The
80s-era mall that was once part of this building looks like it was quite an interesting space itself, and the upper level still has a neat look to it with all of the gables and skylights. It's nowhere near as flashy as most full-size malls were back then, but for a mini-mall it's more than I would typically expect! I quite like how this shot turned out too, with the lone remaining indoor tree right in the center; it's a decent comparison view to
this one from when this was still a mall with kiosks and small shops where QFC's main salesfloor is now.
Wow, it's hard to believe those before and after photos are of the same thing! The mall certainly looked more vibrant back when it was a real mall. The small neon signs might be enough to make a big difference!
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of urban NW malls and multi-floor supermarkets, I discovered something neat today! I'm not sure if this will be news to you, but probably at least part of the story will be news. I was checking out the Salem Center on Google Maps today when I spotted the Roth's Fresh Market store on the other side of the river. I had heard about Roth's because I think they are now affiliated with the Chuck's Produce & Street Market stores in Vancouver, WA as they both have the same Canadian owner, but I didn't know anything about Roth's so I decided to check their store out on Google Maps.
It turns out their store, which is very nice, has a second floor which is actually a multi-room events center run by Roth's for weddings, corporate conferences, and so forth!
Store: https://goo.gl/maps/nnuRc2SxVeNgp3Tr6
Event center: https://goo.gl/maps/qpzGU4Hseid3kGZf9
According to an article about Roth's from 2015, it seems the idea of a two-story supermarket came from the Roths visiting a Simon David supermarket in Dallas in the 1980s. Simon David was an upscale format of Tom Thumb. Of course, Randall's bought Tom Thumb and Safeway bought both. I believe it was under Safeway that Simon David was discontinued and their remaining stores were turned into Tom Thumbs. Anyway, it is kind of kind that a strange supermarket in Salem, OR was at least partially inspired by a fancy Texas supermarket that was once owned by Randall's! That said, Roth's certainly came up with the idea of a supermarket/event center combo on their own! Link: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/life/food/victor-panichkul/2015/05/13/roths-celebrates-grand-re-opening-west-salem-store/27219215/
Yeah, it's impressive to see how active this mall originally was! The QFC is certainly busy in its own right, but the remaining mall area is pretty dead (it actually doesn't seem to have a lot of vacancies, surprisingly enough, but at least on the weekends when I've visited, there's hardly anyone around).
DeleteCool stuff! Multi-level grocery stores, sometimes even with mezzanine seating areas that look almost like the Google Maps picture, aren't new to me, but a grocery store with an event center in it certainly is. Having a wedding in a grocery store sounds quite weird, even to me!