As Karyn and I both anticipated, a shopping mall in a world without clothes was a much different place than any they remembered. For one thing, there were no big department stores, and than reduced the size of the mall quite a bit. For another, there was a much greater variety of smaller stores.
"This is really weird," Karyn told me. "A whole mall with no shoe stores, no dress shops, no lingerie shops, no swim-wear shops, no sportswear shops, no jeans stores, not even any hat shops."
"Yeah, the sporting goods stores only sell sporting equipment," I observed.
"I think there are more jewelry stores, though. And more hairstylists and makeup salons. And look, they have tattoo and piercing shops as well: a whole row of them! I've never seen even one of those in a clothed mall."
"Did you mention a clothed mall?" asked a creepy-looking guy I and Karyn had just passed.
"Uh, no, we were talking about a closed mall. You know, out of business," I improvised. "Ah, look; stop following us, OK? And watch what you think, and especially what you say out loud. The mall cops arrest clothists, you know." (Writer's note: clothists are like nudists, but in reverse, wearing clothes instead of being naked)
"OK, no problem," said the creep, and then he hurried off in another direction.
"Let's go look at the tattoos and piercing jewelry," Karyn suggested.
"Are you serious about getting something?" I suddenly asked.
"Oh, maybe. I was hopping you might get something too."
"Like what?" I wondered aloud.