Malls that were once active but have since been abandoned ("dead malls") are fascinating relics of greed, consumerism, and our increasingly antiquated analog way of life that required actual motion through space to get the material possessions we don’t need, per se, but covet. They’re also creepy and kind of sad, if you think about the unrealized dreams of the people to tried to sell you that shit you didn’t need. Dead malls are sweeping the nation in that agonizingly slow manner that dead things sweep.
You’ve heard of Black Friday, the darkest day for American capitalism; Cyber Monday, where everyone gets out their latent shopping aggression online; now there’s even Grey Thursday, as retailers open on Thanksgiving Eve to get an edge on the competition. But, friends, have you heard of Brown Friday?
Westfield Labs is partnering with eBay this holiday season to offer the world a sneak peek at the mall of the future. And it’s just a bunch of touchscreens.
"So your gonna think this sounds crazy but im sooo sure that im the guy in picture 11 on the article," read the email that photographer Michael Galinsky received from Jamie Rutina. "You cant see my face cuz im looking down at something, but I know its me, the hair is mine, the coat, the stance/mannerism. I was 20 yrs old then."
Of the thousands of images that photographer Michael Galinsky took in malls during the summer of 1989, this one really seems to strike a nerve, but not necessarily because of the big bangs and acid-washed leggings, he says. "I get so many comments about Tape World." Memories of lost stores and dubious fashions abound in his new book, the gloriously nostalgia-soaked Malls Across America.
A 2003 article in the Military Review has proven darkly prescient with last weekend’s terrorist siege of an indoor shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya. Written by two retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonels, the piece outlines the emergence of modern-day siege warfare tactics, or the invasion of large architectural structures.
We’re smack dab in the middle of a golden age when anything you could possibly want can be ordered online and delivered
This spring, when City Council voted to demolish the mall at South Street Seaport, they announced that current tenants would be allowed to stay until the summer’s end. But many anchor stores chose to move out earlier—and two designers from Brooklyn were determined to take advantage of the abandoned store space.
Labor Day sales can be frightening things indeed, so it’s a perfect time to look at this scary abandoned mall in St. Louis. After 55 years in business, Crestwood Court started closing its stores in 2006, eventually shutting its doors for good last month. Digital artist Dan Wampler photographed the slowly dilapidating space, managing to make everything from Claire’s to Champs look creepy.