Similar to Soriya
in its exterior, inside Sovanna takes a quantum
leap towards that great American
consumer-culture icon -- the modern mall.
The atrium, a
defining characteristic of the American mall, is
absent in Soriya, leaving it dependant on
artificial light. Sovanna, conversely, is built
around three atria - one main and two secondary
-- which allow natural light to filter through
to the tiers below.
The floor plan
is also markedly different. At Sovanna the
majority of the shops are situated around a
large, circular walkway, which, along with the
abundant natural light, gives the mall a
spacious, airy feel. The central atrium boasts
the country's first two glass elevators.
Taken together,
the features create a shopping mall that looks
and feels like, well, a shopping mall. It has
none of Soriya's cluttered, "department store"
ambience, and easily rivals shopping centers
found in Bangkok or other cosmopolitan Asian
capitals.
THE SHOPS
While the
architecture is sure to impress, the diversity
of goods at Sovanna has yet to match the
ambition of the mall's design.
Still, the
shelves are hardly bare. Sovanna houses the
largest selection of footwear in the county --
but the variety of goods is still better at
Soriya. This will likely change in time. Sovanna
is, after all, just four months old.
Like many Asian
markets, the first floor of Sovanna is dominated
by glitzy luxury goods -- jewelry stores and
watch shops, and places selling gold, precious
and semi-precious stones.
Anchored by
CityMart, the same flash sporting goods store in
Soriya, the second floor at Sovanna is dedicated
to fashion. More than three dozen shops sell the
latest in men's and women's clothing and
accessories.
The third floor
is home to the dizzying array of shoes and
nearly as many handbags.
The fourth
floor is about fun and entertainment. Anchored
by a coin-operated video arcade, shops on the
fourth floor sell CDs and DVDs, handheld
electronics and toys. There's even a drawing
room where children can paint. The arcade
includes a jungle gym similar to those found at
Pencil and Paragon.
The fifth and
top floor is largely empty, but will
occasionally be used as an exhibition space or
conference hall.
A FAST FOOD
MECCA
In addition to
the retail space, Sovanna serves an awesome
amount of food. Every fast-food chain in the
country has a presence except Kentucky Fried
Chicken, which just opened its second location
across the street. (The result of dueling
business interests, apparently.)
Lucky Market
Group makes a splash throughout. The prime
ground-floor retail spot is occupied by Lucky's
flagship brand, Lucky Burger, and there's a
Lucky Bakery next door. There is a Suki Sushi
Buffet (complete with conveyor belt), Swensen's
Ice Cream, and Café Sentiment coffee shop on the
first floor as well.
Second-floor
concessions go Cambodia's most successful
home-grown fast-food franchise, BB World. Along
with the burger outlet, there's a Pizza World
and T&C Coffee, with free Wifi.
It's Lucky
again on the third floor, with Lucky Seven fast
food and Lucky Gelato. Construction has begun on
a Master Grill Chicken next door and a Master
Suki Soup upstairs.
As if that
wasn't enough deep-fried deliciousness, more
than two dozen food stalls serve a wide range of
delicacies in the third-floor food court,
bringing the total number of food outlets at
Sovanna to more than three dozen.
And just like
Soriya, the place is packed every weekend.
