That rotunda is a great place for events or just concerts (with more seats) for the public to just sit and listen. It might even attract more crowds to come shop.
A lot has to do with the crime in San Francisco. The stores couldn't afford the losses of merchandise. Also slot of people are fleeing the Bay area because of the crime and not being able to afford to live there.
Retail in the age of the Internet and automobile is dead. It is a throwback to a bygone era. Hardware stores and DIY will still be necessary. But consumer goods retail? That is over. Soon, all these museums will close. And why not? Why would I get in my car to drive somewhere, then not find what I am looking for? Or find it and pay a third more? I am seeking to purchase a new outdoor backpack. I went to two shops in town. Both had the brand but not the model. Online, the backpack costs $330. In the store it is $500. Not even the right model. Your phone is the mall now.
I think brick & mortar shopping still makes sense for certain types of clothing, that and restaurants of course. In the 80's / 90's shopping malls were an event that teenagers wanted to spend their whole day socializing at. Even during their peak, indoor super malls were always a tenuous real estate business.
The strange thing is that malls are just the opposite overseas. The multiple malls near me in Porto, Portugal and the ones i used to frequent when i lived in spain are booming.
Buddy malls are normal in the rest of America, California is just a democratic shit hole. Democrats make it where people can’t afford nice stuff. Just look at their cost of housing compared to average income.
An idea here. Could using the former nordstrom space for pop up exhibts (that regularly change and tailored to booked activities for ages and famillies) potentially work. For example: One month you could have an Art Exhibtion and the next month, you could have like a tech themed exhibt or NBA exhibition or something and considering how massive the space is, I think the centre could run multiple pop up exhibts all at once. Even with just one floor of the old nordstrom space we could potentially host 2 - 3 exhibtions at once. The space is massive. And these kinds of pop up events could also breathe some new life back into the mall. Just an idea.
