Sunday, August 29, 2010

Jamestown Mall, MO



Jamestown Mall in the northern St Louis area (north of Florissant on Lindbergh) is a small mall; it appears to have been originally designed to serve a growing community of subdivisions that never quite materialized. Regardless of it's origins, I'm sad to report that Jamestown Mall is quickly on it's way to becoming a dead mall. Approximately 40% of the square footage is closed, with the remainder being mostly filled with small independent shops. The main draws are a Macys and a fabulously large JC Penney Outlet store.

For mall lovers like me, however, this place is purely beautiful. Both the interior and exterior speak of a classic 80s mall design. I was so impressed by the ceilings and large interior fountain with sculptures (that picture didn't turn out, unfortunately) that I found myself really saddened by the mall's slow death.



With the state Jamestown is currently in, I'm not going to bother with the traditional "Kiosk" rating system or listing pluses and minuses. There are few reasons other than an appreciation for mall history to visit Jamestown. It's out of the way and there are not many stores. The JC Penney outlet, while out of the way, offers much in the way of reasonably priced clothing (my wife was able to purchase 7 new shirts and a few other items for about $100), and if you have an interest in supporting independently owned specialty businesses, this mall might be worth a short trip.

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