Malls Test Experimental Waters to Fill Vacancies

In these desperate days in American retailing, mall owners are seizing on a new gimmick: wave-making machines.

A half-dozen malls across the country are planning to install a huge contraption called the Flowrider in vacant retail space. Where once people shopped for three-packs of underwear or sheet sets, they are now turning up in flip-flops and shorts to surf an artificial patch of ocean.