2025 is drawing to a close, and that means it’ll soon be time for me to post my top ten from the past year. The best (and worst) from 2025 will be posted to Stylish on December 23. Some of the highlights (and lowlights) will include:
- Toastmasters contests and events
- The closure of some noticeable chain stores
- Getting a new contract at work
- Anniversaries
Yesterday, I began my Christmas shopping and got a good bit of that done. Since 2016, it’s been a yearly tradition for me to go to Pittsburgh to shop during the holidays. I like to change things up once in a while. Every year I’ve done this except 2020 for obvious reasons, but also because I felt that it was more important to shop local and support my local everything.
I began my Christmas shopping adventure with a stop at Tractor Supply in Finleyville. In case you’re curious I drove down I-70 to PA 43. My playlist was all over the place from the standards to new age to country. This is a very new Tractor Supply and not too far up PA 88 is Trax Farms. I drove through South Park Township and Library Road parallel to where the T travels. I arrived at South Hills Village around Noon.
Over the years I’ve split time between South Hills, the North Hills, and Robinson Township. It’s leveraged by all the traveling I did working at WIS over the years. It’s a nice change of pace but it’s also to keep that part of my life in the past. Plus I don’t miss the traffic that I had to deal with in the days before working at Giant Eagle.
But I like to do part of my Christmas shopping locally as well, and Westmoreland Mall still holds its own as a great mall. The addition of the casino during late 2020 has helped. The addition of Dick’s House of Sport as well as a Convention Center and Hotel will continue to keep my hometown mall relevant.
But somedays I still long for the old Greengate Mall.
When I have some time during the holidays, I also want to walk around Ligonier. The small town nestled in the Laurel Highlands is beautiful during Christmastime and lots of engaged couples and families get pictures done there. Maybe closer to Christmas I’ll make some time to head out there.
South Hills Village celebrated 60 years in 2025! It debuted the same year as Greengate Mall. Yesterday while having lunch in the Food Court, I got to see the lovely mural celebrating the mall’s 60 years of existence. Their original anchors were Sears, Gimbels, and Hornes. Kaufmann’s moved there from the Galleria at Mount Lebanon in 1987.
When I’m in Pittsburgh, I try to hit up Market District when I can. That also rings true for the holidays. It feels a little different now since I’ve worked for Giant Eagle for four years. It was the last stop on my shopping trip, and I picked up a few things for Christmas Eve. One of those is a cheeseball that goes great with crackers, a staple of Christmases past with my Grandma.Â
Looking ahead, next week will be 20 years since my college graduation from Slippery Rock. December 2005’s commencement was the end of one era. I was thinking about crafting a speech, but not sure I’d have it ready in time for Wednesday’s meeting. Five things that have defined me since college include: Toastmasters, finding myself, writing, transition, and learning that it’s OK to not be OK. My college years took a long time for me to get over, but two decades later, I’m at a good place in my life.
Closing–Regional malls like Beaver Valley Mall and the Mall at Robinson are struggling or are beginning to show signs of it. Clearview Mall and Pittsburgh Mills are on life support. Malls like Westmoreland, South Hills, and Ross Park are standing the test of time and still going strong in 2025. The rural malls along the I-80 corridor stick around since there isn’t a big shopping district in places like Cranberry (Venango), Clarion, and DuBois.
The demise of the shopping mall is a sad reality, unfortunately, and we’re witnessing it with the demolition of Century III Mall and Washington Mall. Washington Crown Center is being demalled. Facebook has a page called the Greengate Gazette: Life After Greengate Mall where I get most of that information and I find it very useful.
Stylish 🍒 