I’ve always been ambivalent about malls, and now they are dying. A good thing.
Today I stopped by Mall 205 because I was in the neighborhood having lunch with a group of old ladies from my church. I thought I’d see if Bath Bed and Beyond (or is it Bed Bath and Beyond?) might have a dishpan.
The young woman who greeted me was stumped at this request. She didn’t know what a dishpan is. I felt very old. Maybe the young only know from dishwashers?
I pushed my walker around to the back of the store as directed, where there “maybe” was a something like what I was trying to describe. There another young woman told me nope, they didn’t carry dishpans. Why didn’t I just use the sink?
I felt even older.
She suggested Fred Meyer (which only sells cheap Sterlite dishpans. I want a sturdy Rubbermaid.) Ditto Target.
But back to the mall. What little there is left of it. A jewelry store, a Cricket outlet … and many, many empty store spaces. The spooky feel was appropriately Halloween.
Oh, and the management doesn’t care whether the place is even accessible. The automatic door button was out of order, and the nice young woman who held the door for me blithely pointed out that the button hardly ever works.
Outside, the air was fresh, a little late October sunshine. I took a deep breath and felt a lot younger.
So long, Mall 205. RIP.
