The Seminole Mall, previously a lively and bustling hub for shopping and people galore, has seen better days. Once the bright centerpiece of Sanford, the mall used to be full of happy customers, and was an area where families gathered, teens spent weekends, and local residents relied on a variety of stores to meet their shopping needs. Today, however, the mall’s story is approaching its end.
Many years ago, the mall was a centerpiece of Sanford as it was and is the only mall in the Sanford and Lake Mary area. Formerly filled with popular department stores such as H and M and The Body Shop, it was filled with an array of clothing brands as well as the infamous food court. Many Sanford residents enjoyed spending their weekends retrieving the latest clothing items or even just hanging out with friends and family.
Walking into the Seminole Mall now feels like stepping into anything but a mall. Many stores are empty with their gates closed up and windows covered over. Gone too is the vibrancy the mall was once filled with. The foot traffic is little to none, with only a handful of customers coming to get whatever little number of stores still remain. Senior Victoria Cardenas, spoke about how she has seen the mall evolve in a negative way and her experience attempting to shop there. “I’ve been living in the area for about three or four years now and I [have] seen like every month it [becomes] more dead. I went there to shop for black friday and it was just dead. JcPenny was like the only store that was open. I don’t know why it has become so dead because it’s such a spacious place and it’s pretty and has so much potential ” A place that once was enjoyable to go to now leaves residents with a sense of sadness each time they walk in.
Many have speculated that the Seminole Mall’s management is partially to blame for the shutdown of many stores. Various retailers that used to call the Seminole Mall their home have previously made statements about the management’s lack of care and attention. With failures to address problems such as air conditioning issues, many retailers were upset with the lack of accountability. Many believe this is what led to the mall’s downfall.
Yet, despite all that has gone on, the Seminole Mall seems to be a deep place of nostalgia for those remembering when it was a functioning and popular mall. IB sophomore, Hansini Nunna,
told me about how the Seminole mall was her childhood mall and the memories it holds for her. “ I used to go to the Seminole literally all the time as a kid. I would always be so excited to go bungee jumping on the trampoline in the middle of the mall and I loved going to the play area downstairs too. I vividly remember my mom taking me and my brother there every time there was a break to give us something to do and we would just spend so much time there. When I go there now I get kind of sad cause it’s just so unlively and not welcoming at all. I hope it can make a comeback soon.”
The decline of Seminole Mall is a sad case felt by the Sanford community, and with the mall scheduled to close by the end of January, it will continue to live on in the memories of the community.