Christmas Shopping for Liberals
If there is such a thing as a “liberal” mall, Chapel Hill’s University Mall would be it. It’s not some sort of village-style, urban galleria “mall.” It’s a traditional mall, surrounded on all sides by parking, with Dillards as a major anchor. But it’s much more compact, with narrower–and fewer–corridors. It’s not designed to confuse you into wandering down an unfamilar path, stumbling into stores along the way. You can probably walk from one side to the other in three minutes. What really distinguishes the U Mall from others, are the shops. Most target affluent, well-educated, citizens of Chapel Hill. And many aren’t chains. For kitchen products you have A Southern Season and Kitchenworks. There is a gallery and a high design home furnishing store. But, it’s not all about luxury here– working folks are represented. Rose’s, a discount Dollar Store-type market. And don’t forget old school drug store Kerr’s. A K & W Cafeteria on the Fordham-facing side of the parking lot is always packed.
I was thinking about how unusual all of this is as I exited A Southern Season, $3 candy bar in hand. Following the sounds of Christmas music in the main atrium, I saw a group of about 10 people sitting in a semi-circle, playing string instruments. There were young kids and older adults. It was so unexpected and nice. As I stepped into the gathered crowd, they began to play “Silent Night, Holy Night.” Quite different from the flirty “Santa Baby” song you hear every Christmas holiday season at the Gap, Banana Republic, etc. One instrument case was fully plastered with liberal and anti-war stickers. Peace on earth, I guess. Scanning the crowd, I noticed most shoppers had a strangely serene look on their face. Where was the typical manic, holiday-fueled frustration seen at so many other malls? Listening to Silent Night, it was almost as if people were not thinking about shopping and instead pondering the reason for the season. Was this possible? I mean, these people appeared to be liberals after all!