We went to the mall on Saturday to see what we could find for Mr. Man besides clothes from Carter’s. Turns out there is nothing in my local mall for babies and kids.
How depressing is that? I know we’re experiencing a largely down economy right now, especially in Cleveland, but to not have any kids stores?! Boggles the mind.
I remember going to this very same mall when I was a kid. My mom and I used to get lunch, shop and walk around. I got my shoes at Stride Rite. And more recently, like in the last five or six years, there used to be a Children’s Place and Gymboree in addition to Gap Kids/Baby Gap and the department stores.
Now you go there and sure, Gap Kids is still there, but the baby section is the size of my pinky. And the selection of baby items in the department stores is so small that it’s not even worth going. There was some really cute stuff at Nordstrom, but who is going to pay $30 for a onesie? I guess if you’re shopping at Nordstrom, you can afford $30 for a onesie, but it still seems ridiculous. You can look online for a rare catch that costs a little less.
And while we’re on the topic of the lack of kid stores in Cleveland, what about baby furniture? Where did all of the baby furniture stores go? Or were there none to begin with? If you go to any other city in the U.S., there are at least two stores to choose from. But here, it’s either Berg’s (overpriced), Babies R Us (complete crap) or Burlington Coat Factory (um, what?). What gives?
Either the economy in Cleveland is so depressed that it’s literally shrinking into a ghost town, or the population in Cleveland is so old that there aren’t enough young families with children to warrant such stores in the area. Both are extremely sad scenarios for the young families that DO reside in the area.
I hope that more young families decide to stay in Cleveland or relocate back to the city. The biggest draw, I would have to say, is the vast amount of real estate at unbeatable prices (as compared to other cities in the U.S.). You definitely get the most bang for your buck here. And most of the schools are really great. What’s not to love? A great house, great schools, beautiful landscapes — all for pocket change for a lot of people. The quality of life here is actually quite good. I know Cleveland and I have our arguments and I did agree with Forbes on Cleveland being a crappy city, but I was in the throes of new motherhood and a horribly cold and depressing winter.
Hopefully by the time the city rebounds and there is a growing population again, I won’t be so old that I’ll be complaining about the lack of orthotics dealers… oy vey.
