I looooooved reading what everyone would splurge on for ourselves. Looks like most of us went for clothes and then electronics, big and small.
So the next day you show up to this fantastic fantasy mall and once again the balloons drop. (sheesh! You are lucky!) This time the city planner is there and CNN. Oh yes, you are a BIG winner today. Today you have been given the keys to your city and a blank check. You have been shown an informational video about a bit of land in or near your town and told that a shopping developer wants to give the city the most amazing shopping area EVER. Ever.
You are given a cup of coffee/cocoa/whiskey and shown to a cushy purple velvet sofa. A cheerful city clerk pushes a pad of paper and a pencil into your free hand. A crowd gathers around. You now have 5 minutes to list up to ten stores that you would have in your shopping center. You may also include suggestions for the developer in design.
What will your shopping center contain? Go wild!
I would want a center to be like a smaller version of The Grove in LA. Shops around a park with lots of parking off site but mostly for walking around at one’s leisure. Wheel chair accessible with lots of benches for tired people to sit down and rest or people watch. I would like a wishing fountain and lots of shade for sunny days or a warm area for cold days.
As for shops: trader joes, an H&M with a massive plus size section, Ikea, art house movie screens (with one screen that has closed captioning), a stunning browsing/mellow book store, an apple store (with daily discounts), a spa, cheesecake factory, frozen yogurt shop, and a restaurant that rotates assorted ethnic cuisine.
Lane Bryant, Talbots Woman, DSW, Old Navy, Nordstrom, Sephora, Claire’s.
The most important thing would be to have a great bookstore with a lovely, comfortable tearoom.
Trader Joe’s. World Market. Lane Bryant. Avenue. Sephora. TJ Maxx. PetSmart. Barnes & Noble. Ross. Bath & Body Works.
I enjoyed reading what everyone would buy on the last blog too.The most common one being laptops,but I was a bit shocked to read that so many needed new panties. Now when I look at women i’m wondering is she wearing raggety drawers:( Are they a luxury item?
My mother/grandmother scared us to death by saying ,”what if you’re in an accident and EMS has to cut your clothes off and there you lay with holey underpants on?” So my sisters and I are linguire whores.I buy panties and bras even when I don’t need them so I have backup.I have some now still with the tags on them.Although now, I have successfully dialed down my OCD for lace and nylon *sigh*.
Anyhoo in answer to this blogs question.Number one on the list of stores would be a SUPER WALMART.
Trader Joe’s; IKEA; small alternative movie theater; coffeehouse; wine shop; french bakery; meat market; independent alternative bookstore; Hamburger Mary’s; local artisan shop. Yep, loving all those! Dang. Now I’m just dreaming. *sigh*
Being that I live in an itty bitty town now (think 800 people), I want everything. My mall would include a grocery store simply because malls never have a spot to by groceries and when you’re done buying your underwear, computers, whatever, all you have to do is walk to the grocery section. I would also have a pet store-not the type that sells pets though, just toys, and pet supplies. Some type of big girl store, probably Fashion Bug because I love their pants and Catherine’s because they’re shirts fit just right. Definitely an ice cream shop (gotta be able to fit into the big girl clothes). Hickory Farms (again, fitting into big girl clothes). Plenty of places to sit and people watch. Spencer’s.
Target. William-Sonoma. Barnes and Noble. A really good used bookstore. (Got to have both!) Really good farmer’s market. IKEA. Panera Bread. Oooh, and a Fresh Choice restaurant since those are my favorites and they don’t have them here and I haven’t been to one in YEARS. And a small playground for Elizabeth that is completely fenced in, with a gate, so that I can sit down and she can RUN. I’m sure I am missing a few things that I will think of as soon as I hit publish.
Fun – I want to live in imaginary world every day!
My stores would be: Target, Walmart, NY&CO, Toys R Us, Carters, Barnes and Noble, Old Navy, Cheescake Factory, hair salon with a daycare, and indoor playground.
I would be able to do everything in one swoop, it would be perfect.
God, I hate shopping but I’ll give it a try (I’m just too impatient and cheap to really enjoy shopping, I would rather spend my money on books and traveling).
That said!
The most kick ass bookstore ever. Maybe a small Powells? Of course it would have to be locally owned with a cafe inside – and feature all of my recommendations on the book tables. Ha! I should specify not a messy, used bookstore. I want it to be clean and orderly and a good selection.
An H&M. I would be naked without H&M.
A sewing collective boutique where you can pick out your own fabric and then cute little design students measure you and make you a dress based on various samples hanging around the store. You pick out the sample, the fabric, the trimmings, buttons, liner, etc. and then they make it…the premium you pay would be minor because I don’t know they are design students.
A store dedicated to vegetarian deliciousness. Everything vegetarian and also a to go counter of fresh food. Maybe a farmer’s market?
A beer and wine store. This is important because I live in PA and it is a pain to buy alcohol.
Uh, a local artisan and jewelry maker store. I like jewelry, usually handcrafted stuff.
An art supply store. I don’t buy a lot of art supplies but I love to browse them.
See, I can’t think of anything else I hate shopping.
Oh, a boulangerie! hahahaha
Oh my gosh, I life in tiny rural town in the mounains of nh…. population 1200.. i’d just be happy to have a super walmart closer than 45 minutes away.. oh and maybe a dunkin donuts haha
I love reading all your great ideas! My stores: a bookstore -Powells or something like it; the Apple store; a movie theater – maybe the kind that serves food and drinks to you while you watch; My fav Seattle spa – Spa Scotta; a coffee/tea place that has yummy pasteries and sandwiches and maybe even does those towers of yummy tea treats; Some type of artist collective that sells unique and handmade art, jewelry, housewares and gifts; Target; a clothing store that has both plus size women’s and men’s clothing – and lots of it!; A arts and crafts store with high end products – something that carries the best in yarn, fabric, beads,etc; Cheesecake factory and a kick ass Indian resturant with a great lunch buffet!
Ikea, Old Navy, Petsmart (with the Pet hotel!), Christmas Tree Shop, a maternity store (we dont have any!), William Sonoma, Carters. That should do it, we will never get any of those
There was a bookstore I used to love in Pasadena – Vroman’s……lovely independent bookstore the kind where the staff fill out little index cards describing why they loved a certain book so you get all kinds of recommendations…………..and: Nordstrom, Sephora, Kohl’s, a big ol’ Target……and Trader Joe’s…..and Centinela Pet food store…..and some good ethnic or vegetarian restaurants….and plenty of parking where you don’t have to circle around and around to find a spot; places outside to walk
Oooh, all mine are local stores–no chains. (1) a dessert place that doubles as a cafe during the day but is open super late for dessert and also serves ice cream. (2) a bookstore (that also has movies and music). (3) and (4) two restaurants–a vegetarian place and a pan-Asian place that serves vegetarian pho! (5) drugstore/food store. (6) craft store. (7) ballet studio. (8) electronics store (maybe Apple? Fine, I’ll let in one chain). (9) an indoor play place. (10) a yoga studio and spa.
There is a town, not that far away (okay, it is far for you, but it’s about 45 minutes from me, so…let’s say a little over 2 hours for you) that is totally worth the day trip. I’ve already dragged Jendeis there and she agreed about how cool it is. It has so many of the items on my list.
-Starbucks
-Fabric Store
-Kosher Market
-Organic food store
-Thrift store
-Macy’s Woman
-Office Supply Store
-Container Store
-Craft Store
-kids stuff – combined clothes, toys, essentials
Um, HELLO – SO forgot the WINE STORE!
I love these games. You rock, Calliope!
My ten stores would be Trader Joe’s, Target, a crafting supercenter, Dollar Tree, a massive bookstore, Catherine’s, Lane Bryant, Gordmans, Petco, & DSW. I assumed that the stores in the current mall would still be open, or I’d need to find slots to delete for Bath & Body Works and Kmart.
And as for the design? I live in a small city, with fewer than 15,000 people. Our “mall” is a corridor about a block long. You can see all the stores when you’re just standing on one end. And I LOVE it! I get lost so easily in other malls. I’d want the designers to make the new mall a series of corridors that just looped back around on each other and put entrances on each end of each corridor. Also, because it’s a simple design, they could very easily add on to it later and have it all look the same. I agree that we need a wishing fountain and lots of benches. And a food court. And I want escalators if the mall is going to be more than one story high. I never even saw an escalator until I was 20, but they are So Much Fun!
I’d be tempted to say 10 fabulous and different bookstores, but then what about the coffee and sweets? So we’d need at least one amazing coffee shop and probably one dedicated bakery – the likes of which you’ve never seen outside of France maybe. And then the rest could be bookstores and I’d be happy. Good question!
1. Bookstore
2. IKEA
3. Craft store
4. Old Navy
5. Banana Republic
6. Gap
7. Cool wood toys/Waldorf type play toy store
8. Williams-Sonoma
9. Artisinal cheese/chocolate shop
10. Play area for kids while I shop
1. Specialty beer/wine/cheese/meat/bread/chocolate/coffee shop – yes all in one and done fabulously…
2. Ikea
3. A separate furniture/household store made by local/Montana craftspeople
4. I liked your idea of a rotating ethnic restaurant – one week Mexican, next week Thai – I think thats brilliant!
5. I really liked the idea above about the fabric store with the resident dressmakers although I would have to expand it to lingerie too…. I’m working on learning how to make my own underwear and bras and corsets…. and it would have to include vintage fabrics
6. An open air – sheltered farmer’s market/organic grocery store
7. An art house movie theater
8. A music store
9. An art/craft store
10. An incredible bookstore with a coffee shop
I would also like to add that this mall and all of it’s stores would be open on Sundays too. And all of the above would be run with utmost attention to customer service and an eye toward trade. I really enjoyed this game!! Thank you!