Peacock Alley Entrance at Ford City Shopping Center.

Photo taken in the 1980’s. Chicago Tribune



Hello everyone. Today on my blog, I will be talking about my memories of Peacock Alley. It was located at the lower level of Ford City Shopping Center. When my family first moved to the Ashburn neighborhood in September 1974 from Roseland, we didn’t visit the mall right away and we have never heard of it at the time. One day, my mother, my brothers and I went on a Saturday and took the Ford City Shuttle Bus to the mall. It cost a quarter to ride it and I remembered it being parked at W 76th St & S Pulaski Rd. My mother didn’t drive at the time, she started to learn the following year. When we visited Ford City, I noticed the sign called Peacock Alley. I asked my Mom if we can go downstairs to look around. She told us that we should browse around the stores on the first level first and then go downstairs another day. I was a little disappointed, but I understood what she meant, because Ford City was and still is such a huge place to walk around. A few months later, I met up with a friend of mine from the neighborhood and asked him if we can go to Peacock Alley. He said yes. We took the shuttle bus, arrived at the mall and then proceeded to the escalator outside of Woolworth’s. We walked through it and I was totally amazed by it. I have never saw anything like this in my life. We passed by the all the stores and at the end we took escalator up. It was either at Turn-Style or Jewel. Anyone can correct me on that, please do. Here is a list of stores that I remembered at Peacock Alley:

Just Pants

Nickel Bag

Park Magnavox

Nickelodeon

House of Health Foods

Tricks & Toys

Catholic Center

Knit-Kit Shoppe

Judo Karate School

All Sports Inc

Gingiss Formalwear

John Amico Beauty School

Peacock Gifts

A T-shirt store

A shoe repair shop

Wizard of Games

And many, many more

Covers of The Death of Superman issue #75. I bought at Moondog’s Comicland Comic Book Store at The Connection, formely called Peacock Alley in September 1992.

Peacock Alley changed its name to The Connection in the late 1980’s when Ford City Mall was being remodeled. The last time I went there was in September 1992 when Moondog’s Comicland Comic Book Store was located at The Connection. I pre-ordered the Death of Superman comic book issue #75, because it was going to be a hot seller. I still have the comic book today. The Peacock Alley/The Connection is closed now. I’m not sure when it happened, but people who shop at Ford City presently, don’t have that opportunity anymore of going downstairs to shop or hang out like the people I knew who lived in the area in the 70s and 80s. I miss it very much to this day. Please leave you comments here of your memories of Peacock Alley. This blog entry will also be shared on Facebook and Twitter and my other social platforms. Thank you. Pete Kastanes-Admin for Vanished Chicagoland Facebook Page.

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