Posted by DanBGosh at aca6b7ba.ipt.aol.com on June 14, 2000 at 01:07:15:
I don't know how many of you are familiar with the fate of Eden Prairie Center in the five years since "Mallrats". Suffice to say that the very reason that made it such a wonderful place to shoot a movie (and do keep in mind that EPC was tanking even BEFORE the Mall of America openen back in '93) has forced the current owners, General Growth Properties, to decide to do a Great Big Renovation. It's been going on for about a year now, and is scheduled to be completed next year.
What all this boils down to is that "Mallrats" is now going to be the only reminder for those of us who have worked at and patronized EPC of what the mall once was. The fake giant palm trees are gone, the food court has been filled in, the elevator is to be removed, and the mall-birds have left (or died). They're putting in a new food court upstairs, adding a new department store, a new googolplex theater, and remodeling the whole inside. I barely recognized things last week when I stopped in; customer traffic for the few stores still open was barely existent.
Maybe they still have the giant palm trees in a warehouse somewhere. I'm sure Harley would love to have one in the backyard in four or five years.
- Dan Bush
Waconia, MN resident
and former employee of RadioShack, Eden Prairie Center