Parklane stands at a crossroads. A crossroads in time, in culture and in society. The mall is a living fossil, a throwback to the heady days of the 1980s, where exposed concrete met upscale retail spaces. Based on the malls of the prestigious Park Lane in London, right now it stands desolate amongst shinier offerings to the left and right, dulled with time and neglect. The age of the mall is reflected in squalid interior, fading paint jobs and dim lights. This is a dying mall. As the downtown area constantly renews itself to stay relevant in an ever-changing world, Parklane is like a hamlet nestled in the mountains. Unbothered and unconcerned with the trifles of the outside world, they remain content in their state. A rock in the stream of time, slowly being eroded away to nothing. But behind its crumbling facade, Parklane does reach out to a younger crowd. LAN and internet cafes line the basement of the mall, teenagers with eyes glued to the multitude of screens. Music shops and jamming suites dot the upper levels, interspersed with outdoor equipment retailers and a shop specialising in street fashion. They serve a niche consumer base for sure, but it is too a young group. As a gaggle of youths enter the mall, they head immediately down the stairs to the realm of the gaming cafes without so much as a second glance anywhere else. For them, this mall is just a means to an end, there is no sense of attachment to the building. To be sure, the infusion of youthful customers does not detract from the fact that the mall’s days are numbered, but they provide a glimpse into what might have been.