greed. It's kind of complex but it all started when Sears pulled out and Gray Drugs was misinformed when they agreed to move to a larger space (now known as Fashion Bug) to take advantage of the traffic of Sears and Target. What Gray Drugs didn't know was that Sears had the lease rights for a very large pharmacy department. When Sears left prior to the end of lease and Target agreed to the orignal terms, Gray Drugs was negotiating with the Management company but did not know that it was in bad faith. Target wanted to build a large pharmaceutical dept and Gray pulled back. At the same time Rite Aid was negotiating for the space where Publix used to be...sold to Eckards and is now CVS. This put all the other long-term tenants on the warpath and led to the destruction of the mall as we knew it.
There is a lot more to it but that was the beginning to the end.
Great webpage you got. If you want any specific info on this or other malls, I can probably fill in the holes.
Don Boyd15-May-2010 15:54
Thanks for the information, Mike, especially for the name of the nice newsstand that used to be there. I've heard from others that the mall's ownership/management and their greed for increased lease payments led to many tenants opting to move out. It was a good little mall for a long time and convenient to many.

Don
Mike 15-May-2010 15:05
The news stand was Bob's News. It was located at the entrance of the food court.
Sears pulled out at a time when the mall management company started messing with leases. Many old-timers pulled out at the same time. The issues were many.
Don Boyd14-Nov-2009 17:20
Thanks Randy, we have similar opinions. I could never understand why Sears pulled out of that location because the new store at Pembroke Lakes Mall was miles to the west and inconvenient as hell for everyone living along the coast and east of the Turnpike. I remember the news stand you mentioned and bought numerous papers and magazines there. It's a shame that the mall closed, especially since the newer Hollywood Fashion Center also closed.

Don
Randy 14-Nov-2009 08:26
What a shame that Sears left the mall. There just seemed to be no practical reason to close that store. Anyway, a lot of really good people worked in this mall and a lot of nice small stores disappeared. One of my favorites was not a store but the news stand located at about the middle of the mall near an eastside entrance. Sort of reminded me of the olden days at Shell's City in Miami with the outdoor news stand. I know things will always be changing but why do things like this mall have to go away, away where newer generations can't share the same experience. It was a good, safe place to be until that evil madman kidnapped Adam Walsh from the toy dept. at Sears. Maybe that is why they closed the store. It certainly was a horrible thing that happened that day. Even today, our family still prays for Adam.