There's been a lot of posts lately taking a reflective look at 2025 and trying to break down what could have been better, could have been worse, etc. I'm not going to do that. 2025 was definitely a disappointment for me when it comes to the crypto markets, but outside of that, it was just another year. I did some boring things, I did some cool things, I went on some amazing camping trips, and my wife and I also found our way to some new areas of the country we haven't yet explored together.
I got some new appliances, I put a pretty awesome canopy on my back deck, I smoked a brisket, I bought some silver, I played a lot of disc golf. You know, those everyday things that happen in the valleys and actually make life worth living. I've already got some "mountain top" experiences planned for 2026, but my hope is I can fully appreciate the valleys and not just live for those higher highs...
So yeah, 2025 is over. Bring on 2026...
@mrsbozz and I made a trip to one of our local malls the other day. When I was a kid, this was the only mall in the area. I remember how vibrant and bustling with life it used to be. We used to come in one of the side entrances and go to this amazing store called "Walden Software". It was a spin off of the old Walden Books franchise, but they dealt specifically in computer software and computer books. As a nerdy kid, it was absolute heaven!
Sadly, this mall, like the two other malls that were later built in the area is basically dead. Now filled with empty storefronts that will likely never open again. In fact, they didn't even have the heat on in the mall. It was about -20 C outside with the windchill on Thursday morning, and I think it was just about as cold inside the mall.
The main reason for our visit was to go to the Kay Jewelers outlet to get my wife's jewelry inspected. They actually had their own heaters running to keep it warm in the store. The young lady helping us let us know that next July when it would be time to have her diamonds and gold inspected again, they would be out of the mall across the street in a different location.
We can't say we were that surprised.
It's just sad to see how things have declined in the retail space. As I said, malls used to be the central hub of a town, and now they are just sprawling blight.
HOLOZING
Since it is January 2nd, the @holozing 2025 bonus reward contest is over.
I'm sad to say I failed in epic fashion and I will not get the achievement this year. Actually, I'm not too mad about it. I was sick on the 24th and 25th, so I'm actually surprised I even snagged one of those days. The 7th does confound me a bit, but since it was a weekend, my guess is I got busy Saturday morning and by the time I got around to clicking I had missed the window since I am in US Eastern time. It was technically still the 7th when I clicked, but apparently not based on whatever time zone they are using for this thing. Kinda lame, but probably my own fault.
I'm still plugging right along with my ZING holdings. I cut back on my delegation since the APR for that is pretty minimal at this point. I also am getting close to having nearly 1 million ZING pooled in the liquidity pool. Given the fact that the APR on that pool is over 50%, I am not sad about that. Along with my 1.17M ZING I have staked, I hope I will be in a good position for when the game finally drops. I actually might consider pulling back my delegation even more to focus on having more liquid HIVE.
Other Stuff
I'm not going to dig too much into my other crypto holdings or my stocks this week. I finally got my numbers back from my capital gains and dividends for the year. I'm happy to say I was able to roll a solid five figures back into my investments. That's pretty cool for just letting it sit and do its own thing. I look forward to seeing how it can continue to compound in the next five to ten years.
Silver
I mentioned a while ago that I decided to take some of my HBD and move it into HIVE. There were a couple of reasons for that. Most importantly, I wanted to be able to say I actually got something fiscally out of HIVE. Sure, the intrinsic value of HIVE is amazing, but after all the work I put into my blog, I wanted to be able to have something to show for it. So along with a new Garmin Watch that I already shared here, I found someone who was willing to sell some of their silver for liquid HIVE.
I picked up four pieces of silver total. One of them was a Canadian Maple Leaf that I already shared with you awhile ago. The other three pieces were part of the legendary warriors series. I will share the other two another time, but today I am going to share Achilles. It's a really great looking piece and it is in fantastic condition.
I really like that I was able to get something tangible from my blogging. I also like that I was able to keep the HIVE on chain since the other users is planning on powering it up (probably already has). For me that is a win/win. I get to put more silver in my stack (especially at today's prices), and a smaller HIVE account gets to grow their stake. How cool is that?!
That's all I've got for you this week. I hope 2026 is a banger year for all of us!
My Sports Account - @bozz.sports
Come hang out in The Pub
Dead malls suck. I know when I was a teenager they were the place to hang out. The ones we have locally are kind of the same way, dead except during holidays. They do have the seniors doing morning walks around them occasionally still I think. I go for the nostalgia of the bookstore on a rare occasion.
Love that Achilles round. Really neat looking.
Sorry the Holozing contest didn't pan out. Illness has a way of wrecking the best laid plans.
Here's to 2026 being less disappointing for you on the crypto front.
I definitely remember when they had a lot more life. I think even the holidays don't help them that much these days. It's just a totally different world now!
My local mall isn't very big but it still seems to be doing ok with most of the stores occupied. However, the company that owns it (along with some other malls around the country) isn't doing well so its future is uncertain.
I know of another mall not too far away that has probably less than half of it storefronts occupied. It's big attraction (to me anyway) was that it had a Books-a-Million in it. However, they moved out and across the street as of July I believe. They also have a movie theater but we all know those haven't been doing very well either.
I don't remember every seeing a standalone Walden Software store but I do remember their bookstores having a Walden Software section. I bought at least one game for my Commodore 64 at one of those. Most malls have lost most of the stores I liked. Bookstores, software stores, arcades, more varied food courts, etc.
We have one mall in the area that is still doing okay, but the guy that bought it has been putting a ton of effort into making it a destination. That being said, I think there are still one or two anchor stores that are empty in it. The other two malls in the area (one of them being in this post) are just deader than dead.
I can see the appeal is indoor shopping when it's that cold, but many retail areas are in decline here too. So much has moved online. I'll admit that I don't go shopping much, but it can be nice to wander around town. It's just changed with lots of vape and second hand phone shops plus lots of cafés.
Haha yeah, those do seem to be the norm everywhere. I think if you can find a nice downtown area in a small or larger town you can get a good outdoor experience, but many of the malls are basically dead.
My city (or rather, a group of very close ~3 cities) is not huge by any means, but it isn't small either. We have several malls, and except for the 2 or 3 that are largest and strictly in the center - all of them decline strongly over the last few years. Many of them had a har time in the covid years, people used to flock to them before, and through and after - never returned in full strength.
Small/independent businesses took a huge hit, and many of those simply closed or moved elsewhere, looking for 'new store in the block' effect. Those who are left are mostly big franchises/networks.
We spoke to shops assistants on some occasions, and many of those do not really profit much and are kept only for the prestige, or at least that's what the staff says. People from the shops that were closed said that huge amount of customers just walked in to see the products live by their own eyes, see which ones they like, talk with the staff about this and that, and then .. didn't buy. They bought them later online. Some even walked out of the store, sat at the bench in the hall, and bought the products online via mobile app.
Why? Because it was more convenient, delivery straight to home, all data/addresses/payments already in the mobile, no need grab&carry, no need to stay in queue/count cash/tell address.
And what does it mean to the shop? No actual profit. Because the shop is a separate entity from the online store, and the sale counted for the online store, not for the shop the customer visited. And that's assuming the customer bought it in the same market network. They could've found the same thing a few bits cheaper elsewhere, and didn't care where they saw it live.
Fortunately groceries, bakeries, and all other food stuff are still mostly not online, and those are disappearing at much slower rate
The whole retail sector is changing and businesses will have to adapt. Town centres are about more than shopping as it can be where people socialise. There are a lot of older people who do not really use online services and they will have less options.
Yup! Funny you mention socialising - another angle on that matter - we saw a very interesting evolution in our city over the last 15-to-5 years ago.
Before that, two main streets in the very center of the city, parks, theaters, cinema, etc, the best place for taking a walk and whatnot were full of restaurants, pubs, and small shops with the most various goods, from groceries to tourist trinkets. Over the years, the place was more and more popular, estate prices rose, and soon one by one all the businesses closed or moved away, and all the high-value places were rented to other businesses and soon all were filled with ... banks, insurances, home/flat rental, financial advisors, etc.
That was a bit over 10 years ago. I think. Give or take three. Over next ~years, that streets almost died out. The city still kept the rental rates high, since it was famous area and strict center, but really next to nobody visited them. Any people's place like a pub often survived max 0.5-1 yr, because of high costs and rare customers.. Only a few places that positioned themselves as high-tier with ungodly prices stayed longer.
Few years ago, maybe 5 already, the city council finally noticed that their "prestige area" is almost a ghost town, gradually cancelled (or just didnt extend) rentals for the banks/insurances/etc, lowered the rates a bit (idk how much, but I've heard they did, it was a rare thing to see). Gradually typical restaurants and pubs showed back, and now for the last few years I can say it starts looking good again. Along with them showed up some smaller businesses selling various beers/wines/pasta/pastries/etc, but mostly only those that can bump their prices by craft/eco/bio/vegan/etc labels (and they probably are true to that, since they taste much better).
I'm glad the city council took a turn. But it took I think almost a decade to realize that they can't have a lively city center without streets frequented by many, and in turn without places that those 'many' actually want to walk in ad hoc and stay for an hour or two, not just drive by and admire the building :D
The character of many town centres has changed. The local authorities ought to encourage more people to hang out there and then all businesses stand to benefit. I live in a village that just has a few scattered shops. A lot of the pubs have shut down and the remaining ones may not get many customers. People don't go out like they used to. There are a lot of new homes being built around here, so that could bring more changes.
That mall reminds me of the one here but it’s a long yeaaaaaars away from shutting down. Looks just like it from that picture. You have done quite well for yourself in where matters to you. That’s all that matters. Cheers to the New Year. Hopefully it’s better than the last.
Thanks, I hope you have an awesome new year as well. It is sad to see these places that were once a fixture of the community fail like this.
You received an upvote of 100% from Precious the Silver Mermaid!
Thank you for contributing more great content to the #SilverGoldStackers tag.
You have created a Precious Gem!
World is changing, and everything will be gone one day. Now is the time of malls, and maybe they can't reinvent themselves into some community area, with restaurants, schools, entertainment, living, and office spaces.
I think there are some that are accomplishing that. I also think that others in larger population areas are still getting by, but the days of a mall as the hub of most small towns is over.
Interesting, the malls in Seattle area are super busy a few weeks ago my ladies made a trip to a mall close to us that is in a cheaper area of town, but even there they had to take an Uber to as there is absolutely no parking around.
I think biggers cities are not seeing as big of a downturn as the small towns. I know the malls down in Columbus where my inlaws live are still doing pretty well.
Yeah, as far as I know the two major malls in Orlando are still doing well. They seem to be pretty crowded when I'm there anyway (though that's typically only a couple times a year). Being a big tourist destination probably helps.
Amazon killed the shopping malls... I remember going to the mall when I was young and it was exciting. So many cool stores and always busy. Now they are really dead, many stores leave for cheaper real estate, if they are even still in business. The days of our youth are long gone and with them the stores that were once so much fun. At least we have the memoires!
Crypto pretty much sucks I agree, so I'm not talking about it either... I do hope Holozing does well, but the play to earn arena these days is pretty sad. With so little traffic on Hive right now it might not live up to it's potential. I hope I'm wrong because Hive desperately needs more successful games and builders to help it reach it's full potential.
You had a pretty good year overall, and I'm sure this one will be great too. After all, isn't retirement coming up this year?
The possibility of retirement is coming up. I still don't know what I am going to do. Hive isn't going to give me the passive income I was hoping for, so I will likely have to do something else.
Unless Hive magically goes back up to $0.60 or more, that extra passive income is going to be pretty sad. You could start a home consulting business with all of your IT background, or start a second career in IT somewhere as well!
I don't like doing phone support. I might not have a choice though.
You have said the truth, dreams are always beautiful but to achieve a certain height we have to work very hard.I hope that the coming days of 2026 will be such for you that you can make your dreams come true.
I hope the same for you as well!
That was a fantastic silver you picked up! Is it for yourself? Are you going to collect the series? Great job, @bozz
!BBH
!LADY
!PIZZA
View or trade
LOHtokens.@silversaver888, you successfully shared 0.1000 LOH with @bozz and you earned 0.1000 LOH as tips. (5/50 calls)
Use !LADY command to share LOH! More details available in this post.
Yes, the ones I bought off Hive I kept for me. How many total are in the series? I got three of them.
There is Eric Bloodaxe, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Geronimo, Hannibal, Joan of Arc, Julius Caesar, of course Leonidas, Miyato Mumashi, Sitting Bull, Spartacus, and Achilles. If you have three already, it may be good to try to collect the rounds They are wonderful, @bozz!
Oh, way more than I realized. I only have three or four of them now. Three I think.
MY last visit to a mall was at Metrotown in the adjacent municipality of Burnaby. It was busy with Boxing day shoppers, mostly affluent Asians. My Bullion shop is there but I was interested in a new outfit for New Years. But that coin shop just happen to have some bullion come in at the time. I picked up a pair of 2026 Maple Leafs.
!LOL
I wish our malls were still as active as they used to be, but it seems most of them are past the point of no return.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:u37t33dyaufvrqujwmvm54ln/post/3mbguzcjjbs22
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:u37t33dyaufvrqujwmvm54ln/post/3mbguzcjjbs22
The rewards earned on this comment will go to the author of the blog post.
It is a shame seeing any shop go out of business. But I am not and never have been a fan of malls. When they were introduced here from the States they put shops out of business on the High St, which to me were the main hustle and bustle of a British town or city. Things change though, and I guess Amazon and online shopping are now killing off those stores and malls.
Bricks and Mortar is on the decline which is a shame.
Privately owned boutiques are actually starting to come back I think. I understand what you are saying.
!BBH
!ALIVE
!PIZZA
!LADY
View or trade
LOHtokens.@thefed, you successfully shared 0.1000 LOH with @bozz and you earned 0.1000 LOH as tips. (7/17 calls)
Use !LADY command to share LOH! More details available in this post.
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@silversaver888(10/15) tipped @bozz
thefed tipped bozz
Send $PIZZA tips in Discord via tip.cc!
It's sad to see that malls have died in the States. Conceptually I kind of prefer the pre-mall era in the US, when all the businesses were downtown in these grand old buildings, before they abandoned them and moved into the malls. But that said... I have a lot of great memories of the mall in my hometown. I spent many hours in the Sultan's Castle arcade, the bookstore, and the music stores. I've often wondered why malls are healthy and as popular as ever in Japan, while dead in the US. Oh well.