The mall is an all-American creation, a structure built for the sole purpose of retail shopping. Although the first completely indoor, climate-controlled shopping center debuted in 1956 (shout-out to the Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota—-you’re looking great at 62 years young!), we all know that the mall reached its true peak during the 1980s and early 1990s. Movie theaters and restaurants quickly attached themselves to these shopping centers, transforming simple blocks of stores into miniature communities. But even though shopping malls still make up approximately ten percent of all retail space in the United States, in many places the mall seems to have passed its prime. As more and more chain stores have gone out of business, cities and suburbs are now challenged to put this space to the best possible use.
Whenever I’ve been out on the road, wandering around the local shopping mall is always an option for killing time. I’ve come to appreciate the unique charms of the mall, and that’s probably why I can appreciate the work of “retail historians” like Peter Blackbird, Brian Florence and Jack Thomas. This trio of explorers are the brains behind the website www.DeadMalls.com, which since the year 2000 has documented the decline and fall of hundreds of shopping malls. Their website includes user-submitted articles from every state, but I also enjoy their video tours on Youtube. It’s downright eerie to take a walking tour of these mostly-empty spaces, especially when you can’t see any other shoppers during what should be peak hours. The site represents a unique style of urban exploration, offering a vastly different perspective on the modern-day community center.
But don’t just take my word for it! Check out Dead Malls for yourself, direct from one of my old haunts in Jacksonville, Florida: