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Post by puffy on Jan 30, 2018 23:18:12 GMT -5
Watched a program tonight about all the shopping malls in this country that have closed and been abandoned..A lot of them..Most were in neighbor hoods that went down hill and weren't very safe to go too.The stores closed and left..My first pipe and tobacco were bought in a mall in Michigan.I have no idea if it's still there.I haven't been in Michigan in almost 25 years. I do know there's a mall about 20 miles from me that is almost gone.The last time I was there only about 6 people were in the whole mall.There's just a very few stores left.It could close any day..Another part of American culture that is changing.
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Post by herbinedave on Jan 31, 2018 0:11:48 GMT -5
In my neck of the woods it appears the real estate is more valuable for warehousing and manufacturing. One small mall is hanging on by their teeth.
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Post by zambini on Jan 31, 2018 1:26:42 GMT -5
Yeah, the story goes that prior to the recession there was a huge boom in developing retail space to serve all the new developments. As a consequence of the recession there were a) a lot of newer malls that closed due to being unable to pay construction loans, b) a lot of older malls that closed due to shoppers gravitating to the new malls, and c) a lot of malls closing due to abandonment as shoppers went on-line. The fact of the matter is that the US has by far the highest m2 per capita of commercial space of anywhere on earth and it was just a question of when it would prove to costly to bear. In terms of commercial space, the future seems to be in "experiences" so congregating entertainment centers with spas/personal care, lots of restaurants, driving/shooting ranges, etc. more than shopping. In Mexico we're going through a huge boom in strip malls (invariably containing a bank branch and a convenience store) as our new 'middle class' is learning how to drive and moving out to new developments in the periphery. In comparison newer malls here are anchored by cinemas and large supermarkets unlike the US model of using department stores. |
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Post by peterd-Buffalo Spirit on Jan 31, 2018 6:30:10 GMT -5
...safety has also become a real issue for many...Malls in my area are trying to contain teens and gang type groups because many older folks simply do not wish to be harassed or deal with the loud aggressive behaviors...
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Post by crapgame on Jan 31, 2018 10:12:59 GMT -5
The mall where I bought my first pipe is still open and seems to be doing well. The tobacco shop is still there but is under new ownership and is now sellong dope smoking pipes and has a very small selection of overpriced pipes and tobacco. I go to the shop whenever i am at the mall wirh the wife and kids and end up very disappointed when i go in to the shop.
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Post by pappyjoe on Jan 31, 2018 13:03:38 GMT -5
Indoor malls seem to be dying off while large, diverse malls in high traffic locations are growing and prospering. There was a bustling outlet mall about 2 miles from where we bought our house in 1989. They raised the rents so high that the place has been 90 percent empty since after Hurricane Katrina. That mall flooded and sat empty for almost 6 months and the owners increased the rent to pay for rodent control and repairs. Only thing left is a church.
The indoor mall across town faired better but it's about closed down now also because developers built a bigger outdoor mall with easy access to I-10. There are around 60 stores, 10 restaurants and a large health center.
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Post by zambini on Jan 31, 2018 13:10:49 GMT -5
Indoor malls seem to be dying off while large, diverse malls in high traffic locations are growing and prospering. The indoor mall across town faired better but it's about closed down now also because developers built a bigger outdoor mall with easy access to I-10. There are around 60 stores, 10 restaurants and a large health center. Yeah, it really looks like those outdoor ('town center') type malls are the new wave. It's odd to me the idea of people wanting to go to a mall that doesn't 'feel' like a mall. I've read that Canadians are big on placing university campuses and health centers in malls as well. Here the Santos Laguna soccer team built their new stadium with huge supermarket on the side and they're expanding it to include a mall as well. It'll be interesting to see what actually sticks. |
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Post by zambini on Jan 31, 2018 13:14:15 GMT -5
...safety has also become a real issue for many...Malls in my area are trying to contain teens and gang type groups because many older folks simply do not wish to be harassed or deal with the loud aggressive behaviors... Yeah, urban planners across Europe and North America have been harping on this for a couple of decades now. They've figured out that teenagers are a pretty diverse group that don't like when spaces are specifially created for them but no one has come up with a methodology to get them to create their own spaces either. In any case there's a lack of spaces dedicated to teenagers. |
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Post by pappyjoe on Jan 31, 2018 13:16:49 GMT -5
Indoor malls seem to be dying off while large, diverse malls in high traffic locations are growing and prospering. The indoor mall across town faired better but it's about closed down now also because developers built a bigger outdoor mall with easy access to I-10. There are around 60 stores, 10 restaurants and a large health center. Yeah, it really looks like those outdoor ('town center') type malls are the new wave. It's odd to me the idea of people wanting to go to a mall that doesn't 'feel' like a mall. I've read that Canadians are big on placing university campuses and health centers in malls as well. Here the Santos Laguna soccer team built their new stadium with huge supermarket on the side and they're expanding it to include a mall as well. It'll be interesting to see what actually sticks. What surprises me about the Towne Center (as they call it) is there is no plans for a movie theater and the majority of the restaurant are sit down casual or slightly upscale. In other words, no places for teenagers or youths to congregate. Also the developers bought enough property to build two gated apartment complexes behind the shopping area. The people living in the apartment pretty much have to drive pass the stores to get home. No grocery stores in the immediate area, but there are several in a 3 mile radius. |
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Post by peterd-Buffalo Spirit on Jan 31, 2018 15:49:05 GMT -5
...When I was a teen there were no malls...my friends and I created our own space and it wasn't inside any building...when my family went shopping we stayed together as a family...loud and aggressive behavior wasn't tolerated...there were no personal computers, no gaming systems, and I didn't sit in front of a TV all day...Oh well...enough said.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2018 16:15:43 GMT -5
I feel sorry for the people who will lose jobs... but I avoid malls like the plague. Can't stand the places!
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Post by papipeguy on Jan 31, 2018 16:46:22 GMT -5
I wonder if any change in the tax collection on internet sales will breath new life into malls. If the result is savings on shipping that could drive people to shop locally.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2018 17:03:18 GMT -5
I wonder if any change in the tax collection on internet sales will breath new life into malls. If the result is savings on shipping that could drive people to shop locally. Two good questions? Do people want malls to survive? |
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Post by Dramatwist on Jan 31, 2018 17:09:51 GMT -5
With few exceptions, I can get anything cheaper online, even with shipping. The only reason I shop at brick and mortars is if it's not to be had online, or I want it RIGHT NOW.
My 2 cents.
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Post by zambini on Jan 31, 2018 17:37:05 GMT -5
What surprises me about the Towne Center (as they call it) is there is no plans for a movie theater and the majority of the restaurant are sit down casual or slightly upscale. In other words, no places for teenagers or youths to congregate. Also the developers bought enough property to build two gated apartment complexes behind the shopping area. The people living in the apartment pretty much have to drive pass the stores to get home. No grocery stores in the immediate area, but there are several in a 3 mile radius. Sounds like a smart developer. Odds are they'll push for plush apartments for young families. They represent a captive long term market for the mall and they won't bring in too many 6-18 and 65+ year olds or those under 4 times the poverty line that force developers to partner with local governments to provide these groups with mandated services e.g. elementary schools. If the developer is really smart they managed to get the county to declare the site part of a special development zone/district subject to a tax refund on construction with the promise of creating local 'jobs'. |
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Post by herbinedave on Jan 31, 2018 18:13:20 GMT -5
Other then groceries, butcher shoppe and basic sundries, I order most things I need online whilst sitting on my fat arse!
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Post by pappyjoe on Jan 31, 2018 18:30:15 GMT -5
What surprises me about the Towne Center (as they call it) is there is no plans for a movie theater and the majority of the restaurant are sit down casual or slightly upscale. In other words, no places for teenagers or youths to congregate. Also the developers bought enough property to build two gated apartment complexes behind the shopping area. The people living in the apartment pretty much have to drive pass the stores to get home. No grocery stores in the immediate area, but there are several in a 3 mile radius. Sounds like a smart developer. Odds are they'll push for plush apartments for young families. They represent a captive long term market for the mall and they won't bring in too many 6-18 and 65+ year olds or those under 4 times the poverty line that force developers to partner with local governments to provide these groups with mandated services e.g. elementary schools. If the developer is really smart they managed to get the county to declare the site part of a special development zone/district subject to a tax refund on construction with the promise of creating local 'jobs'. Yep. It's a special development zone. Best part is the main entrance doesn't go through any subdivisions and it's on the opposite side of the interstate from where I live. Still waiting to see what it does to property values. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2018 19:52:01 GMT -5
I shop local, but not for stuff they typically have in malls. They're mostly giant, generic chains, Give me a mall filled with used books, music, thrift store crap, local produce, pipes shop, a good cafe, maybe some live music... and I'd happily patronize them.
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Post by crapgame on Jan 31, 2018 19:57:56 GMT -5
I wonder if any change in the tax collection on internet sales will breath new life into malls. If the result is savings on shipping that could drive people to shop locally. I buy shooting supplies for the family at a great shop half a block away, the owner is a a bit higher than W++ -&%?t but the service is great. he has many things that the hell hole I just mentioned doesn't carry and is cheaper to buy from him than buying online and paying for shipping. H will also make sure that what you want is the right thing to have. This is why I shop local for shooting supplies.As far as malls there is nothing "local" about a mall, all I find at malls are store fronts for many e-tailers . If you ask me malls are just the fitting room for the places teens and young adults by from. Kids go to the mall try clotes online.. go home and see that the item on the store website is 15% less and ships for free..the kid buys it online. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Jan 31, 2018 22:38:25 GMT -5
The mall by our house is 34 years old and gives every appearance that it's going strong. 1,200,000 Sq.Ft. All kinds of people shop there, except for us. We only go there for the Cinema 24. The first 3 malls I ever visited are long gone. The first was Gulfgate Shopping Center, which was the first air conditioned mall in the US. It was also the home of the Manned Spacecraft Center while the NASA complex at Clear Lake was being built.
My favorite was Northline Mall on I45 N. It opened in 1963 when I was 12 and it was amazing. I had never seen anything like it. It was beautiful with pale aqua and white walls inside, skylights that ran the entire length of the 30+' ceiling of the main atrium. We didn't have A/C then so it was a blessing to spend the day at the mall with it's 3 huge interior fountains. Sometimes I saw school friends there, but I spent a lot of time there by myself. It was a much safer time and place. Anyway, the store managers mostly knew me. It got so bad that you were taking your life in your hands to even drive in the parking lot. It was bulldozed in 2007,but it should have been 10 years sooner.
When we moved to Garden Oaks, Northwest Mall was going gangbusters. We shopped there several times a week for years. I think it is totally abandoned now except for a dance club.
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Post by Ronv69 on Jan 31, 2018 22:50:53 GMT -5
zambini, the greatest shopping experience in the world is La Merced, near the Zocalo. I can't imagine why anyone would want to shop anywhere else. It is like another world, or maybe the Casbah, super-sized.
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Post by zambini on Feb 1, 2018 0:38:59 GMT -5
zambini , the greatest shopping experience in the world is La Merced, near the Zocalo. I can't imagine why anyone would want to shop anywhere else. It is like another world, or maybe the Casbah, super-sized. I agree, it's wonderful how you can find just about anything within La Merced. A couple of years ago someone there offered me a penguin, for real! It's too bad they closed off water canal access to the market back in the 1950s, it must have been an even grander experience. Did you buy anything at La Merced last time you were here? |
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Post by Ronv69 on Feb 1, 2018 10:05:45 GMT -5
zambini , the greatest shopping experience in the world is La Merced, near the Zocalo. I can't imagine why anyone would want to shop anywhere else. It is like another world, or maybe the Casbah, super-sized. I agree, it's wonderful how you can find just about anything within La Merced. A couple of years ago someone there offered me a penguin, for real! It's too bad they closed off water canal access to the market back in the 1950s, it must have been an even grander experience. Did you buy anything at La Merced last time you were here? El traje de bano, sunglasses, hat, mangoes, avocado's, limes, shirt, snacks, a Mexican flag with gold thread, a silver chain with something silver hanging on it. Some meat my friends picked out and some trinkets as gifts for the girls. And probably more. There were 5 of us with our hands full. All carried away on the subway. |
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Post by toshtego on Feb 1, 2018 15:07:52 GMT -5
Have not been to a mall in many years. The closest one is in Santa Fe and there is no need to go there.
Visited a few in Los Angeles and Glendale in the 1990s. Roving bands of unsavory yutes made them uncomfortable.
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