This entry is an experiment. How well can I compose a decent set of words while using the iPhone’s less-than-ideal keyboard, stabbing one letter at a time?
Probably not very. My thoughts are already well ahead of my letters; I have to keep throwing the train in reverse, pausing to catch up with my output.
But that’s not the point of this post. The point I have been pondering is this:
Green Hills Mall, WHAT THE HECK?!?
We haven’t been over there for several months; the parking situation coupled with the relentless construction made it a less-than-appealing destination. And of course they killed Davis-Kidd, so I’m not eager to patronize any of the other stores.
My brother was visiting this weekend, though, and he had fond memories of the joint. So we braved what turned out to be the worst traffic since Bonnaroo and murdered a stranger for his parking place.
Once inside, however, we instantly went from feeling like four adults who were doing okay for ourselves straight into four people who felt like Cousin Eddie living in a broken-down RV.
Seriously. Who in Nashville can actually afford to shop in this mall? Almost every store has that Rodeo Drive pricing system of “if you have to ask how much, it’s well out of your price range.” Gone are the cool shops like Discovery Store; instead of buying rain sticks and dinosaur DVDs you can now get $400 scarves at Burberry.
The only thing in the mall I could afford was the cherry Italian cream soda at Nordstrom’s e.bar.
Yes, we have some very rich people in this town. And yes, Franklin is an uberwealthy area. But are there enough people here with the kind of money it takes to keep a place like Green Hills’ new incarnation in business?
I am still heartsick over the loss of Davis-Kidd, which at one time was the greatest bookstore in the world. Bar none. Just five short years ago the mall owners enticed DK away from its fabulous Grace’s Plaza location, offering them anchor status in the then-new mall expansion. The store sacrificed its ambience for what they believed would be a prime location. Then Green Hills had a change of heart. So they jacked up the rent and DK, which was a profitable bookstore for parent company Joseph-Beth became less profitable. So it had to go.
In its prime anchor location is now a Container Store. How fitting. Like Green Hills Mall in microcosm, that space has gone from a vibrant and engaging place to a soulless home for overpriced empty boxes.
Just this morning I was reminded that I have to go buy a dress for an event. I thought I’d better plan to hit Rivergate on Saturday. And then I thought, oh, I should go to Green Hills, immediately followed by, there isn’t a single store I can shop in in that mall. Nothing, there’s nothing I would want to pay those prices for and even if I did, I doubt anyone there carries my size.
My parents were here recently and we were early for a movie over there (thank heavens Opry Mills theater is re-opened!) and so we took a turn around the Green Hills mall. Not only did it hammer home how much that mall is not for me, but I felt like I was in some sort of chemical shock when I left from all the perfumes that seem to drift from every store.
Thankfully, with my movie theater back I may never have to go to Green Hills again.
I don’t think we would have ever had a reason to go to Green Hills, but my wife is a fan of the Cheesecake Factory, and I enjoy treating her to a meal there once in a while. So we’ll wander around a bit after eating, feeling out of place just as you describe.
I think my wife found a purse at Goodwill once that was a Louis Vuitton, but she thought it was probably a fake. So we took it into the Louis Vuitton store there to find out. She was right — it was a fake.
Oh, almost forgot… I bought her a 10th Anniversary gift at Tiffany & Co. Probably one of the cheapest things you can get there, but it made me feel like a big shot, for like 10 minutes.
Everything is always on sale at Macy’s. I love Macy’s. They are my favorite department store, and their store brands generally rock. I could hardly find a piece of clothing I liked anywhere in Nashville until they took over whatever the store was that they took over. Also the Fossil store has batteries for my watch. And I bought something at Williams-Sonoma once. Otherwise I don’t visit most of the stores in that mall. But, Macy’s!
I’m with you there. Green hills mall is bizarre in its go-away-no-come-here vibe. We went there to see the Container Store (prob rtm) and it really is beyond the pale. Even the very wealthy pale. And if I ever meet you all, I will claim add’l street cred for my time working at Davis Kidd.