The Death of American Malls

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So, the news is all abuzz about 80+ major US retailers going belly-up in 2009.And, the NeoCons are all atwitter that this could very well mean the DEATH OF THE MALLS!!! --- accompanied by wails and moans and cries that this is surely a sign of Obama's socialism not to mention a TRUE sign of Armageddon!!!!

Here's the deal: Culture changes as time goes by. By the early 1980's mall culture was in full swing and became the new small town, i.e. with suburban sprawl in full blossom often without the traditional "town" to accompany the burb **. These malls throughout the country became the new town centers where moms with strollers and toddlers took their coffee (and Cinnabons!) with each other, and teenagers roamed in packs to "hang", meet each other and indulge in pre-relationship mating rituals.

At the time there were objections. "The malls are killing our towns!" the cry went up and Wal-Mart in particular did it's very best to kill off small retailers in the more rural areas.

The culture eventually shifted and became totally at ease with mall culture and life went on.
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In the past few years many of most mall staples from Mrs. Fields cookies to MOST of the mall music retailers (Wherehouse, Musicland...far too many to mention here), to the traditional department stores to SEARS fer chrissakes have taken big hits as our buying habits shifted online and to discounters. So these guys were in trouble long before our current financial woes set in with the worldwide recession. It's just killing off the weaker retailers who've been off the mark or unwilling to change as the market has.

So for those trying to politicize this retailing evolution we face now, shaddup. The malls may indeed die. Street accessible retail may rise again. The malls may be torn down to make room for more housing or for companies aware and in tune with the markets' needs. We may actually go OUTSIDE to shop (and walk) again, and teenagers will always find a place to socialize.

Change is natural and often good for us.

In my humble opinion.




* Southdale Mall, Edina MN 1956 - The first enclosed mall

**Case in point: When I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Eden Prairie, MN (a prosperous newer suburb of Minneapolis that at the time was literally devouring corn fields with each passing moment) there was indeed a mall, anchored by regional department stores, etc. but there was no TOWN of Eden Prairie. I know because as a newcomer I drove all over the square mileage, following every sign that said Eden Prairie to no avail. Having passed it several times on these town-hunting excursions, I stopped one day at the city administrators' offices and said "Okay, I give up, where's the town of Eden Prairie?". A sweet woman in a bedazzled and adorned Halloween sweatshirt behind the reception desk looked at me like a dog who's hearing an odd sound (head atilt with a quizzical expression) and said, "there is no town...just the mall". It was the old expectations vs. reality gambit.

*** The behemoth Mall of America, Bloomington, MN - 2008