The Shoes & Clothes Crisis

I never did find out the origins of that weird letter I got in the mail.  And, when I was at the mall earlier in the week, I was thinking about it.

Our mall, now renamed “The Collection” for some inexplicable reason, is now the largest mall in New England.  Around 5 years ago or so, the owner of the mall decided to expand it and rebrand it as an upscale mall.  They even planned to build a whole set of attached condos, an idea that I thought was brilliant (as any shopaholic would) but most others just thought was odd.

The mall opened less than two years ago, and already there are stores that have moved out.  Some restaurants and stores that were supposed to have opened late just never did.  The mall has created a divide in the town – some, like me, love the idea of the tax revenues and the convenience, while others aren’t happy about the changes.

I suspect the “shoes & clothes” crisis may have more to do with the state of the economy then anything else, but to me, a mall filled with empty stores is just….sad.