The Suburban Mall I turn left onto Orange street with its perfectly groomed hedges and ornate sign detailing the shopping wonder that is in store for me. Welcome to the Biltmore Fashion park located in the upscale Biltmore area of Phoenix, Arizona. I drive thru the parking area overflowing with large pots of colorful and carefully tended flowers and see to my left a gated area to park, there is also the option of a massive parking garage with direct access to stores like Saks Fifth Ave and Macy’s, I also find well-appointed valet stations through-out the park filled with brands like Mercedes Benzes, Porsche, Hummer, Ferrari, BMW and Jaguar. The luxury cars earn the front spot for everyone to see and covet, the rest of the cars with lesser reputations are parked out in the gated lot. The entire area around the mall is immaculate with brick pathways that lead you into the inner sanctum of the outdoor shopping space. Each store has a beautifully displayed entrance with its own unique and expensive ornamentation, meant to signify individuality and conformity all at the same time. The center of the mall has a lovely green lawn and the sound of flowing water from a nearby fountain mingles with subtle music. An outdoor coffee shop is nearby ensuring a cool drink or rejuvenating caffeinated beverage while you shop or simply sit and watch the people go by.

   The People are an eclectic mix of the upper echelon predominantly Anglo with a minority of African America, Hispanic and Asian. I notice the trendy urbanite with their perfectly groomed dogs and expertly prepared casual attire, the elegantly dressed business man who is rushing to a lunch meeting at an upscale steakhouse, the casual shopper who is dressed from head to toe in Prada, Fendi and Marc Jacobs with a lingering scent of Tom Ford’s latest fragrance. I chose to visit on a Friday which had the added dimension of groups of teenage girls still dressed in their private Prep School Uniforms laughing over bites of gelato as they carried their lulu lemon and Vera Bradley purchases.

   The most prevalent takeaway was that although there were people happily shopping, laughing, eating and drinking there was little interaction with anyone that was not either providing a service or a part of each individual group. For the most part no one paid attention to anyone else unless they were commenting on a breed of dog, a pair of perfectly matched children behaving as little adults or a celebrity sighting. No one noticed me taking my notes or photo’s, I guess that means I was part of the diverse mix of people, below the notice of most and not different enough to draw the attention of security.

The Swap Meet I turn left in the parking lot of off Washington Street in downtown Phoenix, the parking lot is in disrepair with large cracks running through it and some refuse has blown from an overly full trash can nearby. The lot is crowded as the swap meet opens at 6am and both vendors and shoppers alike vie for space. The cars in the parking lot are of every age make and model, although in contrast to the Biltmore I do not see any Jaguars or Mercedes Benzes parked nearby. I can feel the carnival like atmosphere, through the chain link fence that separates the entrance, smell the tantalizing aroma of fry bread and churros. I pay my two dollars to gain entrance and the diversity is as wide as the swap meet.

   There are people of every ethnicity, yet here the percentages are more equal, I see as many Anglos as Asian, Hispanic, and South Asian Indians. Everyone is dressed for a day at the swap meet. I see jeans and cowboy boots, flowing cotton sundresses and everything in between. The animals I see are not the pampered pooches of the Biltmore these are live animal rides and petting zoo for the entertainment of the sticky-fingered children who are enjoying the sunshine and freedom. The products available are as diverse as the people, I see stands of fresh produce from a nearby farm, stalls selling traditional Mexican blankets and paintings of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Across the way I see a tattoo stand that is quite full of patrons waiting their turn next to extraordinary pieces of local art in many mediums. As I walked around taking notes and taking pictures people stopped to chat with me ask me what I was writing down, many of these just curious children, some of which offered to smile for a photo.

   What I did notice here economically speaking is that goods and services did not hold the same values as at the shopping mall. People bartered over prices trying to make their dollar stretch a little further, some of the vendors did not take credit cards, can you imagine someone going into Saks fifth Avenue and asking if they could pay less for a product or having a “cash only” sign. What I did notice was a pervasive atmosphere of enjoyment, whether it was a small doll for a child or rock band t-shirt long coveted, both the vendors and patrons were enjoying themselves and each other as part of the experience.

    Comparing the two spaces there were more differences than similarities. It was obvious that the Biltmore is intended for the elite, the exterior space is intended to look like a well-tended boulevard of shops where the wealthy can stroll enjoying an artisan cup of coffee and receive personalized service. The subject of money is not something readily discussed at the Biltmore and certainly there is no bargaining for lower prices that I noticed at the swap meet. I noticed several people insert their card to pay even before they knew how much the total was; cost was not the deciding factor in the purchase for the elite. The presence of children and teens were vastly different. At the Biltmore I observed uniformed teens dressed in private school uniforms and well-behaved children dressed in the latest designer outfits. At the swap meet, children were running around laughing with sticky fingers and dirt smudged faces, the teens were either in groups or working at the stalls helping to earn money, rather than spending it. The retail space was vastly different in the two spaces. The swap meet had little stalls with a transnational vernacular feel to each of them, whereas at the Biltmore each space was intended to look unique and uniform, creating the ideal shopping utopia. The two spaces shared comradery in diverse ways, the swap meet was much more communal and the Biltmore more segregated to elite groups. The evidence of privilege and wealth lie in the space designated for elite shopping and the obvious signs of enormous disposable incomes in contrast with the working-class space designated by rolling gated fences and variable product values.