Maine's Auburn Mall: The Most Amazing Dead Mall I've Ever Seen (Yet)!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
- Join me as I take a look at one of the most amazing dead malls ever, Auburn Mall in Auburn, Maine.
This mall is stuck in 1992 and I love it!
This video was filmed on a Tuesday at about 12:30pm in July 2024.
If you liked this video, please don't forget to give me a thumbs up, leave a comment and subscribe to my channel. I plan to have more dead mall videos in the future. Thanks for watching!
Sources of Information & Photo Credits:
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www.bangordail...
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#deadmall #deadmalls #mall #maine #auburn #shoppingmall #shoppingmalls #retail #nostalgia #malls #mallshopping #fleabittenadventures
I hate online shopping and I wish the malls would come back. This mall is kept up nice and it’s very clean.
Online shopping is so much more convenient and critically, usually cheaper.
I’m guilty of shopping online - if I want a video game I can see the cheapest store offering the game and order it there, and I wouldn’t get the same price in store.
I hate online shopping for clothes. But I love being able to find any dang thing I can imagine. I would waste so much time window shopping making mental notes of what store had what for in case I wanted the thing. I remember looking everwhere for black string licorice to decorate a cake with. Now I'd order it instantly.
I love online shopping & don't miss Malls or the Shopping experience 1 bit.
@wandameadows5736 some of us miss the experience of actually getting out the house with friends or family and being among other people in a shopping centre / mall.
That’s redevelopment for you
This mall used to be hoppin' back in the day. There was a movie theater down by Super Shoes and the Dream Machine arcade down by JC Penney. Spent hours playing arcade games there, eating a Swiss Pretzel. Shopping for tapes at Musicland. It had a Gap, an Express, a Pepperidge Farms store, KB Toy Store, Papa Gino's, and others. I remember me and my girlfriend eating at JC Penney's restaurant and then catching a movie there. Got my prom suit at Porteous. So many good memories in that place.
Did you say you ate at JC Penney’s restaurant?
@@christophercaldwell3963 Yup. JC Penney had a restaurant in it in the 70’s and 80’s.
My God, I totally forgot about The Dream Machine... This place was MECCA to the teenagers of Androscoggin County.
Oh hell yes the Dream Machine that place was my jam in the late 90's and early 2000's I used to go to the family a lot there as a kid, In the mid 2000's they folded and they've had other people try to run arcade businesses there without as much success.
Do you have any more info about the movie theater? I've heard about it online a couple times but no one I personally knows remembers it, and most of my earliest memories of the mall are from the 90's when it would have been gone.
In 1991, I bought a kitten at the pet store at that mall. It had worms on no shots. His name was Sebastian and he was the best cat ever. I went to school up there.
This place was magical at Christmas. The old school shop and see Santa trips are fond memories of my childhood.
This is not retro, this is what a mall should look like.
I didn't think this was anything special. The mall I've been going to in Houston (Willowbrook Mall) since the late 90's pretty much looks the same as it's always been and can still get a decent crowd til this day.
Hi!! I’m a local artist that sells at that store Nerdcore!! The Auburn Mall is very cool with its sense of community!! A lot of cool events and craft fairs happen there, especially Weird Fair which happens in the Spring and the Fall. A lot of the stores there are small businesses and have art by local artists.
It’s a fun place to be, with great food, and fantastic wonderful people and artists.
Wow, the local community really keeps this mall lively.
I live in Auburn! The biggest two stores are the big store, the game store and the super shoes. Those machines are sadly storage but the mall still is heavily used by the community and people use it to exercise inside during the winter months. Well kept and a jewel for sure.
I've been in ME since 1988 & trust me, this was the place in town to come to.
0:28 we enter The Auburn Mall. On the right hand side used to house Papa Gino's (circle window), then Radio Shack (the checkered paneling), then if I recall the third shop was originally a bank, & then a wireless dealer (a scammy cell phone store). The left side was originally Dearing Ice Cream (Friendly's knockoff) & then became Pro Vision aka Auburn Mall Eyecare. The shop up from Pro Vision was Wilson's Suede & Leather. Got my Indiana Jones jacket there in 89 (I remember a couple of hot girls used to work there. Bondage never looked so good) Moving on
1:22 Center square of the mall. Lot of sh** went down here. Santa at Xmas. The Easter Bunny at Easter. Cards,Comics & Collectibles shows. Oh, the horror of it all. Also the main clock was here in the off season, until it got moved down to the other end of the mall. Looking to the right where Nutty Nettie lives, this was originally a small expansion for a McDonald's that didn't last long. Looking to the left past the center doors & security taking a break, the Post Office service center has been there since the mid-to late 80's. The two shops on the left was originally a huge jewelry store (Day's Jewelers?)
1:42 Bath & Body Works arrived in the late 90's. I think the store was part of the expansion or may have been a shoe store. I'm thinking more of the shoe store.
1:59 Nancy's Way Style Boutique previously housed a more profitable women's store, but, for Nancy's Way it looks like the highway. Up next: Thatcher's pub, a great place to eat, that's been w/ the mall since it's inception.
Hey kids! How 'bout a pretzel?! Well too bad because you see that white wall next to Bath & Body? That used to be the pretzel shop.
2:11 The Game Zone was originally Musicland & the store, Nerd Core was originally Waldenbooks. Spencer's has been at there location since the mall opened. Next to Spencer's was KB Toys. It now stores motorcycles.
2:56 Clsssic Amusements of Maine - looks more like storage than a shop.
3:48 Another storage junk shop that the owner "operates". The items are overpriced for old office furniture. Any other items are from apartment evictions.Thats the rumor!
4:00 in the mid 90's Waldenbooks expanded from their original location to the current. Of course they changed over to Borders & then to Books a Million.
4:14 Olympia Sports
5:47 ahhh, home. This used to be where The Auburn Mall Twin Cinemas lived. This first run theatre opened in the Spring of 1980 & closed during the holiday season of 1990. Great place to work. Movies that hit Auburn included: Fatal Attraction, Willow, Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, Back To The Future Part II, The Abyss. The last movies shown were Home Alone! and Three Men & A Little Lady. Fun times, last forever
Haha I used to work in that RadioShack right next door to the "scammy" cell hope dealer (They were actually quite scammy haha) and would drive remote-controlled vehicles through their shop with cellular sales flyers for my store haha. It was a fun place to work in the early 2000s when it still felt like a mall in there. Black Friday was INSANE!!
I remember briefly the cinema was turned into a pet store but there was an incident where a dog bit off a little virls finger and that ended in the dog getting shot and tjr owners arrested. So it's been closed ever since thrn..
Amazing insight, thanks for sharing your memories.
When Papa Gino’s was there, that mall was popping. I remember being a kid loving to go there (I barely cared for the food there) it was just fun! I remember they had like two little robotic rides, my cousins & I were obsessed with. Totally miss the vibes it used to be. Honestly think the owner doesn’t care that much about it. Must look at it as just their garage now… sad tho because this place could be good again with more effort!
Any second I could see the artist “Tiffany”going on stage performing amongst 300 teenagers.
And Debbie Gibson🎉❤
Exactly my thoughts when I saw that stage when you came in.
@@piggy310for sure lol
@@LymanPhillipsand a Orange Julius on the right🤣
I think we're alone now haha
I live in Lewiston/Auburn and can attest to the fact that the interior has not changed since the 90s. The current owner used to own a Harley dealership and now uses most of the dead storefronts, closed when you visited, are just used as storage for some rich guy with too much stuff. Pretty much everywhere that was shuttered when you visited is a dead location. I don't recall any major renovations since I was a little kid in the 90s.
When I was in middle school, my best friend and I got chased by security along the length of the mall for doing the most 90s thing ever and running in the Porteus with rollerblades and storming clear through to the other end and out JC Penny. We went in the door at 24:25 and out the door at 26:29 lol
Auburn Mall is a super dead mall that somehow remains open. Many of the people you see walking around are a local club of mostly older folks who walk the perimeter of the mall for daily exercise
Well 💩 thanks.
4 to a group! Lol
Im from Germany, thank you for the trip down memory lane, a lot of our former malls and department stores looked exactly like that but also public buildings like councils or schools, when you walked the JC penny I saw myself chasing my siblings between the clothing carousels and hiding inside them cuz they were so jam packed, so sad to see the stock so empty nowadays, guess the place will also close down some time soon, also the hairdresser salon inside lol I can still remember, and in the major department stores we had self service restaurants, which were always the favorite place of my grandparents to take us when babysitting us, and then sneaking of to the kids department watching the newest disney VHS in the playcorner, aaaah such great memories 😊
All the motorcycles are owned by the owner who is a collector of cool things. Like this mall. Lots of cool new shops starting up in there now actually
Thanks for posting this Mall! I grew up in lewistion maine not too far from auburn, i have memories of walking through this mall as a kid! this video was a great trip down memory lane
The ol dirty lew
@@jacobg6528The Bloody Lew. Our reputation is even worse now.
I worked at the JCPenney for a couple years around 2010. At the time, they were putting plans into motion to make every individual area/brand feel like its own store. Smaller rooms to peruse in, displays that felt more modern, but they scrapped it around the time I left. Even then, business was far better than it is now.
But I used to be there every day as a child and a teen. Getting pretzels, going to the McD’s or papa Gino’s for lunch, hanging out in Spencer’s and Hot Topic, trying the perfumes at Bath and Body. For dances at school, I went to DEBs which was closer to where the bookstore was up the ramp. And the Dream Machine was the best place to game.
Many fond memories of this place.
I was loving the 80’s/90’s aesthetics, thanks for filming this! The Carnation Mall in Alliance, Ohio had that same Bath & Body works with the wood paneling (it was demolished about a year and a half ago.)
Glad you liked the video! Thanks for watching!
I grew up going here and still visit often. One of my favorite places for a bit of nostalgia.
Fr I personally like that it hasn’t been changed. Wish all the old stores were still open, but glad it hasn’t closed down officially!
I need to buy this place and turn it into "Gen X Land". Rebuild the Dream Machine arcade, expand the "Thatcher's" Bar to server hundreds, go-kart tracks in the old Porteous store, dancing in the old JC Penny, and we've got tons of room to spare for accommodations and whatnot... Looking for investors.
I'm a 90s kid with vague memories of Dream Machine. I miss it.
Dream Machine was the best
I was born in 88. I miss the Dream Machine in the Maine Mall so much! Would play Time Crisis all the time and used to play at BattleLAN, too.
I will invest 10 dollars
I would like a roller skating rink with all 90s music in gen x land!
I do like the fact that you put up pictures of the stores (and in this case the mall entrances) from years ago.
Keep up the great work.
I believe that wood paneling and red awning for Bath and Bodyworks was part of their earlier esthetic. I remember it being in a mall near me and it looked exactly the same.
Yes you’re right.
Thank you for the incredible video. It was enjoyable to watch this nostalgic tour. I just watched one of our big malls down in Massachusetts have its final days that mall was the Emerald Square, Mall. It’s sad to see this happening. This was our childhood, but thank you so much for allowing us to Tour everything with you
I remember that one when it opened. There were a ton of articles in the Sun Chronicle including a Wizard of Oz cast mock up on opening day.
@@danielbowden6330 Yes! I remember it well.
What a time capsule! Amazing! Thanks for this! Love the 90s.
at 3:25 used to be a KB Toys
As for the motorcycles the owner of the property is a collector of motorcycles so he's using the space as a storage for his personal collection.
I was just there today! And while there was a little more activity, you’re correct that it is clearly struggling. There are some good spots though. That’s a really solid bath and body works, for example. The staff is always so attentive when I’m there.
I love the new cafe in there! Family owned too, now I have to go again haha
Connecticut girl here!! Love your channel. I also miss Caldors, Bradley’s.
CT has good food
And Ames and Zayre!
We used to have a Bradley's across the river in the old Lewiston Promenade Mall and remember going there when I was a little kid! And then we'd go across the road to the Lewiston Mall for an Ames run with my grandmother lol.
@@ramencurry6672 I agree. Pizza is delicious here. Especially around Yale.
Well done again, Tom. Thanks. Man, those J C Penny mannequins used to creep me out as a kid....kinda still do.
This is so cool that you do this!! Whenever we travel we do our best to find a new mall to just roam on and try different foods or coffee.
In this ever changing world, it is nice some things stay the same! Have a great summer Tom!
Thanks, you too!
From what I understand George also has a lot of different collections and uses a lot of those empty stores for storage, hence the old KB Toys with all the motorcycles. I *believe* he rents a lot of that stuff out to things like movie productions and such.
The Bath and Body Works did that facade when they moved in, I don't remember what was there prior... I remember as a kid in the early 90's the place used to be packed. Sad to see what it has become. Change is inevitable.
Really awesome you took the time to check the place out. Like you, this is what a mall is for me and it's always a nostalgia trip when I go in.
Used to visit this mall often up until 1985. You pronounced Porteous correctly! Originally it was Porteous, Mitchell & Braun. Great video.
I remember having to take a 1.5hr long bus ride just to get to the mall. It's crazy to think malls used to so important that going to one was an event.
Got out of the USAF in 1987 and located to Lewiston, ME. While living in the area, use to frequently visit the Auburn Mall. This place is where I discovered Jelly Belly Beans! Your video content is excellent, good job! 👍
Awesome Video man! Malls like this one are amazing time capsules, that I really hope can stay around, but judging by how fast malls are going away now, who knows how much longer this will last. Hopefully it stays around for a while!
Been going here since the 90s. I was here this past Saturday and couldn't help but notice how it was still pretty awesome. Always loved the blue neon and skylights.
You really have low standards
I've worked in this mall since the 80's. Things have definitely changed over the years. I work at Pro Vision Center . Sadly the lack of traffic has effected business quite a bit. There are a few homeless people hanging around Center court most days. It's sad where things are going in this area.
*it's sad where things are going in this world.
@@RemoWilliams1227 It's not most of the world unfortunately. There are many states here, prominently down south, that seem to have booming economic growth as well as new malls and life being given to them. Maine, and much of New England is unfortunately susceptible to an aging / homeless population, as well as most of the younger people just leaving for good. Businesses also can't survive up here in the northeast as well, it's a very hostile area towards new business.. Which is ironic, considering we're a capitalist nation.
The building looks good for its age. It appears (at least on video) that they do a lot to keep the place clean as well.
I used to love the Auburn mall. We would go there a few times a year back in the late nineties and early two thousands. I haven’t been there since roughly 2010-2012,but it actually doesn’t look as bad as I expected it to be.
also he went on a tuesday around noon. Obviously going to be one of the slower times. I'm sure it gets a decent amount of people after 5, especially on fri/sat
I'm 53. I was there a few months ago with my 15 year old son. We walked the entire store just like this and I told him what everything was and what it used to be. Where I used to shop and what it looked like.
I Grew up there. That was THE mall for the area. There were two small ones in Lewiston, but one died.. the other one was more like an indoor plaza where all the stores were only on one side. The only other one was Maine Mall in Portland, and that one is still going strong.
That first vacant store on the right was Papa Ginos pizza, and was there at the very beginning, and I think it stayed till the early 2000's.
* 1:27 at one point the store in the right corner was a mini McDonalds, later it was Chinese food.
* The yellow store was ALWAYS a Jewelry store, and the white store was originally a Chess King clothing store.
* The Center is where Santa visited.
* 2:02 Thatcher's has been there since day 1. The white area after Bath and Body Works was always a pretzel stand.
* Game Zone WAS a record, tapes, CD store.
* Most of the stores on the left were women's clothing. No interest for a male teen.
* There was a KB Toys, but I can't remember if it was before or after Spencer's Gifts.
* 3:05 The owner stores his collections there, in 4 places in the mall. The gates are never open.
* 5:51 The second window on the right, where you can see the tile on the floor is white. I think that is where Radio shack used to be., just before it was another jewelry store, and after that was a card and candle store. Then the anchor store on the end.
* Steve and Berry's sold absolute CRAP!! it was affordable but the cheapest Chinese crap available. Paper thin winter jackets.
* 5:57 That was part of the movie theater that was there. The only thing left original, is those rest rooms. If you went in you would see an 80's restroom.
* 8:16 That wood paneling is original since day 1. Thatcher's has never changed.
* 9:05 that store directly in front of you used to be a Wilson's leather.
* 9:28 I didn't care too much for this side of the mall. Shoe stores and more women's clothing.
* 10:08 GNC has always been in the mall, but I think they moved to a lower spot, a few stores down for a larger store.
* 10:48 Wood paneling, was a nice book store.
* 11:44 That was the entrance to the Dream Machine. Its where all the video games and pinball games were. It was a ramped 2 tiered area. All electronics in the whole area, and pinball on the second level. If you couldn't find your kids this is where they were. Its all the way on the end around the corner, hidden.
* 16:40 The blue thing was just a nick-nack, calendar games store and the one beside it was a pet shop.
Back in 87 I took my 81 Diesel VW Rabbit and drove around the mall non-stop at 35mph. Never slowing or stopping at the signs.. Tires squealing..
I used to bring my friends to this parking lot or the K-Mart across the street to teach my friends to drive and to learn a standard transmission, because at 2AM its all empty.
The santa pics... lol i still have pictures from probably decades ago now, sitting on santas lap there
I remember when supershoe was the weather vane
Back in it's heyday Lewiston had 2 malls near eachother. The lewiston Mall and the Promenade. I'm not sure if it's still there but on the back side of the promenade you can see still remenants of the old movie theater that was there in the 80's.
At 4:15, fairly certain that was an Olympia Sports from the little bit of logo showing on the sign and the interior design
it sure is
Yes it was an Olympia Sports which just closed 2-3 years ago.
Once upon a time none of the surrounding stores were there. No Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, Movie theaters, Planet Fitness .............. none of that stuff was there. I think there was a K-Mart where Target is now (across rt 4 ) and that was it. No internet so the Auburn Mall was where you went shopping for school clothes or Christmas presents ect.
walmart used to be where kohls is now back in the day. good times
You are right about Targetbeing where K-mart was, good times
Walmart has killed a lot of businesses, including shutting down the company I worked for. I don't ever go there if I can help it.
That slant wood wall that was the 1970’s natural look. I’ve been in homes that had western cedar up on a home office wall and love the smell, it had that John Denver vibe. My younger cousin asked me why did they do that,she wasn’t around in the 70’s.😊
The wood paneling was original Bath and Body Works design. I remember it from our mall in Greenville, SC. Great video 👍🏻
I'm from just a bit west of this part of Maine, and I can tell you that the reason that the mall hasn't been updated is because it's a reflection of the area around it, which has been in steady decline and/or hasn't updated since the mall was built. Lewiston/Auburn was a mill town originally and, like all other mill towns in Maine, they didn't really put any though or effort into future planning, personality assuming that they felt that paper mills would always be in high demand. Soon came home computers accompanied by an ever growing usage of texting and email and, well, I think you fill in the blanks.
5:00 that shot is awesome, love the neon
Thanks alot Tom. What a great gem! Those skylights are amazing. Cheers.
Really loved this one, Tom.
The Books-A-Million bookstore used to be a Waldenbooks. In fact the store manager of that store became the original store manager of BAM when it first opened in the mall. I don't know if he is still manager now, but i knew him rather well because prior to going to Auburn, he was a manager at the Maine Mall in South Portland, where i regularly shopped. Looking at this mall now, it is definitely a dead mall and probably has less than 5 years to turn things around. It is also worth noting that the woodgrain look was very popular look in the 1970s as the late Mountain Valley Mall in North Conway New Hampshire was loaded with that same woody look all over that mall.
3:07 - That "X-Men" arcade machine. LOVE IT!!!
Mall Owners -“Our look is dated 😩”
TH-camrs- “It’s look is dated! 🤩”
I live near the Auburn Mall, a lot of those stores just weren't open. For whatever reason Tuesday is the day a lot of stores and restaurants around here choose to not open.
11:25 This was the original Bookland store, and yes, the paneling is genuine 1979 Maine pine, baby!!
Grew up in this Mall! , it was beautful in the day. To the left of TD bank calling center was a great double movie theater...Saw Indiana Jones and ET there...Thanks Great Video!
The spot where all the video games were used to be Payless shows! I worked there in 1996 and 1998/1999. I grew up at that mall lol I was born and raised in Auburn (1980)! I spent MANY Friday nights at the Mall! Saw some movies at the theatre when it was down by where Porteous used to be! Played many games at the Dream Machine where Family Dine and Play is now lol As you walked through this mall I could name all the stores that used to be there 😢 Next to Bath and Body works where the white wall and door are used to be a Pretzel stand! Corn dogs and pretzels and Slushies all day long!! Man I miss those days!!!
I like the outside signage. It's like stepping back in time
Great video. Are you left handed? You consistently are left focused on your filming...the whole video I kept wanting you to show right side a little more as you walked...just my experience watching...brought back a ton of memories! Thanks
I am left handed. Interesting observation. I never noticed that.
That Bath & Body Works is gotta be the original especially with that wooden paneling. Nice job giving us the tour.
I don't know why this video came up in my recommended, but I'm glad it did. So many memories here! I used to come here all the time as a kid and teen. When I was really little, my grandfather used to bring me and I'd get a soft pretzel and cheese from a shop where the cafe is now and sit around the brick planters in the middle. The little stage in the middle there is also where we would get pictures with Santa.
Besides the vacancies, it looks much the same!
@10:18 - the mall has a high vacancy rate because the rates for rent George Schott charges for lease is really high for the area for the volume of traffic the mall gets. Due to the costs it's hard to drive in new businesses/tenants.
I miss going to the mall I know everybody shops Amazon but I think it’s nice to get out of the house and just look around and hang out at the food court I don’t understand young people today.
Nah, they should stay home and be safe on their phones like normal kids.
I miss hanging at the mall. mid 90s to early 2000s was a great time to kill time at the mall near my house. Me and my friends would spend like 6 hours there having actual fun in a public setting which is not as common these days. Could literally go there with 20-30 bucks back in those days and spend all damn day there. Slices from Sbarro, chilling in Borders books for like an hour, people watching, playing house of dead and xmen at the arcade. Loved those days
Neat Mall. If you get a chance. Do the Bangor Mall in Bangor Maine. It is a shadow of its glory days but is still going as a mall.
Yeah or I think he should also make a video about the neighboring mall in Lewiston, the Lewiston Mall in Maine, that is ANOTHER Maine mall I had fond memories about! ^_^
Almost everything is different from the old days obviously. I’m originally from the neighbor town Lewiston that had 2 amazing malls across the street from each other. Lewiston / Auburn had 3 malls in the 80s, each with their own special charms. I believe the owner of the mall is housing some of his collection of games and motorcycles here. He owned a place in Lewiston called Schotts Motorcycle in the 80s. Notable location from the 80s Auburn Mall: RadioShack, KB Toys, Spencer’s novelties, Wilsons Leather, DEB clothing, PaPa Gino’s Pizza, (Swiss?)Pretzel place , Friendly’s Ice cream, Thatcher’s Pub, two movie theaters to the left of Porteous, Pepperidge farms, Dream Machine Arcade, Waldenbooks, Lamey-Wellehan Shoes, GM Pollack jewelers, CVS drug store, GNC, a Pet shop, JCPenney, Musicland, Bell Phone Center. You can see more in the Lewiston Journal newspaper Google archives from the 80s. Several stores advertised in there.
Auburn, 3 malls?? Are you counting the once across the street from Deny's as one?
Where was the other? Across the street from Margarita's?
I'm from Livermore, I worked at McDonalds just before and during the rebuild in the late 80's then worked there 2-3 years. All my friends are from Auburn/Lewiston. I know the area pretty well.
@@RemoteCamper Lewiston/Auburn had 3 malls. Lewiston Mall, Promenade Mall, Auburn Mall.
@@RetroGamingNook AH. I read that wrong..
@@RemoteCamper I wrote it a bit weird in the first place.
@@RetroGamingNook I was first thinking 3 malls in Lewiston.... But then I was also a few beers in, so clarity was lacking on my end.
This mall totally looks like the Swansea Mall in Swansea, MA. The brick planters, the long ramp up. Brings back many memories. Can still smell the tobacco from The Pipe Den store.
How does one get verified with 68 subs??
I also instantly thought of Eastfield Mall when I saw the ramp.
Maines last Papa Gino's was in there. It felt like the 80s in there.
I miss those days I miss my 90s childhood
The dine and play is still open, but it's hours are weird. I got a game session in it like a month ago. It's actually fairly modern
The now empty storefront with the wood paneling used to house a Bookland back in the day (which even rented arthouse movies and foreign films on VHS in the late 80's/early 90's). What is now the Books-A-Million was a Waldenbooks when the Auburn Mall first opened. The movie theatre was located in that area where the bubblegum machines are now. It had two screens. I remember that "E.T." and "Tootsie" were held over for more than six months as they were blockbusters. There was a large CVS in there at one time. Also a little bistro/coffee shop called the Cookie Cafe, which sold warm chocolate chip cookies. It was popular but for some reason, didn't last. Some years ago, a gentleman clearing snow off the roof of the mall fell through the skylight (the one near Bath and Body Works) and plunged onto the area directly below. I believe he was critically injured. What was once a bustling and busy mall is almost a ghost town now. I'm genuinely surprised that it's survived as long as it has.
If you want to see a mall with 90's decor, you should come to Bangor and see the Bangor Mall. It's almost as dead as the Auburn Mall is and the last time it's been renovated was about 30 or so years ago.
id say the bangor mall is more dead than the auburn mall. went a year ago and was a ghost town. i remember going to the bangor mall as a kid and going cloths shopping and video game shopping.
Bangor mall is way more dead. Went this year and we about had the place to ourselves. It was so strange feeling.
I like the way he carries the camera. Like a videogame. Such a neat way of presenting
Love the Nostalgia!Sad too see the downturn and mass Exodus at shopping malls!!Having worked in a Mall for the past 25yrs I've seen the changes first hand!!My Mall Emerald Square is a GHOST TOWN NOW IMO!!SAD😢😢
We have a still relatively booming shopping mall here in NJ, Quaker Bridge Mall.
We had a mall like this in concord, nh. Still open as far as I know, but only running a few stores last time I went. I remember spending weekends there as a kid with friends and Black Friday was like its own holiday. Malls continue to exist in more metropolitan areas, but for us more rural kids, seeing the malls that we grew up with fade into obscurity gives a weird sad nostalgic feeling that no new generation will understand.
The mall in Concord was just closed and is preparing for demolition. They are going to put a Costco in its place.
That mall has some real retro vibes. Love it.
It took 2 minutes for you to tell me you made this video for me. I now live 20 minutes from this mall in Auburn, ME. I grew up going to (and working at) the Eastfield Mall in Springfield. And for many years, I lived in Auburn, MA, and went to that mall.
My wife and I enjoyed the video and are planning on visiting this mall because it is your favorite!
Thanks! Glad you liked the video! If you're into vintage malls, I'm sure you'll love this one!
@@fleabittenadventures would you ever hold a meet and great?
Highly unlikely. I'm actually a very shy person.
@fleabittenadventures fair enough... I was hoping to do a mall walk-through with you when my wife and I come to the US next month! Anyways, keep the videos coming; I look forward to them!
Wow I love this, it's SO similar to my old favorite mall, the Fairfield Mall in Chicopee MA that closed in 2001 and was destroyed in 2003. The entrance, main open area and the stairs/ramp combos are about identical. Had to have been the same development company.
Wow, love that 90s font on the front of the mall. Reminds me of now defunct Computer City
I lived only a mile from this mall. Looks very familiar. My parents sign business made signs for this mall for many years. I can’t believe it’s still open!
This was my local mall growing up. My very earliest memory is actually looking up from my stroller while being pushed up one of those ramps in the corridor in the late 80's. It's sad to see how dead it is today compared to the 90's or even 20 years ago. I still love visiting when I'm in Maine though. I remember the remodel occurring in the 90's with those hilarious new colors and signage that looked outdated almost immediately after being put up (funny to see they since removed the blue in what I assume was an attempt to 'de-90's' it). From what I recall not much was actually changed beyond the new signage and some blue neon added. Clearly most of the 70's decor is still there, which I hope is never removed (I love touching the brick too). I might be misremembering, but I want to say that there was a fountain or large planter in the center of the mall that might have been replaced with the stage that's currently there that could have been part of the remodel? Not many changes have been made over the years though. The arcade is a more contemporary renovation with the old arcade (the Dream Machine) having only occupied a small portion of that space off the side corridor, and the Porteous area obviously being changed for TD. Some other classic spots there were Papa Ginos (pizza place on the right when you fist walked in with the green circle), and across from that was an ice cream parlor where the glasses store is now. That had a nice counter that you could sit at and their ice cream was served in old fashioned metal bowls, we loved it as kids. There was also a Kaybee Toys that a lot of my childhood toy store memories are associated with, and a large variety of other stores that are no more. I don't think Bath & Body Works is original (I want to say it showed up in the 90's but I may be mistaken), though I think Thatcher's restauraunt is. I've never actually eaten there but the smell of it is very nostalgic to me. There was also a McDonald's Express for a period in the 90's in the center court area where the coffee shop now is. I've heard that there was a movie theater near Porteous in the 70's/80's, some comments here even mention it, but no one I personally knows remembers it. There was one in the Lewiston Mall at that time, so either some mandela effect is happening or my friend/family just have bad memories. If it was there however then I'm very curious if there is still any kind of architectural footprint of it buried away. Anyway, I think I wrote enough about the Aurburn Mall for one evening. Thanks for the video, I really enjoyed it.
I remember the movie theater by the Dream Machine Arcade. I graduated from ELHS in 1986, so that may add to the time line for ya.
Ice cream parlor was Deering Ice Cream. I do remember the movie theater on the Turner St end. On the other side of that end of the mall was Athletic Attic.
@@NEtrailboss Thanks! I loved that ice cream place as a small child. Which end was Turner St?
@@CoutureCG Turner St is the end where the rotaries and Wal-Mart ect. are now. There used to be absolutely nothing out there. Rt 4 (Center St.) is the main road on the other end. My mother would let me skip school and we'd go Christmas shopping once a year at the mall. We always ate at Deering Ice Cream. They had the best milk shakes.
@@NEtrailboss So if I understand correctly you're saying that the movie theater was on the Porteous (now TD) end? That's what I'd heard before. Another comment here claims that it was near the Dream Machine though.
I do like the vibe of this place too; in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if the neon and entrances were the only things touched in that 92 renovation.
This reminds me of our local mall, which is also "dead" but still open. We have a Bath n Body Works, some nail shops, a church, Spencers, Hot Topic, a restaurant, a few clothing stores. The Sears got turned into a Runnings (sells rural supplies? I guess) and isn't open to the rest of the mall anymore. There's lots of empty stores, but also those weird little local stores with extremely limited hours, they never seem to be open when you go. I think the real estate is now cheap enough to make sense as warehousing for a business that is mostly operated online.
I remember I was around 6 years old or so and my sisters and brother walked to the mall to check it out while it was still being built. 1977,78 I think? So many cool memories, so many cool stores. It was a perfect little mall for those of us who grew up in the 80s.
I grew up in Auburn, graduated in 1986. I remember when this mall was first built. It hasn't changed much at all.
Spencer Gifts is still there...
This is my local mall! You definitely came during an off time, because a lot of those stores you saw that were shuttered are active, open stores. The Auburn Mall is actually doing better than it has in years and there have been a lot of new businesses that have come in lately! Many of them are small, local businesses so the hours can be a bit weird (I'm always struggling to remember when Nerd Core is open). They also close sometimes for family vacations and such.
There's events at the mall pretty frequently, too, which draw lots of people. There's collectors expos, art fairs, etc. They did a "Weird Fair" last year that was a blast and absolutely packed with people. They also get a fair amount of traffic on the weekends and are packed during the holidays. It looks pretty dead sometimes, but it's still a really regular spot for everyone in the area to go to. The center stage area is mostly used for kid events like Santa and the Easter Bunny, though they also used it as a vaccination center during covid. They usually have giftwrapping stations there during the holidays, too.
Basically, it's not as dead as it looks! I would be surprised if it closed anytime soon because it's actually busier now than it has been in a long time and most people I know go there on a pretty regular basis. I always love walking around in there, and because I grew up with this mall I actually didn't even realize how outdated it was until I was much older. I love the 90's look of it though! Modern malls always feels so bleh to me in comparison.
As a sidenote: lots of people mentioned already that the mall owner is a collector and uses some of the empty stores as storage. He moves his stuff around between the empty stores every few years, so sometimes you'll go in and there will be new stuff on display in the empty windows. He has some carousel horses, and my absolute favorite (which I haven't seen in a few years, whether because he sold it or it's tucked in an out of site corner of the mall) is a giant cat with a mouse in its mouth. I would always look for it in the windows as a kid lol.
Hey Now. Shopped there all the time back in the day. Grew up in Augusta. That was the place to go for back to school shopping.
Being from and growing up in Auburn this mall use to be popping back in the day. It’s sad that the owner has been so absent throughout the years letting this mall wittle away
I lived near there in the early 1990's and would go there all the time. Drove over from Oxford ME.
My home town mall! Had my first job here working at the McDonalds in 99. It was hopping on the weekends back then. My husband and mother in law worked at the KB toys. Spent many weekends as a kid here , loved the original arcade. Saw my first movie the little mermaid here when the theater was down on the td bank side. Thanks for love, I’m seeing this place with new eyes, it’s pretty sweet.
Farmington Valley Mall ! I grew up and still live in Simsbury. Worked at Kay-Bee Toys there in the late 80s to early 90s....
I probably saw you at that Kay-bee and didn't know it.
The arcade was probably closed because you were there on a weekday during the school year. That's one of my grandchildren's favorite places to go. They often have collectibles shows at this mall, which get some foot traffic. There's a lot of restaurants in the area-B-dubs, Olive Garden, etc., and a nice Goodwill right out back.
It was a weekday, but this was in the middle of July, just a couple of weeks ago, so the kids should have been out of school.
That middle seating area and platform where the skylights are used to be filled with upwards of a 100 kids hanging out friday and Saturday in the late 90s.
Ok so that Family time was established in 2013😊
That is a huge JC Penny
Never heard of Maurice’s 😊
That brick is definitely from the 90s
Lolol. Wonder how old that candy is in those machines😂😂
You mentioned it a couple of times...
That Bath and Body Works was the style of that store in the early 2000's. I remember one opening up in Poughkeepsie NY around that time.. no earlier than late 1990's.
I've never been to this mall but it reminds me of the Dutchess Mall in Fishkill NY before they knocked it down and put a Home Depot there. Same with the South Hills Mall in Poughkeepsie. I practically lived in malls with those dark brown tiled planters, water fountains,and benches.
lol
or the brown brick rather.. as you decided to touch at the end.
Yes, the planters are classic!
What's interesting is those center areas that you opened up to in the beginning were usually remodeled fountains. You can see that center platform looks awfully close to a fountain foundation with a board on it. I miss seeing the fountains in the Maine malls when I was a kid.
i live in maine and i remember when the very first structures were built in this area it was just open land at that time im talking nothing hardly at all on this rt 4 the road that crosses over to lewiston wasnt built yet i hadnt been in this mall for ages but i did come here a few years ago and at least than every store front was open
When there used to be a 4 way stop sign intersection. before Walmart was even a super center. Walmart was where kohls was and there was just home Depot, Walmart, and BJs. Nothing but woods
Hey Tom. Your comment about the Farmington Valley Mall as it related to the brick flower planters in this mall brought back memories for me. I grew up in Simsbury and went to the FVM all the time in the 80s and 90s until they demolished it. I do still live super close and am in that area several times a week! I used to visit the arcade there after school and many other stores and I do remember those flowers and plantings inside of the white brick areas. If you can remember, if you walked into the mall entrance, the one that was to the right of Medi-Mart, but to the left of D and L (which is where Bed, Bath and Beyond was), and walked inside those doors, the mall entrance to Medi-Mart was on your left. If you walked straight ahead, Luna Pizza was on your left, and the mall entrance to D and L was on your right. Down at the end was KB Toys and Radio Shack was right next door to the left (or Regis Hair was in between). Right in front of KB Toys and/or Radio Shack was a "Square" sitting area that was sort of recessed and you needed to walk down a few steps and surrounding that area was those brick planters with plants (not sure fake or real) that you mention and show in this video. As soon as you mentioned that in this video I immediately had that flashback! The had long wooded built in benches along the outside near the planters. I would sometimes get a piece of pizza and sit there or a Fribble from Friendly's which was inside the mall as well. If you recall, Friendly's then moved to the then completely empty lot where Ulta and Starbucks and Bertuccis (used to be) and it was the only place there. Then Friendly's moved across the street where they are still open and the whole opposite side was developed shortly after. I love how you enjoy also thinking back in time and what it used to be like. I also remember driving to Enfield all the time in High School as that was the closest movie theatre for people who lived in Simsbury (well East Hartford and Torrington were an option) until East Windsor opened and then closed down! Great videos! Keep them coming. - Mike
Luna mentioned!
Grew up in Simsbury and now live up and Maine, completely threw me off when Farmington Valley was mentioned haha
It looks well maintained.
good ta know
I went to college at CMTC back in 91. Still looks amazing
Oh hey, the Auburn Mall! I used to visit in late 90s when I worked close by. Aside from the mix of renters, doesn't look like it's changed much.
Avon native here! Loved the shoutout to the Farmington Valley Mall! You ever do a video on that? My friends and I have sat down on occasion and tried to reconstruct the floor plan from our memories.
Those planters remind me of the Naugatuck Valley Mall in Waterbury, that was where Walmart is now. That Varnished brick aesthetic was all over that mall