Bellevue Square Mall

    Bellevue has changed a lot in the past twenty years, but one thing that’s remained constant is the presence of Bellevue Square mall. A mall that is not aimed at the ordinary masses, but at the wealthy elites who populate the city.

    Everything about Belle-Square is built to capture wealth. The floor tile, the store layouts, the food available to eat, all of it is built to make sure you spend as much money as possible. All appeal is built on the idea that you, the consumer, want to keep up with your rich friends. So they show you the most expensive version of everything they can think of.

     Belle-Square’s other definitive trait is change. The mall has been in Bellevue since 1946, but nothing within is static. Stores come and go. Strategies change. But the mall is always as full as it can be because everyone who gets into business wants to be at the top.

    The mall is big, crowded, and overwhelming to people like me, but it’s undeniably successful. It’s the heart of downtown Bellevue for a reason. But it’s not without its flaws. It has no food court, only various restaurants spread throughout the mall, and not many places to sit. Its not a mall for everyone, and I feel as though that’s on purpose. You’re supposed to love going to a mall, not the mall itself. The mall is just where the good stores are.

Crossroads Mall

     The signs on the outside say Crossroads Mall, but it doesn’t fit the traditional image of a mall. In a mall, your supposed to come in with a wallet full of cash and leave overloaded with shopping bags. In crossroads, your meant to linger. You come in by yourself, or with a few friends, and then you sit and chat and take in the world around you.

      The heart of Crossroads mall is its food court. Most of it is ethnic food from many parts of the world, all in one place. Close to the food court is a stage where people, mostly locals, can come and perform. The music is always loud, but rarely good. It’s not supposed to be good. It’s supposed to represent the people local to the area. Most people who come to crossroads come to eat food and watch performances.

    Surrounding the food court is the shops. Most of them are small stores run by people who cater to the weirder parts of Bellevue. The exceptions are places like Old Navy and Bed, Bath and Beyond. You won’t find Nordstrom’s or Macy’s here. Those stores go to Belle-Square mall, a place not to far away from Crossroads, but a world apart in terms of experience. 

   The essence of Crossroads is belonging. This is not a place you go to because you want to feel wealthy. You come here because the people are friendly, and the atmosphere is like that of your grandparents’ house. It’s a safe place. Covid may have taken most of the second-tier stores, but it left the mall mostly intact.