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Comment by beamatronic | Hacker News Reader

Oddly one of the big San Jose malls (Valley Fair) is currently undergoing a huge renovation and expansion.

It's very uneven. Upscale malls are generally doing pretty well. Then there's the nearest mall near me which sports such luminaries as Sears and JC Penneys as anchor stores (plus the Toys R US which recently closed). It's not... great. There are a few stores in the same general complex that seem to be doing fine but the mall itself is moribund.

I have to go to the mall here in Melbourne, FL for work clothes. The standalone clothing stores mostly sell stuff targeted at tourists and snowbirds (beachwear, Hawaiian shirts, etc.).

Bah, maybe I should get a job that lets me wear Hawaiian shirts to work everyday.

For sure you can do that in Hawaii. It’s actually quite awesome.

Only the malls around rich people are doing okay. You can spot these by searching for Apple and Nordstrom’s, also where you will find the wealthier side of any urban area.

Even those traditional closed in malls are being upended by pedestrian friendly upscale mixed uses communities with stores and townhomes.

The local Apple Store just moved from the local mall to one of those communities. It also has the standard cliched collection of yuppie stores - a Tesla showroom, Whole Foods, Gap, Bonobos, Container Store, Pottery Barn, a Pilates Studio, etc....

What you described is literally the same thing SouthPark makes fun of in the Sodosopa episodes. https://imgur.com/gallery/Xgea4Ot

It's amazing how on the nose they are.

That's frighteningly close to the place I was referring to...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm5BOoS3ihA

http://www.experienceavalon.com/

I just watched the video of "sodasopa". If they didn't have the South Park characters in it, I would have thought it was a real ad for either Avalon or one of the other areas in Atlanta.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/business/hotel-developmen...

I think that's an article about that space too.

These days going to the mall has to be “an experience”. People don’t just buy things anymore, they want to have an “experience”

I’m in the mall right now for lunch. There is absolutely no store that I would come here for except for the food court for lunch and the movie theatre. We do walk around the Avalon regularly.

Seems to be working so far.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/business/an-alternate-uni...

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/03/realestate/commercial/the...

Yes, it's also about separating upper class from middle/lower. Indoor malls became the norm, so a shiny new outdoor one can signal itself as something more upscale and different. The outdoor lighting also probably helps instagram pics when having mimosas and/or dinner at sunset.

But what confuses me, is that when my wife and I go there on the weekend, the retail stores don’t have much foot traffic. The restaurants, Whole Foods, and the movie theatre do though. Its the same when I go during the week for lunch occasionally.

I've seen that too. Maybe the brands recognize them as cost centers they have to maintain to keep up the successful brand image and as customer service location for returns and whatnot?

And in Cupertino Vallco is rotting.

Vallco was doomed as soon as Valley Fair opened for business 4.5 miles away and cornered the market for upscale anchor tenants.

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