Of course it can, by evolving with the times. Our local mall changed from being a typical indoor American mall to something that still has some indoor stores,

Of course it can, by evolving with the times. Our local mall changed from being a typical indoor American mall to something that still has some indoor stores, but now with a lot more anchor stores facing outwards, along with newer standalone stores along the edges. The popularity of the place -was- declining, but nowadays they're doing quite well. The real problem was probably more about having a bunch of little stores that were not by themselves a big draw. The anchor stores are really important. I kinda wonder if the decline of the mall was more to do with Sears, JC Penny, Mongtomery Ward, and the like going out of business, and there was a slump while we collectively decided what to replace them with.