Back in 1999, Catherine Longueira stood outside Virgin Megastore before dawn in South Miami’s giant new mall, the Shops at Sunset Place. The then 17-year-old was among the first in a line that already stretched around the corner. When singer Ricky Martin arrived, about 11 hours after Longueira, the crowd burst into cheers of excitement.
“My friend and I were among the first 25 arriving ,” she recalled. “It was pandemonium.”
Sunset Place, where Longueira waited all those years ago, has been almost empty for a while and is headed for demolition in early 2026 to make room for 17 condo towers, a hotel and a movie theater. The upcoming bulldozing feels like more than just the end of a mall. It’s losing a piece of the city’s childhood. For years, it was a popular, safe hangout where teens and families spent their weekends.
Now many Miami locals are looking back on what made Sunset Place special and what its loss means for a city that never stops transforming. It wasn’t just a mall. It reflected the way Miami grew, connected, and created spaces for young people to find their own identities.
Before the place was built, it was the site of the Holsum Bread Bakery. That was demolished and replaced by a mall called the Bakery Centre, which was demolished in 1996. When the Shops at Sunset Place first opened in 1999, it instantly became the go-to hangout spot in South Miami. From movie theaters to bowling alleys, it was every teenager’s dream. Today, that dream survives as a memory, as the mall faces demolition in 2026.
Lucciana Valdes, 23, is an FIU graduate who – like every other Miami teenager – practically lived at Sunset Place every weekend.
“It was a huge part of my childhood. I mean, it always felt fun and safe, like it was the place our parents trusted enough to let us kids all hang out,” said Valdes. “I have so many memories of going with my family, my cousins, and later with my friends in elementary school and high school. Whether it was going to the movies, grabbing ice cream, or just walking around pretending we were grown.”
Catherine Longueira, 44, who owns a business called 305vibe knew Sunset Place at its peak.
“I used to go to Sunset Place all the time in the 90s and 2000s as a teenager on the weekends and anytime really,” she said
Longueira describes her “incredible memories,” from going with her friends to watch movie premieres at AMC, celebrating birthdays, getting lost in Barnes & Noble, and passing time at Virgin where she even met Ricky Martin.
“I spent even more time once I began working at a store there after school and weekends,” said Longueira.
Cristi Martell, 60, is owner of GianCarlo Designs, has been located across from Sunset Place for the past 25 years. It is a family owned business, named after Cristi’s son, who is the designer of the company.
She remembers going to Splitsville Luxury Lanes, which opened back in 1999.
“Young adults used to go to the movies and the bowling alley there,” said Martell. “The bowling alley was on the second floor, there was a restaurant and the food was really good.”
Many Miami locals feel the same. Sunset Place was not just a regular mall. It had a big impact on people’s childhood and adolescent years.
“When it first started, it was okay,” said Martell. “There were a lot of stores, things like that, you know when they open a mall everybody loves it, but then after a while it started dying down.”
Unfortunately, Miami has always been a rapidly changing city and this really affected Sunset Place.
Sunset Place, Miami, FL / November 14, 2025 / (Stephanie Diaz)
However, with demolition set to take place in early 2026, Miami residents are finally preparing to say goodbye to Sunset Place.
“Honestly it’s sad. Every time I’ve gone recently it feels emptier, like all the life and personality slowly disappeared,” said Valdes. “ It’s crazy to see a place that used to feel so big and exciting become almost abandoned, like a piece of Miami childhood just faded away,” said Lucciana.
“Honestly it’s sad,” said Lucciana. “Every time I’ve gone recently it feels emptier, like all the life and personality slowly disappeared. It’s crazy to see a place that used to feel so big and exciting become almost abandoned, like a piece of Miami childhood just faded away.”
Sunset started to be seen as a ghost town and nowadays young adults mainly go there for the AMC movies because that’s the only AMC near that area.
Even though everyone knows the state of the place, there was still some hope that they would revive it.
“I truly believe it could’ve been saved,” said Lucciana. “The location is amazing, and the structure itself has so much character.”
However, with the demolition set to take place in early 2026, Miami residents are finally preparing to say goodbye to Sunset Place.
