FIRST TIME AT "NATICK COLLECTION"

“...old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new...” (from 2 Corinthians 5:17)

The extreme makeover of the Natick Mall, which was renamed the “Natick Collection:” took place over two years ago, but I did not set foot on the Natick Collection property until tonight. I was dead against the extreme makeover of the Natick Mall. As it is, the Natick Mall of the late 1990s and early 2000s WAS an extreme makeover of the circa late 1960s Natick Mall which was there when I first moved into the MetroWest area. THAT Natick Mall was torn down in the mid-1990s and replaced by a brand-new state-of-the-art Natick Mall. The late 1990s/early 2000s Natick Mall WAS a great mall. Everything was well laid out and well done; even the parking garages weren’t too bad. THAT Natick Mall had something for everybody.

Some time ago, Emily Rooney of Channel 2’s “Greater Boston” public affairs show bluntly called the Natick Collection “a disaster”. I’d heard so many horror stories that I vowed to stay away from it. I also had (sort of) vowed that I was not doing any Christmas shopping this year, but I broke down tonight and went out shopping with my daughter Rachel to Framingham Shoppers World and the Natick Collection. We started at the Natick Collection. We left our home in Framingham (near the Natick line) at 6:20 and did not get to the Natick Collection until almost 7:00. Rachel recommended I park in the first garage you encounter from Speen Street, which is the Sears garage. I put on my left signal and tried to turn in, but a mall cop stopped me and would not allow me in because the garage was full. He recommended I go back and head toward the other (larger) garage. The only problem was some OTHER mall cops had put up orange cones and would not allow me to go right. I could not go left. I could not go right. It was an AWFUL introduction to the Natick Collection. IF Rachel had not been with me, I would have somehow figured out how to get out of there, and I would never have returned. Finally one cop talked to the other cop and they allowed me to go right. I had to very carefully execute that maneuver as another vehicle nearly collided with us!

The new garage was big, confusing, and (hate to admit it) kind of scary. We parked on Level 5. The concrete floor was SO slippery from snow and slush that I had difficulty walking and nearly “wiped out” a couple of times! I’m glad Rachel was there to lead me around the mall. I know, I sound like I’m 84 instead of 54, but she pretty much DID lead me around the mall. It reminded me of the huge malls in Paramus, New Jersey. Well, it was “interesting” but I didn’t care for it. I’d take the old Natick Mall ANY DAY over this “disaster”. Will I ever return? Well, probably. But I definitely would not make a habit of shopping at this place.

My fellow blogger Michelle who writes “This Is Framingham” (www.thisisframingham.com) very much dislikes the new (circa late-1990s) Shoppers World and regrets the destruction of the classic (circa 1951) Shopper’s World. I also miss the original Shopper’s World, but I DON’T think the new Shoppers World is a horrible place. I think they COULD have done a little better job in how they laid out the parking lot and the stores (so they weren’t SO far apart) but I kind of like Shoppers World. It’s MUCH better than the Natick Collection. Rachel and I hit Best Buy and Barnes & Noble bookstore. Both were good picks for us and we each bought several items.

SO, I finally went to the Natick Collection and I did buy a few Christmas presents after all. Well, it DID give me something to write about on the blog so I guess that’s a good thing.