One of the most influential people in the retail industry died last week in Indianapolis. Melvin Simon was co-founder of Simon Property Group, one of the largest builders of shopping malls in the country. He was an important innovator who made shopping an experience and not just a transaction. We talk with author and historian James Farrell about the significance of Simon and his company in creating modern shopping malls, particularly luxury venues like the Forum Shoppes as Caesars Palace. Farrell is author of One Nation Under Goods: Malls and the Seductions of American Shopping.

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