Malls, once symbols of American consumer culture, are splitting. Some are dying as others thrive

The Livingston Mall, which opened in 1972 with stores including Bamberger’s, Sears and Hahne & Co., may have been a bustling social scene for my peers. It also shows how malls are experiencing a K-shaped split — the high end thriving, while malls catering to middle- to lower-income shoppers are struggling. Like many malls of its era, the Livingston Mall became a casualty of shoppers’ migration to online buying, widespread department store closures and eventually the pandemic upheaval. These teen mall rats may make malls cool again. ___D’Innocenzio covers retailing, including malls’ changing landscapes, at The Associated Press.