Oldest Shopping Center

On my recent travel in Maui, Hawaii, I came across this sign along the main road that says, "Oldest Shopping Center - west of the Mississippi". The sign stands for the Kahului Shopping Center that is located on a very busy street near the Bus Terminal on Kahului.


In my mind, I was looking out for a huge shopping complex like those that we have back home. Here we have multi storeyed malls, underground carparks, air-conditioned cinemas, shops upon shops, and you can literally walk until you drop. The whole atmosphere is modern and spick and span.

But to my amazement, I saw a row of shops (roughly about 7 shops in a row) that is actually called the "Oldest Shopping Center". What a laugh. Maybe, during the past era, it would have been the grandest shops around, but certainly it pales in comparison with some of the recent malls around.