Friday, April 29, 2016

The Death of a Shopping Mall


Back in the mid-80's, I was living in Mesa Arizona and working at a brand new bank branch that sat on the outskirts of what was then a beautiful mall, Fiesta Mall.


The mall sat on a sort of low hill with parking encircling the building. 


The parking lot was so full of cars all the time, that a few years after the mall opened they built this two-story parking garage to help reduce the congestion.  I was out in this area recently and was shocked at what I saw here.  Almost all the big stores have closed and the parking lot is a vast emptiness.  I have no idea why this mall is dying.  The residential neighborhoods around here appear to be stable.  It's a little sad to see.


15 comments:

Billy Blue Eyes said...

I've seen the same happen here. The Westgate in Oxford was built in the 1960/70s but declined, now it's being torn down and rebuilt but how long it will last I could not say as Oxford does not like cars going in the city and I think that may be a problem with people

Christine said...

Wow, it is deserted. So sad to see it being forsaken.

Francisco Manuel Carrajola Oliveira said...

Excelente trabalho e boas fotografias.
Um abraço e bom fim de semana.
http://andarilharar.blogspot.pt/

Kate said...

Most malls here,, especially MOA, seem to be thriving so I doubt that mall shopping is on its way out. Yet, I avoid malls if I can and prefer small independent shops and local neighbourhood stores.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Hard times Sharon! It must be really tricky these days to keep a business going long term, unless you're lucky enough to find the right product for the right consumers!

William Kendall said...

I've seen a mall here that kept losing stores- they tore down almost everything but a grocery store, and turned the property into a parking lot with a scattering of individual stores positioned at the fringes.

RedPat said...

It certainly is surprising especially since it was once so popular!

Lowell said...

This happened to an exclusive and beautiful mall in Ft. Lauderdale (Plantation) and we're a bit worried about our mall here in Ocala. When a few of the anchor stores pull out then it's just a matter of time. And so many people do their shopping online, that it affects sales in the retail market. But it's sad to see this!

Halcyon said...

Online shopping...

Catalyst said...

Could be Arizona Mills took a lot of their business, as well as online shopping.

Karl said...

Sad... indeed !

Susie of Arabia said...

Very sad and surprising. I've been to that mall in its heyday.

Susie of Arabia said...

Very sad and surprising. I've been to that mall in its heyday.

Jack said...

Amazon, Zappos, eBay, etc.

Stefan Jansson said...

I have never liked big shopping malls, i always prefer smaller places but I will have to admit to do most of my shopping online these days.