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Release time: 2021-11-29 04:31:00 Update time: 2021-11-29 12:16:18
November 29, 2021 4:31 AM EST Released November 29, 2021 12:16 PM EST Update
Author: Heather Leah, WRAL Multiplatform Producer
If you were born or moved to Raleigh after 1985, you may not remember the iconic metal fountain that once symbolized shopping at Crabtree Valley Mall.
There was a time when celebrating Christmas in Raleigh meant seeing the snow bear, which hovered in the Thalimers, sending out hugs and stickers.
Children can visit The Secret Shop-a magical place where even children’s pocket money and change are enough to buy holiday gifts for parents and relatives.
Then, after a whole day of shopping, you will wait in a long queue at the Piccadilly cafeteria for a sleepy dinner.
I was born in the 1980s and remember Snow Bear and Piccadilly-but I missed the secret shops or huge fountains that many people remember.
But my mother told me, "There used to be a life-size'crab tree' sculpture in the mall."
There are only a few black and white photos left-faded like many vacation memories.
Since then, I have believed that the fountain should be like a "crab tree"-although it is obviously not a tree, you can hardly blame a 15-year-old version of my mother's imagination that this is what it is. The metal fountain sculpture is very similar to the Crabtree Valley Mall logo of that era, as seen in this flashback Friday photo shared on Crabtree's Facebook page.
Of course, over the years, many children have asked their parents: What exactly is a "crab tree"?
Sadly, Raleigh has lost a lot of important history or pop culture simply because everyone in the 1970s and 80s did not carry a camera in their pocket. The triangle area often loses images of previously iconic places and things, simply because no one wants to take a picture.
Fortunately, in the summer of 1972, photographer Betty Austin Owen was working in a shopping mall when he was taking an art professional photography course at East Carolina University.
"I carry a camera wherever I go," she said. "It's still possible! Only now it's an iPhone."
When the shopping mall first opened in 1972, Irving was working at the Hobby Shop.
"I remember when Crabtree Mall opened, of course it was a great shopping place. I dropped out of college that year, but I spent my summers at my home in Raleigh," she said.
She recalled holiday traditions, such as seeing Christmas lights at Kidd Brewer's house on the hill behind the mall.
Newspaper articles in the 1970s hinted at why the fountain might eventually be demolished.
"The original pool was too small to catch all the water pouring from the almost two-story fountain," said an article in the "News and Observer".
"This often causes customers to get soaked," the article said.
Similarly, it is reported that the sound of rushing water is very noisy.
The renovation in the mid-1980s marked the end of the fountain, and it may have lost enough goodwill for customers and shopping malls.
North Hills Mall and Cary Towne Centre also have large iconic trees-now mostly forgotten-once associated with their brands.
When it was called Cary Village Mall, a very large, majestic oak tree stood outside the center of Cary Towne. Its spreading branches and sturdy trunk make it iconic, and it is integrated into the logo.
Sadly, just like the Crabtree fountain, the oak tree was eventually destroyed. Although its destruction caused protest and anger, the historic tree has disappeared from public memory-only a few faded photos remain.
Similarly, some locals vaguely remember a large sculpture that once stood outside Beishan. It was carved into a life-size tree trunk.
Crabtree Valley Mall is not the only shopping mall that strives to create unforgettable moments during the holidays. In the late 1980s and 1990s, Cary’s Nanshan Shopping Center brought real-life reindeer to children for photos, feeding and pets.
Some people still remember the life-size dinosaurs when they visited Beishan Shopping Center.
As more and more holiday shopping moves online, those seasonal memories are slowly moving away from shopping centers.
When celebrating Christmas in Raleigh, do you have any old-fashioned holiday nostalgia to share? Share your memories and photos with WRAL's hidden historians at hleah@wral.com.
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