re: Demolition of Cortana Mall already underway

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We aren't used to it in LA, but in other states, things happen fast.

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This isn’t a state thing. This is Amazon and Amazon period. They have the money and to keep up with their demand it requires spending it. And they do.

I went to the State Fair on that property for a few years before it moved to Airline Highway. Before that it was at the old Downtown Airport which is now Independence Park.

I also worked on the construction of Cortana and Mall of Louisiana when both were built and remodeled Cortana around 1990.

My experience with Amazon-it will be done ahead of time or the scope of work will be expanded. They tend to think forward on their feet and when they see an opportunity they just do it ie..add footage, acquire additional real estate etc...

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What killed people from hanging out at the mall? I'll hang up and listen.

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Cortana? Or malls in general?

Watching malls rise and fall has been interesting and sad.

As a kid
- Getting $10 to blow at Aladdin's Castle while mom gets her hair "done" or shops
- When they actually had toy stores in the mall
- Checking out the latest "singles" at the music store
- laughing at the fart spray at Spencer's
- Chik fil A back when they were only in malls

As a teen
- the mall we knew now only had a Sears, some wig shops and a watch repair store
- don't go to that mall!!
- OOOO... a new mall!
- Shooting at mall.
- don't go to that mall!!

As a grown up
- Thank god for the outdoor mall on "north" end of town

With kids
- Let's go to the Lego store and the Disney Store
- Yes, we can ride the carousel
- remember when malls had toy stores?
- Smell this fart spray
- The new movie theater charges WHAT? Ha. Let's go to the old mall, the movies are $1 there.

I went to our mall the other day. It is so wild that a place where you couldn't find a parking spot just a few years ago is almost completely empty. Surrounded by office buildings, lunchtime would be PACKED with folks grabbing a bite, shopping, and hanging out. We had an American Girl store, and families from all over the southeast would bring their daughters there and spend a weekend in town. I'd run into people I knew from "back home" and it always blew my mind they'd drive several hours for it. The stores that are left are just empty and sad, I can't imagine they can even pay their rent.

I'd estimate at least 50% of the space is empty, not counting Sears which was supposed to be demolished and converted into something else before Covid hit.

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Hello to our Amazon overlord, spreading Chinese goods at faster pace. The new America.

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Warehouse jobs are shitty.

$12/hr retail mall jobs replaced with $12/hr warehouse jobs.

I wonder what the demo cost is on that

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Can we get Amazon to build the loop next?

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If people were not so attached to the Government Tit we would have privatized roads.

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I remember squirrel hunting in the woods there before Cortana was built.

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There was also a big open area where my brothers and I launched our Estes rockets, around 1971 - 1972.

Bon Marche was "the Mall".

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I remember squirrel hunting in the woods there before Cortana was built.

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My dad always told me he rabbit hunted there with his grandfather in the 60s.

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Getting $10 to blow at Aladdin's Castle while mom gets her hair "done" or shops
- When they actually had toy stores in the mall
- Checking out the latest "singles" at the music store
- laughing at the fart spray at Spencer's
- Chik fil A back when they were only in malls

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- SpacePort FTW
- KB Toys (Dillard's entrance) we called it "KGB Toys"
- Record Bar (Maureen always had the dope on thrash metal album droppage/tour dates
- always read the 6, 7th and 8th ed. of "Totally Tasteless Jokes"
- Mamma Brava FTW

The best was prolly Jr High "Mall dates" where you just walked around holding hands and hoped her Dad didn't round the corner.

Yeah, hoping that turns around or balances out some. I see indoor malls having a purpose and being one of the only viable ones around and location has to pay off to an extent.

Really curious to see what goes on with Sears space. If they can get a Belk , or two smaller but mainstream places and split upstairs and downstairs there is some hope.