I’m sure everyone has seen these-a major store goes under, and the mall owner rents the space to a store selling cheap crap from China-stuff like potted bamboo plants, cheap tea sets, “silk” clothing, Bhudda statues, etc.
I was once i the SS Plaza (Braintree MA), and encountered such a shop-it was going out of business-I bought a few items…next time I went-there was an identical crap store-just a new name!
Upscale malls have an image to uphold-why rent to these fly by night operations?
Plus, the market for these tschokes is pretty limited-how many incense burners and buddha statues do people need?
No, actually I have no idea what you’re talking about . I assumed you meant “crap sores” such as dollar stores and the like.
Are you Emily Litella?
I always take these as a sign that the mall can’t rent to a chain store, or a more upscale shop.
I notice that if there are too many such independent stores – even if they’re not “crap” stores, but well-run and selling real art – it’s a bad sign. The mall can’t rent to the enough big chains, which means it’s in a downward spiral. I’ve seen a couple of malls go under after this happened.
Although not always – I know of one that has been operating like this for a while, and shows no signs of closing.
empty spaces yeild more empty spaces or lower rents.
The point of a store being in a mall is foot traffic. The last thing a management company wants is empty spaces, it looks worse than a cheap store. And if there are empty spaces then other tenants will complain or as their leases come up they may ask for a rate reduction or considering moving.
Yeah, I used to know this woman who ran a little shop that sold bumper stickers and other customizable stuff, and she told me how when she had trouble paying her rent, the mall worked with her to help her pay, and preferred to move her into a smaller space rather than kick her out. They do NOT want empty stores at all.
ralph124c, it seems to me your OP is more of a rant than a factual question. Given your habit of opening inappropriate threads in GQ, I’m closing this.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator