"I wouldn't miss this for the world," said Simpson, 50, of Evergreen Park. "I shopped here all the time from when I was a kid. I'm glad we have new stores coming, but I'm so sad to see this go.
"Oh, my gosh, we'd take trips to Evergreen Plaza. I'd shop here once a week. It was a big deal. I definitely liked Carson's and a cookie store on the lower level by the Christmas tree. Oatmeal raisin was my favorite. I'm a little sad, but we have bigger and better things coming," Simpson said.
Developers of the new Evergreen Plaza, which is expected to have 30 to 40 stores, hope to hear similar stories of devotion in a few years.
"It's an exciting time for us," said Karl Zarbo, director of operations for Michigan-based Lormax Stern Development Co., which is working with DeBartolo Development on the project.
Speaking at a brief ceremony before demolition began, Zarbo said what some thought of as a "million-square-foot, vacant, functionally obsolete property ... what we see as developers is an opportunity to bring a brand-new shopping center, first class, to your community.
"It's an opportunity to bring jobs to your community," Zarbo said.
Jay Adams, vice president of development for Florida-based DeBartolo, said, "Enclosed malls are really not that fashionable or efficient," adding there's more interest nationwide in open-air shopping venues.
"To be here, working on this property, giving the community something that's going to be unbelievable, it's an honor," Adams said.
Evergreen Park Mayor Jim Sexton joked that he "wasn't quite sure this was going to happen this morning," noting that two or three other developments proposed at the site never materialized.
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