Assignment 6: Sarah Kurtz

Earlier this afternoon, I visited Cumberland Mall. The floor plan of the shopping center is a u-shape design. There are two anchor stores on each end, Sears and Costco Wholesale and Gasoline. Though both were heavily occupied, especially the gas pumps at Costco, the main anchor at this particular mall is Macy’s. Crawford’s analysis describes anchor businesses as supports for an overall area of public space. Sears and Costco appeared to cater families and older generations, while Macy’s along with being mainly occupied by young to middle-aged women, also serves as a main meeting area outside of the store, as well as outside of the establishment.

There are two escalators in front of each anchor store. Most of the stores are chains, but there are about fifteen local businesses. Seating is primarily located in the center of the mall, in front of Macy’s. The food court is situated on the upper floor, on one side of Sears. I felt this location was particularly odd and seemed more difficult to get to, though out of the way from shopping. There are two ATMs on each side of the food court, and Pepsi vending machines at all major entrances. Across from the food court, on the other side of Sears, is a small post office.

On the exterior, front side of Cumberland Mall is a parking lot. Behind Macy’s sits a three-story parking deck. I was quite surprised to find so many people at the mall today. Though there is ample sky lighting within the mall, the weather was very nice and I assumed most would not want to be indoors. Many schools do have spring break this week, so that might be the reason for the crowds, but I did not see a lot of children. The ethnicities most prevalent at this location are Hispanics, Asians, African Americans, and Caucasians.