Edgar Alvarado was walking around the sprawling outlet mall in Primm with his cousin one recent afternoon. Even if they wanted to shop all day, there were only so many places to spend their money.

The mall, Prizm Outlets, has just a handful of retailers left. Almost all of the stores inside are vacant, the food court is closed, and the fountains where people could toss coins for charity are bone dry.

“It’s depressing,” Alvarado said.

“The paintings are cool,” his cousin Javier Alvarado chimed in, citing the murals that blanket the corridors. “Doesn’t change the fact that it’s dead in here.”