Shopping 'R' Us

Quote of the day:
“Of course parents want their children--regardless of age--to come to them if there is a crisis. And I am told that seven out of 10 teens who find themselves pregnant do just that. However, those who don’t usually have a good reason for not doing so.”
--Dear Abby, today.

Quote of the day No. 2:
“People come in here, and they feel at home. Unless they live in one of those homes that are always clean all the time.”
--Jan Cano, who runs the Frame Gallery in downtown Chula Vista, California.

Cano was responding to the opening of Otay Ranch Town Center, a very large shopping and restaurant complex dubbed a “lifestyle center.” These centers are being developed across the country adjacent to new, outlying suburban housing. Sometimes they are designed as part of mixed-use, urban-style neighborhoods, so that people can easily walk to shopping and other conveniences.

The developers of these centers say that they are responding to desires for a downtown, community-oriented experience in the suburbs. Those, like Cano, who continue to operate businesses in downtown areas, respond with bafflement.

The lead architect of Otay Ranch Town Center, Robert Anderson, says, “These places are the social hubs of our community, whether we like it or not. People might criticize that they’re commercially driven by a bunch of national retailers, but shopping is a big part of people’s lives. So let’s make it great.”

Whatever our reservations, these “lifestyle centers” will be successful, because many people, including many of those with reservations, will patronize them. It’s similar to our attitude about Wal-Mart. We may have reservations about how they have altered the communities they have entered. But they are successful because we either need, or must have, low prices.