I have been to many a mall. I am a shopper. What I don't understand is why a perfectly good mall--Brookdale--is always empty. I have been there three times (if memory serves). All three were weekends, and one was a few weeks before Christmas. The place is DEAD. I just don't get it. It has all the same stores most malls have (or so it seems to me). It even is one of five locations in the cities that has a Steve and Barry's, which is an awesome, super-cheap store featuring the famed Starburys for like 15 bucks and a great new clothing line by Sarah Jessica Parker. I got 6 tops from her clothing line, and it cost 47$. Craziness. So, why don't people shop at this mall?
Partly Cloudy and I were there for the SJP debut at Steve and Barry's, and we ate lunch afterward in the food court. In the food court, there was me, Partly Cloudy, Baby Viking, about 10 employees, and this bird:
Yep. A bird. It was flying all over, and hopping from table to table. Nobody seemed to notice or care. In order to leave, the bird would have to go through some glass doors, then an entryway, and then another set of glass doors. I have a feeling the bird has found a home. Fortunately, it's probably a pretty safe home, since there are no shoppers there to do it harm.
I think it might have something to do with the fact that there are some pretty serious gang problems in that neck of the woods. Crime tends to keep people away from malls, doesn't it??
ReplyDeleteSome theorists have it that crime drives people to the malls: the "scary" urban world leads people out to the controlled environments of the suburban malls.
ReplyDeleteI've been to that mall several times and not once felt remotely threatened by violence or crime. But we all know perception can be more influential than reality. I have heard that can be a rough neighborhood, so maybe many people do stay away from it.