Are outdoor malls better than windowless, indoor malls?
The reason Musiq Soulchild always makes me think of shopping
It’s been 24 years. But no matter how much time goes by, every single time I hear Musiq Soulchild’s “Just Friends (Sunny),” I think of Gurnee Mills shopping with my mother, two godsisters, their mother and one of my godsister’s friends.
The song had just released, and my younger godsister started beatboxing the instrumental clear out of nowhere. That beat set off a dance battle between me and the older godsister. Mall shenanigans. What’s better than that?
Known as “the largest outlet and value retail shopping destination in Illinois” and spanning more than 1.8 million square feet, we certainly had enough room to move around.
Gurnee Mills is one of those malls that people will debate about being an indoor mall or an outdoor mall. There are a wide assortment of stores inside one building but enough additional stores in the surrounding area to walk or drive to, and it makes the suburban landmark a little bit of both.
Unlike a completely outdoor mall (ex. Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie, Illinois), Gurnee Mills is a happy medium for both crowds — those who are just fine hanging out inside all day and those who want to get some fresh air in between swiping credit cards.
It’s a sneaky dynamic that works out well, especially considering CNN’s unveiling of why malls have no windows. According to the news report, in 1956, a format was created in a “very large boxy building that was — deliberately — devoid of windows.” Anyone who loves to shop knows what happens when you’re a shopaholic in a mall.
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It is very easy to walk in when the sun is shining and walk out with street lights on. Meanwhile, you were too busy trying on clothes, testing perfume samples, eating at a food court, and chatting with friends (or texting on your smartphone) to even realize the whole day has gone by.
What’s more fascinating to me about the creation of windowless malls is that I never paid much attention to the plants — even as someone who spent three hours watering the condo building’s grass and fussing over her indoor plants yesterday. As much as I know a considerable amount of plants need sunlight, I completely overlooked the unnaturally bright artificial lighting in malls and the specific plants chosen within those walls. I should’ve long ago paid attention to the choice of plants in the winter season especially, but I was too busy looking at Santa Claus and Christmas trees to notice.
Is it the mall itself or the music vibe check in the mall?
I’ve had a long-standing habit of connecting music to moments in my life. Alicia Keys’ cover version of Prince’s “How Come You Don’t Call” makes me recall a ballerina performance 24 hours after an awful breakup with a guy I liked in college.