Remains of Phoenix’s shuttered Metrocenter Mall to be auctioned off

PHOENIX – You can’t go shopping inside Metrocenter anymore, but you can buy a piece of the late, great Phoenix mall.

Starting at noon Friday, EJ’s Auction & Appraisal will conduct a weekly series online liquidation auctions of the once-iconic mall’s remains.

The first two batches will focus holiday decorations and store contents and signs, kiosks, and mall furniture.

If you’ve ever wanted your very own Wetzel’s Pretzels sign or spaceship from the mall’s Skypark play area, now’s your chance.

The Metrocenter signs outside the mall will be auctioned off later.

Although the bidding will take place online, the auction house will hold a public preview from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the mall’s eastside entrance between U-Haul and Dillard’s.

Metrocenter was the only two-story, five-anchor mall in the country when it opened in 1973. The original anchor stores were Sears, Rhodes Brothers, Diamond’s, Goldwater’s and The Broadway, and the mall was home to around 175 vendors and services at its peak.

The sprawling venue off Interstate 17 between Dunlap and Peoria avenues was a favorite hangout and cruising spot for ‘80s kids.

However, it suffered the same fate as many brick-and-mortar businesses as consumer habits changed during the internet age.

Metrocenter’s yearslong decline was hastened this year by the coronavirus pandemic, and it closed for good in June.

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