Places We Miss: Swiss Colony In South Plains Mall

Malls used to be a place of great community. They also used to be a place with free cheese.

I remember the true glory days of malls. No, I'm not ready to give up on them just yet, and I still believe they serve a very valuable purpose today. There aren’t many places where you can go and get everything done at once, but short of groceries, a mall generally has you covered.

Malls were magical. There were things there you never saw anywhere else. They brought big-city touches to smaller towns and added a little sophistication to the shopping experience. You could make an entire day, or night, out of it by hitting up the food court, shopping, or grabbing a meal at one of the restaurants.

South Plains Mall Was A True Lubbock Destination

South Plains Mall in Lubbock will certainly go down as one of the better mall concepts out there. What I mean is that it had an excellent and diverse group of merchants, from clothing to candles, appliances to whatever tech was popular at the time.

One of the things that made the mall experience awesome was Swiss Colony. You knew you were in the area of one because there would be a nervous teenage girl in a ridiculous costume handing out small samples of cheese or sausage. Sometimes these employees would be swamped, and other times they were treated like a leper.

Inside Swiss Colony was a new store that somehow seemed like it was already nostalgic. You could find heavily and weirdly wrapped foods, mostly of the type you'd send to an elderly relative at Christmas. Cured meats, cheeses, specialty jams, crackers, and breads seemed to be the cornerstone of what they did.

The Store That Made The Mall Smell Like The Holidays

You can still visit Swiss Colony online, but they vacated the mall at least twenty-five years ago (the exact date is not well documented). They still sell the same types of things, and it still makes a good gift for your relatives.

Read More: Understanding Lubbock's Mindset On Short Travel Distances

Still, there was something different about walking past that store, seeing the displays, grabbing a tiny piece of cheese on a toothpick, and experiencing something that felt special. Swiss Colony wasn’t just a store; it was part of the mall adventure.

That’s why Swiss Colony remains one of those “Places We Miss.”