JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Over the last couple of decades, you've likely heard a lot about "the end of indoor malls." Headlines forecasting the demise of what is arguably the most American form of architecture remain everpresent in retail circles.
The numbers don’t lie.
In the 1980s, there were more than 2,500 enclosed malls across the nation, Nick Egelanian, president of SiteWorks, a retail consulting firm, told Wall Street Journal in October 2022.
In 2000, there were 2,076 enclosed malls and 20 percent were put on an “endangered” list, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.
There are now only 700 enclosed malls remaining in the U.S. and that’s expected to fall to 150 by 2030, Ross Forman, managing director of retail consultants at Chicago-based BDO USA, told First Coast News, On Your Side.
I reached out to Foreman after a recent trip to The Avenues. What I’ve been writing, reading and hearing about enclosed malls over the last 20 years, was challenged by what I saw there.
A trip down memory lane
I’m still relatively new to Jacksonville and haven’t been to The Avenues or any vibrant enclosed mall for that matter, in well over a decade. I needed some white apparel for a party I was attending in Maryland, and put the name of a retailer (H&M) in my phone on a recent Saturday and followed the directions.
I initially thought I was driving myself to St. Johns Town Center, but Siri kept me moving down Southside Boulevard. I thought, “I think these directions are taking me to that mall I haven't been to yet.”
I pulled into The Avenues parking lot and it was packed. What also stood out to me was the anchor store in the center's most prime location – Forever 21. "That's different," I thought. Forever 21 traditionally occupies the smaller spaces within the mall.
Packed parking lot. Forever 21 is an anchor store. My curiosity was piqued.
It’s nearly impossible for me or any Gen Xer to not feel personally attached to malls.
Those of us who came of age in the 1970s and 1980s, grew up in these longtime fixtures of American culture. In junior high/middle school, our parents would drop us off at the mall to meet up with friends, walk around, eat at the food court, see a movie, girl watch and drop every coin we had at the arcade in games like Asteroids, Space Invaders, Pac-Man and pinball.
Many of us had our first date at the mall and there’s a good chance that’s where we first met Santa Claus.
Walking into The Avenues, I felt like I went into a time warp … in a good way. That exhilarating meet-me-at-the-mall feeling of my youth came rushing back. The tantalizing smells from the food court. The chatter of people talking and walking about. The laughter of youngsters - not looking at phones - but engaging with one another.
This place even had a choo choo train shuttling parents and their little ones from store to store. And, yes, there's an arcade!
What was supposed to be a quick trip to pick up a couple of items, turned into two and a half to three hours of walking around and reminiscing. I did eventually buy my items. I got a white T-shirt from H&M, a hat from Lids and a pair of sneakers from Journeys.
Can malls come back? I hope so
Anchored by stores like Sears, JCPenney, or Montgomery Ward, there were tons of other retailers inside the mall that were always must-stops for me like the Merry Go Round, Spencer's, Sam Goody and Radio Shack.
But, as consumer habits changed, our beloved malls started to look different.
For some reason, people no longer wanted to park somewhere in a massive parking lot and enter the cavernous mall to enter their stores of choice.
Shoppers much more prefer to park, get out of their cars, and go directly into their stores. Malls weren’t conducive to that.
As the anchors - Sears, JCPenney, Montgomery Ward and many others – folded, big box shopping centers exploded on the scene. They were anchored with stores like Target, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, or your local grocer, and often other freestanding stores and restaurants.
Over the last dozen or so years, shoppers have also been drawn to the “lifestyle center,” such as the St. Johns Town Center. These shops include high-demand retailers with upscale apparel, gift shops, boutiques, and restaurants. Whatever you're looking for, you can likely find it there.
I have nothing against lifestyle or big-box shopping centers, but I'll always be a mall rat. Especially, at this very moment for two reasons: No. 1: A, No. 2: C.
Harold Goodridge is Digital Director at First Coast News, On Your Side, and an award-winning columnist.