This letter is in response to the July 22 Muscatine Journal editorial “New owners stir hope for a more vibrant mall.”

When I look to my friends and say, “Let’s go to the mall!” I’m not referring to the Muscatine Mall. I’m referring to Coral Ridge or North Park; malls with a variety of stores, activities and dining options.

As a Muscatine teenager, I am constantly looking for places to go and things to do. My favorite activity? Driving around. Cruising. Wasting gas money.

Why? In Muscatine there is very little for teenagers to do.

Besides the occasional punk-shows, and glow-n-bowl that runs past curfew, I can’t think of one good teenage hang-out spot. That is unhealthy, unhealthy for the community and unhealthy for the teenagers.

Research by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse states that bored teenagers are 50 percent more likely to try drugs and alcohol. In addition, teenagers with more spending money ($25 dollars or more a week,) are twice as likely to abuse illegal substances.

And we wonder why Muscatine has a reputation for drug use!

When I first heard of the mall’s new ownership, I was excited. The mall needs a pick-me-up, something to revamp its style and reputation. I was once told that Muscatine is too small to cater to brand-name stores, but I believe the success of Elder-Beerman disproves this statement. If we strive to attract new and interesting stores to the mall, I believe the people of Muscatine are more than ready to welcome them with open arms.

What would I like to see appear at the mall? Easy. We need a food-court, a cul-de-sac of restaurants. This, I believe, would give the mall a bit of a jump start. If we attract attention from food, we can initiate spontaneous shopping, or “snooping around.”

Fifty-three percent of all purchases made in the United States are spur of the moment. People come and eat. When they leave, they pass stores in the mall. There is a chance they will see something they like and enter.

The second thing we need is a better movie theater. It’s getting old, and it’s deteriorating. In any given theater, I believe there are at least three broken or missing chairs.

I go to Fridley’s often, but opt for Cinema 53 in Davenport to see long-awaited or epic films. Why? Stadium seating, bigger projection and better sound quality induce a better environment.

The third thing we need is more stores. Shopping locations. Granted, we shouldn’t jump and install an over-priced Abercrombie and Fitch right away, but we need fashionable stores that have decent pricing. 1 suggest stores like Rue 21, a store aimed at teenagers with great clothing and low prices — $5 to $15 a shirt. Perhaps we can regain the attention of Vanity and Maurice’s, stores that used to be at the mall.

These things, grouped with an environmental touch-up, could do wonders to rekindle life at the mall.

Today, I consider the mall an empty-shell … like a ghost town. But with some work, and some community enthusiasm, I believe we could get it up and running.

Hey … let’s go to the mall!

Christine Kuster

Muscatine, Iowa