Unconscious biases are thoughts and actions formed by our brains creating shortcuts to process the countless pieces of information we encounter daily and are informed by media, news, societal norms, and our experience. Our biases may not even be self-serving.

While increased occurrences of retail store closures and predictions about the death of the shopping mall are causing mall owners to consider downsizing or repurposing their space, the developers behind American Dream Mall, are doubling down on their use of entertainment space to attract customers. 

It may have been unthinkable ten to fifteen years ago, but the shift in consumer shopping patterns from brick-and-mortar stores to online platforms has resulted in the emergence of retail-to-industrial conversions. 

The last several years have been treacherous for the retail sector.  Changing shopping patterns and shifting demographics have led some commentators to declare that the (retail) apocalypse is upon us. 

It’s no secret that consumers have been shifting away from shopping at traditional brick-and-mortar stores in favor of shopping online. The trend has led to proclaim that, with some exceptions, the mall is more or less dead.