The idea of malls keeps evolving from time to time and the readings for this week are no different. This week, is about the idea of the drive in shopping centers and how it was part of the “mall culture.” Arcades and malls were successful in it’s time due to the fact that people can be dropped off in front of these places from their carriages and so forth and do what they do within the shopping arcade. However, with the invention of the automobile, traveling became easier and more ground was covered. This presented a problem for shopping malls and arcades because the drivers of the cars wouldn’t be able to get a good view of the stores because they were interior. In order to solve this problem, they created strip malls which are outdoor malls basically and you can drive around and see if any of the stores catch your interest from inside your own car. You wouldn’t have to step outside the vehicle to shop and view the store facades, that is until something catches your eye.
Just like how drive in movie theaters, and drive in restaurants were in fashion back then, the outdoor strip mall, just like the drive in movie theater and restaurant are out of date and they have reverted back to their old ways. Everything today is about the exploring the interior what it looks like from the inside. Not many people want to drive around in their car and explore the strip mall and be secluded from the rest of the shoppers. Parking is secondary and it’s all about going inside the mall, exploring, congregating, and most importantly, buying items. Shopping inside, exploring the interior, meeting new people and seeing new items is the way it should be and if I had to shop someplace where I had to be cutoff from the world in order to shop, I rather not shop at all because that defeats the whole purpose of shopping and interacting. As the Rolling Stones best put it, gimme shelter or I’ll fade away; putting it in strip malls vs. indoor malls sense, or course.
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