I am sitting (well, actually standing) in my cube at work, situated in what was once the menswear section of Montgomery Ward. We make fun of the guys who sit down in what was the tire shop and oil change area. And no one gets to sit in the "battery room" which apparently is where MW put the batteries people brought back for the core charge. I think the acid and chemicals have all been remediated, but no one is willing to bet on it.

The rest of the mall is inhabited by two for-profit colleges and a call center (which I think is a call center for a third for-profit college). But that's it. The mall is mostly empty except for the senior citizens and I who walk the empty (but still buffed) hallway. The center atrium is actually nice, they've put some inexpensive chairs and tables where people could congregate if anyone were here to do so. The parking lot is IMMENSE. I imagine we fill only 5% of the parking spots between all of the companies here.

The current rumor is that the mall will be torn down and redeveloped. They've struggled for years to keep tenants. But as long as we're here - at least our portion of this retail relic will remain. I guess we'll have even more parking if that happens.

The strange thing is... yah.. malls are closing, but new ones continue to pop up. It's not as if malls are going away - they're just taking new shapes. Outdoor malls seem the rage lately in Colorado. The mall in my hometown made the same conversion. I can't speak to the success of that model - but it's happening.

I work in Montgomery Ward.