Cancelled - AZ Halloween Marketplace - September 19th, 2020

The AZHaunters.com Haunted Swap Meet is now the AZ Halloween Marketplace and has been canceled for the 2020 Halloween Season.

FREE ATTENDANCE & FREE PARKING

The AZ Halloween Marketplace, formerly the Haunted Swap Meet, is a one-day annual marketplace held every September where you can buy, sell, and trade your homemade, gently used Halloween props and collectables to other haunters.The event is a gathering of Halloween enthusiasts that buy sell or trade props, costumes, decorations, and other Halloween related items. Buy, sell and trade till you have the perfect yard haunt.

Over 100 Vendors featuring Halloween wares

• Artisans selling hand-crafted or original wares 
• Home haunters selling thrift-sale-type items
• Entertainers 
• Make-up artists 
• This year they are adding a haunted house *$5 charge to enter haunted house
• Hearse Display
• Raffle with hourly prize drawings
• Special Appearances by:
• AZ Ghostbusters
• United Zombies
• Live Pumpkin Carving by Villafane Studios (master carver)

You will find creepy cupcakes, costumes, spell books, macabre original artwork, and so much more.

They are again in a nice air-conditioned venue at MetroCenter Mall. If you attended last year, you know how big the crowd was and will be happy to know that they are taking over the entire lower level of the mall instead of a single store space. That means you can use any mall entrance and should not expect any lines standing between you and your Halloween fun!

The AZ Halloween Marketplace is organized by The AZHaunters.com website, an online community of individuals of all ages that have come together celebrate Halloween Haunting by sharing and learning with each other. The HAunted Swap Meet began in 2015 with a half dozen members gathering on a lawn to trade props (hence the original name Swap Meet), and has since grown with over 6,000 attendees last year.

AZ Haunters gather together in person and online to share prop making techniques and ideas, chat about Halloween, and help each other out with haunting plans. They also hold "Make & Take" crafting events approx once a month, this is where they meet in person and you learn how to construct various Halloween props..

*********************UPDATE* CANCELLED *UPDATE**************************

With the closure of Metrocenter Mall, the event's location is now in question?

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Parking is free!

Tips:

• Wear comfortable shoes, anticipate walking up and down every aisle
• Stay hydrated, Water will be available for purchase.
• Bring Cash, many of the vendors will accept credit cards, some may not
• Restroom facilities will be available in the main mall area.

For More information Contact AZ Halloween Marketplace or Become a Vendor

Metrocenter Mall dies at age 47 - June 30, 2020

After 47 years, Metrocenter Mall in Phoenix is closing its doors for good, according to a letter from the mall's general manager Kim Ramirez.

The mall was opened for business in October 1973 as the largest shopping center in Arizona and was the first two-level, five-anchor mall in the country.

Charter tenants in the 100 million dollar shopping facility included Dave Cook Sporting Goods, See's Candies, Lerner Shops, Rozenweigs Jewelers, Toys By Roy, Butterfield Station, Judy's ladies' wear, Waldenbooks, Guggy's Coffee Shop, Florsheim Shoes and a Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour.

In the Glory Days, Metrocenter was a destination in itself, with an ice skating rink, arcade, and dozens of specialty stores all under one roof.  In 1976, the amusement park Golf 'N Stuff (now Castles-N-Coasters) opened in the southeast corner of the mall's parking lot providing 10 acres of rides and miniature golf.

The Ice Capades Chalet skating rink featured in appeared in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989 Comedy Adventure movie) was closed in 1990.

The Harkins Metro 12 held its grand opening March 19, 1999.

In January 2004, Metrocenter was sold by DVM Co. to Macerich Company and AEW Capital Management who brought back the founding developer, Westcor.

In 2005, several of the mall's retail stores which also appeared in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, such as Oshman's Sporting Goods and Casual Corner, closed in when those chains' went out of business.



Metrocenter's interior was revamped in 2007 with an aim at comfort and technology.

In 2010, Jones Lang LaSalle took over management and 15% ownership of Metrocenter Mall from Westcor.

Since January 2012, the mall has been owned by the Carlyle Development Group based in New York City.

May 2012, a temporary artificial ice rink was opened for the summer at the mall.

In 2016, a massive redevelopment of Metrocenter was approved by the Phoenix City Council to allow office, medical and residential space.

A Walmart opened at the mall in 2017 with hopes that it would revitalize the area.

The property planed to host a monthly “Metro Feastival” starting Saturday, June 15, from 5:30-9 p.m. where 10 to 20 food trucks would park outside the food court near the Harkins Theatre. But with Covid-19, people just are not willing to turn out in crowds.

June 19th, 2020, the announcement of closure. "We hope to see Metrocenter redeveloped and revitalized in the near future so it can once again be the pride of the surrounding community," wrote Ramirez.

June 30th, 2020 will be the death of a place full of memories, but long only sustained by life support.

I spent my teenage years at the mall. Please comment below with your great memories of this hang out.