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Five Innovative Mall Stores and Malls

A quintet of cutting-edge spaces from Frame magazine reflect why some malls are making a comeback.

Published

8 months ago

September 13, 2023

INSTORE Staff

PHOTOGRAPHY: Chiara Sakuwa/iStock.com

Despite competition from e-commerce and falling out of sync with many consumers’ needs, the mall is re-emerging as a place for both shopping and socializing. Frame, an Amsterdam-based design publication, recently rounded up five stores and shopping centers that reflect that evolving mission.

1. Attracting shoppers via art-led design

Located in Seoul’s Lotte World Mall, Ader Error’s eighth store features interiors geared at reaching a wider audience through unconventional, artistic design.

2. Catering to Gen Z’s need for experienced-base spaces

A mall and education hub, GRiD creates space especially for young shoppers in a vibrant creative neighborhood of Singapore.

3. Drawing shoppers by catering to hobbyists

Camera brand Nikon reinvigorated its presence in southern China with a new Guangzhou flagship designed by Lukstudio that features a gallery hall, product display zone and event area anchor the layout.

4. Adding a wellness element

To alleviate shopping fatigue and activate a sense of community, Clou Architects “planted” an immersive jungle garden inside Qingdao’s Future City Mall, providing a space for both respite and socializing.

5. Providing immersive, concept-driven spaces

An artistic mirror installation compensates for the lack of open window display space outside of Cabana at Beijing’s China World Mall, designed by Kostas Chatzigiannis Architecture. Capturing the attention of shopping passersby, the entry point flows into a layout without a fixed sequence of spaces.

Click here for more from Frame on these spaces.

She Wanted to Spend More Time with Her Kids. She Called Wilkerson.

Your children are precious. More precious than gold? Absolutely! Just ask Lesley Ann Davis, owner of Lesley Ann Jewels, an independent jewelry store that — until the end of 2023 — had quite a following in Houston, Texas. To spend more time with her four sons, all in high school, she decided to close her store. Luckily, she was familiar with Wilkerson and called them as soon as she knew she wanted to move on to bigger, better and more family-focused things. Was she happy with her decision? Yes, she was. Says Davis, “Any owner looking to make that life change, looking to retire, looking to close, looking for a pause in their career, I would recommend Wilkerson. Hands down!”