Restoration of the Heart

Pictured is the University Mall, known as The Mall in years past, being demolished. I'm sure many of my old friends have stories from their youth about what happened at the mall. Historically speaking I recall that my parents bought a radar range and pocket calculator at the Montgomery Wards. That was in the year these items were first introduced to the public at the end of the sixties or the beginning of the seventies.

The mall grew tall and strong after it was born in suburban Little Rock. All that free parking attracted more shopping centers out west with wide, free parking lots. Life bled out of old downtown. All the beautiful things of life could be found reasonably priced at the mall. The mall was comfortable, clean and attractive. Meanwhile, in a drugstore on Main street, saturday night special handguns replaced the candy in the front counter. Pints of cheap wine replaced the sundries once offered on the shelves behind the cash register. Downtown became mean, dirty and gut-ugly. The suburbs, young and attractive.

After all these years the mall grew old and has died. The burial is now taking place. The relations fought long and hard over the inheritance. Decisions were made, the project announced and the next new thing is to be built here. It is the multi use format. Retail on the ground, offices above and residences above the offices. What was old becomes new again, eh? Property values will improve. The new buildings will be better than the old. Life surges on around the vanishing mall with little notice being paid.

Thankfully some of that surge is coming back downtown where we live. I don't mourn the passing of the mall. I celebrate the new spirit refreshing the downtown. Gone are the days of cheap wine and Saturday night specials. Hearts are lifting up and our new day is beginning to dawn. That is restoration.