These People Literally Live in a Mall for $550 a Month

Yahoo Makers
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(Photo: Northeast Collaborative Architects)

It’s something shopaholics hear all the time: “You must live at the mall!” For some lucky residents in Providence, Rhode Island, that dream has actually come true. 

The Arcade Providence residence is a mixed-use facility located inside the 187-year-old Arcade — America’s first indoor shopping mall — and includes 48 affordable micro-lofts on the second and third floors that range from 800 square-feet all the way down to a minuscule 225 square feet.

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(Photo: Northeast Collaborative Architects)

In this video posted by Core77 and highlighted by Gizmodo, we get to see what it’s like to live inside these mini apartments. “It’s a hotel on steroids,” resident Sharon Kinnier says in the video.


WATCH: The Arcade Microlofts

The 225 square-foot units all come with a mini-kitchen; to skirt local rules governing apartment sizes, there are no stoves or conventional ovens in these units (microwaves are allowed). But as Kinnier says in the video: “If you’re a single person in the city, chances are you aren’t cooking anyway.”

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(Photo: Northeast Collaborative Architects)


The bed is tiny and tucked into a corner right in the open area (bedroom walls are also a no-no under local rules). “I actually like the fact that it’s tucked in against the wall,” resident Naz Karim says in the video. “It’s pretty cozy.” There’s also storage space above and below the bed, a closet, and a tiny bathroom.

Downstairs is a functioning mall with 17 shops. They’re mostly fashion and art designed-based boutiques, and all are tiny. Sorry, Banana Republic; no chains allowed.

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(Photo: Northeast Collaborative Architects)

The micro-lofts come with a micro price tag: the smallest units rent for about $550. They’ve proven so popular there’s reportedly a waiting list.

It might seem a challenge to live in such a small space. But Arcade residents do see an upside. “This makes you prioritize what’s important to you,” Kinnier says in the video. She touts another upside: “You don’t have a lot to get dirty; you don’t have a lot to clean up.”

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