This is the 5th tour of our new series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.

The South Mall in Allentown, PA has been a mall falling on hard times as of late, with the exception being the businesses that have turned their access outward. About half the mall is not accessible from the interior hallway, and have conceded to being a strip mall instead. This is a study of the businesses that have not opted for outside entrance only. The concept of the enclosed interior mall is not a lost or outdated idea, as in almost every instance, including this one, there is an example of a successful venture doing the same thing, just with more gloss or class. Lehigh Valley Mall, which is doing remarkably well, is a very short drive from South Mall, and every other mall in the area. More to the point is we don't need a mall for every little town and suburb. This is why we get malls like the South Mall, which is trying very hard to stay afloat in this very compact retail world of today. I hope they land on their feet, as the current owners seems very earnest, but the retail climate doesn't seem very friendly to small regional malls today.

This tour was recorded on April 21, 2022 at about 6pm.

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