Malls

[aprilgail]

I stopped in at a local mall this Saturday afternoon. Haven't been there in a few months.
It was busy! Not packed like Christmas but for sure hopping.

Keep hearing about malls dying but not seeing that here at all.

How about in your neck of the woods?

our local mall which was a really big one is basically empty other than 2 stores which they are waiting to close so they will repurpose the building.

 

[RedAngie]

Dover Mall is nothing to write home about but don’t always want to travel to Christiana, unless we have to. We used to be big mall shoppers, not so much anymore.

When Dover Mall opened it pretty much killed the Blue Hen Mall a bit south on 113. Dover isn’t big enough for two malls.

I think it was repurposed with offices and medical facilities.

When I first moved to Delaware there was an old shopping center they enclosed a bit and renamed the Tri-State Mall. Right on the DE-PA border. The anchors and the interior stores were always of the low end kind, WT Grant which became K-Mart which became Burlington Coat Factory. Wilmington Dry Goods became Value City department store. Most of the interior stores were Mom and Pop. The biggest draw seemed to be a giant liquor/tobacco/lottery outlet.

It was knocked down and there are plans to rebuild with housing, offices, and retail.

 

[easyas123]

We have three each about 45 minutes from us. The one in Dover, De is dying a slow, agonizing death. It's depressing as hell to go in there. The one in Christiana, De is always bustling and they have recently just built & opened a whole nother slew of stores in a shopping area connected to the complex. Lastly the one in Annapolis, MD. It's so-so and not one I usually bother going to, but seems to be holding it's own.

I'm going to the Christiana Mall this weekend to look for a outfit for an occasion later this summer, plenty of stores and a Penny's, Macy's & Nordstrom.

I only read the first few posts before responding, I see the post above me references Dover. I'll have to go back and read.

 

[easyas123]

Deptford Mall and the Cherry Hill Mall.

Moorestown Mall

Echelon Mall.

Malls of my youth! My parents grew up in the Moorestown/Riverton area and we'd hit up the Moorestown Mall on occasion when visiting from southern NJ.

Dover Mall is nothing to write home about

You got that right.

When Dover Mall opened it pretty much killed the Blue Hen Mall a bit south on 113. Dover isn’t big enough for two malls

I can recall going to the Blue Hen right before the Dover Mall opened, used to go to the Woolworths and have grilled cheese with my grandfather at the luncheonette. Dover was a way different place back then!

 

[AustinTink]

Went to Dillards the other day to buy a gift. Had not been to the mall in a very long time. I was so shocked at the sparseness of the inventory and the fact that what was displayed was fully locked down. The purses had a locking mechanism bar over all the straps and you couldn’t try them on. It’s just so sad.

I worked at several mall shops in high school and college. The mall was the place to be in the 80s!

 

[Disneylover99]

I would say the malls here are also doing fine, but I’m not a mall person. When I do go, it’s for a specific reason, in-and-out as quickly as possible. I do lament the state of Canadian retailing, what with so many large chains closing over the past 10 years. It makes it hard for malls to have a real “anchor” tenant anymore - in most now it’s only the Bay.

Yeah. And I don’t know how The Bay survives. There’s rarely anyone even walking around in there. The only anchor store that thrives is Wal-Mart.

 

[_19disnA]

Think the 'outdoor' type of strip mall makes more sense now. You can park near the store where you want to shop, it isn't a hang-out for h.s. kids with nothing better to do causing problems and there isn't the cost to heat/cool the large indoor spaces that used to be associated with indoor malls. I also think people are far less likely to spend the day at the mall then they used to do in the 1980's. People have more to do and want to shop to buy specific items. I think there are far fewer people who just wander around to window-shop then in the past. Shopping on-line from home is also a very efficient way to shop that really wasn't an option in the 1980's.

 

[tvguy]

Think the 'outdoor' type of strip mall makes more sense now. You can park near the store where you want to shop, it isn't a hang-out for h.s. kids with nothing better to do causing problems and there isn't the cost to heat/cool the large indoor spaces that used to be associated with indoor malls. I also think people are far less likely to spend the day at the mall then they used to do in the 1980's. People have more to do and want to shop to buy specific items. I think there are far fewer people who just wander around to window-shop then in the past. Shopping on-line from home is also a very efficient way to shop that really wasn't an option in the 1980's.

See, I hate outdoor malls. But it gets to be 110 in the summer here. And the ones here have the stores in the center with the parking in a circle around the outside so in most cases you can't park near the store you want.

 

[White Cat]

I enjoy malls quite a bit and go several times a month. We have Yorkdale and the Mall at Millenia, both thriving. Recently was at International Plaza in Tampa and the mall in Boca Raton. Both nice.

 

[MillauFr]

Was at Mall of America on Father's Day and it was slaaaaaamed. It's always busy, but it was beyond that on a Sunday afternoon

Whatever happened to the expansion they were planning to extend the mall across Lindau Blvd? I thought it was going to take over the whole area between Ikea and 24th?

 

[ncc1701]

There are/were 4 Malls in our area. One is mostly dead except for the Boscov department store. The others are a bit mixed. One mall's former Sears store is being convert to a medical center. There are still some stores and restaurants. The other 2 seem to be in a bit better state. Still a far cry from their peak.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Speaking of malls and safety the shopping district I mentioned earlier dealing with mobs of youths just announced that Shake Shack (which hasn't been open for too many years there) is now closing early due to "a series of incidents related to rowdy people nearby".

The early closing is "close the dining room to the public starting at 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and only fill takeout and delivery orders."

One person interviewed echoes the sentiments of the public as time has gone on "I don’t usually come down on weekends, Usually, we come down during the week when it’s light outside and feel a little safer.”

This is what has been happening where business owners would close earlier and earlier and just eventually leave and people don't want to go down there most especially during the evening. It used to be a high end shopping district.

This shopping district is counted as being part of the summer curfew areas without a parent or guardian there where if you're 17 and younger it's 9pm

 

[LoriKay]

Speaking of malls and safety the shopping district I mentioned earlier dealing with mobs of youths just announced that Shake Shack (which hasn't been open for too many years there) is now closing early due to "a series of incidents related to rowdy people nearby".

The early closing is "close the dining room to the public starting at 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and only fill takeout and delivery orders."

One person interviewed echoes the sentiments of the public as time has gone on "I don’t usually come down on weekends, Usually, we come down during the week when it’s light outside and feel a little safer.”

This is what has been happening where business owners would close earlier and earlier and just eventually leave and people don't want to go down there most especially during the evening. It used to be a high end shopping district.

This shopping district is counted as being part of the summer curfew areas without a parent or guardian there where if you're 17 and younger it's 9pm

The decline of the Plaza is heartbreaking.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The decline of the Plaza is heartbreaking.

And you knew exactly what place I was talking about. It's such a beautiful shopping district too.

It really is sad I used to go there in my youth too and it wasn't like that with us teens, sure teens can be silly but we didn't vandalize cars, jump people and congregate in crowds of 50-75 all together.

I avoid going down there at night vast majority of the time and don't really even go much during the day anymore.

ETA: oh and I just realized this year is the 100th year of it being in existence. A shame what it's been reduced to over the years with its reputation.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Sadly, malls here in the Sacramento area are mostly dead. There are three within 6 miles of where I live.
One had a Sams Club and a Walmart. The Sams Club closed and became a Costco Business Center. The Walmart closed and was torn down and a building that was supposed to be a Amazon Fresh store built. Building was finished a year ago, and now Amazon has abandoned plans to open there. All the interior stores have been converted to office space, and the department store at the west end is a Federal Office building with the National Weather Service in it. Other than Costco, the only other store still operating is See's Candy. There are about 4 fast food restaurants in the far north parking lot, although Panera has since closed.
Second one, the Macy's store at the north end closed and is vacant, the department store on the south end was once a JCPenney, then a local Department store, is now a grocery store. About 20 percent of the interior was converted into a movie theater. The sporting goods store is now a gym, there is a Ross still there, and a hamburger restaurant.
Third mall, Sears is gone, and many empty store fronts inside. The city it is in wants to tear half of it down and build apartments on the property.
Honorable mention, and mall that never was. It is 30 miles from me in the southern end of the county. Mall was partially built, but never occupied. Project was abandoned in about 2009 and it sat vacant for years and got the nickname "The Ghost Mall". A local Indian tribe got the state to declare the land tribal land, they bulldozed the empty buildings, and built a casino that opened in last August.

Is that mall you've mentioned in Sacramento named Arden Fair Mall TV Guy? I am familiar with that mall because after my father would go to Sacramento for business trips my mother and I loved shopping there before driving home and it's a nice mall. I also remember another shopping center in Sacramento that had Barnes And Noble Toys "R" Us and Virgin Records Megastore and it was across from Arden Fair too. I'm surprised that Sacramento is still a popular city for shopping malls. But if you look at California today the area that gets a lot of shopping malls and shopping centers is the Bay Area and it seems that malls do a lot of business there

 

[tvguy]

Is that mall you've mentioned in Sacramento named Arden Fair Mall TV Guy? I am familiar with that mall because after my father would go to Sacramento for business trips my mother and I loved shopping there before driving home and it's a nice mall. I also remember another shopping center in Sacramento that had Barnes And Noble Toys "R" Us and Virgin Records Megastore and it was across from Arden Fair too. I'm surprised that Sacramento is still a popular city for shopping malls. But if you look at California today the area that gets a lot of shopping malls and shopping centers is the Bay Area and it seems that malls do a lot of business there

No Arden Fair seems to have fared far far better than other malls.
First one is Country Club Centre. Second one is Country Club Plaza, which is literally across the street from Country Club Centre about three miles from Arden Fair. Third one is Sunrise Mall
I never said malls were still popular, quite the opposite given that three of the four big ones are on their death beds.

 

[bcwife76]

I'm about 45 minutes outside downtown Vancouver. Our closest mall (8-10 minute drive away) is decently busy during the week and quite busy during the weekend. The next closest mall (about 20 minutes away) is always very, very busy no matter when you seem to go.

We live 15 minutes from 3 different US/CAN border crossings. The closest mall is 20 minutes south in Bellingham WA. Pre pandemic it was always busy. I've visited it maybe 5 times since we were allowed to cross the border by car again and it's always DEAD. Lots of closed stores. Again, pretty sure that's effects of the pandemic.

 

[BrianL]

I miss 1980's malls - what a time to be a mallrat!

 

[ncc1701]

My favorite when I lived in South Jersey was the Echelon Mall. It was always hopping in the 70s thru the late 90s. I think it’s practically deserted now, just Boscov’s. I heard that Voorhees Township moved their municipal offices into the empty space.

And I understand that Burlington Center Mall closed completely even before covid.

(As a young kid, I liked the bird aviary in Cherry Hill Mall and the duck ponds in Moorestown.)

I loved the Echelon Mall growing up. It was only a 10 minute or so car ride so getting a Parent to drop us off and another to get us was possible. Not to mention the Movie theatre .Other than Boscov there is nothing there now retail wise .

I remember the trees/garden inside the Cherry Hill Mall when you came out of Strawbrige & Clothier. We saw a wedding party getting photos taken there in the early 1970s

 

[sasywtch]

Sadly, malls here in the Sacramento area are mostly dead. There are three within 6 miles of where I live.
One had a Sams Club and a Walmart. The Sams Club closed and became a Costco Business Center. The Walmart closed and was torn down and a building that was supposed to be a Amazon Fresh store built. Building was finished a year ago, and now Amazon has abandoned plans to open there. All the interior stores have been converted to office space, and the department store at the west end is a Federal Office building with the National Weather Service in it. Other than Costco, the only other store still operating is See's Candy. There are about 4 fast food restaurants in the far north parking lot, although Panera has since closed.
Second one, the Macy's store at the north end closed and is vacant, the department store on the south end was once a JCPenney, then a local Department store, is now a grocery store. About 20 percent of the interior was converted into a movie theater. The sporting goods store is now a gym, there is a Ross still there, and a hamburger restaurant.
Third mall, Sears is gone, and many empty store fronts inside. The city it is in wants to tear half of it down and build apartments on the property.
Honorable mention, and mall that never was. It is 30 miles from me in the southern end of the county. Mall was partiaTlly built, but never occupied. Project was abandoned in about 2009 and it sat vacant for years and got the nickname "The Ghost Mall". A local Indian tribe got the state to declare the land tribal land, they bulldozed the empty buildings, and built a casino that opened in last August.. .

One other mall that is 30 miles +/- (not sure since it's 20 for me), that mall is doing extremely well along with the twenty million (it seems) strip type malls around it also. .

I edited my post because I thought you were talking about Arden Fair on the third one too. (same as a pp). We hit up Sunrise last Christmas because they had See's in there but now I see See's is moving across the street in a stand alone building.

Your honorable mention-the casino has a good food court : )