Sony hopes Metreon will curb mall malaise

Sony Metreon is not a suburban high school hangout, and it is not Disneyland either. It is somewhere in between and somewhere far beyond.

"It's the first true urban entertainment centre," says Sony Development president Mr Mike Swinney. "We're not a mall. You can't buy underwear and socks here, but you can buy a 51-inch television."

Americans are looking for a little mega in their mall, or, rather, in their Urban Entertainment Centre. And it does not get much more mega than Metreon - four floors and 350,000 square feet of pure sensory overload that cost $85 million to make.

This space-age retail universe boasts restaurants, retail, themepark attractions, a stunning megaplex and an IMAX theatre.

Expand your mind while your wallet contracts at the questionable cultural attractions. The futuristic arcade, called the Airtight Garage, is designed by French graphic designer Jean "Moebius" Giraud, for cyber-credibility.

"Wild Things," where the kiddies provoke massive animatronic beasts to roar their terrible roars and gnash their terrible teeth, and are promptly funneled into a gift shop bigger than the exhibit, is inspired by Maurice Sendak's book, Where the Wild Things Are.

"Lifestyle" stores are big on try and buy. Take, for example, the Discovery Channel Store - think the Nature Company on steroids - or microsoftSF.

Metreon is a slick retail galaxy. Starship Enterprise-esque suspended walkways lead to attractions. It's all curvy and metal and liquid. Stores and attractions flow into each other. No doors. No boundaries.

"It doesn't surprise me at all to have stumbled across something like this in America," says Ms Katie Weston from Winchester in England. "This is for computer geeks. Pure escapism - it's almost grotesque."

Ms Weston, a journalist, is sitting at the Airtight Garage's bar, calmly writing a letter home as her husband, Louis, bounces from game to game, eventually opting for "HyperBowl," a virtual bowling experience. Metreon is "nerdy," according to Mr Weston. He can take it for only about 10 minutes before the nausea descends.

His wife smiles and says, "You've been here longer than 10 minutes."

The longer the better, says Mr Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a retail consulting firm in New York City.

"The big issue for Americans is they have no time and fewer are going to malls," he says. Food, fun and shopping in a one-stop package is preferable to angling for parking at three separate places or going broke at a gold-digging theme park.

E-commerce is another threat to the traditional shopping center, he says. To get a slice of priceless time, you've got to add some spice to the retail recipe. "Sony Metreon is an extravaganza. All the mall developers are trying to install more entertainment," Mr Davidowitz says. "It's not the death of the mall. Malls are adapting."

It may seem Lilliputian in comparison to Metreon, but malls everywhere are taking a shot with multiplexes, arcades and theme restaurants.

Plus, Metreon is fashion-free, unless you consider a Metreon sweatshirt haute couture. Nordstrom, Gap, or any apparel store, for that matter, are not part of the mix.

Metreon is too excessive and expensive to be duplicated on a large scale, Mr Davidowitz says, but Metreon projects in Tokyo and Berlin are already in the works. Mr Swinney says Chicago, Washington, Miami and other major US cities may get their own versions of Metreon in the future.

Ms Paula Pettavino thinks Metreon is like an irresponsible, indulgent parent. "It makes them mean and aggressive," she says, as her kids Madeline Farber (7) and Sam Farber (11) battle over a bouncing bottle-cap-like toy she bought at a Metreon gift shop.

She finds the overt commercialism as toxic as the implications of an arcade named Airtight Garage. "An airtight garage, to me, is carbon monoxide," says Ms Pettavino, who teaches at American University.

The Sony name is championed throughout Metreon, most blatantly at the PlayStation and Sony Style shops. It's a branding strategy, like Niketown or the Disney Store, Mr Davidowitz says. Metreon even has its own card and its own ATM-ish machine. It's hardly a bastion of subtlety and independent spirit.

"If you're offended by that, don't go," Mr Swinney says.

Ms Pettavino wouldn't have gone if her kids' eyes hadn't lighted up so lustfully as they walked by. "It's such an unbelievable blend of video suck-in and media hype and marketing," she says. "There are some very disturbing things about this place."