The Death of a Mall
Hey Friends
A Sad Story Today
The Death of a Shopping Mall
For My Market Friday
Before we begin I would like to thank the ever enchanting @dswigle for superbly running the MarketFriday tag!
My daughter wanted to hit Bath and Body Works, so I was happy to tag along. This mall is aptly in Adrian, Michigan.
The mall had three large anchor stores. On the far left was JC Penny on the far right was Sears, and in the center was Elder Beerman. I had not been to this mall in some time and I was literally shocked at what I saw. JC Penny was closed. Sears was gone, but a Hobby Lobby moved in. Just recently Elder Beerman closed. As you can see there are maybe a dozen cars in the parking lot. That begins to foreshadow the doom that awaits inside.
Shooting through the locked doors of Elder Beerman...
Seriously this looks and feels like a post apocalypse nightmare! Look at all the empty stores. You can see Bath and Body on the right with half the sign burned out right across from GNC. Needless to say it felt so empty and dead and was very depressing!
Yep, that is where Claire's used to be!
Usually my idea of a Bath and Body is a happening place. Generally when I go in there, it is fairly "heaving" (for my British friends like @coffeea and @molometer) Here, there was nothingness. Two salesgirls, and not one customer besides us.
Yeppers! Just us!!
This is what we came for! I cannot believe Bath and Body will stay for very long.
I suppose it is evolution in progress. We are witnessing survival of the fittest. With Amazon eating the lunch of many brick and mortor stores, it seems this trend is going to continue. Now I am not saying Amazon is bad. I order more than my share of stuff from there. However it is never without a tinge of guilt. There are items I like to touch or see in real life before I buy, yet if this trend continues, this is coming to a mall near you...
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Funny, I was just talking to my neighbor (and I'm in retail, btw) about the death of the mall. It isn't just because people are shopping online more, it's also because one of the traditional "mainstays" of the American Mall no longer exists: The idea of young people hanging out at the mall is no longer a thing... now everyone is hanging out online, or via their smartphone apps. Which made the food court and many stores obsolete...
Some of the malls around here are being re-appropriated by community colleges, and even as affordable housing.
Yes that is true. Could it not be seen then, in the bigger context, as the dawn of the importance of virtual life as opposed to real life, perhaps?
Unfortunately, virtual life cannot hold a candle to real life. Or perhaps that is only my opinion
I agree, but there seems to be more importance than ever given to one's online world. Next time at the theater look around before the show starts. Chances are a majority are on the phones. I often see two people at a table and both are on their phones instead of communicating. To me that is sad.
That is utterly dismal. I hold no hope for the communication of our upcoming generation. I just won't give in to it.
Gotta go now, text you later.
LOLZ now see that is funny right there...I don't care who you are, that right there is hilarious!
Sadly this seems ot be common all over the country here, similar happening in Local malls so many closed shops including the big ones, and the mall is getting less and less busy each time we go there
I am not a mall guy at all really. But it was nice to know it was there, if you wanted it.
I totally agree I think were similar in this regard
I am a mall person. I will miss them! They are fascinating when dead though!
The building looks like it is in a good condition. It's a pity that it is not in use. That's a lot of misallocated capital if new tenants are not found soon.
That is sad to see... we have a mall here with some empty sections. And then the Sears outlet closed, so it's probably all heading in the same direction as your mall.
I have been truly not gone to the mall in years just to walk through and see what this new there. If I go, it is for something very specific - usually Macy's and except downtown DC, they are in the Malls here.. I have never really appreciated malls and never hung out one. First of all my parents would never let me hang out and second of all they carry the same junk from one Mall to the next Mall.
Thanks so very much for joining it on Market Friday and I am sorry to see the demise of your beloved Mall.
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Ugh! I was a mall rat back in the day, and even worked a kiosk for a short time when our kidlets were young. This hurts my soul.
On a different note, my girls love that very same lotion.
This is so sad...the malls of my youth are no more. Growing up, we would hang out at the malls on Saturdays. We were mall rats! lol Times change and progess waits of no one.
Around here, it seems like only the really fancy malls are doing well. Everything else is similar to what you are showing, so they are selling portions of their parking lots to build box restaurants and specific stores.