Today’s forum, recorded live on December 15, 2021, examines the decline of many American malls and the forces shaping the country’s changing retail climate. Once a staple of both the suburban and urban scene, the American shopping mall has suffered a visible decline in recent years.  

While many high-end malls continue to expand, others have closed.   

Conventional wisdom blames the rise of online retail, the declining popularity of department stores, and COVID lockdowns, but a significant factor is the shrinking American middle class. 

Today we’ll hear about the forces shaping retail from:  

Yaromir Steiner, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Steiner and Associates.  

The host is Matt Barnes, Morning Co-Anchor with NBC4 Today. 

This forum was sponsored by The Easton Community Foundation and GBQ.