Despite the constant news of the impending death of the mall, they’re still around. They’re just changing. For something, they’re becoming entertainment venues in place of places to sell large quantities of items that can quickly be bought online. Rather than selling things like jeans and sweaters, they’re offering experiences that can’t be replicated anywhere else, like a movie and popcorn or even a trip to a claw salon or hair stylist. https://time.com/3805133/flashback-to-the-timeless-malls-of-the-1980s/
While it might seem counterintuitive, this shift toward experiences is a great thing for the mall. A brand new generation has developed with the web and all its many social media platforms, but they’ve been raised on shopping. They’re used to being able to browse the latest products in stores and then buying them from the comfort of their particular homes. That’s an effective way to keep retail jobs alive, but it’s not going to be adequate to truly save the mall from extinction.
The mall has been in decline for many years, however it didn’t happen all at once. The very first malls debuted in the 1950s, and they certainly were a development from the department store that first appeared in the 1920s. The idea was to provide people a spot where they might comparison shop in an environment controlled environment, do their banking and get services like a haircut or style without moving the car. Malls became even very popular as a spot to hang out in the 1980s.
That’s when movies such as for example Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure positioned them in pop culture as a place to see and be seen. But by the 1990s, surveys indicated that shoppers no more saw malls as a great leisure activity. The trend continued while the economy tanked and civil rights movements pushed back against the middle-class white fantasy that malls were invented to represent.
The malls which were built-in the 80s were made to be fun. They incorporated the thing that was called “fun house logic,” with nooks and crannies, diagonal or curved walkways and bridges, and a layout that encouraged exploration and discovery. Furthermore, many were anchored by large, family-oriented department stores like Sears or Macy’s.
This is an occasion prior to the Internet, when the most important socialization took place at the mall. It was a gathering place for teenagers who hung out at bath and body works or spencer’s, where they got their feathered and hair sprayed hair done and had their ears pierced by Claire’s.
The final malls which were built-in the 1980s are now actually reverting with their original use. They’re being reimagined as community spaces with restaurants and parks, and some are even being turned into housing. But there is still a need for malls, especially for individuals who love to spend their time and money eating, drinking and being entertained. The question is whether the following generation will embrace them in the exact same way that their parents did.
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