Christown Spectrum

When I was a little girl growing up in Phoenix; going to Christown was a big deal. It required a dress and clean face. It meant seeing the organ grinder and his monkey, riding the little carousel and having lunch at Wag’s or Guggy’s or Miracle Mile while you watched the birds fly around INSIDE the building! New shoes and school clothes were from Penney or Ward’s and as we got older maybe Lerner’s or 5−7−9 Shops. Switzer’s was for old ladies but you could get a polar bar outside Journeys and watch boys as a teen. It was the ONLY place to get a Santa pic! Then Metrocenter came along and Christown struggled to be relevant. Hard times, sad stores and stolid holdouts remained. Then came the abomination Wal-​Mart. That was redeemed by the return of Penney’s and Harkin’s but it still needs more than a Costco to pull it around. Needs food choices and better clothing. I see it a great local mall — all local venders to ward off the bad energy of Wal-​Mart.

Hard to believe that Christown was once a beautiful mall and the surrounding neighborhoods were solidly middle class. Now the area is a ghetto, and each time the neighborhood has slipped a notch the mall has followed. I’m giving the place two stars because it’s more depressing than dangerous. Your chances of being shot or mugged in the parking lot are pretty slim, at least during daylight hours. Your chances of seeing a tattooed 300-​pound woman in stretch pants beat the living daylights out of her four-​year old child are excellent.

Parking is very dirty, it seems like nobody was hired to keep the front neat. People drive crazy even in parking lots. I certainly don’t want to come back

Not much to this mall. It was not really aesthetically pleasing, there were not very many options for shopping or eating and the size of the place was very underwhelming. There was a Costco, JC Penny movie theatre, and Walmart attached, small retailers included Payless Shoes, 5 Game Sports, a few clothing retailers and an eyeglass shop. There are a few small vendors that offer sunglasses, t shirts and watches, as well as a small variety of kiddie rides like a swing and miniature Ferris wheel.

It’s definitely not a fashion mall, so it’s not competing with anywhere with Macy’s or Nordstrom as an anchor. Still, it has Costco and JC Penney, along with the no-​mall-​entrance Target, PetSmart, and more.
The stars are mostly for the ease of being able to get in and out of the Costco and Costco gas station though. This is a much better layout than Paradise Valley’s awful ring road, and nowhere near as crowded as Chandler’s Costco across from their mall.

At one time was the premier shopping mall in Phoenix.
Within the last 10 years has struggled to attract people to the mall.
The first rebuilding move was bringing in Costco and then Walmart and then the Super Target.
The Costco food court is part of the mall where you do not need a Costco membership to eat at.
The surrounding neighborhood has changed to more of minority population .
Overall the mall has revitalized very well but not too the prime mall that it used to be

I like it here. I’ve checked into this place more than a few times because it has the Costco, Target, Walmart and Ross all in the same place. The plaza is super ratchet, no doubt, but where else are you going find all these stores in one spot? If you can get past the gang of pigeons eating a thrown out hot dog bun in the parking lot, then check this mall out some time.

So its not the greatest mall… but not the worst. There’s a Costco Walmart Target Jc Penny a bunch of shoe stores and a couple of food places in the mall or parking lot. It is decent if you just need a few things but I prefer Metrocenter

This mall is large and has major retail players such as J.C. Penney, Costco, Target, and Walmart, and they have movie theaters. It doesn’t attract the greatest clientele but it’s not a place where I feel unsafe or where I have the feeling I need to watch my back.

I just can’t consider this a mall. More of a shopping center. I remember when it was Christown and the changes it went through. I have never seen a «nice» Walmart. That is where all the «questionable» customers come in. If they didn’t have the Walmart, the shopping center would be a nicer place. Anyway I go for Costco, Costco Gas, Target and Ross. Haven’t tried the Harkins yet. I have always felt comfortable shopping here. Then again I don’t go anywhere near Walmart. Glad it is on the other side of the shopping center.

2.5 Stars
This is still Christown to me. This is the second time I’ve been here since the Costco moved it. I really don’t have any stores that will attract me to this mall and if your anchor is Walmart I’m not impressed. I can go into JC Penny’s without entering this mall. Unfortunately cannot say the same to get into Costco. You can probably find everything you need at Super Target that are on the same grounds but are not physically connected. There are much nicer malls you can go to instead of this one in every direction but south.

Christown went through a phase of cute and appealing revival a couple years back. It was fully tenanted, and it was a fun, if quirky, working-​class discount mall with diverse customers and the convenience of having both a Walmart and a Target AND being on the light rail line.
It has now become a cesspit.
Vacancies are up, and stores are being replaced by more obscure stores. It’s now considered okay for the teenage shop clerks to heckle passing grown-​up shoppers, and mall security thinks this is funny. Adding to the ambiance of decay, the air conditioning wasn’t keeping up with the traffic, so it was at least 85 degrees in the mall interior.
If you’re west of Central and want a mall, Metro Center is cleaner, neater, and politer, while Desert Sky has a far better selection of Hispanic-​themed stores (and is also cleaner, neater, and politer). Either also has a parking lot with a less kill-​or-​be-​killed layout.

Ok, so I shop at Christown mall sometimes. Or is it Spectrum mall? Does it really matter? I admit, I’ve heard a lot of different things about this place, but it wasn’t until I actually moved North of this place that I started coming here on a regular basis to run errands and get stuff done.
Lets be honest, of course there’s other places to shop in town, but I think it’s also fair to say that this place will never be Scottsdale Fashion Square, but then again, not everything will be.
The pros:
I think their trying to make this place better. There’s a really nice Target, movie theatre, Costco and a few other shops that seem to have brought a cleaner, nicer environment to being here and a few places to eat in and out of the mall that are a okay. There’s nothing fancy about this place, but there’s enough of a draw that I find myself here weekly running errands.
Yes, it’s a weird mall, (and I really don’t consider it a mall, as more of a shopping center, but hey, that’s just me)
The Cons:
I think the weakness is the few stores inside the mall that seem chinsy and the dirty wall mart that make it sad. Like I said, its all about perspective here. (never gonna be a Scottsdale fashion square) but its a heck of a lot better then shopping at Metro Center. (and their trying to bring business back in, at least in the outer circle not the inside of the mall itself.
It’s not that I’m to good for some places, but it’s a real weak stream of small places that seem more geared to a crowd of teenagers, but hey, that’s just me. I know s this mall only has so much potential, but I feel like some of the random stores between Costco and Wal-​Mart really don’t appeal to most people.
I still come here for the big box stores and a few others, but this place is a solid 2 stars, sometimes 3 depending on what kind of experience I have that day. I also like that the Costco food court is open to anyone and located outside of the store in the food court area versus inside the store where you have to be a member to eat there. Big bonus points for that alone…

Oh, how the great have fallen. What once was a beautiful and multi-​faceted mall has now become a Meh-​all. If you were born within the last few decades leading up to 2K and lived in the central Phoenix area, then you remember both Christown and Metrocenter. Well, lets first dive into «Spectrum» Mall… or whatever they call it these days.
~What to Do~
Despite the lack of shops, this place still has a lot of things to do. You can go clothes/​item shopping, just like any other mall. You can go grocery shopping at Costco. You can even go see a movie at the seemingly like-​new Harkins they put up here a decade or so ago.
~The Good~
They do have a lot to do. You can get a number of things done while here. Unlike any other malls out here, the Costco is built directly into the place. That’s pretty cool, if you ask me. Instead of having a stand-​alone building you have to drive to, its just there. The movie theater isn’t half bad, and crowds are a bit less than other Harkins’ in town. Some of the shops fill your needs for goodies, although there aren’t many. Overall, its a unique center that fills needs for many local residents in the area.
~The Bad~
Sigh. Where do you start? The place lost its luster in the mid/​late 90’s. Tenants left, and so did patrons. The aforementioned built-​in Costco was nice and helped traffic, but still, the lack of stores is depressing. Just the sheer lack of oversight by the facility’s ownership makes the mall that much worse. How can you let a good location go down so quickly? They had some amazing shops, had awesome card-​shows, really fun movie theater within the place you could go up the escalator to. This place is a shell of itself, and has really turned into «Phoenix-​Spectrum-​Costco, featuring a Harkins!»
~The Down Low~
Two stars go to the site for the two major tenants. That is it. Much like Metro, this place has really fallen off the map, and no one had oversight to try to stop it in enough time. Metro’s is worse, in my eyes… but this is a close second. Go here for the Costco, a movie, and maybe stop by Ross to get a handkerchief to cry in when remembering how good the 90’s really were.

I go to costco therefor I will go inside this mall. It’s okay there’s a payless, bath and body works and this cool store that’s like forever 21 called wave. I would go here out of convenience since theres parking and the light rail is right there but if your looking for amazing go to scottsdale fashion square.

Spectrum is one of those places that you love to hate. Go here for the Costco, the Target, the Harkins movie theater. You’ll find most of these shops without having to enter the actual mall, with the one exception being Costco. Wal-​Mart, JCPenny’s, and Ross are here also, but I generally don’t shop there but every ‘once in a while’.
Walking through the mall, you’ll find random clothing shops, a game stop, a few shoe stores, and some other unimportant make-​up and perfume shops. If it weren’t for Costco or the Harkins, I would likely never stop here. For all you light railers, this is the last stop on your way north. If you’re public transit bound, this is an ok place to get your shopping done — as long as you’re conveniently located next to a rail stop.
Happy Unilocaling Phoenix.

This place has been around for a long time. Ever since I lived in Phoenix it was here and I know it was here at least 20 years before that. So I think it is safe to say it has been here 50 years plus.
It used to be called Christown Mall, which I actually like better.
The parking is a bit on the crazy side here. As if it is the only mall in town. Which of course it is not.
They do have a lot of stores inside. Penney’s being one of the main ones. There is a few name brand chains in here, but mostly one hit wonders.
It is on the less expensive side as well. The clientele can be a bit shady at times.
As they say in New York, ladies watch your purses.
They used to have Santa Claus there which I liked when my kids were small, plus the giving tree, but in the last few years, no.
I still go here, they have a Pets Mart, Costco, Target, and Walmart. Walgreens, radio Shack and so on.
it is not all bad, But, I am always on guard when I am there. Which does not make my shopping day pleasant.

I should have read the reviews before going. It was recommended by the concierge as a good mall on the light rail. The other reviewer, Chad, had it completely right — it’s a dive.
It was dark, dingy, and overall a bit sketchy. Walking to it from the light rail was a longer walk than I was led to believe. One has to trek through a huge parking lot and it feels like over a block or two walk.
The «food court» includes an O’Charley’s sandwich shop and the food from the Costco. While a $ 1.50 hot dog & drink is a good deal, I was hoping for something a bit healthier.
Advice: If you’re a tourist, find a different mall to visit.

Since I never knew if it was CHRIStown Mall or CHRISTown Mall, I’m all for the name change to Spectrum. Though by the time you finish this review I will have yet another new name for this mall.
Honestly. It’s like their PR people blanketed the worst trailer park in Phoenix with fliers saying «Hey, don’t shower, bring at least 7 children with you and be sure to tell them to run around with greasy slabs of pizza in their hands.»
I’m thankful for Target. And I even find some threads at Ross. And I have to say Harkins has upped their theaters and I don’t find as many garbage bags covering theater seats. How gross is that? I’m not a Costco shopper but I know most folks are. So that’s probably a good thing.
Needless to say whenever I return home, and frankly I’m grateful to make it home alive and unscathed by some unruly teenager carrying a shank in his long white tube socks, I need a Silkwood shower. That’s right. Just blast that grime and skanky ass smell off me!
So two stars. Oh. The name change. Sorry. But to me it forever will be Rectum Mall. Cuz that’s how stanky it is!

Spectrum… Chris Town… which is it? Either way, calling it a «mall» is really an insult to malls. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that the strip mall, which includes a sporting goods store and a Petsmart, is part of this place.
The interior is small, like depressingly small. Is this really the go-​to place for people living in the crappier part of downtown to shop? I feel sorry for them. There’s a BBB Fashion if you’re into overpriced urban clothing that won’t last. There are also an assortment of booths that change every time I walk in.
Personally, I still go out of my way for one thing: The Costco. Because I don’t have a minivan full of kids to feed, having a membership is pointless for me. But damn, am I addicted to their cafeteria food. What makes this one different is the dining area is open to the public, meaning yours truly can be spotted here stuffing his face with pizza, churros, and chicken bakes. That’s why it earns a second star.