The Downfall of America’s Malls?
The internet and what it means for the future of malls
Gone are the small hardware stores, the shoemakers, the candy store that sold newspapers, sodas, and took an occasional bet for the local bookie. All of the little shops owned by local families, where people walked to work or took the bus, all of it is gone. They’re memories or photos in old newspapers now, and we wonder what happened to our sense of community, our neighborhoods.
In its place, we have tattoo parlors, French pastry shops, exotic restaurants, and upscale steak houses and art galleries. Of course, all of it came after the small shops, groceries included, were torn down, the people forced to move, and the hi-rise condos sprung up like so many thorns attacking the sky.
But most of all, we have the malls that promised to fulfill our every need in shiny new structures on acres of land that were climate controlled. No more would we have to walk anywhere other than the perimeter of the glass, plastic, metal, and concrete laid out for us by the new social psychologists, the mall…
