What do Edmontonians think of "the mall"?

[JamalWhite]

Originally Posted by newfangled

I grew up in the west end about a 5 minute drive from the mall. It was a huge focal point of my life, and I have spent way too much time there.

As a kid the mall meant weekend outings. In junior high and high school it was the place to hang out. Even in universtity there were the theatres and stores and some decent bars there. Now I live downtown and go to the mall maybe 4 or 5 times a year.

I still think it's an incredibly interesting place. It's dynamic and alive and is - bizarrely - a community. Even though it's a private space, on a Saturday afternoon it's very much the village square (especially in the middle of winter).

If the mall hadn't been built then some other generic westLondonderry or westSouthgate would have sprung up in it's place...or worse yet a West Edmonton Common with acres of box stores. I think that the mall and its unique, vibrant crazy community is of much more value to the city than that.

Is the mall a drain on downtown retail? Yup. But if the mall hadn't been built would the downtown still have fallen into the doldrums in the 80's? Absolutely.

It's been 25 years, and after all this time I don't think its a zero-sum game anymore. The mall is one hub of activity in Edmonton, and so is Whyte, and the Downtown should be too.

So yeah, I really like the mall.

Good points here, but I don't know if I can go for the whole manufactured mall community arguement.

[CanadianCentaur]

To me WEM's just a glorified mall. But hey, you can't argue with the fact that it's a big tourist attraction in Edmonton!

It really, really should be renoed both inside and out. But with the way Triple 5's embroiled in a legal battle with ATB or something like that, it's unlikely that it'll happen soon. If they can't afford to do an extreme makeover on WEM, then they should sell it to someone else who can.

[feepa]

WEM may have not caused or is a leading role in the cause of suburbia, but it did take the retail focus away from central areas of the city (like all malls did/do). WEM is just a much bigger magnet that has taken alot away from downtown.

I'm still on the fence to whether or no WEM is a good thing. I think its important to have different central nodes to a city - especially a bigger city as Edmonton is getting to - and WEM connected to the LRT really defines it as a center point (if that ever happens). Will be really interesting to see what happens to 87 ave over the next 20 years thats for sure.

[240glt]

I hate that place with a passion

[LordMandeep]

The mall and the oilers in the 80's is what Edmonton is known for.

It is like our streetcars in Toronto. Most agree they cause more congestion then other modes of transit, but they are the things that make this place different.

[tuffyy]

I actually dont mind the mall,it is always packed and draws many stores I dont think Edmonton would see without it.Its good for tourism,maybe just need's a little more TLC in spots.

[The Chemist]

The waterpark and roller coaster are the only good things about WEM, IMO.

The 80s kitschy interior is painful on the eyes, sort of like Chinook or Southcentre before their extensive renovations.

[Rocket252]

Originally Posted by murman

I've been waiting for your reply ever since I wrote my original comment!

Your wait is over murman

One has to weigh the pros and cons of what the mall has done for Edmonton over the past 30 years. Sure it looks ugly and has created the impression of Edmonton as the " city with a mall" It has seriously drawn away from downtown development and contributed to the "decentralization" this city is afflicted with.

But it has also drawn a lot of people in as tourists that hopefully got a chance to visit some of the fine tourist attractions Edmonton has to offer and came away with a better appreciation of the city. And if that helps in the long term development of this city then the west Edmonton Mall experience was worth it.

[codeman9669]

I personally like the mall. I like to shop. When I was younger, I used to like to party it up at the numerous bars (I like to do that, too!)

There are certainly stores in WEM that arent anywhere else in the city. (On the flip side, there are stores elsewhere in the city that are not at the mall...I shop everywhere, hahahah!)

I agree that we have likely seen stores here that we may not have otherwise seen due to the mall.

Could it use renos? YES. Do I hope it gets them? YES. Will I continue to go there one way or the other? YES.

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by murman

Worst thing that ever happened to Edmonton.

Actually that would be Jan Reimer.

[Edmonchuck]

...and the merry band of zealots therein...

[Auditor]

I actually like the mall- it has grown over the years and now has a good amount of unique retailers. People that bash it make no sense to me- it’s the biggest tourist draw in the province and has also been able to attract stores we may not have otherwise got.

People will argue that if West Ed didn’t exist then store like Lacoste,Hollister, A&H, Sephora….would have set-up shop DT but I find this hard to believe. These shops would have ended up in places like Kingsway or Southgate.

Actually I’ve heard that Triple 5 made a conscious decision a few years ago to attract premier retailers versus renovating.

[Hardhatdan]

The waterpark is cool, but it sucks alot of the good middle-high end stores way out to the west end. Move europa blvd's stores to Downtown thanks.

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by murman

That offensive stinking pile of horse-sh!t should be nuked. Worst thing that ever happened to Edmonton, and worst thing that continues to happen to Edmonton. It's the concrete shoes dragging Edmonton down into the briny deep.

Now, I'm opposed to it being nuked. Surely, a smaller controlled demolition can be arranged.

[Coldrsx]

best single shopping under one roof in canada hands down.....sorry it is.

do i love it? no

do i want to blow it up, no

does it need renos, yes!

[Atlguy33]

I always visit the mall when I am in E-town, but each visit is shorter than the last. Last year I think I was there for about 1.5 hours. I bought a shirt at Bootlegger and some stickers and T-shirt at the Oilers store (it was Stanley Cup time!).

They should very most definitely renovate it.
Perhaps start in Spring '08? (I've been putting that in all my posts the past two days.)

[fortroad]

I like it, it may not be the best thing to happen to the city but it is something that is different. Sadly it defines the urban sprawl that is so apparent in todays world.

[DizzyEdge]

When WEM was built, did it suck the retail out of the downtown, and if it disappeared would that retail return?

Of course it could be argued that from the beginning of the shopping mall era they all sucked retail from downtown.

[Coldrsx]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

When WEM was built, did it suck the retail out of the downtown, and if it disappeared would that retail return?

Of course it could be argued that from the beginning of the shopping mall era they all sucked retail from downtown.

there would be more...but not night and day...calgary doesnt have WEM and it isnt much better off than Edmonton...

[adeep88]

Was there today. They got xmas decorations all over the mall, with the production of the hollywood movie right now. I wonder if the movie is going to go straight to DVD or whether it will have a theatrical release.

These decorations and lights definitely make the mall look more lively. I wouldn't mind a year round theme like that.

H & M is huge (where Roots used to be), but nothing special IMO. Then again, all these high end stores entering Alberta through WEM in the past few years don't appeal much to me since I've never been a big shopper.