When a big box store in Mesa, AZ, shuttered its doors for the last time, it was not celebrated in the way some communities rally for the closing of a Walmart Superstore. In fact, in its last days, families came to Mervyn’s to reminisce about buying their kid’s first shoes and prom dresses. In a neighborhood where the streets are wide and summers hit 112°F, the 40 year old department store was a community institution. But economics being what they are, it closed nonetheless in 2008, leaving a 41,000 sq ft shell.
