The Amarillo Stores We Loved for Back to School Shopping

Remember the excitement you had as a kid in Amarillo or the Texas Panhandle in the 80s, 90s, or even early 2000s, knowing that you were going back-to-school shopping. You would hop in the car, and your parents would drive you to Westgate Mall to find the perfect back-to-school outfits and shoes. Then you would head to Walmart or another store to pick out the perfect folders, backpacks, pencil boxes, and lunchboxes.

The Back-to-School Shopping Traditions Amarillo Remembers

Let's take a step back in time, when back-to-school shopping was an event, and you went to stores to shop. We asked Amarilloans what their favorite stores were to shop at for back-to-school, and some of these stores still exist, while others have been long gone for a while.

Amarillo Locals Reveal Their Favorite Stores

A Trip Down Memory Lane With Amarillo’s Back-to-School Stores

Take a nostalgic look at the stores where Amarillo families shopped for back-to-school outfits, shoes, backpacks, and supplies.

Gallery Credit: Lori Crofford

Why These Stores Still Bring Back Memories

There is just something about how things were done back in the day, before everything got so digital. Shopping was an event. People would make plans to shop and actually leave the house. They would go into multiple stores and try on clothes and shoes. They would pick out each school supply one by one. Now they purchase clothes online and hope they fit. If they don't, they just ship them back and order something different, and within two days, the replacement is on their doorstep.

Nowadays, most people do their back-to-school shopping online, where you can click on a list, and everything is added to your cart; you hit checkout, and it's shipped to your home, or you can go and pick it up in an hour.

What do you prefer, shopping online for back-to-school or going from store to store and doing it in person?