The mall was once a host to leisure and wonder. These pictures from the era of the ’80s will get you back again to the days when it absolutely was perfectly acceptable to ask your parents to drop you off at the mall for the afternoon and spend the afternoon with your friends, shopping, playing Pac-Man and eating greasy food. If you had been lucky, the mall would have a waterworks or something else spectacular to draw people in and make sure they are want to see over and over. https://time.com/3805133/flashback-to-the-timeless-malls-of-the-1980s/
The heyday of the mall was between 1956 and 1990 when over 1,500 malls built based on Gruen’s or Jerde’s models dotted the landscape. These places were imagined as modern, idealized town centers for segregated suburbanites. These were an alternative to the noise, chaos and squalor of city streets. Malls offered the promise of a well-lit, safe and sanitary environment, a centralized location with a wide selection of stores and a main park area to bring people together.
Many also included movie theaters, video arcades and junk food eateries to attract teenagers. These were created for one-stop shopping, but they truly became an iconic meeting location for young Americans. Movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure positioned them in popular culture as places to see and be seen, and where even the strongest of personalities couldn’t withstand the lure of sporting goods stores and Mrs. Fields cookies.
Malls began to decline in the 1990’s when the internet exploded and online shopping began taking off. But whilst the trend toward online purchasing continued, malls were still able to attract shoppers. Associated with that while most of the items that after made a visit to the mall necessary such as clothes and appliances may now be purchased on the web, malls continue to sell food, entertainment and services that can’t easily be replicated on the web.
This includes personal service, like getting fitted for a brand new pair of glasses or having your vehicle cleaned. In addition it entails many different entertainment options that can’t be easily replicated, including live music and curated experiences.
Whatever the current state of malls, they’ve an extended history of embracing change and adapting to an ever-changing world. They have reframed their roles as more than retail locations, and the near future looks bright for these unique, socially connected spaces. The only question is perhaps the mall’s role will eventually be reduced to selling things that can simply be purchased on the internet. Or does it reinvent itself again, as a space for community and culture? The answer will likely be both.
Busey World 