If you grew up anywhere near Palm Desert, this video is going to hit you right in the memory. Hard.

The Palm Desert Mall — now known as The Shops on Palm Desert and prior to that, Westfield Palm Desert — has been remodeled, rebranded, and reimagined more times than most people can keep track of. And yet, somehow, it still exists. Watching this old-school walkthrough is a reminder of just how different mall culture used to be in the desert.

This isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It’s a snapshot of how people actually spent time here before everything moved online, before lifestyle centers replaced food courts, and before malls became something you “run errands at” instead of hang out in.

A Time Capsule of Desert Mall Life

Originally posted by Adrian Amparo, the video walks through the Palm Desert Mall as it once was — bright, busy, and unapologetically mall-y.

You’ll spot things that feel almost fictional now:

• The old ice skating rink, which alone made the mall feel like a destination
• GTE Phone Mart, back when phones stayed plugged into walls
• Yellow Brick Road and other stores that only existed in malls
• Wide corridors designed for lingering, not just passing through

And perhaps most importantly: no screens screaming for attention, no pop-up activations, and definitely no weird hologram installations trying to convince you they’re “the future.”

Why This Video Still Matters

Malls used to be social infrastructure. Especially in the desert.

When it was too hot to be outside, the mall became the neutral zone. Teenagers hung out. Parents walked laps. People killed time between errands without feeling rushed. You didn’t go with a mission — you went to be there.

This video captures that slower, more human version of public space. It’s not about retail. It’s about how places functioned before everything became optimized for efficiency and monetization.

Watch the Video (Then Prepare to Say “Oh Damn” Out Loud)

Watch it once for the visuals. Watch it again for the details. The carpet. The signage. The pacing. The fact that people look like they’re not in a hurry to be anywhere else.

The Desert Has Always Been Good at Reinvention

The Palm Desert Mall didn’t disappear — it adapted. Just like the Coachella Valley always does.

But videos like this are worth saving because they show what came before the adaptations. They remind us that places evolve, but the memories attached to them don’t.

If you enjoy this kind of desert time capsule, you’ll probably also appreciate these old-school Spring Break videos from Palm Springs, which capture a very different era of desert chaos.

Watch the video, reminisce responsibly, and feel free to argue in the comments about which store you miss the most.