Chocolate Boutique by auntietk
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Description
Let me tell you a story about the history of Seattle and shopping malls.
In 1950 one of the first post-war mall-type shopping centers was built in North Seattle. It was comprised of several stores all in a row, facing each other across an open-air pedestrian walkway. I remember going there as a child with my grandmother.
As many of you are aware, it rains a lot in Seattle. An open-air pedestrian mall limits the number of days one can comfortably shop. So in 1962 they put up what they called a "Sky Shield." (Clever jet-age World's Fair sort of name, isn't it?)
Even that wasn't enough, and in 1973 they fully enclosed the place, and ever since then it's looked like your average, run-of-the-mill, normal indoor shopping mall. I remember their ad jingle ... "Warm in the winter, cool in the summer." It was a new concept!
I'm sure you're wondering why I'm telling you all this!
Alderwood Mall was opened in 1979, and it was your standard indoor shopping mall. Not content to leave well enough alone, in 2005 they did some major remodeling and added two new sections called The Village and The Terraces which are open-air pedestrian malls.
You see how this comes around full circle? Perhaps I'm the only living Seattleite who remembers when the Northgate Mall didn't have a roof.
Anyway ...
THIS picture is of The Village at Alderwood. Notice the umbrella stand on the right. They're everywhere in the open-air section of the mall, provided by the management for those days when it rains. (The idea is that you grab an umbrella at the door of one store, walk to the next store, drop the umbrella in the stand there, pick one up when you leave, etc.)
I wonder how long it will be before they decide an open-air mall in this climate is a bad idea, and put a roof over the whole thing.
Maybe they'll call it a Sky Shield.
:P
Comments (20)
EJD64
Tara, thanks for the story and the photo. I will not show this to Karen as this is one of her favorite sweets.
Faemike55
Love teh image and the story! Both are excellent
wysiwig
Chocolate...huh, huh, huh, huh. I saw a news report of a fashion show in China (yeah, China!) were the major parts of the cloths were made of chocolate. This might provide a new level of enjoyment when undressing your lover although in my case, with all that chocolate, it would be easy to lose interest in the woman.
ElusiveAngel
I am so glad there are not such shops where I live. I will be overweight for sure! Great shot and love the information!
RodS
Indeed history repeats itself again and again and again.... Sadly, most of the shopping malls in the Kansas City area are either in decline or have been torn down altogether to make room for yet another Walmart... They have been replaced mostly by - guess what - open-air shopping "villages" like Zona Rosa, and The Legends. Anyway great shot, Tara! Now you've got me craving chocolate! :-)
durleybeachbum
Absolutely fascinating! I dislike indoor malls intensely, because of the trapped noise and crowds I suppose. Luckily for me I live near 'the shops' and I have a selection of different weight waterproof jackets!
ZanderXL
Sky Shield... that conjures up images... Looks like rain... activate the Sky Shield!
Chipka
Chocolate! That was the first thing I noticed. Chocolate. And a sky shield? WOAH! Shopping malls are such an odd concept and on a level, they're distinctly US-American. I've been to a few in the Czech Republic and Germany and I gotta tell you, they were...well...bland and anonymous and kinda IKEA-colorful, but they didn't quite reach that level of shopping-mallness that you can get over here. And I suspect that it's only a matter of time before the open areas are roofed over with yet another sky shield. This also got me to thinking of the novel Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson. In that novel, US-American culture was reduced to software development and pizza delivery and it was possible to travel cross country (on a skateboard) without ever leaving a shopping mall parking lot...In short, there were so many shopping malls that their parking lots touched, end-to-end all the way across the country. Yeah, it was that kind of a novel! Now, back to this image. Chocolate! Not only that but a fantastic, rich image with chocolate somewhere in it. How cool is that!?
whaleman
You closed the circle here! I still like individual shops out in the open regardless of the weather. A chocolate shop, what a great place to hang around and pick up women, LOL!
kgb224
Superb capture Tara. Thank you for sharing the information and your memories as well. God Bless.
bmac62
You and the 6D teamed up nicely on this one. The gold lettering over the door really appeals to me...ooops got to go. I just heard a friendly voice. Maybe she has some chocolate for me:)
debbielove
There we are, the compact history of Malls in Seattle lol Mind you I'd live in that store! Nice one! Rob
Dreamingbee
it looks and sounds great !
bobrgallegos
Outstanding capture and narrative!!
helanker
And here I thought I would read a story about chocolate :-) But this story was rather interesting too :) Excellent shot too.
moochagoo
Seems a nice place to shop.
Blush
Oh my now your making me want chocolate lol great pic and image Hugs Susan~
jocko500
wonderful
Isabelle711
Oh I love chocolate. :)))) This would be the store for me. LOL!!!!! Most interesting story of this area. :)))) Most excellent capture my friend. :))))) Thank you for sharing all of the beauty you see. :))))) Carry A Warm Smile In Your Heart :)))))))
MrsRatbag
LOL! I remember Lakewood Mall, in beautiful Lakewood, California. About three blocks long, stores on both sides; the thing that apparently made it a mall was that there was no driving between the stores, only walking, and the parking lot surrounded the "shopping center". Then they built the nearby Cerritos Mall, a huge indoor shopping mall, very chic and modern at the time. We do go in circles, don't we? Maybe they need to put retractable roofs on the malls, like they do in sports venues. Great shot, excellent focus on that shop name. 6D? 50 mm? :)