Abandoned Arlington: Mr. Blue Jeans

One of my favorite abandoned buildings in Arlington is the old Mr. Blue Jeans store. I’ve driven past this place hundreds of times — it was on my commute to and from work for many years, and it’s also not far from my parents’ house in Mansfield. The place has hardly changed, and I’ll be sad if it ever gets torn down.

I actually remember going there once as a kid with my dad, but that was probably 30 years ago. It’s such a random memory, but I remember going there and seeing towering stacks of blue jeans folded neatly on the tables. I had never seen so many! The store was full of jeans, mostly Wranglers, and nothing else. This was well-before blue jeans got complicated or had designer labels. It was a simple store selling simple blue jeans — but they had so many, and they all looked the same. An older gentleman ran the store and sat behind the counter, surveying his kingdom of denim. He was Mr. Blue Jeans. The man had gray hair, a friendly smile, and kind eyes that shimmered with mischief. It’s such a bizarre memory but so vivid that it couldn’t have been a dream.

According to the Google Street View Timeline, the building appears to have been vacant since at least 2011 and probably much longer. There have been various “For Sale” signs, but the little store stayed vacant. I don’t remember it ever being open, except when I went there as a kid.

A Google Search for more info about the store was unsuccessful. I like that. The absence of info makes it mysterious, leaving me with only memories.

Like something from the Twilight Zone, the building hasn’t changed much. The top two photos were taken a few days ago, while the bottom photo is from March 2020 — right after the pandemic started.