10 Classic Mall Kiosks That Don’t Exist Anymore
These once-popular mall kiosks were everywhere — until they quietly vanished from shopping centers.
- Daisy Montero
- 3 min read
Mall kiosks used to be little hubs of excitement, curiosity, and impulse buys. Whether you were drawn in by flying toys, jewelry that changed color, or phone case engraving, these booths had their moment. Over time, many of them disappeared without much fanfare, replaced by newer trends or the shift to online shopping.
1. The Flying Toy Helicopter Booth
Arnauld van Wambeke on pexels
These booths had kids practically begging their parents for a remote-controlled helicopter. You’d spot a vendor launching the toy into the air, drawing a crowd like it was magic. For a while, no mall trip was complete without watching one fly into a stranger’s hair.
2. Mood Ring and Crystal Jewelry Stands
Alina Vilchenko on pexels
These kiosks had every color-changing trinket you never knew you needed. Mood rings, birthstone pendants, and crystal pendulums sat under flickering fluorescent lights. Whether they actually worked or not, people still wore them like they unlocked cosmic secrets.
3. Phone Case Engraving Kiosks
Burst on pxels
If you wanted your name or a bedazzled butterfly on your flip phone, this was the place. These booths customized everything from Nokia shells to Sidekick covers. Personalization was the ultimate flex, and these kiosks were the artists behind it.
4. Hair Braiding & Wrap Stalls
Pavel Danilyuk on pexels
You could sit on a tall stool near the food court and walk away with rainbow thread in your hair. These booths offered quick braids, beads, and wraps for anyone feeling beachy in the middle of a suburban mall. It was the go-to look after summer vacations — or before pretending you just came back from one.
5. Massaging Chair Test Stations
François Nguyen on wikimedia Commons
Vendors would practically beg you to sit down and “try it for free” just to get a taste of robotic relaxation. You’d feel awkward but secretly enjoy it while strangers walked past, pretending not to stare. These booths made massage chairs feel like luxury even if they sat in the middle of chaos.
6. Airbrush Art & Name Keychains
Khanh Nguyen on pexels
Nothing said mall trip success like a shiny keychain with your name in neon spray paint. These booths also sold T-shirts and license plates in graffiti-style fonts. Every teenager in the 2000s either bought one — or envied someone who did.
7. Scented Oil and Incense Stalls
Laryssa Suaid on pexels
You could smell these kiosks before you even saw them. Rows of tiny bottles promised peace, love, or at least a more interesting bedroom scent. Whether you were into patchouli or piña colada, there was a bottle calling your name.
8. Magic Trick Demonstration Booths
Tima Miroshnichenko on pexels
These kiosks reeled you in by making a coin vanish or a deck of cards do something wild. You’d buy a trick thinking you’d master it at home, only to forget the instructions by dinner. Still, those moments of amazement were worth every dollar.
9. Temporary Tattoo & Henna Artists
Eduardo Ordone on pexels
These artists set up shop in the open and left you with designs that looked way cooler than the sticker tattoos at home. You felt grown-up walking around with a dragon or floral design across your arm. The stain faded, but the swagger lasted way longer.
10. Personalized Name Poem Scrolls
Leeloo The First on pexels
These kiosks offered poems where each letter of your name stood for a word like “Kind” or “Radiant.” They came rolled up in gold scroll paper or framed in plastic with cartoon flowers. It was the mall version of a heartfelt gift — and we all believed every word.