Your favorite mall?

UpstNYDesigner said:
LOL! You may be right! I saw on YouTube that a mall rat filmed a video and interviewed an old man who went to the mall daily and I couldnt catch what he said but he likes to look at people.. Who knows! Maybe you are right! Hey, I was a Mall Rat from like 16 to 21... I stopped since I went on to other better stuff to do.
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a perfect example in movie - Mall Rats. have anyone see that? it's very funny and some nasty. Oooo!
 
i HATE malls altho ive been to MOA a few times -- ugh its just simply TOO BIG and TOO crowded :ugh:

i personally prefer stores that are not within an actual mall cuz i dont particularly like to shop -- just like to make it quick and done once i find what im looking for!
 
Serendipity said:
Southdale Center was actually the first US Mall to be air conditioned, not the first shopping center ever. Well, you're partly right it is one of the new generation malls.

Yeah it has really... *pffhyth* ever since the opening of MOA. Overall, it was just OK. I don't think it's really a plaza yet in my opinion. It looks too mall-ish to me.
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I think it was more of first ENCLOSURED mall.. that is, first modern shopping mall with a cover instead of outdoor sidewalks. Considering Minneapolis/St.Paul are known for below zero weather, this is one of reasons why they build that mall. I read this very old book from the library twenty years ago. It was published in the 60s. That is how I remembered why they build that mall.

Good to add that it was first to have air conditioning but actually, I belive it was HVAC--Heating Venting Air Conditioning--central air system that runs the entire mall. Wanna freeze in winter when it is below zero outside?? LOL!!
 
UpstNYDesigner said:
I think it was more of first ENCLOSURED mall.. that is, first modern shopping mall with a cover instead of outdoor sidewalks. Considering Minneapolis/St.Paul are known for below zero weather, this is one of reasons why they build that mall. I read this very old book from the library twenty years ago. It was published in the 60s. That is how I remembered why they build that mall.

Good to add that it was first to have air conditioning but actually, I belive it was HVAC--Heating Venting Air Conditioning--central air system that runs the entire mall. Wanna freeze in winter when it is below zero outside?? LOL!!
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Enclosed was the new generation, thus the new Southdale Center. They were emphasized as the first mall equipped with AC, lol. By AC I also mean heating, and since many people misinterpreted the state as one of the coldest area in the US. They can get as hot as upper 80s to mid 90s sometimes. It can even break to 100s.
 
Dougus said:
I live in Washington...most of our malls have been bought out and renovated into "Westfield Towne Centre". The only one I can think of that closed was the Pavilion Mall (Where I worked in the late 80's). I love malls. I love to people watch. It was a bit better when I could hear & I've only been once since I've been deaf & it was a bit scary because I couldn't hear the people rushing by me...but all in all it was the same as before. My favorite is in Tukwila, WA. It used to be called Southcenter Mall, but it too is a Westfield Towne Centre... Some of our "plaza" style shopping centers have been enclosed and movie theaters added to make malls....Like Lakewood Plaza in Tacoma, WA which was an outdoor mall & is now Lakewood Towne Centre....UGH!
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Many malls are converted into "Towne Center/Centre" Like Fayetteville Mall is now Towne Centre at Fayetteville. It is more like a lifestyle center complex. Why is that titled as lifestyle center? For example, with Towne Centre at Fayetteville, it has a YMCA center that replaced the six-plex movie theater (where I used to work.. one of first employees in the 80s), two big boxes (Target and Kohl's), P&C Fresh Market grocery store, 6 free standing restaurants--ususally classy with medium to high prices: Red Robin Restaurant, Smoked Grill, Fishbone Grill, Chicago Uno, Panera Bread, and of course, Caberana (sp) Italian Restaurant. A skiing store, smaller shops--usually unknown locals.

As you can see it is more activities than just a shopping plaza. ShoppingTown Mall is slowly converting to a lifestyle center. Already housed a library ever since it expanded in the 70s. They already are closing up shops or moving to else where. I was in one of the closed shop that it moved. They are selling display items. My! It is SO CHEAP PRICED! 25 bucks!!! They are going to tear that part where this store closed down.

Well, this week I am going to the main office of that mall for futher info about the tearing down part of the mall and turn into plaza again as it was in the late 50s to early 70s. But also we bought display stuff so I can use for trade shows!! So watch for FALSO CREATIVITY booth at trade shows nearest you!!
 
UpstNYDesigner said:
Many malls are converted into "Towne Center/Centre" Like Fayetteville Mall is now Towne Centre at Fayetteville. It is more like a lifestyle center complex. Why is that titled as lifestyle center? For example, with Towne Centre at Fayetteville, it has a YMCA center that replaced the six-plex movie theater (where I used to work.. one of first employees in the 80s), two big boxes (Target and Kohl's), P&C Fresh Market grocery store, 6 free standing restaurants--ususally classy with medium to high prices: Red Robin Restaurant, Smoked Grill, Fishbone Grill, Chicago Uno, Panera Bread, and of course, Caberana (sp) Italian Restaurant. A skiing store, smaller shops--usually unknown locals.

As you can see it is more activities than just a shopping plaza. ShoppingTown Mall is slowly converting to a lifestyle center. Already housed a library ever since it expanded in the 70s. They already are closing up shops or moving to else where. I was in one of the closed shop that it moved. They are selling display items. My! It is SO CHEAP PRICED! 25 bucks!!! They are going to tear that part where this store closed down.

Well, this week I am going to the main office of that mall for futher info about the tearing down part of the mall and turn into plaza again as it was in the late 50s to early 70s. But also we bought display stuff so I can use for trade shows!! So watch for FALSO CREATIVITY booth at trade shows nearest you!!
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Go to deadmalls.com and check out about Lake Forest Plaza in New Orleans, also included with couples of section for pictures and information, other is pre-Katrina and post-Katrina.
 
UpstNYDesigner said:
Many malls are converted into "Towne Center/Centre" Like Fayetteville Mall is now Towne Centre at Fayetteville. It is more like a lifestyle center complex. Why is that titled as lifestyle center? For example, with Towne Centre at Fayetteville, it has a YMCA center that replaced the six-plex movie theater (where I used to work.. one of first employees in the 80s), two big boxes (Target and Kohl's), P&C Fresh Market grocery store, 6 free standing restaurants--ususally classy with medium to high prices: Red Robin Restaurant, Smoked Grill, Fishbone Grill, Chicago Uno, Panera Bread, and of course, Caberana (sp) Italian Restaurant. A skiing store, smaller shops--usually unknown locals.

As you can see it is more activities than just a shopping plaza. ShoppingTown Mall is slowly converting to a lifestyle center. Already housed a library ever since it expanded in the 70s. They already are closing up shops or moving to else where. I was in one of the closed shop that it moved. They are selling display items. My! It is SO CHEAP PRICED! 25 bucks!!! They are going to tear that part where this store closed down.

Well, this week I am going to the main office of that mall for futher info about the tearing down part of the mall and turn into plaza again as it was in the late 50s to early 70s. But also we bought display stuff so I can use for trade shows!! So watch for FALSO CREATIVITY booth at trade shows nearest you!!
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Good luck. Email me with what you can find out.
 
There is a mall in my hometown that was very small. A lot of stores started closing up. The movie theater closed up as well... along with the arcade. After 5 years of slow business, they suddenly went back on top after renovating the whole place. Now, a lot of the small stores have been converted to double-sided (inside entrance and outside entrance) businesses such as Barnes & Noble, etc. They also have a new arcade place that's even bigger than before. The place is also HUGE!

Of course, nothing will be bigger than Grapevine Mills Mall. That place is VERY HUGE!
 
Big malls are better, we dont need all these smaller ones. I am a fan of Tysons Corner( Norther Virginia), King of Prussia ( outside of Philidelphia), Copley Place/ Prudential Center( connect to each other in Boston) Pentagon Center( Northern Virginia), Garden State Plaza( New Jersey), Fashion Island ( Newport California), South Coast Plaza ( Orange County California), Lenox Square( Atlanta), Mall of the Millenia and Florida Mall ( both in Orlando).
 
One of my favorite outdoor malls in San Diego is Horton Plaza in Downtown San Diego and Fashion Valley mall in the Fashion Valley area.

As for indoor malls, Ive only been to North County (In Escondido), and Parkway Plaza mall in east San Diego... I usually go to Parkway Plaza since I'm a few blocks from there.
 
UpstNYDesigner said:
Did you know that it is very close to where the world's first shopping mall is located? Southdale Mall was built in mid-50s. It declined because of other malls then Mall of America really hammered it. I heard it is now a plaza.
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Nope, Southdale is still there and has received one heck of a face lift and is still very much a mall.

My favorite mall, of course is the Mall of America. Mall of America - Home

I travel a lot and have visited malls everywhere from Dallas to Memphis, Chattanooga to Missoula to Florida and Cincinnati. All of them look alike and are passe'. There is no imagination or ingenuity anywhere. <<yawn>> A lot of the malls have parking lots that are sometimes difficult to get a 72 foot truck into, thanks to the designers of the lots.
 
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