Well… it’s a mall. Not a great one. It’s been going downhill for years, and it wasn’t fantastic to start out with. The ambience in the general area is uncomfortable (too echoey and it smells weird), and there aren’t very many stores. The food court is incredibly minimal and lackluster. There are numerous empty storefronts, and a few “art galleries” with only a couple paintings that are thinly veiled attempts at making it look less deserted. It’s not terrible, but I can’t justify giving it more than 2 stars when the only stores worth your time are Target and maybe Kohls or Macy’s. The signs outside that list the main stores have had a blank rectangle where Sears used to be for years now, and it’s kind of a metaphor for the empty feeling the Capitola Mall gives you—a sense that you’ve entered a place stuck permanently in the past, trying half-heartedly to join the rest of the world in the 2020s. You’re better off going to Los Gatos or San Jose if you want a true mall experience. I can only recommend visiting the Capitola Mall if your idea of a good time is reflecting on the impact of late stage capitalism and the digital revolution on our public spaces. (On the bright side, there are very few customers even at peak visitation hours, which means you don’t have to deal...
Read moreNear the mall entrance is Chillis Restaurant which enjoys outside and inside the mall entrances. I noticed a paper cup of soda pop spilled in front of the outside door. The cup was sitting there along side some ice and spilled fluid. I reported this to 2 disinterested Chilli employees. One said she would tell the manager. When I left the mall over an hour later the cup along with the now dried but sticky liquid remained. The ice cubes apparently had melted.
Starbucks mirrored Chillis and also enjoys inside & outside entrances. The service and coffee were good. There was one young man who served the public while other employees watched him. In this Starbucks there is a large open space with tables and chairs along the walls. The large space needed sweeping but the 2 idle employees were busy being idle. There is a little book case with books for customer enjoyment. Nice touch, thanks.
At a cell phone company, I did not see the persom who had helped me a few days before and was aware of my problem. I wrote a note and asked another sales person to give the note to the prior employee. He said it was the first sales person's day off. I politely...
Read moreI'm not exactly sure how to rate a mall, but here are some things to note: -Very large, meaning a lot of businesses inside. -Can find pretty much anything, from clothes to hardware supplies to (more) clothes to that cheapy mall fast-food, etc. -Primarily clothes and fashion stores (Sears, Target, Macy's, Vans, the occasional sunglasses or jewelry shop...) -A bit packed and busy; sort of feels like they could have thought out a better system of moving people around (not necessarily one-way traffic, but something like that). -Plenty of (free) parking. I've never really seen there not be enough parking spaces, but perhaps I'm just never there at the right time. -And finally, there's a Frozen Yogurt spot nearby, just incase you need some extra motivation to get your children to go run errands with you.. Anyway, hope that helps. I'd probably just stick with the statement, "It's an average mall." ...and...
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