Mall culture isn’t dead

We used to take certain experiences like going to the mall for granted. They used to be all over the place. Now many are closing and it’s even harder to find one that’s thriving. Here in Austin, there’s really just one mall, and that’s Barton Creek Square.

 A second mall, the now-defunct Highland Mall has since been converted to an Austin Community College campus. The new campus was renovated beautifully and has since attracted more businesses and apartments to the area, but the days of hanging out in the food court and wandering the glossy storefronts may soon be numbered in most places… or will they?

 I decided to hit up the Barton Creek Square mall on a Saturday to see what the vibes were like, and to say I was surprised might be a bit of an understatement.

 The first thing I noticed rolling up was how difficult it was to find parking. There were a few open spaces near the front, which I assumed were handicap until I noticed signs on front of all of them with QR codes. Turns out you can pay for VIP parking at the mall these days. This would have been no help to me since I can never remember which department store I parked near to begin with.

 I got out of my car and started the hike towards the front door- the blistering Texas sun beating down on my face. By the time I reached the front, a thin layer of sweat had already started to accumulate on the back of my neck; a clear reminder of why so many people chose to come here in the first place.

 I pushed open the glass gold-plated 90’s-style swinging doors, immediately noticing the extreme shift in temperature from outdoor to indoor. The chilly smell of floor cleaner filled the air as families and couples quickly made their way by. It welcomed a much-needed sense of nostalgia.

I started making my way deeper in, several stores quickly catching my eye, but very few selling things I actually needed. I passed a food court filled with folks sitting around eating. The lines for different food stalls looked as long as they ever had, and the variety of offerings looked a bit more diverse than I remember my hometown mall having; both a Venezuelan restaurant and a boba tea stall were absolutely slammed.

I wasn’t hungry so I kept moving, eventually finding someone performing in one of the main atriums. I can’t call them a street performer because it was a mall, but you get it. A massive crowd surrounded what I assume to be a guy playing saxophone, so that was kind of cool and unique.

I made my way through the crowd to find a directory showing a list of all the stores. On the sign, I found the typical anchors like Zales and Apple, but I also noticed some other notable additions, like boutique mattress stores, custom furniture stores, health stores, and even a brewery that lets you walk around the mall with your drink. There was also a store called BoxLunch; I didn’t go in because it looked packed but it reminded me of a younger generation’s version of FYE.

Other businesses that sell things like hats, shoes and jewelry only seemed to triple in quantity since I last went to a mall. Sure, there were still a lot of chain stores, but I also noticed more local businesses than ever, so that was pretty enlightening. Those stores did tend to be a bit more on the expensive side though.  

Comparatively, as I ventured through some of the veteran stores like Pacsun and Earthbound, I couldn’t help but notice how many items were on sale. The sheer amount of sale items spurred me to finally make a purchase. I ended up buying a set of wall hangings that were all 30% off when I found out the sale prices weren’t available online. That, in itself, might compel me to return to the mall in the future, since most of my shopping these days is usually done online.

Sure, traffic and parking were a little dicey. The place was crowded as hell. But to me, these are good problems to have, and they make me feel better about our local economy. Plus, who wants to shop at an empty mall? I truly believe some malls have the chance for a second life if communities are willing to embrace them and give them a second chance.