Food court gets energy boost

As contemporary malls go, Magnolia Mall in Florence, South Carolina appears relatively healthy. Its tenant spaces haven’t been turned over to slapdash costume shops, and most of its anchor boxes still house retail operations, rather than government offices priced out of downtown. For Americans whose memory lanes are lined with Kay Jewelers and Great American Cookies, this is a prime mall to stroll.

Across the country, though, malls are in trouble.