Why shopping malls are an endangered species
When we read about traditional malls facing challenges in today's retail landscape, an image of Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles pops into our minds and we say, "You're telling me."
Technology and retail gurus tend to deliver the news most of us suspect: At least 30 percent of the nation's 1,221 malls that are not considered among the major shopping centers are in danger of being closed.
There is a lot going on in the retail world that may or may not have come up in discussions with city officials about the future of the Charlestowne site.
Sure, we've seen drawings of an open-air mall concept, and we've heard the usual pitch about major restaurants on the outlots playing a big role in any revival.
A layer below all of that window dressing, however, is where the future of retail is heading. It includes mobile touchpoints and entirely different setups in the stores, with areas for those who like the traditional browsing, and areas for those who prefer mobile interaction, immediate ordering and payment.
In short, brick and mortar establishments have to compete with e-commerce - sometimes their own e-commerce offerings, but mostly against the Amazons of the world.
Shopping in a store may become more of a virtual experience than any of us imagine. If you hear about "omnichannel," it simply means a store has numerous ways to connect with you, not the least of which being sending you a notification on your phone about a deal when you are near the store.
We don't think of "agile and flexible" as a way to describe shopping malls as we now know them. But those two words are the most important to consider for merchants, mall developers and city officials contemplating what is next.
For my full-time job, I attend conferences and report on futuristic retail experiences. When something really cool is worth sharing, I'll do city officials a favor and pass it along.
A watery honor
Before you read this item, let me say this. Yes, they give honors for this sort of thing. And probably should.
The Steel Plate Institute/Steel Plate Fabricator Association has tabbed the new 1.5-million gallon Red Gate Water Tower at Route 25 and Red Gate Road as the "Elevated Tank of the Year" for 2016.
It's all about design for this structure, set up to support 1.5 million gallons, or 12.5 million pounds, of water when full.
Kudos should go out to the consulting engineer and the city for the design and materials used to build the water tower. The steel folks know good design and aesthetics when they see it.
Apparently, the St. Charles water tower meets all of the important criteria.
Men and emojis
In possibly the least surprising finding of the year, emoji and monetization platform MojiLaLa tells us its national survey on the state of the emoji revealed this: Men's favorite emjois are beer cans and farts.
Hey, that's what we do.
Night at the club
I probably first wrote about the Club Arcada in St. Charles in the late 1980s, as a historic piece about this popular gathering spot above the Arcada Theatre in the 1930s and 1940s.
Dining, dancing and hobnobbing on occasion with the stars who played the vaudeville stage at the Arcada or were staying at the Hotel Baker were on tap for those looking for a night on the town in the very small and rural world of St. Charles in those days.
So it was exciting to spend a night dancing in the new version of the Club Arcada recently. I wrote about this new addition to the local entertainment scene a couple of weeks ago, but this was my first experience in the place.
The mission now is to make sure it wasn't my last visit. It was that much fun.
Herrington stands out
Even if this were the easiest accolade to attain, anytime a business is recognized 25 straight years for doing something well, it is worth noting.
Such is the case with the Herrington Inn & Spa in Geneva being awarded the AAA Four-Diamond Award that many years in a row.
And it wasn't easy. The hotel says less than 6 percent of nearly 28,000 hotels earn this honor.
Worth noting, indeed.
dheun@sbcglobal.net