By: Melanie Holmes

email: holmesauthor11@gmail.com

This week’s trivia question: What was the previous name of Larry Power Road, which runs from Rt. 45 in Bourbonnais, east, crosses Rt. 50, and past Bradley’s Northfield Mall?

Here’s some history on one of America’s first big box stores – Robert Hall Clothing Store had its heyday from the late 1930s through 1977. And then the death knell rang. A New York Times article, dated June 30, 1977, stated, “Robert Hall Clothes, the nation’s largest retail chain selling men’s and women’s clothing, last night padlocked all of its 366 stores.” One of those stores was on the northwest corner of Rt. 50 and Robert Hall Road (now Larry Power Road), where the Circle K gas station now sits.

Many a longtime area resident recalls school clothes shopping at Robert Hall. It was big and bright and boxy. There were no “blue light specials” (that was K-Mart!), but the prices were reasonable. Perhaps the marketplace always has been a war between the big box stores and shopping malls. With Lincoln Mall’s opening in 1973 and Orland Square Mall’s opening in 1976, the competition for Robert Hall was stiff.

Fast forward a few decades and the big box stores surged with a vengeance, and they’ve been stiff competition for malls ever since. Malls have been struggling for years, not all because of big box stores. Some people have reverted to mail order. All of the mail ordering and big boxing led to the demise of the mall that many local residents recall fondly – Lincoln Mall in Matteson. It was a straight shot north on Rt. 50, with the convenience of everything under one roof. The remnants of that mall were razed a few years ago. Today, it’s an empty lot.

Bradley’s mall continues to evolve in an effort not to become an empty lot. There are still stores, and now festivals are held there. And of course, the movie theater is a continuous draw (though COVID changed how folks watch new releases…more on that some other time).

Tune in the first Thursday of next month for a new bit of trivia from around Manteno and beyond!