Today Williston—which sits atop the oil-rich Bakken shale formation—is enjoying a second life as a key player in the state's booming economy. Following several years of record population growth and real estate development, the town will soon boast one more draw: a $500 million retail mecca complete with shopping, a hotel and indoor water park. Not bad for a town of just 32,000 people. [...]
"The U.S. isn't overretailed, it's under-idea-ed"
— cnbc.com
We discuss the decline and (perhaps inevitable) death of the American shopping mall on episode #32 of Archinect Sessions, "For in that death of malls, what dreams may come?"
More info and recent news on dead malls:
6 Comments
It'll be the largest meth lab, and brothel, in United States history.
Las Vegas will own those titles till the desert swallows it whole. Drugs are an epidemic nationwide, worldwide maybe. Having spent quite a bit of time working in and around Williston, I say it's about time. That entire region has been incredibly under-served in retail comically so in the last 6 years. I guess folks were looking to see if the whole oil play was for real, and it has turned out to be. The wisdom of swinging for the fences in this instance is a bit questionable, but they're doing something about a longstanding problem and that's commendable.
"under served in retail"
Thats just un american! build a mall or the terrorist win!
Let's not build schools, hospitals, community centers, or libraries; let's build a fucking mall. I have been to Williston once, a year ago, fucking wild west, men were staring holes into women, I swear at the only big box retailer I visited, I thought there were going to be several rapes on the sales floor. The boom there is done, low crude has made it unworkable. The mostly men that live in the man camps can't wait to go home, they hate the place.
We discuss the decline and (perhaps inevitable) death of the American shopping mall
Apparently someone forgot to tell the developers.
^^ You know, the Hospital WAS greatly expanded, schools have been built, community centers already existed, parks have been built and expanded, but since your sensibilities were offended you feel it's OK to denigrate the place. Oil will be coming out of the ground for some time up there, so it makes sense to build some amenities to attract more than the work-a-day roustabout types you deem so unsavory to come there and stay a while.
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