When Leverton opened Parkway Plaza in 1960, it was a vogue regional shopping center and a formidable rival to Thruway, with such tenants as Dewey's Bakery, Cahill and Swain, and Woolworth. The city's first two shopping malls took starkly different paths. Vacancies are rare. Meantime, almost a fifth of Parkway Plaza's space is vacant, said Gerald Chase, the property manager with Equity Investment Group in Atlanta. Clapp believes that Thruway and Parkway Plaza demonstrate how resilient shopping centers can be.
Businesses continue to leave the southside sprawl ring.
Food Lion is leaving West Salem shopping center, and Shoppers Paradise left its Silas Creek Parkway site. That might also explain why Peters Creek and Silas Creek malls have lost their original luster, and Thruway still thrives. Thruway is linked to Stratford Road, where cars travel at a slower pace. Ardmore are nearby. Highways were meant to link cities, not stores and neighborhoods, said Duany, a leader in the New Urbanist movement, which tries to reform urban design by creating a pedestrian-friendly alternative that emphasizes the need for offices, stores and schools within walking distance of homes.