July 10, 2025 • 6 mins
“Is the American mall really dying—or are we just shopping in the wrong places?”In this vibrant and hilarious episode of The Ben and Skin Show, the crew dives into the surprising resurgence of malls, the evolution of retail in North Texas, and the unexpected power of a toffee-colored Hawaiian shirt. Join hosts Ben Rogers, Jeff “Skin” Wade, Kevin “KT” Turner, and Krystina Ray as they explore everything from fashion compliments to billion-dollar developments—served with their signature wit and banter.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Another edition of things skin is tracking all right, and
I want to see if Ben's going to be in
a good mood. After we talked about this yesterday, or
maybe it was a day before. It all runs together
because I'm old. Ben was talking about going to a
Dillard's and buying a toffee colored Hawaiian shirt.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
And by the way, I got a lot of compliments
on that shirt yesterday, and both my daughter and my
wife complimented that shirt. I've been complimented in a shirt
in a long time because all he wears is black
shirts all the time, and I got a lot of
compliment action on that.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I thought he was going to say I got a
compliment on that shirt. I got several compliments. I was
at a hot dog stand in Chicago and all these
people started complimenting me on my shirt. What did you
say about the mall experience? Ben?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
The mall experience is a lot like being It is
a lot like watching Escape from New York.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
It just feels like the end of the world. It's
like all commerce is ending.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yeah, So yesterday after the show, I went to the
galleria to the Apple Store to get a new MacBook.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Oh, and man, that mall was hopping.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Oh good, it was hopping news summertime. But I saw
old age groups. I mean, I saw youngsters at the mall.
I saw a lot of young people walking around staring
at their phone, not knowing what was going on in
the world around him. I saw people my age. I
saw old ladies that looked like they had money but
didn't know how to drive in a parking lot. I
(01:36):
saw all kinds of people, and the mall was hopping,
and I thought, man, I want Ben to see this
because I want him to feel better about the world.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Great news.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
And then before I was able to bring that experience
to you, Ben Rodgers, I had another experience this morning,
while sitting in my rocking chair drinking my coffee. Ben
and I we're going to prosper Ford to shoot a
very important social media video with our buddy Ed.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Went out there.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Prosper Ford is right on the edge of what is
called the Fields area of Frisco, and we drove through
that area. And I drove through that area after reading
about this morning the new Field's West development that is
coming to that area. Now, if you've heard of that area,
(02:31):
maybe you've heard of it because PGA Frisco is over there. Yes,
the Omni area, the Universal Studios is going near that
area and a massive development by the same people that
did Legacy West. If you guys have been to Legacy
West anytime, anytime ever, it's packed. Don It's great, doesn't matter,
(02:53):
time of day, doesn't matter, you know, if you're there
to eat or go to stores or whatever. And it's
it's sort of like it's like the old New York
or Chicago style retail where it's a bunch of stores
that are outside, like the store actual storefronts are outside.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
It is like an outside Maull because Legacy Hal is
like a food court.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Yeah, fantastic, and then there's great shops, incredible development.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
This is like the Limes in Frisco and Little Elm
right then.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I don't know, but I know Little Elm is west
northwest of there, but I'd be lying KT if I
told you how close it was.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
But I Plano Frisco. Maybe what's that? Maybe Plano Frisco
closer than I think.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Though he's right because when we went to that Little
Elm barbecue and beer festival, uh oh, it was right
over there.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I just don't know exactly, but I want to read
you this right out of the Dallas Morning News, which
I don't know that we'll have time to talk about this,
but it was recently purchased.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
But I'm just gonna read you this.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
It's okay, it's it's going to get here, and I
think for sure be opened by twenty twenty eight, maybe sooner.
Several companies have already put pen to paper on LEAs
as it Fields West, including Bloomy's, a smaller format store
by Bloomingdale's, Bloomies, Kendra Scott Pottery, barn Sophora, and Williams Sonoma.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Here's a quote.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
We're seventy percent lease before we've gone vertical.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Dang ladies going to be shopping out there too. Ah, yes,
place as you just mentioned. Yeah, so think about that. Damn.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
They haven't even started building stuff up yet and they're
seventy percent lease. Well okay, so is that on the
east side of the tollway west side?
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Oh, which where we just were? Yeah? West side? Yeah,
so if.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
We're we were over at prosper Ford off three eighty
and so I because I had to go get gas
and you know, wanted to get some food. I just
started heading through Frisco and so instead of going right
back to the toll way and going down, so I
had not even gone a quarter of a mile, you know,
south of three eighty, and right there I'm at the
Omni and then I'm seeing the sign that said Fields
(04:58):
and I was like, oh, I just read about this
this morning.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Thing.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
I didn't realize it was.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
That's close to prosper forward for the remaining thirty percent
of those stores. Are they gonna put any dude stores
in there? Like, what's a good dude store?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Because I can guarantee.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Lids. Now you're talking a Nike store. I would be
there constantly.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Well, you know one that I consider a dude store
that I I think it's at Legacy East Due Wipes
Dude Wipes, but also Travis Matthew. Yeah, and uh, what
is it?
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Is it? Peter Malar? Peter Malar. I went to Travis
Mathew store in North Park. It was a bit of
a ghost town in there, not the mall, not the all.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
I was like, it's expensive, and I loved it's like
all I wear.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Much of it makes that look like it's welfare priced.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Yeah, like that Peter Mallar stuff is nuts. Yeah, just
like the new it's nuts, all right. There you go.
There's things Skin is tracking.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Good news for that part of town coming up next
in the Hollywood Shuffle where you Gonna take a kat
I
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Can't believe they're making a movie about this
Another edition of things skin is tracking all right, and
I want to see if Ben's going to be in
a good mood. After we talked about this yesterday, or
maybe it was a day before. It all runs together
because I'm old. Ben was talking about going to a
Dillard's and buying a toffee colored Hawaiian shirt.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
And by the way, I got a lot of compliments
on that shirt yesterday, and both my daughter and my
wife complimented that shirt. I've been complimented in a shirt
in a long time because all he wears is black
shirts all the time, and I got a lot of
compliment action on that.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I thought he was going to say I got a
compliment on that shirt. I got several compliments. I was
at a hot dog stand in Chicago and all these
people started complimenting me on my shirt. What did you
say about the mall experience? Ben?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
The mall experience is a lot like being It is
a lot like watching Escape from New York.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
It just feels like the end of the world. It's
like all commerce is ending.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yeah, So yesterday after the show, I went to the
galleria to the Apple Store to get a new MacBook.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Oh, and man, that mall was hopping.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Oh good, it was hopping news summertime. But I saw
old age groups. I mean, I saw youngsters at the mall.
I saw a lot of young people walking around staring
at their phone, not knowing what was going on in
the world around him. I saw people my age. I
saw old ladies that looked like they had money but
didn't know how to drive in a parking lot. I
(01:36):
saw all kinds of people, and the mall was hopping,
and I thought, man, I want Ben to see this
because I want him to feel better about the world.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Great news.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
And then before I was able to bring that experience
to you, Ben Rodgers, I had another experience this morning,
while sitting in my rocking chair drinking my coffee. Ben
and I we're going to prosper Ford to shoot a
very important social media video with our buddy Ed.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Went out there.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Prosper Ford is right on the edge of what is
called the Fields area of Frisco, and we drove through
that area. And I drove through that area after reading
about this morning the new Field's West development that is
coming to that area. Now, if you've heard of that area,
(02:31):
maybe you've heard of it because PGA Frisco is over there. Yes,
the Omni area, the Universal Studios is going near that
area and a massive development by the same people that
did Legacy West. If you guys have been to Legacy
West anytime, anytime ever, it's packed. Don It's great, doesn't matter,
(02:53):
time of day, doesn't matter, you know, if you're there
to eat or go to stores or whatever. And it's
it's sort of like it's like the old New York
or Chicago style retail where it's a bunch of stores
that are outside, like the store actual storefronts are outside.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
It is like an outside Maull because Legacy Hal is
like a food court.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Yeah, fantastic, and then there's great shops, incredible development.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
This is like the Limes in Frisco and Little Elm
right then.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I don't know, but I know Little Elm is west
northwest of there, but I'd be lying KT if I
told you how close it was.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
But I Plano Frisco. Maybe what's that? Maybe Plano Frisco
closer than I think.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Though he's right because when we went to that Little
Elm barbecue and beer festival, uh oh, it was right
over there.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I just don't know exactly, but I want to read
you this right out of the Dallas Morning News, which
I don't know that we'll have time to talk about this,
but it was recently purchased.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
But I'm just gonna read you this.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
It's okay, it's it's going to get here, and I
think for sure be opened by twenty twenty eight, maybe sooner.
Several companies have already put pen to paper on LEAs
as it Fields West, including Bloomy's, a smaller format store
by Bloomingdale's, Bloomies, Kendra Scott Pottery, barn Sophora, and Williams Sonoma.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Here's a quote.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
We're seventy percent lease before we've gone vertical.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Dang ladies going to be shopping out there too. Ah, yes,
place as you just mentioned. Yeah, so think about that. Damn.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
They haven't even started building stuff up yet and they're
seventy percent lease. Well okay, so is that on the
east side of the tollway west side?
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Oh, which where we just were? Yeah? West side? Yeah,
so if.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
We're we were over at prosper Ford off three eighty
and so I because I had to go get gas
and you know, wanted to get some food. I just
started heading through Frisco and so instead of going right
back to the toll way and going down, so I
had not even gone a quarter of a mile, you know,
south of three eighty, and right there I'm at the
Omni and then I'm seeing the sign that said Fields
(04:58):
and I was like, oh, I just read about this
this morning.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Thing.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
I didn't realize it was.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
That's close to prosper forward for the remaining thirty percent
of those stores. Are they gonna put any dude stores
in there? Like, what's a good dude store?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Because I can guarantee.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Lids. Now you're talking a Nike store. I would be
there constantly.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Well, you know one that I consider a dude store
that I I think it's at Legacy East Due Wipes
Dude Wipes, but also Travis Matthew. Yeah, and uh, what
is it?
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Is it? Peter Malar? Peter Malar. I went to Travis
Mathew store in North Park. It was a bit of
a ghost town in there, not the mall, not the all.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
I was like, it's expensive, and I loved it's like
all I wear.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Much of it makes that look like it's welfare priced.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Yeah, like that Peter Mallar stuff is nuts. Yeah, just
like the new it's nuts, all right. There you go.
There's things Skin is tracking.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Good news for that part of town coming up next
in the Hollywood Shuffle where you Gonna take a kat
I
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Can't believe they're making a movie about this
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