IsabellaHayes

A vibrant spot where you can eat, shop, hang out with friends, get some exercise and access entertainment all in one place would sound wonderful to most.

Except this place is none other than the shopping mall: a dying art both locally and nationally.

Since the dawn of online shopping, malls have been on a sharp decline. According to Capital One, an average of 1,170 shopping malls closed each year in the U.S. from 2017 to 2022; others remain open but “dead.” The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated this issue. 

A textbook example of a “dead mall” can be found here in Omaha at Oak View Mall. 

For years after its opening in 1991, Oak View upheld its status as a retail hotspot, housing iconic stores like Sears, Younkers, Radio Shack, Hallmark and Buckle — all of which are no longer open. Once full with shops and restaurants, the mall’s occupancy has plummeted to less than 50%. 

Stephanie, an employee at the mall’s Hot Topic, has faced the decline firsthand. A challenge she faces is how the “corporate expectation is still to ‘make that dollar.’ It’s hard to sell to people when there’s no one to sell to.”

A stroll around Oak View Mall reveals that it resembles a ghost town, with a significant number of visitors simply there to walk laps, not make purchases. The remaining retail destinations include three anchor stores (Dillard’s, J.C. Penney, and the Rush Market) and a handful of franchises and small eateries — a shadow of the mall’s former glory. 

Reasons for the dwindling popularity of Oak View are the same as those for all in-person stores around the country.

Online shopping dominates the modern retail world. Some would say, why spend the time and effort to go out and buy something when you can do so with the click of a button right from home?

The primary audience of regular mallgoers has also shifted in the recent decade. “Majorly, it’s the older crowds that want to shop. The younger crowds are a-okay with buying online, getting it instantly right to their front door, whereas older crowds want to explore the product and know what they’re buying before they spend money,” Stephanie said. 

This mindset has also contributed to the downsizing and overall shutdown of multiple prominent brick and mortar retail chains in a phenomenon known as the “retail apocalypse.” Recent examples include Joann’s Fabrics, Party City and Forever 21 — losses that reflect a broader decline in physical shopping. 

However, not all malls are failing. 

Village Pointe in West Omaha and Nebraska Crossing in Gretna still welcome plenty of visitors. Both are outdoor malls, and their prosperity may seem strange in a region with such unpredictable weather. Their appeal, however, stems from their unique features.

Nebraska Crossing is an outlet mall, which means it attracts shoppers with its promise of cheaper prices for name brand items. Village Pointe’s success can be attributed to its highly sought-after businesses, which involve Lululemon, Sephora, Kendra Scott and Scheels. 

While Oak View has lost significant foot traffic, Westroads Mall — another longstanding indoor shopping center in Omaha — is thriving. Why? 

Junior Kiki Harrell credits the discrepancy to location, saying, “Westroads is more central.” 

This is a significant factor; while Omaha has expanded far beyond Oak View, which sits at 3001 South 144th St., Westroads occupies a continually prime spot just off Dodge at 10000 California St. 

While Westroads is flourishing thanks to its location, the merchants and owners want to know if there is any chance at a comeback for malls as a whole.

The answer may lie in today’s youth. Teenagers in particular are desirous of public spaces where they can spend time with friends and many find that malls are, in fact, the perfect spot to do so. On her occasional visits to the mall, Harrell typically “[goes] with friends,” and for “big events, like to get a dress [for a dance].”

Stephanie personally believes that “there’s going to be malls to a certain extent, but they’re going to become very few and far between,” and that they may one day become a feature attraction for “nostalgic purposes.”

Only time will tell if the American shopping mall will ever see success on a widespread scale again.