An interview with Aaron on the mall’s origins, the growing community, and what comes next:
The food court was getting quite lively.
as visitors moved through the mall, checking out the games and gathering to dance outside the arcade; Aaron’s computer was begining to struggle under the unexpected load. For the mall’s owner though, The performance hit was a welcome problem.
“I’ve never seen it like this before,” […] “I’m so used to being the only one in the mall, and for the longest time it was like that. For years there were barely any visitors here.”
That moment felt like an appropriate time to ask how Ambedkar got here in the first place – and where its creator hopes it will go next:
It turns out Ambedkar’s origins are considerably older than the mall itself.
Aaron explained to me a little bit of his history with building. As it would turn out, he’s been constructing Malls in minecraft and out of lego bricks for quite some time; in addition to this being the third mall he’s constructed on the grid of Second Life.
“I just like to build… I just wanted to build the biggest mall that I possibly could, to see just how big I could make it… LOL”
We talked about how everything else origionally came secondary to that concept. when I asked him whether or not his goals have shifted as of late, he was quite confident the mall was on track to be something special. Aaron wants the mall to evolve organically
“If a bunch of communities want to get together, and everyone gets along and has a good time, that seems like a good thing to me.”
What’s something you would like to see a visitor experience when the visit Ambedkar Mall, even if they don’t purchase anything?
“I want them to experience what it was like to be a kid growing up in the 90s.”
What struck me most about Aaron’s answer was that he wasn’t really talking about the shopping experince alone. It felt more about discovery, and a sense of wonder.
“Back then you had record stores, crawl tubes at Chuck E. Cheese, Electronics Boutique, and nearly every store imaginable. There was no Amazon, and Walmart was nowhere near as big as it is today. Back then your dad got all of his tools and appliances and stuff at Sears, while KB Toys was like heaven on earth. You had Super NES and later, the Nintendo 64 on display in the department stores, when the 5th generation consoles came out and showcased 3D graphics, it was life changing.”
What i think personally that Aaron is trying to capture isn’t necesarily the mall itself, but a sense of possibility that came with going to one. You could stumble across a game you had never heard of, discover a new album, try out the latest console, or simply find something interesting enough to make the trip worthwhile.
We’re starting to explore more events, showcases, and exhibitions – What excites you most about what’s to come?
“I think what excites me the most is that others have taken a lot of interest in the mall and planning events and such. I could never do it all alone.”
We both spent a moment reminising about about community driven spaces such as Otakon or Anime Expo. With the mall in its fourth year of operation it feels like that community effort is finally taking off. Aaron explained to me how his goal would eventually be to have a community team help the mall eventually grow larger than its creator.
“I want to add a vaporwave or cyberpunk themed hotel eventually, […] and an indoor amusement park… WITH ACTUAL ROLLER COASTERS!”
One last question: Where would you like to see Ambedkar Mall a year from now?
“A year from now I’d like to see every store space filled. 0 vacancies. 100% occupied.”
When we started talking, Aaron joked about being used to having the mall almost entirely to himself. Now, he’s watching other people come in, build things, plan events, and imagine what the mall could become. Four years after opening its doors, Ambedkar is finally starting to feel less like one person’s enormous building project and more like a place the community can build together. And maybe that’s the most exciting thing about where it’s going next.
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