ORANGE PARK – Stores, like fashion and fads, have come and gone during the last 50 years at the Orange Park Mall.

Several athletic shoe and clothing stores, a Food Court, nail spas, and health and beauty stores have replaced bell-bottom jeans, lava lamps, black light posters and record stores.

Two things, however, have remained the same – Zales Jewelry and Spencer’s.

Both were part of the opening ceremonies on Sept. 24, 1975, and both will still be doing business as usual during a grand celebration on Wednesday, Sept. 24, when the mall turns 50 years old.

Both stores are uniquely different, but they remain resilient because their services reach audiences that never change.

“It’s amazing we’ve been here for 50 years,” said Zales salesman Machi Smith, who wasn’t born until at least the mall turned 25 years old. “It’s definitely a huge milestone that things haven’t changed for us. Jewelry is always going to be jewelry, whether it’s online or in a brick-and-mortar store.

“But at the end of the day, hopefully we’ll be here for another 50 years.”

Not only have Zales and Spencer’s maintained their presence in the second-oldest mall in Northeast Florida, but they’ve also done it without changing their names or moving to another spot in the 953,000-square-foot collection of 120 stores and restaurants.

Spencer’s specializes in novelty and gag gifts, and it also sells clothing, brand merchandise, toys, room decor, collectible figures, fashion and body jewelry, and fantasy and horror items.

“We stay open because we have something for people who fit in a niche,” said assistant manager Cheyenne Berger.

There are funky cartoon memes, horror T-shirts, incense and body piercing equipment. So, what are the most unique items on the shelves?

“That’s on the back wall,” Berger said.

She was correct.

When the mall opened, there were 64 stores, including three anchor stores – Ivey’s, May Cohen and Sears. Ivey’s was bought out and became Dillard’s in 1990; May Cohen became May in 1988; and Belk eventually took over the space in 1998. The mall made JCPenney another anchor in 1984 following a 300,000- square-foot expansion. A 48,003-square-foot expansion in 2006 made Dick’s Sporting Goods another anchor.

Sears closed all but eight stores nationally in 2020, including in Orange Park.

Many of the original 64 stores and their services have been lost to evolving times.

Online downloading services have replaced music and bookstores. But on Sept. 24, 1975, Musicsmith, Nice House of Music, Cannon Music, Walden Books and B. Dalton Bookseller were among the biggest draws for the mall.

Morrison’s Cafeteria had long lines, especially after church, where hungry customers bought everything à la carte, like a scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy for 42 cents or Salisbury steak for $2.45. RadioShack no longer exists, along with the Orange Bowl and County Seat. Atlantic Bank transformed into First Union, then to Wachovia, then to Wells Fargo.

But Zales and Spencer’s are still going strong.

“We have what people want, and we always will,” Berger said. “It should be like that 50 years from now, too.”