I used to drive down there from Ocala to shop there, years ago, and Florida Mall. We’ve got all those stores here in Ocala now, because this area has exploded with people, houses and traffic 😢. It’s sad to see all the beautiful horse farms being destroyed and housing developments built.
Not likely. The story of this mall is a lot different than most others. The immediate area surrounding the entire mall is VERY busy. This mall is a real estate play by the hedge fund that owns it, they don't care about rent. They want to sell the land for 100s of millions and wipe it clean to put up a huge mixed use residential and retail development and flip that for 100s of millions more. It's been like this for 15 years.
Sad to see the malls being replaced by outdoor malls. Shopping in AC seems better to me. The tile floor looked great. Malls were such a great place to have fun as a kid. Spencers, Orange Julius , girl watching. Simpler times.
@@lambofgod-v5c oh hell I'd kill for an Orange Julius right now. I swear I haven't had one in over 20 years 😭 Legit it was a must every time I went to the mall
This is the closest mall to me and used to be my favorite. It saddens me at how empty it is now. Back when Coliseum of Comics was still there I would take my kids with me to get our new comics. It was such a fun time.
I lived in Orlando back in 1999. I've definitely spent a lot of time at that mall. It's so sad to say goodbye to that era of Orlando. R.I.P. to the shopping malls.
Growing up in Orlando back in the 1960s, the Colonial Plaza Mall was a great place (and very safe) to go on a Saturday. Our parent would drop us off at the mall after we had finished our yardwork chores and tell us where to meet them 3 hours later. We loved the freedom. There were never any issues. We always went straight for the candy counter at Woolworth's; got our candy and roamed the mall. It got even better when they extended the mall and opened Jordan Marsh, a very large 4 story "upscale" department store with a great toy and recreation items department. No cell phones. No internet. No video arcades. But we were never bored.
Orlando fashion square mall makes me sad. I grew up in orlando and this mall was a mecca for shopping, arcading, eating. One of my teenage happy places. Now it's depressing when I see it as a ghost town.
After the Navy base closed, the mall definitely started to decline. Now, we have an elitist neighborhood there that most likely can't support itself and, it will end in the same way. No longer able to support itself.
@@veloraloves there used to be like 3 movie theaters near the fashion sq mall, all better than the one currently in it - general cinema right behind it i believe on the former sears side, the amc where that church is near the dick's and another general cinema near colonial promenade, where tj maxx and most recently that music supply store was.
@@abp1400 Pretty sure it was the GC one. Then when Florida Mall opened we went there instead since I lived in (what is now called) Belleview. I'll never forget Good Vibrations Surf Shop in Fashion Square Mall though. That was where you could get corduroy Billabong jackets and T&C canvas slip on shoes for ladies. They were the must have items at Conway Jr. High circa 1987/88 😆
Many fond memories of Church Street Station! It was beautiful inside. Sad to see it closed. I remember drinking hurricanes and even had some souvenir glasses from there. I also remember Fashion Square mall being so busy, particularly with sailors. 😢 thank you for a trip down memory lane!
That is a very sad mall. I wish they would turn these malls into apartments for us Gen Xers to retire in. Give us a food court, movie theater, and arcade. It would be great 😊 😂
A college local to me bought a dying mall, and it became their campus. Food court stayed to feed the students and the individual stores became classrooms. Worked out well for them
Wow I remember fun nights out at Rosie O’Grady’s in Church St Station back in the 90s. Sad to see it in its current state, what a shame. Happy Thanksgiving 🏴🇺🇸
I was living in Orlando at the same time you were Adam in the early 1990's. We lived over in Metro West off Kirkman and would go downtown to Church Station! Hangout at Phileas Foggs! One of the other bars in Church Street station served "Jungle Juice" which were fairly loaded drinks! I remember Cheyennes too. How sad that area is just totally abandoned now! It was a popular spot back then! I always went the Florida Mall or Altamonte Springs mall. I don't think I ever went over the Fashion Square.
Fashion Square was the nicest mall in Orlando 40 years ago. Florida Mall took over. Burdines, Robinsons and Sears were the anchors. The first Sabarro's pizza place opened there, back when Sabarro's was really good pizza. Mr. Dunderbach's was a good place for lunch and pastrami sandwiches.
Amazon put retailer in cement & mortar buildings out of business, the mall scene has had its heyday, now they will be converted into condo spaces which will be convenient for many people. They are spacious & you stay out of the elements while you get daily walking exercise. The first American Mall building is in RI, it’s called the Arcade Building, the 1st floor still has some retail, the 2 top floors are converted to mini apartments at reasonable rents. It’s really the perfect setup if you want city life.
Man, I remember back in the late '80s and early '90s going to Church Street Station and it was so crowded. I was only 10-years-old at the time, but my parents and I had some good times there. Sad to see it so empty now.
There was a Naval Training Center behind the Fashion Square. I went to Nuclear Power School there in the 80’s. We used to walk to the mall all the time.
Thanks for the update. Used to ride BMX cruisers all over around the mall and downtown around 2012-14. Thursday nights was fat tire ride with Kyle's Bike Shop. Downtown used to be a beehive of activity.
Sad to see what's happened to Fashion Square Mall, use to shop there and especially Church Street Station. When I first moved to Orlando back in the early 90s I lived downtown and worked at several places at Church Street Station. I remember the night life at Church Street Station as well. For years developers have been turning abandoned malls and shopping centers into housing or mixed use of micro or apartments with some shopping or restaurants. Thank you for this video.
Thanks for the tour of these properties. Prime real estate, as you said. In 2024 successful malls seem to be: - Focusing on non-retail draws - entertainment, eating/drinking etc. (Mall of America is an example) - New home for local/mom-&-pop/stores, and in some areas an ethnic focus (Latino, Asian - have seen this in SoCal and NYC) - Located in wealthy areas, or draw from a huge catchment that includes wealthy areas (South Coast Plaza, King of Prussia are examples) I think that Macy's is on the 2025 closure list.
Amazon I somewhat blame for that, people would rather stay at home, than go walk around at stores, I use to like to go to a food court, then after done, get up and walk around to burn off whatever I had for lunch, even if it was to just look around stores,
@@scootover7 Yeah... those were good times. I'm glad some people still get to do that! As of about the last four or five years, that's dead and gone here in Montgomery, Alabama. We used to have two, NICE indoor malls. The only one that's left, Eastdale, I'm expecting to shut down any moment now. The place reeks of weed, there are shootings, the food court is non-existent, and it hurts seeing society decay like this and my childhood experiences not able to be relived by those who live here.
Something really sad about this. No social interaction between people any more. I think part of this due to a poor economy and also the switch to online shopping. The theatre looked so nice. What a shame.
Black Friday was its highest ever and cyber Monday is on track to also be huge. The highest amount of people just travelled for the thanksgiving holiday. It’s not the economy. We are lazy and don’t want to deal with being around other people. Sit at home on your iPad and do your shopping from groceries to birthday presents. That’s why our malls are dying.
I remember visiting Orlando back about 1990 with my family from England and Church Street station was one of the attractions we came to. It's so sad to see its demise like this.
Before Fashion Square was Colonial Plaza, across the street. Fashion Square was the nicest mall till Altamonte Mall came in, but it is way north so didn’t really compete with FS Rosie’s was the spot for quite a while, nickel beer night was Wednesday Beefy King has been around for a long time it’s always been different and great, but first was Colonial Plaza with Jordan Marsh and the incomparable Ronnie’s Restaurant. I used to get dropped off by my Dad, eat breakfast at Ronnie’s and go hang at the Infinite Mushroom head shop, unreal psychedelic poster room…
Fashion Square Mall is the result of a hedge fund squatting on a huge land parcel just waiting to cash in for 100s of millions. The mall could be hugely successful if that was their aim. Everything surrounding the mall is VERY busy and there is plenty of money in the area. Its not your usual dead mall story.
Citrus Park in Tampa Florida has no store vacancies. International Plaza, which is an indoor mall despite the name, is also very busy, and full of stores.
@davidcosta2244 Orlando the busy malls are Millenia and FL Mall they are packed everyday. And of course many large plazas that are a nightmare to get in and out of that either have a Costco, Walmart/Sam's, or BJs nearby. The Premium Outlet Malls are ridiculous sometimes it takes 30 minutes just to find a parking spot.
I went to Church Street Station Phineas Phogg’s in the mid 1980s when I was in college… great memories fun times…. Thanks Adam and Happy Thanksgiving 🦃
i faintly remember that mall from about 20 years ago. it had spunk back then. how sad it is to see the mall like this. how church street station has changed in 30 years! thank you Adam. good to see Micah! i do remember an old train engine at the orlando spot.
I lived in the mall when I was a teen back in the 1970's - times have changed for sure!! I live in NJ and the city of Paramus had 2 major malls that are both still there but not as thriving these days!!!
OMG Paramus Park! We would save up a dime and a quarter for the bus and shoplift our lunch from Hickory Farms! God forgive us we were hungry! late 1970s….❤❤❤
I remember going to fashion square when I was growing up, and I would go in my teenage years to visit friends working in the mall. It’s so strange seeing the mall this dead. It’s sad
After I graduated from Navy bootcamp in 1991, we used to go to Church St every weekend, and I still remember some great nights.. The mall was where we would hang out when we were broke. We recently moved to Lake County from Los Angeles, and its sad to see what happened to these great spots, especially what the developers did to the former Naval Training Center.
well, people are shopping online more and more... Thank you for your videos and Congratulations on your almost 15 years you seem to live in a dream. Sweden is waiting for you. Good luck Adam!
Use to eat at Friendly's Restaurant back in the 90's there on the first level. The food court was really busy. I think when they closed the Navel Training Center not far from there it was the beginning of the end. I would see a lot of people in uniform shopping there. I lived on Holden Ave in Orlando from the late 80's thru the 90's but liked to go to the Fashion Square on occasion. When they closed Cheyenne Saloon and Opera House there it was the beginning of the end for Church Street Station. I still have a old book of matches with Rosie Ogrady's on the front. There was Lili Marlene's Aviators pub and restaurant. Apple Annie's Phogg's.Bumby Arcade and gift shops all closed I still have a VHS video tape of Church Street Station back in the late 80's with a VHS camera you held over your shoulder! Long before smart phones and You Tube.
It saddens me to see many malls going down this same path. I have so many fond memories of the mall’s in the area I grew up in. Most of them have been repurposed into offices and similar things
Church Street Station looked deserted, very weird seeing it like that. My parents took me there to see Auntie Mames with the show girls and she was the singer in the show and I remember having ice cream there. The show was really good, like from the early 1900s.
Yes i've been going on holiday to Florida every few years since 1994 and it definitely has changed a lot. I was in the Orlando area just a couple of weeks ago and there is so much traffic now compared to in the 90s. The I 4 interstate is jammed every day now. The traffic is bad in the UK where i live, but central Florida is even worse. I too remember going to Church Street Station, back when it was thriving in the 90s, sad to see it all shut up. Nothing stays the same for ever. But my daughter and i still had fun at Celebration on Halloween night! It was really cool seeing everyone dressed up in Halloween costumes. There is still fun to be had in Florida, its just a bit busy these days in some areas, and real quiet in others. Very bizarre!
I remember hanging out at Fashion Square in the 90s when I was in my teens. It was always busy even on weekdays. Who remembers seeing the sailors from the naval training center hanging around? Good to see mall management at least cares to decorate it for Christmas.
I miss going to the barnies Coffee store in the fashion square mall. We'd always go to the mall for Christmas shopping and the restaurants. Sad to see it go down to this.
I remember as a firefighter we took some FEMA classes in Orlando back in 1988 - 1990 and we spent each week between all of the clubs at Church Street Station and Off The Wall on OBT. As firefighters, the people who ran the clubs were so cool that we never had to pay a cover charge. Last time we were there Charlie Daniel's Band was performing. Great times. Sad to see them a thing of the past now.
It’s was announced a couple of years ago that the mall will closed down temporarily except Macy’s. I was told by one Macy’s employee that the mall was going to be renovated. I was happy about it, but nothing happened. The reason is empty because Actually is not a mall anymore. We all missed this mall. 😢
One mo' comment: Thanks so much for showing the BRICKS!!! I didn't realize they were still there. I have 2. One with my 2 up north friends and one with my ol' husband and 2 kids. I'll have to bring my grandson and we can do a rubbing. If they ever dig them out, I want 'em since I bought 'em!
Man it’s crazy that 15-16 years ago the plans for Fashion Square Mall. They were going to build a hotel into the mall with restaurants and living and how everything fizzled out over time… Definitely sad to see it now and will be sad to see it go when that day comes
You are bold, sir. No way I’d get in either of those elevators. I’d be too scared to get stuck and no one there to call for help 😂😂Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. 🦃 🍁🍽️
It's not that so many places are closed, but that they are simply shut down! I remember when OFS opened, and my Mom took my brother and me to the Sears Diner because they served Liver & Onions. She also liked shopping and dining at the Jordan Marsh store at Colonial Mall. Mr Dunderbak's (I think) was a great sandwich Deli in OFS. And Beefy King is an absolute must visit when visiting Orlando. I love their Roast Beef sandwich with horseradish sauce. I also remember Rosie O'Grady's Nickel Beer nights and Membership Mondays, where you could get ten drink tickets for $10. Different times, they were.
I love how Adam, and not just him, of course, sometimes say "Orlanda". I hear that for years and never mentioned. I feel like it's a very American pronunciation. "O" is pronounced as "a" very often, sure, but with Adam was the 1st I heard "Orlanda".
The Fashion Square concourse is a great place in the summer for the seniors to get their exercise in when it's so hot outside. I'm sure it won't be around next summer. It's also one of the few regional malls that offered covered parking for protection from the Florida sun. I do miss the old days when this mall and the Colonial Mall which was across the street used to compete with each other directly.
Shopping has basically gone full circle in my lifetime (at least for smaller cities). When I was a kid (1960/70s) in my home town in NorthernCalifornia, we either ordered form the big store catalogs or drove 3 hours+/- to Sacramento to the "Big" malls. Now we are back to ordering what we want. It's a shame for the unskilled laborers.
Holy crap I used to manage a Mitchell's tuxedo rental place in that mall. I remember when it first opened I was going to college and I was working at Mitchell's. That was in the late '70s wow
West Oaks mall in Ocoee is almost in this shape. Penney's is still open, but there are quite a few community centers located in there, as well as the DMV - I got my last drivers license renewal in there. The theaters are still doing well there too.
Geez Woo, it now takes me almost 10 min to get out of my neighborhood in downtown Kissimmee. And when that behemoth apt complex opens 2 blocks from my house, I might as well just stay home. blah. Hatin' in Orlando!!!
I remember working at the Fashion Square Mall while I was in college at UCF in the 90’s. I actually worked for a cookie shop in the food court. They made big chunky cookies that Disney started selling at the parks later on. I don’t think they sell them anymore.
I have a feeling we'll be seeing this place on The Proper People's channel in the near future. It's so sad. Hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving, Adam and family!
I used to live in downtown Orlando in the 90's. Church Street was hoppin', and the malls were packed. I now live near Harrisburg, PA, and they just this year bulldozed the huge Harrisburg Mall.
Happy Thanksgiving to Adam the woo momma ,an dad woo plus everyone out there have a safe and Happy day..We are missing Dan Bell dead mall series guy . Unfortunately the malls are disappearing The nostalgia for 80s 70s and 60s era people like myself
This is so sad. When i moved to Orlando in 1979, Fashion Square was new and was killing the Colonial Plaza mall right down the street. (They demolished that one and made the open air plaza that is there now (corner of Bumby and Colonial). When i moved to south Fl in 2010, Fashion Square was slowing down because of Millennia Mall, but still had 4 anchor stores (Sears, Penney's, Dillards, as well.as.Macy's). Back when the Naval Training Center was operating, you'd see gangs of squids in the white uniforms walking throughout the mall)
Until about 10-15 years ago, Fashion Square was packed all year around. I go every now and then because a local lawyer rents the theater and gives out free movie tickets but theres always a strong eerie vibe seeing something that used to be an Orlando staple become so desolate.
Yup, used to go to Church Street Station pretty regularly. They had an awesome arcade there and a firetruck from my hometown of Elmira, NY. But thanks to Miami Connection that’s what I associate it with now! Happy Thanksgiving buddy!
I worked at the Cheyenne Saloon after Bob Snow reopened it in 2007. Had a lot of good memories there, but it just wasn't meant to be, so many great memories from that area.
It's good we have Florida Mall & Millennia Mall, both in Orlando. And Altamonte Mall in Altamonte Springs, right above Orlando. All good, successful Malls with full stores, good Food Courts & lots of customers! That's where we go.
Altamonte Mall is really the only one that’s still somewhat active - maybe Florida Mall? I don’t venture on that side of town very often. It’s sad to see what Fashion Square has become. Even the comic book store is gone now! They hung on for a long long time 😢
I grew up down the street from FS Mall. It was the place to be in the 80's. That was before they added a 2nd story and made that parking lot multilevel. EVERYTHING was svailable there. Chick-fil-A, Young Sophisticates, Lerner's, the cookie store. Just wow. Beefy King is on Bumby across from Colonial Plaza. Just down the street from FS Mall. When Disney opened Pleasure Island it sucked businesx away from Church St. Then a few years ago they changed Pleasure Island to Disney Springs.
Church Street was the place to party. I first went there in 1982 to see a local band called Blue. They covered Heat of the Moment by Asia. I was ten years old. I can remember my dad going there after work with his coworkers for happy hour.
I went to Church Street Station back in 1993, when it was supposedly a big tourist attraction. I absolutely hated it. The place was crawling with police and it was the only time in Florida I felt unsafe. Looks very different now.
The mid 80’s to early 90’s was Church Streets shine time. At around 13 or so, My friend and I would take the Linx to downtown and just have fun walking around Church Street and going to the gigantic arcade on top of the old station (of course). It was absolutely a different time. There’s no way I’d let my kid do that now. It’s very sad.
Given that this is suppose to be the busiest time of the year for shopping, it will probably be closed by next Christmas.
Yea not a soul in there
So true I notice stores are not as busy for black friday like when I was a kid !
I used to drive down there from Ocala to shop there, years ago, and Florida Mall. We’ve got all those stores here in Ocala now, because this area has exploded with people, houses and traffic 😢. It’s sad to see all the beautiful horse farms being destroyed and housing developments built.
I love ya buddy I watch every upload w all the nonsense in this world friends till the end wheres my DeLorean😂
Not likely. The story of this mall is a lot different than most others. The immediate area surrounding the entire mall is VERY busy. This mall is a real estate play by the hedge fund that owns it, they don't care about rent. They want to sell the land for 100s of millions and wipe it clean to put up a huge mixed use residential and retail development and flip that for 100s of millions more. It's been like this for 15 years.
Sad to see the malls being replaced by outdoor malls. Shopping in AC seems better to me. The tile floor looked great. Malls were such a great place to have fun as a kid. Spencers, Orange Julius , girl watching. Simpler times.
@@lambofgod-v5c oh hell I'd kill for an Orange Julius right now. I swear I haven't had one in over 20 years 😭 Legit it was a must every time I went to the mall
Loved this mall. There used to be a Navy Base nearby and we used to see sailors taking breaks there all the time. ❤
This is the closest mall to me and used to be my favorite. It saddens me at how empty it is now. Back when Coliseum of Comics was still there I would take my kids with me to get our new comics. It was such a fun time.
I lived in Orlando back in 1999. I've definitely spent a lot of time at that mall. It's so sad to say goodbye to that era of Orlando. R.I.P. to the shopping malls.
Online shopping kill the shopping mall era😮
Growing up in Orlando back in the 1960s, the Colonial Plaza Mall was a great place (and very safe) to go on a Saturday. Our parent would drop us off at the mall after we had finished our yardwork chores and tell us where to meet them 3 hours later. We loved the freedom. There were never any issues. We always went straight for the candy counter at Woolworth's; got our candy and roamed the mall. It got even better when they extended the mall and opened Jordan Marsh, a very large 4 story "upscale" department store with a great toy and recreation items department. No cell phones. No internet. No video arcades. But we were never bored.
Orlando fashion square mall makes me sad. I grew up in orlando and this mall was a mecca for shopping, arcading, eating. One of my teenage happy places. Now it's depressing when I see it as a ghost town.
Same. I saw some of the greatest 80's movies at Fashion Square.
After the Navy base closed, the mall definitely started to decline. Now, we have an elitist neighborhood there that most likely can't support itself and, it will end in the same way. No longer able to support itself.
@@veloraloves there used to be like 3 movie theaters near the fashion sq mall, all better than the one currently in it - general cinema right behind it i believe on the former sears side, the amc where that church is near the dick's and another general cinema near colonial promenade, where tj maxx and most recently that music supply store was.
@@abp1400 Pretty sure it was the GC one. Then when Florida Mall opened we went there instead since I lived in (what is now called) Belleview. I'll never forget Good Vibrations Surf Shop in Fashion Square Mall though. That was where you could get corduroy Billabong jackets and T&C canvas slip on shoes for ladies. They were the must have items at Conway Jr. High circa 1987/88 😆
@veloraloves oh damn good vibrations! I remember that!
Many fond memories of Church Street Station! It was beautiful inside. Sad to see it closed. I remember drinking hurricanes and even had some souvenir glasses from there. I also remember Fashion Square mall being so busy, particularly with sailors. 😢 thank you for a trip down memory lane!
Omg same here in ‘78. I have a hurricane glass too. They had a balloon too you could ride up in I think?
sailors from the Naval Training Center just next door. That closed in the early 90s.
Church Street Station was one of my favorite places. I miss it.
Was in that Mall 25 years ago and it was mad busy sad to see it has declined
That is a very sad mall. I wish they would turn these malls into apartments for us Gen Xers to retire in. Give us a food court, movie theater, and arcade. It would be great 😊 😂
That is the most amazing idea! I'd never leave. 😂
A college local to me bought a dying mall, and it became their campus. Food court stayed to feed the students and the individual stores became classrooms. Worked out well for them
@@margannafulgreat ideas!
They are doing that in Rhode Island
Some malls actually do that, and also they can be converted into office parks.
It is such a beautiful space. Malls are becoming extinct everywhere. Makes me sad.
Wow I remember fun nights out at Rosie O’Grady’s in Church St Station back in the 90s. Sad to see it in its current state, what a shame. Happy Thanksgiving 🏴🇺🇸
Thank you. I was trying to remember that name. We were there in the 90s and it was a happening place then.
I was living in Orlando at the same time you were Adam in the early 1990's. We lived over in Metro West off Kirkman and would go downtown to Church Station! Hangout at Phileas Foggs! One of the other bars in Church Street station served "Jungle Juice" which were fairly loaded drinks! I remember Cheyennes too. How sad that area is just totally abandoned now! It was a popular spot back then! I always went the Florida Mall or Altamonte Springs mall. I don't think I ever went over the Fashion Square.
Happy Thanksgiving, Adam! I hope you have a wonderful day with your family, friends, and good food! 🦃🍂🥧
Fashion Square was the nicest mall in Orlando 40 years ago. Florida Mall took over. Burdines, Robinsons and Sears were the anchors. The first Sabarro's pizza place opened there, back when Sabarro's was really good pizza. Mr. Dunderbach's was a good place for lunch and pastrami sandwiches.
Worked there from late 2022 to late 2023 and damn was it depressing, worked at the T-Mobile there and saw about 8 people a day at most
Amazon put retailer in cement & mortar buildings out of business, the mall scene has had its heyday, now they will be converted into condo spaces which will be convenient for many people. They are spacious & you stay out of the elements while you get daily walking exercise. The first American Mall building is in RI, it’s called the Arcade Building, the 1st floor still has some retail, the 2 top floors are converted to mini apartments at reasonable rents. It’s really the perfect setup if you want city life.
Church Street Station was the place to go back in the day. Sad to see what has happened to it.
It really is. Place was so busy back in the day
It even back in that day per se, just a few years ago Church Street jumpin and a cool place to hang out on cool nights
Man, I remember back in the late '80s and early '90s going to Church Street Station and it was so crowded. I was only 10-years-old at the time, but my parents and I had some good times there. Sad to see it so empty now.
There was a Naval Training Center behind the Fashion Square. I went to Nuclear Power School there in the 80’s. We used to walk to the mall all the time.
Thanks for the update. Used to ride BMX cruisers all over around the mall and downtown around 2012-14. Thursday nights was fat tire ride with Kyle's Bike Shop. Downtown used to be a beehive of activity.
Sad to see what's happened to Fashion Square Mall, use to shop there and especially Church Street Station. When I first moved to Orlando back in the early 90s I lived downtown and worked at several places at Church Street Station. I remember the night life at Church Street Station as well. For years developers have been turning abandoned malls and shopping centers into housing or mixed use of micro or apartments with some shopping or restaurants. Thank you for this video.
This brought back memories for me. I went to the fashion square mall many times and two days before I had my first child,almost 41 years ago
Thanks for the tour of these properties. Prime real estate, as you said.
In 2024 successful malls seem to be:
- Focusing on non-retail draws - entertainment, eating/drinking etc. (Mall of America is an example)
- New home for local/mom-&-pop/stores, and in some areas an ethnic focus (Latino, Asian - have seen this in SoCal and NYC)
- Located in wealthy areas, or draw from a huge catchment that includes wealthy areas (South Coast Plaza, King of Prussia are examples)
I think that Macy's is on the 2025 closure list.
Dead malls make me sad :( I wish they'd come back in fashion.
Wish the American middle class was still alive and we had money to spend at the malls
@@GramGramGenX-ln5sc You and me both!!!!
Amazon I somewhat blame for that, people would rather stay at home, than go walk around at stores, I use to like to go to a food court, then after done, get up and walk around to burn off whatever I had for lunch, even if it was to just look around stores,
@@scootover7 Yeah... those were good times. I'm glad some people still get to do that! As of about the last four or five years, that's dead and gone here in Montgomery, Alabama. We used to have two, NICE indoor malls. The only one that's left, Eastdale, I'm expecting to shut down any moment now. The place reeks of weed, there are shootings, the food court is non-existent, and it hurts seeing society decay like this and my childhood experiences not able to be relived by those who live here.
Always great to see you guys vlogging together! 😀
The malls were a thing in the past but now now online had taken over. I have always enjoyed going to the mall as a kid. Time has change!
Something really sad about this. No social interaction between people any more. I think part of this due to a poor economy and also the switch to online shopping. The theatre looked so nice. What a shame.
Black Friday was its highest ever and cyber Monday is on track to also be huge. The highest amount of people just travelled for the thanksgiving holiday. It’s not the economy. We are lazy and don’t want to deal with being around other people. Sit at home on your iPad and do your shopping from groceries to birthday presents. That’s why our malls are dying.
The 2020 coof scare didn’t help either. People fell for it and haven’t recovered.
So sad to see these beautiful old malls deserted. 😢
I remember visiting Orlando back about 1990 with my family from England and Church Street station was one of the attractions we came to. It's so sad to see its demise like this.
Wow…grew up in Orlando and made some great memories of both of these places…great memories!
This would make an amazing assisted living community.
I remember they used to have street performers walking around with jugglers on unicycles and bus loads of tourists from Brazil and other countries.
Before Fashion Square was Colonial Plaza, across the street. Fashion Square was the nicest mall till Altamonte Mall came in, but it is way north so didn’t really compete with FS
Rosie’s was the spot for quite a while, nickel beer night was Wednesday
Beefy King has been around for a long time it’s always been different and great, but first was Colonial Plaza with Jordan Marsh and the incomparable Ronnie’s Restaurant. I used to get dropped off by my Dad, eat breakfast at Ronnie’s and go hang at the Infinite Mushroom head shop, unreal psychedelic poster room…
Fashion Square Mall is the result of a hedge fund squatting on a huge land parcel just waiting to cash in for 100s of millions. The mall could be hugely successful if that was their aim. Everything surrounding the mall is VERY busy and there is plenty of money in the area. Its not your usual dead mall story.
Yes Paddock Mall in Ocala is booming!
Citrus Park in Tampa Florida has no store vacancies.
Citrus Park in Tampa Florida has no store vacancies. International Plaza, which is an indoor mall despite the name, is also very busy, and full of stores.
@davidcosta2244 Orlando the busy malls are Millenia and FL Mall they are packed everyday. And of course many large plazas that are a nightmare to get in and out of that either have a Costco, Walmart/Sam's, or BJs nearby. The Premium Outlet Malls are ridiculous sometimes it takes 30 minutes just to find a parking spot.
Dpporlando you nailed that!
I went to Church Street Station Phineas Phogg’s in the mid 1980s
when I was in college… great memories fun times….
Thanks Adam and Happy Thanksgiving 🦃
90s Ucf .phogg's had the nickle beer night .
@@jameyjones8863every Wednesday
I haven't shopped at this mall for at least 20 years. This is very sad indeed! I had some fun times here back in the 80's.😢.
i faintly remember that mall from about 20 years ago. it had spunk back then. how sad it is to see the mall like this. how church street station has changed in 30 years!
thank you Adam. good to see Micah! i do remember an old train engine at the orlando spot.
Hey Adam, I still have my employee jacket from
Pleasure Island back from the early 90’s when I worked there😉👍🏻
Happy Thanksgiving Adam! Your videos have brought me great joy this year
I lived in the mall when I was a teen back in the 1970's - times have changed for sure!! I live in NJ and the city of Paramus had 2 major malls that are both still there but not as thriving these days!!!
35 minutes away, their mall is still thriving. The Altamonte Mall in Altamonte Springs is still a beehive of activity.
OMG Paramus Park! We would save up a dime and a quarter for the bus and shoplift our lunch from Hickory Farms! God forgive us we were hungry! late 1970s….❤❤❤
Worked at this mall in high school. It was the place to be. So sad to see it like this.
I remember going to fashion square when I was growing up, and I would go in my teenage years to visit friends working in the mall. It’s so strange seeing the mall this dead. It’s sad
Loved your video
We took the steam train from Church Street Station to Mt Dora in the 90’s.
After I graduated from Navy bootcamp in 1991, we used to go to Church St every weekend, and I still remember some great nights..
The mall was where we would hang out when we were broke. We recently moved to Lake County from Los Angeles, and its sad to see what happened to these great spots, especially what the developers did to the former Naval Training Center.
My dad's mom worked at Beefy King years ago in Orlando, she was one of their first employees they hired
That would be your Grandmother
well, people are shopping online more and more... Thank you for your videos and Congratulations on your almost 15 years you seem to live in a dream. Sweden is waiting for you. Good luck Adam!
Use to eat at Friendly's Restaurant back in the 90's there on the first level. The food court was really busy. I think when they closed the Navel Training Center not far from there it was the beginning of the end. I would see a lot of people in uniform shopping there. I lived on Holden Ave in Orlando from the late 80's thru the 90's but liked to go to the Fashion Square on occasion. When they closed Cheyenne Saloon and Opera House there it was the beginning of the end for Church Street Station. I still have a old book of matches with Rosie Ogrady's on the front. There was Lili Marlene's Aviators pub and restaurant. Apple Annie's Phogg's.Bumby Arcade and gift shops all closed I still have a VHS video tape of Church Street Station back in the late 80's with a VHS camera you held over your shoulder! Long before smart phones and You Tube.
Like Belly Dancing (navel)?
Wow, what a difference. Church street station was the happening place back in the day. Happy thanksgiving to you and your family Adam!
It saddens me to see many malls going down this same path. I have so many fond memories of the mall’s in the area I grew up in. Most of them have been repurposed into offices and similar things
Church Street Station looked deserted, very weird seeing it like that. My parents took me there to see Auntie Mames with the show girls and she was the singer in the show and I remember having ice cream there. The show was really good, like from the early 1900s.
Yes i've been going on holiday to Florida every few years since 1994 and it definitely has changed a lot. I was in the Orlando area just a couple of weeks ago and there is so much traffic now compared to in the 90s. The I 4 interstate is jammed every day now. The traffic is bad in the UK where i live, but central Florida is even worse. I too remember going to Church Street Station, back when it was thriving in the 90s, sad to see it all shut up. Nothing stays the same for ever. But my daughter and i still had fun at Celebration on Halloween night! It was really cool seeing everyone dressed up in Halloween costumes. There is still fun to be had in Florida, its just a bit busy these days in some areas, and real quiet in others. Very bizarre!
We visited Church Street Station on a family holiday in the early “00’s” and it was buzzing I didn’t know it had changed
Yes Mall's are becoming a thing of the past what a shame used to be the hub for everything and everyone to meet up
I remember hanging out at Fashion Square in the 90s when I was in my teens. It was always busy even on weekdays. Who remembers seeing the sailors from the naval training center hanging around?
Good to see mall management at least cares to decorate it for Christmas.
I miss going to the barnies Coffee store in the fashion square mall. We'd always go to the mall for Christmas shopping and the restaurants. Sad to see it go down to this.
Oh yeah they had an amazing “cookies and cream coolfreezer”…remember those there?
@chrisstephenson8311 oh yeah. I loved the Irish cream freezer. I still buy barnies Coffee from their website every few months
I remember as a firefighter we took some FEMA classes in Orlando back in 1988 - 1990 and we spent each week between all of the clubs at Church Street Station and Off The Wall on OBT.
As firefighters, the people who ran the clubs were so cool that we never had to pay a cover charge.
Last time we were there Charlie Daniel's Band was performing.
Great times. Sad to see them a thing of the past now.
It’s was announced a couple of years ago that the mall will closed down temporarily except Macy’s. I was told by one Macy’s employee that the mall was going to be renovated. I was happy about it, but nothing happened. The reason is empty because Actually is not a mall anymore. We all missed this mall. 😢
So sad seeing the demise of these malls. 🇦🇺🇦🇺
One mo' comment: Thanks so much for showing the BRICKS!!! I didn't realize they were still there. I have 2. One with my 2 up north friends and one with my ol' husband and 2 kids. I'll have to bring my grandson and we can do a rubbing. If they ever dig them out, I want 'em since I bought 'em!
Wow, that footage is insane. Briefly lived in that area in the late 90s and the mall and Church Street back then was a sea of people.
Man it’s crazy that 15-16 years ago the plans for Fashion Square Mall. They were going to build a hotel into the mall with restaurants and living and how everything fizzled out over time… Definitely sad to see it now and will be sad to see it go when that day comes
Changing times are never easy. We make way for the new.
Meanwhile Altamonte Mall, Florida Mall, and Millenia are booming with people.
Absolutely! Living in Orlando, those are the three Malls we go to. Business is booming at those!
I've really enjoyed the past few weeks of videos; they might be some of your best work yet. Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving, Adam. Have a fantastic day.
You are bold, sir. No way I’d get in either of those elevators. I’d be too scared to get stuck and no one there to call for help 😂😂Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. 🦃 🍁🍽️
It's not that so many places are closed, but that they are simply shut down!
I remember when OFS opened, and my Mom took my brother and me to the Sears Diner because they served Liver & Onions. She also liked shopping and dining at the Jordan Marsh store at Colonial Mall. Mr Dunderbak's (I think) was a great sandwich Deli in OFS.
And Beefy King is an absolute must visit when visiting Orlando. I love their Roast Beef sandwich with horseradish sauce. I also remember Rosie O'Grady's Nickel Beer nights and Membership Mondays, where you could get ten drink tickets for $10.
Different times, they were.
I love how Adam, and not just him, of course, sometimes say "Orlanda". I hear that for years and never mentioned. I feel like it's a very American pronunciation. "O" is pronounced as "a" very often, sure, but with Adam was the 1st I heard "Orlanda".
The Fashion Square concourse is a great place in the summer for the seniors to get their exercise in when it's so hot outside. I'm sure it won't be around next summer. It's also one of the few regional malls that offered covered parking for protection from the Florida sun. I do miss the old days when this mall and the Colonial Mall which was across the street used to compete with each other directly.
Shopping has basically gone full circle in my lifetime (at least for smaller cities). When I was a kid (1960/70s) in my home town in NorthernCalifornia, we either ordered form the big store catalogs or drove 3 hours+/- to Sacramento to the "Big" malls. Now we are back to ordering what we want. It's a shame for the unskilled laborers.
Holy crap I used to manage a Mitchell's tuxedo rental place in that mall. I remember when it first opened I was going to college and I was working at Mitchell's. That was in the late '70s wow
Happy Thanksgiving Adam, definitely thankful for you and your daily Vlogs, Awesome part of the day for me and my son.
Stranger Things called, they want their mall back. 😂😂😂🎉
West Oaks mall in Ocoee is almost in this shape. Penney's is still open, but there are quite a few community centers located in there, as well as the DMV - I got my last drivers license renewal in there. The theaters are still doing well there too.
Geez Woo, it now takes me almost 10 min to get out of my neighborhood in downtown Kissimmee. And when that behemoth apt complex opens 2 blocks from my house, I might as well just stay home. blah. Hatin' in Orlando!!!
Move to Tampa.
7:24 a selfie 🤳 station? Santa 🎅 doesn’t even wanna be there 😂😭💀
I remember working at the Fashion Square Mall while I was in college at UCF in the 90’s. I actually worked for a cookie shop in the food court. They made big chunky cookies that Disney started selling at the parks later on. I don’t think they sell them anymore.
yeah didn't they have like M&Ms and other candies in the cookies?
I had my wedding reception at Church Street Station. Beautiful inside
I have a feeling we'll be seeing this place on The Proper People's channel in the near future. It's so sad.
Hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving, Adam and family!
I used to live in downtown Orlando in the 90's. Church Street was hoppin', and the malls were packed. I now live near Harrisburg, PA, and they just this year bulldozed the huge Harrisburg Mall.
Church Street Station was the place to go back when I was stationed at the Navy base that closed. I was there in 1987/88.
Beefy king also reminds me of pizza king here in Indiana with the way it's set up into too along with the stain glass.
Happy Thanksgiving to Adam the woo momma ,an dad woo plus everyone out there have a safe and Happy day..We are missing Dan Bell dead mall series guy . Unfortunately the malls are disappearing The nostalgia for 80s 70s and 60s era people like myself
Thank you Adam.
Remember going to Rosie O’Gradys in church st first time we came to Orlando probably lates 80s and have couple of souvenir glasses from there.
Adam, Nice 👍🏻 shirt 👕 Love ❤️ it! Your looking Hawaiian 🌺 today!
You two are brave!
Thanks Adam Hope You Had A Happy Thanksgiving 🍂🍁🍂🦃🍂🍁🍂
This is so sad. When i moved to Orlando in 1979, Fashion Square was new and was killing the Colonial Plaza mall right down the street. (They demolished that one and made the open air plaza that is there now (corner of Bumby and Colonial). When i moved to south Fl in 2010, Fashion Square was slowing down because of Millennia Mall, but still had 4 anchor stores (Sears, Penney's, Dillards, as well.as.Macy's). Back when the Naval Training Center was operating, you'd see gangs of squids in the white uniforms walking throughout the mall)
Until about 10-15 years ago, Fashion Square was packed all year around. I go every now and then because a local lawyer rents the theater and gives out free movie tickets but theres always a strong eerie vibe seeing something that used to be an Orlando staple become so desolate.
I grew up in Monroeville, Pennsylvania and still go to the mall.
Yup, used to go to Church Street Station pretty regularly. They had an awesome arcade there and a firetruck from my hometown of Elmira, NY. But thanks to Miami Connection that’s what I associate it with now! Happy Thanksgiving buddy!
I worked at the Cheyenne Saloon after Bob Snow reopened it in 2007. Had a lot of good memories there, but it just wasn't meant to be, so many great memories from that area.
It's good we have Florida Mall & Millennia Mall, both in Orlando. And Altamonte Mall in Altamonte Springs, right above Orlando. All good, successful Malls with full stores, good Food Courts & lots of customers! That's where we go.
I don’t think those will shut down
Altamonte Springs is almost like this one too. The only reason florida and millenia mall still packed is because they are located in tourist area.
@@beautifulstar2119 Nope. I was just at Altamonte Mall last night. Packed! Hard to even find a parking spot!
Altamonte Mall is really the only one that’s still somewhat active - maybe Florida Mall? I don’t venture on that side of town very often.
It’s sad to see what Fashion Square has become. Even the comic book store is gone now! They hung on for a long long time 😢
I grew up down the street from FS Mall. It was the place to be in the 80's. That was before they added a 2nd story and made that parking lot multilevel. EVERYTHING was svailable there. Chick-fil-A, Young Sophisticates, Lerner's, the cookie store. Just wow. Beefy King is on Bumby across from Colonial Plaza. Just down the street from FS Mall. When Disney opened Pleasure Island it sucked businesx away from Church St. Then a few years ago they changed Pleasure Island to Disney Springs.
The Lake Square Mall in Leesburg is heading in this direction. Guessing a few more years. As Always, May God Bless you and yours! 😇
Church Street was the place to party. I first went there in 1982 to see a local band called Blue. They covered Heat of the Moment by Asia. I was ten years old. I can remember my dad going there after work with his coworkers for happy hour.
Happy Thanksgiving Adam from Chris and Lynda in Scotland. X
I went to Church Street Station back in 1993, when it was supposedly a big tourist attraction. I absolutely hated it. The place was crawling with police and it was the only time in Florida I felt unsafe. Looks very different now.
The mid 80’s to early 90’s was Church Streets shine time. At around 13 or so, My friend and I would take the Linx to downtown and just have fun walking around Church Street and going to the gigantic arcade on top of the old station (of course). It was absolutely a different time. There’s no way I’d let my kid do that now. It’s very sad.