Monday, September 26, 2016

In and Out and about...


Doing some errands today (shopping, laundry, etc).  A nice sunny day, breezy but not cold.  We had a nice lunch out near the mall, after which I suggested we take a walk through the mall.  Yes, I know the cliche' about old people walking in the mall... nothing we needed, I just wanted to see what all has changed.

When we first moved to the Black Hills, the Rushmore Mall was about to open... it was a big deal.  During our years of studio ownership here, we had many displays in the mall - it always brought us new business.  The shopping was good.  Many stores have come and gone over the years, and the last time we were here, there were more a few empty stores.  One very notable opening was the Target store moving to a different location, leaving a big "anchor position" open in the mall.

That space has been filled with At Home, a home goods type of store.  I was not familiar with this chain, but this particular location has a huge inventory: art work, rugs, patio furniture, seasonal decorations (Halloween and Christmas stuff currently), plastic container, waste baskets... it goes on and on.  Kind of a "warehouse store" vibe going on there...


I enjoyed looking through some of the wall decor...


Joan thought this would look good in the guitar room at home...


Not much spare room in the motorhome, so it will have to be another time.

I enjoyed the walk through the mall.  I learned you could get vehicle registration and sticker from a machine in the mall instead of standing in line at the DMV.  I see the state of retail looks like it would be a tough way to make a living these days.  It is a weekday in late September, so definitely between "shopping seasons"... my idea of a good time to visit a mall.

When we had a teenage daughter at home, we spent a lot of time in malls (in the 80s and early 90s).  Not so much these days... although I do like the Arrowhead Mall in Phoenix, but that is mostly because of the Apple Store.  ;-)

We plan to get out on bikes or scoots tomorrow - the wind was pretty gusty today: peak gusts of 35 mph.  A good day for an indoor stroll.

(Yes, Izzy got a couple nice walks, in the wind, too.)


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