I recently made a stop in to the Martinsburg Mall. With daughters, we are frequent shoppers at Bath and Body Works.

As we walked through the empty halls with dark and quiet store spaces all around us, I was saddened to think that in just a few short weeks, the mall will be gone and along with it an opportunity for the area to provide shopping for its citizens.

While I?have not seen specific plans for the location, I understand the three anchor stores will stay and the middle (the actual heart of the mall) will be demolished.

In its place we will find more of the “strip” type shopping malls–at least that is the rumor I am hearing.

Frankly, don’t we have enough of those? Don’t we have enough cell phone stores, sub shops, mattress stores and the like?

What we need are more varied shopping venues with locations of several price ranges for clothing–both everyday and a bit dressy. We need things that are found in a mall! Another big box store is not what we need–we have enough of those.

Eateries and restaurants are popping up all over the place. That can be a good thing; although something unique would be nice rather than the typical ‘same old’ burger and fry, sports on every TV within sight venue.

And what of the other uses of the mall? What about the place where folks go to walk and get exercise? Many of our senior citizens used the mall as an indoor “track” where they could walk at no cost. Their limited income doesn’t allow for such frivolities as gym membership. And walking outside is often a danger with uneven ground and bad weather.

The recent mention of the disruption expected to mail service had me shaking my head as well. I would think, first of all, that the U.S. Postal Service received some notice of the closure so they could secure another facility. There should be no disruption of service whatsoever; however the postal service’s “service” has not been up to par for a long time. (That, my friends, is an editorial for another day.)

There is no saving the mall–it will soon be part of our area’s history and with it goes an opportunity for businesses to provide goods to so many. It’s a shame the owners of the property could not make it more cost efficient for stores to remain.