Mall memories
Mall memories
Thoughts for the day
I’m a sentimental guy, so when a Facebook page dedicated to a long-gone ice cream shop shared 1970s-era promotional materials for the Exton Square Mall in Exton, Pa., it immediately caught my eye.
I have wonderful memories of malls. Montgomery Mall in Montgomeryville, Pa. had one of the best hobby and game shops I have ever been to. We would go there when I stayed with my grandparents — while my Grandmom shopped, my Grandpop and I would wait out in the promenade so he could smoke, because you could do that back then. And lunch would always be at the restaurant attached to the five and dime.
Back home, my family went to a few malls, but Exton was our go-to. It was a relatively short 30-minute drive, and it wasn’t huge, so it was easy to cover. As a kid, I’d climb around the children’s play area while Mom shopped. Dad and I would do our Christmas shopping there. Exton is where I first ate Chinese food. And every now and then, if I was lucky, I could spend a few quarters in the arcade. Talk about anticipation!
As a teen, the toy stores and video games became clothing, record stores and sporting goods. When I could borrow the car, there was no better place for me and my friends to burn a hot summer afternoon.
Malls, with a few exceptions, are becoming a thing of the past. Changing trends, economics, and the inability to counter Amazon and Walmart have taken their toll. Websites are dedicated to abandoned-mall photography. Exton Square and others have increasingly been taken over as office space for the medical profession and other uses.
Unless they are part of a revitalized downtown district, brick and mortar shops these days tend to be found in strip malls or higher-end outdoor malls designed to feel like town squares. But on a trip this weekend to an outdoor outlet mall with temps in the 20s and wind chills lower still, I couldn’t help but think how much nicer it would have been to be sitting on a bench next to a fountain waiting for my other half than trying to stay warm in an inconspicuous corner of the crowded store while she shopped.
The Six
No. 1
Spotify Chief Executive Daniel Ek apologized to employees for the latest Joe Rogan controversy, the WSJ reports, but that he also doesn’t believe in “silencing him,” saying “Canceling voices is a slippery slope.” I agree with that, particularly in how we define “misleading” information. The way platforms have been deleting posts and podcast episodes — voices — is problematic for anyone who values the First Amendment. That said, the latest part of this controversy — his use of a racial slur in episodes of his podcast over the last decade — is different, likely depends on intangibles and will likely play out accordingly.
No. 2
In the NYT, Christopher Walken Shares the Secrets of Acting Like Christopher Walken. Predictably, it is an amazing experience. “I’ve always resented punctuation.”
No. 3
Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey is about to lift his mask mandate, this on the heels of Pa. Gov. Tom Wolfe doing the same. Connecticut and New York look likely to follow suit. This “return to normalcy” is interesting as each of these states had some of the strictest pandemic rules, and in light of the debate raging in Virginia over Gov. Glen Youngkin’s “no mask” mandate.
No. 4
If you’re like me, you just assumed the winter games were held in places that usually get a lot of snow. But that’s not the case, in Beijing, the snow is man-made. Part of that is the region, while cold, is dry. But, man-made snow is also heartier. Natural snow simply couldn’t take the pounding. The Economist explains in this fascinating story.
No. 5
The launch date for Donald Trump’s upcoming Truth Social app is rapidly approaching, but it will need Apple and Google to survive — removal from their app stores would put it in the same boat Parlor. Reuters has a look at where that stands: Analysis: Trump’s Truth Social app, self-proclaimed foe of Big Tech, needs Apple and Google to survive.
No. 6
Baseball card aficionados know the T206 Honus Wagner baseball card is the holy grail, most recently selling for $6.606 million. But how much would half a card be worth? Now we know.
Quote of the Day
“I remember making a movie once where they had me dye my hair this completely unnatural color. I argued, but they had their way, and there I was. So in every scene I was in, whomever I was talking to, my subtext was What do you think of my hair? No matter what I was talking about to anybody, I was thinking, What do you think of my hair? Are you looking at my hair? Isn’t my hair horrible? It colored everything that I did, and I ended up being rather amusing but nobody knew why except me. Sometimes I do things just to amuse myself. I’ve played scenes pretending that I was Elvis or Bugs Bunny or a U-boat commander. I just don’t tell anybody.” — Christopher Walken
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About
Christopher Six is a passionate advocate of community journalism with more than 30 years in the media, corporate communications and marketing. An award-winning designer, columnist, illustrator, photographer and newsroom leader, he is a respected voice in journalism ethics. A veteran reporter, he has created and taught news writing seminars for community colleges and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.
Editor’s Note
Pick Six is published most Mondays-Fridays. Sharing of stories does not equal endorsement, however, personal thoughts and commentary on those stories are 100 percent my own.