1st. Avenue Mall

**1st. Avenue Mall** is one of the newer shopping malls in the George Town city centre. Opened in 2010, it was initially conceived as part of the larger KOMTAR project, along with the neighbouring Prangin Mall. With a variety of well-known outlets and entertainment options spread out over eight levels inside the mall, it is among the liveliest shopping centres in George Town.

1st. Avenue Mall was named after Magazine Road, where it is located; Magazine Road was the first avenue of the Seven Streets Precint in George Town. Unlike most malls in George Town, the design of 1st. Avenue Mall was said to be inspired by Singapore's most famous shopping malls and incorporates a curvy layout.

As is the case in the neighbouring Prangin Mall, Its main anchor tenant is Parkson Department Store. Apparel stores take up most of the retail space in the mall.

## History

Along with the neighbouring Prangin Mall, 1st. Avenue Mall was initially envisioned as part of the third phase of the greater KOMTAR project. Occupying a 10,126m2 plot of land bordered by Magazine Road, Carnavon Street, Tek Soon Street and Cross Street just southeast of KOMTAR and Prangin Mall, construction of the mall began in the mid-2000s.

At first, the mall was named Lion Mutiara Parade and subsequently, Paragon Penang. It was renamed 1st. Avenue Mall in 2008 after Magazine Road, where the mall is located. Magazine Road was the first of seven streets (or avenues) within the so-called Seven Street Precint ('*chit tiau lor*' in Penang Hokkien) between the old Prangin Canal, which runs through the heart of George Town, and the Pinang River which separates George Town proper with its southern suburb of Jelutong.

The design of the mall was said to be inspired by some of the most famous shopping malls in Singapore. Therefore, unlike the boxy Prangin Mall and Penang Times Square, 1st. Avenue Mall incorporates a lot of gentle curves in its layout, similar to that of Orchard Central and VivoCity shopping malls in downtown Singapore. Meanwhile, its exterior also comes with colour changing LED lighting.

The mall, which targets middle- to upper-middle income urbanites, was opened to the public in 2010. Its variety of well-known fashion outlets and entertainment options, as well as its central location in George Town, quickly made it one of the most happening shopping malls in George Town.

In recent years, overhead pedestrian bridges connecting the mall with the adjacent Prangin Mall and ICT Digital Mall inside KOMTAR have been built.

## Floors

Each of the mall's eight floors was designed to carry its own theme and comes with different retail choices.

* Lower Ground Floor : *Chill* / *Underground*
	+ A watering hole for the young and trendy, with fashion and accessories outlets, as well as a famous sushi joint.
* Ground Floor : *Style*
	+ A more *haute couture* level, featuring famous apparel and beauty brands, as well as alfresco cafes.
* 1st. Floor : *Modish*
	+ Specialises in men's apparel and sportswear, as well as kids' apparel.
* 2nd. Floor : *First Asia*
	+ Consists of various outlets selling electronic gadgets, shoes, bags and home furniture.
* 3rd. Floor : -
	+ Includes several beauty and wellness outlets, and two entertainment outlets (an interactive adventure maze and an indoor laser tag arena)
* 4th. Floor : -
	+ Other than a food court, this level consists of several eateries and restaurants, offering anything from Japanese sushi to Taiwanese snacks.
* 8th. Floor : *Cloud 8*
	+ The top floor has a TGV cinema and a karaoke joint, as well as various outlets specialising in anything from electronic gadgets to bubble tea. This is also where one can get a panoramic view of George Town and and its southern suburb of Jelutong.

## Businesses

Apart from its anchor tenant, Parkson Department Store, top apparel franchises such as H&M, Cotton On, Padini, Victoria Secret and Hush Puppies take up most of the retail spaces in 1st. Avenue Mall. Several other famous brands inside 1st. Avenue Mall include Starbucks, Kenny Rogers, Baskin Robbins, Skechers, Charles & Keith, Samsung and Oppo.

The various entertainment options inside the mall are among its major attractions.

* A spanking new cineplex, TGV Cinemas at the top floor (*Cloud 8*), managed by TGV Cinemas, the second largest cinema chain in Malaysia.
* A Red Box karaoke joint, also at the eighth floor.
* The Escape Room at the third floor offers interactive mazes, with numerous adventuristic themes and treasure quests.
* A Laser OPS outlet, also at the third floor, is an indoor laser tag arena.

## Political Representation

### Penang State Government

N.28 Komtar State Assemblyman : Teh Lai Heng (Democratic Action Party)

### Malaysian Federal Parliament

P.049 Tanjong Member of Parliament : Ng Wei Aik (Democratic Action Party)

## References

1. http://www.1st-avenue-mall.com.my/
2. http://www.penang-traveltips.com/1st-avenue-penang.htm
3. http://www.penang-traveltips.com/1st-avenue-mall.htm
4. http://www.theedgeproperty.com.my/content/exclusive-penangs-1st-avenue-mall-open-sept
5. http://www.wonderfulmalaysia.com/1st-avenue-shopping-mall-penang.htm