Remembering Crossroads Mall In OKC
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ธ.ค. 2024
- This mall opened in 1974 and was the 9th largest mall at the time. It was a popular shopping destination for many on the south side of the Oklahoma City metro as well as surrounding areas. The location of the mall was right at the crossroads of I-35 and I-240. I frequently visited this mall as a teenager as did most others. I wanted to document it as it was before it closed forever. If you know what store was being shown in the video please leave a comment with a time stamp so we can have an official record of it.
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Rhetty for History
P.O. Box 850593
Yukon, OK 73085
#memories #mall #deadmall
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I spent a lot of time at this mall. The first mall I went to as a teenager. I lived in western Oklahoma and we came over as a school group to the FHA convention and got to go shopping at this mall. I graduated in 1979. Then when I got married we lived in Del City and I came to this mall all the time. When my daughter was small her and I would come shopping there a lot. I bought tons of clothes at Dillard's for her. I also remember so many of these stores. 5-7-9. Had my pictures done at Glamour Shots. I miss this mall and still can't believe it's gone. Malls are going away and I love them because you can park once and shop indoors out of the heat and cold. Now you have to drive all over to stores and I hate it. I thought malls were one of the greatest things ever
It really was a great mall in it's day and I wish it had never closed. The main reason is poor management for this one. Mall rent is high in the first place. Much higher than if you purchased your own building somewhere or even rented in a shopping center. They you have to pay for a percentage of sales, that increases for Christmas. Every so often they want you to update or refurbish the store front/store and sign. That comes from the store owner's pocket. Any of that done then becomes property of the mall since they don't own it. That's why you see all of the carpet and mirrors left in these old stores that are gone. Walmart and online shopping did not have those high expenses. It's sad to see them go and especially this one because I have so many memories connected with it. Thank you for watching.
I was born in 73 and lived two miles west of Crossroads, so I went there most weekends for the entire 1980s, which I'd consider the mall's peak years. Just playing arcade games and meeting kids from other schools, with no way for your parents to track you down. It was a happier time.
The mall was nearing blight in the late 1980's. I am wondering about the current situation for the mall.
Love watching videos like this. Back in the 80s and early 90s is what life was easier and a little more fun.
Thank you for sharing this tour of memories! I came here a lot with my dad in the mid to late '70s. We would always eat at Piccadilly's and then go play air hockey in the arcade. And I DO remember the bumper cars! I also remember trying to nonchalantly fish out a couple of coins from the fountain with my step-sister when we ran out of money and didn't have enough to call our parents!
+Leslie Aubrey You're welcome and thanks for watching! I'm glad others are enjoying it as much as we did making it. That mall holds a lot of special memories for a lot of people so I'm glad we all can share those. I loved Piccadilly's. That's a funny story about you fishing out coins from the fountain! Great idea though!
I remember going to crossroads mall in the 80 's.
Unfortunately times have changed , the malls aren't like they used to be.
Loved the game room..
Black October 1987, ever since then the mall went into a slow descent which eventually lead to its closure. Lots of memories, thanks for the video
Interesting. That's the first I have ever heard of that particular time period.
I remember going there in 1988 and everything didn’t seem the same, some of the stores closed/went out of business due to the rough economy. Year after year it got worse and worse. Hopefully they may some day revamp this mall and put new stores back in it like it did in the glory days.
Crossroads was my mall! It opened in 1974 when I was 12! I used to know where everything was. So many memories. Record Bar & Record Town were my favorites. I bought all 4 KISS solo albums at Record Bar the day they came out! They were $5 each. $20 was a lot of money for a 16 year old in 1978! Extremely sad to see the mall go. 😢
+Roguerunner !! So many things have come and gone in the mall as well as just moved around that we had trouble remembering. Used to be a great mall though!
Thank you for this video! So many memories of my early teen years spent there! : )
LeMans had go carts first. You weren't supposed to bump each other but everyone did. LOL. I can still remember the smell from the go carts from several stores away.
The jewelry store on the top floor with the wood on the outside by the display cases with the sign for Kristie Clemens was Gordon Jewelers. My mom used to work there. I still have a necklace she had custom made there.
I believe that Garfields used to be Farrells. It's the one with the black and white tile with little spots of red in it. The people who worked there dressed up like in an old soda shop. The men wore black pants, and white shirts with red bow ties. It was a fun place to go for ice cream, banana splits and rock candy. I think they had a player piano in there as well.
I think you were right about the store with the white Windows being Hickory Farms. It was a store in the early days, not a kiosk. Maybe the kiosk was later.
Showing my age here, but I remember being 15 and my first real job was dressing as an elf at the stage area and helping with the little kids when they got pictures taken with Santa. There was always a huge Christmas tree by where the ramp was. I also threw many coins in the fountain as well.
So sad to see it closing.........
+Lori Johnson I'm curious as to when they took the go carts out? I can see why they did since they ran on fuel. That place is big but it doesn't seem big enough for go carts. I do remember Farrells but I couldn't remember where it was. I also remember something before Garfields but couldn't remember what. For some reason I remembered something that was before the Braums as well. I do remember the big Christmas tree in the center of the mall as well as a pretty big one in Dillards. I remember the coins that people thru in the fountain went to some charity. For sure at Christmas time. I didn't realize Santa was on that center stage that used to be there. For some reason I thought he was near a department store. Also I forgot about Gordons. Thank you for commenting and sharing your memories as well as watching.
Can't believe they're closing it. I've been in Dallas for 20 years, but grew up around OKC and Crossroads mall was a big part of life back then.
+Mod Man Its sad it's closed now and you're right. If you were around the Southside of OKC it was huge!
Used to come here all the time when I was a kid. Moved out of state before the shooting happened. So many good memories there. So sad it's all gone. Thank you so much for making this video.
Youre welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. I know everyone wants to blame the shooting but that really had very little to do with thw demise. Theres been way more violence at Penn Square mall and yet it seems to be doing well.
That's so depressing, the game room did have bumper cars. We spent a lot of time there. You just made me feel super old.
+Vanessa Hinds It is sad that it's closing. I always remember it being LeMans and I know it went thru several revamping stages but I had trouble remembering a lot of things in that mall. As you think back everyone remembers something different about it.
Thanks for the memories! Love this video! Great job! I loved this mall. ❤️
You're welcomevandbim glad you enjoyed it. I appreciate you watching.
Thank you for the memories! Foleys! I knew it wasn't Macy's when I shopped there. Oh yes, there was a pet store someplace near Braums in 1997 I know.
+TheSeaphish You're welcome and thanks for watching. The original Pet Store used to be down by Montgomery Wards. I'm not sure if there was another one. I know by the Brains was Picadilly and Al's Formal Wear. It was a different wing of the mall. It's definitely difficult to remember though because everything has been gone for so long. I did love Foleys though. I liked it better than Macy's even though they were supposed to be the same.
Thanks for jogging my memories about this mall. I spent a lot of time here as a teen and then later as a mom of two. This was a great place to be, back in the day.
Yes it was. It's sad to see it gone but I hope the new owners are able to do something great with it. Thank you for watching!
Hi, I love the video y'all did of crossroads mall. I met my wife there. We been married almost 20 years now. But that was payless shoe store that you all passed. I used to work there. Again thanks for the video.
I wonder how many couples met there and have stayed together? That would be interesting to know but it's neat to hear of your connection. Thank you for watching!
Hilarious. I still have brass knuckles from Eastern Treasures. Bought em back in like 04 or 05.
Had my first 'big-city mall experience' at Crossroads Mall!
That would have been a great one to have it at. Everything else would seem lackluster at least in Oklahoma.
This video makes me want to go to the mall with you and help you identify the stores! Lane Bryant was next to the pet store. I believe the lineup was Hallmark, Spencer’s, Frederick’s. And the candy shop on the corner was The Nut Shoppe. Love your video!
+Jessica Rowell Clearly we could have used some help. We asked around for an old map but they looked at us like we were crazy. It was a lot more difficult trying to remember the different locations than we thought it would be. We found the Lane Bryant at the 39:11 time. Would that store have been in several locations? That one was over by Macy's and the Pet store was over by Montgomery Wards right? You're right on the Nut Shoppe! Loved that place! Thanks for the help!
So awesome, thanks! at 29:53, 'Sam's Optical' - that's my uncle. He started with a tiny space on that hallway right next to Ward's and across from the Mexican place that I am pretty sure was both an El Chico and an El Phenix, depending on era. the shot of the storefront with the faded 'Sam's Optical' was originally either a little cafe with hot dogs and stuff like that, or the Orange Julius (debate ongoing) :-) . Really proud of my uncle and his family - they all ran this business together, and really kind of innovated the 'get your glasses while you shop at the mall in about an hour', pretty much before the others followed. Great memories of not only Sam's, but so many season of my life from 4 years old in '77 until moving way in 88 or so. This was the place to be, and it's nice to read and view other's memories. Anyone got next game on Defender, or do you just wanna head down to the Lion's Share and pick up the red phone for an order? By the way, Sam's shop is now over at 240 and walker.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories and family's history in the mall and eye care. This certainly was a great mall for so many years. I always hate to drive by it and see it not being used now.
@@RhettyforHistory it was the hot dog place. Orange Julius was different location. I am certain of that. Born in 1963, this mall was my second home 😂
What was the Chinese restaurant and the place that you could get nuts, candy, dried fruit, etc by the pound?
Wow! Thank you for this! I have only watched about 15 minutes so far. I was born in early 80s so spent many years at this mall as a kid and teen. Oh the memories! Thank you!
we used to go to French Market Mall in OKC till Crossroads was opened...my older Sister Karen used to work at the Record Bar there...whatta throw back... so appreciate ur style...many thanks again Rhetty for another bring us joy video!
I remember that French Market Mall being there before Burlington but I never went in there. I also never got to see 50 Penn Place in all it's glory. I went in there for the first time 7 6 years ago. I'm not sure why we never went in those two.
I stopped by Mills Mall on 370 in St. Louis in December and empty. Couldn't believe something that big has grass growing between the cracks in the parking lot. The Cabela's on the end is still in business. I don't go to StL except the airport and I was early for my flight.
It's always sad to see those large malls go. They seem to be fading fast.
Man I mostly experienced this place from 1990 on. I happened to make a stop at the mall the day of the shooting. I got in my truck, when and got gas and by the time I got home news was breaking of the shooting. I have fantastic memories here tho. Several great family meals at Garfield's and El Chico are my favorite.
Sev of these ‘dead’ malls have been turned into senior housing complete w clinics, restaurant, etc
they should totally do something nice like this for our senior community
That would be nice. It would probably be the largest one out there. That mall is huge. When it opened it was the 9th largest mall in the U.S.
I've got pics of the interior of Dillards after it had been closed for many years but still intact. One day i came by and their dock doors where open so I went in and snapped a lot of pics. Then like year or two later i came by and they had already started gutting it. The first floor was completely gutted but the escalator was still functioning so I went up to floors 2 and 3 and snapped pics.
I remember seeing it as a little flea marker before they gutted it. Then it looked sad.
The shops are dependent on your age. You are describing a period after its heyday. Back in the mid to late 1970's the original shops were even different than what you remember. If you were teenager in seventies, that person is now 58-62 years old
+a4v2rocket Yes you're right. I'm wanting a full record of the shops in the video which is what makes it difficult. For instance John A Brown used to be in the mall where Macy's/Foleys was. If you have any idea on what was there no matter the time period feel free to leave a comment.
I think the shop at the end of the wing, around 5:30... where the cinder block wall had been worked on... was that a wig shop? What a walk down memory lane! I remember when The Limited and Express were one store called Limited Express. My mom took me shopping at Crossroads and we would eat at the restaurant... El Fenix?
+Crystal Mclaren yeah now that you're saying that I do remember a wig shop I just couldn't remember where it was. I'm glad you remember El Fenix! Shawn was saying So Chico in the video and we were sort of going back and forth on it. I forgot all about the Limited Express but I remember that. Can't remember where it was though.
I worked at Regal Shoes from before the mall opened until mid 1975. I came back in mid 2000 with my wife and we walked through the mall.
By 2000 the mall was seriously starting to decline because of the management. It was sad to see that happen. We all still had hope it would turn around at that point .
1974 was such an exciting time for Crossroads Mall was opening. We loved an area to get to shop and not have to be outside in cold weather. We had Shepherds Mall before Crossroads. Thanks for the memories.
+Janie Lastinger You're welcome, Thanks for watching! It was a fantastic mall and I've always liked the idea of shopping in one place while being protected by the elements. Funny, if how shopping centers have come back around to how there were before indoor malls. Just out in the open.
Me too
The canvas ceilings came with the remodel around 1992. I remember more glass back then too.
Bax I'm not sure why they decided to go with canvas.
RhettyforFun I googled old images of the mall after I watched. I felt like it was 1989 all over again. I didn't realize they changed it so much in the remodel. We had so much fun there when we were kids. We'd drive all the way from Ada to spend the day at the mall. So many memories here....
+Bax They did a lot to it for sure. Different lights, ceiling, paint color and I think flooring. Until you look at those old pics you don't realize how it changed. Also sad to see those with so many people in the mall. You all came from a ways off to go there.
Thank you for a detailed documentation! It's funny, my old friend and I had set aside next weekend to go back and do the same thing.... except ours would be from a 1970s perspective... and shorter because we struggle to remember that far back! LOL!
PS: does anyone know when the "renovation" was? It used to be so warm and modern with orange and yellow colors, super contemporary amber multi-globe lights, and wood trim around the ceilings.
Great vid! ;)
I do remember Toys By Roy, and I practically lived in the Hobby Shop. Those went back to the beginning of the mall.
What you described as a Moto-Photo was I believe originally a Fox Photo in the 70s. You could get your pics back in less than a week! ;)
And the Picassos was originally El Chicos.
Your friend is right about the yellow front store, it was a KayBee Toys.
Macy's/Foleys was originally a John A. Brown, a locally owned Macy's-type department store.
+Tim Moses I think you both should make the video. The think about this mall is it appealed to multiple generations since was so popular and there for so long. I don't remember fox photo or no to photo in the mall but I remember them outside. I do remember the two week photo service and then the one week which was quick until one hour photo came in. Funny how things have changed on that! I remembered that being a jewelry store for some reason. I do remember John A Brown's and I loved that store. I think that went out in 1982 or 1983. Something I know was there but don't remember is how Dillard had the restuarant on the 3rd floor. I just always remember the fine dinnerware there. As far as the renovation I think there were two periods of that. One bigger than the other. I think one was the late 1980's. We argued over that. Lol. I have no idea why i cant remember Kaybee in that mall and only Toys By Roy. Naming those stores was a little more difficult than we anticipated because so much moved around or came in and left. So much changed in that mall thru the years. We had hours of footage that day but the length I narrowed it down to was the smallest I could get it. The other footage was us going back and forth what it was. Lol. I do miss the way it was before the renovation though. I think it's because I associate it with the super boom of the mall. Thanks for watching!
RhettyforFun
I can understand that. I thought Toys By Roy was much cooler. ;)
Kaybee was more board games and plush toys, etc, but TBR had the 1:18 scale die cast cars and the HO scale model train stuff with the huge order catalogs.
Glad you also remembered the huge wishing fountain. There was also the children's train that you could ride around one of the wings of the mall in kind of a big play area. ;)
+Tim Moses I think I do remember the children's train but I think it was maybe more brought out at Christmas time. I think there was a time where I saw it in the paint art shop in the video and it was more permenat but it didn't do well. I think those were all times where they tried to bring it back like they originally had it? I'm not sure. I loved the fountain. No one else had one.
RhettyforFun
You know, I'm sure you're right, I think I do remember the area around the train being Christmas themed.
Hopefully the building will still be open next weekend. We are making our final visit then. ;)
Again, great vid! Thanks for showing stuff I'd forgotten! :)
+Tim Moses Its supposed to be open anyways. Makes me wonder how much will be left. I would imagine there will be quite a few people that will be wandering and reminiscing.
I cannot believe y’all remember so much especially the pet store! I got my first kitten there when I was 4 years old! And there was book store next door I was always at and same at 579.So many memories made there!
This really was our social media back in the day and I am with you in that there were a lot of memories here! Thank you for watching!
I lived in Oklahoma City in early 1982 before I came to Texas. The Montgomery Wards was one of the first places I went to after I moved to OKC from Norman. I lived in the inner city and it was a real eye opener. My coworkers were stunned when I told them my address. I told them I really wanted to live in Nichols Hills but couldn’t afford it. Haha😂 I used to help my landlords repair old homes all over the area including the house I lived in. It was great even though the neighborhood wasn’t the best then. It may be different now. I haven’t been there since 1982. Ty again!
Yeah now there is a neighborhood above Nichols Hills but it is still a rich and highly desired area. A lot has changed here since 1982. The city just keeps growing and growing in all directions.
RhettyforFun I had a brain cramp. It was Penn Square Mall I went to. I lived around 28th and n. Robinson. I really enjoyed OK. except for tornadoes that I’d only seen in the wizard of oz! Rofl🤣 it does look like things have improved a lot.
This was great to go on this tour with you guys. I felt like I was right there with you.
+E. Keith Thank you, glad to have you along with us!
Growing up in the 80s and 90s in Oklahoma, it was Shepherd's mall, Penn Square, Crossroads, and then there was another one up in the northern part of OKC, forgot the name. Good memories. I can still remember the sweet sounds and smells and sights during Christmastime
I'm curious if you are referring to Quail Springs Mall? I know there was also Northpark Mall and 50 Penn Place. You are right about these malls having some good memories. They were our social networking back in the day.
Macy's has been 3 other department anchor stores: John A Browns, Foley's and one I can not recall.
I was stationed at Tinker AFB from '85 to '89, and Crossroads was always packed then. So crazy to see it shuttered now, but that's true of many malls. Thanks for the stroll!
You're right. Many malls all over are facing this same fate. Never really thought it would happen to this one because it was so big and you're right about it always being crowded. Thank you for watching!
I lived in that area in the mid-80’s. Crossroads Mall was the place to be. Nothing lasts forever. Whatever is new and great today will fade into obscurity someday.
You are right. Everything goes thru it's own season. Thank you for watching!
I was stationed in okc from 2005-2009 and I visited that mall a few Times. I recall it had a Steven and Barry’s clothing and they sold college tshirts really cheap. I think it closed in 2097-2008ish
I remember that Steve and Barry's. The hope was for that to keep the old space going that had the Montgomery Wards in it prior. When that left it really seemed like the mall was doomed. Thanks for watching.
So much of my S side childhood spent there, memory please never fail me.
Anyone else remember the McDonalds where you gradually stepped up to the back of the restaurant where the registers were?
I do remember that. It made that McDonalds unique. Thank you for watching and sharing that memory!
23:46 I could have sworn Chick-Fil-A was on the upper level down by Dillard's in the late 80's thru mid 90's (when I left OKC). I remember the serving counter being way in the back behind all the seating. The store with the rayon/silk shirts was "Chess King!" Thanks for the memories!
I can't remember the Chess King. But the Chick Fil A was definitely on the lower level during that time period.
@@RETlREDAVIATOR it was the first location Chick Fil A had in the OKC before they moved to S Western and I-240
9:13 I like the how there is a model train club in that abandoned clothing store, pretty smart use of that space.
It was. There were a couple train clubs in the mall and a ping pong playing club that were pretty loyal. It's all gone now. I wonder where they are now.
probably got uprooted and then planted them selves in some other dead mall or abandoned building.
Hope so they had a lot of stuff to move!
Sad when you watch a mall slowly close down in your town as i been there to Great vid
It is sad to see happen. Malls just seem to be disappearing everywhere. Thank you for watching.
..pps..... the burnt orange , zig zagging ramp was glorious ......one felt like a descending monarch , coming to address his plebs .
+trufisp1 Yes it was the ultimate ramp and so fun to run up and down on!
The second one you pointed at whole discussing Candyopolis (When you said "Or was THAT Candyopolis) was where to Candyopolis was, for certain.
+ClandestineBlaze Thank you. It was a little more difficult to remember than we had thought it would be. We realized there were a few candy stores that were like Candyopolis but we're prior to Candyopolis being in Crossroads. I think that made it a little confusing trying to recall.
A lot of good times at that mall as a kid and as a teen!
+Joe Gammacide I had a bunch there as well. I think it was our social networking for our generation.
I love Dead Malls dude! Do you watch Dan Bell? That was very awesome, I'm glad you guys took us inside before they close. I wish they were all still alive thriving. Spencer's or Hallmark. lol Quite the opposite. Fredericks next to Hallmark, that's still funny. Good video buddy I'll have to watch some more later. At work
+Tampa Jay Yeah I love Dan Bell's Dead Mall Series. He has a lot of them. These things are closing all over the nation so he had a lot of material for those. I sent him a message trying to entice him in coming out to explore this mall as well as a couple others here.
RhettyforFun very awesome I'm glad you captured it dude. Very good video. I love that series too
+Tampa Jay Thank you! Dan's the best at it!
The Hobby Shop also had a life size Yoda statue at one point.
+ClandestineBlaze I don't remember that but I wouldn't doubt it. There were all sorts of interesting things in there.
I also remember it having a tire from some major aircraft. Space shuttle or a blackbird or something I don’t remember what it was from.
The Hobby Shop and Le Mans Arcade were my favorites. Usually would end up with an Orange Julius before I left also
@@Kamidake83 They did have a tire from the SR71 blackbird back there. I remember being in awe at the wall of model kits on the right hand side walking in. Does anyone know if the owners moved it elsewhere in OKC?
That place was awesome! I'd love to know the same thing or what happened to those things.
Great walkthrough video! Just walk and talk with friends is great from the usual.
Also, didn’t know what you looked like and you’re Retail Archaeology’s stunt double!
😂😂😂
Le Mans never had solid walls, it was all half walls. I remember a shitload of games there. So many memories... all lost in the sands of time...
+TBONE2004 Thanks for confirming that it was all half walls. It was definitely the best arcade in OKC.
The only thing close to Le Mans now is Cactus Jack's over on Council Road. Beyond that, hope you like Main Event or Dave & Busters.
+TBONE2004 It's been a long time since I've been in Cactus Jack's. I need to go in there again. I bet they have a lot of vintage games still!
I loved playing the TRON video game at LeMans.
The Hobby Shop was a weird shop for that mall, it was stacked to the rafters so it felt really small. 25:35 i think that was a little embroidery shop in the 90's. Also i had a green pair of Levis in the early 90s from Dillards. The dye used in those were prob toxic. You could wash them 100 times and still smell that dye
My dad used to take me and my brother to that hobby shop the early 90s. You're right, it was very cramped in there. I would get model cars and if I'm not mistaken, my model rockets I used to launch.
So sad.... I loved that place growing up.
I did too! Lots of memories!
When y'all mentioned Macy's it was Foley's back in the day but when Macy's bought out Foley's it didn't take long for Macy's at Crossroads to close up.
+Nate Kidren Yeah I loved Foleys but I was always disappointed with Macy's. I guess because of the parades on tv I always expected something bigger and better. Remember before Foley's though it was John A. Brown's. That was a great store too.
24:14 was a GameStop or whatever video game store. I distinctly remember going there often with my brother and sometimes getting CFA for lunch. Used to be one of our last stops whenever we visited the mall.
EDIT: Wait, I think it might have been an EB Games.
At counter # 10:25 when he's speaking about the shoe store next to it was Video Concepts. And across from the shoe store but not in the direction of LeMans was a restaurant called The Lion Share and it was later a Garfields.
Yep I was going to post that...I used to work at video concepts left there in 1985
The place across from Chick-fil-A was a Whitehall’s Diamond place 20 years ago, cause I got my wedding ring there. There’s a story there. But we went to CFA to eat lunch before we bought it. We are still married. 🤗
Congrats on making it 20 years! I'm almost thinking that place could have been a lot of things thru the years.
RhettyforFun Probably so. I wish I’d paid more attention to what was where. So sad to see it die like that. I, too, spent many an hour there. Is it totally closed now, where you can’t go there at all? I haven’t been there in years.
Yes it completely close last year on Halloween. The old Montgomery Wards is a charter school so you can only go in that old store if you have school business. Once a month the old JC Penny's opens up for a flea market but that's all that's open anymore.
I have relatives in MWC and when I would go up to visit, we would take a trip to Crossroads. I guess the demise of the malls had a number of reasons such as high overhead, high prices as a result, the onset of Amazon, Walmart and others, and the problem of gang violence and parking lot robberies, to name a few, just kept the customers away. I think Penn Square Mall is still going strong though, isn't it?
I think the biggest problem with this mall was bad management. I knew multiple store and salon owners and it was literally almost double the price of rent as it would be in a shopping center somewhere. Combine that with people changing the way they shop and the hassle of entering a mall made it challenging. There was also years worth of construction going on I-35 and when they were done with that they moved the construction to I-40. It was too much at once. Montgomery Wards going under was another blow. There was really only one gang incident where there was a shooting and a kid was killed. Prior to that Penn Square had more and it most certainly has since. Yet somehow it is doing well. I think the big thing boils down to the management.
@@kittykatkay6843 But if you look up Penn Square it has had similar issues and has surpassed anything that Crossroads ever did. The difference there has been management though. Crossroads rent was almost triple any other mall plus you had to give them a portion of your sales which was higher than the others.
Thank you for recording this. Me and my girlfriend went there too but I did a shit job getting footage. Really good, comprehensive look at the mall.
I'll miss going there, getting Chic Fil A with my grandma when no others existed at the time, seeing all the weird goth kids hanging around the arcade and Hot Topic (back when it appealed to actual goths and not just poseurs and kids), and spending hours in the petstore and bookstore they had.
Crossroads had a pretty good run, though the last 12 years or so were rough. Sad to see it go but I kinda accepted a long time ago that it wouldn't recover.
+Chemical_E It is sad. It sounds like you spent as much time there as I did. There was a lot to do there and it was definitely the social networking of our generation. But you're right about those last year's looking rough. It kept getting worse and worse. There were malls that I would have guess would have went out of business but Crossroads sure wasn't on my list 20 years ago.
RhettyforFun No doubt man. I only ever got to go there when I was fairly-little, but I always had a good time and it took a while for me to even realize it had been going downhill. It used to be the place I'd always wanna go and now I actively try to avoid that area in-general.
+Chemical_E I understand. A lot of retail and other places came into existence right around the mall but it's also looking pretty sad. So much of it is empty or ran down. It's going to be interesting to see how it all looks 10 years from now.
RhettyforFun Definitely. I actually went to the theater over there recently and they seem do be making decent business but it looks kinda disheveled and not well taken care of, sadly. I remember when that place opened and being mind-blown by how big it was compared to the other theater over there (which became a dollar theater, notorious for attracting unsavory individuals making bomb threats and stuff, then got shut-down and has been abandoned since then from what I can tell), and I guess the area's bad influence rubbed-off on it. The Warren has basically replaced it since then, but I won't ever get the same vibe from it.
+Chemical_E I loved that other theatre. At the time it opened it was state of the art. It will be interesting to see if the newer theatre makes any updates to carry it thru the times.
The shop you showed that had an arcade in it used to be Susan’s Hallmark. It was right next to Hickory Farms, which was an actual storefront, but they also put a kiosk in the center at Christmas time. The Hallmark store upstairs was called Ted’s Hallmark. They were owned by the same family. I worked at Susan’s for several years as a teenager.
32:10 I'm pretty sure that was a pottery shop, where you could come in and paint whatever pottery you wanted. My memory isn't clear, but I think that's where my class held our Dr. Seuss live reading/performance, right next to that shop.
We had a Super Saver Cinema 7 near my house in Southern California. We used to ride our bikes there and watch a movie for $2. The hallway to the actual theaters looked like a time machine tunnel. All light up with Light speed lights. It was so cool.
That does sound like a cool entrance into the theatre where you were. Thank you for watching Jennifer!
I bought all of my clothes to take w me to Air Force bootcamp for tech school. i loved crossroads, Margos LaMode my fav store it was awsome mall close to home Del City
I can't remember that store but so many had come and gone in there throughout the years. Do you remember where it was at in the video?
Very interesting, I saw the name and I thought you the video was about an old mall here in Roanoke Va.
It was called Cross Roads Mall to.
That is interesting! I didn't know about that one. I know there is another crossroads in Nebraska I believe. Is the crossroads there still open?
@@RhettyforHistory
No it's was demolished in January of this year.
It opened in 1958.
You can Google Cross Roads Mall Roanoke Va and read all about it if you want..
It's sad a piece of history is gone forever just like Blockbuster Video.
That was a really old mall then. Much older than this one by almost 20 years. I used to live in Virginia and visited Roanoke several times. I know I never went in the mall but I'm sure I went past it.
@@RhettyforHistory
Cool , do you know Valley View Mall and Tanglewood Mall?
The Tanglewood sounds familiar. I haven't been thru there in 5 years though.
sad. i went there a few months ago, and it was quite a shock as the last time i went was the mid 80s.
+markydkiehl Yes it's was booming in the 80's and it's underwent quite a few changes in the last 20 years.
Sad , I think malls are becoming a thing of the past because so many people shop online now and it gets delivered right to your front door . even the town where i live now has more empty stores than open ones in the mall .
Sadly this is true and there are many malls suffering all over.
Z.Cavarrichi was sold at Chess King Stores in NY I seem to remember... And Maybe Merry Go Round, and Blue Zone..
+S Luzardo I'm not sure if we even had those stores here.
I spent summers there as a kid...then worked there as a teen; Gadzooks first and then the Hot Topic. Wow.
I loved Gadzooks! I always remember the front part of the bug and all the funny t-shirts.
My friends and I would get dropped off, walk around, hit up the arcade, then either McDonald's or Sbarro, then we would go to Montgomery Ward because they had a Coke machine in costumer service, we'd buy pop there cheap, then hoof it across the parking lot, sneak them into a movie. It was the best.
@@RhettyforHistory Yeah...but those Jnkos jeans got out of control. We sold some, they were like two skirts sewn together as pantlegs. I was class of '98. We had big pants. But yeah dude...as soon as you stepped foot into the arcade I thought of that hologram game! Then you mentioned it. Classic. I looked it up on TH-cam a year or so ago. It's on here. It was like a Time Travel game with a cowboy and whatnot. Anyway, man...thanks for the vid. Nostalgia. Life was so simple. Thanks.
I never had the the Jnkos. They were a little after my time. Definitely goes down as the worst design ever though. I'll have to look for that hologram game. I didn't think about it being on here.
@@RhettyforHistory oh and last thing! The beginning of the the vid me rolling. Im not kidding. I TOO bought throwing stars at that Asian gift shop, and threw them at my bedroom wall, and also covered them up with posters. Batman posters. My parents were eventually very pissed.
The haircut place towards the exit is still in business we are moving next to Moore high school on Main and Eastern.
That should be a better spot for you.
I’m very late to this one, but thank you for sharing your memories. You made me laugh with your shirt tucked into your fake underwear comment. That was a trend here in Australia with the young guys, not that long ago. Not fake underwear but their pants pulled down so low, so you could see their underwear. I forgot until you mentioned it, because I have just realised the trend must have only lasted a few years, as I haven’t seen anyone doing it for a while now. Thanks again for showing us the mall, as everything is changing so much in everyone’s country, it’s sad really.
Yeah the shirt in the real underwear came much later but faded quickly. I was a trendsetter! Lol! Thank you for watching!
@@RhettyforHistory yes you were, thank you for replying. You have to be a very busy man. Much appreciated and once again I am enjoying going back and watching everything I can see.
There is quite a bit to watch so I appreciate you going back and doing that.
I think I still have some Le Mans tokens somewhere lol
That's awesome! Probably worth keeping!
I’d give you 5 bucks for one!
Before Macy’s it was John A Brown Store. I unloaded trucks for John A Brown when that mall first opened. . It was a showplace for sure.
So sad that it's gone. It really did used to be a top notch place.
Upstairs by the Foley’s area near where McDonald’s was located, they had a Payless Shoe Store.
I also remember they had a stage in the center of the mall and at Christmas time different musical groups and acts would perform on the stage for entertainment as people shopped.
I used to buy my jeans at the 5/7/9 Shop. I sure miss that mall!
It was such a great mall. I'm hoping this new owner will do something great with it.
Gallery Art used to be a Gamestop, I spent too many years working there for sure lol
Was that before Gamestop or after?
At counter # 15:35 wasn't that a sporting goods store like Oshmans or something like that? Oh and don't forget the Record Bar first floor over in that wing by Dillards.
I love watching tours of old malls for some reason. This was a good one. Are the only stores still open the shoe stores and the cowboy boot place? I wonder why shoe stores are still able to make it in malls but nobody else could. Why shoes and not other stuff? That is so weird.
Being born in the late 90's, I remember when they still HAD the fountain before they took it out! I remember sitting at Chick-fil-a with my mom when i was around first grade and looking at it, and who could forget the bricks in the middle of the floors?? Miss those days.
+Nate Kidren This was a fantastic mall! By the late 90's you could see some of the suffering that was happening to the mall because of management.
Agreed, yet I do remember Crossroads being somewhat popular even back in the 2000s before the gangs took over. I knew something was up back then but didn’t put my finger on it.
+Nate Kidren The gangs were definitely the final nail in the coffin!
The Radio Shack was a Video Concepts Tv store.
Yep Radio shack bought out video concepts and began to change them over to radio shacks in 1985 I believe
Sounds like Northridge mall in Milwaukee. This mall closed in 2003.
+JIHL B It's sad all of these are closing!
I remember back in the 1970s and 80s there was a place that made fresh squeezed lemonade and they put the lemon in the cup. They also had ice cream bars they would dip in chocolate right in front of you and then cover in peanuts or sprinkles. I wish I could remember the name of that place, so good.
29:17 was El Fenix, then Picoso's
Hot Topic was the store on the first floor that had the grey and black brick work, in the early 2000s it had like a gothic style gate that had colored glass with fake bugs/edgy stuff inside it. I used to love going there
I worked at quail springs, it was in 2013.
I went in that mall not to long ago and it has a lot of stores that are closed. They have also moved things into the food court which is to try and solve some of the emptiness and get people in. If that theatre wasn't attached that mall may have been gone by now. I think it's time is ticking.
Good job man, I was concerned that yall would've got caught. Security a few months ago was tight back then if you were caught filming they asked you to leave.
+Nate Kidren No we asked and security was actually really nice about it. Everyone was that day. No one wanted to be on camera though.
RhettyforFun that’s funny because when I went and filmed months ago security guy told me I needed to leave and not film again. I probably should’ve asked them beforehand but either way my mistake
+Nate Kidren Yeah before they announced the closing they didn't like people filming and taking pictures because they didn't want people portraying it as a dead mall. But I've seen two other videos on TH-cam about it before any sort of announcement.
So many closed stores, I wonder how long before it's completely empty. How are the stores still open making a living. Here in Australia our malls as you call them are really busy. Mind you with the Pandemic so many stores closed but are slowly starting to open with restricted hours & social distancing. Food courts are open but only for take away. I've only been to our local mall twice & it looked like what you are showing in your video. Cheers 🇦🇺🐨👍🏼❤️❤️❤️❤️ Australia. What has become of the mall ?
Sadly this mall completely closed on October 31, 2017. This was really do to poor management as the biggest reason. After that you can blame Walmart and internet shopping. Road construction that took forever and gang violence didn't help the situation. For awhile one portion of this mall had an even center in it after the mall closed. It mainly just had a monthly antique show in it but now that has ceased. The only thing left going in it now is a charter school. It's sad to see it empty especially knowing how large it is.
There was a wig store, a foot locker, glamour shots!
+Geneva F I definitely remember all of those. I showed where the Glamour shots was but we couldn't remember where the other two were. It's been too long.
RhettyforFun thank you, I also remember the tuxedo rental shop and I worked at Braum’s.
Thanks for the memories!
+Geneva F We did show the Braum's but we didn't mention the Al's Formal Wear that was there. I got my tux from there for prom.
How I remember LeMan floor layout was you walked in and it was all open. The games lined the walls with some in the middle walking area. You walked in about 50 feet and the there was a half wall that cut the rest of the place in half right down the middle and the right side was raised about a step higher than the normal floor. The were games up there and on the lower level was all the fooseball and other video games. I wish we could post pics here.
I remember when that mall was built
It was an awesome mall and I wish it was still open and going strong. Thank you for watching.
I also remember one of the anchor tenants used to be Steve and Barry’s University Sportswear (I think where Montgomery Ward’s was??)
+Nate Kidren Yes that store didn't last long but I remember it. Started to have that dead look when it came.
I find myself coming back to this video! Is there anywhere that they put down a floor plan and say what shops were in that location? I'd love to see that.
At 42 mins, the store with the yellow trim and metal bars was a music/CD store in the mid 2000s called Eargasm lol. I can't remember what it was before that
At counter #5:40 where they are talking about the hanging Christmas lights that green store on the first floor was a Chess King.
Oh ok. I don't remember that one. Thanks for adding that!
A lot of these malls are starting to fall. I did a video at one in Sherman that's on life support and in about the same shape as this one. Odd how these we such a big part of our growing up and now they are fading away.
Yes and the reality is that they were really responsible for many of the downtown's closing so now they are suffering the same fate. It's almost like blockbuster closing little mom and pop video stores and then blockbuster being shut out themselves. Only difference is Blockbusters life all happened during the lifespans of malls. It was much shorter.
Malls not just in the US but all over the world have been abandoned, they have been a social phenomenon that quickly grew became an important part of peoples lives, especially the young and then faded into obscurity.
It's strange how that happened. Thank you for watching!
The Chinese food place close to Dillards used to be a ski shop and for a season was a Christmas store. It's interior was all blonde wood paneling and log railings.
9:30 what was that small store to the right of Waldenbooks?
I seem to remember several things in there. Karate dojo which was short lived. Christian store. Lifting chairs store. I think it was several things.
@@RhettyforHistory Ah thank you so much, I've been wondering what it was for over 10 years. Lol
@@chandlerpaulk4518 You're welcome. Now the last two almost it's certainly been empty.
@RhettyforFun when did you graduate high school? I graduated from Del City in 1981. Worked in Dillards that same school year. The Old floor plan.
That place you said was a McDonald's...I'm pretty sure it once was a Woolworth in1981 and 1982 before they started slowly closing them down. I went to this mall several times with my parents when I was in Bishop Elementary and my dad was stationed at Ft Sill. I was about 5 years old and can recall my dad saying that the arcade had bumper cars. I can also remember telling my dad that I wanted to drive the bumper cars. He said that it's mostly for the big kids and he didn't want me to get hurt. Lol. That store at 36:27, if I'm not mistaken, was once a Payless. I also remember Hickory Farms being an actual store in the mall with a kiosk in the hallway. We went there before Christmas one year and that's where my parents would get their beef sticks, cheese, and crackers for the holiday. So sad to see this mall just gone like this. It was a very decent mall. Thanks for the memories. 😀👍
What was the name of the Chinese food place downstairs? Omg I miss their noodles 🍜
@@leahthomas2346 I think it was Chinex?? Sounds familiar
Le Man's ''speedway'' ......there was no ''bumping '' of cars here .... thats what differentiated them from goofy kids trying to ''bump'' into someone else , the goal was to complete 8 laps first ...
you would win a token , redeemable for pinball , air hockey or another ride ( ps with Foghat blearing the back ground ).....where boys became men ....SO early 70's .
Following that we would sander over to the exotic fish tank store ( think coffee table aquarium ) , then to Hickory Farms ...for free beef stick and cheese samples on toothpicks.
Each entrance to the mall had its own ''color coded'' approach from the hi way .......red ,orange,blue, yellow .......remember it's called ''crossroads'' because it was situated at the
intersection of 2 major arteries with direction in 4 different directions . and it was called ''Le Mans '' in reference to the race held yearly in ''Le Mans'' France .
+trufisp1 Thanks for all the extra information. I'm glad you added all that. I never got to experience the speedway but it sure sounds like a blast and I wish that I would have. What a cool thing you could do by earning tokens!
The coffee table aquarium thing sounds cool as well!
Crossroads did have some grand entrances!