Page 108 - Purchasing Power Black Kids and American Consumer Culture

Hemmed In and Shut Out . 93

lots and garages, upscale shoppers, victims available day and night,
private property with few if any regular police patrols, and a popula-
tion led to believe that malls represent refuges from inner-city ills.
(Everett 1994)
The apocalyptic vision described in the above passage does not seem to
be that far off from prevailing attitudes in much of New Haven. As the
white middle class has struggled to create residential and commercial
"refuges from inner-city ills," it has also helped to create the profound
polarization of the consumer sphere that exists for Newhallville resi-
dents today, since these refuges must, by their nature, exclude whole
classes of people. For Newhallville, the polarization has meant the near-
disappearance of local commerce coupled with the development and
later redevelopment of upscale downtown shopping districts.
From the perspective of Newhallville, it seems that the city has simul-
taneously poured resources into undermining local commercial centers
while supporting the development of a downtown area that seeks to dis-
courage minority shoppers from spending too much time there. Though
the relatively large proportion of black and brown shoppers in the New
Haven mall might have something to do with its economic decline, the
minority population can be held no more singly accountable for the fail-
ing fortunes of the downtown mall than they can for the ghettoization
of their neighborhoods. First, in comparison to larger, newer and more
architecturally and visually spectacular malls, the New Haven mall—
which was built in the 1960s—is run down, offers little variety and, in
contradiction of a basic mall dictum, does not even have free parking.
More recently constructed malls in nearby towns have made a hefty
dent in New Haven's business, and the city has developed several succes-
sive plans for redesign of the mall but has been unable to successfully
1
court a strong anchor store. After the closing of Macy's, the mall's an-
chor store was Conran's, a chain home-furnishings retailer; unfortunate-
ly, the company went bankrupt several months later. In 1992 the mall
housed no outlets of prominent chains such as Gap, Express, Banana
Republic, Pottery Barn, Crate 8c Barrel—all stores that would attract a
more economically varied clientele; instead, discount enterprises—Sam's
Dollar Store, and Payless Shoes, for example—are in the majority. The
stance of developers, who argue that the mall is doing badly because the
atmosphere makes upscale shoppers uncomfortable, is hard to accept
completely. Minority shoppers have kept the mall going in recent years,
and the stores that remain in business reflect this.