Checked out that mall in Springfield everyone said was totally gone, but the food court was still alive

I drove out to the old Springfield Galleria yesterday after reading online it was basically a shell. I was fully expecting just empty halls and maybe one sad store. The main part was dead, with maybe three shops open and a lot of those temporary kiosks gone. But then I turned a corner and the whole food court was still running, lights on and everything. There were six places serving, including a Chinese spot and a pizza place with a line. The guy at the pizza counter said they renewed their lease for another two years because the rent is so low. It was so strange to see this one bright, busy spot in the middle of a quiet, echoing building. I got a slice and just sat there watching people come and go from this little island of normal. Has anyone else found a mall where just one section is hanging on like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

viola_cooper621mo ago

The same thing happened at the old Westgate Pavilion here. The whole place is a ghost town except for the movie theater, which still has a steady crowd every weekend. It's like a little pocket of life in a dead building.

seana141mo ago

That "little island of normal" is exactly it. I saw the same thing at the old Millcreek Mall, where just the hardware store and a coffee shop held on for years. It's like @viola_cooper62 said, these little pockets of life can keep going on their own. They just need a few steady places to draw people in.