The decline of the suburban shopping mall. (Pittsburgh, Reading: sales, consignment)

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

I am curious. What Italian restaurant is good in the so-called little Italy (Bloomfield)? I am not trying to be a jerk about it, so keep in mind I am asking a question here, not really trying to prove any point regarding Bloomfield's Italian restaurant scene.

I'm curious about this too - my grandmother who is italian visited once - saw the 'little italy' sign and got all excited and wanted to have some good old italian food there - sadly i had to tell her I didnt know of any there

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Olive Garden is better than the Spaghetti Warehouse.

I am curious. What Italian restaurant is good in the so-called little Italy (Bloomfield)? I am not trying to be a jerk about it, so keep in mind I am asking a question here, not really trying to prove any point regarding Bloomfield's Italian restaurant scene.

Alexander's is my favorite "Italian" place in Bloomfield. Though I think that most restaurants in Bloomfield can hold their own against Olive Garden, Italian or not. Stagioni was okay, but they moved to Carson St. I really like a hoagie from Angelo's, but no way anybody would be considering that authentic in the slightest. Not that authenticity matters to me, I'm totally fine with American dishes inspired by or improving upon meals from the "old country."

[greg42]

Originally Posted by UKyank

I'm curious about this too - my grandmother who is italian visited once - saw the 'little italy' sign and got all excited and wanted to have some good old italian food there - sadly i had to tell her I didnt know of any there

I think you may be right about restaurants, I dunno. We haven't tried to eat in one there for years because we find that a lot of what passes for Italian is not better than we could throw together at home.

But, go to Groceria Italiana, get some of their raviolis and cook 'em at home. They're sold frozen, the box tells you to bake them for 45 minutes in sauce and they do come out good that way. Roasted red pepper has been a favorite of mine. And tiramisu, best around. Not a real fan of that dessert at all but even I thought it was good. That place, as far as I know the ownership has changed hands a time or two but what they actually make really has not and it's really quite good.

[jay5835]

When I eat Italian, I go to Piccolo Forno in Lawrenceville or Lidia's at 15th and Smallman.

I have yet to find an Italian restaurant in Bloomfield I like. I've been here 13 years, and it hasn't happened yet. I never tried Stagioni. The main ones I avoid in Bloomfield are Del's and DeLuca's. Donatelli's is okay at lunch if you like $7.95/all you can eat. The food isn't great, but for $7.95 it doesn't suck. Alexander's is okay, but Lidia's and Piccolo Forno are so much better, I've never found a reason to eat on Liberty Avenue again.

I like the way ferrarisnowday puts "Italian" in quotation marks when he describes Alexander's, and then damns all of the Bloomfield restaurants with the faint praise of "can hold their own against Olive Garden." One of the most truly perceptive sentences ever written here on the Liberty Avenue food scene.

These restaurants might not suck if they charged half of what they charge, but it costs no more to eat at Piccolo Forno or Lidia's. D'Amico's in particular is not cheap. Nor is Donatelli's regular menu.

If you must, must, must eat on Liberty Avenue, have a burger at Tessaro's.

But the Pasta Trio at Lidia's has been stellar lately. Spectacularly good. $15 at lunch. $18 at dinner. All you can eat of three different pastas.

[SteelCityRising]

Frank D'Amico retired, jay. His restaurant has now become another place I have yet to try.

[Burghgirl17]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

My mom, like most of her generation, was a stay at home mom. She could take the time to go to a mall and shop. It was whole day for her to go to North Hills Village and Horne's, then to Kaufmanns, then down the road to Gimbels. There was always a stop for me at Woolworths to look at the birds and pick up a little craft project and mom some sewing needles or other sewing supplies. (I loved little embroidery dresser scarves, little crewel pictures -- and Woolworths was THE place for that) (By the way -- mom LOVED Kaufmann's fabric department -- she bought TONS of material there for our clothing -- she sewed a lot -- wonder where I got it from?)

Now -- who has time to wander a mall? Indoor malls are passé. I work outside the home, I work inside the home and I do not have time to wander around a mall all day. I know what store I want to go into, and I would rather drive up, park in front of it, get what I need and LEAVE. As for online shopping -- yeah -- I do that, too. Some things you just can't online shop for -- in sewing and quilting colors are problematic online. There are a few places I trust, though and that helps.

Out here, we've been moving away from indoor shopping malls to outdoor shopping centers. You have a complex of many buildings, six to twelve shops in each building each with their own parking areas. The whole complex is the same footprint area wise as a mall, but it can fit in an odd lot -- instead a huge square, this takes up a long stretch. It's usually cheaper for the stores to be located in a place like this -- no massive overhead of helping to pay for maintenance, lighting and decorating on a whole structure. You only have to pony up a smaller fee to help pay for a truck to come in and vacuum up the parking lots and change out garbage can liners and clean a few restrooms.

There is flexibility here, too -- some of these stores are TINY -- and there are businesses out there who need tiny... these things fit.

And while our indoor malls have the large empty spots -- the outdoor malls DON'T, as a general rule. When something goes out, within weeks signage goes up that something else will be opening in a month or two.

We've just had a shift on our lifestyles, I think. I mean -- hubby and I go on outings -- I go fabric shop hopping and he'll hit the thrift stores in the areas..... but we don't do that more than twice a year.

I think a lot of this is on point, along with how prevalent online shopping has become. Both my husband and I work fairly demanding jobs. The way I shop is very different than the way my mom, and her mom before her shopped. If I need something, the first place I look is Amazon. I don't go to the mall nearly as often as I used to. I still do, for certain clothes. But even now, I know my size in my favorite stores. I watch their websites for sales and free shipping, with the added bonus that the online stores have bigger selections and your size is more likely to be available. I will also watch my favorite children's clothing stores and I buy ahead in sizes for my kids.

The addition of the Tanger outlets to the area has been fantastic for me, as well. That has greatly reduced the number of trips I make to South Hills Village or the Mall at Robinson. It has more stores that I (personally) like and better prices.

When I go to the mall anymore, it usually as part of a trip to get a haircut (I go to a salon in a mall) or get the kids' pictures taken. I will say, the addition of Target to SHV will increase the number of trips I make there.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Frank D'Amico retired, jay. His restaurant has now become another place I have yet to try.

Is it still called D'Amico's? It was always a seriously bad -- and not cheap -- Italian restaurant. I remember asking for a San Pellegrino the first time I went there, and the waitress responded, "Oh, we're not that kind of restaurant," implying "as snooty as you," I imagined. She brought me a Canada Dry club soda.

This was in the '00s, not the '70s. And the food was equally and reliably dreadful.

Have you been to Lidia's, Paul? Go there before you spend one cent at D'Amico's.

Heywaitaminit. This is an April Fools Joke, isn't it?

[sskink]

Pretty much only time I'm in a mall is for Christmas shopping or to go fix yet something else at the Apple Store. I don't walk around inside malls if I can avoid it as I can't stand the smell of hazelnut-flavored coffee from whatever chain shop is brewing it (and they always are).

As far as the Target in SHV, could've been a K-Mart and I wouldn't have noticed. Seriously unimpressed with that store.

[neurodistortion]

I feel the only malls doing exceptionally well are Ross Park Mall, South Hills Village, the Mall at Robinson and Westmoreland Mall. After all, the most sought for stores are all located in these aforementioned malls, although Ross Park is in its own league whereas the other three are in their own category. All the others are in decline or are relatively stagnant with no growth.

As far as Monroeville and Pittsburgh Mills, they both have the potential to be booming once again, the former just needs a better merchandising mix and the interior can use a complete overhaul whereas the Mills needs to shuffle tenants around, demolish parts of the existing mall that has the most vacancies and in its place perhaps attract a new anchor store like Boscov's.

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by dprice412

I was hoping someone could give some good analysis on this. I am interested in reading more on the subject, with an insight from all of you.


What is causing the empty stores in so many malls? What will become of the land? Which malls will no longer exist in the near future? I really hope nobody builds a "new and improved" mall in the next 10 years because we don't need it.

I think the Mills Mall is the most interesting. What happened to this place? I remember the hype when this place opened, but there is nothing there that interests me. But I cannot see why this place is failing with the tastes of the mainstream American consumer. Why is this place in such a horrible state already? How many resources were destroyed building this place with so many empty stores? Quite sad.

Feel free to share any thoughts or comments on the subject!

The rule seems to be grow or die.

Either an artificially created retail location like the Mills or Robinson continues to expand to add new options, or they decline as someone else does. They are not located in close proximity to a population that finds it convenient to support the stores, and thus must attract shoppers from further away.