Valley Fair Mall.

On February 10^th, 2011, I went to the Valley Fair Mall as planned.

My plans though were not to shop, but to analyze, observe, and research the mall, and generate some ideas of who shops or walks in mall, and where in the mall, what the architecture and design of the mall is like, what type of stores are in this mall mainly, what food places, what the atmosphere and feel it gives, and all that type of stuff.

It was an interesting mission, I arrived at the mall around 6:20 or so, and was wandering around its light cream colored environment.

As soon as I explored around a bit before meeting up at the Food court with the class, I was already noticing things.

The architecture I started to look at more in depth, the dim lighting in the mall reminded me more of a luxury hotel, it gives that sort of mood.

The Wall colors and layout was light colors, beige or something... accented at certain areas with other colors that usually give the feel of class like gold.

The Layout seemed to have the more expensive, and mostly high end fashion on the bottom floor, where the top had more of the Middle to lower income range clothing stores, and almost every other shop, since the bottom was majority wise mainly high cost women's fashion.

When I arrived at the food court to meet with my professor and the class, I even realized there that most of the food eateries at the food court were fast food of some sort, mostly American style, or Asian fast food, and a few other places here and there outside of that.

(Sabarro Pizza & Pasta, Bolden Bread and Soup, etc) I noticed there was not Mexican style food place up there, or most of anywhere in the mall, besides just only Rubios, which is kind of interesting..

Before I even started this assignment, I was starting to notice things once I looked at them in a observational way, rather then just as a consumer walking around.

The primary target demographic I started to realize for Valley Fair were higher income white women, due to what I noticed about the shops on the bottom floor, and who was shopping in them.

Although, I saw many Asian women with high income as well shopping, but unlike the white women, the Asian ones were never the intended target in advertizing, and in design likely.

San Jose's three biggest ethnic populations is White, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian, and the one that I felt seemed to be not represented, or targeted the most, were the Hispanic/Latino demographic, whether it be in advertisements for the mall, the stores, and the structure of the mall as a whole, it felt a bit like a not so welcoming environment compared to most mall around the silicon valley, being a high end mall, they would tend too look at that demographic as mostly poor I suppose.

So I had an interesting time looking at this mall from a more critical and analytical manner,

but of what possibilities could Valley Fair Mall offer, and bring to the table for their consumers, and people of San Jose?

I feel this city is one of which the chance opportunity can be high, and if someone tries hard enough, regardless of race, gender, sexual origins, income background, and such, they can get a chance at careers, and to achieve things they might not have a chance to in some other places in this country, or in the world even.

I feel this mall can do the same, offer a sort higher end shopping experience for the general public of San Jose, in which it already does, so it delivers on that at least, being one of the nicest malls in the Bay Area, that's always a good thing.

I feel that it also can offer safe and relaxing indoor environment for the people of this city to shop, hang out, and kick back, an escape from Downtown San Jose or even Santana Row across the street if needed.

But I feel what is wrong with Valley Fair Mall is a few things.

Unlike many other nearby malls, like the Great Mall in Milpitas, Oakridge Mall, Eastridge Mall, Valco Mall In Cupertino, and NewPark Mall in Fremont among some is it offers less diversity overall compared to the malls I just mentioned, where those malls I listed tend to target a wider demographic of many different type of people with the type of stores, and layout being more friendly to most people, and the shoppers being more diverse in ethnicity, class, and gender.

I feel Valley Fair does not do that, or do a very good job at that.

They offer mostly a “White Female with High Income” type of shopping experience downstairs, they only have four male only clothing stores even, which shocked me.

Unlike the malls I listed, I saw no stores with certain ethnic appeal, (Asian, Latino/Hispanic, Indian, African American, Pacific Islander/American Samoan, etc.) and only really ones that are of White American, or European brand based stores.

I feel that elitism of store employees, and some shoppers can be another thing, though mainly from an employee focus, I heard some of my fellow students of non-white ethnicity say they felt unwelcomed by some stores they went into, ether being watched, or treated rudely when they asked questions among other things, and if there is a certain level or elitism, or ignorance from some stores, then that's another issue.

Which brings me to something else I notice, this mall is right across from Santana Row, which is one of the biggest, most upscale, and expensive outdoor shopping malls in the Bay Area, and the country I recall even.

So I wonder if that's why maybe this mall is a bit rich in taste, and can make those who don't make a lot of money feel un-welcomed, Santana Row can indeed give that feeling to some who visit it, and don't look, or make as much as the many people who are there who shop, or live in the lofts or luxury condos at Santana Row, or a few miles away in their expensive 2-3 story owned home in the suburbs, its a yuppies paradise, and it can be intimidating for some who don't fall under that sort of class of people.

So I wonder if maybe the reason Valley Fair might be the way it is due to the location of being right across from Santana Row, and the type of people that go there.

I feel if this mall want's to not alienate certain people, and potential customers, they should advertize towards people they usually never do to, have more diversity overall with the shops in their mall, such as opening more Male clothing store places, some businesses geared towards certain races that are not Asian food or one Mexican fast food place, I feel they need to treat everyone who Is shopping, and giving them business equally, regardless of race, gender, or class, if were giving you business, it should not matter, don't judge a book by its cover as they say.

I feel they need to make it basically more welcoming for a city as diverse as San Jose, more Variety, because despite how nice Valley Fair Mall, if there is something they lack compared to their customers, among some key things, its diversity and variety in the stores, and those who shop in them.