A Tale of Two Strip Malls

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Charles Dickens

Strip malls are marketplaces connecting businesses with customers - like eBay, Amazon, or YouTube - but in real life. And where an online marketplace is accessible to anyone in the world, strip malls are limited to nearby customers.

Local economies ebb and flow, and a strip mall must cater to the changing needs and desires of their local customer.

In the scheme of things, Catherine’s Market in Alexander City isn’t that far from the Piggly Wiggly in Lafayette.

They’re both located in rural Alabama strip malls.

But their local customers have different tastes.

Catherine’s sells multiple Barolos

And the Piggly Wiggly sells multiple pickled pig parts.

Catherine’s has a parking lot of granite pavers.

And custom storm grates and granite curbs.

Steel parking lot pole bases and wrought iron perimeter walls.

The Piggly Wiggly strip mall’s site design is a bit more spartan.

But similarities exist. The Catherine’s strip mall incorporates a small older structure:

And so does the Piggly Wiggly:

But no matter the idiosyncrasies of the local market, Alabamians everywhere agree on one thing - evidence exists with this item carried at both stores:

Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times - and no matter the local strip mall design - football in Alabama reigns supreme.

If you’re reading this, you might be a candidate for Automatic, a network for those passionate about mixed-use development.

On October 1 & 2nd Automatic brings capital, ideas, and talent together at Atlanta’s Forth hotel for food, drink, music, and small group meetings engineered to build relationships and launch great projects.

Automatic members include private developers, James Beard and Michelin award winners, REIT CEOs, independent hoteliers, leading architects, local and global retail brands, family offices, institutional allocators, and emerging hospitality companies.

Join companies like Hines, Asana Partners, Jamestown, Sage Hospitality, Fox Restaurant Concepts, Edens, Morris Adjmi Architects, and Nuveen along with 50 independent retail and restaurant concepts to build relationships, connect dots, and create something epic.

Attendance is capped at 250 - to see if you’re a fit, click here.