From a bygone era. Oh, let's see what's playing at the mall cinema tonight, dear.
Have you ever seen any of the websites of those dead malls? Millions of dollars were spent to build those malls and now many of them are just like ghost towns.
From a bygone era. Oh, let's see what's playing at the mall cinema tonight, dear.
I don’t know the answer. I know most malls are built in ‘urban’ areas. I know most ‘urban areas’ aren’t the best for business. Not anymore anyway.
Sadly, this is the way of the world now.
Southlake Mall in Clayton Ga was a very successful mall for many years until the Olympics came to Atlanta and they decided to move all of the ‘projects’ from downtown Atlanta (Carver Homes) to right across the street. What used to be middle class suburbia apartments literally went overnight into projects. Then everyone fled to Henry County. And it all followed. Section 8 in Henry County had an explosion in the mid to late 1990’s.
I moved an hour and half away from Atlanta, not to avoid people on welfare, we certainly had those. But it wasn’t the gangster style life.
Honestly, what do you do? A perfectly good mall (which so was Greenbriar once upon a time) is now a virtually empty building with roving gangs. Or it was last time I went.
I honestly do not know how to remedy this situation. And to even bring it up makes me ‘racist.’
BTW, I worked at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta in the early to mid 90’s. An insurance agency on the outlying office surrounding the mall (facing outward like many offices). Luckily I had a key that allowed me to enter the mall through the back walkways, but at night... I NEVER went to my car without a mall security with me. I was the one responsible for making deposits on the way home as the office manager. Considering it was before the miraculous age of Visa Debit/Credit and primarily was a cash based business (cause we sure as heck didn’t take checks for a down payment on fly by night ‘give me an insurance card’ business), I am amazed we weren’t robbed more than we were. Same for my first job on Moreland Ave near Grant Park in the late 80’s. Yeah, almost shat myself quite a few times searching with my foot for the silent alarm. Sadly, back when these business’s started in the 70’s, it WAS suburbia.
Lots of famous black celebrities went to this mall, saw a good many a lot. I will say this, there was a Chick Fa La that had the best breakfast deal anywhere (piece of small chicken with biscuit, eggs, hashbrowns and coffee for $1.99) and the Chinese restaurant was fabulous. LOL. Can you tell we liked the food court?
And that was about it for liking that job.
Except when transferring to Mableton/Cobb County and had to drive through a ‘susceptible’ neighborhood to get to the bank to make the deposit and a nice white girl in a nice car was pulled over for being a nice white girl in *that* kind of neighborhood with a nice car. And having *that* kind of cash. My supervisor just made sure she was home (before the age of cell phones) in case the cops called to verify that I was SUPPOSED to be there with THAT kind of money.
Ok, done with my war stories. Can’t even imagine Atlanta now, but now that I live in South Florida... let’s just say I am not looking forward to the Zimmerman verdict. Saving quickly for a CC permit for Florida. In the meantime, have bear mace for the house and my purse.