The Jasper Mall could soon be home to Rural King, a farm and home brand. [4], Towards the end of the film, more shops including Subway, Grady's Sandwich Shop, Robin's Nest Flowers & Gifts and Jewelry Doctor all close or move. [3] Also chronicled are events hosted by the mall such as a carnival, visits from Santa Claus and an ensemble of singers. (205) 295-2007. And so the concept exploded across the country, with multiple malls being built in the outskirts of every major American city and some smaller ones, too. Once we got old enough to go by ourselves, we'd get dropped off at the mall and spend the entire day there hanging with friends. But in the 1970s, it was the premiere mall in the area. The fountain was still intact. It was truly sad! If there wasnt, then we would sometimes just sit in the food court with our gear and just wait for stuff to happen, which you can imagine looked kind of strange to have two people with professional camera gear just sitting in the middle of mall [at] 8 p.m. on a Tuesday, but we did it. The absence of youth culture throughout the film is really alarming; seeing how in the 1980s & 1990s, malls would be the ultimate hangout spot for children, while older people were more interested in local ma & pa's downtown stores. Belk in Jasper Mall shopping details. See all. It currently is approximately 350,000 square feet (33,000m2) in size,[3] and includes two anchors and about 10 smaller stores. . Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). The Jasper Mall is a great place to shop for all your needs. Because of that and other controversial events like selling hand held weapons in order to increase foot traffic. Its hard to quantify the value of that draw, said OMary. Forest Fair Mall opened in 1988 with four anchors and 200 stores. Now that you know, have fun looking around! [2] The mall, which opened in 1981, has recently lost two of its anchors, Kmart and JCPenney. The mall also has a food court with a variety of options, as well as a movie theater. Jasper Mall had its world premiere at Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. It currently is approximately 350,000 square feet (33,000 m 2) in size, [3] and includes two anchors and about 10 smaller stores. Kay Ivey replaced a Cabinet member who oversaw the state's award-winning prekindergarten program because of a teacher training book with language about inclusion and combatting structural racism, she said Thursday. Some believe that there is still life left in these malls, and they can be saved with innovative ideas such as turning them into residential and office spaces, in line with Victor Gruens original vision. May 23, 2021 by Nicholas Price. The cinematography is brilliant. I know that several malls across America are experiencing their own "Jasper" reality, but the key to a great doc is getting the audience to care about the subjects. covers the mall itself, and interviews various individuals that work in all different types of positions within the mall, those who regularly visit the mall for different reasons, and business owners within the mall. As the cost of utilities rose throughout the 70s and beyond, retailers had higher overhead to pass on in their pricing, combined with the fact that Americans discretionary income was also on the decline, especially compared to the rollicking consumerism of the 50s and 60s. On November 12, 2021, Dunham's Sports opened in the former JCPenney anchor location on the east end of the mall, acquiring the entire JCPenney space. It's called "Jasper Mall" and is named for the shopping center in Walker County, northwest of Birmingham. I think it's a documentary but it looks like a movie. Another feature but can't say what about just yet! Nevertheless, the music that went along with the film was well used. How is it different making a film as a duo/collaborator rather than a single person? A documentary playing at the Sidewalk Film Festival later this month looks at one dying mall here in Alabama. Cinematography was also directed by Whitcomb. ", It's well documented consumers have gravitated to online shopping in recent years and shopping malls are looking extinction in the eye. We want people to see humans. While their tale was somewhat interesting. Now when I visit with my wife as an older adult it's eerily quiet but still mostly open. The Jasper Mall is located in the heart of the city, just a few blocks from the train station. We were excited to see Jasper Mall, which is the story of one year in the life of one of those former shopping destinations and while it starts strong, it seems to hang on way too long, which iswell, a lot like a dead mall. We work well together because we excel in different areas. I recommend this film. In 2019, filmmakers Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb spent several weeks documenting the stores and people of Jasper Mall. It wasnt true. That was annoying because it ruins the illusion of observation that the movie was trying to build. The documentary provides a good picture of the current state of the American middle class. Plus shown are the lack of choices in the mall as it's just a food court and the only entertainment has come down to local gospel music or military recruitment! Will massive shopping centers continue to exist in the age of online retail? To order, give us a call & we will ship to you! The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. In the 90s Toys R Us was a retail powerhouse then the internet happened. You can also get our free newsletter, follow us on Facebook & Pinterest. Regions Jasper Mall branch offers a wide range of personal and business banking services including checking and savings accounts, . Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb directed Jasper Mall, a documentary film about a mall in Alabama. What we know about Rural King is that they will probably draw from the county contiguous to Walker county and even beyond in a major draw. Dying Mall Documentary from Jasper, Alabama. Numerous plans for redevelopment have come and gone; the latest was proposed a few months ago. Malls were where you met your first love, where you went on your first date, where you met your best friends, where you made so many memories, and they're going away because American culture has changed. But that property at least has been redeveloped. Lost Weekend, a documentary short about two Pennsylvania teens who won an MTV contest and got to party with Van Halen for 48 hours, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. As a result of having your ticket verified for this movie, you grant us access to the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against another Fandango ticket purchase. If you have a subscription for Amazon Prime or Sling TV, its available there as well. But with the rise of online shopping, many indoor malls have suffered. While this was never uttered in the film. Hours including holiday hours and Black Friday information. As he puts it during one moment in the doc, "I left a zoo, now I'm in a jungle." The United States had 116,000 shopping malls in 2017, which is a slight increase over the previous year. What are you working on next? You've got the daily walkers, the domino players, and the hardworking employeessome of whom have been there since it opened in '81; the lady in the flower shop (mostly funerals, fewer weddings now), the jeweler (who also . [4] The Jasper Mall was chosen as the site of the film because it had not been remodeled since it opened in 1981. By NICOLE SMITH Daily Mountain Eagle nicole.smith@mountaineagle.com. Jasper Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Jasper, Alabama, United States, approximately 30 miles (48km) west of Birmingham.[2]. I didnt know how there were regulars. In this video, Jasper Mall chronicles a year in the life of a dying shopping mall, its patrons, and its tenants. Jewelry Doctor. JASPER - Another store has permanently closed its doors in the Jasper Mall. Although this movie did capture somewhat of a year in the life of a dying mall with its patrons & employees. I turned it on depressed, after trying another "failed development" documentary too impressed with its own travelogue production values. Co-directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb spent a year shooting the film. Piccadilly Cafeteria in Alameda Mall was a big one for me. Sometimes overlooked is the overbuilding factor that the pace of mall growth was never sustainable, and populations could not realistically support the sheer number of malls built in their communities. 90 were here. It is a clip, a small view into what makes our communities work. Brett and I both went to Almeda and Baybrook malls in Houston, Texas. is jasper mall in alabama still open. Jasper Mall. Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here. A still from the "Jasper Mall" documentary film. Its a community on the brink of disappearance, and yet around every corner, there exists a strange beauty and a new kind of Americana that reflects the unique, touching, and frequently hilarious realities of the shopping mall in the internet age. Upon this event, the mall effectively has two anchor stores, Belk Department Store and Dunham's Sports. That allows us to focus on those areas and then meet in the middle with discussion / collaboration. A growing number of hikers are tackling Alabama's longest continuous footpath and trail communities are welcoming the growth. Our business was started in 1973 in our family's hometown, Fayette, AL. You can let us know if your review was properly reviewed. The 350,000-square foot mall was designed to hold about 35 or so stores. Malls and "Jasper Mall" with its untouched '80s aesthetic fit the bill perfectly. By | March 10, 2023 | 0 . Jasper Mall was co-directed and co-produced by Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb. If you have specific information about Mike and Jasper Mall, you may be able to find an answer to this question by conducting a simple online search. I wish I could believe in heaven as easily as that guy in the motorised wheelchair near the beginning. Birmingham, Alabama-based filmmakers Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcom, the directorsbehind the season six finale, Jasper Mall, answer questions about filmmaking in the South. Co-directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb spent a year shooting the film. You really feel as if you know these people. Instead of expanding those key moments a little more to fit the overall narrative of the shopping center creeping closer to its own demise. There is no security guy at the Jasper Mall. Thomason: We're both Houston natives and I moved to Birmingham when I met my wife at (Birmingham's) Sidewalk Film Festival. This documentary is not quite good enough to be putting on your shopping list. So what does the future hold for malls and shopping centers, especially those that are currently vacant (assuming theyre not already demolished and the property redeveloped)? It hadnt been remodeled since it opened. As it turns out, the types of malls Gruen envisioned those more thoughtfully integrated into their communities have proven to be the most successful malls over the long haul, though retail and entertainment are more profitable and therefore largely prioritized over mixed-use purposes. Jasper is located about 40 miles outside Birmingham, Alabama. Your email address will not be published. . DEAD MALL - JASPER MALL - NOT EVEN NETFLIX CAN SAVE IT - JASPER AL - YouTube 0:00 / 10:10 DEAD MALL - JASPER MALL - NOT EVEN NETFLIX CAN SAVE IT - JASPER AL Ace's Adventures 53.7K. For one year it follows the local mall in Jasper, Alabama and how it declines and grows less and less with stores closing and chains going out of business. For now, though, most of these abandoned malls exist as ghost towns, if they continue to exist at all. "[3], The film also follows the day-to-day operations of the remaining 20 or so store owners with a focus on the slowdown of customers. Thered be days when (mall caretaker) Mike would contact us and say, Hey, were having a quartet performance in the mall today or Theres going to be a carnival here this weekend. He would alert us to things like that happening. One man, if he were alive to see the demise of mall properties, possibly would have seen this coming. You are invited to shop, dine, and enjoy a wide variety of name-brand stores, specialty boutiques, r Jasper Mall is still open, amazingly, after watching this film. The store closed in March 2017. Facebook. The film is based on true events, despite the fact that it is a fiction film. Glittering paeans to retail in an era where a prosperous American middle class had plenty of money to spend, and mall store pricing was still competitive. what denomination is closest to pentecostal. Then when we spent time in the mall and met the people inside, we felt pretty confident that this would be our next project. The documentary was filmed over the course of 2018 as the mall tried to rebrand and recover from the loss. Consider These Factors, Bayside Mall: A Popular Shopping Destination In Toronto, The Pros And Cons Of Teen Curfews In Shopping Malls, The Americana At Brand A Luxury Shopping Mall In Los Angeles To Close Its Doors, The Importance Of The Quinceanera Dress And Mass, As Electric Cars Become More Popular Free Charging Stations Are Popping Up Across The Country, The Fashion District: A New Shopping Mall In Philadelphia. The local paper has reported that it is unusual for a mall to have Kmart as an anchor. Learn more. Jasper City Council approves agreement between city, Rural King for Jasper Mall location, Talladega woman killed in 2-vehicle crash, Arrest made in Tuscaloosa shooting; 1 injured, Senator Tuberville pushes for bill on institutional child abuse, Regional Airlines Dealing With Pilot Shortages, Homicide in Center Point, shooting in Birmingham believed to be connected. [2] History [ edit] The mall opened on August 8, 1981. Such examples are the amazing analogically-like footage where mostly elderly customers order funeral flowers, play dominos in an empty food court, sing contradicting gospel music and unable to connect with modern technology. Text is available under the Creative Commons . Photo by Nicholas Eckhart (Creative Commons 2.0) Abandoned malls: Randall Park Mall in Cleveland, Ohio. By - March 1, 2021. Report abuse . I remember watching Vernon, Florida for the first time and not being able to shake it for a while. Although the filmmakers can't say for sure how many patrons visited Jasper Mall during its, prime, Whitcomb says, "There's a photo of the mall parking lot on opening day and it's completely full. No voiceovers, no thematic soundtrack, just pure cinematography and story telling. The cinematography and editing is very well done. "He truly cares and takes pride in the work he does there.". JASPER MALL chronicles a year in the life of a dying shopping mall, its patrons, and tenants. That would be Victor Gruen, the architect who conceived and planned the first climate-controlled indoor mall in the US. Since the. The city was home to notable residents such as actors Michael Rooker, George Lindsey, and Polly Holliday, as well as Tallulah Bankhead, a stage and screen star who lived there briefly. Jasper Mall opened in August 1981. It's surprising more riveting than watching highly staged moments where people ruin shots by staring straight at the camera as they talk to other people. All rights reserved. If you have an opportunity for Southern creatives and want tobe included in our newsletter write us at dirt@reelsouth.org. Construction of malls boomed throughout the 60s and 70s, finally peaking around 1985. ", From dying to living: How one nonprofit reimagined vacant Jasper Mall space - Alabama NewsCenter, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jasper_Mall_(film)&oldid=1144267137, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 March 2023, at 19:36. Because the leasing would be centralized, businesses could reside near each other more strategically than what usually occurred in a typical downtown proper. There was a time when my entire non-school existence was spent at the mall, buying music and movies, seeing the latest releases and expanding my pop culture . According to Jasper Mall's website, the facility still houses around 20 business ranging from chains like Belk department stores to local ventures such as Robin's Next florist. Jasper, AL 35501 . "Jasper Mall" pivots on McClelland, a former zookeeper. I remember when I was young always being at the mall. The filming and editing of this documentary stood out. Material on this site is provided for education, criticism, commentary, cultural reporting, entertainment, historical reference, and news reporting/analysis. Currently there is one anchor store, Belk, and about ten smaller stores. Unfortunately, at that point the total number of malls didnt simply plateau, and building rates didnt merely decline. Others propose that economics were a major factor. What keeps you inspired to make work in Alabama and in Birmingham? [12], On January 24, 2020, Jasper Mall, a documentary feature film billed as "a year in the life of a dying shopping mall, its patrons, and its tenants" premiered at Slamdance Film Festival.[13]. It's only good for a quick browse. Required fields are marked *. HBCUs are riding a wave of popularity not seen in decades. Nice slice of life documentary of a dying mall, but could use more context. Post author: Post published: March 15, 2023; Post category: christina cassini images; Post comments: . Due to this, the amount of people who visit Jasper Mall has decreased drastically .. A few of your favorite all-time documentaries? Rock music fans might have seen Windows fun 2019 release Lost Weekend, a documentary short about two Pennsylvania teens who won an MTV contest and got to party with Van Halen for 48 hours. How is the ongoing pandemic affecting indie films and documentaries, as far as getting them out there, distribution, building buzz, etc.? I just wished occasionally the film makers had pulled away from the mall setting to give us some context about the larger community where the mall is set. The doc's trailer is a poetic two-minute watch just by itself. On Tuesday January 17, 2023, the Jasper City Council approved an incentive package, which will allow a Rural King store to open in the former Kmart space in the Jasper Mall. The mall offers a variety of stores and services, so there's something for everyone. Abandoned malls: Jasper Mall documentary. The tile is just like the tile work from the malls of our childhood. "Jasper Mall" caught my attention instantly with its fascinating protagonist, a Tiger King-like British-Cajun-sounding young guy who ventures into the heart of the Jasper Mall's darkness to mop floors. The 350,000-square foot mall was designed to hold about 35 or so stores. As his story relates to what's going on with the mall. I felt like I really new the people and their stories. There are similar hotels available. Find out more here. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. As the mall deteriorates, the film follows its inhabitants, as well as the characters who live there. Fewer young people want to work in trade jobs than ever before, and thats left a hole in the job market. In addition to McClelland, "Jasper Mall" viewers get to meet shop owners and mall patrons. So, lets get into exactly what Jasper Mall is and how it came to be where it is today. The movie took a sharp right turn into focusing on nearly unrelated issues. That young couple at the fair were pretty adorable. Jasper Mall was an entertaining look into the life of a mall. They all have personal stories and they're all part of the life and times of Jasper Mall. Season 6 Episode 607 55m 46s A dying shopping mall outside of Birmingham, Alabama, its patrons, and its tenants embody the diversity and tenderness of Americana culture in a changing South. The mall is largely vacant today and mostly abandoned, yet amazingly, was still open for foot traffic as of 2018. You can find a story anywhere in the world, travel to shoot it, and edit it fromyour car if you want. It's easier than ever to make those connections and collaborate. This shows the lives of some everyday people going about their everyday lives and I found that surprisingly interesting. "Alabama shopping mall subject of new documentary film", "A Year In The Life Of A Dying Alabama Mall", "Documentary on Jasper Mall to be released Tuesday", "Spoiler Magazine's Top 10 Movies of 2020", "Announcing Our 2020 Sidewalk Film Festival at the Drive-In Award Winners! The Jasper Mall is a shopping mall located in Jasper, Alabama. Another story that seems to go nowhere was the nail saloon lady. ago That first photo brought me back in time to the mid 80's. That was exactly what malls looked like when I was a tiny, new person. Learn how your comment data is processed. Subtitled, A year in the life of a dying shopping mall, the doc Jasper Mall, is now streaming on video on demand platforms. The various causes of the mall's decline emerge throughout the documentary. That moment felt awkwardly staged reenactment as they look like they secretly have no clue why they agreed to meet there rather than at home texting. It's seemed out of character for them to interact at that location. The film Jasper Mall premiered at Slamdance Film Festival in January 2020 as part of the festivals Documentary Series. NorthTown Mall, located on the north side of Spokane, has been purchased by the Great Neck, New York-based Kohan Retail Investment Group. Contact accommodation for availability. The only thing left at the Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles, IL is the Von Maur department store and a movie theater. Below are more edited excerpts from my recent interview with the "Jasper Mall" filmmakers. [1], Jasper Mall often revolves around Mike McClelland, a former zookeeper, who serves as the mall's superintendent and works in a security and caretaking role. Sadly, that subplot was abandoned. Like so many abandoned malls, its decline started in the 80s, accelerated in the 2000s, and by 2011 Woodville was not only struggling to stay afloat, but the structure was in such a state of decay that a judge ordered it closed. And stare at the Reebok Pumps I desperately wanted before school started again. Even so, I think it's worth watching to be reminded of how the other America, flyover America, may not be exactly what you think it is. Leaves you thinking about your mall days! ALSO SEE: Vintage shoe stores: See what shoe shopping really used to be like. It captures the struggle of everyday life brilliantly and without narration, but there is always hope tucked away if you look.

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