AUSTIN (KXAN) — Remember visiting the Highland Mall? Shopping for party supplies at Jumpolin? Catching a movie at the Harlem Theater?
A vending machine selling old Austin relics opened this week in the Paramount Theatre lobby that aims to preserve the history of the gentrified areas of the city, said Carl Settles, the executive director of Austin nonprofit E4 Youth.
The LostIn vending machine includes items from old Austin establishments like a t-shirt from the Victory Grill in east Austin or a piñata from the now-shuttered Jumpolin or a L.C. Anderson High School pencil case.
The machine will be located at the Paramount through the South by Southwest festiv al.
“Creative and tech companies are a gentrifying force, in that they are bringing these people to the city, and they don’t really understand the history of the places they inhabit, so this is a way of reminding these folks,” Settles said about the SXSW timing.
Settles said his favorite items include the Highland Mall fanny pack and the popcorn-scented Harlem Theater candle.
“Highland Mall in its heyday…back in the 80s, that was the spot to be,” Settles said. “So we wanted to pay homage to that time, and I’m sure lots of Austinites that have memories that go back to Highland Mall.”
Settles, an Austiite of about 30 years, said he’s watched the city change drastically—particularly in the percentage of Black people who have left Austin.
U.S. Census data shows a shrinking Black population in Austin. 2010 data showed 8.14% of Austinites were Black compared to 7.25% in 2020. Research from an Austin-based nonprofit, Measure, found 90% of Black people who left Austin said they felt a lack of belonging.
Money raised from the vending machine supports E4 Youth’s workforce development that helps college-aged youth collect oral histories of Austin and turn those stories into a virtual reality experience based on key Austin locations.
“It’s a way for people to be able to explore the city,” Settles said. “You can go to whatoncewas.org and actually start to explore using VR and augmented reality.”
Can’t make visit the vending machine during SXSW? Settles said he hopes the machine will move to other locations like the Austin airport or to Meta offices.