WESTGATE MALL: MADISON, WI
Anya Vasileevna's Commentary
User submitted January 1, 2013
Having never seen this mall in its heyday, I've no idea if it ever even thrived in the first place. Even their website has been abandoned!
There are a lot of empty spaces, and its only big-name retailer is a TJ Maxx, with the second most notable probably being a tiny Rocky Rococo's pizza. There are a few funky independent shops, such as Wisconsin Craft Market, and a store that sells fossils, but they unfortunately can't make up for their location.
There are plenty of empty storefronts, and it's a small, somewhat convoluted space. Instead of the open atrium style favored by most malls, this one's made up of twisting corridors, making it difficult to see what's even in there. Someone did tack up giant mirrors along one wall to try to make it seem bigger, but it doesn't much help. It's got a very claustrophobic, outdated sort of vibe, and I've never seen groups of people shopping inside.
If this mall did thrive once, it was probably hurt by the other, modern-style malls in Madison, most especially West Towne Mall, which is located close by. That one has a much more open floor plan and major anchor stores.
Links
Flickr Photos - Photos of the mall from Flickr user "katherine of chicago"
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