The mall has always been a teenager’s best friend.  Whether to hang out with friends, buy some new outfits for a big night, see a movie, get something to eat or even to use shopping as therapy after a bad day, the mall offers endless ways to enjoy oneself.

However, malls all over the country are suffering greatly from the recession.  Consumers now spend less for entertainment and more out of necessity; businesses in malls are hurting as a result.

“People are definitely being more conservative with their spending so we are seeing people buying more [out of] need than want,” Montgomery Mall marketing manager Kafi Virtue said.  “I see [consumers] being a lot more conscientious of what they’re buying.”

Due to the decline in consumer spending, several businesses have been forced to move or go out of business at local malls.  In the past year at Montgomery Mall, popular stores and restaurants such as Sharper Image, Burger King, Whitehall Jewelers and Steak Escape have all either moved away or gone out of business completely.

Many consumers are less inclined to spend time at the mall due to the empty stores.

“I don’t want to say there’s a weird atmosphere there but there definitely are not as many people there now,” junior Chase Williams said.

In an attempt to encourage consumers to come to the mall during the recession but also save money, Montgomery Mall has a new marketing program titled Fab Find to showcase the best deals at the mall for any given week.

“[Fab Find] is money saving program that helps our customers when they come into the center, to find the best deal possible,” Virtue said.  “We want our shoppers to save money too, so we find the best deals every week and we put them in brochures and all over the center.”

Still, despite the mall’s best efforts, Fab Find fails to appeal to teenagers, most of whom rarely utilize it while shopping.

“I never actually look at it because I know where everything is,” sophomore Sarafina Arthur-Williams said.

Even while facing these economic troubles, Montgomery Mall is still planning to press onward with a drastic expansion and renovation project.  According to Virtue, the mall’s plans have not been altered.

“It’s a very long process and the architects have to go through and make designs and changes and get approvals,” Virtue said.  “We have not cancelled the project and I think that if you wait till the end of this year, we will have something to tell the public.”