Celebrating 33 Years Of The Mall Of America In Bloomington

It's been attracting shoppers to Minnesota for over three decades now, and as the Mall of America celebrates its 33rd birthday, here is a look back at one of its vintage commercials.

It’s been 33 years since the Mall of America (MOA) first opened its doors in Bloomington, and a lot has changed since then. From its early days as the new kid on the retail block to becoming one of the most-visited tourist attractions in the country, MOA has been a Minnesota icon from the start.

The MOA (which, of course, it wasn't called back then) first opened its doors up in Bloomington in August of 1992 on the site where both the Vikings and the Twins used to play-- in the old Metropolitan Stadium.

SEE ALSO: New Restaurant With Huge Viral Following Opening This Fall at MOA

Crews broke ground to start construction on the gigantic shopping center waaay back in 1989, so it was big news in Minnesota when MOA (again, we didn't call it that back then) opened that late summer in 1992. I was in college at UW-Eau Claire at the time, and remember seeing the coverage of the opening on various Twin Cities TV stations.

The Mall of America was, of course, the largest shopping mall in total area and the largest in total store vendors in the United States when it opened 33 years ago. MOA says when it opened its doors for the first time on August 11, 1992, 330 stores opened for business, and more than 10,000 employees started their first day of work.

Today, 33 years later, MOA is still known as a shopping mecca, of course, but it's also more than that:

MOA hosts more than 300 events a year, ranging from concerts to celebrity appearances and fashion shows. Each year, 32 million people from around the world visit the mall, generating nearly $2 billion each year in economic impact for the state.

MOA posted a cool fly-through video of what the mega mall looked like back in 2021 on its X page. It's a cool trip through what MOA looked like when it was just approaching its 30th anniversary.

So, yeah, things have changed a WEE bit since the mega mall first opened. Heck, a few years ago, the Mall of America was listed as a reason NOT to visit Minnesota (though, of course, a LOT of people still do.) But back then, as the vintage 90's vibe in this commercial shows, it was THE place to be. Remember the slogan? "There's a place for FUN in your life, Mall of America!"

Of course, while MOA is still with us 33, not ALL chains that were once popular are still around. How many of THESE brands that went out of business do YOU remember? Keep scrolling to check it out!