Found: Woolworth, Brookfield, WI

Found: Woolworth, at Brookfield Square, Brookfield, Wisconsin. Copyright The L.L. Cook Co.
from an Ektachrome Transparency. Postmarked December 22, 1969.
Written on verso in ballpoint pen and addressed to Tampa, Florida:
"Hello Marie. This is from the Brookfield Square.
This is some shopping center.
One of the largest and finest. Parking space for 10,000 cars.
The weather here was at 8 above this morning.
Now it is 24 above. Best regards and have fun."

Oblivious to the forces of nature, the suburban shopper of the late 1960s could browse the mall in climate-controlled comfort once the car was parked outside in the lot. Fully enclosed expansive shopping malls seem quaintly historic in the age of Target and Amazon. But you wouldn't think so by looking at survivor mall websites like the one for Brookfield Square, which first opened in 1967. Avoiding the topic of "history", Brookfield Square has been re-envisioned for the 21st century as a bright and airy social spot with world food and trendy clothes. Still, traditional Sears and JC Penney serve as anchor stores rather than the defunct Woolworth's with its abundant ficus plants as shown on this postcard. The Woolworth's store at the Mid-Cities Mall (opened in 1968) in our home town of Manitowoc, WI was a hot spot and frequent destination when we were teenagers. Woolworth's sold records, magazines, parakeets, house plants, lip gloss, colorful tights, and had a restaurant that served grilled hot dogs and a particularly fluffy lemony cheese cake within its walnut Formica paneled interior.