In the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, malls were where young people went to hang out. It’s where they gossiped, caused trouble, flirted, and broke up. Sometimes people even shopped. But mostly, it was about just being at the mall.
For several years, it seemed mall culture was coming to an end. After the 2008 recession, the rise of online shopping, and then years later, a pandemic that had malls shuttering their doors, the “decline of the great American mall” was in full force. “Dead malls” — indoor shopping centers turned ghost towns — now dot cities across the U.S.
In Austin alone, several malls have closed over the years, starting with Northcross Mall in 2007, then The Dobie Center on UT Campus in 2010, and finally Highland Mall in 2015…