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The History of Shopping Malls
Shopping malls have been a staple for commerce and entertainment for centuries. Aside from the retailers who provide the things people desire to buy, shopping malls are a top contender for a fun place to socialize, eat, and shop. Although malls are an extremely normal and common addition to society now, you may be surprised by their history.
The Foundation
Bloomingdales was the first department store to be opened in 1872 by the Bloomingdale brothers, Lyman and Joseph. "The Grand Depot,†opened in 1877, was the next to open. It was a department store that towered at 6 total shoppable floors and even had an indoor restaurant. In 1872, mail-order catalogs began being printed and used, which helped customers make orders without going to the store. This helped traveling salesmen immensely.
In 1844, James Ritty patented and invented the first mechanical cash register. It was later improved by adding ink and a paper roll to record sales transactions, leading to the development of receipts. In 1906, the cash register was rebuilt with a motor inside to automatically do the majority of the work.
A Philadelphia pharmacist named Asa Candler invented the first coupon in 1895. He had previously bought Coca-Cola from its original inventor and used his coupons in newspapers to advertise the drink. Many years later in 1952, the barcode was invented and patented by Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver to keep track of sales and make transactions easier.
The invention of the automatic sliding door wasn’t too far behind, being invented in 1954. They had regular doors, but people wanted new, flashier ways of doing simple things. These doors were sold to restaurants and retailers and soon blew up to be a regularity. All of these inventions, even down to the doors, set the stage for the first megamalls and shopping centers.
The Birth of Malls
The first official recorded shopping center was located in California in the 1920s, starting with supermarkets and larger department stores to serve as the main attraction while smaller stores started attaching themselves to capitalize on the high level of attention the supermarkets would attract. Unofficial, smaller ‘shopping centers’ got their start a while earlier. In Baltimore, 1907, a group of local stores and businesses in a neighborhood established off-street parking. These weren’t considered the first shopping mall because they weren’t connected, but they’re still a vital component to the evolution of the concept. In 1922, a country club in Kansas City built the first string of stores that were only accessible by car, and in 1956, Minneapolis opened The Southdale Center to be the first indoor mall to open. By 1987, there were over 30,000 shopping malls in the United States. The first megamall wasn’t opened until 1980 when the West Edmond Mall opened in Alberta, Canada. It had over 800 stores, including a church, an amusement park, a water park, a zoo, a hotel, a miniature golf course, and a 438-foot lake.
Conclusion
Shopping malls are now a regular part of society. Commerce is easier than ever, with stores even sporting websites to make shopping even easier. While we may take them for granted now, so many inventions, brilliant people, and years of evolution and adaptation were taken and used for the creation of such convenience, fun, and learning. The mall has created much more accessibility for items that would otherwise be unavailable, a popular social destination, and more job opportunities for society.
Works Cited
Bellis, Mary. "Shopping Innovations: Malls, Carts, and Cash Registers.†ThoughtCo.
Feinberg, Richard A., and Jennifer Meoli. "A Brief History of the Mall.†ACR North American Advances, 1 Jan. 1991.
