A gazebo stood in the center of The Market Place. Lower level seating was surrounded by the Upstairs Shoppes -or Above The Market- concourse. Its stores and services included Che's Bar Specialties. Ragamuff 'N and The Wooden Nickle.
Photo from The Continental Card / Mitock Publishers, Incorporated
One of the mall's amusement-type attractions was The Castle. For 50 cents, patrons could travel through a haunted citadel, viewing monsters, a large gorilla, raven and other creepy figures.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / James
With no vintage store maps available, we had to create a provisional site plan. Hopefully, it is not too inaccurate. We know for certain that -in 1973- OLD TOWNE MALL encompassed approximately 314,800 leasable square feet and contained around 176 retail stores, push cart vendors and restaurants beneath its roof. There was free parking for over 1,000 autos.
OLD TOWN MALL TENANTS 1973:
A Place to Go / Afrikana Imports / Al's Gun Room / American Handicrafts / Angel Studio / Artistic Glass Art / Arto's Suede & Leather / Avco Financial Services / B. Henry Shoe Salon / Bermaj International Imports / Beauty World International / Big Fella Men's Wear / Bob's Pipe 'N Pouch / Bonnie & Paul's Fashion Boutique / Buster Brown Shoes / Buenos Aires Unique Leather Shop / California Shirts / Carousel Gift Shop / Copy House / Crystal Palace / Custom Games / Dimensions In Stereo / Disney's Animal World / Dixie's General Parlour / Don's Jewelers / Doctor John Snyder, Optometrist / Eyes Art / Fashion Wings / Fiorentino's Imports / Freewheelers Bike Shop / Funny Shirts of Old Towne / General Store / Gigi Fashions / Golden Lobe / Golf City / Gourmet Cook Shoppe / Great American Boot & Shoe / Incense 'N Imports / Interlude apparel / Jack's Carpetmarket / Jackee's Baby Boutique / Jacque's Shoes & Boutique / Jewels By Elizabeth, Incorporated / Jewels International By Michael / June's Needlecrafts / Kendrick's Baby News / Kingdom of Oz / Knickerbocker Pants Company / Le Courturier Dressmaking & Alterations / Libby Ann / Little Ol' Suitmaker of Old Towne / Little Women / Marika ladies' wear / Native American Trading Post / Number 1 Art Gallery / Ol' Swedes Imports / Old Towne Bootery / Old Towne Jewelers / Old Towne Leather Company / Old Towne Lock & Key / Old Towne Water Bed Company / Old Towne World Travel / Ollie's Old Towne / Oriental Trading Company / Paul Freiler's Historical Models / Penney Owsley / Portait Sketches By Woodi Smith / Piccolino Place / Puppy Ranch Pet Center / Rigo's Shoe Repair / Rix Rack ladies' wear / Roman Gifts / Royal Rogue Men's wear / Service Court Tennis Shop & Sporting Goods / Shirt Line / Shirts And / Su Casa Imports / Tesoros Mayas Imports / The Art Gallery - South Bay Association / The Athete's Foot / The Book Experience / The Buccaneer Imports / The Orient Imports / The Outfit / The Patchman / The Scorpio Shoppe / The Shady Lady / The Tartan Shop (Coats of Arms) / Tie Shak / Time Life Books / Towne Clothiers / Troy's Chess Shoppe / US Post Office / Viva La Difference swim wear / Village Fashions ladies' wear / Vogue Fabrics / Western Philatelics, Incorporated / Wet Pets / Wine Art of America / Wine 'N Things / World Placement Agency / Ye Olde Gramophone Shop / Yee Olde Pharmacy / Yoshiko's Jade & Rock
ON ARTISAN'S ROW:
4-J Arts / Art Fair / Beardsley Water Skis / Cosmorama Lamps / Creative Patchworks / Custom Carved Signs / Custom What Not / Dave & Gary's Pottery Place / Den Blaker Design / Goldsmith Ray Gurdal / Guillermo Zuniga Water Paintings / Incense Factory & Magic Carpet Ride / Metal Image / Metal Scupture By Greg Quayle / Past Shadows / Phloem & Xylem / Photo Buttons-Wood Effex / Pot & I / Redwood Originals / Shellcraft Originals / The Compleat Angler / The Glass Quill / Warp & Woof
ON BACK STREET:
Attitude - His & Her Boutique / Back Street Cozy Corner / Back Street Creations / Back Street Gift Shoppe / Frantz Fluid Filters / Hatch Cover / Herbs, Etcetera / Marv's Produce / Niagara Cyclo-Massage / Sybella / Tanner's Works / Ye Olde Handwriting Analysis
ABOVE THE MARKETPLACE:
Che's Bar Specialties / Ellen's Floral & Crafts / Interiors Unlimited / Ragamuff 'N / Roydon's Art Studio / Shaunty Shack / Sundown House / The Attic / The Wooden Nickle
FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS:
Alpine Candies / Baker's Dozen / Belgian Waffle Cafe / Cafe Conditorei Cronacher / Carmel Corn / Country Fare / Don's Frontier Hamburgers / Dorothy's Nut Chest / Fritzankotter's Delicatessen / Gay '90s Ice Cream & Orange Julius / Hacienda Galvan Mexican Restaurant & Delicatessen / Harvest Farm Health Foods / Hot Dog On a Stick / Jug's Candies / Kay's Candies / Mama Pisano's Pizza / Mighty Moe's Soft Pretzels / Ming's Chinese Kitchen / Old Hickory BBQ / Old Towne Bakery / Old Towne Juice & Salad Bar / Papa Pisano's Grinders / Samantha's Porch / The Galley Slave / The Kaiser Deli / The Ultimate Dog / Tony's Sea Chef
A circa-1975 ad promotes coming OLD TOWNE attractions. These include shows from the Old Town Drum Corps and Dancing Blue Bears.
Graphic from Lincoln Realty Old Towne
Robert R. Brindle, the primary developer of OLD TOWNE, built a second recreational retailing mall in the southwest environs of the Windy City. OLD CHICAGO, dedicated in June 1975, was unsuccessful and was in business for only 5 years. The structure was demolished in 1986.
Graphic from https://negative-g.com
An OLD TOWNE MALL logo montage features stores that were in operation during the mid-1970s.
One of the best-remembered OLD TOWNE stores was Paul Freiler's Historical Models.
Graphic from Lincoln Realty Old Towne