Hayden Island

Have you been over there to the mall lately? I had not until I ran to Target yesterday.

My first "huh?" was a sandwich board wearing person letting me know that Boater's World was liquidating. I liked that store - low prices and very helpful staff.

Then I noticed that there were so few cars that I could park very near Target. Usually on a weekend I get in some good exercise walking from car to store. It was so empty I had that momentary thought of "did I get here before the store opened?" But I knew it was nearer to noon.

Inside the mall stores were shuttered, there were no kiosks and very few people walking around. The last time I had been inside that mall it still had bustling kiosks - but I can't recall when I was last there - maybe January or February?

I got what I needed at Target and left. It was a very depressing sight....It reminded me of some PG County [MD] malls back in the late 80's that had lost their anchors and then many of the smaller stores and kiosks closed. What began taking their place were stores that catered to qwik cash and junk foods...and some rather unsavory persons hanging around. I stopped going to those even if the mall still contained a store I had regularly shopped at.

Hayden Island does not feel unsafe but I don't think I'd go to the mall at night - if it's that depressing on a weekend afternoon - it's gotta be worse at night....