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There is a new mall opening that sits exactly 6 blocks from another mall. Regardless of my personal feelings about the mall, I read in an article the following comment and really makes me wonder what is the difference?
"the two malls can coexist because they will attract different tenants, referring to XXXXXXX as a traditional regional mall and YYYYYY as a "lifestyle center."
A traditional regional mall would be your basic department stores-on-the-end, specialty stores in-between type center. A typical one would have, say, Sears, Penney's, Macy's as its anchors with lots of little specialty stores (e.g. Gap, Forever 21, Victoria's Secret) in between.
The term "lifestyle center" is a little more nebulous, but what it usually means is a collection of upscale stores (think Williams-Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, etc.) and chain restaurants, possibly anchored by an upscale big box store like Barnes & Noble or Whole Foods. A lifestyle center can be either indoors or outdoors and can sometimes be combined with offices or apartments.
While the lifestyle center would certainly draw shoppers from a nearby mall, they can most likely coexist because the lifestyle center is targeting upper class shoppers while the traditional regional mall is targeting middle class shoppers.
Lifestyles centers are malls that market themselves by stroking the egos of shoppers by making them think they are better than the pimple faced teenagers and sweat-pants wearing slobs that go to the mall.
In the end it is all just mindless consumerism, so who cares if you are spending more for the cheap Chinese plastic crap and boil-in-a-bag cuisine you buy.
We must be using the terms backwards then because Regional Mall X is going to have Tiffany, Coach, Porche, Macy's, Nordstroms, Michael Kors, Forever 21, and a bunch of stores like that.
Lifestyle Center Y still has Barnes and Noble, restaurants like Applebees and Costa Vida, the movie theater, Urban Outfitters, enough teen stores to make you gag.
I thought malls were basically good for a few hours of shopping with a food court and maybe a restaurant thrown in if you're lucky.
Lifestyle centers seem more like they're targeted at bringing you in and keeping there for the entire day or most of the evening, with gyms, lots of restaurants/bars, movie theatres and other types of entertainment along with the shopping.
Truthfully not a whole lot of difference between the two since most malls I've been to are located close to other things anyway, even if you do have to get back in your car and go a few miles down the road to access them.
Just go to whichever one you like, buy what you need and then leave. Shopping is shopping. It's not an experience.
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