HarMar Mall: Space for Real Life
HarMar Mall is a Roseville icon, a community gathering space for nearby
residential neighborhoods, and it is currently receiving a face-lift. The process has
created controversy as different stakeholders--residents, government officials, and
mall management—weigh in on what a successful HarMar Mall means.
Roseville is an inner ring suburb with a decreasing tax base and, like many
suburbs, struggles with created a strong place-based identity. HarMar is one unique
landmark that is identified as specifically Rosevillesque and it is also snuggly placed
in the middle of three residential neighborhoods with residents who use the mall
often for grocery shopping, banking, and other daily community activities.
To further complicate our understanding of the space, the owner of HarMar,
like many mall owners in today’s global economy, does not live in the Roseville
community, the state of Minnesota, or even the Midwest region. This paper explores
how these various actors perceive the space and how these different perceptions
are negotiated through the political process.
The History of HarMar
To understand why residents express feelings of ownership in regards to
HarMar, one needs only look at the history of the space. HarMar is an enclosed
shopping mall on Snelling Avenue just south of Hwy 36 in Roseville, Minnesota. A
local married couple, Harry and Marie Slawik, developed the space in 1961. The
name “HarMar” is a combination of the first three letters of each of their names. A
picture of the couple hung in the mall until very recently.
Respondents to an online survey (N=22) about the mall were grateful that
the space catered to them and felt the store mix in the mall had even changed to
reflect aging populations. One resident remembered a hobby shop where children
would race cars in the 1970s, amusement areas in the mall, including a carousel, and
other stores catering to families with young children. Today, he said, the stores and
uses are different. Many older folks who live near the mall take advantage of the
space for walking, especially on days with bad weather. The mall opens its doors at
7 a.m. while stores do not open until 10 a.m., and this is a favored time for the
walking.
The architect that designed HarMar was Willard Thorson and he
incorporated design features that make HarMar truly unique. The floor plan of the
mall consists of a long corridor, which zigzags at a series of right angles. In all, there
are four separate hallways with plenty of opportunities for meandering and
grasping a quiet moment alone. As one blogger at Labelscar.com attests, the interior
design of the mall is maze-like and quite different that newer malls of today. “The
longest and most interesting hallway is the corridor [anchored] with Barnes and
Noble. It is massively wide, and features an arched ceiling with large windows
allowing natural light to come in during the day. There’s also a small basement
court with a community room. Another weird part of the mall is the hallway
between the food [court] and Marshall’s. About halfway down, it inexplicably
becomes a ramp, making Marshall’s and the rest of the mall from that point several
feet lower. It’s much more dramatic in person....” Another blogger said he was
surprised that HarMar had not died with most of the malls of its kind. He wondered
when it would be added to the ranks of deadmalls.com—if ever.
HarMar is competitive in its own way or it would not have survived so long
less than a mile away from a popular (and newer) regional center named Rosedale
Center. The Mall went through two redevelopments prior to the one now underway.
In 1971, the mall was expanded, and in 1981, it was renovated again after being
severely damaged by a tornado on June 14. These renovations were done very
intelligently: with large, glitzy Rosedale Center only a mile away, HarMar found its
niche market in providing the community with discount stores and non-traditional
anchors, such as Cub Foods and TCF Bank.
In my five years of experience visiting the mall, I witnessed the transition
after an Australian firm named Centro Properties Group sold the mall to a New York
firm called Emmes and Company in 2007. The sale came on the heels of the closing
of the beloved 11-screen AMC movie theater. Since the sale, a few of the large
anchors have closed either from the difficult economic realities of the post-9/11
United States or because rents have risen to prohibitive heights. Those that have left
include Northwestern Bookstore, Seasonal Concepts, T.J. Maxx, and TCF Bank. In the
meantime, HarMar’s website has been renovated, a Staples has moved into the old
movie theater space, and D’Amico’s and Chianti Grill, both local restaurants, have
moved in to new unattached developments on County Road B and Snelling Avenue.
The new website, HarMarMall.com, greets web users with the slogan,
“Welcome to HarMar Mall. Shopping for real life.” Services mentioned include ATM
access, employment, gift wrapping, lost and found, mail box and UPS drop off boxes,
a management office, restrooms and public telephones, seating areas “ throughout
the mall common area,” security, services for shoppers with disabilities, and a
smoke-free environment. The site also confirms that HarMar occasionally hosts
events, including a recent Snowflake Contest and Gem and Mineral Show sponsored
by the Anoka County Gem and Mineral Rock Club. HarMar Times, a small shopperlike publication is available on site with sale information, coupons, and event
listings.
“HarMar Mall has over 430,000 square feet of shopping and features over 45
fine specialty shops and are anchored by Barnes and Noble, Cub Foods, Famous
Footwear, HomeGoods, and Marshall’s. HarMar Mall has been serving Roseville and
surrounding communities since the early 1960s and has maintained its position as a
community-shopping destination.” Management cites relaxed atmosphere, easy
access, and great location as important amenities. With free events and a unique
retail mix, HarMar has become the community-shopping destination for at least
some of Roseville’s more local “publics.”
Management Struggles
The picture would not be complete without a look at what HarMar
management’s plans for the mall are. I spoke with a very cordial representative of
HarMar management who explained that the management at HarMar really
appreciated the ownership the community took in the mall and generally thought
that this type of community support was a good thing. The difficulty was making the
mall work economically, especially when ownership changed hands every few years.
While management stayed fairly consistent, the absentee landlord that made
the final decisions about what to put in the mall changed often. The management
representative I spoke with explained that there was always a balance between
store mix and just getting the space occupied. One owner would be more interested
in one side of this pendulum and the next would be more interested in the other. It
seemed to create an atmosphere where management felt removed from the
selection process and owners vacillated between valuing the quality of the mall and
valuing the exchange value of the space.
Planning HarMar: Public Amenity or Private Tax Base?
My first inkling of the importance of HarMar outside of my own perception as
a Roseville resident occurred during the Roseville Planning Commission’s public
meeting to review the draft of the Comprehensive Plan resulting from 14 steering
committee meetings over two years. It began at 6:30 p.m. on October 1, 2008, and
lasted five hours. The Planning Commission Chair took the floor and outlined three
areas of contention around the City of Roseville’s Comprehensive Plan, two of which
focused on HarMar Mall. The first was whether or not the land under HarMar Mall
should be classified as for community business or regional business. The second was
whether the definitions for community business and regional business should be
changed.
When the discussion was opened to the public, ten community members
addressed the redesignation of the land under Super Target and HarMar for regional
rather than community business uses. Concerns centered on the proximity of the
mall to three well-established neighborhoods already feeling the effects of heavy
traffic and development. Members noted lack of need for more large stores in the
area, issues of walkability, and the possible loss of kinds of stores available for
neighborhood uses, such as Cub Foods. “The more you develop, the more residents
get pushed out,” worried one man. There was a general fear of a big box store like
Wal-Mart replacing the unassuming HarMar Mall. People advocated for smaller
“upscale” development if any. One woman had more community and economic
reasons for the type of development she wanted: “these businesses need to have
reasonable hours, traffic considerations, and jobs for heads of households. It needs
to be a livable community instead of a great feast for developers.”
The community’s response to this issue is a testament to the ownership the
public has taken in ensuring the health and well being of their neighborhood mall.
They seem to consider HarMar their space much more so than they consider local
areas with regional business designations, such as Rosedale Mall. This space is
thought to be, to some debated degree, under community surveillance and control.
The issue wasn’t about what was already there, but how much control the public
would have in development decisions there in the future.
After the public had weighed in, the discussion was closed. The committee
decided not to address the main concerns of the residents in attendance until 10:15
p.m. Four people were so frustrated and discouraged with the length of the wait that
they left without hearing the outcome. One resident advocate whispered to her
friend, “Are we still talking about this [other agenda item]? I’m starving; I have to
go.”
When the discussion surrounding land use for HarMar Mall and the new
SuperTarget areas was revisited, the board unanimously agreed that these areas
were already being used as regional business areas—why not call a spade a spade?
They claimed that what the public was really concerned with was the type of
development, so it was important to change the definitions of community and
regional business. The commission proceeded to omit the language that specified a
community business development could be no more than 100,000 square feet and
replaced it with, “Buildings shall be scaled appropriately to the surrounding
neighborhood and promote community orientation and scale.”
If what the public really wanted was smaller, community-owned businesses,
omitting the square foot maximum was in direct opposition to their interests. In my
opinion, the community had been asking for more regulation on what a community
and regional business could entail. The community members I have talked to would
consider a “successful” HarMar Mall to consist of stores that they will shop in
frequently, are convenient and practical, fill up the space and add to the utility of the
mall, and events and activities (such as a new, smaller movie theater) that draw
people in and encourage interaction. The Planning Commission seemed to see a
different interest in the mall altogether—one that some residents felt was focused
on the possibility of increasing revenue from an otherwise shrinking tax base.
After this meeting and beginning a course on the design of public spaces, I
decided to survey Roseville residents about their perceptions of HarMar mall in
order to better understand the ownership I saw taken at the Planning Commission
as well as the use value of HarMar Mall for the public. The remainder of this paper
focuses on the results of this survey and theories from my public spaces course that
can make sense of these results.
Is Privately Owned HarMar Mall a Public Space?
Roseville residents were creative and comprehensive in their lists of the
many indoor and outdoor public spaces available to them; in fact, many of them
were unknown to me as a resident and are now on my list of places to visit. The
most common sites mentioned were HarMar Mall, Roseville Skating Center, the John
Rose Oval, Roseville Central Park, and Rosedale Center. Resident enjoyed these
amenities for a variety of reasons that can be lumped into three important factors
for a public space: the presence of social activities and recreation (concerts, plays,
sporting events, shopping, exercise, hanging out, meet, work, study), an
aesthetically-pleasing atmosphere (beautiful, well-maintained, groomed, clean), and
a high degree of accessibility (nearby, easy access, dog walk, pedestrian friendly).
The vast majority--15 of 23--viewed HarMar Mall as a public space. However,
individual views were sometimes very polarized. No definition of public space was
given for respondents to work with on the survey, and much of the difference in
opinion was due to differing definitions of public space. What defined HarMar as a
public space to those who said ‘yes’ usually fell into the following categories: the
space is open to the public; there are no usage charges; events and other uses, like
walking, make it more than just a shopping destination; good vehicle, bike and
pedestrian access. A few people were on the fence on this issue because the space is
privately owned rather than publicly owned which went against their definitions of
public space, but at the same time it was open to the public, part of the public
sphere, and other uses took place there besides shopping. The fact that it was
privately owned was also a main argument for all five respondents who answered
‘no’ to the question. People who did not believe HarMar was a public space also
cited the fact that the area is for shoppers and its aim is to attract business, the
owners can limit and control who uses the space and when, and people do not have
a say about what goes on there.
The overwhelming majority of respondents visited HarMar monthly or
weekly, although one respondent used the space daily and another drove 200 miles
to visit HarMar annually. All respondents went to HarMar to shop, but many listed
secondary uses as well, such as walking, meeting friends for coffee, going to high
school art shows, and hanging out at Barnes and Noble. Respondents noted that they
saw others using the space for non-shopping activities as well. Over half of the
respondents noted that they saw people using the space for walking exercise. Other
popular responses included using the space to meet others or attend meetings in the
basement, and hang out at Barnes and Noble or browsing sales. One resident
recalled that voting used to take place there.
The vast majority of respondents used cars to get to HarMar, including the
majority of respondents living within a mile of the shopping center. The reason for
this is most likely a combination of factors: a general dependence on cars in the U.S.,
especially in suburban areas, as well as the practical decision to use a car when
anticipating hauling groceries or other items back home. All but three respondents
lived less than 5 miles away, the majority living 2-5 miles from the mall.
When asked what they liked and disliked about HarMar, respondents gave a
variety of insights. Respondents liked the updated look of the developments that has
gone in over the last few years, the nearness and convenience of the location, the
accessibility, parking, and ease of movement inside the mall, and the variety of
shops. Other pros to the space are the size (not to small or too large), quiet and
spacious feeling, outside and inside entrances to stores. History, neighborhood mall
feel and nice ambience were also mentioned as positives. Most common negatives
were the current prevalence of empty spaces, the lack of an updated interior mall
space and the perception that smaller businesses seem to have been forced out by
changing management. One person mentioned a “ghost town feel…too quiet and
dark…with an ‘old folks’ feel” as a negative perception of the mall.
When asked about the differences between HarMar and Rosedale and
personal shopping preferences, respondents tended to agree on several key
differences. Some of the words used to describe Rosedale Center included “islandlike,” “regional,” “upscale,” “expensive,” “trendy,” “more commercial,” “more alive.”
The most common observations were that it has more popular stores, is big (or too
big), has better clothing selection, and is busier or more crowded when compared
with HarMar. HarMar Mall, on the other hand, was described as “midscale,”
“neighborhood-oriented,” “easy to navigate,” “less busy,” and “easy to access.”
Respondents concluded that HarMar was not trendy, less of a destination place, and
better connected with surrounding areas compared to nearby Rosedale. Four
respondents felt the difference was in the use of the space: “I appreciate Cub there,”
“more for groceries and books,” and “has shops I use often” were some of the
responses given. As for preferences, people were split. For those who preferred
Rosedale, the size and variety of stores were key factors. For those who preferred
HarMar, size, convenience, pricing, and ease of access were most important. One
respondent wrote, “depends on if I am in a hurry” when asked which space she
preferred. Another answered, “HarMar is our neighborhood mall. Rosedale is pretty
much like all the other ‘dales and Maplewood and MOA.” Many people said that the
two were complementary in different ways or even too “incomparable” to rank.
Respondents had many ideas about how they would like to see HarMar Mall
develop in the future. By far, the three most common prescriptions were to obtain
more occupancy, greater variety of specialty stores, and modernize the design.
Other recurring ideas included improving access from south and east and for
pedestrians and bike, using the two theaters rumored to remain after Staples moved
in to the old 11-plex to show low budget movies, provide more meeting spaces for
the community, and stay community-oriented. “Anything to further builds on
HarMar as a community place would be great! Right now it does not seem like just
another huge mall, and I hope that never changes.” Three people suggested adding a
Trader Joe’s, one suggested a Teen Center for Roseville youth, and another wanted
to see office space added to the south end of the Cub parking lot. Two respondents
voiced that they really liked the look of the new developments, but they didn’t use
the new stores often. “[The] addition of D’Amico’s and Chianti Grill look nice (which
is half the battle), but I never EVER go to either of these” (author’s emphasis).
While most residents had suggestions, it is important to note that this
question also sparked some controversy over whether residents should discuss this
kind of question. “I have no opinion on this question,” wrote one resident, “and
neither should anyone else, unless the owners seek that kind of information from
customers and potential customers. They are the ones who make the decision of
how and in what way they use their property and who the lease to.”
Making Sense Through Theory
There were a few readings on redevelopment that I found helpful in
conceptualizing what was going on at HarMar during the time of this study. First,
Mele in “The Selling of the Lower East Side” talks about use as a way to claim space
and form meanings around particular places. “Repeated social interactions in
buildings, streets, and entire neighborhoods produce territorial meanings (e.g.,
“community”) and a sense of privilege and ownership of place” (Mele 13).
Understanding that the use of HarMar by the public itself informs what the space is
perceived to be—public or private—helps to pinpoint the underlying ownership
that people take in HarMar. If public space is produced more through social action
rather than through any designation or label, for example “public” or “private,” then
it is easy to understand why people perceived HarMar as a public space: they used it
like they would use a public space, and therefore, it became a public space.
Mele also talks about redevelopment for one population over another, just as
redesignating HarMar as regional business may represent a wish by government to
change the public of the space from Roseville residents to wealthier regional
shoppers from outer ring suburbs. In economic theory, exports are what drive
economic growth by bringing money into the community. If government officials
and planning commissioners define “acting for the public good” as acting first and
foremost in the interest of economic growth, changing the public ownership of the
space might, to them, be a rational way of acting in the public interest.
At the same time, Mele cautions that, “within discourses of a neighborhood’s
renaissance or rejuvenation, the political economic interests that drive land use
changes [often] appear sublimated to a more noble abstraction of community
betterment” (Mele 22). Is this what is happening in the case of HarMar?
Interestingly, HarMar management explained that the redesignation of HarMar was
going to make little difference to the store mix at the mall. Residents thought
differently and worried that they were going to lose “ownership” of the space.
Spaces appropriated from “owners” for other “owners” have been
documented in The People’s Property. These “taken” spaces are made qualitatively
different for new “owners” and effectively become largely meaningless and useless
for the past users. If this is indeed a threat in this case--and it is still unclear to me
what the underlying hopes of the government and development interests are--then
Roseville residents may be at risk of losing the space they hold dear. This explains,
at least in part, the intense opposition that the change in land use designation
received at the public hearing for the Comprehensive Plan and shows a need for
more communication on this issue between different stakeholders in order to
resolve anxieties.
For those that do not think of the “public good” as solely economic
development, there is another definition outlined in The People’s Property–“If the
public is defined as a realm of sociability, the provision of a pleasant shopping
experience might remain important, but it is likely also to be supplemented by
spaces designed not only to enhance exchange, but also to invite diversity and create
a space ‘to be.’” Understanding what is in the interest of the public becomes more
complex than what will be best for economic development and takes into account
non-economic factors when deciding what the “highest use” for a space is; factors
such as what is best for social relationships, community place-making, and
important non-economic uses of a space gain a place in the discussion instead of
being ignored.
*This report was originally a class reading reflection, so I have added the sources I
used below. Please email me at hbowie01@gmail.com with questions or comments.
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Selling the Lower East Side by Christoper Mele
The People's Property?: Power, Politics, and the Public by Mitchell and Staeheli