What’s It Really Like to Live in a Mall?

Ever dreamed of living in a mall? Childhood nostalgia meets modern reality in this look at what happens when food courts and former Claire’s stores become your new neighborhood.

I am “let’s go to the mall” old. I remember the thrill of getting dropped off by my mom in late elementary school to hang with friends all day. Armed with a few crumpled bills, I’d grab some sparkly nonsense from Claire’s, a novelty tee from Hot Topic, see a movie, inhale a Sbarro slice, and still have just enough change left over to splurge on a Mrs. Fields cookie. We’d pace those floors for hours, window shop at stores we couldn’t afford, and pretend we weren’t trying to run into our crushes from class. And don’t even get me started on the endless attempts to decode a Magic Eye poster (“It’s a schooner!”).

I was part of the tail end of the generation that got Mallrats. And honestly? At the time, the idea of living in a mall sounded like the dream.

But now? It’s… an actual thing.

As online shopping slowly crushed the heart of retail, malls across the country started transforming. Some turned into ghost towns, while others found creative solutions. A few were converted—either partially or fully—into residential spaces. People live in them. Like, full-time. There are apartments where Wet Seal used to be. A condo where the old Sam Goody once stood. It’s a bit surreal.

But is it weird? Is it cool? Is it secretly amazing? I have questions.

What’s it really like to live in a mall now that it’s possible? And more importantly… would you do it?

Because 11-year-old me would’ve signed up immediately. But present-day me? I’m not so sure.