June 19, 2003

Zofeen T. Ebrahim delves into the mall culture in our part of the world where the concept is slowly but surely catching up

“A mall is a good place for teenagers to meet as opposed to a dhaba at Tariq Road,” says Huma whose husband has boutiques in two of Karachi’s leading malls. “I like bringing my kids over here. It’s secure, air-conditioned and the crowd is fine. The bathrooms are very clean and well-equipped, too.”

But she misses a walk-in salon with no appointments for a quick hair-wash, styling, threading, etc. A pharmacy would also be welcome.

Zahra, a young architect, on the other hand, feels that what is missing in malls here is “landscaping which has rarely been given the attention and budget it deserves.”

As with everything, malls and their culture that one witnesses abroad have also found a niche here. Considering the way they are packed, specially on weekends, it can be said that they are here to stay. People love to look, window-shop and buy. Thanks to malls, chores have now become a fun-filled activity. They are considered the epitome of all that is cool in mass consumption — trendy boutiques, gamimg arenas, fast food arcades and even entertainment.

But if one were to ask Amir Adnan, a designer who has an outlet in Park Towers in Clifton, he says, “My other shops fare better. But mall browsers do gradually convert into buyers. To tell you the truth, when I rented a shop at one of the malls, the idea was as much for advertisement as having my label in a place which added value to it.”

Malls are generally considered safe, also due to increased security measures. Many mothers say they allow their teenage children to hang out and eat at malls. “People who come here, for the most part, are not looking for trouble...they come here to get out of the house, shop, browse and maybe have a nice dinner,” says a shopkeeper.

Another designer who has an outlet in a mall explains, “You must understand that a mall is much more than a place to shop. The non-retail stuff is the life of a mall. People don’t necessarily visit malls with the sole intention to shop. They merely want to have a nice time — a hangout. It can be a place to bring your out-of-station guests, see what’s in, bump into friends and family, let the kids have a go at the play area, eat, etc.”

So how are malls different from the traditional and older shopping areas? A mall is any centralized place, a high street or an open street, with a concentration of shops. However, the definition of a mall has now evolved to mean an enclosed environment where you get everything under one roof, yet different in that there are shops under one enclosed space but more like upscale, exclusive boutiques.

Keeping our culture and climate in mind, malls in our country could have been more like the old, covered markets of Istanbul with islands of sitting areas, green patches, lots of eateries and where everything from the exotic to the ordinary is available. In fact, one suspects that if malls would have a mix of high and low-price shops as well as other services, they would be bigger successes.

Thus, by definition, even places like shopping centres and plazas come under the wider mall definition. But, there are obvious differences. Malls have the glam aspect that is missing in shopping centres, where all the built up space is used optimally for maximum profits.

You can bargain endlessly at the fabric shops splitting at the sides with beautiful material under lighting that creates enough heat to fry an egg. Also, unlike modern malls where most entrances of shops categorically say ‘eating and drinking not allowed’, the shopkeepers at the older bazaars order soft drinks for you. These shopping arenas have a greater crowd-pulling capacity (with chikan in beautiful colours, chiffons and georgettes).

Modern-day malls come with amenities that include trash and ash receptacles; spic and span toilets; directories for facilitating finding stores; etc. Seating and exhibit areas, fountains, clocks, closed-circuit TVs, modern lighting displays and climate control features are also some of the luxuries that malls these days boast of.

The idea behind these modern enclosed spaces originated out of a need for social interaction. And so, while a mall mimics a town centre, it has also brought along the benefits of a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere together with safety, as well as possibilities for innovative outlets. One mall browser refers to it as a new kind of “community centre” where people meet and socialize.

Pakistan started gearing up for malls back in the 1980s and ’90s. Perhaps, the first shopping mall that opened in Karachi was Glamour One followed by Shalimar Centre and others followed. But Awami Markaz was perhaps the first carefully thought-out and planned mall. It technically fitted into the mall definition, sadly the management left a lot to be desired

It is also important for the success of the mall that there should be continuous activity arranged for the people coming in. “I like the ambience here,” says a visiting young mother. “There was once a painting competition that my seven-year-old participated in. I’ve attended a karaoke competition and at times, on weekends, there have been occasions when the FM radio people have organized programmes. There have been clothes and art exhibitions, too.”

Entertainment committees keeps any mall alive and kicking. They inform the shopkeepers in advance of any speciaI occasion — Valentine’s Day, Pakistan Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day — and subsequently hold fun activities for the crowds.

Most malls have become a hangout spot for people belonging to all age groups. “The young mostly take pains to dress up for a visit to the mall and they want to appear ‘cool’ to their friends whom they might ‘bump into’ there. Others usually set the time and date to meet friends there just to chill out. “The interior is appealing and inviting, air-conditioned, no hassle in finding parking space,” says Shama, a regular visitor to a mall on Tariq Road.

“Going shopping to downtown Karachi or even Tariq Road is a nightmare. There is hardly any space on the sidewalk, beggars and vendors don’t let you shop in peace. I would never think of dressing up

for shopping, but yes, I would dress up to go to a mall,” says a shopper. “You never know who you might bump into.”

Hasnain, an architect who likes going to malls, finds them aesthetically appealing. “While there is a marked difference in the Karachi crowd frequenting the Clifton malls and the one on Tariq Road, I believe the food court of the latter is better. But because the shops are still not let out, the place looks deserted.”

His friend, Amin, also an architect, says, “A mall is a lively place on weekends, there is a lot of open space and the different levels give it a spacious feeling. The architecture and building material is modern, which is okay since not every built space should necessarily have cultural undertones.”

He is also of the opinion that when designing a mall, the architects should not just be concerned with the design but the “experiences of the people” which actually make the place come alive.

Zareen is a serious shopper who is forever inundated with requests to buy stuff for friends and relatives living out of Karachi. She knows all the best places and says, “I like to shop for clothes, shoes, etc, at Elfy and Tariq Road. I wish some of the shops there would open their branches at the malls. It would make shopping much easier. But when shopping for jewellry, the variety you get at Elfy cannot be matched at any mall.”

Thinking of malls and images of teens wearing skin-tight jeans and fitted tops with a cellphone immediately come to mind. “There are all sorts. You find girls in hijab, in guddi shalwars, in kurtas over flared pants/jeans, boys with hair gelled back and wearing over-sized pants. It’s a regular fashion parade at these malls,” says one middle-aged lady.

But that’s not what all malls are about. Observe closely and you will notice that most people are not buckling under the weight of huge shopping bags because that is not the real reason they are there. When the father of a toddler was asked if he mostly came to a mall to shop, he replied, “Of course not, I just like to watch people and relax.... I wouldn’t mind if there were benches here and there to just sit and observe.”

The malls in America are of mammoth proportions. Compared to them, those in Pakistan are much smaller. “I like the smallness of the malls here,” says another young father who has just come from abroad. “There is a lot of walking involved and you can take your elderly parents out without getting them exhausted. If you lose sight of your child, you know he/she can’t stray too far....”

A lot of people also find it convenient to shop at malls as they are open till late in the night. “When entertaining guests, I know I can give the cook an evening off and take them to the mall. I know I can’t get Bohri Bazaar chaat or pani puri or kebab rolls at the malls, but I’d still prefer to take them to a mall than anywhere else in this scorching heat.”

While malls abroad have shops, food courts, mini movie theatres, skating rinks, bowling alleys, etc, in our country the emphasis is more on shops and eateries. But malls here are coming up with other amenities, too.

Malls in history

Victor Gruen was the designer of Southdale (coincidently located in Edina, Minnesota), the world’s first fully-enclosed shopping mall (Cohen: 1056). During the post-war days, people were uneasy about the changes within communities, and the ambiguous nature of its meaning to them. The increased population and diversity of their cities and towns were a threat to their conventional ways. In reaction to this change, Gruen thought if they built a structure that mimicked the main street or acted as a community centre, it would bring people together as a natural community once again.

His idea was meant to cater to those in suburbia. He states: “By affording opportunities for a social life and recreation in a protected pedestrian environment, by incorporating civic and educational facilities, shopping centers can fill an existing void.” (Cohen: 1056).

Not only did Gruen and others promote the construction of community centres in the atomized landscape of suburbia, but in appearance their earliest shopping centres idealized — almost romanticized — the physical plan of the traditional downtown shopping street, with stores lining both sides of an open-air pedestrian walkway that was landscaped and equipped with benches. (Cohen: 1056).

So, the concept of a shopping mall is not a new one. These are complexes of retail stores that work both ways — to provide maximum convenience to the customer and maximum exposure to the merchandise.

The Emperor Trajan’s architect, the Greek slave Apollodorus, also built a two-level ventilated shopping centre adjacent to the Roman Forum in AD 110, lined with open-fronted shops which had an almost uncanny resemblance to today’s most up-to-date concept of malls. —Z.T.E.

Over to Lahore

Contrary to popular belief, Lahore is not a city that welcomes change with wide, open arms and a majority of the people living here have not been able to grasp the mall culture. They still prefer flocking to Ichhra, Liberty and Anarkali bazaars to fulfil all their shopping needs at good bargains. The concept of an air-conditioned, enclosed space inundated by franchise outlets has eluded them to quite an extent.

“Are you kidding? I never buy stuff from here. What I like about this place is that you can window shop without going around the city in this terrible heat. I don’t particularly like anything here for myself. The shoes are overpriced. I can buy two pairs from Liberty Market for the price of one here,” said a mother of a nine-year-old at the city’s only mall in Gulberg.

It exacts the definition of a shopping mall mainly because there are no other places where all the knocked-off brand names from Thailand can be bought, and it is possible to munch on greasy, franchised chicken or a dry doughnut.

T-shirts, jeans and shoes come out of every nook and cranny of the mall, forcing you to revisit your choice in outfits, making you wonder whether Lahore has indeed gone global.

“Baji, we have a Fandi (Fendi) bag. Come and have a look! You won’t be able to tell the difference,” invited an excited shopkeeper in the mall.

“What’s wrong in pretending to own the real thing? Nobody is going to examine my bag to see whether it’s made in Thailand or Italy. In any case, I’m glad this place has them. Now, I don’t need to go to Thailand to get an imitation,” enthused a rather unabashed woman eagely shopping at the mall.

Most of the 200 or so shops spread over four levels are connected by escalators, which also substitute as free rides for children accompanying families. And squeezed amidst a plethora of shops is a lonesome Internet cafe and a fast-food joint. Running down a narrow avenue lined with shops selling shoes and casual wear is a section given to household goods.

A few steps further and it is very easy to crash into a glass-topped counter selling meat, a tilt of the head will give a view of a few crates containing knackered fruit outsmarting its last container date.

Two years back, on Sept 13, this sole mall was gutted by fire. However, even after refurbishment, business here has mostly failed to pick up. —Shehar Bano Khan

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