Bangor's Airport Mall: A Hidden Gem of Retro Design
The Airport Mall in Bangor, Maine opened in 1970, with the intent to capitalize on the newly-opened Bangor Airport across the street. It had 23 stores, and was anchored by Woolco, Doug’s Stop ‘N Save, and Freese’s. It was the third enclosed mall built in Maine, after the Westgate Mall and the Turnpike Mall, but the first to offer a more traditional mall interior and the only one whose interior is accessible to the public today. While the mall covers roughly 232,400 square feet, the interior mall portion is relatively mall, consisting of three short connected hallways.
Over the years tenants have included Fashion Bug (which took the place of Freese’s), Mr. Paperback, Spencer Gifts, Weeks Ice Cream Shop, Orange Julius, and Fanny Farmer Candies. More recent ones include Staples, Weight Watchers, Rich’s Discount Mart, and Bangor Discount Mattress and Furniture. Currently, it is anchored by Marshall’s, Ocean State Job Lot, and Hannaford, while tenants include a Rent-A-Center, Top Care Nails, Pet Pro, and Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park. More information and historical photos are available at Mall Hall of Fame, one of my new favorite websites.
The mall was originally built by Epstein Commercial Real Estate, Saul Coppelman, and Theodore Berenson & Associates. Airport Mall was acquired by WP Realty in 1988, and underwent a light remodeling in 1998. However, it still retains much of the charm of its original incarnation.
Visitors to the Airport Mall today might not even be aware that they can go inside the mall, as most of the tenants are accessible from the exterior. Like many smaller malls that are dwarfed by their anchors, the interior is perhaps more of a forgotten relic than a functional retail hub. The majority of the interior stalls are vacant, but to overlook this section would be a mistake. While one can easily walk through it in under five minutes, it’s worth doing so just to admire the neat square skylights, the brick and tilework on the floors, and the distinct storefronts, some of which retain the shingled faux-eaves that were popular in earlier malls. Perhaps it’s less interesting to people who aren’t retro mall enthusiasts, but it’s rare to find a space like this that hasn’t been remodeled into oblivion, and I appreciated that. It’s a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of the bygone design styles in the earliest enclosed malls!
Matthew Christopher ME Bangor Jan 09, 2026 Malls Retail Stores Retro/Nostalgia
Jan 09, 2026
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