Amidst all the talk about the failing retail economy and large stores going out of business, the Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco has discovered the irresistible allure of individual competition, and its fortunes may be changing because of it.
On Sunday, the mall was bustling with shoppers looking for holiday gifts. But there was something else going on there, and to find it you have to go down into the basement, to what used to be a Nordstrom’s department store.
That’s where you’ll find Round 1, a cavernous entertainment arcade owned by a Japanese company that understands the American appetite for winning. From blasting “Bad Guys” to winning the car race, to shooting balls into a basket, the place has an atmosphere of competition that can be hard to resist…