I looked before really paying attention to what you wrote. As I'm
seeing the pictures, I'm thinking "Delta 100". And sure enough, that's
what you wrote.
I'm still rather creeped out over some of the shots, but it's
culturally significant in that retail is highly decentralized, whereas
the "modern era" of shopping, as developed and perfected in the USA
during the late 19th century is governed by "department stores" and
one-stop shopping. (Woolworth's, etc.)
I say "perfected" in the late 19th century, because an argument could
be made that the rise of the mega-store retailer was then destroyed by
the "Amazon" of the day--Sears. Sears further defined, refined, and
built an empire before it collapsed under its own weight decades
later. (as will Amazon, eventually). The indoor malls of the mid and
late 20th century was a modernized return to the equivalent of the
Brussels Market, but didn't include the one-off "I sell socks on the
corner of 3rd and Elm" type of retailer.
The "open markets" concept is wonderful, and played with on occasion
here in the USA with "Farmers Markets", but generally speaking, we
park the car, walk inside a big store, grab a shopping cart and spend
our entire paychecks in one place where the money goes elsewhere never
to be seen again. Other than the massive pool of part-time employees
earning minimum-wage, no money stays in the community.
AG Schnozz
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