Dying Malls, but Hope Elsewhere
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Regarding the July 3 Economy & Business article "As Owner Struggles, Landmark Mall Languishes":
While offering reasons for the decay of Alexandria's Landmark Mall and hundreds of others, the article neglected to mention a decisive factor: our massive excess of retail space. Over the past two decades, U.S. retail capacity has increased at triple the rate of population growth and consumer spending combined, driven overwhelmingly by chain-store proliferation. This retail bubble was sustained only by the now-deflated housing price bubble, and the unsustainable consumption of recent years will not return.
The positive news is that real downtowns and other commercial districts serving neighborhoods endure. Municipal campaigns such as Buy Local Alexandria and organizations such as Local First DC are helping these community centers while sustaining independent, locally owned businesses that remain cornerstones of community (as well as important economic engines).
Reshuffling the selection of chains will not revitalize dying malls; neither will morphing them into "lifestyle centers" that attempt to imitate town centers on corporate property. General Growth Corp. may yet come up with a viable redevelopment for Landmark, but Alexandria and other cities should focus on supporting local entrepreneurs who are committed to the community for the long term.
JEFF MILCHEN
Bozeman, Mont.
The writer is a co-founder of the American Independent Business Alliance.
