Historic Look Back: Saks Fifth Avenue at Owings Mills Mall

Jeffrey Freedman November 26, 2011 at 05:06 am

I have seen this picture from the archives. I went inside Saks Fifth Avenue at OMM once or twice, but the merchandise in the store was WAY too expensive. Apparently many others agreed with me on that. It is a shame, however, that it is gone. Do you, Alex, or anyone reading this have any more pictures of the inside of Owings Mills Mall back when it was more successful in the 80's and 90's? I would be very interested in seeing those pictures.

Lynn December 1, 2011 at 10:08 am

I don't think I have any pictures,but it was a day I'll never forget. I was there for the Grand Opening of the Mall.Sachs wasn't open yet,but part of the Grand Opening was a Fashion Show. The models came out of Sachs and down the Grand Staircase. It was an event to remember. At one point they dropped 1000's of blue and orange feathers down from the Skylight. My kids were little and ran to get some of the feathers. The feathers I still have! My son was only 7 years old at the time and didn't want to see a fashion show.But the music and Models were just so great that he really loved it.So much that we went back the next day and saw it again.
When Sachs finally opened I always parked there and entered thru their store. Yes,it was expensive,but I did buy a few thing. When I'd go to the Mall,I'd so many people were dressed to the 9's and wearing their Furs and Minks. I loved to people watch but ended up doing my shopping in Westminster at Cranberry Mall.It' wasn't as expensive. I always went to the Owings Mills Mall a few times a month tho,to eat at the food court. Such great food and a fun evening out. I haven't been to the Mall in so many years now that I didn't even know it had changed. My grand daughter told me a few months ago,that it's almost empy and most of the stores are gone now. I was really shocked...and sad. But the Grand Opening was a sight and event to behold. I'll never forget it :)

Jeffrey Freedman December 1, 2011 at 10:20 pm

Thanks for sharing! That story was very interesting. Alex posted some videos from the Grand Opening on this website. Here is a link to the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YPuLHgsCzI .

Christian Santos December 9, 2011 at 10:54 pm

I moved to MD back in 1984 and thought how great it was to have all the high end retailers from back home. Neiman Marcus, Saks and other great up scale specialty shops. It was the shopping mecca in the area, excluding Columbia Mall. But then, the lightrail was extended out to Owings Mills with the intent of enabling commuters to get to work in Baltimore and reduce traffic. The opposite occurred. The urban elements began decending on OMM and it became an unsafe, filthy and rowdy mall. Groups of youths would come from the Baltimore area in the evenings and weekends to hang out in the mall and the parking lot. Before iPhones, iPods and personal music players, the 'boom-box' gangs would create a hostile and unpleasant environment. The elderly didn't feel safe. Mother's wouldn't want their children subjected to the riff-raff. Then crime increased. Muggings in the parking lots and shoplifting became ramped. These high end retailers weren't prepared as they are today with security tags and the theft of the high ticket items had a serious impact on their ability to stay in business. Slowly but surely stores started closing, but gangs and trouble grew. The lightrail enabled more and more to come to an area that normally was not accessible by public transportation. Year after year, OM became and still is, an extension of Baltimore City. Today, it's not even like you left the city, chaos and drugs. Public transportation has become the tool to move crime around. It happened in Towson &

Christian Santos December 9, 2011 at 10:59 pm

Hunt Valley. As a matter of fact, all along the corridor north of the city, I could see the change in the entire length of the tracks. Hunt Valley Mall stores began closing, it was unsafe to shop there as well and it turned into what OMM is now. It took the demise of HVM and the interest of developer to turn it into what it is today. With today's technology, security is better than ever in the past. Police now patrol and cameras are everywhere. We wait for OMM to have the same rebirth. The only difference is that the elements now live at the back door, no need to travel 'in' to OM, it's here.