The Gate City Marathon #1: Retail (Our Main Spots)

Welcome back to another wonderful edition of the journeys of HSS 105 and our ongoing journey through Greensboro and deciphering its amazng history. We traveled all around Greensboro and stopped at many places. Therefore, you will see 4 different blogs about these areas and one blog to wrap up the journey, sadly. We will start with the main buildings we went to. There were four big areas, Old Friendly Center, Four Seasons Mall, Revolution Mill, and The New Shoppes at Friendly Center. Well, here we go!

We started at Friendly Center, the original part. The original part of Friendly Center is the red rectangle with strips down the side (on the map). It is a center for many people because it is in a central location where is is easily accessible from the road and for pedestrians. Also, it has a wide variety of stores for children, adults, and even our elder adults (Chuck E. Cheeses, Gap Kids, and even a Mexican Restaurant). Now, there are a few areas in this area where something does not make sense, or you could say it sticks out. Notice the next two pictures at the top? One building is made of stone decor. The other building is made of brick? That doesn't follow standards of consistency. Well, my theory is that the stone buildings were used earlier, circa 1950s, because that was a strong material that was cheaper at the time of the creation of Friendly Center. Then, circa 1970s and 1980s, people saw that Friendly Center needed to grow and the stone we saw on the other building was getting expensive. So, the workers switched to a new material, brick. It was sturdy, strong, and could possibly withhold through strong storms. So, this explains the two stripes of Old Friendly Center.

Next, there is the issue of parking. Parking was tough because the value was use everything you can to make something useful. Then, the issue came up with where to park when cars became very popular. So, you can see a value change from building space to space for parking. So basically, parking is wherever there is not a building. Finally, there is a new style that we do not see in other places. There is the pedestrian connector and many sidewalks. This shows that values of walking are also in effect because people needed exercise and it saved money with gas. All in all, this place is a strong center for a variety of things whether it be food, appliances, or even a place to exercise. Now, we move to a different style of center, Four Seasons Mall.

Four Seasons Mall is a big center for many people in the Greensboro area. I wish I had more pictures but the security in the mall were not very "photogenic." Still, this is almost like Friendly Center. There are a variety of shops which are placed in one big area. Also, it has security making sure everything was in good condition (by the way, i was stopped by security twice for using a camera and standing with a group, so they are on their best work ethic). Along with these, there is a main center where everyone meets for an event or etc. Still, there are a lot of differences. Four Seasons is actually a big building so everything is inside. Also, it has more of a popularity because it is closer to big areas of residence and business, like the Koury Convention Center with a HOTEL right in it. To sum up Four Seasons, the value here is that it provides an indoor area for people to converse, buy products, and have a good time. Next, we'll go to Revolution Mill. Word of warning. There wasn't too much on this but I will give you what I have.

Next, we went to Revolution Cotton Mill in the White Oak neighborhood.

Revoltuion Mill helped symbolize the model of a mill town. It was made to symbolize the American Revolution, since we are on the craze of the use of Guildford Courthouse. The mill is not in use right now, but it was one of the strongest mills around at the time. How can we tell? There was a big railroad right beside it and from what we could see, it went all around Greensboro, back where Wafco Mill was at the time. It's amazing how it all comes back around. Finally, our last retail stop is the Shoppes of Friendly Center. This one is fun!

Finally, we stopped at the Shoppes at Friendly Center. This is the newer part of Friendly Center with many different parts to it that makes this area look like the future. Now, there are a variety of stores here (Wine store, Jason's Deli, and even the Apple Store). Now, the demographic here is more for adults because you have breakable objects, not too many kids stores, and especially the wine store. Now, on this last picture, you can tell that there is a style of brick and stone. Weird. The workers combined the two designs of Older Friendly Center. They may have done this to show the continued history of Friendly Center and how it will become a great center for people who can not get to Four Seasons. Also, one last thing, there are many different art pieces here in this area like the wall of bamboo in the picture above. Well, one down. Four to go!!