Stephanie Manivanh

Stephanie Manivanh

The Prudential Shopping Mall was a very open-air atrium type of space with glass ceilings along the entirety of the mall’s length; this made the shopping experience feel very “open” and bright which I assume aids in helping customers spend more (haha). The materials in Copley were much more darker in color and more expensive-looking. This makes sense since Copley caters to a more high-end clientele. Along the Prudential near Barnes and Noble were a lot of small sitting nooks and windows that looked out into the courtyard whereas elsewhere in the malls there were no designated sitting areas. The security here was very strict in not letting people take pictures of the inside of the mall…(I got told off).

Newbury Street is such an interesting mix of retail and residential. What I loved is that the first floors of each of the buildings was so tastefully transformed into residential units by the use of tall glass windows while the floors above were untouched. The biggest difference from a shopping mall is the fact that you feel like you are in a neighborhood rather than a specific shopping area which will clear out at night. It is clever that Newbury Street runs parallel to the Commonwealth green space; nature just around the corner at each street.