My daughter and I went to Rome this morning. It's been a while since we've gone on a trip together for some retail therapy.
While there, we visited Mount Berry Mall. I was surprised to see how fantastic the place looks. Yes, half of the stores in that once mighty retail compound are now gone (that's the case most places).
The people managing the place have succeeded in creating a mood during their commercial apocalypse that's somehow optimistic. Instead of leaving sad, vacant storefronts, spaces are covered by huge displays talking about what the community's other attractions are, the city's history, etc.
Author and theologian Richard Rohr describes liminal space as:
"where we are betwixt and between the familiar and the completely unknown. There alone is our old world left behind, while we are not yet sure of the new existence. That’s a good space where genuine newness can begin. Get there often and stay as long as you can by whatever means possible…This is the sacred space where the old world can fall apart, and a bigger world is revealed. If we don’t encounter liminal space in our lives, we start idealizing normalcy. The threshold is God’s waiting room. Here we are taught openness and patience as we come to expect an appointment with the divine Doctor."
In contrast to that...
Perhaps I am biased in favor of large photos and marketing campaigns. I wish more malls and commercial spaces would do this. Most of them are just too depressing to want to experience in the Amazon era.
This feels warm and welcoming to the people who are going to be visiting from out of town (like myself) and looking for an entertaining way to kill time. Malls and flea markets have always been about "people-watching" for me. Without any people around, half the fun evaporates.
I crave being around people, even as roll my eyes at all of the Karens and hope I don't have to interact with anyone. I miss the days of being alone in a crowd before a crowd became bait for an incel with a grudge and a rifle collection.
These are tough times. Just leaving the house is terrifying sometimes and being at home all the time feels sort of depressing.
Many of us have lost touch with old friends and professional network contacts due to the disruptions of the last couple of years. COVID-19 accelerated the decline of the brick-and-mortar retail marketplace.
I've tried to continue to buy local to keep dollars in my community, but it gets tough to find the things you want and need offered by someone in your community. Stores have always come and gone -- that's the free market for ya -- but with an accelerated pace of change.
It's been dark watching so many of the things you are nostalgic about crumbling. Change is scary -- especially when it lacks the decency to creep up on you gradually. One of the hardest parts is accepting difficult realities while avoiding the risk of appearing defeated. The shopping malls of America are being abandoned, leaving our communities with big open buildings that sit decaying.
Remembering a Victoria's Secret store that once filled a space with electric sex appeal then realizing how dead that illusion of luxury and pleasure is, it feels like experiencing mid-age and realizing that the glory of your past fades and what often remains feels uncertain at best. It's shocking how much the world has changed, and not just because of COVID-19. Consumer attitudes have transformed and things remain in flux.
We must find strength and have faith that tomorrow can be a better day. I'm sure it will be. Tough times do us a favor by demanding clarity and commitment, adversity makes us more resilient.
These displays are somehow comforting. As if to say, "Hey, things suck right now. But the fundamentals here are strong and our institutions that define us always adjust. Everything's going to be okay so keep the faith and remember what's worth preserving..."
Well done, Rome.
You recognized that when times are tough, you most urgently need to play to your strengths and put some effort into a strategic marketing campaign emphasizing a larger, comprehensive strategy. Sell hope.
The wording is carefully calibrated to say only the right things in bite-sized portions. A vivid imagery reminds us of beautiful sunny days when sunny optimism kept us hypnotized with a foolhardy degree of hopefulness. Displaying a place as far away as possible from the darkened rooms we share with dread and loneliness at 3 in the morning.
I hope others are inspired like I was and will put some effort into their freshening up their own presentation and marketing efforts. I left there wanting to return sooner rather than later.
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