Empty mall

This is Latham Circle Mall.  Not much left now.  Most of the stores have left for more profitable places.  We were here for an Aikido class.  I was just visiting; it's my wife and our youngling who take classes.

F Number	3.5
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	14.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/60
Exposure Program	Program AE
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Theme Day - Empty

The City Daily Photo blogging community sets aside the first day of the month for a common theme for many of us to try to post a photograph that suits the theme. This month's theme is Empty. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

This is at once unusual and common. It's a deserted strip mall. I don't know why we call them strip malls; perhaps it's because the stores are in a strip alongside the parking lot? Anyway, there was a time when building strip malls was the thing to do. Apparently, they are cheap to make. Anyway, soon after the strip malls were everywhere, the large shopping malls began to be constructed, attracting customers from the small strip malls, which gradually faded away.

Normally, when a strip mall loses the 'big' store, the rest leave as soon as their lease expires. Once the stores are gone, someone else buys the property, razes the strip mall and builds something else.

That's what makes this sight common - everyone has seen a moribund strip mall. What makes this particular one unusual is that it has been empty for more than 15 years. No one has bought it and the current owner hasn't demolished it. It just sits here, empty.

Note: I had this scheduled to be posted but Blogger didn't do it. Technology.