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- Dead Hollister stores in malls around the country are being transformed into everything from aquariums to axe throwing venues.
- Many have maintained the store’s iconic aesthetic, keeping the beach house facade and dimly lit interior design.
- Here are eight transformed Hollister stores in malls across the US.
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Source: Abercrombie & Fitch Corporate
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—Nadeen Abusada (@NadeenAbusada) March 12, 2021
In April 2021, the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge opened its doors to “Blue Zoo,” an aquarium built inside an abandoned Hollister.
The 16,000-square-foot space features wildlife such as sharks, jellyfish, stingrays, seahorses, and even toucans, according to The Advocate. Despite its transformation, the aquarium managed to maintain some of the original Hollister vibe, including its iconic entryway.
“People in our generation and younger aren’t interested in stuff, they want experiences they can show on social media,” Wes Haws, founder and CEO of Blue Zoo, told The Advocate.
—Bailey Ford (@lipstickbailey) October 15, 2022
Old Hollister stores have also gone through one of the more popular transformations during the Retail Apocalypse — thriving retailer to haunted house.
In recent years, former Hollister stores — including the above location in Bangor, Maine — have taken a cue from brands like Toys R Us and become spooky haunted houses.
—mx. brightside (@amykdonovan) September 2, 2020
Not to be outdone by the aquarium, the Mall of Abilene in Texas transformed its Hollister location into a fully operational mini golf course.
Lunar Mini Golf, which opened in 2017 and has since permanently closed, maintained a sense of the Hollister spirit by keeping the lighting quite dim — the course was completely glow-in-the-dark.
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A recent viral TikTok shows a former Hollister location at the Valley View Mall in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, has been transformed into an escape room.
“I can’t explain why but my hometown mall turning Hollister into an escape room and just leaving the aesthetic is sending me into space,” user @freshsketti wrote.
The official Hollister Co. account itself commented on the video, which has now been viewed nearly 500,000 times, writing “love what they’re doing with the place.”
TikTok
As documented by TikTok user @venusflytrap42, one Hollister store has even been converted into a sock store aptly titled “Socks To Be You.”
—Smack barm pey WAP (@molotov_martini) August 1, 2021
One former Hollister at a mall in Plano, Texas, has apparently become a photo studio, capturing images of children dressed in fairy costumes.
—Mildly Interesting (@interest_mild) January 30, 2022
Several abandoned Hollister locations seemingly have been transformed into bookstores, with many of the new stores keeping the old Hollisters.
The above store became an outlet bookstore, dim Hollister lighting and all. Another followed suit, becoming a used bookstore with an eclectic mix, including comic book, children’s books and collectibles.
“Visiting your hometown mall on a Friday night. That book store was once a Hollister,” TikTok user @sarahgaliant0 wrote in reference to the used bookstore.
@s_e_g86 Who has been to a mall in the last decade? #millennial #fyp #hollister ♬ original sound – denise
“2009 me would never ever thought I’d see a Hollister turned into a bookstore,” one user commented.
—Clout Schwab (@bigmadalex) September 15, 2020
Just when you thought defunct Hollister stores couldn’t possibly evolve into any other form of experiential retail, one location in Pennsylvania’s Monroeville Mall became an axe-throwing venue.
Though it also has since closed, in 2020, mall-goers could walk through the doors of an old Hollister and hurl axes at a bullseye target, operated by Valhalla Axe Throwing.
