Shopping is an enriched and vast maze as one can put it. There are ample options to shop with resources and spaces to shop from. From simple independent boutiques to designer showrooms and even malls encompassing multiple choices, the scope is large. With the advent of digital evolution, online and e-commerce stores are also a new option today. This has increased the variety of customers that has transformed the statistics in sales of each category as well. There are many dying malls in the country and even worldwide and they have genuine and selective reasons for the same. Sears, Rolling Acres, Macon Mall, and others come on the list. The article elaborates the list with the reasons why they could be dying and what to look out for. Read on to get a picture of these once prominent spaces and why they’re on the verge of closure today.
Eight dying malls and their reasons for the same
While many can come on the list, here are a few well-known malls that once have their prime time and are now dying out:
- Rolling Acres
Rolling Acres was a grand mall consisting of every possible entertainment aspect you can think of. Having started in 1975, they had theaters, stores, food courts, and many other exciting venues to get the much-needed break or thrilling experience everyone looked out for. However, of late the mall is titled a dying mall for two reasons. One is the frequent change in ownership which affected their flow and their credibility. The mall failed to upkeep itself in the initial years which caused damage to its reputation ultimately resulting in its decline.
- McFarland Mall
The McFarland Mall was among the top since it opened in 1969. Customers were in favor of the mall for up to eight years till other competitors came in. With competitors, the business isn’t as profitable as before and many stores shut down. This continued till only one store was left and the space was titled a dying mall.
- Macon Mall
The Macon mall seems to be better off than other malls in the past and even now. Though termed a dying mall, it has had its prestige for 40 years since 1975. However, this mall too saw the closure of many stores but still managed to keep the mall functioning. Today, there are just a rare few stores that are still keeping Macon Mall alive.
- Charlestowne Mall
The Charlestowne mall had its image not just for its stores and structure but also for its cinemas. Their two cinemas were the stand-out feature of the mall that has and still is keeping them in business. However, with the decline in business of many stores, the mall has been deemed a dying mall.
- Frederick Towne Mall
Frederick Towne mall was termed a dying mall back in 2013 and still stands almost the same given its declined business. Though there are redevelopment plans, they mainly focus on streaming movies for the first time and creating a much-wanted theater, its traces as a mall are being wiped out.
- Sears
Sears was known to be the talk of the town with multiple outlets all over. However, there has been a great decline in their business which forced them to shut many of their in-store and ultimately many of their malls as well. While some are functioning, they are working with one or two stores. Even here, there is barely a crowd that comes in for an efficient business.
- Pacific place
Pacific Place had its time to shine a few years ago as well. It is known to have an aesthetic structure for its time. However, here again, the business decline has led to many stores shutting down which has affected the customer flow. The few customers that come in also find a lack of stores in the mall and it seems like this too is a dying mall.
- North Park Mall
Northpark mall has also lost quite a bit of its customer count which has turned their mall into a quiet, slow and lonely space. There is a lack of stores and customers and it doesn’t match the mood of a shopper per se. It is now more of a stand-alone space, quiet and calm for simple shopping leading to the mall’s decline.
Conclusion
To make it simple, dying malls are those that are abandoned. The finance, resources, and more that come from making malls work comes from the large crowds that malls get. However, with time, and other factors, malls lose this crowd, therefore, losing their potential to complete their target. This slows down their funding and functioning which leads to them dying out.
FAQs
- What are some of the common reasons why malls are dying?
Some common reasons malls are dying out are the lack of business and resources and the advent of e-commerce and other alternative shopping platforms.
- Do dying malls have a chance of revival?
Yes! If strategized, funded, and restructured well, malls have a chance of being revived!
