Suburbia Shake-up

As people moved out into suburbia, department stores and other shops found out very quickly all they knew about selling merchandise needed to be thrown out the window. The influence the car had on the shopping world was more dramatic then I had imagined. Where to put your shop? How big should it be? Parking lot…what’s that for? Victor Gruen not only mentions all these new factors – location, zoning, financing, timing – but dives into the more overwhelming new issues. Even if I found the right location does it have the popular stores? If I have the right stores is it the appropriate size? It becomes apparent that with the popularity of the automobile and the development of suburbia, the shopping industry went into a panic. They lost confidence and comfort. Besides being in a foreign element, stores soon became a place to serve civic, cultural and social community needs. Compared with the original arcades the idea of shopping has now become more involved into everyday life. But as it became more complex, the actual goods become even less significant than in the downtown department store. Acceptable travel time; maximum being 25 minutes, to reach a regional shopping center was more of a determinate for a consumer to shop versus that it has quality items located there (Gruen 33). Seeing how these ideas became priorities gives a better understanding of why malls are the way they are today.