Paulownia Mall

Overview

Paulownia Mall is the shopping complex located just north of Gekkoukan High School. It is filled with shops that provide equipment and useful items that the player will need for Tartarus, fighting Shadows, and completing Elizabeth's requests. There are also other available venues that can help increase the player's personality stats (charm, academics, and courage), available after school or at night. The player can also meet Social Links that hang out in this after school, as well. It is the only location other than the Dormitory that can be accessed both during the day and the evening. An entrance to the Velvet Room can be found here as well.

Stores

There are shops that sell weapons, accessories, and healing items. These items can be useful when exploring Tartarus or when going into battle in general.

Police Station

This is where the player can buy weapons and armor. Officer Kurosawa is aware of the mysterious things that is occurring on the area around Port Island, and knows about Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad and the its purpose. Kurosawa is always willing to help in the fight against the Shadows by providing the club with weapons, but for a cost. As the game progresses, the player can buy newer and better equipment. Kurosawa is always in a good mood during Mondays, and gives the player a discount on that day of the week. The Police Station is only accessible during the day.

Aohige Pharmacy

Located to the right of the Paulownia Mall entrance, this is where the player can buy healing items (Medicine, Patra Gems, Revival Beads, etc.). Better healing items are accessible as the game progresses. Aohige, the store owner, gives the player a discount when shopping on Saturdays. The Pharmacy is available both during the day and the evening.

Be Blue V

Located next to the Police Station, this is where the player can buy accessories for the party. Better items are available as the game progresses. The store clerk gives the player discounts every Thursday during the daytime only. Like the Police Station, it is only accessible during the day.

Shinshoudo Antiques

The Antique Store is located to the left of the Pharmacy. This is where the player can go to create better, more powerful weapons using weapon fusion. The store owner has the power to fuse Persona with Nihil Weapons, and create special weapons. The player can find these kinds of weapons by defeating the special gold-colored Shadows in Tartarus. Tthe player can trade in gemstones found inside Tartarus for status-enhancing items for Personas, or other rare items. It is accessible both during the day and night.

Shinshoudo's Past

The store owner is familiar of the Shadows, Tartarus, and Dark Hour. It seems her past traces back to the incident ten years ago to the origin concerning the existence of the Shadows. She was one of the scientists onboard for the project. But as she discovered what the project really was about, she quit shortly after, realizing she had been foolish to even participate in it in the first place. She has been running the Antique Store since then.

The Old Documents that the player retrieves from Tartarus are actually her diary notes she left there when the Shadow project was being conducted. It can also be inferred that she knew Shuji Ikutsuki prior to these events, and had a brief relationship with him.

Additional Stores

Other venues in Paulownia Mall are available as well. Spending money and time at these businesses will provide the player with varying benefits.

Game Panic

Just like the name says, this is where the player can play games to increase the stats of the currently equipped Persona. It is located to the far right corner of Paulownia Mall. It is accessible during the day and evening. Activities at Game Panic include:

• Punching Bag - Increases persona's strength. Cost 2,000 Yen
• Mole Whackers - Increases persona's speed. Cost 2,000 Yen
• Lucky Fortune - Increases persona's magic. Cost 1,500 Yen
• Quiz Game - Increases player's academics. Cost 1,500 Yen
• Print Club - Increases player's charm. Cost 1,500 Yen
• Horror House - Increases player's courage. Cost 3,000 Yen

Mandragora

Located on the second floor of the mall. Here, the player can sing karaoke to increase courage. It costs 800 Yen to get in.

Chagall Cafe

Located right next to the Be Blue V. The player can visit the cafe during either the day or evening and order a special Pheromone Coffee that increases charm. The cost is 500 Yen.

Club Escapade

Located to the far left corner of Paulownia Mall. It's a club for adults only. The player can meet a Social Link here at night; an old monk named Mutatsu who goes to the club to drink. The Tower Arcana Social Link can be established with him. The player first has to talk to Yuko when her Social Link reaches level 4. She tells the player of an old monk who hangs out at the club.

Power Records

A music store. It is located between Game Panic and Aohige Pharmacy. The player is never given the option to enter Power Records, but on some occasions, Social Link events will take place here.

Velvet Room

The Velvet Room can be accessed in Paulownia Mall after an early-game story event takes place The entrances is located in the middle of the mall, beyond the stairs to the karaoke parlor. The player can access this entrance to the Velvet Room during the day and night for all services normally rendered by Igor and Elizabeth/Theodore.

Other Games

Paulownia Mall also appears in Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4. The Yasogami High School students visit Port Island while on a cultural exchange field trip. Club Escapade is one of the places they visit during their trip. Rise Kujikawa also mentions of a power outage that occurred when she visited the club during her pop star career. This is a reference to an event in Persona 3 when the SEES members fought the Hermit Shadow boss inside the club. This Shadow was the cause of the electrical blackout.