Such a well kept mall. The waxed floors, not one water stained ceiling tile, the well kept planters, the shinny brass, no burned out bulbs. The maintenance team needs an award.
The production on this video deserves an award 🥇 The intro with John Denver was chilling and thrilling all into one. Ace you are number 1 when it comes to this genre of TH-cam!
I completely agree...that Opening with the Echoing version of the John Denver song along with the imagery was haunting and very memorable! I also like the ending very much too!
I'm local, worked in this mall in mid 2000's and spent a massive amount of time there. Growing up there was Walmart, a Gabe's (regional discount store similar to a TJmaxx), a hugely popular Chinese buffet (something we didn't really have), a pizza place, Sam Goodies, and a splattering of other small stores. I always loved this mall, when they built the two Walmart super centers in town (both within about 5 miles) we knew it was basically over. Gabes and the other anchors left, eventually good will and the Chinese buffet closed. There are a handful of specialty and theft stores last time I was there, the only food is a satellite location of a local hot dog place, a senior center, and a ton of non-retail businesses. It's far from a dead and empty space which is why it's still upkept but there is little retail left.
LMAO I am old enough that I still refer to this one as the "Old Mall" and the one in Star City as the "new mall" even though the "new" mall is 30ish yrs old now lmao
Wish they would revitalize it. Geared towards us middle aged people. Hate going to the Morgantown Mall (New Mall) on the weekends so crowded but even now a lot of shops closing down there because the rent is so high. Put in a couple nice restaurants maybe a small theater. Exercise center, satellite library or something. Used to once be a pet store at the top of the ramp. That would be a great idea to bring back. Something besides Petco and PetSmart.
I live about 5 minutes from this mall. The video doesn't do justice to the wave of isolation that hits you when you walk through it. Thanks for covering it, great video.
Sealing height down stairs got to you as well? It always felt like I was walking through a cave especially when they put that big swooping ramp in. It took them something like 10 months to make that Wheelchair accessible. My grandpa was on the construction crew that rebuilt that entrance. It used to just be steps. That ramp is alot of fun if you ride skateboard but Mall security doesn't screw around. Don't ask how I know lol.
The level of upkeep done to this mall is a real credit to the management and staff. They’re very thorough and clearly take a lot of pride in their work.
One of my greatest childhood memories was going to this mall for the first time. It was a 45 minute drive from my town to Morgantown, and it was a big deal in 1987. My fat little self had gorged himself on Tato-Skins while watching WGN the night before. It was the roast of Cubs announcer Harry Caray, so I wanted to witness that. Anyway, it was early December, and the mall was packed tight. People were everywhere, and every space had a store. I played a Sega for the first time at the Montgomery Ward. We ate at the little restaurant which still sits there, totally open and exposed. We had to leave the mall early due to a sudden snowstorm. My aunt had just gotten a brand new Mercury Cougar, and it wouldn’t do squat in the snow. We literally drove on the shoulder of the road all the way home. 45 minutes became hours in that sleek black car on that trip home. Great memories.
@Thomas Zachariah McCormick Thanks for sharing your memories with us, it's like we were there with you. Miss the 1970s so much better simpler time ever as a child same as you, people were more laid back and more willing to be outgoing too.
I helped open the JCPenney store here in the fall of 1975. Was transferred to a different JCP in Steubenville OH in 1977, so it has been a while since I've seen the place! Thanks for the update.
It’s so weird to see a dead mall that is kept up so well. You hit the nail on the head commenting on the mirror-polished floors. This place looks absolutely pristine. Which is, in a way, even creepier than if it were totally decrepit.
I remember my best friend and I would hang out at this mall. I worked part in a couple of the restaurants. We both moved away like most young people. I left in 1979. To bad this mall died. I have lots of great memories from this place. Even bought material fir my wedding dress there.
I live in Morgantown, first of all. When I was little, my parents would take my sister and I up there to walk around. There’s so many good memories I have there. This actually brought a tear to my eye because I’ve never seen a video about this place. Thank you for finding an absolute gem in my hometown.
For a dead mall, it looks like the managers are putting effort into maintaining the floors. They are maintaining the plants too, dead plants are always a bad sign.
@@lelsewherelelsewhere9435 Such a place... Wasn't managed too well when it was open Now that it is closed... It is a great place to visit in Morgantown. Lights are on and the floors shine. Impeccably...
Such wonderful memories of this mall. I miss it. Used to have a theater there. Ate often at Lums. Good family restaurant. Loved their chili along with a grilled cheese. :) The record store was one of my favorite spots. They used to play newly released songs, and one day when I was browsing this song stopped me in my tracks! I rushed to the cashier to ask who it was. He had the most beautiful voice!! It was Vince Gill's When I Call Your Name. Thanks for posting this. It's been fun recalling those happy memories.
Man that opening looked and sounded like a Stanley Kubrick production! It would be a nice backdrop to a Stephen King movie! Great job! This is definitely a gem and should be saved and put on the National Historic Registry and that music should be constantly playing over the mall intercom system! This place should be a museum! 😆
I cany say this enough...Your music is SOOOO incredibly SPOT ON its insane!! 💯✨ and WOW this mall has been kept in remarkable pristine condition! unreal
That mall is beautiful. A hair salon, barber shop, dentist, H&R Block, Insurance company, Lottery booth, tobacco outlet the possibilities are endless. Those are the places that would do good.
Your soundtrack is so perfect. Together with the visuals it creates some heavy nostalgia. Well done as always and thank you for sharing your passion with us!!
My childhood was spent in this mall. I have a fond memory sitting by the pay phone on the floor across from the nail salon. I had one of those toy parachute men that you fired out of a spring loaded gun. I sat there for a solid 10 minutes shooting it in the air, watching it fall in front of a gorgeous black marble backdrop, running to catch it and go again. All while waiting on my mother to finish a conversation with my uncle. I miss those days. Wonderful memories ♥️
@@AcesAdventures1 - the major tenants - Mylan Pharmaceuticals and Teletech help keep the place afloat. I'm just as amazed how great the condition it is in to this day. Kudos to the management!
Once polished, the floors must be easier to keep clean without all the foot traffic... Amazing clean though! Even the plants look original lol. They really do a great job there!
@@lelsewherelelsewhere9435 ACTUALLY they allow the community in to walk it. We live 45 min away but when we need surgery we stay in the hotel out there. Actually alot of ppl walk in there like a air conditioned track. Also theres ANOTHER mall 20 min away thats mostly empty.
@@lelsewherelelsewhere9435 Not easy to do. Unless it's terrazzo. Discoloration occurs with age. I do believe that the maintainers have done a tremendous job. Eventually... That will disappear as well...
I loved going here as a kid in the 90’s-early 00’s, the Morgantown mall replaced it and thrived for a few years but is dying off as well..I’m glad that meadow brook mall in clarksburg is still hanging on. Once it dies I’ll truly be sad because it’s my favorite. Luckily it’s still consistently busy on weekends for the most part and packed during the holidays.
I love this mall too. It's painstakingly clean, every light bulb lit, no water stains on the ceiling tiles. There was a very old school A&P in Falmouth, MA we used to go to when I lived on the Cape as a teen. It had gleaming pink & white floor tiles and still played 70's Muzak just like that even up until the early 90's. You know, I really cannot remember the last time I used a pay phone.
Walking down the stairs and those sky lights at 10:40 ... beautiful stuff. Reminds me a bit of the sky light design in the old Federal Way mall in the Seattle area back in the 70s/80s. Great video!
This mall is so underused in the Entertainment industry. This could be a top of the line location for some late 70s early 80s movies needing some great untouched mall to to basically do whatever they want to it.
This was such a nice mall back in the day! I was 12 or 13 when I first visited there and I was blown away by just how many things that they had stuffed into that complex (it's easy to impress a kid lol). When the Morgantown Mall came in, little by little, the Mountaineer Mall faded away.
@@user-tb7rn1il3q I guess the last time I was there was around 2008 or 9 and like the Mountaineer Mall, it had begun fading away. Silly question but you might know the answer, did the Fugi Grill relocate? I loved that place. lol
Wow - I haven’t been to that mall since ‘88. My god it’s magnificent. They kept it in such fantastic shape - makes me sad no one wants it anymore. I was at Stone Thomas all the damn time in ‘87 when my friend Lauri could use her employee discount code for me.
I work at one of the thrift stores in this mall! For being "dead," there's a decent amount of traffic and our shop can get busy sometimes. And yes, the mall is very well maintained - there's almost always a janitor on duty (I watch them rolling the cart back and forth through the day) and they take pride in their work. I wish there was more up there to attract people but the location is terrible.
@@AcesAdventures1 I love the warm inviting wood accents and plants even though it is a small mall. Modern malls are brighter but they are usually somewhat cold and sterile feeling, I much prefer the way the designers did things in the 1970s.
I love the payphone scene…… Reminds me of the day when you would have to wait for someone else to get off the phone so you could use it…… The mall is immaculate, the facilities staff deserves a medal 🇺🇸
I went to WVU and was friends with one of the Gabriel clan. It was hilarious when she’d take us to Gabe’s. Everyone knew her and were so deferential - our very own Appalachian Retail Royalty. lol
Great work here, Anthony. Welcome to my home state. Love the intro with the drone footage of the New River Gorge Bridge. John Denver always makes me homesick. I visited this mall once in the late '90s/early '00s. Shopped at the Goodwill that used to be in here. This place has similar design to the now defunct Kanawha Mall in Charleston. Great to see it's still kept up and looks in pristine shape. Morgantown Mall pretty much killed it as a retail center, but it looks like they did a great job in repurposing it.
My mom worked at Montgomery Ward in the early days of the mall. I worked there at Endicott Johnson (it was a shoe store)when I was in college. This use to be the place to shop. I was just there about a month ago shopping the thrift stores. It is a beautiful little mall. I am so glad they have managed to keep it intact.
@Ace's Adventures *I remember Lum's well as a child in the west suburbs of Chicago we used to go to one near us in Buffalo Grove, IL almost every few weeks loved the boiled in beer franks, yummy!* Really great family place and relaxing atmosphere! Good old days in the mid 1970s!*
I actually work maintenance at the Mountaineer Mall. I watched this video at the desk at center court lol. If you ever come back and you see a guy in a 49ers hat, that’s me.
@@AcesAdventures1 I definitely didn’t take anything as bashing. Flattering honestly. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to Lums, but the train club is usually there Saturday mornings until early afternoon.
A 70s kid I Iove a good 70s mall . It’s so well maintained. As you mentioned there are not many left in this state. The few smaller malls like Mountaineer around here (Kansas) have been demolished ,falling in disrepair and closed or have been closed off refaced and turned into strip malls
We didn't get the mall in Charleston till 1982.. I was a 70s kid and prior to the mall all the shops and stores were on capital street . The good ole days.
My mom used to tell me about this mall when I was a kid and how nice it was to visit y’all should do a video on the Charleston mall! It’s headed in the same direction
When my family moved to Morgantown in 2003, it was sort of a culture shock compared to the Minneapolis suburb we had moved from. There was no Target and the Walmart was not a super center and it was in Mountaineer Mall. By the time I moved in 2008 the Walmart in Mountaineer Mall had closed and we had two Walmart supercenters and a Target. The elder beerman anchor store in mountaineer mall closed while I lived there as well. There was a random Subway in that mall I think that still had the yellow seating. It really felt like going back in time when we first moved there though. And the growth was crazy by the time we moved and I’m sure it has grown even more since we moved away. I would love to visit this mall again. I remember how it smelled. Oh and there was like a thrift store or dollar type store by the Chinese buffet I think and there was some kinda knick knack store maybe called “dottie’s attic”???
The dying malls are the mirror of our society. It just shows what is wrong with us: we stay at home more and computers replace real world ( shopping in real stores) for us. People drift away from each other more and more with each day, and the malls are becoming emptier with each day. They are like our old forgotten friends still waiting for us... It is the picture of our personal loneliness.
Great video. By design, one main flaw of a mall is revealed by 5:49 for the store on the left. The sign says "Come in and browse", suggesting too many people pass up stores like window displays, looking but not interacting. When stores put their stuff outside the wall, that can lead them in. But the restrictions often prevented that strategy. And then the higher prices at many malls didn't help either.
A beautifully maintained building 10/10 I really hope this is preserved as is, its a pity the locals don't support this mall, you don't miss it until its gone.
I live in the greater Bridgeport area, only 18 miles from the Mountaineer Mall. Although it was once a great place to spend a Saturday, it now has a lingering sadness that is hard to describe. Most buildings are just masonry, but this particular one has a feeling to it. It is filled with a feeling of sadness, and I simply cannot go there. It will honestly bring you down into a feeling of depression. Maybe it's because we (locals) remember it as such a nice mall, but I don't think that's it, the sad feeling there is thick as a blanket. Great video though, and yes, they do maintain the interior quite well. This might be a little secret, but it is maintained like this for a reason. In the event of an emergency, it can be used by the NG as a place to temporarily house people (I think 500). It is missed though.
Elder Beerman (originally Stone & Thomas) had stores both here and at Morgantown Mall through 2005ish, with this store being much smaller than the one across town. I never understood why they kept both stores, and apparently they didn't either because this one was eventually closed. Gabriel Brothers also operated a store here and at the plaza above Morgantown Mall for a couple years, but decided to just keep the newer one and close the Mountaineer Mall location.
LOVED Wheeling WV based Stone & Thomas! They had great buyers and always had unique merchandise. Elder-Beerman (then based in Dayton OH) opened a store in the new Morgantown Mall, and for a time the city had BOTH Stone & Thomas AND Elder-Beerman. After a time E-B bought out S &T, BUT S & T had a long term lease at Mountaineer Mall, so they had to operate both stores. I think Stone & Thomas was a much better store, but Elder-Beerman put their best merchandise at Morgantown Mall leaving the Mountaineer store stocked at a much lower quality level.
I moved to Morgantown right after I got married in my hometown. I worked at the new mall at a store named Lerner women’s clothing and at Elderbeerman.I worked at Stone and Thomas at mountaineer mall. On my break I would eat at a restaurant that was a pizza place, can’t remember the name. I do remember walking up and down those stairs, time flies nice video, the place looks spotless.
Thanks so much for the trip. You might do a similar piece for downtown Morgantown. Used to be a thriving hive of businesses and stores before malls and outlying businesses made it derelict and obsolete.
I remember everything I this mall I grew up going to this place it was one of my favorite things to do with my family on the weekend's as a small child of 6 to go there Its also where I had my first job at the subway that use to be there by were they have the train show at
Such a well kept mall. The waxed floors, not one water stained ceiling tile, the well kept planters, the shinny brass, no burned out bulbs. The maintenance team needs an award.
Surprising because most of WV is a run down 💩hole, just the areas that are inhabited are still maintained to the standard of the 80s.
The production on this video deserves an award 🥇 The intro with John Denver was chilling and thrilling all into one. Ace you are number 1 when it comes to this genre of TH-cam!
I appreciate that, i don’t think I am the best but i strive to be 😁
Yes i agree it was very good.
I completely agree...that Opening with the Echoing version of the John Denver song along with the imagery was haunting and very memorable! I also like the ending very much too!
Just the musical accompaniment makes you the best old and abandoned places host.
Thanks Ace.
That's the 19 Bridge. I swear I jumped down to News bottoms off of it.
Thanks Anthony.
I'm local, worked in this mall in mid 2000's and spent a massive amount of time there.
Growing up there was Walmart, a Gabe's (regional discount store similar to a TJmaxx), a hugely popular Chinese buffet (something we didn't really have), a pizza place, Sam Goodies, and a splattering of other small stores.
I always loved this mall, when they built the two Walmart super centers in town (both within about 5 miles) we knew it was basically over. Gabes and the other anchors left, eventually good will and the Chinese buffet closed. There are a handful of specialty and theft stores last time I was there, the only food is a satellite location of a local hot dog place, a senior center, and a ton of non-retail businesses. It's far from a dead and empty space which is why it's still upkept but there is little retail left.
When my wife and I lived in Morgantown, money was always tight and that Chinese Buffet was the "treat yourself" destination
Oh man that Chinese Buffet was the absolute best place to eat. Was in college there in early 2000s
LMAO I am old enough that I still refer to this one as the "Old Mall" and the one in Star City as the "new mall" even though the "new" mall is 30ish yrs old now lmao
Wish they would revitalize it. Geared towards us middle aged people. Hate going to the Morgantown Mall (New Mall) on the weekends so crowded but even now a lot of shops closing down there because the rent is so high. Put in a couple nice restaurants maybe a small theater. Exercise center, satellite library or something. Used to once be a pet store at the top of the ramp. That would be a great idea to bring back. Something besides Petco and PetSmart.
I live about 5 minutes from this mall. The video doesn't do justice to the wave of isolation that hits you when you walk through it.
Thanks for covering it, great video.
Sealing height down stairs got to you as well? It always felt like I was walking through a cave especially when they put that big swooping ramp in. It took them something like 10 months to make that Wheelchair accessible. My grandpa was on the construction crew that rebuilt that entrance. It used to just be steps. That ramp is alot of fun if you ride skateboard but Mall security doesn't screw around. Don't ask how I know lol.
The level of upkeep done to this mall is a real credit to the management and staff. They’re very thorough and clearly take a lot of pride in their work.
Watching this makes me want to tell everyone that if you need me Ill be waiting in line for 45 minutes at the Orange Julius.
One of my greatest childhood memories was going to this mall for the first time. It was a 45 minute drive from my town to Morgantown, and it was a big deal in 1987. My fat little self had gorged himself on Tato-Skins while watching WGN the night before. It was the roast of Cubs announcer Harry Caray, so I wanted to witness that. Anyway, it was early December, and the mall was packed tight. People were everywhere, and every space had a store. I played a Sega for the first time at the Montgomery Ward. We ate at the little restaurant which still sits there, totally open and exposed. We had to leave the mall early due to a sudden snowstorm. My aunt had just gotten a brand new Mercury Cougar, and it wouldn’t do squat in the snow. We literally drove on the shoulder of the road all the way home. 45 minutes became hours in that sleek black car on that trip home. Great memories.
@Thomas Zachariah McCormick
Thanks for sharing your memories with us, it's like we were there with you. Miss the 1970s so much better simpler time ever as a child same as you, people were more laid back and more willing to be outgoing too.
I helped open the JCPenney store here in the fall of 1975. Was transferred to a different JCP in Steubenville OH in 1977, so it has been a while since I've seen the place! Thanks for the update.
My husband and I had a store in that mall in the late 80’s. At Christmas time it was wall to wall people. Never an empty store. So sad
Perfectly, spotlessly beautiful sadness💔
OMG you had me hooked from the first second. "Country Roads Take Me Home" is one of my favorite songs. 💕👍GREAT intro! That drone footage is epic.
This mall is what dreams are made out of. Original aesthetics left intact.
Scrolling past your comment I first read it as “Original asbestos left intact”.
This place always amazes me! It’s so pristine! I love seeing it have a second “life”.
It’s so weird to see a dead mall that is kept up so well. You hit the nail on the head commenting on the mirror-polished floors. This place looks absolutely pristine. Which is, in a way, even creepier than if it were totally decrepit.
I remember my best friend and I would hang out at this mall. I worked part in a couple of the restaurants. We both moved away like most young people. I left in 1979. To bad this mall died. I have lots of great memories from this place. Even bought material fir my wedding dress there.
Some of the music reminded me of shopping with my aunt during the 70s and 80s.
I live in Morgantown, first of all. When I was little, my parents would take my sister and I up there to walk around. There’s so many good memories I have there. This actually brought a tear to my eye because I’ve never seen a video about this place. Thank you for finding an absolute gem in my hometown.
This and the Middletown Mall in Fairmont were happening places when I was a kid.
For a dead mall, it looks like the managers are putting effort into maintaining the floors. They are maintaining the plants too, dead plants are always a bad sign.
Like, I can practically smell it, the the polished floors and clean open space. Very trippy.
@@lelsewherelelsewhere9435 Such a place...
Wasn't managed too well when it was open
Now that it is closed...
It is a great place to visit in Morgantown. Lights are on and the floors shine. Impeccably...
A timeless journey back in time, when everything was pure and real! Time machine revisited in 2021!
This has to be one of the coolest video openings I have seen in a long time!
Such wonderful memories of this mall. I miss it. Used to have a theater there. Ate often at Lums. Good family restaurant. Loved their chili along with a grilled cheese. :) The record store was one of my favorite spots. They used to play newly released songs, and one day when I was browsing this song stopped me in my tracks! I rushed to the cashier to ask who it was. He had the most beautiful voice!! It was Vince Gill's When I Call Your Name. Thanks for posting this. It's been fun recalling those happy memories.
Come to fairmont wv they are reconstructing the Middletown Mall out at Whitehall.
Im from Fairmont and this brings back so many memories from when my grandfather took me shopping there back in the late 90s early 2000s
Man that opening looked and sounded like a Stanley Kubrick production! It would be a nice backdrop to a Stephen King movie! Great job! This is definitely a gem and should be saved and put on the National Historic Registry and that music should be constantly playing over the mall intercom system! This place should be a museum! 😆
I cany say this enough...Your music is SOOOO incredibly SPOT ON its insane!! 💯✨ and WOW this mall has been kept in remarkable pristine condition! unreal
That mall is beautiful. A hair salon, barber shop, dentist, H&R Block, Insurance company, Lottery booth, tobacco outlet the possibilities are endless. Those are the places that would do good.
Your soundtrack is so perfect. Together with the visuals it creates some heavy nostalgia. Well done as always and thank you for sharing your passion with us!!
Thank you!
My childhood was spent in this mall. I have a fond memory sitting by the pay phone on the floor across from the nail salon. I had one of those toy parachute men that you fired out of a spring loaded gun. I sat there for a solid 10 minutes shooting it in the air, watching it fall in front of a gorgeous black marble backdrop, running to catch it and go again. All while waiting on my mother to finish a conversation with my uncle. I miss those days. Wonderful memories ♥️
A mall of thrift stores ... as a junque junkie that appeals to me. It's in great shape inside, so someone must still care.
It looks brand new, crazy
@@AcesAdventures1 - the major tenants - Mylan Pharmaceuticals and Teletech help keep the place afloat. I'm just as amazed how great the condition it is in to this day. Kudos to the management!
Once polished, the floors must be easier to keep clean without all the foot traffic...
Amazing clean though! Even the plants look original lol.
They really do a great job there!
@@lelsewherelelsewhere9435 ACTUALLY they allow the community in to walk it. We live 45 min away but when we need surgery we stay in the hotel out there. Actually alot of ppl walk in there like a air conditioned track. Also theres ANOTHER mall 20 min away thats mostly empty.
@@lelsewherelelsewhere9435 Not easy to do. Unless it's terrazzo. Discoloration occurs with age.
I do believe that the maintainers have done a tremendous job.
Eventually... That will disappear as well...
One of my favorite weekend getaways. Love going from the antiques store on the bottom floor to Pure Collectibles to the thrift store!
Man, your production just gets better and better. Always look forward to new episodes - your music and atmosphere are so great!
Loved the intro! That spotless interior... amazing.
I love the 70s decor it is Absolutely incredible. I love the model railroad layout in the mall space.
I loved going here as a kid in the 90’s-early 00’s, the Morgantown mall replaced it and thrived for a few years but is dying off as well..I’m glad that meadow brook mall in clarksburg is still hanging on. Once it dies I’ll truly be sad because it’s my favorite. Luckily it’s still consistently busy on weekends for the most part and packed during the holidays.
I love this mall too. It's painstakingly clean, every light bulb lit, no water stains on the ceiling tiles. There was a very old school A&P in Falmouth, MA we used to go to when I lived on the Cape as a teen. It had gleaming pink & white floor tiles and still played 70's Muzak just like that even up until the early 90's. You know, I really cannot remember the last time I used a pay phone.
I also lived near the Cape we had a A&P at the Bourne rotary Remember going there as a kid now it’s a Ocean State Job Lot
Fantastic video, and the pay phone bit you did was great. Can't wait for the upcoming thriller
Still smells the same as I remember when going here as a kid. Miss this place when it was hustling and bustling! That pretzel shop though 🤤
Its beautiful. Makes my heart hurt. So sad.
Super clean!! Great video!
Walking down the stairs and those sky lights at 10:40 ... beautiful stuff. Reminds me a bit of the sky light design in the old Federal Way mall in the Seattle area back in the 70s/80s. Great video!
Thanks for the video. Got here from a mallsoft playlist with an image of this mall as the background.
Wow a working payphone, a handful of people, and Janis Ian's Grammy winner "At Seventeen" in muzak! Almost heaven indeed!
Such a great mall always love seeing it.
This mall is so underused in the Entertainment industry. This could be a top of the line location for some late 70s early 80s movies needing some great untouched mall to to basically do whatever they want to it.
Totally Agree!
This was such a nice mall back in the day! I was 12 or 13 when I first visited there and I was blown away by just how many things that they had stuffed into that complex (it's easy to impress a kid lol). When the Morgantown Mall came in, little by little, the Mountaineer Mall faded away.
The Morgantown Mall is now dead as well. The University Town Center is one exit up I79 and is now the place to shop.
@@user-tb7rn1il3q I guess the last time I was there was around 2008 or 9 and like the Mountaineer Mall, it had begun fading away. Silly question but you might know the answer, did the Fugi Grill relocate? I loved that place. lol
Sad and a little creepy. Also a well done video. Thanks!
I would love to work in an office in this mall. So retro!
Absolutely LOVE the intro! WV is my 2nd home. I just crossed new river gorge a few weeks ago. Great video!
thanks Payton! welcome!
Wow - I haven’t been to that mall since ‘88. My god it’s magnificent. They kept it in such fantastic shape - makes me sad no one wants it anymore. I was at Stone Thomas all the damn time in ‘87 when my friend Lauri could use her employee discount code for me.
Nice job! I love malls
I work at one of the thrift stores in this mall! For being "dead," there's a decent amount of traffic and our shop can get busy sometimes. And yes, the mall is very well maintained - there's almost always a janitor on duty (I watch them rolling the cart back and forth through the day) and they take pride in their work. I wish there was more up there to attract people but the location is terrible.
agreed, I would have loved to seen this place back in the day
@@AcesAdventures1 I love the warm inviting wood accents and plants even though it is a small mall. Modern malls are brighter but they are usually somewhat cold and sterile feeling, I much prefer the way the designers did things in the 1970s.
This is such a cool ambient video! It somehow reminds me of the movie The Shining.
What a fantastic bridge, great mall footage, hi from the UK.
Hello! 🇬🇧
Nah wtf it’s 90% empty. Fells like a fever dream watching this. Stuck in the 90s Forsure
I love the payphone scene…… Reminds me of the day when you would have to wait for someone else to get off the phone so you could use it…… The mall is immaculate, the facilities staff deserves a medal 🇺🇸
I went to WVU and was friends with one of the Gabriel clan. It was hilarious when she’d take us to Gabe’s. Everyone knew her and were so deferential - our very own Appalachian Retail Royalty. lol
I have to check this Mall out. I live in Uniontown, PA so I am not far away from it.
Your production quality, while always great, just went a couple of levels up with this one. Well done, my friend. Spectacular intro.
Thanks so much!
This is perfect ! I think my surrogate bro and I might take a stop here.
What memories I was in this mall as a kid so much.
Great work here, Anthony. Welcome to my home state. Love the intro with the drone footage of the New River Gorge Bridge. John Denver always makes me homesick.
I visited this mall once in the late '90s/early '00s. Shopped at the Goodwill that used to be in here. This place has similar design to the now defunct Kanawha Mall in Charleston. Great to see it's still kept up and looks in pristine shape. Morgantown Mall pretty much killed it as a retail center, but it looks like they did a great job in repurposing it.
It’s pristine! Wow!
My mom worked at Montgomery Ward in the early days of the mall. I worked there at Endicott Johnson (it was a shoe store)when I was in college. This use to be the place to shop. I was just there about a month ago shopping the thrift stores. It is a beautiful little mall. I am so glad they have managed to keep it intact.
I actually walked inside there last Monday to kill time before my dentist appointment. The only thing opened for business that day was a hair salon.
I will do the same thing. Dentists always hurt my eyes.
This place does not.
@Ace's Adventures
*I remember Lum's well as a child in the west suburbs of Chicago we used to go to one near us in Buffalo Grove, IL almost every few weeks
loved the boiled in beer franks, yummy!* Really great family place and relaxing atmosphere! Good old days in the mid 1970s!*
They could film a episode of the twilight zone here with absolutely no set dressing.
Totally!
This was a magical place back in the day. I remember going to the movie theater, circus world and the arcade the most.
Awwww, I forgot about Circus World. My mall in Abilene, TX had one of those back in the 80’s. I loved it.
I actually work maintenance at the Mountaineer Mall. I watched this video at the desk at center court lol. If you ever come back and you see a guy in a 49ers hat, that’s me.
I will definitely be back through, please know my videos are not trying to bash the place, i love this mall, i badly want to see inside of the Lums!
@@AcesAdventures1 I definitely didn’t take anything as bashing. Flattering honestly.
Unfortunately, I don’t have access to Lums, but the train club is usually there Saturday mornings until early afternoon.
A 70s kid I Iove a good 70s mall . It’s so well maintained. As you mentioned there are not many left in this state. The few smaller malls like Mountaineer around here (Kansas) have been demolished ,falling in disrepair and closed or have been closed off refaced and turned into strip malls
That ending creeped me out...can't wait to see it!
😁
Don’t worry I’m alive :)
Was worried a zombie mall cop got you🤣
I appreciated your efforts, this is really a nice video!
Ace's Adventures Yes!!!!
We didn't get the mall in Charleston till 1982.. I was a 70s kid and prior to the mall all the shops and stores were on capital street . The good ole days.
My mom used to tell me about this mall when I was a kid and how nice it was to visit y’all should do a video on the Charleston mall! It’s headed in the same direction
All malls are. Crossroads Mall in Beckley has stores leaving, due to Covid and online shopping.
Wow, that place is gleaming!
Appropriate vintage mall Muzak. Especially the rendition of "At Seventeen" during the phone scene at the end.
It is a great soundtrack
Looks like they keep the place sparkling
When my family moved to Morgantown in 2003, it was sort of a culture shock compared to the Minneapolis suburb we had moved from. There was no Target and the Walmart was not a super center and it was in Mountaineer Mall. By the time I moved in 2008 the Walmart in Mountaineer Mall had closed and we had two Walmart supercenters and a Target. The elder beerman anchor store in mountaineer mall closed while I lived there as well. There was a random Subway in that mall I think that still had the yellow seating. It really felt like going back in time when we first moved there though. And the growth was crazy by the time we moved and I’m sure it has grown even more since we moved away. I would love to visit this mall again. I remember how it smelled. Oh and there was like a thrift store or dollar type store by the Chinese buffet I think and there was some kinda knick knack store maybe called “dottie’s attic”???
I visited this mall while visiting WVU about 5 years ago and it was so eerie then too
The dying malls are the mirror of our society. It just shows what is wrong with us: we stay at home more and computers replace real world ( shopping in real stores) for us. People drift away from each other more and more with each day, and the malls are becoming emptier with each day. They are like our old forgotten friends still waiting for us... It is the picture of our personal loneliness.
Ah WV. My mom's best friend of 40+ years (before I was born) is from WV. Any time I hear Country Roads I think of her.
Great video. By design, one main flaw of a mall is revealed by 5:49 for the store on the left. The sign says "Come in and browse", suggesting too many people pass up stores like window displays, looking but not interacting. When stores put their stuff outside the wall, that can lead them in. But the restrictions often prevented that strategy. And then the higher prices at many malls didn't help either.
A beautifully maintained building 10/10 I really hope this is preserved as is, its a pity the locals don't support this mall, you don't miss it until its gone.
What exactly is there to support other than an empty building in a low traffic part of town?
I think what keeps this mall open is WVU has offices there along with small mom and pop shops.
Wow, it hasn't changed since the last time I was there several years ago. It is a deal mall, office complex, something or another haha.
I went there as a kid. I can even remember everything, even the smell.
I live in the greater Bridgeport area, only 18 miles from the Mountaineer Mall. Although it was once a great place to spend a Saturday, it now has a lingering sadness that is hard to describe. Most buildings are just masonry, but this particular one has a feeling to it. It is filled with a feeling of sadness, and I simply cannot go there. It will honestly bring you down into a feeling of depression. Maybe it's because we (locals) remember it as such a nice mall, but I don't think that's it, the sad feeling there is thick as a blanket. Great video though, and yes, they do maintain the interior quite well. This might be a little secret, but it is maintained like this for a reason. In the event of an emergency, it can be used by the NG as a place to temporarily house people (I think 500). It is missed though.
It’s sad bc we remember it as it was when we see it now… I still love it tho
I miss when this mall was open! So much better than the mall that's open now
Elder Beerman (originally Stone & Thomas) had stores both here and at Morgantown Mall through 2005ish, with this store being much smaller than the one across town. I never understood why they kept both stores, and apparently they didn't either because this one was eventually closed.
Gabriel Brothers also operated a store here and at the plaza above Morgantown Mall for a couple years, but decided to just keep the newer one and close the Mountaineer Mall location.
And then the Morgantown Mall location closed as well.
LOVED Wheeling WV based Stone & Thomas! They had great buyers and always had unique merchandise. Elder-Beerman (then based in Dayton OH) opened a store in the new Morgantown Mall, and for a time the city had BOTH Stone & Thomas AND Elder-Beerman. After a time E-B bought out S &T, BUT S & T had a long term lease at Mountaineer Mall, so they had to operate both stores. I think Stone & Thomas was a much better store, but Elder-Beerman put their best merchandise at Morgantown Mall leaving the Mountaineer store stocked at a much lower quality level.
I moved to Morgantown right after I got married in my hometown. I worked at the new mall at a store named Lerner women’s clothing and at Elderbeerman.I worked at Stone and Thomas at mountaineer mall. On my break I would eat at a restaurant that was a pizza place, can’t remember the name. I do remember walking up and down those stairs, time flies nice video, the place looks spotless.
Thanks so much for the trip. You might do a similar piece for downtown Morgantown. Used to be a thriving hive of businesses and stores before malls and outlying businesses made it derelict and obsolete.
Man, it really has a "The Shining" feel at 03:43
Im jealous of channels like this. To be able to do this must be so fun
It’s a lot of work lol
Aye I remember coming here as a kid, always going to that Chinese restaurant.
I remember everything I this mall I grew up going to this place it was one of my favorite things to do with my family on the weekend's as a small child of 6 to go there Its also where I had my first job at the subway that use to be there by were they have the train show at
Dang nice clean mall
It occurs to me training as a power engineer working a near vacant mall would be a nice quiet job. I like quiet and boring.
I haven't been there in years, it makes me miss home.
I worked at Teletech for a year and the mall was nothing like it was when I was a kid.
Back i the day when times was better