Vivek Ramaswamy Dragged After Wild Rant on How American Workers Suck

[Maeve]

36. Columbus was once a city of malls; let me tell you the history as I've seen it the past 50+ years

First there were the open malls--shopping centers-- of the 1950's--Great Western, that had models of the world's great monuments (Eiffel Tower, leaning Tower of Pisa, etc) in the parking lot. There was Northern Lights, with Penney's that anchored it into the 1980's. But then came Eastland, Westland and Northland; compact malls that were covered and temperature controlled all year! Those were the places that killed downtown Columbus, so they built a downtown mall, with Lazarus (later bought by Macy's) as the great center. As we entered the new century, the old malls grew shabby, so there was Tuttle Mall on the westside, Easton on the east and Polaris to the north. New places, up-scale stores...
Great Western and Northern Lights became locals only. Eastland became teen-aged gang territory, You could play football in Northland and Westland without hitting anyone. Tuttle is less than half open--and part of that is Macy's bought two of the major anchors and closed one, plus Sears died of it's own stupidity. Westland and Northland are both gone now--razed to the ground. Gone, too, is the downtown mall, killed by too many "undesirables" (homeless and/or violent) for the owners. Hallmark stores died of natural causes--no one sends cards like they used to. Toy stores collapsed as well (and there is more to the end of small stores than Amazon--vulture capitalism has much to answer for!) There are few teens/young adults hanging where nothing is happening and even the food courts are smaller than they once were. For me, visits to the malls are either "Who affords THAT?" or sad trips of memories in empty spaces. The middle class shoppers are on-line because they can find stuff there. The malls that once were staffed now have people at the register but no one who knows the merch.
The end of malls was slow at first, then very fast. We had them earlier than many, so the passing is already advanced. Your area may be different.