Dear George,

There’s a Web site out there called deadmalls.com. It’s a digital mausoleum to retailing gone sour, and catalogs vacant and flatlining mall monoliths from coast-to-coast, including detailed descriptions of their demises.

Only one mall in Maine is listed on this site, and surprisingly, it’s yours.

“Today, the 1992 renovation mixed with the remaining 1979 style creates a strange décor,” the site states about the Auburn Mall. “There are a few chain stores left but many stores are now temporary stores selling cellulars, books, real estate or local crafts. JC Penney is still standing but the store is dark, old and outdated, kinda like the mall.”

Now, and this is an opinion forged by seeing the recent Christmas crowds in your mall, the reviewer for deadmalls.com is wrong. He – his name is Patrick Lessard – is probably just a harsh critic, since along with the Auburn Mall, Lessard also skewered a Newington, N.H., mall for deadmalls.com.

We think the Auburn Mall should be removed from this Web site, but its unfortunate inclusion helps illustrates our wish in this, our own “Dear George” letter.

An Olive Garden would be great. Ditto Target and an Old Navy. So would a Gap, a Christmas Tree Shop, a Texas Roadhouse, a Macy’s, an Abercrombie and a Panera Bread. More than anything, though, our desire for retail doesn’t come with a brand name or marketing scheme.

What we’d like, most of all, is sustainability.

As the dominant property owner and chief navigator for L-A’s future retail course, you have the ability to woo any number of stores and shopkeeps here to serve the Twin Cities. Bring them on; all we ask is their establishment be conducted in the wisest fashion for all residents, shoppers and non-shoppers alike.

To us, this means ensuring development is orderly and complementary, and well-designed and maintained. L-A has the chance to become a destination for retail – after all, our shoppers are already driving to Augusta and Topsham – and our developments should draw from away, as well as from here.

Deadmalls.com is more than a sophomoric testimonial to the wastelands of misspent youths. It represents an American reality: That as much as we might enjoy retail growth, it can easily disappear. You and Lewiston-Auburn have invested too much to see that happen here again.

This is why, in the rush to satiate our varying tastes, please take the long view. We’re so pleased by what’s happening; having it buckle would cripple us. From the responses to our “Dear George”query, you’ve been presented with the pulse of L-A’s shopping public.

It’s up to you to make it work. Please do, for now, and for the years to come.

Sincerely,

The editorial board of the Sun Journal