Where Everyday is a Mall Day

A set of buildings that contain retail stores, with connecting walkways, allowing visitors to walk from store to store is a shopping mall, or some may call a shopping centre. Since the 1920's strip malls started to become very popular due to the rise of suburban living. In some countries such as the United Kingdom, strip malls are called retail parks, out-of-town shopping centres or precincts.

While a shopping centre is usually referred to as an open-air retail complex, in North America the shopping mall is considered an enclosed retail structure, simlply abbreviated as the Mall. In some countries such as Ireland the mall is pronounced "maills" and are very small shopping centres placed in the middle of town, with a mixture of small local shops also known as ma and pa shops and a variety of chain stores. The term "Mall is gradually growing in use, especially among the younger generation.

The history of the shopping centre can date back to as far as the 10th century A.D. Isfahan's Grand Bazaar, Tehran's Grand Bazaar is still one of the largest covered markets in the world, with 58 streets and 4000 shops, this great bazaar was built around the 15th century. Opening in 1774 in Oxford England, The Oxford covered Market is still in existance today. In London the Burlington Arcade opened in 1819. Which the concept of the Arcade was introduced as The Arcade, built in Providence Rhode Island ,in 1828, thus introducing the concept to the United States.

In Morgan Park, Duluth, Minnesota, an early indoor mall was built in 1915 holding it's grand opening on July 20, 1916. The Architect was a gentlemen from Chicago and the building contractor was one of Duluth's own. Two-stories with a full basement the shops in the building were located on all three levels. Some of the shops were accessible from both inside and out, but, all the stores were located within the interior of the mall.

With the rise of suburban living, and the automobile culture in the United States, shopping took on a new style of shopping centre, taking away from the downtown shopping experience in the mid-20th Century. The fully-enclosed shopping mall did not appear however until the 1950's. The Northgate Mall built in north Seattle, Washington, USA was built in 1950, Northland Shopping Center built near Detroit, Michigan, was built in 1954. Both of these Malls were built as open air shopping centres, that were late enclosed as malls.

Where Everyday is a Mall Day, and shopping is Fun, Looking for Bargians http://www.malladay.com/articles