As most Portlanders know by now, there’s a lot going on at Lloyd Center—just not necessarily what you’d expect.

Out are department stores, many traditional food court chains and throngs of shoppers spending all their money. In are comic book shops, nonprofit organizations and music studios. While this independent renaissance has been well-documented in WW and most other local media outlets, add to the conversation Paula Bernstein and her new documentary Mall Town .

Bernstein started filming in late 2021 after the mall ownership announced that the mall was likely to close.

“Older people who had grown up with the mall were crestfallen; it was beyond disappointed,” Bernstein says. “I wondered what was it, initially, and what made it so special.”

Bernstein, who is an entertainment jo

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