Center Point Plaza

Emptiness

Largely due to the huge cavity in the heart of the strip mall and the boarded, vacant store fronts, a feeling of emptiness is pervasive in Center Point Plaza.

Bizarre

While it looks like any other dying strip mall, one gets the sense that it's the only place in the world where he can eat an Indian lunch, buy Serbian hip hop CDs, browse Diwali supplies, replace hearing aid batteries, secure a new filter for a 20 gallon saltwater fish tank and have his shoes repaired in one trip.

Sad

The vacant store fronts, the gaping cavity, the tire tracks that intimate a hasty retreat, the ennui of remaining proprietors all imbue this space with a hefty sadness.

Specialized

The amount of specialized retailers in Center Point Plaza gives the impression that these shops are very important for very distinct reasons.

Arguing

A couple sits within a black SUV at the periphery of the parking lot. The raised tones and pitched inflections of argument can be heard over the din of construction and the whisper of the breeze.

Cobbling

A man hands his shoes over to Bob, the proprietor of Bob's Shoe Repair. The worn soles will have to be replaced.

Eating

Were it not for the two exquisite Indian restaurants at the extreme ends of the strip mall, Center Point Plaza would perhaps lose all relevance in people's minds.

Construction

Men in hardhats filter in and out of the fence that encloses the cavity in the center of the strip mall. Backhoes claw at the asphalt and dirt on the northern edge of the strip mall.

Pigeons

Pigeons are everywhere. Perched atop light posts, they descend capriciously to the large, vacant portions of the parking lot, sometimes to menace pedestrians, sometimes to get a change of scenery.

Tire Tracks

Jet black tracks streak across the usually vacant central parking lot.

Secret

Behind Saravanaa Bhavan, hidden in the trees, is a worn sign for Po Folks. A vestige of the past that leafless trees feel no need to obscure. The sign reads Po Folks Seafood–Chicken and so-forth.