Remembering "The Mall"

Matt K. McClure Jan 24th 2020 ·

Matt K. McClure Jan 24th, 2020 ·

I can still hear the sound of people's shoes and "rickity-rack" of rolling UPS cart's wheels echoing off the still empty morning ceramic tiles.

It starts in the downside halls and up the main entresol; the nice man's voice is muffled and reverberated, conversations bouncing off card shops windows, seating sconces, and setting back security entrance doors. He is fit and tall with side-parted hair and glasses, looks an athlete from long days of heavy boxes, and is always so pleasant for having his good for his wife and kids at home - dropping off parcels to each shop and offering to carry the heavy ones to the back.

I hear his wheels start and stop on the tiles every ten seconds or so, knowing where he is at by the length of each roll telling me how wide the storefront was. the shuffle echos over sound system emitted a pleasant din of seasonal ramblings of horns, bells, and woodblock banter of whinnying horses and songs of tassels, they fall like laughing gas over the willing from speakers set in all layers and angular bends of the decorated 80's style white stucco space-station looking ceilings

Each morning we would all emerge from our usual parking spots as everyone found their place in it all this (a balance of things.) The businesses' lights turn on, and everything would slowly come to life one after the other like a daisy chain and relay race for what seemed a mile.

The Managers, Assistant Managers, and "Third keys" all kneel snapping to unlock clunking bolts from holes in the floor to lever doors to lock back down. Other smash-banging panels of plastic accordion doors into side slits to be hidden from view, all tossing genuinely pleasant goodwill and loud "Good mornings" across the halls to each other each day and promised holds and talk of discounts.

There's a particular sound of an ample space like that; the evolving mix of smells, lighting changes in different corridors, and the way the clouds would dim the skylights. The storms and the seasons could change your mood, just by the light. A tempo of traffic and percolation of people starting in the morning kept the energy alive.

They all came in their double-breasted suits and shoulder pad pantsuits and brightly colored dresses, big hair, and tasseled loafers that stayed the same. We would all take turns after opening our doors, or sometimes just one person would take the orders for multiple stores n the busy season. Mostly we just like to catch a break and see a different side of the Mall with different faces.

Everyone would line up for coffee, muffins, cookies, cinnamon buns to eat something in the morning before the rush. It was just a time to clean up a bit and refold things and reset the angle of shoes, and it just made sense this quiet start of each day for the employees ...it had purpose and lacked complexity or politics. It was just pure.

I can still hear the fun teenage laughter of groups of kids all working together to figure out how to be funny and cool and how to act - often too loud by the arcade or in the food court. I hear the blips blings, and bangs of all the new exciting technologies and games that seems so futuristic and the slurpy sounds of empty drink cups and the machine making change for tokens,

The Food court would hiss with hot sizzle and coordinated slaps and scrapes of sharp utensils on grills from cooks in funny paper hats politely barking options of lettuce, tomato, onions, or condiments over the high arched and rounded safety glass countertops displaying food entrees.

There was a "hustle" throughout the halls (calm, organized, logical, efficient, hustle). There was always a general politeness in each nook and from every sconce that was ubiquitous and only interrupted by the occasional hollow of someone running into someone else they hadn't seen in a while to catch up and then walk and talk together.

There was a rhythm to how the days evolved into the predictable busy-bee-buzzing of lunchtime and productive evenings; more employees would arrive in waves with less impressive suits, oversized jewelry, snapping gum, and unironed shirts. They often had store-bought lunch bags, see-through plastic purses and arrived with the after-work full family meanderers and older kids.

During the day with mom, the new harvest, and generations of children in strollers always so excited and curious by the colors, sounds, and lights, there was such a sweetness to the younger ones. You could tell real memories were being set in their minds as they stared wide eyes. These were the first-timers, and it was so much fun to watch them be introduced to "The Mall."

There were first-time employees too. You could always tell a new employee with lack-luster weaving skills starting and stopping on their way anywhere as they hadn't learned to Slolum through a crowd yet. They got nowhere fast and sometimes were even less efficiently return customers, but no one beats the Senior Mall-Walkers these people mean serious business. Some of them are known to cause the biggest stinks about 'those congregators' and were known to "beep-beep" well in advance of the bottle-neck to split crowds like Moses.

The 'professional shoppers' and 'return artists' could turn some tricks too and seemed to catch on quickly watching others. All in all, everyone always blended like blood platelets through the halls, and it was always interesting to watch them weave through the retired lazy-day window-shoppers just meandering or there to socialize.

There was such a calm in the Mall when we were there, you had arrived. We weren't rushing 'to get there' or rushing to leave to get somewhere. It was where we were going, "The Destination," and many were there for absolutely no purpose at all because it was just exciting to witness people; it was cathartic and carried memorial for our own humanity. Many had needs, but so many were just there to convene with the community. There was ALWAYS something to do in Waterford... We had the Mall.

The same patterns of the same faces on the exact schedules doing the same tasks are calming. All was right with the world when straightening display items to feel balanced. There was something so indelibly stained on a social center like this because not only did you work here ...you grew up there, and now you were bringing your own kids to see nearly the same wonderment you felt and loved as a child.

The same could be said for the seasons and holidays and winter to summer. "The Mall" was alive, had cycles and life, and it had people coursing through its veins. It had rhythm, and in It, it stayed all the same while changing and evolving all at once; changing its clothes, jewelry, shoes, and culture every season but not everything and not at all. The Mall changed, but it was still the same - it was "the Mall," and a living breathing thing. As time evolved, it evolved with us - just like we do, Following the latest trends and all its quirky little come-and-goes of different traditions and highs and lows and landmark stores changing within a giant landmark - "The Mall." It changed us, and WE changed it like it was listening, and we listened too.

The Mall had 'something' for 'everyone,' and we all came together in the very same space. It was 'all once' ...and I miss that. I miss the patterns, the people, the structured time, the calm, hands-in-pockets interaction, the flipping and spinning keys around our fingers watch my community one foot out the front gate to hear the entire Mall and my community.

It has been too long here in Waterford since we had a 'structure' like that. Sure ..we have the seasons, and school functions, and festivities, commerce, celebrations, and coney island breakfast joints - much like all those things that we enjoyed at the Mall, 'all at once' as well as our daily work.

It's not quite the same as that many people all circulating. We were the lifeblood and breath of the town all at the same time. Our other things are amazing, and people are doing amazing things, but it's not the home base that the Mall was the everything all at once ...but still calm.

People complain about the Mall and how it went downhill and what it became, and in some ways, I feel the same negativity about what happened. We lost identity, Destination, and kind of lost a second home to so many that spent so much time there. We don't see our friends every day anymore. Sure, we still see them, but not every day, and some not at all now. When the Mall left, many of them left too - for good.

I don't know if it was because it was just a simpler time here, or I was younger, or that America was just a little different place. Maybe it was all this technology that separated people. Still, I remember shaking hands a hundred times a day and dressing up nice and prideful, setting out my suit the night before for work every day, and eyeing that new suit in the window for weeks - saving up.

I remember putting on my 'best self' each day for people, and I was proud of what I was doing because I was very good at it, I was top-notch, and it felt like it would last forever ...but it didn't, and things have changed and for the most part - I have changed too, and I am okay with that.

Something was vital about all that for Waterford, or maybe it was just me, and it wasn't just money, commerce, or work. And in that, when I saw it leave as just a very young man, I kind of made a solemn promise to myself (in the back of my head) that I would be a part of making some things like that happen again here in my town (even if just parts of it.) But as I have accomplished more and learned more about what I am capable of, I realized that someday I might be able to make something VERY SIMILAR happen in this town.

I realize now that, in a small way, that I planted a very big seed those many years back, and it had gone unnoticed as sort of a hobby in my head while I was just waiting for others to do something for us. I thought maybe I could contribute in some small way when they did as I had promised myself that I would when the time came - until a few years back when I realized what I was sitting on.

I had been plugging away on concepts in my head since the early 2000s. I had actually submitted a complete mall redesign in 2006 when they took public submission and came in second n votes to the Minor league Ballpark concept, but that is not where it ended. the idea had migrated to land in the very center of Waterford. The ideas just continued, and now here we are 14 years later. Very quietly kind of waiting for someone else to do something about all this,

I have decided I will wait no longer, and I have sat down to make real progress. Still, I have decided I think it best with you - just like back in 2006 ...the vision I have been working on is looking like something very specific in my mind - enough to start putting pen to paper, and I think it's time we start drawing some conclusions together too. I have come to the conclusion that no one else is going to do this besides us. And I think it's that time that we start thinking big again.

-Matt K. McClure