Teens to 20-somethings hanging out at the mall, maybe trying on clothes, meeting friends at the food court or a nearby restaurant, checking out the window displays.
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The scene isn’t from an ’80s movie or a flashback moment shared by millennials or baby boomers. Many of the young people strolling while also scrolling for the latest fashion trend are members of Generation Z, ages 14 to late 20s.
And Gen Z, which grew up with the internet and smart phones, is being credited with helping to energize shopping malls that have struggled through the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic and the proliferation of e-commerce.
Flatiron Crossing in Broomfield is in the middle of a multi-million-dollar project outside the mall on the center’s grounds: a mixed-use development that will have housing, entertainment and new places to dine. Inside the mall, new stores are being added and existing stores are being transformed.
Several of the changes are geared toward Gen Z shoppers.
“We have a Gen Z group. We sit and focus and pay attention to what we think would attract Gen Z and continue that customer experiencing the mall,” said Kate Taggart, Flatiron’s general manager.
Employees at Flatiron and Macerich, which owns and operates the mall, use social media to track trends and new businesses that are opening, Taggart said.
“It’s not always just going to be pure retail,” she added. “It has to be all the other aspects that make it a little more holistic of an experience.”
For instance, Macerich is looking at incorporating businesses focused on wellness and fitness to the new development, called HiFi.
“I think nationally, Gen Z represents about 19% of shoppers. Here at Flatiron, we’re seeing it be about 30% of our shopper base,” Taggart said.
Macerich, which owns 36 malls across the country, told The Wall Street Journal that it is redesigning some of the centers’ common areas, making them photogenic for shoppers who want to take and post photos on social media.
Josh Weber, senior general manager of the Park Meadows mall in Lone Tree, said it’s common to see younger shoppers in search of the right backdrop for a TikTok or Instagram post, whether in a retailer’s space or throughout the center. He said shopping centers used to discourage photography and video recordings.
“Today, social sharing is a natural part of the customer journey,” Weber said in an email. “Park Meadows’ distinctive lodge-inspired design creates an environment that photographs well, and retailers have embraced that shift by creating visually engaging store experiences and they highlight products that are trending online.”
The shopping malls that have survived and even thrived are those that have transformed themselves to offer a mix of uses to appeal to customers looking for a different experience, said Ray Wimer, a professor of retail practice at Syracuse University.
High-end malls, considered Class A, are doing well, Wimer. Others, especially ones that haven’t made updates, are struggling or closing, he said.
In 2016, there were roughly 1,220 of the traditional enclosed malls in the U.S. About 890 of them were left in 2025, Wimer said. E-commerce, overbuilding and lack of investment contributed to the demise of shopping centers.
“Existing malls that are in decent metropolitan areas or near an urban population are trying to redevelop or recreate themselves,” Wimer said. “OK, there’s some shopping, but there’s dining, there’s entertainment, there’s condos, apartments. There’s office space.
“Instead of a retail mecca, it’s becoming a mixed-use development,” he added.
The evolution of shopping malls fits with what experts say is younger people’s craving for socializing. About 58% of shoppers ages 18-34 often or sometimes patronize malls, compared with 48% for ages 35-54 and 38% for those 55 and older, according to research by Ipsos, a market research and public opinion polling firm.
Younger shoppers emphasized socialization, convenience and physical interaction when talking about in-store experiences, Ipsos reported.
Nearly almost 50% of total Gen Z spending on general merchandise is done in stores, a 2025 report by Deloitte said. “With Gen Z’s spending power projected to reach $12 trillion by 2030, retailers should consider evolving to meet their expectations,” Deloitte advised.
“The thing with Gen Z is that they enjoy it. It’s the social experience,” Wimer said of shopping malls. “We talk about digital and how isolated people are becoming, but there’s a social dimension to shopping because you go with your friends or you go with your mom.”
And it’s instant gratification if people find what they want at the store, Wimer said.
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‘Great way to kind of unplug’
Mattea Drake, 19, a University of Colorado-Boulder student, likes not having to wait for a purchase to arrive.
“Especially if you’re crunched on time or you see something, you’re just like, ‘Wait, I need it now. I can’t wait,’ ” Drake said. “That’s a really fun aspect about the mall. It’s so accessible. You can just go in, grab it, super, super easy.”
Drake, who grew up in the Erie area, often visits Flatiron Crossing, which is a short drive from Boulder. She said going to the mall is “a great way to kind of unplug and hang out with my friends.” She likes touching the fabrics and trying on the clothes.
“I find things in the store that I never would have searched for online,” Drake said. “Finding my new favorite outfit is way more fun than scrolling on my phone, like I do on a day-to-day basis.”
Going to the shopping mall is almost a fresh concept for younger shoppers, said Meghan Kaltenstein, vice president of leasing at Flatiron.
“They grew up in the digital era,” Kaltenstein said. “We grew up in the mall, and then we kind of got over it. We were excited about online. Now, it’s full cycle back to that.”
In what Wimer called “click to brick,” retailers that started online have also ventured into physical spaces. The eyewear company Warby Parker started online in 2010 and three years later, started opening stores.
“What these digital-only players realized is that it is very useful from a marketing perspective to actually have physical locations,” Wimer said.
And brands that have been longtime staples in malls realize what younger shoppers, spurred on by the internet, can do for their business.
“Abercrombie & Fitch is a good example of a legacy brand that’s really targeted Gen Z and turned their brand around,” Taggart said.
Coach has benefitted from focusing on “that core kind of Gen Z customer,” Kaltenstein said.
The Coach store at Flatiron Crossing illustrates the melding of a more established, beloved brand with a generation that enjoys shopping in real life and online. Coach, known for its upscale women’s handbags, has the younger customers in mind when it comes to certain products and its service, said Sharleen Blanco, the assistant store manager.
And the Gen Z clientele has its own way of shopping, Blanco said.
“They see styles online and then they come in based off of that,” she said. “Right now, our top seller is the Brooklyn bag. A huge portion of that is due to TikTok. That’s what the Gen Z-ers are buying right now.”
Coach is using colors and materials reminiscent of Y2K, the year 2000, because younger customers “are very much into that right now,” Blanco said.
Weber said retailers have hosted in-store events and meet-and-greets that connect with younger audiences.
“Gen Z shoppers aren’t just coming to purchase a single item. Many are looking for a broader experience that combines shopping, dining and time with friends,” Weber said.
Flatiron Crossing, which opened in 2000, has more new stores coming that are popular with Gen Z shoppers. One is the clothing store Garage. There are more than 175 shops and restaurants in the mall.
Seeing a new generation of shoppers and the transformation of the 25-acre area around the mall is exciting for Taggart and Kaltenstein. HiFi at Flatiron Crossing is expected to open in phases starting in early 2027.
The project’s cost is anticipated to be between $240 million and $260 million.
Park Meadows, owned and operated by real estate company GGP, has about 185 stores and restaurants. Weber said Park Meadows pays attention to trends to curate a tenant mix that customers want.
“We have a pipeline of retailer interest that we believe would appeal to Gen Z shoppers. While we can’t discuss specifics at this time, we’re encouraged by the level of interest we’re seeing,” Weber said.
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