For example, let us discuss the Upper Valley Mall.  There are many different opinions, some good and some bad.  Some will make their judgment by what they see rather than there is more than meets the eye.  You walk through the mall and you see empty stores, what if we looked at it half full than half empty?  What if we looked at the empty stores as growth?  Some would agree, and there are just as many that would disagree.  The Upper Valley Mall is committed to our community.  We have local owners and entrepreneurs that live in our community that are dedicated to making the mall a vital part of Springfield.

“If the mall lost 1,000 jobs it would not only affect the mall, but also suppliers and others who come to the mall to do their work” stated Carla Miller, Director of Marketing & Business Development of the Upper Valley Mall.  What if we are not looking at the mall as a place that several small businesses get their start.   For example Grace’s Gift Gallery, Uncommon Ground, and Fung Shui are just a few of the local owners.  But we don’t want to leave out the larger department stores.  They might not be locally owned, but our locals work there, wives, single parents, high school kids, college kids, retired workers.  I am sure that somewhere in the mix one of them is related to you.

When we talk about how dead the mall is we are actually telling our neighbors and local business owners that their business doesn’t make a difference.  Now that is depressing.  These people have put their heart and soul into their business, talk about the walking dead.  This is their lively hood.  With the way the economy is right now, we should be encouraging the owners, what if it was your job?

“Upper Valley Mall is an important business hub for Springfield; it’s a destination for shopping, dining and entertainment.  The mall is committed to the community and to providing residents of Springfield with an attractive mix of retailers, restaurants and grassroots events” said Miller.  
There are many plans for the mall; we just have to be patient.  The Children’s Palace will be opening later this year; it is the number one specialty retailer dedicated exclusively to children’s clothing, shoes and accessories for ages newborn to 10 years old.  Blessings by the Baskets, Mr. Cookie, S & S Engraving are just a few of the new stores that have opened in the mall recently and there are negotiations for many more to come by the end of the year.   The Simon Youth Foundation also has a positive impact to our community, giving scholarships each year to students that qualify.  Simon malls also are hubs to schools in other communities such as ours.  We might be quick to judge, but look at the glass as half full.  

We are a thriving community, and the Upper Valley mall has a big role to play in that.  I should change my title of this piece to “The Land of The Living”.  I can guarantee that a new breath of life has been breathed upon Upper Valley Pike.