an economic jolt... mall closed

[rockriver]

i drove on i 85 today southwest of atlanta.
about 3-4 exits south of atlanta hwy 138 crosses I85
i used to work this area years ago. lots of solid folks, airport employees,
blue collar, good wage jobs. lots of service jobs, lots of engineers etc.. too.

today we got off the interstate for lunch and found the mall CLOSED.
i'm not sure the name.. shannon mall or union station??
i asked at the quickie diner and was told the first sign was that the power company cut
off the electricity because the owner hadn't paid the electric bill. then later the whole mall closed.
--
as i looked closer, i saw that several of the businesses in area were closed. the shoney's was now an offbrand restaurant..
most of the folks i saw were democratic types. very few republican looking folks.
this is not the demographics of when i worked in this area. it looked like atlanta had spilled southward.

this was a jolt.. and a wake up call.

[WiseOwl]

Union city. Shannon mall. Thats where I grew up. Not a good side of town to be on rr. Especially at night. I have so many great memories of my grandparents house near there.
I know that mall has been closed down for a couple of years.
I ate my first chick Fil a there as a child.

SW ATL is not a good place to be pre or post PAW

[rockriver]

wise,
that is part of the story.
"not a good side of town to be on rr"
i think i remember seeing your age posted on here.

i worked there 22 to 35 years ago. it was a good area then.

[Daelith]

It's amazing to see how certain parts of a large city go down over the years. We saw the Mall of Memphis open, then close, then completely razed. Still nothing on that site now.
Whenever we have friends from out of town (or country) tell us they want to visit Graceland, I tell them to wear Kevlar body armor. This was happening a lot in Memphis. One of the many reasons we moved out into the country.

[WiseOwl]

wise,
that is part of the story.
"not a good side of town to be on rr"
i think i remember seeing your age posted on here.

i worked there 22 to 35 years ago. it was a good area then.

Yeah I am 30. Lived there from 82 to 85. Grandparents where there until 1999.

[Grantmeliberty]

I was living in Atlanta in 1973, don't remember that mall at all LOL Things really weren't that bad anywhere in the city then, never felt threatened no matter where I was.

[TheGatherer]

I graduated from Forest Park Sr High in 1967, boy has that changed...

[Bill Foster]

In ATL, businesses stay open at some malls at a loss while the others support them. My mother worked for one of the large anchor stores. It was a requirement that some stores stayed open even when operating at a loss in order that the other stores not be boycotted...this, even in the 70s. It's funny how so many people are willing to say "it's a bad area" but when asked what made it bad, they clam up. Like the so-called "war on terror," we will never be able to win the war unless we are willing to proclaim who the wrong-doers are.

[WiseOwl]

I was living in Atlanta in 1973, don't remember that mall at all LOL Things really weren't that bad anywhere in the city then, never felt threatened no matter where I was.

My mom went to Headland and my dad to M.D. Collins. A few years back I was out alone riding and wanted to go through their old neighborhoods......wow! Lots of run down houses and bad corner "businesses". But, over the last couple of years, Fulton county has raised property taxes so a lot of folks in the "hood" have moved to Clayton, Henry, Douglas, Cobb, etc. Now, East Point has some nice places. We were in Decatur on saturday and it was so great. All the yuppies moved in, upped the prices on everything. But man the restaurants are so good......yall might catch the WiseOwl at Raging Buritto with a Sweetwater IPA in hand telling good jokes!

I think South Fulton deteriorated due to bad community leadership. From what my folks say, it used to be the nice part of town, just like Riverdale. But that was in the 70's and back.

Now Clayton County......well, thats a story for another day......

[Flagwaver]

Pictures of now vacant Shannon Mall/Union Station

I remember when Shannon Mall opened. It seemed modern and positive and people liked shopping locally instead of having to drive long distances. It was nice.

As the years went on, the area around the mall never attracted upscale businesses. The MARTA public bus system came in bringing "outsiders" and yes, more crime. Shoplifting ate into the store owners' profits. I was told by a police officer not to go there after dark by myself as the parking lot had become an unsafe place due to roaming gangs looking for trouble. An adult book store opened in front of the mall creating a poor image and offending many locals.

The nearby towns of Fairburn, Palmetto, and Union City became more run down and property values declined. The schools serving the South Fulton area had low test scores and highly transient students, so fewer and fewer people wanted to bring their children to live there. White flight occurred.

Here are some pictures of the sadly vacant mall taken in January 2011. Sears was the last to leave, and the mall is completely empty now.

http://skycity2.blogspot.com/2011/01/shannon-mall-loses-macys-in-its-last.html

All things change over time, not always for the better. We moved away from that area 14 years ago and have never regretted our decision. Why stay in a depressing, dangerous place?

[WiseOwl]

Flagwaver, looking at those pics brought back some memories. My grandad taking me to Sears and Mervyns (yall remember that one?) and getting clothes off the clearance rack because he didnt believe in name brand...lol. Eating Chick Fil A in the food court. Bought my first real CD with my money (the first KORN album) at Camelot if I remember correctly. Going to the IHOP and eatin funny face pancakes. That TOYs r US was my heaven as a kid.
I had grandparents in Union City and in Palmetto so that was where we went. My pops lived in Shannon Villas for the longest time after my folks divorced.
I have taken my wife through there a couple of times and she cant believe thats where I grew up.

But living in Clayton County from 88-95, I saw that one go down the crapper as well.

My mom said back in the day Greenbrier was the place to go. You couldnt put me in a Armored Vehicle and send me there nowadays.

[Flagwaver]

WiseOwl,
Greenbriar Mall was the place to go in the late 1960's. I remember driving there to get my high school boyfriend a Valentine's Day present. East Point and College Park were family oriented, nice places to live. That all changed by the late 1970's when the MARTA bus and train system and the expansion of the Atlanta Airport made many residents decide to move. The quality of life changed for the worse. The same thing happened to the Shannon Mall area, but I'm glad you have happy memories from your childhood!

No, I wouldn't go shopping at either mall now. A lesson I have learned from this forum is that you shouldn't put yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.