Back in the day, Tysons 1 & Tysons 2, Landmark, Beacon, Ballston, Crystal City Underground, Pentagon City, Seven Corners, Fair Oaks, Skyline and Springfield Mall all co existed with one another and were doing lots of business.

I know this because as a child I used to go Christmas shopping with my mother and we would set out in the morning and she would shop all day until the malls would close.

Each mall had their own clientele of locals and business was good.

SO WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?????????????????????????

The only malls on my list above still doing well are Tysons 1 & Tysons 2, Pentagon City and Fair Oaks. The rest have either closed or are no longer as busy as they once were.

I thought this area was supposed to be as prosperous as ever with all of the people relocating here but as I have explained to you above this is simply not the case anymore...

SO WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?????????????????????????

SO WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?????????????????????????

Enough people decided that they hated malls, resulting in an oversupply of them.

I'm one of those people. I usually know what I want so why walk 10 miles in a fucking mall to find it. At places like Fair Lakes, I just go in the store that has what I want. I used to hate walking into a mall through one of the anchor stores (Hecht's, Macy's, etc) and not being able to find my way into the mall. Those fucking mirrors on every wall were there for a purpose----to keep me in that store, walking around in circles.

Fuck malls!

In the middle of Fair Oaks Mall, there's an area with couches and stairs going to the second floor. If you sit in the right spot, you can look up women's dresses as they traverse the stairway. Only reason I like going.

Muck Falls!

do Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SO WHAT THE FUCK
> HAPPENED?????????????????????????
>
> Enough people decided that they hated malls,
> resulting in an oversupply of them.
>
> I'm one of those people. I usually know what I
> want so why walk 10 miles in a fucking mall to
> find it. At places like Fair Lakes, I just go in
> the store that has what I want. I used to hate
> walking into a mall through one of the anchor
> stores (Hecht's, Macy's, etc) and not being able
> to find my way into the mall. Those fucking
> mirrors on every wall were there for a
> purpose----to keep me in that store, walking
> around in circles.
>
> Fuck malls!

Fair enough but there are still malls around here which are thriving so the mall format is far from being archaic. I just dont understand why the rest of them had to die a horrible death in a thriving area such as this one.

Ballston mall still thrives..... as a giant food court.

Also i'm sure online shopping had reduced demand for indoor shopping malls.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2012 02:58PM by Hay Zeus.

Here are two problems with Ballston’s:

1. JC Penney closed about 10 years ago. Although Bailey’s does a great business, the closing of JCP really killed that end of the mall.

2. Hecht’s was bought out by Macy’s. Sure, it’s a popular store, but there’s one on every street corner: Macy’s is the Starbucks and McDonalds of retailing. Customer traffic fell considerably and is just starting coming back, slowly. At least that’s what one of the store employees who has been there for about 15 years tells me.

Since then, Tyson’s has exploded: new movie theaters, restaurants and retailing.

As well, Pentagon Row was built and that makes the adjoining Pentagon City Mall more attractive since there were not many restaurant options in the mall itself.

Ballston’s hasn’t stood still, but the Regal Cinema doesn’t compare to AMC Tyson’s and the Macy’s furniture store that occupies the 2d and3rd floor of former JCP doesn’t generate anywhere near the foot traffic of the former tenant.

Years ago, Ballston’s was packed with Holiday shoppers. I haven’t seen a Christmas crowd in there for at least five years.

Malls compete with each other. Ballston’s is still alive, but it hasn’t been able to keep up with the competition

Target killed Skyline and Loew's killed Beacon.

What happened to Crystal City Underground? I used to live in Crystal City, but haven't been there in years.

Question? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What happened to Crystal City Underground? I used
> to live in Crystal City, but haven't been there in
> years.

Its still there. 35% store occupancy. But its still there.

What's a mall?

The internet happened

Teenagers would rather hang out online or send text messages to each other with their phones rather than hang out and talk to each other face to face and in person.

Sad.

Many factors contributed to the demise of several area malls. Poor management is a big one though. In Springfield, for example, the management cut corners everywhere. Didn't replace burned out fixtures, dead plants, broken benches, etc. Parking lots and garages were even worse, potholes, dark slimy areas, and 1"+ gaps in the floor that never were repaired.

People don't want to hang out in run down, dingy places. It's depressing. So new malls opened or like Tysons, old ones were revamped to keep attracting the young clientele. Plus, the neighborhoods around some of those places have gone way downhill as well. Too many rental properties for too long and the area wasn't being kept up. Again with the dingy, rundown effect.

{In the middle of Fair Oaks Mall, there's an area with couches and stairs going to the second floor. If you sit in the right spot, you can look up women's dresses as they traverse the stairway. Only reason I like going.}


fight club violation fuk u

Question? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What happened to Crystal City Underground? I used
> to live in Crystal City, but haven't been there in
> years.


It's more eateries than anything else. I've never figured out how some random ass dress shop or jewelry store makes enough money to stay in business. The rent has to be astronomical. The only people in there are employees of area business either going to work or going to lunch.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

Not an expert, but just guessing:

1. Big box stores
2. Online shopping
3. Changing demographics in that region of NoVa (i.e. not as much money / disposable income surrounding many of the areas/malls you listed)
4. Mismanagement

Landmark, DEAD

Beacon, DEAD

Ballston, ALMOST DEAD

Crystal City Underground, DEAD

Seven Corners, DEAD

Skyline, DEAD

Springfield Mall DEAD

Damn thats a lot. Somebody call a priest.