I used to think dead malls were just a sign of the economy, but one comment changed my whole approach to exploring them

I was at the old Chapel Hill Mall in Ohio back in March and posted a photo of the empty food court. Someone commented saying I was just looking at the 'obvious decay' and missing the story of how the mall actually failed. They pointed out that the real reason it died was because the anchor stores left 15 years ago and the local management refused to adapt to online shopping. I changed how I research now, I check old newspaper archives for the exact year each store pulled out. It totally shifted how I document the spaces, now I focus on the timeline of closures instead of just the rusty escalators. Has anyone else had a comment totally reframe how you see an abandoned spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_butler7527d ago

Oh gosh, I spent years photographing rusty escalators before someone told me I was basically a ghost tour guide.

beth_sanchez4726d ago

Seriously doubt a rusty escalator's gonna summon any ghosts.