Our Approach

We started out with a fun idea. We would make an online Mall for use by the readers of Image & Style Magazine (our sister site). So we talked about what an online Mall should present...the stores, the variety, the categories...then set off in search of interesting places.

First Stops: Our Local Malls. We found the same types of stores with the sames types of products in each. The only difference was the quality of goods varied by the affluence of the local demographic. We do not fault the Malls/Merchants for this - it is simply how retail works. In summary, we found four or five large, name brand department stores and a bunch of similar/familiar shoppes rabbit-hutched into the spaces between. Aside: If you travel, you've already recognized that retail homogeneity drives the selection of Mall stores within.

A secondary effect of demographic retail is that styles and options are limited to those items which store buyers select based on their impression/understanding of each local market. Choices must be made. Who is in and who is out. Each store occupies only so many square feet. This is a still photograph of life before the internet.

If variety was our goal then limitations based on filtered selections had to go. Where possible we would look for product manufacturers instead of retailers so you, the buyer, could see everything that is available. Many manufacturers understand this and provide helpful websites so you can compare features/capabilities before you visit your local retailer. Regional sameness was next on the chopping block. Instead of a Mall with five main stores, how about fifty?...or one hundred? Let's see what folks are doing right in other countries. What are the fashion tastes in the UK or France? And on we went.

And as we "travelled" we realized we were not missing our in-real-life Mall experience. We didn't lose time getting to or coming back from the Mall. We didn't use any gas. We didn't need a babysitter...or need to herd the kids into the car for the trip. No visits to strange restrooms. No unnecessary stops at the sticky-bun establishment. We shopped well after our local Mall had closed for the day.

Even if we were just browsing, we could borrow a look from France and turn it into something that would work using (less expensive) sources close to home.

Then it came time for the compilation. We selected Adobe's PDF format and their Acrobat program as a way of easily distributing the whole site to users (as well as facilitating its easy sharing with a few of their close friends via email). Any device that can read a PDF and has a browser capability can use our PDF-based Mall. And its small size means it doesn't take forever to send or take up wads of space in your cloud.

It is said that all knowledge comes with a cost. We found that to be true when we got into the technical aspects of creating our Mall. We will not bother you with the details here. You can just use The Quiet Mall as a fun, handy resource. Skip along to the next page.

But if you wish, we offer a behind-the-scenes look and a deeper understanding of why The Quiet Mall looks the way it does. Simply take the red pill...and we will show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.