The Whole World in the Mall: Kevin Smith’s Mallrats

Abstract

The idea that each age has its signature structures to express what that age values, be it the Mayan pyramids, the Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe, or the great train stations of the late 19th century, does not seem hard to conceive. A signature structure of late 20th century America, both in architecture and use, is certainly the shopping mall. As early as 1956 the first fully enclosed shopping mall opened to the public in Edina, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Southdale mall was an innovative feat in many ways, representing a great change from the older concept, the strip mall. A strip mall was typically a one-level shopping center where storefronts faced the carpark and shops were lined up side by side. At the time, the general opinion among shopping center planners was that the customer should, at best, be able to park in front of the shop. Shops that could not be reached unless one rode up to another level, it was believed, would not be frequented by customers. All this made the instant success of Southdale a surprise to many.