Doug, The same ubiquity that is disparaged in these malls is working against you in your photographs. It is such a sterile, universal environment that I cannot muster much sentiment for departed tenants. They are a nameless, faceless group of chain stores that simply came and went. The original merchants in their city center shops have more sentimental value and character, but they are long gone.
My wife's 86 year old uncle recently donated a 'block' of downtown to the city Rock Island, Illinois. It includes the original building where his mom and dad ran a retail furniture business, and the adjacent buildings he acquired over the years. (He still sells furniture from a smaller location nearby.) For the past 40 years he has been trying to keep the old 'high street' alive as businesses moved to the new malls. It is much like trying to fight the flood waters of the nearby Mississippi river. Regards, Bob S. On Sat, Aug 1, 2009 at 12:41 AM, Christine Aguila<[email protected]> wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug Brewer" <[email protected]> > To: "Pentax-Discuss Mail List" <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 11:05 PM > Subject: Re: GESO - what we have left > > >> ann sanfedele wrote: >>> >>> I agree with a couple of others that the photos as photos are lovely, but >>> not exactly of something I would mourn the loss of. >>> I've never lived near a mall or used them much when I've avelled.... -- >>> what I hate to see going is the main street atmosphere where there are , >>> perhaps, a few streets closed to auto traffic but where you can wander from >>> little shop >>> to little shop outside... I like the ghostly atmosphere and lighting of >>> all of yours. >>> >>> ann >> >> Thanks, Ann. I'm getting the feeling that this may not be a project worth >> exploring; nobody cares that a mall is closing. Oh, well. > > > Actually, Doug, I wouldn't give up that easy. Richmond folk might very well > care about something that was once thriving and, perhaps, dear to their > hearts. As you stated, these 1st six are your round 1 shots; I'd give it a > few more trips to work the old mall. Moreover, the mall might be part of a > broader story--perhaps, just 1 of the many changes going on in Richmond--if > there are any; I don't know since I don't live there. I liked your shots, > and while I don't have the same sentimental feelings about the mall like > Richmond folk might, the set did make me think of the current state of our > national economy. HTH. > Cheers, Christine > > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
