Shopping District

The Shopping District *(also known as the Shopping Distract) i*s a dedicated shopping area located within The Capital. It is accessible by following the path to the right when exiting the Bagera Dojo or via the Diamond Path of the Nether Hub.

## History

The idea to add a Shopping District had been tossed around since the The Old World had initially become a realm. However, WhiteLikePaste was hesitant to introduce a Shopping District as he enjoyed having shops scattered throughout the various communities .

However, a poll in the Discord determined that the realm members were largely in favor of the idea. The next step in the process was determining a location for the proposed Shopping District. Wanting to keep it as central as possible, the decision was made to place it within The Capital.

Taking advantage of the abandoned community project, then known as Tank Town, WhiteLikePaste chose to repurpose the project and transform it into the Shopping District.

Since several builds were already in existence at the time, members began to repurpose them into different shops while signs went up for others to be claimed. Anything not repurposed would be torn down to create new space for additional shops.

### Formation of The Groundskeepers

The Shopping District saw very little growth in its first few months of existence as the player base adapted to some of the changes it introduced. One of these changes included the introduction of the GEMS currency which was being piloted in the Shopping District before being adapted by the rest of the realm.

Towards the end of April 2021, WhiteLikePaste created a new position that would function similar to the Mayor role, and would specifically oversee the development and overall aesthetic of the Shopping District. This position, called The Groundskeepers, was originally filled by Plaguedoctor487 and Gidbohn (both of whom were relatively new to The Old World at the time).

PlagueDoctor487 began construction on a primary base of operations for The Groundskeepers that would come to be known as The Hedgequarters while Gidbohn would ultimately leave the realm after a period of inactivity. The second position was then given to POS princess91 who had already been assisting PlagueDoctor487 in Gidbohn's absence.

### Boom Period

The work being done to improve the Shopping District helped to generate new interest in it overall, and a good majority of the player activity around this time was focused around the Shopping District as opposed to The Aquarius which was intended to be the main community project at that time.

Both new and existing realm members began setting up shops for themselves. Some established shop owners, seeing little activity at their community-centric locations, relocated to the Shopping District to maximize protentional sales.

The growth of the Shopping District was referenced in the 1st Edition of The Realm Report, which was posted to The Old World YouTube Channel on May 25, 2021.

### 1st Expansion

The increase in the number of shops resulted in the need to expand the Shopping District itself. Land was added to accommodate new shops and the decision was made to extend the Shopping District into the area long occupied by The Arena. Due to this area also being home to The Studio and Willow's Nightclub (after it was relocated by WhiteLikePaste using Amulet), this section of the Shopping District is often referred to as the Entertainment District.

An auction was held on June 13th, 2021 where realm members were able to bid on streets. Although the majority of the streets in the auction were won by Black1ightningg, he gifted a good portion to others who attended. Proceeds from the auction were funneled back into the Shopping District.

#### GEM Values

Once the Shopping District was established, it became apparent that there was an issue with people remembering GEM Values. WhiteLikePaste reached out to the Groundskeepers asking for ideas on how to represent the GEM values within Shopping District and avoid some of the confusion. WhiteLikePaste and The Groundskeepers came up with The GEM sign located right outside the Shopping District portal. A channel was also added to the Discord with a list of GEM values as well.

### 2nd Expansion

As The Old World continued to grow, interest in owning a shop in the Shopping District rose as well. However, it was becoming apparent that despite efforts to continue expanding to the area behind The Arena, space was limited. Because of this a set of guidelines were put in place on September 10th, 2021.

### SD Revamp

By August 2022, space in the Shopping District was becoming limited. There was also a desire to move away from the grid pattern which had been a holdover from the Tank Town days. It was around this time that discussions of a revamp began being discussed. The idea was put to a poll and the majority of Oldies were in favor of moving ahead with it. Over the course of a weekend in early September 2022, ZuluRanger17, Black1ightningg, and UnworthyChicken worked on the revamp in a copy of the Shopping District that had been dropped into a superflat world. The updated Shopping District was then returned to The Old World freeing up space for new shops. The SD Guidelines were also updated which included a reduction in plot size from 30 x 30 to 20 x 20 in order to conserve space moving forward.

### Guidelines

1) Three shops per Oldie.

2) Plot size limited to 20 x 20.

3) Max shop height limited to 25 blocks.

4) Shops should have a theme.

5) No villagers allowed.

There are several builds located within the Shopping District that aren't considered shops, but serve distinct roles within the server:

* Reflecting Pool - For remembering lost loved ones.
* Photo Lounge - Where new Oldies have their photo taken to be added to the wiki.
* SD Guard Tower - Home of the one and only brave WhiteLikeGoldwater.
* The Arena - Primarily used for Panda's Spleef Spectacular.
* The Museum - Used for acknowledging the history of The Old World and housing historical artifacts.
* The Hedgequarters - Main base of operations for The Groundskeepers.
* The Studio - Home of The Realm Report.
* Train Station - Former XP Farm. Potential future stop on The Laggy Locomotive.
* Willow's Nightclub - Primarily used to celebrate birthdays within the server.