What the Gallery at Market East Means to Me

          Today is the day the Gallery at Market East in downtown Philadelphia with really effect how people shop. The Gallery will be partially blocked off, which effects traffic and commute patterns for SEPTA and bus routes but also is the turning point for the future of the downtown center. The Gallery once had famous labels like Gimbel's Philadelphia division, and later Kmart, which closed last year and a Century 21 Department store opened shortly after. Talk of the mall changing has since been an issue, and today is when the dreams of shoppers become reality. The Gallery will be closed off for several months while extensive renovation takes place, what does this mean, the 80's will be wiped clean off the floor, new lighting, interior styling, as well as exterior will be transformed.

          Although I never did get a chance of viewing the inside of this mall myself, pictures gloss the Google search and I know people who did go and content will be provided as soon as possible of there findings.

          This is such a cool center to me for the looks and style, like many malls, the flooring, untouched since it was installed, the brown and dark red shades of tile, and bleak cement pillars,and jungle of tree's and plants along each floor, such a cool time capsule will be torn up, and remade to fit the trends of the modern malls today, LED lighting and many shades of tan, and white couched and chrome tables will be placed over it. I get such a good feeling writing this, but the thoughts going through my head are of complete opposite, so you can say my inclination to the retro and forgotten things in urban sprawls is what I am into, but my eye's still light up at the sight of a new store opening, I still prefer to shop at the empty mall paneled in 90s faded paint, then go to the uptight, trending mall any day, but most of the time I do not buy anything anyway, so it doesn't matter the stores in the center, I go for the architecture.

          I guess really what the passion for this place fits the general trend of a place similar to this, the style of the building both inside and out, the looks, and the history the center has, although it is 2015, I would walk into a place like this and act as if its 1985, by stores and the people around me. For example, the mall's around where I grew up had Marshall Field's, Chicago's famous department store, I go into Macy's, and like many residents of Windy City, still refer to it as Field's. I go to Macy's at the local mall, and still refer to it as Field's in hopes of the older employee's may question me, and start talking about "I remember when it was Field's"., because that's what I am into.

          Hope for the best to this mall, as it is good to see it changing for the better than the worst, North America claims to loose 20 malls a year, is this true, this is a fact off the top of my head, so it may not be accurate, but guessing sure is since Owings Mills closed out of the blue last week, and the Lakeview Centre is finally being demolished. So spend time in the malls near and far from you, dead or immersed, enjoy where you are at.

          This was suppose to be about the Gallery in Philly, but this could be a reflection because of how off topic I got this time.

Enjoy this Gimbel's commercial and these old Gallery pictures from Google and Labelscar:

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