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In This Issue

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A Blood Bath, and Its Stains Local writer's debut novel reimagines the survivors of the Battle of Franklin

A Face in the Crowd

After the Blood Has Dried A devastating look at the aftermath in Rwanda, and one retired general's burden

Beauty Where There Is No Beauty Brutally murdered last week, Queenie McEwen had a unique talent for photographing the homeless

Cellular Call Stem cell research deserves support—if something can be sucked up into an eyedropper, it's not a person

Cutting Room Nashville kino-club gives indie filmmakers and fans a new outlet

Farewell, Kissimmee Kid Bluegrass pioneer Vassar Clements, who died last week, never stopped pioneering

Fit for a Country Music King Brimming with history, the legendary Nashville Palace honky-tonk is about to be restored to its former glory

 

 

The Author

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The Fabricator

 

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Nashville's 100 Oaks Mall has vaulted into the top 10 of U.S. News & World Report's annual listing of the creepiest malls in the U.S.

The magazine surveys retail analysts, frequent shoppers and others knowledgeable in the field and published the results in its widely anticipated "Creepy Malls 2005" issue, on stands last Tuesday. The mall was ranked 17th-creepiest nationally last year.

"They had several stores close in the upper mall level," says U.S. News spokesman Britt Parker. "It's really unusual for a mall to make a seven-position leap, but based on the feel of the facility, we think this is a justified and solid ranking."

The mall, which originally opened in the early 1970s, has gone through several boom and bust times over the decades. In it's latest incarnation, it seems to have a split personality, featuring a thriving series of retailers facing directly onto the parking lot and an indoor portion on the upper level with about 40 empty storefronts and only two or three open businesses.

"I came by to get a pair of shoes, but I kind of got chills down my spine—and not in a good way," customer Diane Vanleuwen said last week, glancing over her shoulder as she left the Reebok store in the upper mall. Told about the mall's U.S. News ranking, she noted that 100 Oaks seemed to be working hard to maintain its aura of creepiness.

"There's not a soul in sight up here," she noted, glancing down the shadowy and grimy hallway as piped-in music echoed off the hard surfaces. "They should open this place up for a haunted house this Halloween."

Mall spokeswoman Terri Griggs gamely tries to put the best face on the ranking.

"Not every mall can claim the kind of national publicity this has given us, and I think it's clear that 100 Oaks is poised for another comeback," she says. "The key is, just don't come in here after dark—that really freaks even me out."

(The Fabricator is satire. Don't believe everything you read.)