'Malling of America' updated with a final trip to Greengate

"I'll meet you at the mall."

For many people, the mall is a destination for socializing, walking and people-watching. It has become more than a place to shop; it is a significant part of American culture. Since their emergence in the late 1970s, malls have come to define many suburban areas. In numerous teenage circles, the mall is a place "to see and be seen."

As the mall became a noteworthy element of our culture, the concept prompted Greensburg native William Severini Kowinski to pen "The Malling of America." The book was originally published in 1985 and included information about Greengate Mall on Route 30, west of Greensburg. Now, the book is back in print, with a new introduction that includes a final visit to Greengate Mall, not long before it closed its doors in 2001. In addition, Kowinski provides updates on shopping-center trends in the new edition, along with additional photos. Several chapters of the original book have also been revised.

The book explores the emergence of the mall within society. Written in literary fashion, it combines Kowinski's investigative journalism background and his observations of the mall into an entertaining prose of nonfiction.

"I'm not a sociologist or economist. My background is in journalism and literature," said Kowinski, who now lives in northern California. "I've always considered 'The Malling of America' as that combination —it's reporting, and it's literary work I worked very hard to make it a good read."

Kowinski's observations of Greengate Mall were made after he realized that a friend's younger brother seemed to spend countless hours at the mall.

"I kept seeing the younger brother of a close high school friend there; anytime I was at Greengate, so was he. He was in high school, but instead of hanging out in town or at the Eat 'n Park on the highway as kids did when his brother and I were in high school, he was hanging out at the mall. That difference suggested other differences, and I began to see all of the other changes that had affected Greensburg by the light of the mall," said Kowinski.

It seems as though the social aspects of malls have not changed much since the original publishing date of 1985. Kowinski writes that the mall was a place where teenagers met their friends and found out where the parties were. And, the mall became the epicenter of local teenage culture. Kowinski learned from his friend's younger sibling that "everything that was happening, happened at the mall."

Kowinski paints a picture of this teenager, his friends and one of the security guards in a witty manner.

" ... he and his friends would simply sit together on the large polished wood bench that was wrapped around three sides of a planter full of glossy-leaved greenery. It was their special place. They fooled around and watched people go by, and baited the security guard they called Sarge because of his thick neck and drill sergeant demeanor.

"On his mall patrol, Sarge would always stop to tap his nightstick on their shoes when they had their legs up on the bench, and would bite out the terse command 'Feet Down!' He did it so regularly that they would wait for him, and as he approached they would move their legs to the floor in military dance step unison and shout,'FEET DOWN!' Then, when he was past them but not out of sight, they would return to their former postures in the same synchronized movement. Then they would laugh ."

Kowinski said he was first interested in writing a magazine article about the mall as a part of American culture, but decided to write a book about the progression of the mall as it became a fixture of society. "It was a subject in itself that hadn't been touched yet —shopping center history, what makes the mall work, etc. And it was also a different way of looking at America. So, it's a book about malls and a book about America," he said.

Excerpts from "The Malling of America" are incorporated into sociology studies of high school and college students across the country. Kowinski said that the chapter which explores the concept of teenagers and the mall is printed in dozens of high school and text anthologies. "One text book publisher selected it as one of the most teachable essays of the past 50 years," he said.

As interest in the book increased, Kowinski decided to rewrite many chapters, particularly the ones that explored teenagers and the mall. Although he said he would rather see teenagers enjoy a more natural world, rather than the artificial one found at the mall, he says that teenagers can also learn about society, life and themselves at the mall.

"The mall has people. It has color; it has a few books. There are places to hang out with others or to be alone —to bang at the arcade machines or read quietly. Whenever this question comes up, I recall the response of one teenage girl. She didn't like the mall that much, but 'I'm here, and this is all I have.' That's it, finally, isn't it• We make the best of what we have. Given the choices most suburban teenagers have, hanging out at the mall isn't always a bad one."

Kowinski is working on another book, "Soul of the Future." He says it is "a book about what we need to change in order to create a hopeful future, in which humanity survives and prospers, both body and soul." He has also begun writing the sequel to "The Malling of America," which he plans to call "Shopopolis."

Janet Frank Atkinson is a Pittsburgh freelance writer for the Tribune-Review.