Dear DeSoto Mall,
Growing up in Bradenton, so many of my childhood memories include you, DeSoto Square Mall. We couldn t wait to put on our jelly shoes, fanny pack, slap bracelets and head to the mall. First stop, Camelot Music to buy a cassette single since I couldn t afford the whole tape. If mom was feeling generous, we d get an Orange Julius. The best scheme going was asking to see a movie at the DeSoto Square movie theatre because Claire s was two doors down. Since we had to walk by Claire s we could usually slide in there to spend the rest of our cash on jewelry that would soon turn our skin green. Over the years, your anchor department store was constantly evolving. Maas Brothers made way for Belk Lindsey, Belk became Burdine s, then Dillard s and finally...Macy s. This was home to every school clothes shopping trip for 13 years and therefore also home to the fitting rooms where I threw a fit over what we could afford vs what I could fit in to. In high school, your food cou