Shopping Malls: The Dying Pastime

LONG BEACH, Calif. --- On a typical weekend, Southern California residents choose different types of activities to do in their leisure time. From beach walks to amusement parks. From park picnics to movie nights or even a shopping mall.

Shopping malls have been a popular pastime for many people since their inception. However, over the years many shopping malls have remained open but noticeably quieter compared to back in the 1980’s. Once a popular place to go to shop and hang with your friends, malls such as Puente Hills Mall and Westminster Mall now either face declining foot traffic or are completely abandoned and demolished.

The one possible culprit many are pointing towards as to why malls are starting to fail is the rise of online shopping. Many consumers using online platforms such as Amazon to shop is becoming more common. This shift in where the consumer is headed has left major department stores disconnecting from their malls and leaving the spaces vacant and difficult to fill. It is without departments such as Macys, JCPenney and Nordstrom that many malls struggle to maintain consistent food traffic, leading to a cycle of declining sales.

In the Long Beach area, Westminster Mall had closed just last year in October and had recently been demolished in April.

“It was mall that I used to go to as a kid,” said Juan Romero, a Hawaiian Gardens resident.

“The carousel was what it was known for. I would ride it as a kid and just before it closed, my own daughter would ride it too.”

The mall is now set to redevelop into town homes and retail stores according to Shopoff Reality Investments, who acquired the remaining piece of the mall from Washington Prime Group.

The Los Cerritos Center and the South Coast Plaza are both examples of malls that have adapted and are thriving. The Los Cerritos Center located in Cerritos, CA. is seen as beloved mall although its foot traffic has its ups and downs depending on what day. It has adapted through consistently adding new stores as soon as a tenant’s lease has expired and the keeping of strong anchors like Macy’s.

The Cerritos City Council had announced that they approved for the Los Cerritos Center to have renovations starting in 2026 last year.

“There’s always something going on here. Whether it’s a festival or a new grand opening to a store,” said Stefanie Linn, recreation supervisor for the City of Cerritos. “As someone who works in the city, that mall has stood the test of time and has gone through the likes of Covid.”

“This mall at least has an identity where I don’t even know what these other malls are doing or going for.”

As for the South Coast Plaza, located in Costa Mesa, it is the complete anti-thesis of dying mall. It is heavily anchored by luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Chanel. It is constantly updated with high-end dining. Unlike struggling malls, it doesn’t rely on traditional anchors like Macy’s or JCPenney.

Puente Hills Mall, located near La Puente, was once a thriving shopping destination and is famous for being a filming location for the 1985 movie, Back to the Future. It has since been near completely abandoned with just the AMC and Round1 Bowling being open for business. However, there have been talks about redevelopment plans that have never seen the light of day.

“I personally barely go to malls unless I have to,” said Cinthia Gonzales, Lakewood resident.

“I hate having to interact with people, the malls get too crowded and sometimes the places I shop don’t even have what I want in stock. While online has whatever I need and I can get to it quick. I basically just window shop through shopping online on my favorite brands.”

Whether these malls ultimately become abandoned, redeveloped or revived, these malls represent the product of their time and will remain in our minds and memories.

Ever wonder if malls are dying has some truth to it? In this video, I go to multiple different malls to find out with my own eyes. Take a look!

Listen to my newest podcast episode where I take a deep dive into the battle between online shopping and shopping malls in order to find out where do the majority of people stand by. All that and more on TheNowNow!

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