This mall was so cool when I was a little kid. I miss the movie theater especially. 😭 My Mom passed away in 2017, when I was going through her stuff I found a Parisian receipt from Forest Fair in her jewelry box. Brought back a lot of great memories.
I remember this mall when I lived in Fairfield back in the late 80s early 90s. I went there often to shop at Biggs and Parisian and the other anchor stores. I enjoyed shopping at Biggs...all those check out lanes...huge store......they ought to install Pickleball courts for play in the winter time....
I live right down the street from this mall. I remember when it was on it's prime in the late 80s and 90s it was amazing!!! My teenage years and young adult years spent in that mall!! Since its gone down hill its sad. Its still such a beautiful mall and was very cool when it was thriving!
I hate being an old 40 year old now but I’m so glad I was a kid in the 80s and early 90s and got to experience the malls in their heyday. It was SO fun to hang out with friends in the arcade and browse all of the stores. I’d even make friends with the people who worked in the stores, it really felt like a community. I sure miss those days.
I loved doing some window shopping in those shopping malls and visiting department store scent counters to sample several different kinds of scents since I love stuff that smell nice.😊🌹💓
The mall interior looks like 1990s Nickelodeon exploded all over it. I can't believe it's still open with *nobody* in it; it's really sad to see such a place just waste away.
There's no reason these magnificent architectural structures should be abandoned and destroyed. There should be bars and restaurants in these places( like an indoor Bourbon Street). Maybe they can be mixed use facilities with doctors offices. Dead Malls are fascinating because 25 years ago, no one imagined they'd die like this. Malls are nice, big cavernous structures to walk around in and were usually decorated quite nicely during the holidays
Going to this mall was the most invigorating thing I've ever experienced. After a 5 hour drive, I sat eating in a bob evans right outside the mall practically ready to explode with excitement with the fact that I had my eyes on this beast. I almost dropped dead when I stepped foot in the mall, the size, the dead silence, and 2 hard months planning for the trip, not believing that I had set foot in this massive, desolate structure. A lot of my friends had a good time telling me that they didn't care and thought driving 5 hours to see an "abandoned piece of shit" was a huge waste of time. They can look at pictures all they want of dead malls and think they are just big, empty, buildings, but once they walk in one, I can guarantee that their jaws would drop to the floor and their eyes would triple in size.
I saw that video you made. I also subbed! I'm going to be able to get down there in early October and am very excited about the chance to make a video there. Keep up the good content though!
Hey Anthony. I live in Dayton, Ohio, and I checked this mall out after seeing Dan Bell's video. I was stunned when I walked inside as to how big, empty, and eerie it is. I happened to be there on a cloudy day so it was really dark inside. When I finally got to where Arcade legacy was, it finally went from quiet, to the sounds of a mall in the 90's when I was a kid growing up. It was such an eerie experience. Arcade Legacy is awesome and totally worth the trip to see a MASSIVE dead mall and to play some retro arcade games. Anyways, nice video. I think anyone and everyone should check that place out. It is not abandoned, but it sure feels like it is. It just has such a weird feeling walking around in it. Almost like your a lone survivor of some Apocalypse. But once again, nice video.
Mark Stephens yes Arcade Legacy is rad and when this mall was up and running it was arcade heaven everywhere! Lazer tag, virtual reality all that stuff. Good times!
I got to visit this mall for the first time (and unfortunately probably last time) yesterday. The crazy thing was there was a fighting game tournament going on! It was cool to see some life in a sea of abandonment.
Geez. It's like stepping back in time to the late 80s/early 1990s. From those hanging signs to the floors/carpeting, the walls...all very much a product of the era the mall was built. So sad to see it almost completely abandoned by business, but surprising it is still open to the public. Definitely would be cool to walk through for a nostalgic feeling. And wow...Media Play...haven't seen anything to do with them since the early 2000s.
Just about the Best Dead Mall video EVER!!!! And I decided that in the first 4 minutes: the news footage from the 80s about the opening of this mall and its early days made it a true documentary. The wordless walkthrough gave you the weird tingles that you watch these videos for and the story behind the rise and quick fall of this mall from the Deadmalls.com guy told me just what I always want to know when watching these videos, i.e. What were they thinking? Why didn't it work? What stages of success and failure did it go through along the way to disaster and when did it finally start to go hell for good? Truly a professional job. Please - be sure and get some risky post-closure footage to append onto the end of it to make a 2nd edition of this video when it's possible, and you'll truly have the greatest dead mall video online.
I hate that people always compare you to dan! Both of you guys make very great videos, I just don't see why people always have to compare. Keep up the amazing work Ace!
reminds me of another super mall that's gone. Randall Park Mall in Cleveland. I actually liked shopping at malls instead of online . I like to see what I am buying before buying it. And take it home right thee instead of waiting for shipping. lol I guess that makes me an old dinosaur.
Oh my heart.... 😢the nostalgia rush I just got.. I remember this place. I know it's just a big building but I remember going here in 90s when I was in high school. Me and my friends had so much fun. It felt so alive with lots of people and stuff to do. I had no idea it fell on hard times so quick. I can't stand seeing these place slowly dying and disappearing.
I absolutely love this (dead) mall, it's so quiet and different, there's a retro arcade there called Arcade Legacy. I go there with my friends a lot and it's so fun. Also, Arcade Legacy isn't sporadically open as you said! There also is security present in the mall, I got in trouble with one of the guards for being in the main part of the mall after 9:00PM.
What you did with the Cheri Cheri Lady song was so amazing with the Mall environment. I want more! I love New Wave and some Disco Italo as well. Nice job!! :)
Great video as always. It's errie to see a place so big be so empty. Just by looking at the mall it has a 90's look to it. No matter what happens to this place it is persevered thanks to dead mall enthusiast such as yourself. Thanx for preserving what may not be around much longer.
I'm a mall rat myself it saddens me to see what is happening to the malls nationwide the mills malls have a quirky beauty to them ,I've been to the Arizona mills mall and it has a quirky beauty to it too, keep up the good work and I look forward to more mall videos from your channel!
I've mentioned this on another video about this mall but this building (which looks immaculate for a dead mall) should be repurposed into a corporate headquarter or a community college complex. It just seems like an extreme waste to tear it down when it comes to that.
The many memories I have from when Biggs was there and coming as a child with my mom to grocery store that’s when everyone would go. Then as a teenager getting drop off to walk around and the game place that was their. Halloween they had a haunted house . So many memories sad to see it look like this now.
This mall would be great if it had some hotels attached and maybe turned into a convention center. Maybe a places to hold weddings and wedding receptions?
I live in Cincinnati, and I remember when this mall first opened in the late 80s. It was AWESOME! It had an amusement park in the middle of the mall and it was THE place to be on the weekends. It's changed hands a few times and slowly started to lose anchor stores, then regular retail. It's so sad to see it empty because it really is a beautiful mall. I don't understand why it didn't prosper. Its in the northern suburbs, off a very busy highway. It was called "Forest Fair" mall because half of the mall is in Forest Park and half is in Fairfield. There's actually a line painted through the parking lot that shows the division. As of today (5/09/19) the only tenants still there are Outdoor World and I think Kohl's. However, the mall is still open to mall walkers daily. 8:43 - The comment about it having competition from Kenwood Towne Center is doubtful. KTC wasn't exactly "nearby"....it was 20 miles away and catered to a completely different demographic. Kenwood is an upscale suburb of Cincinnati. Doctors, lawyers, businessmen...that type. Forest Fair Mall straddled two very blue-collar working communities. Shoppers at one just wouldn't go to the other.
I saw your video one night and wanted to show it to someone a few weeks later. I typed in deadmalls and a lot of channels came up. I had told the person that this video was interesting, full of history and information. We ended up watching 3 videos from 3 channels, including the big one, who only walked around and commented on the malls present state and asthetics. It was all very boring. I found this video again and it's by far the best, no contest. Keep doing what you're doing and I'll keep watching.
B Altman was not around very long from what I remember. It was a very ice store like Parisian and Sakowitz. I mainly went to Parisian and Biggs when I went out to the mall when I lived in Fairfield back in the late 80s to early 90s. I lived in the Cincinnati metro area for nearly 9 years. I moved to Georgia in 1995. It was a very nice mall. It was huge and I wore out easily because so much walking...I was in my early 20s then. They should convert it to mixed use space....with indoor Pickleball courts. I live in Georgia now. The Macon Mall will be turned into a mixed use facility with indoor Pickleball courts etc....We will see how well that goes over..
I work right next door to this place. I, to this day, have no idea how this place is still open to the public beyond Bass Pro, Babies R Us and Kohls. I remember this mall as a kid. Rarely went there, as we tended to go to Tri County Mall 2 exits to the east on 275 (there was an Ames, Zayre, Gold Circle, and Service Merchandise in Tri County in addition to the mall), but I liked Forest Fair's Time Out on the Court.
Sounds like it was starting to do halfway decent in the 2000's until they closed the interior to remodel it again and totally screw what little they had?
Dennis W I went there a few weeks ago, there were only three or four businesses left there. Kohl’s, Arcade Legacy, Beadventurous and bass pro and fishing shops! there were a lot of people at the Arcade Legacy including me! We had a fun time. But there were those janitor bucket things under all the ceilings to catch dripping water and the signs looks so 1990s and sun damaged
Used that mall's parking lot to teach my wife to drive - it was big enough with all the features that would be involved with Ohio Driving Test. During that time, never had contact with mall security, even when we spent hours at a time work on the cone test.
It's interesting to see how it all fell apart when it comes to shopping malls. It's a shame, because I used to walk through here a lot. I really enjoyed this video, and the delivery. Personally I think I'd take this place over to turn it into a series of film studios. But a guy can dream...
Forest Fair never stood a chance. It was two exits from Northgate Mall, and two exits from Tri County Mall. Both were well established, and in better neighborhoods (arguably). Sad thing is, now days Northgate and Tri County are on their last legs as well. The only decent mall is Kenwood.
Worked at this odd structure three times during the 90's, there were two huge sections of this mall that never even saw a tenant in its history. With massive display windows and huge entrances, the "build it they will come" philosophy on full display. Worked late nights at a Buffalo Wild Wings and me and the chick I worked with that became my girlfriend would walk these halls in the dead quiet of night and the place is creepy as hell in that setting. If DEAD MALLS are your thing, this place has to be a Mecca.
I came across your TH-cam channel tonight after seeing someone on Twitter mention it, and have spent the past few hours watching a few of your videos. Amazing job on documenting the malls! It’s heartbreaking to see the loss of these buildings and how many jobs have been lost due to so many store closures and mall closures. Being a former mall rat who not only hung out at two of our local malls (Lehigh Valley Mall and Whitehall Mall), but also worked (from 1998-2001) in both malls as well as Montgomery Mall, it took me back to the fond memories of when I worked there. We have several malls in my area who are trying to revitalize to stay open: South Mall, Westgate Mall, and Whitehall Mall are the main ones I hope stay open. They were a big part of my childhood and would hate to see them close. Lehigh Valley Mall seems to be doing good still, though I hated how they pushed out so many of the local, privately owned stores (which helped make the mall unique) and jacked up rent for those spots and brought in big chain stores. It always seemed like every larger mall had the same exact stores in every mall, which began to become extremely boring. Nothing that made each mall unique, all cookie cutter like. I wish you were around about 18-19 years ago doing this! Though not a dead mall, but the closing of a dying local department store that was a huge part of Allentown, PA’s history! The main Hess’s Department store on 9th & Hamilton Streets in downtown Allentown. The building is unfortunately, no longer there, but it played a magical part of the lives of us who grew up while it was still here. There is even an Arcadia Publishing book about Hess’s. The store was a stop for many celebrities throughout the years, mainly for their World famous Hess’s Patio Restaurant Mile High Strawberry Pie. There just something just magical about that place! Just the sheer grandeur and glamor of the store decor could take you back to the place in time where things were simpler. Unfortunately, that ended in 2010 when the store closed for good and was later demolished. The store was so loved by locals, that there are several FB groups where we go to reminisce about that amazing store. Hess’s items, ranging from employee pins, menus, even empty boxes with the store logo have become highly collectible now. I miss that store so much. I think you would have had an amazing time documenting that store.
I'd like to see this on the Southland Mall in Marion, Ohio. Had a decent sized mall for a town that size full of national chain stores. A few stores left as of a few years ago.
Amazon has acquired Whole Foods Markets giving them a foothold in brick and mortar retail. Amazon announced that Amazon Prime will be Whole Foods customer reward program where Prime members will have for the first time, offline benefits in Whole Foods stores.
in the early 90s I actually went to this mall with my family they had an arcade and rides as well as a movie theater it was my favorite mall because there was so much to do
1000 years from now specially trained Mallologists will go through these ruins like Egyptologists do today wondering if there are ancient kings or secret chambers hidden behind the the rusted JC Penneys sign, and they will wonder, who was this mighty ruler to possess so many fine rooms in his palace and what was his relationship with King Bath & Bodyworks. Were they friends? Rivals? We may never know.
I live a half hour from this mall over in Northern Kentucky, so going to this mall was something I was wanting to do for awhile. I remember going in there a few times with my family, shopping at Biggs, catching a movie, and riding the roller coaster at the infamous WonderPark. It had been 11 years since I was last there and I really wanted to see how far this place has fallen. I finally got to go with a couple of friends two weeks ago. Besides a handful of mall walkers, a couple large families, and some old people sitting at the "food court", the mall was completely dead silent. Some of the candy dispensers toward where Biggs used to be were broken into. There is still candy in there from God knows how long ago. The Biggs entrance was sealed off by a wall, I wonder how bad of condition it is on the other side. Also as you could imagine the AC was down to a bare minimum. I have no idea how long the owners are planning to keep it open, but with relatively well-off Northgate Mall and Tri County Mall both being about 3 miles away, in the midst of the Retail Apocalypse, they are fooling themselves if they think they can revive that mall.
The orange flying pigs adorning the gazebo there at 9:55 are/were Cincinnati's adopted motif. Not just a random farm animal. T-shirt idea: "Dead Mall Walking." ( Royalty remitted to me: $1.25 per shirt sold. )
a lot of these malls, have seen better days for sure, what is sad about this one is it really still looks nice and could be welcoming of customers and shops with little to no maintenance!
You really can't blame online shopping for this mall's demise. The surrounding area, particularly in the late 80's/early 90's was not full of affluent families. The area was primarily comprised of middle- and working-class families. The largest store in the mall was Bigg's, which was a grocery store with a some retail. Higher-end stores, like Parisian and Bonwit Teller weren't going to thrive in ths market. What many would also be shocked to know is that there was another popular mall (Tri-County Mall) about 5-6 miles east and another mall, Northgate Mall, about 7-8 miles west. Both of these malls were also on bus lines. Though not booming, these two malls are also still going today.
That may include supermarket shopping. But I would bet a much greater percentage of electronics for example are purchased online. Nearly all of my auto parts are purchased at rockauto.com for example. All my groceries are purchased at the local supermarket.
Go there all the time. Uncle put in the HVAC. Back in the early 90s. I got the comic the Broken Bat. When Bane Broke the bat. It’s Ironic to me. Kinda of like peering into fate.
Signage where each letter is a different font and in wacky color patterns seemed to be a BIG favorite in 90's and early 2000's malls. Saw this same nonsense at Katy Mills back when they opened in 1999.
This place looks like it has declined even more since Dan Bell's video. Im fairly certain my local dead (now demolished) mall Rolling Acres did have a Parisian store when it first opened in the 70s.
I don't ever recall Rolling Acres had a Parisian, from what I researched about that mall online. They were in other Ohio malls, but I don't think Rolling Acres was one of the OH malls they had a store at.
I buy everything online except building material. I started in the early 2000's. The lady at the post office use to often say "you order a lot of stuff" I'd tell her that things are cheaper online.
Anthony - great job on this video, glad you got to go document this before whatever the future fate holds for this mall. Funny how much of the decor looks like some of the megaplex movie theaters here in Utah. Just wow! Media play, that takes me back..... surprised some of that signage is still intact. Great job!
Hey just to let you know Bass Pro is moving out of the mall. They have a new location that's nearing the end of construction and will be leaving once it's done.
How close is Bass to moving out of this mall? I had been hearing this rumor for a while, and am extremely surprised they haven't already moved. I guess only because I'd been hearing that rumor, for at least 2-3 years that they were planning a new location? Like I wonder if there's an exact month or at least estimated season(i.e. winter 2017-18), when they'll move out?
They were supposed to open in West Chester sometime this year but I don't know what happened. I drove by the construction site the other day and they still have a sign out so maybe the opening is just delayed.
Why Forest Park and Fairfield? For a mall this size, you needed it around Indian Hill or Blue Ash. People on this side of town really do not have the money to spend. Then you had young gangs trying to gain some footing. Riff-raff are working on taking down Northgate now. They need to tear the mall down. It would be useless to try to convert. The rent for offices or apartments would have to kept low, and that would bring in more crime to an area already fighting to keep from being overrun.
Jeffrey Hueseman Florence is not too bad. The mom and pop flea market stores drops the value though. I am okay with mom and pop stores offering services like tailoring and so on, however when you get campy flea market places, it brings the value down. Sometimes an empty store front is better than a flea market shop. They offer lower rent which takes away value from the mall. A better store is not going to want a dive shop as a neighbor. Kenwood does good and yes, it is expensive to shop there, however it is a true mall. Malls were never meant to be cheap. Cheap is Wal-Mart.
Its less the money, and more time. It simply takes more time to go to the mall, and when you have a job, you just dont have the time to shop. With online shoping being convient, and often cheaper, it is online shopping, even if it has to do with money, since buying something online is usually cheaper than in a store, since stores can limit your choices and hike prices.
Bigger than that, it was that they overbuilt the space. There were going to be winners and losers. Some chains just weren't going to succeed in the long term. Yet they built enough leasable space to support the idea that the retail sector would always be as big as it was in, say, 1985 or so. And then big-box retail played a role, too. A big-box store offers the same opportunity to do everything in one trip ... with the added opportunity to get some things you need (like, groceries) as well as what you want, not have to deal with escalators and elevators, carry stuff around in a cart or basket, pay for everything at the same time *and* park closer to the store. Malls might not have seen online retail coming. But they had every opportunity to see big-box coming (as did the creators of regional malls, many of which (unlike this one) are still going strong) and did nothing to adapt.
Um ... I really didn't post any numbers, and I *agree* with you. If online sales were the *only* reason for dead malls, you'd see similarly vacated strip malls, and big-box stores suffering just as badly. But you don't. Malls, as I said, were and are about buying things you *want*. Not basic everyday needs. Walmart and Target today offer you the opportunity to get some of what you might otherwise have gone to the mall for, as well as your groceries, with a couple of ways to make the trip easier that malls can't offer.
Online shopping is a factor but I do think the recession was the biggest factor. With the economy improving we shall see what happens in the next 2 years. The problem with this mall was over saturation. It was close to 2 other malls. you don;t need 3 malls all within 7-8 miles of one another.
That would be so awesome to have this complex turned into a place for thousands of homeless to put their lives together. A job coaching, classes and career training center and a homeless shelter combined would be so fantastic. Plus that would be giving back to the hurting population versus gaining profit.
While I love your idea that would cost lots of money. And you'd have a hard time coming up with sustainable funding and even if the surrounding community would want that there.
@@s70driver2005 For sure there are many hurdles. Homeless shelters have to go somewhere. It's just a fact. No one wants them in their You would think renovating an existing structure is cheaper than building new but maybe that isn't true. I am always hearing that it is overall cheaper to house the homeless than just let them be outside.We, as a society, need to start taking care of each other more.
There was an excess of malls. Yes, there are memories attached to them, but malls aren't museums. They were there to turn a profit and people have moved on. Some malls have had the foresight to innovate and combine residential and commercial usage to allow for easier pedestrian access. So, it's nice to reminis, but let's not cry over this.
that broken bench near entrence 2 is still there. i stopped by yesterday and there were lots of mall walkers. the only way to enter the mall is through entrence 2 and parking garage lower entrance. i seen 1 security guard talking on the phone on a segway. i also seen a lady sweeping up random parts of the floor. there are plenty of holes in the celings thus ruining the floors. even more of the lighting is burnt out.
The mall should hold up well. I don't think it has ever flooded over the years. Tropical storm Allison in 2001 was considered a worst case scenario flood and the mall was ok during that event of over 20 inches of rain.
I go to Bass Pro and that's really all there is. Even it's getting ready to move but no one really knows when. Sure I remember when it was new and amazing. I took the kids there it was more fun and could kill time better there than at stuffy Kenwood mall. But times change I think we grew out of just hanging around a place time got to valuable . To bad I'd love to sit in the food court having Sabarro and fries and just take in the crowd. Oh wait my fav game is open!
A real blunder to lose 3 anchors at the same time. Scottsdale used to have one of those Sakowitz stores at Camelview Plaza. Not surprisingly, it closed in the 80s because of this mall's debacle. The space spent some time as a Dillard's Women's while the Diamond's Dillard's purchased to enter AZ operated as a men's location until the new Dillard's anchor opened adjacent to the old Diamond's in 1990. The old Sakowitz was shuttered until Neiman Marcus opened in 1992 and Camelview Plaza and Scottsdale Fashion Square (now converted into an multi-level indoor mall) were connected by a 2 story mall bridge crossing the new Goldwater Blvd. Camelview Plaza itself would mostly be gutted and merged with the old Bullock's and become the nation's single largest Dillard's.
The mall is just too large, I can't imagine what the property taxes would be. Unfortunately to say, all signs point to this mall being torn down. No one wants to pick up the debt on it, it's so large that renovating it would cost billions, there are 2 other malls nearby, the rise of online shopping is hurting all malls across the country. While there are no current plans to tear down the mall that seems like it's ultimate fate as it becomes a hazard as structural integrity declines. Last time I went there were more security guards in the area than actual people walking around the mall.
Great job on this video! I hope you able to get to Jamestown Mall in the Saint Louis area, even if the reports are true that it has been sealed up since(summer 2014, I visited in spring of that year). Maybe you can at least film a video of the outside of that mall? Also nice idea, in getting Jack Thomas to do some narration on the history of this mall. Any updates if Bass Pro Shops is going to move out of this mall? For a while I heard rumors they were planning to move somewhere else in the Cincy area, and I wouldn't be surprised if they're still trying to do that in the future. I'm also surprised Kohl's didn't choose to close this store, back when that company did a small round of store closings in mid-2016. Including at Charlestowne Mall/The Quad in Saint Charles, IL. I agree losing Bass would probably be the biggest death blow to this mall, if that ever occurred. Not that it isn't already all but totally dead except for people visiting the anchor stores and likely not walking the inside of this mall, and the few people who walk inside this mall to visit its arcade.
It's sad that malls were the rage back then it was a great way to get out of the house take the kids to wear them out , hang out with your friends, do some shopping whatever. But the economy happened, Amazon hit, jobs going overseas, stores closing & people didn't have much money anymore, everyone was cutting down, & actually buying products online so now only a handful of malls are still in business. I know there are other reasons why malls are dying a slow death besides what I just mentioned.
So many memories of this place from 89 to 92. It was my summer playground while my mom was working there.
This mall was so cool when I was a little kid. I miss the movie theater especially. 😭
My Mom passed away in 2017, when I was going through her stuff I found a Parisian receipt from Forest Fair in her jewelry box. Brought back a lot of great memories.
I remember this mall when I lived in Fairfield back in the late 80s early 90s. I went there often to shop at Biggs and Parisian and the other anchor stores. I enjoyed shopping at Biggs...all those check out lanes...huge store......they ought to install Pickleball courts for play in the winter time....
I live right down the street from this mall. I remember when it was on it's prime in the late 80s and 90s it was amazing!!! My teenage years and young adult years spent in that mall!! Since its gone down hill its sad. Its still such a beautiful mall and was very cool when it was thriving!
I hate being an old 40 year old now but I’m so glad I was a kid in the 80s and early 90s and got to experience the malls in their heyday. It was SO fun to hang out with friends in the arcade and browse all of the stores. I’d even make friends with the people who worked in the stores, it really felt like a community. I sure miss those days.
I loved doing some window shopping in those shopping malls and visiting department store scent counters to sample several different kinds of scents since I love stuff that smell nice.😊🌹💓
The mall interior looks like 1990s Nickelodeon exploded all over it. I can't believe it's still open with *nobody* in it; it's really sad to see such a place just waste away.
Ohmynostalgiaparts.exe
Fixy Clary so true LOL!!
Fixy Clary omg! So true. This mall does look like the old 90s Nickelodeon studios. I was waiting for one of the decorations to shoot out green slime.
Seriously, that interior is way too good to be this empty. Such a shame it's going to waste like that...
Fixy Clary to be fair, I've been to a couple of other Mills malls and they ALL look like that 😂
There's no reason these magnificent architectural structures should be abandoned and destroyed. There should be bars and restaurants in these places( like an indoor Bourbon Street). Maybe they can be mixed use facilities with doctors offices. Dead Malls are fascinating because 25 years ago, no one imagined they'd die like this. Malls are nice, big cavernous structures to walk around in and were usually decorated quite nicely during the holidays
Russell Seilhamer they did have something like that until they shut it down to do the remodel.
Funny that area inside was called bourbon street
Going to this mall was the most invigorating thing I've ever experienced. After a 5 hour drive, I sat eating in a bob evans right outside the mall practically ready to explode with excitement with the fact that I had my eyes on this beast. I almost dropped dead when I stepped foot in the mall, the size, the dead silence, and 2 hard months planning for the trip, not believing that I had set foot in this massive, desolate structure. A lot of my friends had a good time telling me that they didn't care and thought driving 5 hours to see an "abandoned piece of shit" was a huge waste of time. They can look at pictures all they want of dead malls and think they are just big, empty, buildings, but once they walk in one, I can guarantee that their jaws would drop to the floor and their eyes would triple in size.
I saw that video you made. I also subbed! I'm going to be able to get down there in early October and am very excited about the chance to make a video there. Keep up the good content though!
Thank you!
BrandonMoretti I'd go with you to this place.
Now that I'm back in Pittsburgh, I want to go to C3 at some point.
Better hurry! They lost another store last month and Spencer's is closing at the end of September.
Hey Anthony. I live in Dayton, Ohio, and I checked this mall out after seeing Dan Bell's video. I was stunned when I walked inside as to how big, empty, and eerie it is. I happened to be there on a cloudy day so it was really dark inside. When I finally got to where Arcade legacy was, it finally went from quiet, to the sounds of a mall in the 90's when I was a kid growing up. It was such an eerie experience. Arcade Legacy is awesome and totally worth the trip to see a MASSIVE dead mall and to play some retro arcade games.
Anyways, nice video. I think anyone and everyone should check that place out. It is not abandoned, but it sure feels like it is. It just has such a weird feeling walking around in it. Almost like your a lone survivor of some Apocalypse. But once again, nice video.
Mark Stephens yes Arcade Legacy is rad and when this mall was up and running it was arcade heaven everywhere! Lazer tag, virtual reality all that stuff. Good times!
I also live in Dayton, Ohio small world lol
WOW! That info sign is the most 90's thing I have seen all week.
its more 2000s
I got to visit this mall for the first time (and unfortunately probably last time) yesterday. The crazy thing was there was a fighting game tournament going on! It was cool to see some life in a sea of abandonment.
Geez. It's like stepping back in time to the late 80s/early 1990s. From those hanging signs to the floors/carpeting, the walls...all very much a product of the era the mall was built.
So sad to see it almost completely abandoned by business, but surprising it is still open to the public. Definitely would be cool to walk through for a nostalgic feeling.
And wow...Media Play...haven't seen anything to do with them since the early 2000s.
I loved going there as a kid in the 90s. There was a VR arcade at one point and is the first and only time I got to play it. Good times.
Just about the Best Dead Mall video EVER!!!! And I decided that in the first 4 minutes: the news footage from the 80s about the opening of this mall and its early days made it a true documentary. The wordless walkthrough gave you the weird tingles that you watch these videos for and the story behind the rise and quick fall of this mall from the Deadmalls.com guy told me just what I always want to know when watching these videos, i.e. What were they thinking? Why didn't it work? What stages of success and failure did it go through along the way to disaster and when did it finally start to go hell for good? Truly a professional job. Please - be sure and get some risky post-closure footage to append onto the end of it to make a 2nd edition of this video when it's possible, and you'll truly have the greatest dead mall video online.
Rodney Kingston wow thanks so much for that!
I hate that people always compare you to dan! Both of you guys make very great videos, I just don't see why people always have to compare. Keep up the amazing work Ace!
Best one yet. Mall history like this is something that has to be viewed and preserved.
Forest fair in the 90s was the place to be... ton of memories ✊🏽
reminds me of another super mall that's gone. Randall Park Mall in Cleveland. I actually liked shopping at malls instead of online . I like to see what I am buying before buying it. And take it home right thee instead of waiting for shipping. lol I guess that makes me an old dinosaur.
Late, VERY late, but I am so glad I'm not alone in that regard!
Me2... Im only 43. I still go to the mall.
I remember going here when I was a little boy, I thought it was the coolest place ever.
Oh my heart.... 😢the nostalgia rush I just got.. I remember this place. I know it's just a big building but I remember going here in 90s when I was in high school. Me and my friends had so much fun. It felt so alive with lots of people and stuff to do. I had no idea it fell on hard times so quick. I can't stand seeing these place slowly dying and disappearing.
I absolutely love this (dead) mall, it's so quiet and different, there's a retro arcade there called Arcade Legacy. I go there with my friends a lot and it's so fun. Also, Arcade Legacy isn't sporadically open as you said! There also is security present in the mall, I got in trouble with one of the guards for being in the main part of the mall after 9:00PM.
I absolutely love THOSE tiny Dormer windows in the roof, so NEAT! Plus those shiny wooden floor areas as well.
What you did with the Cheri Cheri Lady song was so amazing with the Mall environment. I want more! I love New Wave and some Disco Italo as well. Nice job!! :)
Great video as always. It's errie to see a place so big be so empty. Just by looking at the mall it has a 90's look to it. No matter what happens to this place it is persevered thanks to dead mall enthusiast such as yourself. Thanx for preserving what may not be around much longer.
I'm a mall rat myself it saddens me to see what is happening to the malls nationwide the mills malls have a quirky beauty to them ,I've been to the Arizona mills mall and it has a quirky beauty to it too, keep up the good work and I look forward to more mall videos from your channel!
I've mentioned this on another video about this mall but this building (which looks immaculate for a dead mall) should be repurposed into a corporate headquarter or a community college complex. It just seems like an extreme waste to tear it down when it comes to that.
Nicely done Anthony. Your hard work on that video really shows!
The many memories I have from when Biggs was there and coming as a child with my mom to grocery store that’s when everyone would go. Then as a teenager getting drop off to walk around and the game place that was their. Halloween they had a haunted house . So many memories sad to see it look like this now.
This mall would be great if it had some hotels attached and maybe turned into a convention center. Maybe a places to hold weddings and wedding receptions?
I live in Cincinnati, and I remember when this mall first opened in the late 80s. It was AWESOME! It had an amusement park in the middle of the mall and it was THE place to be on the weekends. It's changed hands a few times and slowly started to lose anchor stores, then regular retail. It's so sad to see it empty because it really is a beautiful mall. I don't understand why it didn't prosper. Its in the northern suburbs, off a very busy highway. It was called "Forest Fair" mall because half of the mall is in Forest Park and half is in Fairfield. There's actually a line painted through the parking lot that shows the division. As of today (5/09/19) the only tenants still there are Outdoor World and I think Kohl's. However, the mall is still open to mall walkers daily.
8:43 - The comment about it having competition from Kenwood Towne Center is doubtful. KTC wasn't exactly "nearby"....it was 20 miles away and catered to a completely different demographic. Kenwood is an upscale suburb of Cincinnati. Doctors, lawyers, businessmen...that type. Forest Fair Mall straddled two very blue-collar working communities. Shoppers at one just wouldn't go to the other.
Great job on this video! Loved seeing the history, crazy that this huge mall is basically done for.
Awesome video, this is a really cool mall with the unique decor.
LOVE UR BUICK POST HEAD!
I also just remembered they had a bunch of themed small clubs under one roof in there called Metropolis. It was fun to go there in my 20s.
This is really a sad dead mall!
This is really one of the Best videos you have put together!
This is such a beautiful vibrant mall... I hope it comes back to life!
I saw your video one night and wanted to show it to someone a few weeks later. I typed in deadmalls and a lot of channels came up. I had told the person that this video was interesting, full of history and information. We ended up watching 3 videos from 3 channels, including the big one, who only walked around and commented on the malls present state and asthetics. It was all very boring. I found this video again and it's by far the best, no contest. Keep doing what you're doing and I'll keep watching.
thanks so much!
I worked at B. Altman, getting the store ready before it opened. My how the mighty have fallen!!!
B Altman was not around very long from what I remember. It was a very ice store like Parisian and Sakowitz. I mainly went to Parisian and Biggs when I went out to the mall when I lived in Fairfield back in the late 80s to early 90s. I lived in the Cincinnati metro area for nearly 9 years. I moved to Georgia in 1995. It was a very nice mall. It was huge and I wore out easily because so much walking...I was in my early 20s then. They should convert it to mixed use space....with indoor Pickleball courts. I live in Georgia now. The Macon Mall will be turned into a mixed use facility with indoor Pickleball courts etc....We will see how well that goes over..
The arcade is quite active and the workers there were really respectable.
Thanks, I am binge watching your vids as I am laid up with a bad back and they are well done and interesting with the back history.
I work right next door to this place. I, to this day, have no idea how this place is still open to the public beyond Bass Pro, Babies R Us and Kohls.
I remember this mall as a kid. Rarely went there, as we tended to go to Tri County Mall 2 exits to the east on 275 (there was an Ames, Zayre, Gold Circle, and Service Merchandise in Tri County in addition to the mall), but I liked Forest Fair's Time Out on the Court.
A beautiful mausoleum for retailing dreams. Very effective and well done video.
I practically watched North Hills Mall in North Richland Hills, TX die in the mid-2000's. It's long since been demolished.
$1.7 Billion in debt! That's insane, it's more like a Billion dollar mistake. This place is a disaster.
Sounds like it was starting to do halfway decent in the 2000's until they closed the interior to remodel it again and totally screw what little they had?
Dennis W I went there a few weeks ago, there were only three or four businesses left there. Kohl’s, Arcade Legacy, Beadventurous and bass pro and fishing shops! there were a lot of people at the Arcade Legacy including me! We had a fun time. But there were those janitor bucket things under all the ceilings to catch dripping water and the signs looks so 1990s and sun damaged
Used that mall's parking lot to teach my wife to drive - it was big enough with all the features that would be involved with Ohio Driving Test. During that time, never had contact with mall security, even when we spent hours at a time work on the cone test.
I did some work at the Media Play in the 2000's. It seemed pretty busy at the time. Interesting history.
It's interesting to see how it all fell apart when it comes to shopping malls. It's a shame, because I used to walk through here a lot.
I really enjoyed this video, and the delivery.
Personally I think I'd take this place over to turn it into a series of film studios. But a guy can dream...
Forest Fair never stood a chance. It was two exits from Northgate Mall, and two exits from Tri County Mall. Both were well established, and in better neighborhoods (arguably). Sad thing is, now days Northgate and Tri County are on their last legs as well. The only decent mall is Kenwood.
Worked at this odd structure three times during the 90's, there were two huge sections of this mall that never even saw a tenant in its history. With massive display windows and huge entrances, the "build it they will come" philosophy on full display. Worked late nights at a Buffalo Wild Wings and me and the chick I worked with that became my girlfriend would walk these halls in the dead quiet of night and the place is creepy as hell in that setting. If DEAD MALLS are your thing, this place has to be a Mecca.
I came across your TH-cam channel tonight after seeing someone on Twitter mention it, and have spent the past few hours watching a few of your videos. Amazing job on documenting the malls! It’s heartbreaking to see the loss of these buildings and how many jobs have been lost due to so many store closures and mall closures. Being a former mall rat who not only hung out at two of our local malls (Lehigh Valley Mall and Whitehall Mall), but also worked (from 1998-2001) in both malls as well as Montgomery Mall, it took me back to the fond memories of when I worked there. We have several malls in my area who are trying to revitalize to stay open: South Mall, Westgate Mall, and Whitehall Mall are the main ones I hope stay open. They were a big part of my childhood and would hate to see them close. Lehigh Valley Mall seems to be doing good still, though I hated how they pushed out so many of the local, privately owned stores (which helped make the mall unique) and jacked up rent for those spots and brought in big chain stores. It always seemed like every larger mall had the same exact stores in every mall, which began to become extremely boring. Nothing that made each mall unique, all cookie cutter like.
I wish you were around about 18-19 years ago doing this! Though not a dead mall, but the closing of a dying local department store that was a huge part of Allentown, PA’s history! The main Hess’s Department store on 9th & Hamilton Streets in downtown Allentown. The building is unfortunately, no longer there, but it played a magical part of the lives of us who grew up while it was still here. There is even an Arcadia Publishing book about Hess’s. The store was a stop for many celebrities throughout the years, mainly for their World famous Hess’s Patio Restaurant Mile High Strawberry Pie. There just something just magical about that place! Just the sheer grandeur and glamor of the store decor could take you back to the place in time where things were simpler. Unfortunately, that ended in 2010 when the store closed for good and was later demolished. The store was so loved by locals, that there are several FB groups where we go to reminisce about that amazing store. Hess’s items, ranging from employee pins, menus, even empty boxes with the store logo have become highly collectible now. I miss that store so much. I think you would have had an amazing time documenting that store.
Pretty unique mall. Messed up with the second remodel.
I'd like to see this on the Southland Mall in Marion, Ohio. Had a decent sized mall for a town that size full of national chain stores. A few stores left as of a few years ago.
Wow this mall was loaded with stores. Such a shame to see how it is now.
Amazon has acquired Whole Foods Markets giving them a foothold in brick and mortar retail. Amazon announced that Amazon Prime will be Whole Foods customer reward program where Prime members will have for the first time, offline benefits in Whole Foods stores.
The fact that I remember getting my ears pierced in that Claire’s and playing in wonderpark as a kid
This is an AWESOME quintessential 80s-90s mall. I think it’s incredible. This one makes me extra sad.
in the early 90s I actually went to this mall with my family they had an arcade and rides as well as a movie theater it was my favorite mall because there was so much to do
The slowed down "Cheri Cheri Lady" song was the creepiest thing.
I was weak cracking up @ that!🤣🤣 HILARIOUS, HILARIOUS!
Scary to see at the sad sights that many malls have become over the years.
Great collab! This was rather sad and eerie to watch but I loved it nonetheless.
Ace this was your best video yet.
1000 years from now specially trained Mallologists will go through these ruins like Egyptologists do today wondering if there are ancient kings or secret chambers hidden behind the the rusted JC Penneys sign, and they will wonder, who was this mighty ruler to possess so many fine rooms in his palace and what was his relationship with King Bath & Bodyworks. Were they friends? Rivals? We may never know.
I live a half hour from this mall over in Northern Kentucky, so going to this mall was something I was wanting to do for awhile. I remember going in there a few times with my family, shopping at Biggs, catching a movie, and riding the roller coaster at the infamous WonderPark. It had been 11 years since I was last there and I really wanted to see how far this place has fallen. I finally got to go with a couple of friends two weeks ago. Besides a handful of mall walkers, a couple large families, and some old people sitting at the "food court", the mall was completely dead silent. Some of the candy dispensers toward where Biggs used to be were broken into. There is still candy in there from God knows how long ago. The Biggs entrance was sealed off by a wall, I wonder how bad of condition it is on the other side. Also as you could imagine the AC was down to a bare minimum. I have no idea how long the owners are planning to keep it open, but with relatively well-off Northgate Mall and Tri County Mall both being about 3 miles away, in the midst of the Retail Apocalypse, they are fooling themselves if they think they can revive that mall.
Congratulations on your first production. Excellent!
I feel sad while viewing this. "Just another dream over the dam."
The orange flying pigs adorning the gazebo there at 9:55 are/were Cincinnati's adopted motif. Not just a random farm animal.
T-shirt idea: "Dead Mall Walking."
( Royalty remitted to me: $1.25 per shirt sold. )
a lot of these malls, have seen better days for sure, what is sad about this one is it really still looks nice and could be welcoming of customers and shops with little to no maintenance!
You really can't blame online shopping for this mall's demise. The surrounding area, particularly in the late 80's/early 90's was not full of affluent families. The area was primarily comprised of middle- and working-class families. The largest store in the mall was Bigg's, which was a grocery store with a some retail. Higher-end stores, like Parisian and Bonwit Teller weren't going to thrive in ths market.
What many would also be shocked to know is that there was another popular mall (Tri-County Mall) about 5-6 miles east and another mall, Northgate Mall, about 7-8 miles west. Both of these malls were also on bus lines. Though not booming, these two malls are also still going today.
0:06 I'm shocked that Amazon Prime is in half of US households!
Hubjeep Maybe Amazon Prime plus home addresses that have taken an Amazon delivery combined. 50% Prime membership seems high.
Doesn't matter. Online shopping only accounts for 8% of over all retail sales, even today.
Hubjeep yea but it sucks, I want to cancel it but I cant
That may include supermarket shopping. But I would bet a much greater percentage of electronics for example are purchased online. Nearly all of my auto parts are purchased at rockauto.com for example. All my groceries are purchased at the local supermarket.
No it doesn't. cause super markets are not retail outlets.
I think this mall looks great, like it would be loads of fun.
Art Howard it was a fucking blast back in the day!!
Go there all the time. Uncle put in the HVAC. Back in the early 90s. I got the comic the Broken Bat. When Bane Broke the bat. It’s Ironic to me. Kinda of like peering into fate.
Last time I was this early was when Kmart was thriving
Wildogg55 *Osh Kosh
Signage where each letter is a different font and in wacky color patterns seemed to be a BIG favorite in 90's and early 2000's malls. Saw this same nonsense at Katy Mills back when they opened in 1999.
This place looks like it has declined even more since Dan Bell's video. Im fairly certain my local dead (now demolished) mall Rolling Acres did have a Parisian store when it first opened in the 70s.
I don't ever recall Rolling Acres had a Parisian, from what I researched about that mall online. They were in other Ohio malls, but I don't think Rolling Acres was one of the OH malls they had a store at.
Thought this was a Dan Bell video for a second. Actually a pretty modern looking mall though.
I buy everything online except building material. I started in the early 2000's. The lady at the post office use to often say "you order a lot of stuff" I'd tell her that things are cheaper online.
Anthony - great job on this video, glad you got to go document this before whatever the future fate holds for this mall. Funny how much of the decor looks like some of the megaplex movie theaters here in Utah. Just wow! Media play, that takes me back..... surprised some of that signage is still intact. Great job!
This decor is ... wow! Weirdest I've ever seen. Great video Ant!
I guess the phrase"tone it down" wasn't mentioned during the meetings to discuss the color scheme. Great history lesson on this mall by the way.
Hey just to let you know Bass Pro is moving out of the mall. They have a new location that's nearing the end of construction and will be leaving once it's done.
How close is Bass to moving out of this mall? I had been hearing this rumor for a while, and am extremely surprised they haven't already moved. I guess only because I'd been hearing that rumor, for at least 2-3 years that they were planning a new location? Like I wonder if there's an exact month or at least estimated season(i.e. winter 2017-18), when they'll move out?
They were supposed to open in West Chester sometime this year but I don't know what happened. I drove by the construction site the other day and they still have a sign out so maybe the opening is just delayed.
They haven’t started construction on the new Bass Pro due to the acquisition of Cabellas. They would have stores located within a mile of themselves.
Do what we in Europe do: convert it it into housing, with dental/doctor/offices/pharmacy and some takeout restaurants..
Why Forest Park and Fairfield? For a mall this size, you needed it around Indian Hill or Blue Ash. People on this side of town really do not have the money to spend. Then you had young gangs trying to gain some footing. Riff-raff are working on taking down Northgate now. They need to tear the mall down. It would be useless to try to convert. The rent for offices or apartments would have to kept low, and that would bring in more crime to an area already fighting to keep from being overrun.
Heidi Pogner-Schultz Northgate Mall sucks and the only thriving mall we have in the tri-state is TriCounty Mall
Susie Moonwalker Florence Mall tries.
Jeffrey Hueseman Florence is not too bad. The mom and pop flea market stores drops the value though. I am okay with mom and pop stores offering services like tailoring and so on, however when you get campy flea market places, it brings the value down. Sometimes an empty store front is better than a flea market shop. They offer lower rent which takes away value from the mall. A better store is not going to want a dive shop as a neighbor. Kenwood does good and yes, it is expensive to shop there, however it is a true mall. Malls were never meant to be cheap. Cheap is Wal-Mart.
tricounty is far from thriving. Kenwood is the only mall the is always packed.
Very practical and reasoned. I agree it should be razed. Still sad situation though
i still refuse to believe online shopping is the reason. The REASON is because people dont have the money in their pockets anymore.
Its less the money, and more time. It simply takes more time to go to the mall, and when you have a job, you just dont have the time to shop. With online shoping being convient, and often cheaper, it is online shopping, even if it has to do with money, since buying something online is usually cheaper than in a store, since stores can limit your choices and hike prices.
Bigger than that, it was that they overbuilt the space. There were going to be winners and losers. Some chains just weren't going to succeed in the long term. Yet they built enough leasable space to support the idea that the retail sector would always be as big as it was in, say, 1985 or so.
And then big-box retail played a role, too. A big-box store offers the same opportunity to do everything in one trip ... with the added opportunity to get some things you need (like, groceries) as well as what you want, not have to deal with escalators and elevators, carry stuff around in a cart or basket, pay for everything at the same time *and* park closer to the store.
Malls might not have seen online retail coming. But they had every opportunity to see big-box coming (as did the creators of regional malls, many of which (unlike this one) are still going strong) and did nothing to adapt.
Um ... I really didn't post any numbers, and I *agree* with you. If online sales were the *only* reason for dead malls, you'd see similarly vacated strip malls, and big-box stores suffering just as badly. But you don't.
Malls, as I said, were and are about buying things you *want*. Not basic everyday needs. Walmart and Target today offer you the opportunity to get some of what you might otherwise have gone to the mall for, as well as your groceries, with a couple of ways to make the trip easier that malls can't offer.
People have the money
Online shopping is a factor but I do think the recession was the biggest factor. With the economy improving we shall see what happens in the next 2 years. The problem with this mall was over saturation. It was close to 2 other malls. you don;t need 3 malls all within 7-8 miles of one another.
This has to be the most depressing one I’ve seen yet.
It's too bad the communities don't buy these malls and turn it into a homeless shelter or something else useful
That would be so awesome to have this complex turned into a place for thousands of homeless to put their lives together. A job coaching, classes and career training center and a homeless shelter combined would be so fantastic. Plus that would be giving back to the hurting population versus gaining profit.
While I love your idea that would cost lots of money. And you'd have a hard time coming up with sustainable funding and even if the surrounding community would want that there.
@@s70driver2005 For sure there are many hurdles. Homeless shelters have to go somewhere. It's just a fact. No one wants them in their You would think renovating an existing structure is cheaper than building new but maybe that isn't true. I am always hearing that it is overall cheaper to house the homeless than just let them be outside.We, as a society, need to start taking care of each other more.
There was an excess of malls. Yes, there are memories attached to them, but malls aren't museums. They were there to turn a profit and people have moved on. Some malls have had the foresight to innovate and combine residential and commercial usage to allow for easier pedestrian access. So, it's nice to reminis, but let's not cry over this.
that broken bench near entrence 2 is still there. i stopped by yesterday and there were lots of mall walkers. the only way to enter the mall is through entrence 2 and parking garage lower entrance. i seen 1 security guard talking on the phone on a segway. i also seen a lady sweeping up random parts of the floor. there are plenty of holes in the celings thus ruining the floors. even more of the lighting is burnt out.
Ace, when are you planning on going to the San Jacinto Mall? Hopefully not this weekend because of the potential for flooding in the area.
The mall should hold up well. I don't think it has ever flooded over the years. Tropical storm Allison in 2001 was considered a worst case scenario flood and the mall was ok during that event of over 20 inches of rain.
This mall is not even 30 years old and it falling under the massive round of closers.... It is not just the malls suffering from massive closures....
Entertainment Central as soon as it was built, it was in decline. The north side of the Cincinnati beltway was oversaturated with malls.
literally my FAVORITE mall
2:14 Correction: One movie theater with eight screens
I go to Bass Pro and that's really all there is. Even it's getting ready to move but no one really knows when. Sure I remember when it was new and amazing. I took the kids there it was more fun and could kill time better there than at stuffy Kenwood mall. But times change I think we grew out of just hanging around a place time got to valuable . To bad I'd love to sit in the food court having Sabarro and fries and just take in the crowd. Oh wait my fav game is open!
Yes! Im so happy u went there!
A real blunder to lose 3 anchors at the same time. Scottsdale used to have one of those Sakowitz stores at Camelview Plaza. Not surprisingly, it closed in the 80s because of this mall's debacle. The space spent some time as a Dillard's Women's while the Diamond's Dillard's purchased to enter AZ operated as a men's location until the new Dillard's anchor opened adjacent to the old Diamond's in 1990. The old Sakowitz was shuttered until Neiman Marcus opened in 1992 and Camelview Plaza and Scottsdale Fashion Square (now converted into an multi-level indoor mall) were connected by a 2 story mall bridge crossing the new Goldwater Blvd. Camelview Plaza itself would mostly be gutted and merged with the old Bullock's and become the nation's single largest Dillard's.
I remember going to this mall a couple times and it's 2019 and there's virtually no one in there
I used to go to Bourbon Street in the 90's at Forest Fair Mall...lol
Opening a mall after 1988 was a risky endeavor.
The mall is just too large, I can't imagine what the property taxes would be. Unfortunately to say, all signs point to this mall being torn down. No one wants to pick up the debt on it, it's so large that renovating it would cost billions, there are 2 other malls nearby, the rise of online shopping is hurting all malls across the country. While there are no current plans to tear down the mall that seems like it's ultimate fate as it becomes a hazard as structural integrity declines. Last time I went there were more security guards in the area than actual people walking around the mall.
This place has the same look as the Lincoln Mall and two other malls you have been too. Plus it resembles the Mall of Georgia.
I'm going to guess that these other malls were once Mills properties. This is the Mills look.
Great job on this video! I hope you able to get to Jamestown Mall in the Saint Louis area, even if the reports are true that it has been sealed up since(summer 2014, I visited in spring of that year). Maybe you can at least film a video of the outside of that mall? Also nice idea, in getting Jack Thomas to do some narration on the history of this mall.
Any updates if Bass Pro Shops is going to move out of this mall? For a while I heard rumors they were planning to move somewhere else in the Cincy area, and I wouldn't be surprised if they're still trying to do that in the future. I'm also surprised Kohl's didn't choose to close this store, back when that company did a small round of store closings in mid-2016. Including at Charlestowne Mall/The Quad in Saint Charles, IL. I agree losing Bass would probably be the biggest death blow to this mall, if that ever occurred. Not that it isn't already all but totally dead except for people visiting the anchor stores and likely not walking the inside of this mall, and the few people who walk inside this mall to visit its arcade.
It's sad that malls were the rage back then it was a great way to get out of the house take the kids to wear them out , hang out with your friends, do some shopping whatever. But the economy happened, Amazon hit, jobs going overseas, stores closing & people didn't have much money anymore, everyone was cutting down, & actually buying products online so now only a handful of malls are still in business. I know there are other reasons why malls are dying a slow death besides what I just mentioned.