Francis Scott Key Mall — Local services in Ballenger Creek

When I was a kid a group of friends and I would go here and we would hangout for hours. We would get lunch here, ice cream, all of it. I'm much beyond that, but the mall still feels the same.

It's always clean (even the bathrooms). It's on the smaller side with a fountain in the very center, making it unlikely to get lost or turned around. Benches and tables are everywhere, perfect for eating a to-go order, resting between stores, or waiting for someone to meet up with you.. The people working at the kiosks respect your time and personal space (which is a newer, much appreciated, development). There are places to take the kids, including the (free) indoor play place.

Tournament City games moved in more recently and it's always nice to stop in there. Duet With Music has friendly staff and an instrument for any budget. There's a store for crystals/rocks by the Barnes & Nobles...

I highly recommend stopping in.

Bonus: there is a family restroom and a nursing room with a bench outside. Though you have to get someone to unlock them for you, which I find inconvenient for those with little kids, disabilities,...

A smaller local mall that has hung in there since at least the 1980s. Vacant storefronts don't hang around for long and their anchor stores are the better of the brick and mortar retail chains that are still in operations. The Sears is great for appliances and tools, Macy's is of course a standard for clothing and household goods, JC Penney has a good selection of clothing and household items as well. The Dick's Sporting Goods is a little weak on the shooting sports section outside of hunting season and is definitely smaller than some of their locations just a little further south, but you can generally get what you need there.

The mall is always clean and well kept, it never looks rundown. There's no food court, but there are some eateries located within the mall. There's a pizza restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, Japanese steakhouse, Dairy Queen, Crepe place, Subway, and Auntie Anne's pretzels available if you don't want to leave the mall. The surrounding area outside of the mall parking lot has several other stand-alone restaurants if you're looking for something more...

I love FSK. A few stores are gone, but that’s to be expected as a result of the pandemic and other economic issues that we are facing today. One of the anchor stores has gone vacant as of VERY recently (Sears) but this location at FSK was one of the very few hold outs that stayed open longer than most physical locations after the company itself had financial issues, and I don’t think it has anything to do with the vitality of the mall itself. However, despite the loss of one of its 7 anchors, there are quite a few big names when it comes to retailers that are still going strong like: American Eagle, Victoria’s Secret, Hollister, Hot Topic, H&M, Bath and Body Works, Aeropostale, Barnes and Noble, Zumiez, etc. I also LOVE the GTC rock shop, it’s amazing!!! The mall is quiet at night during the week days (which is to be expected) but it’s definitely not dead. On the weekends (and definitely around the holidays) the mall is full of a LOT of...