The problem with Atlanta malls: they are boring (Dallas, Cleveland: hotel, restaurants)

[Iconographer]

How are Atlanta malls more boring than malls in other cities? Such a non-topic.

[AtlantaIsHot]

Those pictures are quite nice. It was a cool mall back then. I grew up in a small town in rural Virginia. A larger town 20 miles away had the only enclosed mall in the area. It was built in 1982. It was tiny by big city standards-it had one floor and 2 anchors. The anchors were Kmart on one end and Leggett on the other. It was built on a slope so the interior was stepped down every few feet from one end to the other. It was still nice for a small town. It was filled with the typical colors of the era-dark brown, orange, and beige. There was a fountain built with stacked rocks about 6 feet high surrounded by planters with trees and plants and built in benches around the Kmart entrance in a courtyard. It had skylights also. Everyone used to pitch pennies into the fountain. Every few feet the mall would "step down" as it sloped and there was a ramp and two sets of small stairs on either side with planters. I guess there were about 5 or so of these step downs. In front of Leggett was a Y shaped ramp that sloped toward the store entrance and also branched off toward the outside mall entrance. In the V shape of the Y was a large planter with a tree, plants, and built in bench. On the other side of the straight side of the Y ramp was another water feature-this time more stacked rocks with a path of water and a giant wheel that turned with the water running over it. I always loved that. Even this tiny small town mall was better than what I see today in some cities... But over the years, all those water features were turned off and the pump equipment left behind. The wheel was removed. The place has not been changed at all and in my teenage years had become half empty. It's a shame what malls used to be like and what they are today.

[bryantm3]

when it comes to malls, they are ultimately a thing of the past. the days of people driving miles to go and spend all day at a shopping mall are no more. the focus now is on historic downtown areas and new walk-up communities that place residents nearby to parks and retail without having to commute long distances. auto usage has peaked in the US and we are now becoming more of a pedestrian-centered society than we were last century.

obviously some malls like perimeter and lenox are still very successful, but that is primarily due to their locations: the center of large office and residential communities. other malls will have to make themselves a center of the community if they want to survive, otherwise they will wither away and eventually get torn down like countless malls are today.

[ATL Golfer]

The problem with malls are that they are malls. Top 5 worst places to be on earth.

[midtown mile girl]

I went to lenox yesterday and it was packed with people. People have a need to get out of the house, you cannot live your whole life on the internet.

[ATLTJL]

Does anyone remember when the bottom floor of the new food court at Lenox was a giant Time Out arcade? That was awesome.

In fact, to teenage boys...and maybe some girls, but mostly boys...arcades were the reasons we went to malls. Well, arcades and record stores. Now, both are gone.

But I have to take issue with ATL Golfer's post and agree with midtown mile girl. Malls fill a social need. Case in point? I was at Sugarloaf Mills over the weekend and Dave & Busters was packed. Why? There wasn't a single game that couldn't be presented at least 4 times better on a PS4 or Xbox One. Some of the games were just stupid iPhone games presented on big screens. Others were 10-15 years old. But the place was still full of people lining up to play them.

The reason is because we need social engagement. Even if you are doing your own thing, playing a game in a noisy arcade can not be replicated at home. It's just like the movies. There are home theater set ups that are technically better than movie theaters. The movies are certainly cheaper, and so is the popcorn, at home. Yet movie theaters are still doing just fine. In fact, they keep building newer and better ones. Why? Well, it's not like you interact with people at a movie theater, but they offer a shared experience that can't be duplicated at home.

I feel malls continue to fill that void. For teenagers especially, but really all of us, the mall is a gathering place. Even if you never speak to another soul while there, it's a melting pot of our humanity. For that reason, I think they are and will continue to be important cultural centers. Sure, they won't all survive. But I'll go on record and say that in none of our lifetimes will you see the complete extinction of the enclosed American shopping mall.

What I would like to see is for them to become the centers they once were, be interesting, and offer experiences. I think we are seeing it happen, especially at places like Sugarloaf Mills. It may not be everybody's favorite mall, but it does offer unique experiences. You can race slot cars, jump on trampolines, play black lit mini-golf, play video games, bowl, watch a movie, or paint a ceramic pot all under a single roof.

I like that. Lenox has the pull and the biggest names, but what can you do there? Buy clothes. Well, that's about it. Ok, fine, there is an Apple store there and a few other random things. But I'd like to see it become more of a lifestyle center. Even if that means bringing back the giant Time Out.

[No2Monsanto]

Lackluster malls are a non issue for me; I really don't like them, as they feel like a maze I can't get out of. Unless a particular store is having an incredible sale, or I know for fact a certain store has EXACTLY what I need, I don't normally go to the mall at all. Malls are suffering monetarily now anyway compared to the 80's and 90's when they were all the rage, due to an enormous increase in online shopping. I do almost all my shopping online, and when I don't, I prefer boutiques. The clothes are unique, and often one of a kind, unlike the mall, where everyone will be wearing what you're wearing. Yeah, death to malls.

[DreamerD]

Yes, most of the malls are boring here. I do believe that many other states are having the same problem.

[DJDeadParrot]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

What I'm talking about is architecture. I realized that for whatever reason, Atlanta never got a Galleria. Many of the cities I have lived in have had Gallerias. I think it helps to have distinctive features like that. For example, since the built the Summit in Birmingham, I heard people mostly like to shop there. But as far as I know, the Galleria is still going strong.

A "galleria"?

*googles The summit in Birmingham* Oh, its a lifestyle center. Atlanta has several of those, both in town and out in the suburbs.

[OptimusPrime69]

all malls are boring. For the most part they all have the same stores.