Sunday's New York Times business section has a major story on America's love affair with the mall and how it's faring in today's dicey economy. While retail in general has been whacked pretty hard by the steep downturn, malls are apparently faring worse than some other retailers.
I've noticed that they don't seem to be building these big mega-malls around here anymore. The last one was built more than 20 years ago. And, the oldest urban shopping mall in the country -- Lloyd Center -- is still chugging along in NE Portland. The new retail clusters are called shopping villages. They're kind of like miniature town centers with streets, lampposts, outdoor cafes, piped in musik, etc. No roof over the sidewalks though they do put out propane warmers when it's cold. They are smaller than malls and therefore less crowded.
Ultimately, depending somewhat on where we go with this economic situation, these may be a halfway move back to good old neighborhood stores -- the kind you can actually walk to. What a concept. Between high energy costs, crowded freeways and cocooning, I do believe we're entering a time when the neighborhood retailer will become important again. People will care more about relationships than driving 50 miles to save a buck. The quality of the shopping experience may become more important than the mall experience.
I was always amazed during our stint in the UK how all the small shop owners stayed in business. They did because they had local customers, people they often knew and had done business with for many years. Will this era return here? I, for one, am hoping it does.
1 comment:
I've always been a little uncomfortable with fancy malls. They seem ostentatious. We enjoy having small grocery, a bakery, a breakfast place, and a toy store within walking distance. Also, a farmers market one evening a weekn about four mouths out of the year. Have to admit we usually visit them on the way home by car rather than by walking to them.
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