The Deleted Scenes - Inside Eden Center
This, from the original piece, is important:
That last bit is the most important. I was aware that there were some interior spaces in Eden Center, in addition to the regular strip-mall storefronts that face the parking lot. Here’s what the plaza looks like from the outside. Other than the façade facelift, completed in the 1990s, it looks like any other strip mall. However, I had not visited the inside portions—I actually didn’t know how to get to them. I’d assumed they were something like flea market spaces, with that extremely high number of businesses in the plaza padded with stalls or stands or what-not. I was wrong. Recently I was at Eden Center, and decided to check out those indoor spaces. There are a few of them, all of them accessed by doors that look like they’re just entrances to little storefronts. I assume, back in the day, that’s what they were. But here’s what’s inside. Here’s one of the entrances, from the inside. I’m in the hallway, facing the parking lot. Here’s one of the hallways, lined with small shops accessible only from inside. Here’s a small produce stall: And a couple more shots: There are two pool halls in here, a couple of travel agencies, a bunch of restaurants and delis, barbers, and lots of other shops. The pool hall was loud and full of cigarette smoke around lunchtime on a weekday. The whole place was full of people of all ages, and it easily mixes commerce with socializing. Yes, it feels a little bit discordant, maybe a little bit chaotic. It isn’t the way Americans are generally accustomed to doing their shopping, particularly white Americans in the suburbs. But it’s a time-tested, deeply human, and really cool way to order commerce. These smaller spaces, obviously, cost less to rent than the regular storefronts. That opens up small business ownership to more people; it lowers the barrier to entry, and lowers the cost of failure. There’s also a sense of care and attentiveness that has gone into transforming this structure into something new and more productive. Large developers generally see these buildings as fodder for total redevelopment, but here, the building has been retained and reimagined. There’s no question that we’ve overbuilt retail. In growing areas, a lot of aging commercial structures will become parcels for redevelopment, often mixing commercial with residential, or even becoming residential only. In areas with less growth, many of these properties will be, and are, abandoned. But the future of many strip malls is also something like this. Related Reading: Thanks for reading! Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekend subscribers-only post, plus full access to the archive of over 300 posts and growing—more than one full year! And you’ll help ensure more material like this! You’re a free subscriber to The Deleted Scenes. For the full experience, become a paid subscriber. |
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