Page 47 - The Disneyization of Society

THE DISNEYIZATION OF SOCIETY

festival marketplace, called Water Street Pavilion, most of whose shops closed
within its first year of operation.
38 In addition, there are examples of commercial regions that have some of the
characteristics of festival marketplaces in that they draw on heritage themes but
are not based on buildings or areas of intrinsic heritage significance. An example
is Burgis Junction in Singapore, which is a retail and entertainment district com-
prising six blocks. The designers themed the block on the country’s historical
trading culture using ‘seaside architecture, sails, chronometers, and kindred
elements’ along with signs conveying information about the seafaring past to
communicate the overall theme. 81

Themed shopping

Having discussed themed malls and heritage shopping, a section on themed
shopping might seem as though we are going over the same ground again.
However, in introducing this notion, I am seeking to draw a distinction between
on the one hand, shopping in which theming is to do with the environment
within which shops, restaurants and so on are located – in other words, themed
malls and heritage shopping – and the use by retailers of themed environments
in their shops. In much the same way that in themed restaurants theming is often
accompanied by simulation in order to project a sense of the theme – like the
moving animals and tropical downpours in Rainforest Cafes – so too themed
shopping is often complemented by simulation, especially in the more sumptu-
ously themed establishments.
Two major kinds of theming can be identified in relation to themed shopping:
the use of external narratives of the kind distinguished in relation to themed
restaurants and the use of brand theming. These will be discussed in turn.

External narratives
Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, REI, and Cabela’s, all of which are outfitters for
hunting, fishing and outdoor wear generally, are examples of the kinds of retailer
that have turned themed shopping into a kind of art form. These retailers are
often found in themed malls like those developed by Mills Corporation. Bass Pro
Shops Outdoor World stores ‘include such things as indoor waterfalls, archery
ranges, shooting ranges, and outdoor decks where fly fishermen can try out their
casts’. The Recreational Equipment (REI) store in Seattle is described as having ‘a
82
nearly 100,000-square-foot, warehouselike structure that contains a 65-foot-high
freestanding artificial rock for climbing, a glass-enclosed wet stall for testing rain
gear, a vented area for testing camp stoves and an outdoor trail for mountain-
biking’. According to Wolf this store has become one of the main tourist attractions
83
in Seattle with over 1.5 million visitors in its first year. 84 Stores at other locations