Exploring an Abandoned 1970's Era Mall - Westland Mall (reclaimed by nature)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ก.พ. 2023
- Westland Mall opened in February 1969 as an open-air shopping center anchored by Lazarus, Sears, JC Penney, and Woolworth. The Lazarus store, the chain's first suburban operation, had opened as a free-standing location in 1962. Sears and JCPenney were built, along with the mall, in 1967-69. In 1982, Westland was enclosed. The upper floor of Sears was closed to customers and converted into office space for their in-house credit card, Discover, in the late 1980s. Woolworth closed in January 1994. The Lazarus store was converted to Lazarus-Macy's in 2003, and subsequently to Macy's in 2005 before closing in 2007. By 2010, Westland Mall contained fewer than 15 active businesses. The only remaining national retailers were Sears, Finish Line, Champs Sports, GNC, and Staples. The remainder of operating storefronts were small, bazaar-style shops, eateries, and a local branch of the Franklin County Sheriff's office.
Sears closed its entrance to the mall in September 2011.
On June 6, 2017, Sears announced that its Westland store would close by early September,[6] leaving the mall entirely empty of tenants.
Today, we explore the mall before demolition and before the Westland Mall is gone forever. We go inside to explore, document and appreciate a former time. Old malls across the United States are falling and becoming extinct. A once powerhouse for not only culture, but economy. If you enjoy the wood paneled ceilings, retro neon signs and neon colors, consider leaving a thumbs up! and subscribing for more exploring and abandoned content. Let me know your favorite part and comment below ! and make sure to hit the bell to know when i post another explore !
Thanks for watching my friends ! - บันเทิง
I’m approaching 40, and this kind of stuff is really hitting my hard. I totally understand the “grumpy old coot” now… everything you’d ever known just gets bulldozed and replaced with something you never had a chance to become familiar with, and people just expect you to deal with it.
I turned 40 a couple years ago…I totally think of all this, now, in terms of what my parents probably felt about stuff from the late 60s and 70s. Like, the 90s trend of dressing in 70s clothes compared to the 90s trends nowadays. It doesn’t make me grumpy, though…just more and more aware of how fast time passes, and how different eras have a distinct cultural imprint.
People don't need to drive to a record store anymore. They just download music now! I don't understand. It feels wrong. People should buy records instead of mindlessly downloading music like a sheep. 🌈
Like block buster.. You want a trip into 1990 look up old blockbuster training videos. They are on TH-cam. Check it out. Makes you feel old. Now we scroll thru what used to take driving across town and you had to decide what to watch no matter how undecided you were.
@@mikecarr1484 Until 2020, we had a Family Video in town and even though we had Netflix I still preferred going to rent. It was just a fun activity, browsing the shelves of movies while something plays on all the TV’s, picking out some candy… I was genuinely heart broken when the franchise owner tapped out and closed them all.
I so know what you mean iam 53. My friends and I were sitting around bitching about how these kids now days will never get it. 🤣 Omg we have become THEM NOOOOOO😭
This is a great wood project book th-cam.com/users/postUgkxkPIWb22DigCqxmlXerCyUF4HCl6eSU2L . Most of the projects use the pallet simply as a source of reclaimed wood not as a recognizable pallet so even if you didn't have a pallet you could make these projects with any reclaimed (or even new) wood. The instructions are excellent. The style is charming and would work with lots of different decor. There are quite a number of projects that involve tiling of teh wood pieces which is a really cool idea and can produce beautiful pieces when working with aged wood.
I feel bad for kids or younger people who really never got to experience malls in their heyday, and can only experience them in these post-apocalyptic ways, like an ancient ruin. I grew up in the heyday of malls throughout all of the 80’s and 90’s, but I feel like even if you grew up in the 90’s and 2000’s you still can’t fully appreciate just how great malls really were. They used to be so vibrant and amazing. And for a kid who grew up in a very small town, I can tell you that going to a mall was practically like going to a theme park. I miss them so much. Each time I see a mall like this one in this state, it feels like I’m looking at my own life fallen apart.
I grew up in the 2000s 2010s, and I’ve been able to experience malls like this!
Malls we’re still bumping in the late 90s to mid 2000s
They were the center of a lot of things, especially around the holidays "going Christmas shopping" just means browsing Amazon same as every day now.
Malls still exist all over the USA
Before retail crime was at such a massive scale malls were doing great up until the late 2000s. Throw in the 2008 recession and it was a recipe for disaster. The largest mall in my city which was completed in 1996 and opened in 97 is still open, but at the current crime rate I highly doubt it will stay open much longer. Every single other mall has closed. It's sad. Honestly there is nothing like a early 90s mall experience... Those malls that opened in the 80s were special and in their heyday
I grew up going to this mall. My weekly allowance was routinely spent at The Aladdin’s Castle - an arcade inside this mall that was always packed with kids. This makes me feel like a dinosaur.
I grew up just a stone's throw away from this mall over in Shannon Way in the 80s and early 90s. I was too young to go by myself but I remember Aladdin's Castle. Right next to the ChiChi's. It was a beautiful mall back in the day. Shame what happened to it.
Me too! What great and safe memories we have!
I went to Aladdin's castle at my old mall, too.
I literally cried while watching this video. Westland mall has a lifetime of memories for me. I grew up going to that mall in the 70s and 80s as a young adult. This mall brings back memories of fun times when life was simple, and before all of my family passed away. Seeing this video makes me miss my family and when times were simple, carefree, and fun. 😢🥺💜
❤
@@Mike-ke4yp I also went to West High. Thank God we have the great memories 💜 Take care ☮️
@@Mike-ke4yp Yes it's the last York steak house left. The decor inside hasn't changed one bit, neither has the food. Still serves great steaks.
@@Mike-ke4yp yep I still eat at York ☺️🙃☮️
Chillin At The Mall
I was born in the 70s, I grew up in the 80s. My generation was the 90s. I remember malls like this.😢
Same here!
Same.
Then you might've wanted to scream what Glamor Shots was, also. I forget not everyone had the great fortune of being born in the '70s.
Security guards and property owners see urban explorers as nuisances, but you guys really are capturing history showing what culture was like in the 50s-2000s. And you're right, malls like this won't be built anymore so you are preserving history as well through your videos.
I am 42 years old I was born in Columbus Ohio.
That is where I spent my childhood with my family and my friends.
So sad to see how that mall turned out that used to be so full of life so many people so much fun I miss it.
It actually makes me want to cry.
Memories just ruined don't have any of my family and friends left either they've all gone to decay in the ground.
And yes absolutely that was full of plants.
I have a similar story, though I am from Northern BC. The mall of my childhood is sitting and decaying, I pass it as I drive to Walmart/Extra Foods----Hate hate hate the big box stores that killed everything; but we are forced to shop due to nothing else being around and I think Amazon is the devil Soooo I totally feel your pain.
Ohio has so many dead malls wth, randall park mall and rolling acres
A time malls were a place we hung out , shoped, The way we lived has changed its sad
Yeah and everyone made eye contact while talking
Our Facebook
Malls are unnatural and a sin. You're supposed to go to a small grocer in your village who will serve customers with a genuine smile. You should grow your own food to feed your family. The way we lived has changed. Very sad! 🌈
You know what’s insane? In the 80s my friends and I go there to meet girls. That’s what you did when you were 15 or 16. Todays young dudes are called creepy pedo misogynist for looking at girls. Like WTF?
♥️ to hangouts at local malls 1970s/ 1980s:; the place to be
In my lifetime a place that was thriving and a place that was THE social hub and a place to escape and find joy has now become a relic and swiftly becoming a part of architectural history before our eyes. - Something I thought so typical /normal and taken for granted as just part of “life”. Thank you for giving it an extended moment in the sun. ☀️☀️☀️
thank you for putting into words how i feel about seeing these shopping malls going the world is changing
Hey u in columbus
Hangout at the local malls 1970s/1980s the place too ne
It was mostly a social hub for the under 20 set....most older people just did their shopping....
Brokenhearted... LIFETIME COLUMBUS RESIDENT. SO MANY MEMORIES WITH THOSE WHO ARENT HERE ANYMORE... R.I.P. WESTLAND MALL
I loved your speculation on what kind of store Glamorshots was supposed to be 😂 it was a very cringy photo studio that you could rent out and take pictures in. They had all kinds of tacky props and backgrounds. Lots of fond memories there as a preteen.
I’d love to have that neon signage.
I felt so old when he had no idea what it was, lol! I took my 2004 high school grad photos at glamour shots 😄
We had those here in Michigan. I knew the owner.
Omg..those photos were sooo blurry and just cringe! My friend had some done there.
My friend owned the 2nd glamour shots that was down by sears in the early 2000's
I had a dream a few years ago about a mall that closed down that was turned into assistance living apartments for seniors. There were hugh pots of trees inside in the middle. Lots of greenery plants. Each apartment had a different front appearance of home style of front porches etc. They had a dinning area to meet to eat. Laundry room and more. There was a part of the mall that had a McDonald's, a pharmacy, grocery store and others for the public and those living at the assistance living. It was so beautiful inside.
It's crazy but I actually had a dream one night ago of walking around a huge 2 level mall that had an entire freakin Walmart attached to one side of it. Just like the way Dillard's , or Goldsmith's used to be. No idea why my subconscious had that on file
I wish more places that close up would turn into apartments for senior citizens, handicap individuals, and homeless people that are truly trying to better themselves (not the drunken drug-addicted ones that aren't trying to get and stay clean and better themselves).
I had a similar dream. Made me feel very calm, relaxed, and secure.
All of the responses are valid and DOABLE the only problem is those with the $$$ don't want such a thing to 'bring down property values.' Yesterday was the day when 3 children and 3 adults were murdered by weapons of war in civilian hands. They said the people in the community are holding on to their faith. Might I remind, the Bible says "Faith without works is dead." Maybe your dream was a message/gift, that YOU can make a difference. Clearly the other responses indicate you are not alone in your desire.
Glamour shots was a place that they would make you all pretty and take really nice pictures. My mom took me there for my 13 birthday. Very long time ago
There is something strangely sad about seeing dead malls. I grew up during the Mall haydays and the mall was the destination for a lot of my days. It was the social hub for us, and seeing it like this reminds me of the state of the world these days. This one is pretty cool for it's age in the days before food courts. You could buy food all throughout the mall and most were independents. The arcade, man what a different time. No computers, no cell phones. Just quarters and time. It's very nostalgic for me, and even if they built new malls it would never be the same. Something about the times. Thanks for the show.
My social hub at the time was the church and it's still my social hub today. No arcades. No cell phones. No food courts. Just serving God as it should be. Bless you! 🌈
@@robertschnobert9090 Enjoy your free time in your way. Others will enjoy it as they wish. Live and let live, not religion as a weapon.
I grew up going to this mall before The Mall at Tuttle Crossing obliterated it. Across from the arcade was a food stand called “A Matter of Steak” that had the best chicken nuggies my 6 year old self ever tasted. Saw Santa a few times there so it was wild to see the Xmas decor. Ocean 7 was originally a “Chi Chi’s” in the 90s. I remember my mom bought a leather jacket at a Wilson’s Leather here and we would have to go in every week so she could make payments on it. What a wild nostalgia ride! Thanks for making this video before it’s torn down in a couple of months.
A Matter of Steak was really good food! I miss those cheesesteaks
There's a matter of steak at hilliard rome and roberts.
A matter of steak is now on hilliard Rome rd. I believe it is still owned by the same family. The food is exactly like it was is 1996 at the mall. Definitely a walk down memory lane eating there.
I remember this mall so well. We went there several times a month when I was growing up outside Columbus. When it first opened it had a big open courtyard inside, so if it was raining we would run through the courtyard going store to store. After they enclosed it, it seemed super luxurious. I moved out of state 25 years ago, so I had not seen it for many years. What a shame it is so far gone. They should have changed it to affordable housing or something. Btw, Glamor Shots was a photography studio. The place with the pallets was a pet store. I used to know that mall like the back of my hand...sigh. I am now 62. Thanks for sharing.
I'm from Columbus Ohio and spent some time at this mall, the Eastland Mall, the City Center Mall and the French Market back in the 80s and 90s. All of which have all closed now, As I approach 50, it's a sad reminder that things you once enjoyed and even loved are quite fleeting and will never return.
Hello from Russia ! 🤗🇷🇺
I always enjoy watching
all your videos, they are very interesting.👍
Thank you for your work !✌️😉
To know that malls, our very own social media back in the day, is dying out to something so cold nowadays is such a shame.
I grew up shopping at this mall in the mid 80s and 90s. I can remember buying Star Wars action figures at the KayBee toys.
Eventually I worked there, for Discover card which was above the Sears and walked this mall daily for a looong time.
So many memories there. Thanks for documenting it in its final hours before demolition.
Glamour Shots was a photography studio where they would do makeoversvanr use alot of props. Very popular in the 80's to 90's. If you see an 80's photo with lots of hair, flair and a laser background, you're probably looking at a Glamour Shot.
That's so cool. I know exactly the style of photograph you're referring to. Good to learn
What a wonderful trip down memory lane. Took me back to when I worked for the Mall during Christmas time. They would set up a "Wrapping Station" in that large atrium area for parents wanting to have the gifts wrapped before taking them home! The anchors at that time were Sears, J.C.Penney's, and Macy's. There was Andrews, and Kays Jewelers, A popcorn stand were you could get the tins of any flavor popcorn imaginable, a Bridal shop , the Mexican restaurant you were walking in, a Claire's, the DMV was a small police station for the regular town police to augment the Mall's security force. A Things Remembered where you could get engraved gifts. Multiple women's and teens clothing stores, small movie rental or purchase store and several beauty salons besides the ones in Macy's and J.C.Penney's. And the "Glamour Shots" store - that was for the woman who wanted a picture where she was "Hollywood Glammed Up" that women could have done as a gift to their significant other (does indicate the era doesn't it?). There was a Hallmark store with cards, Christmas ornaments and giftables that had a prime location off the atrium area. And that is just a few of the many places to go to get what you need. I had great fun working there and am so sad at the way it was left to deteriorate. Thank you for that great video, even though it made me feel really old !
Never worked here, but plenty of memories! 51 now, this video brought back a flood of reflection on my past. My 1st purchase made from my first job was a leather coat from Berman's . Loved Chi-Chi's :) Wow I'm old!
Of all the abandoned dead malls I have seen over the years ...and I've seen a lot from others around...in my opinion this one is the coolest yet creepiest I've seen. Maybe it's because nature is taking it back/over and the natural decay.
The way nature takes back stuff is impressive and is a contrast that is not matched!
@@DarkExploration I agree...it is impressive and I like it. 👍
I went there when it was just Lazarus, then the open mall. I was in the Marianne Shop when a tornado went close and the trees outside were bending to the ground, we had to leave because water was coming in the back of the shop. Then they closed it in and we could walk around and shop even when it was raining. It was such a great time in life and now look at it. So very sad that people will not experience this.
One thing I like about the host is how he appreciates the beauty of decay. I've lived in Detroit my whole life and I've never seen the blight as ugly, but rather beautiful in its own way. It's hard to explain.
Food courts didn't start showing up in malls until the 1980s. Before that malls usually had several restaurants or might have a free-standing kiosk-style restaurant at one end of a mall that sold hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks. Back in the day in the 1960s and 1970s some Sears at malls had a larger-format that included their own in-store sit-down restaurants, optical center, beauty salon and full-service automotive repair centers with multiple bays. These larger-format Sears were very much like a mall unto themselves, but always had mall entrances to the overall mall strutcture. What a lot of people do not understand about this type of Sears as an anchor store for a mall was that they created a massive amount of foot traffic for the entire mall due to their weekly ads for the Sears store itself, weekly ads for the automotive center, and regular print and radio ads for the restaurant. So, when a store like a larger-format Sears closed its doors at a mall it left a massive hole in terms of advertising that drew people to a mall. This is why when a major anchor store like a Sears or JCPenny shuts down at a mall, so many secondary anchors and smaller stores go under because they relied on the major anchors to run weekly ads, and spend money on TV and radio ads.
I grew up when places like this thrived, we were fools for taking times like that for granted.
I am always shocked by how much good, re-usable stuff like glass storefront windows, metal mesh gates, light fixtures and display cases are just left behind when a mall like this closes.
reusing/recycling often costs more than making new things
I am a Columbus-born GenXer who remembers the mall before it was enclosed (I have vivid memories of a very funky fountain that was in the central atrium area in front of the Lazarus entrance). Both the Sears and the Lazarus stores had two floors; I believe Penney's only had one, which is why I suspect that's the anchor you came in from (it had a very open floor plan compared to Sears and Lazarus.) The Woolworths space was eventually filled by Staples after Woolworths went bankrupt.
Westland was always a solid mall rather than a cool mall (Northland was the "coolest" of the original big three Columbus malls) but it was still fairly steady until Tuttle opened up. The continuing decline of the west side, particularly in the areas adjacent to the mall, didn't help things. The mall really wasn't that large compared to some others, although it did have that huge central area as a relic from its open air days. I also don't recall it having any of the ubiquitous Limited brands in the late 80s and 90s when they were so dominant (especially in the Columbus area) - Wexner was always picky about where "his" stores went.
Penney's had 2 floors
There was a Limited Express and The Limited. I bought some god-awful stirrup pants there in the 1990. Ugh
The open malls decided to enclose their spaces after Eastland Mall up on Hamilton road opened and took business from Northland and Westland.
Where was this? I remember one in Greensburg, Pa. Is this it?
I thought I was crazy cause I didn't see the iconic fountain that I fondly remember from childhood. Now I know why.
That glamor place was a photo place my mom had her senior pictures done there. We live close to the mall and I remember going in to the DMV with my mom before it shut down. But this is like something you would see straight out of a zombie game. Also love your videos.
Oh my goodness - does this video take me back in time. I was the manager for the Lazarus Westland beauty salon during the late 1970s. Awesome video - thanks.
We still have a small mall in Lexington Kentucky called Fayette Mall, it is still going strong for now. I hope to never see it in the same shape as this one. It is very sad to see this happen to these places. This was a staple of all adolescents back in the day. Thanks for sharing this tribute to this before it is torn down.
Grew up as a teen hanging out at Fayette Mall, Festival Market and even Turfland and Lexington Mall on Richmond Rd.
Small malls are more likely to survive
I GREW UP IN WESTLAND MI. WOW !! WHAT A TRIP TO SEE THIS VIDEO. I WAS BORN IN 1971. I HAVE BEEN HERE HUNDREDS OF TIMES IN THE 1980S. THERE USES TO BE A HUGE WATER FOUNTAIN AND A GLASS ELEVATER !! THIS PLACE HAD JC PENNYS, HUDSONS, ETC. ETC. I WORKED FOR JC PENNYS IN THE 90S SETTING UP STUFF. THIS WAS A BLAST FROM THE PAST. I BELIEVE MOM SPENTS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS HERE !! THANKS FOR THE TOUR. CHUCK C. OWASSO, OK.
I worked at the LensCrafters here at Westland in 1996 through 1998 - Good times
Andrews jewelers had such unique jewelry. So sad to see the malls abandoned. We are so quick to rush on to the “next best thing”. Great explore. So glad you document these once happy places!
As a european I have noticed the abundance of huuuuge Malls, all within the radius of a few miles. This was set for failure as these big structures cost a lot of money in maintenance and there were simply too many for all of them to thrive. Online shopping was the final nail in the coffin.
@@lg403 and the malls killed off the mom and pop stores. We lost a lot of cool stores. Malls are fine but a bit impersonal and can be pricey! You’re right. Too many of them in one area. Online shopping is convenient but I don’t like it for everything.
This makes us SO SAD...that's where our families are from...so many hours spent there as a kid!!! Thanks for showing this!
As always awesome content thanks for your time to do this video big fan of your channel
I appreciate that!
I live in Columbus. My husband grew up at this mall. It is so sad....
Thank you for the great Exploration and timetravel to beautiful old times. This remembers me on my old town where I was born. It was a beautiful village with all the cozy Shops you would imagine. Now everything is modernized and the magic is now vanished.
Thanks again to memorize those great times, and the music at the end was the topping on the cupcake❤ brilliant
I've been subbed to your channel for a very long time now bro and you've only become better and better.
The mall videos always hit me hard lol, they remind me of a simpler time. When things made sense.
The ones I grew up in are all gone, bulldozed or just sitting empty and falling apart. sad.....
that is not a dead Mall at all..........look at all the green mold that is growing... 😊😊....Good Job... 👍👍
I love seeing all us Columbus westsiders converging in the comments to wax nostalgic over this mall. I remember going to see santa in this mall, right there in the center of everything. I remember riding my bike as a teenager to see Joe's Apartment at the Westland 8 movie theater. Also being dragged there by my mom and sister to see Titanic lol. I bought my (ex)wife an engagement gift in that Andrew's Jewelers, and she bought mine in the Things Remembered.
Interesting tidbit, the employee of that Things Remembered had mentioned to us that the Original Cookie next door had closed down because of a water leak under the floor. Later on, TR was also closed. Then that area had parts of the floor torn up. Right before it shut down for good, water had begun pooling in the torn up areas. And now you see what the end result was. The owners were too cheap to fix a simple leak, and it ruined everything. Don't get me wrong, this mall was doomed the moment Tuttle Crossing opened their doors. But that accelerated its demise.
I'm glad its being torn down. This hurts to see it in such a shape. It's time to rest now, and keep our beloved memories with you forever.
It's surely sad to see now! What amazing memories we have to cherish
@@leerood9079 This is the Westland Mall in Columbus Ohio?
It reminds me very much of the Westland Mall in Westland Michigan (many afternoons spent at the Mall during the mid-1970s).
Westland mall and the old putt putt on georgesville rd were the places to go in the 90s. On Saturdays putt putt had a special hot dog chips and a soda and game tokens. Only$5 if I remember correctly.
Yes, perfect setting for an apocalyptic zombie film! Love watching these videos.
Great explore and video. Love watching your videos. As a Gen Xer in his late 40s, this one definitely hit me hard, not to mention great choice of song at the end. Look forward to your next one! Thanks for all your hard work!
Love your videos. Give me an excellent insight into America.
Wow amazing find. Thanks for sharing all the details.🌝🇺🇸
Awesome channel like the places you explore and the narration of the places. Dying and empty malls are the best. Thanks keep up the great work!
Almost all the stores you saw in there were stores that moved in after the mall was really in decline. The Ocean Club and Bar used to be a Chi Chi's, the mexican restaurant used to be a Wendy's (if I recall), etc. I would say all the way back to around 2007-ish the mall was almost completely empty except for the mom and pop shops that moved in. I remember taking our daughter here to sit on Santa's lap because they still had one around 2007 and we knew every other mall would be packed... not Westland though, we walked right up. At that time the only "original" stores left were the sneaker shops, the jewelers and Sears. I say "original" to mean stores that were there in the 80's or 90's when it was actually a popular destination.
Devin another great explore ❤
Outstanding explore! ❤😊👍Love the nature taking over. 🌱🌿 Im 48 years old. I loved going to malls when I visited Mass my fam.
Honestly, I’m surprised that Westland Mall lasted as long as it did. When I moved here in 1998, that mall was pretty much dead even then. So sad.
You're right the hey day of malls and just places like these in general are long gone. I remember the 70s/80s, it is very sad how every 5 years or so you just see less and less people going to these places, people just stop coming.
Awesome job on this exploration. I remember this mall!
Just came across this video in my feed, and glad I did! What a handsome, intelligent, thoughtful, respectful, loving young man! Subscribed!
I heard the wait time at that DMV is about the same as it was 10 years ago.
Very nice exploration vid, thanks for making!
I miss malls like this. I have to say that I'm surprised at how much was left behind there, though. That scissor lift there? Those aren't cheap. Also surprised that it's taken this long for it to get torn down.
The mall's are a fun place to hang out awesome video thanks
Some really decayed areas of the mall reminded me of parts from The Last of Us gameplay, when you search for loot. Amazing video as always! Beautifully edited, I watch these before bed as they’re so relaxing!!
In my 40’s and love the memories all though sad. Thanks for captioning this on video before it’s gone. Well done and very respectfully presented. Surprised Glamour Shots signage still there, they went out long before the mall closed. It was a dress up to look like a movie star photograph studio.
I’ll be on the crew responsible for tearing down this mall in the coming months. Sad to see. Grew up seeing it my entire life. So many family and friends grew up there before it closed.
People shouldn't grow up in malls. People should grow up in CHURCH! America is godless. Stop this madness. Stop buying useless trinkets. Serve your family home cooked food instead of that restaurant junk. I will include you in my prayers tonight. 🌈
@@robertschnobert9090 Cool story brother, i've been a Christian my entire life and don't need you weaponizing my religion as if enjoying going to a mall once in a blue moon is somehow terrible for me and as if we never left the mall. We just enjoyed our time together. I think you need prayer for your twisted world view. Proverbs 3:34
That’s unfortunate. I hate it when places are demolished. These places should be preserved. They don’t deserve to be turned to rubble. If there is no way to preserve this beautiful mall, at least preserve the wood ceilings, the lights on the pillars, and the facade to the JCPenney.
I wish I was in the US and knew you. I would looove to have some of these old letters over the stores. 😉 8:58 for example
@@robertschnobert9090 As a Christian I know that we don’t spend 24 hours a day in church. Church alone is not going to get you to Heaven anyway my brother. Most church people are not going to make it. Christ knows your heart. America is becoming Godless so pray and vote for the lessor of evils. The mall was an innocent way for young people to meet instead of home playing video games alone or watching porn. Be very careful when judging others for “we all have sinned” and a lot of us are doing our best. It can be very offensive to say you are praying for someone sarcastically. Look in the mirror first.
My fav part was the radio shack with the brochure w the clunky pics of the “free camera phones!” 😂
Thanks❤ i really like the music at the end!! PERFECT 👌
oh my god! i've always wanted to see the inside of this place! wow! good looks bro
Awesome mall, truly apocalyptic.... but man I can't believe you didn't try to open one of those pallets. May have been some cool retro stuff in there.
I am so glad the mall in my town is still working today. Had lunch at it and went Christmas shopping just 2 months ago
My local mall is still up and running . I remember a lot of these stores from back in the late 80`s and early 90`s . The arcade was call Mindboggle here . I really do miss those days .
I can’t tell you how many times me my friends would walk that mall high as hell for hours on end! Always packed on the weekends.
Bet we wore lots of shoes out at that mall! 😎
Glamour Shots was a photo studio in malls back in the 80’s. You would go there and pose for “modeling pics”. They provided makeup, different sets, props, some clothing. All for your own collection or try to look hot for somebody lol
I believe that this is very sad to watch, especially for those of us who loved going to the mall. It was like Facebook in our day.
Dang it, usually I can depend on the comments to tell me what stores were what, but nobody has said what that big anchor store you started in was!😂
Grew up in malls myself, grateful to have had that experience that’s long since gone…dead and decaying mall videos are the place to be when I like to get myself a good case of crippling depression.
First anchor store was JCPenny.
@@doreenbaker9926 yep
My grandparents took me and my sister here when I was a kid. Another abandoned mall you should check out is the Upper Valley Mall in Springfield.
It's being turned into an industrial center. I don't think anyone can go in there now
What a gem - amazing that they kept some of the retro decor right up to 2017
Sometimes I wonder if the places you document are really that beautiful or if it's you who has such a inimitable gift of showing them to us in such a way that we can only see the beauty in them.
I just found you today.Great Video Love it! As a baby boomer my first job was in a mall in 1972 you were so cool if you worked there. I worked in a coffee shop. And it was so busy. This was before food courts. I was working to save money for Beauty School.Yeah we had to pay for our college our selves. The Mall was one of the first in the late 1960’s they demolished it a few years ago. I have great memories of that time. I love that you are so respectful of the places you go to ❤
Cool one. The decay here is impressive, particularly so in the jewelry shop. That first section of the counter has got so rotten that it has nearly disintegrated! I've watched quite a few abandoned mall explorations and this one ranks among the best.
Thank you! Cheers!
Great explore, thank you!
Another great explore and yet so sad to see it in such a bad way. These were the places where everyone would hang out with friends and have a good time. I think its just a matter of time that this mall will be totally damaged by water. The one store sounded like a river running through it so once that ceiling gives, then I think a lot of places you walked through will be totally done. Thanks again and looking forward to the next one.
Dawn of the Dead , a place stuck in time still looks pretty amazing even today considering how many years have passed since it was built.
Great video! Thanks.
I remember when this was an open air mall I loved this place such great memories it’s so sad to see it in such dis-repair.
Closed in 2012... wow. From the stuff left behind and especially the level of decay, I would have expected more like 2002. It's amazing just how much water has done in about a decade.
March 3, 2023 3:42 am
This is crazy to see! I grew up near this mall and have so many memories here as a kid! That mall used to have everything! At one point there was a movie theater in the back of the mall parking lot behind sears, there used to be big name stores there like The limited, American Eagle, Bath & body I think was there at one point, orange Julius, the tinder box, Andrew's jewelers, all the anchor stores, a chi chi's restaurant...the list goes on forever. To see it dead and rotting is so insane but thanks for documenting it before it's gone forever!
Gamour Shots was probably a photography studio. My mom used to take us to one at our local mall every year for family photos. The wrapping paper was probably just props for Xmas photos around the holidays. Some of those little walls in there seemed like props too.
Son you nailed it at 11:00. I was a GenX kid of the early 70s and the mall was everything. The economy was booming, America strong and the mall was where it was all happening. All through the 80s and 90s the country was still strong. Post 9-11 world has been a disaster for America. From 1971 when my parents purchased my Buster Brown shoes for first grade, clothes during high school and college. Engagement ring in 1992 and music albums Joshua Tree and Nevermind. Appliances when my wife and I got married. Even just somewhere to go on winter days to see a movie and eat lunch. They tore down that mall in 2012 and my entire youth took a hit with its disappearance. America will never be what it was.
I remember this mall from the early to late 80s and how busy it was at one time. Walked many of the same steps you took here many many many times.
I explored the abandoned and now gone crossroads mall in Boulder. Was similar but very large. And much newer. Yet the sounds and sights are nearly the same. Such a weird feeling. Something I will never forget.
59 and I remember the tail end of the downtown era with the appearance of malls. During my childhood and teen years the mall was the fun place to meet up with friends and hang out, or enjoy a family shopping trip. Grab a coffee or bite to eat, catch a movie or just walk and window shop. It was about the atmosphere and social experience. Guess you had to be there.
Very sad to see what the internet has done to these public spaces. We still have a couple of our malls. One of them is about to go abandoned, though. We've lost all our theatres, and malls inside our city limits. The two I mentioned are just outside city limits. That mall you just filmed is such a liminal space. Thanks for sharing this.
Spent many a Saturday afternoons in the 80’s spending my allowance there. Grew up about 2 miles from there. So many memories!
Awesome video my friend, thank you! 💜💜💜
Thanks my friend
I really like the brick flooring; I rarely see it but it's classy.
I loved that place!! This is absolutely heartbreaking 😭
A good exploration, enjoyable 👍
15:39 Glamour Shots was a photography store where you get those cheesy 80’s and 90’s photos with extravagant makeup and over the top wardrobe! We had one in our mall, too. 🤣🤣🤣
Unfortunately, at the rate the water is coming in its only a matter of time before a part of the ceiling collapses...probably wont be safe to explore much longer but Im so glad you were able to capture it before that happens.
I was a teenager back in the 80's and i used to hang out with my friends and go shopping with my parents at malls like these back then. Watching this vid brought back so many fond memories for me. It is shameful that this mall has fallen in such desrepair, it just needs to be demolished and have something else built in it's place.
Love your choice of music
Wow what a relic. A lot of memories In malls like this. Sad to see it in disrepair. I can imagine it filled with the chatter of people.