Journal Article

Economic History: The Economic History of the Shopping Mall — and Its Future (Yes, It Does Have One)

Abstract: Most Americans probably have an impression or feeling when they think of the mall, whether they spent much time there or not. For some, that sensation may be formed by time spent slurping an Orange Julius, listening to CDs at Sam Goody, or inhaling the fragrances spilling out of Bath & Body Works. Others' impressions may have come from the ubiquity of malls in popular culture, from Joan Didion's 1975 essay "On the Mall," to movies like Mallrats or George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, to, most recently, Starcourt Mall in the television series Stranger Things.

Keywords: Shopping malls; economic history; mixed-use development;

Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Part of Series: Econ Focus

Publication Date: 2022

Volume: 22

Issue: 3Q

Pages: 20-23