What do you think of when you read the words... STRIP MALL?
Firstly, there's no stripping. No pole dancing. No one dollar bills.
Secondly, they're everywhere and form the backbone of Main Street - the small mom-and-pop businesses that underpin American capitalism.
The rows of grubby one-story shops occupy a slice of real estate along side main roads and intersections. We have a bunch littered around us. Odd places, but filled with fascinating slices of Americana.
In just about every strip mall, even if they're near each other, there is nail salon run by a phalanx of Vietnamese, an eyelash extension shop run by an African-American woman in sequins and a Chinese dry cleaner. Fast food chains are hard to avoid but but if you trust the locals you'll find some of the best places for Ho Chin Minh City pho, Mexican burritos or Korean hotpot.
Stores and restaurants in strip malls are not fancy. Mostly rundown. Often near a Dollar Store or charity shop.
You have got to know where the gems are.
Hiding in plain sight, in a nondescript plaza near us, is a legendary drinking hole.
It's modeled after Cheers, the bar in the TV series, where everybody knows your name
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