Return to The Mall

Or should I say, the newly renamed Sunway Putra Mall.

Yes, the place looked different to what I remembered. Gone were the huge glass canopy over the main atrium, replaced by column of shop floors and a central foyer. The old cinema and indoor theme park was also gone, replaced with more shops although the famous eatery on the top floor remained, although there were new restaurants there.

The old Yaohan was replaced with Uniqlo, and still plenty of shops under renovation or practically empty. The parking lots were the same as before. Cramp and damp, but now with the option of valet parking at the main entrance. Access was much better now with LRT attached to the main building.

The place was still yet officially opened, and was still empty even for a Sunday lunch time. Not all the restaurants were opened, but we had a nice lunch at Lorong Seratus Tahun, a Penang-themed food outlet. 

Going there with Anita brought back many memories of the late 80's and early 90's. Sweet ones. I remember going to have lunch there on the days I was due to fly back to the UK and doing last minute shopping. That also seemed to be THE place for meetups when friends come in from out of town during school breaks. The hippest place before KLCC and Pavilion or even One Utama were the rage.

Oh, time has changed. One of the girls at the shop corrected us when we said that "The Mall" looked different. She said, there is no "The Mall", there is only "Sunway Putra Mall". Hipster!!!

The Old Mall

In its heyday, The Mall was the one. The main, the biggest mall in town. The opening ceremony back in 1987 was spectacular. Rumour has it that the firework show alone cost more than RM 1 mil. And I must say back then, The Mall was the place to be and to be seen. They had all the main brands and shops. The eateries there were excellent. One of the main feature of the place was the huge glass roof over the main foyer.

It was one of the place I would go to when I was back in KL during school breaks, either with my parents to shop, or to meet up with friends. Even back then, getting there was a challenge due to lack of public transport. I remember walking all the way there with my friends all the was from Pertama Complex, without much as breaking a sweat.

With the opening of bigger malls such as Mid Valley, 1-Utama, and of course more recently Suria KLCC and Pavilion, The Mall certainly appeared dated. Shops there started to close and the main brands shun the place, electing to open business around KLCC instead. The crowd also changed …. it was fast becoming groupies hangout.

A few years back, the Sunway group acquired the place and in May this year closed the mall for renovations. The glass roof was removed and this afternoon, on my way to PWTC for the motor show, I saw how bare the place was stripped. The new look mall would be renamed Sunway Putra Mall, and opened for business in January 2015.

Will it return to its glory days? I must say that I would bet against it. It may turn into a niche mall but it would never be able to compete with the likes of 1-Utama and Pavilion. I would however would be more than happy to be proven wrong .....