Update: Jamestown Mall has been retroactively named “Crumby Run-Down Mall of St. Louis #7″ due to its closure. The site sits abandoned, awaiting redevelopment that is a long time in coming.
This could be another cliche entry about “dead malls,” but my recent trip to Jamestown Mall reveals that many people still have hope for the shopping center.
Yes, a large number of storefronts are vacant, but there was still a fair amount of foot traffic on the three remaining wings.
Also, I was happy to see that a enterprising woman had opened a new spa and salon in the wing by the shuttered Sears.
I was also impressed at how friendly everyone was and how generally interested they were in my photography.
One of the problems for Jamestown Mall is that, compared to other malls, it it out in the middle of nowhere. I remember, as a kid, when the mall first opened. It was an amazing place to me. I was very dissapointed when they filled in the sunken seating areas. That really changed the whole feeling of the mall. The mall used to get a lot of business from Illinois since there wasn't anything comparable over there. Then slowly malls began opening in Alton and Fairview Heights and the people stopped coming. I don't think this space will ever be viable as a shopping mall. The location needs to be repurposed, but I'm not sure as what.