re: #39 Anymouse

Interestingly, here in Scottsbluff we have a mall that for years fell on hard times, with more and more vacant shops.

The city went into negotiations with the mall owners, with the intent of buying the mall and demolishing it.

Instead, the mall owner found an out-of-state investor who was convinced he could revive the mall’s fortunes. That investor sunk several millions of dollars into renovations.

This year, every shop in the mall is occupied. In this era of dying malls, I don’t know how the investor did it, but the mall is booming today.

I read a story a few months ago, either on NPR or VOA, about how shopping malls have had to adapt to the loss of their anchors — stores like Macy’s, Bloomie’s, Sears, etc. — which have fallen on hard times. Some have done away with anchors altogether, using those large areas for community markets or bazaars. Others have added fitness clubs, movie theaters, upscale restaurants, etc., to encourage people to spend the whole day at the mall.