I have a feeling it was Walmarts desire to not be attached to the mall. They probably realized the mall was a lost cause even had they been attached to it and didn't want the future burden of being stuck on an empty vacant relic.
There weren't any customers to take. The place was dead long before the Wal-Mart was built. Not attaching it just meant the customers it did attract didn't do a lot to help the rest of the mall.
I personally haven't shopped at a Walmart or Amazon in 2-3 years, their quality is just so low and panders to the cheapest quality stuff. It's for those people who live way above their means and have to pay for cheaper stuff. I'm not a snob either, I would just rather pay a bit more for better quality. I find myself going to Target, Safeway, and ordering from Ebay a lot more often.
cheese noodle yes I sure do! Thank you for that memory. The thing I remember the most is a little corner of the mall called The Alley, it was dimly lit with a bunch of neon lights I miss that so much.
Heath Vance I loved going to this mall growing up. I remember the ice staking rink and The Alley. It sad to see what it’s become from how amazing it used to be.
omg i remember that arcade, when i was a kid it seemed endless! they had soo many games and a mini-bowling alley! sad that there don't seem to be any photos from that time of the big downstairs arcade online
Man, I love that "Second Level Elevator" signage! Am I the only one, who'd love to buy an old mall like this and convert it into apartments but keep the 70's / 80's mall vibe alive?
I owned a store in a mall in the 1990's and in the months before I closed it, this is what the mall looked like. That mall has been demolished for 8 years and had been closed for 3 years before that. Excellent video.
We owned a store in a mall too and had to close it because it was a dead mall. They now turned it into office buildings and district offices. Very sad because it was a second home.
I remember when there was a giant arcade below where the food court is, and then it continued to be busy after the Harkins took over that space. Metro used to be the mall I and all my friends hung out at, so this is a bit depressing.
So sad. Metrocenter was such a destination back in the 1970s-1990s. Agree with the comparison with Fiesta Mall. I love the aesthetics of these places, the Goldwaters entrance was a definite " Old Phoenix" vibe... Thanks for the video, it was brilliant!
I love the 90's! Also, Damn, that's really depressing, It's sad that so many malls are struggling, I still love going to stores and walking around and actually having something in my hand before buying it. That's why I tend to frequent the game shop at my mall, not the gamestop, even though they charge 20-30% more.
I'm glad you got to see the little Arcade. I had also totally forgotten about the Elevator in the old Macy's. It's so nice to have video's like these to archive these old malls. Keep up the awesome work. :)
In Mexico theres shopping malls like these and they are so crowded you bump into people.Theres a walmart inside,petter pipper,cinema,huge selection of food in the court food like chinese,mexican food,dominos pizza and even home depot is connected.Theres a few arcade games as well and people just keep shopping there because its fun and no one really buys online in Mexico
It's so sad how this mall declined badly. It's also sad too how Sears downsized and is now only 2 floors. I found it strange how Macy's never had an elevator. I've been there once and asked where the elevator was back in 2010 and was told the store does not have a passenger elevator. The old Rhodes Building is unique because it's the only store in all of AZ with a Vintage Glass Elevator. So sad how it's gonna get torn down soon.
The 80's ...definitely the "golden age" of super malls. This was the social center of the north metro area for 25 years. I can't count how many time I circled the loop around "Metro" cruising with EVERYBODY!.... Everyone says it's most like the internet social of it's day, but it WAS much more intense! There was a nervousness to it. Hundreds of people playing the classic 80's badass, put'n on a front, etc... Watch a John Hughes movie. This place defined our teen angst years. And yes, I skated the SHIZ outta that ice rink. Wore that biz out!
13:00 check out all the vintage games they have at the Castles & Coasters arcade next to Metro. They have a great collection of 80s & 90s arcade and pinball games.
Really sorry to see this, 45 years later. I remember when Metrocenter first opened in '73, *way, way* at the north end of town, in an old cabbage field directly to the west of that old, weird-looking Western Savings building. It was the largest shopping mall in the world at that time. There's a reason why there are gold tiles in front of that old Goldwater's store. I suspect some of us know that reason. Had you asked the Senator, he would have told you. In the early days, that mall didn't have those newfangled skylights. These days--why would you want to go out in traffic to a crowded mall when you can order pretty much everything you want to buy through Amazon?
When I moved to Arizona in 2009 my wife got a job at this mall. It is sad to see how much it has fallen since then. I was last here a few months ago to see Star Wars. Did not go into the mall itself.
I lived in Phoenix from 2013-2016 for college and I always enjoyed coming to this mall cause it was kind of a neat little getaway with pals to see a place so stuck in time. We usually did some mall walking then had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse across the street. Speaking to some of my professors, some of the teens back in the 80’s liked to drive around the circular road surrounding the mall. They called it “crusing metrocenter” if only the place was still that lively. Thank you for keeping tabs on this place!
There are two videos on youtube that shows what it looked like in the early 80's. Sad that there isn't any other footage or photo's of Metro from then through the 90's. It was a great place to hang out for teens from that time.
I just saw another documentary about 60,000 homeless people in Los Angeles, and a similar number in San Francisco. A mall in Rhode Island was successfully repurposed to create micro apartments for the poor. I wish they could use some of these empty retail spaces to help the homeless.
That's pretty cool to hear. Likewise in Atlantic city there are buildings that should have been converted. But who am I kidding? This place is a garbage pit.
Man, I always loved that glass elevator in Pennys when I was a kid. Also, as far as I remember, even though it was remodeled in 2007, some of the stuff, like the tile, was from the remodel prior to that. I was born in 1988 and this is the mall I grew up with, so I remember it was remodeled several times. Also, I miss the water show fountains that used to be beneath those round skylights at the corners.
It's almost painful to look at this. I'm not a native Zonie but I lived in Glendale for most of the 90s and Metrocenter was always crowded and busy all the time. It had such a huge array of stores in it. i guess I missed out on the ice rink, but the arcade they had below the food court was just awesome. The area around it was really cool too, I hope you do make some videos about it. Particularly I loved the Atomic Comics that used to be in the NW part, and I'd sometimes spend afternoons at the Public Library to the NE, reading new books as they came out. The whole area was a great place to go and have a good time. As it is, I'm watching a mall where I live now in WI going downhill about as fast. Like Metrocenter, it was bought with the intent of re-invigorating it. They actually kicked out stores that didn't match the "image" they're going for and just wallboarded all the empty stores so people wouldn't have to look at them. How the mighty have fallen.
I remember being a toddler and going to Metrocenter when it opened. One end had an ice skating rink, with a Farrel’s restaurant on the level above. The food court surrounded the level above the perimeter of the rink, so you could look down and watch the skaters while you ate. In the late 80’s and early 90’s the mall was still doing well: Disney Store, The Alley shops...so sad. Hanging out at the mall is what teenagers did.
This music, and the video and the.. A E S T H E T I C . . . Wonderful. "Human" is one of my favorite songs, great vaporwave cover. So good to hear. Love your videos man, seriously I look forward to all of them.
From what I am seeing open it is amazing they have as many customers walking around as they do? Like Fiesta Mall Sears is the last man standing. Other than Sears how many stores are left? 4 or 5 at most? Your video quality is good.
Chortle Chortle Chortle what is dude talking about?? Vape Shops are huge in 2019. It’s just the mom and pop ones we’re taking over by franchise locations.
@@JohnDoeRando fidget spinners are great for those with adhd, which is who they were designed for. My son has had his since 2012. But it is a tool, not a toy.
Love the camera, the recording is very smooth. I high key want one now haha. Also poor metrocenter lol I remember throughout high school when I would visit friends in that area, we would stop by and be in awe at how dead it was. We only came for the anime shop tbh they did some pretty good promo for themselves at past comicons
When my Oma visited us from Germany in ‘81 at Christmas time, my Dad drove all the way from Mesa to show her Metrocenter. They didn’t have anything like it in her part of Germany. She was overwhelmed. That’s one of my fondest memories from childhood.
Oh hey, I was in StRUT in the late 90s too! Ours kind of sucked though. Everybody just screwed around and did basically nothing. We did get to play with some antiquated broken computers at warehouses though.
Footage looks great. The Hero 6 is a great camera. You should also look into the GoPro Karma grip. It’s a nice electronic stabilizer grip for the camera.
You hit the nail on the head @ 7:50. Every dead mall that I've ever been to has a GNC that is STILL OPEN. I have no idea what it is about GNC stores and dead malls--it seems as if the only ones that I can find now are inside of a dead or dying mall.
Short answer: They have VERY long leases (as in the 10-20 YEAR range!), which means they get a discount on their lease payments and can operate with less sales (less money required to pay the business overhead) versus your typical mall store.
So sad to see a mall that one of my favorite movies was filmed in, is dying. Keep us updated on the progress as you can, things aren't looking good for the future of this mall.
aw man, Metrocenter. Last time I was there was like... 2006? Though I've been to the Barnes and Noble and Library nearby recently (pre-Walmart), just never went in to the mall. Might have to take a look again!
I actually work at a store in this mall, Unfortunately it does open at 12, it is unusually slow around 12-4 but after that it does get busy on Saturdays the store I work at actually makes really good Saturdays we usually make like $3,000 it may look slow but in all reality it just depends on what time during the day you
The camera work here is amazing! It was like actually being there. I was just reading about this mall last night. Such a sad site. It's a pretty mall too
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I remember hanging out at the metro center mall when I lived in phoenix in the 80's. I love the original architecture. Good work with your mall videos.
I worked at Just Pants 1973-1977. Upstairs kitty corner from Diamonds. My then boyfriend was a musician at Metrolounge.. an Airplane that bordered the ice rink by the food court. Really enjoyed this video. Thanks!
Keep using that camera in the future. I’ve been thinking about getting something similar myself. I use my phone to film but I end up filling it up to fast and with one of those go pro cameras you can swap the card. Also. I think I should go back there myself.
I have never been to this mall. I will have to see it before it closes. I do like your videos, thanks for sharing! It has really gone down hill since your last video that I watched. The sky lights are wonderful to look at too. Your camera is nice and I have a GoPro too and they are very nice to use.
Shame yo never had been to this mall. It was amazing. Shelves packed, you could hardly make your way through if you were carrying a bag. People watching was great. Companies used to even use this mall to run popular opinion surveys. i used to avoid it as it was always so crowded.
Love this. Thank you. I grew up in Phoenix and spent a LOT of time in this mall in the late 80's/very early 90's. At 10:30 - where the anime shop is shown - I'm pretty sure that this area looked a lot different ~1989/1990. I may be thinking of a different part of the mall, but I'm fairly certain that the the spot to the left of the anime shop was a (usually very busy) McDonalds, which had a large, interesting floor plan with tons of tables. And there was a hallway-type area with steps that arched behind the McDonalds to a store called "Whatever". They sold stuff like chain wallets, earrings, leather goods, punk/rock tshirts, and all sorts of other "alternative" crap...sort of a precursor to Hot Topic, but cooler. It felt really "edgy" to be in that store.
Holy shit did not expect this mall to be in that bad of a state I passed by it several times during Christmas time when I Visited but damm it sucks to see it in this state. Hope this mall does better.Yeah adding a Walmart doesn't help much sure more people but only in Walmart because my mall is super dead and we have a Walmart but it's only active in Walmart outside of it dead.
Yes kids there is a place called Malls a place you could get stuff before the Internet was around , and your brothers/ cousins use to hang out at the mall
Not all malls are dying and there are some bound to be full of people
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the mall 15 mins away is in a small city of 200,000 people. it's gets so crowded every friday saturday and specially sunday. they had to build 2 extra car garages on top of the 2 we had.
I worked in this mall back when it opened in the 1970s at Diamonds Dept Store, which became Dillards. Besides Goldwaters, there was Sears, Penneys, Rhodes/Liberty House and The Broadway. There used to be an ice skating rink by a food court in the south part of the mall with a Jet Liner shaped restaurant and lounge. My favorite place for a Philly Cheese Steak was there. It was the biggest mall in Phoenix at the time and everyone flocked there for years until the city spread further north and west. Thanks for sharing this.
As someone that was raised in NW Phoenix in the late 70s and 80s, Metrocenter the place to hangout. I spent a lot of time at the indoor theater next to Farrell's Ice Cream and the ice skating rink. There also was a weird little bar that was an airplane fuselage along the top of the rink. I even worked at the AMC theater outside for a summer. Ah, memories.
Metro had been dead for years, unfortunately. Let's see: Los Arcos, Thomas, Park Central and Maryvale are gone, Fiesta, Paradise Valley and Arcadia are dying, and yet Christown is still open (of course there's not much left of it). It's really depressing and I can't explain why.
It's just become run down. The whole area around it is in rough shape, in my opinion. The old strip mall just south of it, where Mervyns and Marie Calendars used to be, looks like a bomb went off. Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Fashion Center are where everybody goes now. Also, there are always rumors that the mall owner intends to redevelop the land. Don't know if it's true, but that's what I have heard.
I wouldn't call Christown a mall anymore. Was there about a month ago. Haven't been there in over a decade. Most if not all of the spaces are closed up. Walmart killed what was left of it. And will not ever go there again.
I was there about a month ago- I know some people below have been questioning the reason why Wal-Mart did not attach to the mall? My understanding is that Wal-Mart owns their own buildings, they do not rent (for their Super Centers). If they were to attach and then the current owners of the mall decide to shut it down and maybe later demolish it, Wal-Mart would have to do further construction and separate it.
There are many reflections of what we experienced before our mall closed. The mall area was thriving prior the existence of Walmart. When Walmart opened it was attached to the mall taking away allot of the business. Walmart eventually detached but it was too late as the mall experienced a slow painful death. The owners attempted to turn the mall into a small college but failed. Now the mall is closed and is now being teared down. They are have now changed strategies to attract new tenants. Like many other locations they have turned to the outdoor shopping experience. Unfortunately the owners are not attracting unique businesses and see shoppers going to other locations which offering better shopping and dining experiences. Unless they can offer some uniqueness this strategy will fail in the long term as well. I believe we are currently over built. The new infrastructure currently has many empty locations with for lease signs as they continue their expansion. Only time will tell. Great videos quality and background information. Keep up the good work.
I remember going there during a winter vacation, in 1986, and it was packed on a Thursday night. Went to a local music store and got cassette tapes, Simple Minds, and Thompson Twins. Wanted to stay.
So sad to see this happened to Metrocenter. My wife and I used to hang out here back in the early 2000s. It was busier back then, but still had vacancies. We lived in Peoria at the time. Now we live near Prescott, and the mall up here (Prescott Gateway) is doing fine--almost at capacity, and fairly busy.
I miss sun valley mall in Glendale. Its mostly wall mart now. I remember my parents used to always enter from the east side through a furniture store. There was a restaurant not too far off, near an arcade that sold hotdogs with brown mustard. And a sporty little NY style hole wall pizza joint near the west side. Loved the arcade. It was the first Streetfighter 2 arcade machine I ever played.
what a shame. When I lived in Phoenix as a teenager in the late 80's, this mall was always PACKED on a Saturday. The parking lot was full and the strip around the mall was bumper to bumper cars on a Friday and Saturday night with kids cruising. Golf-n-Stuff was jam packed too. Good memories.... a shame to see it's demise.
I started going to MetroCenter in the late 70s. I lived right near where they would eventually open Paradise Valley Mall but at the time MetroCenter was the closest mall. There used to be a bar that from the outside looked like the outside of a plane. I always loved that and wanted to go in but I was only 7 so of course we didn't go. That was later replaced by a hamburger restaurant that had telephones at each table. You would go in and find a table then "call in" your order. When your food was ready they called you back and you would go to the counter and pick it up. The store front that you said that you liked (upstairs near the old anchor store) had been The Avenue - a clothing store for plus sized women. There is only 1 Avenue store left in the Phoenix area. They have gone to almost completely online. Two stores down, the one with the wood frame front was Lane Bryant. Across the opening from Lane Bryant was a Chick-fil-A. For many years that Chick-fil-A was the only one in the Phoenix area. I used to make the drive to MetroCenter just for Chick-fil-A. In 1999 I worked at the Lane Bryant in MetroCenter. I was the night manager. I remember being told NEVER take the deposit to the bank at night and NEVER walk to your car alone. At that time there was a lot of gang activity there. When my sister was a teenager she and her friends used to cruise the mall on weekends like many people did. They would drive around the circle of the mall for hours. The cars barely moved. That was how people met.
I was one of the ones who put in the tile floor!! Wow, what memories this brings back! We could only work at night and had to be out of there before they opened!
Oooo I am kind of curious what it looks like now and when you will visit again. I haven’t been to that mall in ages. The interesting thing is that many stores are doing well outside of Metro (especially the fast food), yet the mall itself is just there. Thank you for the informative video!
Loving your channel! I lived in Mesa for about 5 years, and never made it out to this particular mall. I actually worked @ Fiesta Year’s back, and wow this mall looks eerily similar!
I moved from Phoenix 20 years ago but visited in-laws a couple times a year. These are quite the videos! Reminds me of Tower Plaza before it was closed. I called it the Scotch-tape Boutique Mall (old SNL skit) since there weren't many stores and they were very niche. Didn't visit this one often but I remember the skating rinks and crowds. The world has changed.
I used to shop here back in 2008 when I used to live in Glendale. So crazy to see how much of a decline this mall went from. It used to be such a populated place at the time.
Wow.. In the early 2000 I use to hang out there. Mall was busy, crowded. Use to watch movies there, watch the skateboarders. Eat at the food court. Sad to see..
Not attaching the Walmart was probably a major mistake
I have a feeling it was Walmarts desire to not be attached to the mall. They probably realized the mall was a lost cause even had they been attached to it and didn't want the future burden of being stuck on an empty vacant relic.
skeletank mcgraw valid points
Agreed, this mall depresses me, but yea they could've have a hallway or whatever leading to the mall.
Eddie Jacobs yeah something small and easy to demolish in the future like at Rolling Acres Mall when they built Target
Yea I say this cause there is a walmart at the franklin mills mall in ne philly (well called Philadelphia Mills now, but I never call it that)
The architecture is amazing, they should turn this into a mall museum! (A museum about malls inside a mall)
I'd pay to go to one of those
If you listen carefully, you might be able to hear the giant sucking sound of the Wal-Mart taking all this mall's customers away from it...
There weren't any customers to take. The place was dead long before the Wal-Mart was built. Not attaching it just meant the customers it did attract didn't do a lot to help the rest of the mall.
I personally haven't shopped at a Walmart or Amazon in 2-3 years, their quality is just so low and panders to the cheapest quality stuff. It's for those people who live way above their means and have to pay for cheaper stuff.
I'm not a snob either, I would just rather pay a bit more for better quality. I find myself going to Target, Safeway, and ordering from Ebay a lot more often.
This mall was amazing growing up in the 80s, so many good memories. Thank you for the upload. It's sad how things change.
cheese noodle yes I sure do! Thank you for that memory. The thing I remember the most is a little corner of the mall called The Alley, it was dimly lit with a bunch of neon lights I miss that so much.
Heath Vance I loved going to this mall growing up. I remember the ice staking rink and The Alley. It sad to see what it’s become from how amazing it used to be.
IT’S MY MALL! I grew up near there and went to Cortez High. I remember when the whole lower food court area was a giant arcade!
Kel Koeller I went to Shadow Mountain. I mostly hung around PV Mall but would come over that way pretty frequently.
omg i remember that arcade, when i was a kid it seemed endless! they had soo many games and a mini-bowling alley! sad that there don't seem to be any photos from that time of the big downstairs arcade online
I remember the arcade being crazy huge (to 8 year old me).
Midway Arcade. I miss that arcade. The home of Galaxian 3. I would spend most of my time there. Sad to see my old stomping grounds become like this.
I remember when it was a ice skate rink before it was an arcade....
Man, I love that "Second Level Elevator" signage! Am I the only one, who'd love to buy an old mall like this and convert it into apartments but keep the 70's / 80's mall vibe alive?
No 60-80s architecture is hideous.
Very crisp clean clear footage, the camera you used did a fabulous job
GNC will be there until the end.
Jackie Howard GNC is changing their name to Last Store Standing
I believe it
“Please buy our whey protein, plus you sure look like you could use it!”
lol
Yea they’re not there anymore lol I just went yesterday lol
I owned a store in a mall in the 1990's and in the months before I closed it, this is what the mall looked like. That mall has been demolished for 8 years and had been closed for 3 years before that. Excellent video.
Tower Plaza?
We owned a store in a mall too and had to close it because it was a dead mall. They now turned it into office buildings and district offices. Very sad because it was a second home.
The mall is not demolished
Sad to see Metro on the way out, I remember when it was a grass field.
it might be again someday...
I remember when there was a giant arcade below where the food court is, and then it continued to be busy after the Harkins took over that space. Metro used to be the mall I and all my friends hung out at, so this is a bit depressing.
@@jeremymullen7097 tex critters?
So sad. Metrocenter was such a destination back in the 1970s-1990s. Agree with the comparison with Fiesta Mall. I love the aesthetics of these places, the Goldwaters entrance was a definite " Old Phoenix" vibe... Thanks for the video, it was brilliant!
I love the 90's! Also, Damn, that's really depressing, It's sad that so many malls are struggling, I still love going to stores and walking around and actually having something in my hand before buying it. That's why I tend to frequent the game shop at my mall, not the gamestop, even though they charge 20-30% more.
I'm glad you got to see the little Arcade. I had also totally forgotten about the Elevator in the old Macy's. It's so nice to have video's like these to archive these old malls. Keep up the awesome work. :)
In Mexico theres shopping malls like these and they are so crowded you bump into people.Theres a walmart inside,petter pipper,cinema,huge selection of food in the court food like chinese,mexican food,dominos pizza and even home depot is connected.Theres a few arcade games as well and people just keep shopping there because its fun and no one really buys online in Mexico
The multi-level ceiling texture in that old Macy's is just fantastic.
It's so sad how this mall declined badly. It's also sad too how Sears downsized and is now only 2 floors. I found it strange how Macy's never had an elevator. I've been there once and asked where the elevator was back in 2010 and was told the store does not have a passenger elevator. The old Rhodes Building is unique because it's the only store in all of AZ with a Vintage Glass Elevator. So sad how it's gonna get torn down soon.
Sears killed them self. Anti consumer.
sears is closing now, so 0 floors
Valley Metro Center Sears is closing in September
The 80's ...definitely the "golden age" of super malls. This was the social center of the north metro area for 25 years. I can't count how many time I circled the loop around "Metro" cruising with EVERYBODY!.... Everyone says it's most like the internet social of it's day, but it WAS much more intense! There was a nervousness to it. Hundreds of people playing the classic 80's badass, put'n on a front, etc... Watch a John Hughes movie. This place defined our teen angst years. And yes, I skated the SHIZ outta that ice rink. Wore that biz out!
I love that vaporwave cover of The Human League's "Human"!
th-cam.com/video/s1ysoohV_zA/w-d-xo.html (original version is still the best)
Lol that’s what I daid
I love The League. Own all their records, including the early experimental stuff rom the late 70s!
13:00 check out all the vintage games they have at the Castles & Coasters arcade next to Metro. They have a great collection of 80s & 90s arcade and pinball games.
Really sorry to see this, 45 years later. I remember when Metrocenter first opened in '73, *way, way* at the north end of town, in an old cabbage field directly to the west of that old, weird-looking Western Savings building. It was the largest shopping mall in the world at that time. There's a reason why there are gold tiles in front of that old Goldwater's store. I suspect some of us know that reason. Had you asked the Senator, he would have told you. In the early days, that mall didn't have those newfangled skylights. These days--why would you want to go out in traffic to a crowded mall when you can order pretty much everything you want to buy through Amazon?
Godspeed, anime shop.
Also, great new camera!
The anime store shall not go down without a fight!
I was at this mall yesterday. I didn’t go in, but that anime shop is still there.
When I moved to Arizona in 2009 my wife got a job at this mall. It is sad to see how much it has fallen since then. I was last here a few months ago to see Star Wars. Did not go into the mall itself.
I lived in Phoenix from 2013-2016 for college and I always enjoyed coming to this mall cause it was kind of a neat little getaway with pals to see a place so stuck in time. We usually did some mall walking then had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse across the street. Speaking to some of my professors, some of the teens back in the 80’s liked to drive around the circular road surrounding the mall. They called it “crusing metrocenter” if only the place was still that lively. Thank you for keeping tabs on this place!
There are two videos on youtube that shows what it looked like in the early 80's. Sad that there isn't any other footage or photo's of Metro from then through the 90's. It was a great place to hang out for teens from that time.
I've been shot at this mall once. Never went back
Arizona D fuck
Oh.
What do you mean ??? Can you elaborate??? Pleas
FutureZoologist It’s in a very bad part of Phoenix.
I just saw another documentary about 60,000 homeless people in Los Angeles, and a similar number in San Francisco. A mall in Rhode Island was successfully repurposed to create micro apartments for the poor. I wish they could use some of these empty retail spaces to help the homeless.
Those apartments were pretty nice as well.
That's pretty cool to hear. Likewise in Atlantic city there are buildings that should have been converted.
But who am I kidding? This place is a garbage pit.
Tim and Erics billion dollar movie, comes to mind.
Carrie Westham It's about money. Politicians don't care about anything but maintenance of power
Or could give jobs to the homeless in the mall
glad to see this return love the channel when I found out that you do this and is why I suscribed thanks for doing this
also the anime shop is ok not the best I seen a better one in a yard sale
I like the quality! Great job on the video as always
Man, I always loved that glass elevator in Pennys when I was a kid. Also, as far as I remember, even though it was remodeled in 2007, some of the stuff, like the tile, was from the remodel prior to that. I was born in 1988 and this is the mall I grew up with, so I remember it was remodeled several times. Also, I miss the water show fountains that used to be beneath those round skylights at the corners.
pretty sad arcade, the whole underside of the food court was the arcade (after it was an ice skating rink)
I remember the ice skating rink! I spent time at this mall with friends as a young teen! This was sad but cool to see...
I miss Metro Midway. It also had a science center in the back of the arcade.
That arcade is now gone.
It's almost painful to look at this. I'm not a native Zonie but I lived in Glendale for most of the 90s and Metrocenter was always crowded and busy all the time. It had such a huge array of stores in it. i guess I missed out on the ice rink, but the arcade they had below the food court was just awesome. The area around it was really cool too, I hope you do make some videos about it. Particularly I loved the Atomic Comics that used to be in the NW part, and I'd sometimes spend afternoons at the Public Library to the NE, reading new books as they came out. The whole area was a great place to go and have a good time.
As it is, I'm watching a mall where I live now in WI going downhill about as fast. Like Metrocenter, it was bought with the intent of re-invigorating it. They actually kicked out stores that didn't match the "image" they're going for and just wallboarded all the empty stores so people wouldn't have to look at them.
How the mighty have fallen.
I remember ditching school in the 90’s going to this mall. Good memories at Metro Mall back in the day. Sad to see what it has become now days.
I remember being a toddler and going to Metrocenter when it opened. One end had an ice skating rink, with a Farrel’s restaurant on the level above. The food court surrounded the level above the perimeter of the rink, so you could look down and watch the skaters while you ate. In the late 80’s and early 90’s the mall was still doing well: Disney Store, The Alley shops...so sad. Hanging out at the mall is what teenagers did.
RoadtoEhretfan Smith I learned how to ice stake on the rink at metro center. I thought it was so cool how it was open to the food court.
The Farrel's became Ruby Tuesday's. My wife used to shop at Hot Topic a lot too. And Charlotte Russe.
This music, and the video and the.. A E S T H E T I C . . . Wonderful. "Human" is one of my favorite songs, great vaporwave cover. So good to hear. Love your videos man, seriously I look forward to all of them.
From what I am seeing open it is amazing they have as many customers walking around as they do? Like Fiesta Mall Sears is the last man standing. Other than Sears how many stores are left? 4 or 5 at most? Your video quality is good.
Sears metro is on store closing list now
When I was a kid it was so full all the time. We made trips from Flagstaff (where I lived) just to go to MetroCenter
The name for Pebble work you were trying to think of is Pebble Dash.
Fidget spinners are so 2017 along with vape shops
David James lol. Dude, it’s only 2018. Lol.
Yes but vape shops are needed for people like me. Fidget spinners were always dumb though.
Chortle Chortle Chortle what is dude talking about?? Vape Shops are huge in 2019. It’s just the mom and pop ones we’re taking over by franchise locations.
@@JohnDoeRando fidget spinners are great for those with adhd, which is who they were designed for. My son has had his since 2012. But it is a tool, not a toy.
Love the camera, the recording is very smooth. I high key want one now haha. Also poor metrocenter lol I remember throughout high school when I would visit friends in that area, we would stop by and be in awe at how dead it was. We only came for the anime shop tbh they did some pretty good promo for themselves at past comicons
When my Oma visited us from Germany in ‘81 at Christmas time, my Dad drove all the way from Mesa to show her Metrocenter. They didn’t have anything like it in her part of Germany. She was overwhelmed. That’s one of my fondest memories from childhood.
Oh hey, I was in StRUT in the late 90s too! Ours kind of sucked though. Everybody just screwed around and did basically nothing. We did get to play with some antiquated broken computers at warehouses though.
I was in StRUT too in the late 90s! At RMHS. Small world...lol
3:44 I thought you did an artsy transition there... but just mirrored glass, lol. Big fan of your work from ‘Tukee!
I really like the way you do your videos, the attention to detail, n the info about the businesses contained there in, GoodUp
Love the anime store, like the go pro, I do NOT wanna know what Sassy was, but another great video, keep it up.
Joseph Tafur I wish my mall had an anime store
SSJraditz Black same here
Sassy was just a cheap place to buy jewelery
A+ for the V A P O R W A V E playing in the BG!
I ' M O N L Y H U M A N
that Cherelle - Saturday Love sample tho
Footage looks great. The Hero 6 is a great camera. You should also look into the GoPro Karma grip. It’s a nice electronic stabilizer grip for the camera.
Joseph Mosier I'm actually looking into a drone that GoPro has that comes with that stabilizer grip 😁
Retail Archaeology That’d be a good choice. It’s been marked down in price as well.
So Damn Sad......Metro in the Late 1970's and the 1980's was the Mall to go to when Visiting Phoenix....Thanks RA, Nice Video. Take Care.
These videos are super interesting to me. Thanks for documenting- new camera looks good
Thank you for this, and all your work. It’s appreciated more than you could know.
I love the new camera dude, well done on this video I was waiting for a follow-up.
You hit the nail on the head @ 7:50. Every dead mall that I've ever been to has a GNC that is STILL OPEN. I have no idea what it is about GNC stores and dead malls--it seems as if the only ones that I can find now are inside of a dead or dying mall.
Short answer: They have VERY long leases (as in the 10-20 YEAR range!), which means they get a discount on their lease payments and can operate with less sales (less money required to pay the business overhead) versus your typical mall store.
Really cool building architecture and aesthetics. Hopefully it can all be saved in some way. Thanks for documenting it...
What an interesting-looking mall. I like the aesthetic. It’s a shame to see it so dead. Keep up the great work - I really enjoy your channel.
So sad to see a mall that one of my favorite movies was filmed in, is dying. Keep us updated on the progress as you can, things aren't looking good for the future of this mall.
Blog Man what movie??
Alonzo Melchor Bill and Ted's Excellent adventure. It is corny as hell, but I loved it as a kid.
Blog Man ight never seen it. Imma watch it
I had no idea about Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventures having been filmed at Metrocenter!! I'm dying!
aw man, Metrocenter. Last time I was there was like... 2006?
Though I've been to the Barnes and Noble and Library nearby recently (pre-Walmart), just never went in to the mall. Might have to take a look again!
I actually work at a store in this mall, Unfortunately it does open at 12, it is unusually slow around 12-4 but after that it does get busy on Saturdays the store I work at actually makes really good Saturdays we usually make like $3,000 it may look slow but in all reality it just depends on what time during the day you
That anime shop plus the shoe store are the only reasons I even bother going to the Metro Mall anymore
The camera work here is amazing! It was like actually being there. I was just reading about this mall last night. Such a sad site. It's a pretty mall too
I remember hanging out at the metro center mall when I lived in phoenix in the 80's. I love the original architecture. Good work with your mall videos.
I worked at Just Pants 1973-1977. Upstairs kitty corner from Diamonds. My then boyfriend was a musician at Metrolounge.. an Airplane that bordered the ice rink by the food court. Really enjoyed this video. Thanks!
I loved the update video and the quality of the new cam. Great work!
Keep using that camera in the future. I’ve been thinking about getting something similar myself. I use my phone to film but I end up filling it up to fast and with one of those go pro cameras you can swap the card. Also. I think I should go back there myself.
Indiana Jones and The Mall Tiles Hunters.
I have never been to this mall. I will have to see it before it closes. I do like your videos, thanks for sharing! It has really gone down hill since your last video that I watched. The sky lights are wonderful to look at too. Your camera is nice and I have a GoPro too and they are very nice to use.
Shame yo never had been to this mall. It was amazing. Shelves packed, you could hardly make your way through if you were carrying a bag. People watching was great. Companies used to even use this mall to run popular opinion surveys. i used to avoid it as it was always so crowded.
I love the clarity of your camera very crisp and clean
Love this. Thank you.
I grew up in Phoenix and spent a LOT of time in this mall in the late 80's/very early 90's. At 10:30 - where the anime shop is shown - I'm pretty sure that this area looked a lot different ~1989/1990. I may be thinking of a different part of the mall, but I'm fairly certain that the the spot to the left of the anime shop was a (usually very busy) McDonalds, which had a large, interesting floor plan with tons of tables. And there was a hallway-type area with steps that arched behind the McDonalds to a store called "Whatever". They sold stuff like chain wallets, earrings, leather goods, punk/rock tshirts, and all sorts of other "alternative" crap...sort of a precursor to Hot Topic, but cooler. It felt really "edgy" to be in that store.
well done documentary of my old stomping ground. its really crazy to see times change. i wonder what the future holds for so many of these old malls
Holy shit did not expect this mall to be in that bad of a state I passed by it several times during Christmas time when I Visited but damm it sucks to see it in this state. Hope this mall does better.Yeah adding a Walmart doesn't help much sure more people but only in Walmart because my mall is super dead and we have a Walmart but it's only active in Walmart outside of it dead.
Those wild looking tiles are cool as heck. From far away they look kind of like computer chips.
I hate when people paint over stuff...
Yes kids there is a place called Malls a place you could get stuff before the Internet was around , and your brothers/ cousins use to hang out at the mall
Broken Bearded Batman I still go to my local mall, but some shops are closing up. I prefer going to a physical store.
Still go to the mall to try on pants
Not all malls are dying and there are some bound to be full of people
the mall 15 mins away is in a small city of 200,000 people. it's gets so crowded every friday saturday and specially sunday. they had to build 2 extra car garages on top of the 2 we had.
Well, you certainly can't get much stuff in this mall.
Don’t be getting SASSY with me young man! Lol 😆
Btw: thanks for including my name again. Love these update videos! Great idea.
I worked in this mall back when it opened in the 1970s at Diamonds Dept Store, which became Dillards. Besides Goldwaters, there was Sears, Penneys, Rhodes/Liberty House and The Broadway. There used to be an ice skating rink by a food court in the south part of the mall with a Jet Liner shaped restaurant and lounge. My favorite place for a Philly Cheese Steak was there. It was the biggest mall in Phoenix at the time and everyone flocked there for years until the city spread further north and west. Thanks for sharing this.
Sad to see a mall like this fade away...that architecture is absolutely amazing!
As someone that was raised in NW Phoenix in the late 70s and 80s, Metrocenter the place to hangout. I spent a lot of time at the indoor theater next to Farrell's Ice Cream and the ice skating rink. There also was a weird little bar that was an airplane fuselage along the top of the rink. I even worked at the AMC theater outside for a summer. Ah, memories.
Love the update video and the new camera. Great job! I hope you do another Rotting Acres video soon. I love that series as well.
That's the smallest camera I've seen. What make and model is it? Price?
SSJraditz Black it's a GoPro Hero 6 black. They go for about $400.
Retail Archaeology nice!
Metro had been dead for years, unfortunately. Let's see: Los Arcos, Thomas, Park Central and Maryvale are gone, Fiesta, Paradise Valley and Arcadia are dying, and yet Christown is still open (of course there's not much left of it). It's really depressing and I can't explain why.
Paradise Valley mall was my childhood in so many ways, to hear it's dying is pretty depressing. What's gone wrong with it?
It's just become run down. The whole area around it is in rough shape, in my opinion. The old strip mall just south of it, where Mervyns and Marie Calendars used to be, looks like a bomb went off. Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Fashion Center are where everybody goes now. Also, there are always rumors that the mall owner intends to redevelop the land. Don't know if it's true, but that's what I have heard.
M G christiwn spectrum mall has a walmart costco. And super target and is always busy!!
I wouldn't call Christown a mall anymore. Was there about a month ago. Haven't been there in over a decade. Most if not all of the spaces are closed up. Walmart killed what was left of it. And will not ever go there again.
10:25 what name of abandon store in MetroCenter were collapsed before building Walmart??? Please reply me
The Broadway.
Always enjoy your videos and commentary.
I've been to the Dillard's. The whole bottom floor is vacant and the escalator leading to it is blocked off.
I was there about a month ago- I know some people below have been questioning the reason why Wal-Mart did not attach to the mall? My understanding is that Wal-Mart owns their own buildings, they do not rent (for their Super Centers). If they were to attach and then the current owners of the mall decide to shut it down and maybe later demolish it, Wal-Mart would have to do further construction and separate it.
Omg. I remember going to the mall several times when I lived in PHX in 2012. It's crazy how fast it went dead.
There are many reflections of what we experienced before our mall closed. The mall area was thriving prior the existence of Walmart. When Walmart opened it was attached to the mall taking away allot of the business. Walmart eventually detached but it was too late as the mall experienced a slow painful death. The owners attempted to turn the mall into a small college but failed. Now the mall is closed and is now being teared down. They are have now changed strategies to attract new tenants. Like many other locations they have turned to the outdoor shopping experience. Unfortunately the owners are not attracting unique businesses and see shoppers going to other locations which offering better shopping and dining experiences. Unless they can offer some uniqueness this strategy will fail in the long term as well. I believe we are currently over built. The new infrastructure currently has many empty locations with for lease signs as they continue their expansion. Only time will tell. Great videos quality and background information. Keep up the good work.
I used to work in the Sears parts and service department in the 90's. It was always full lot back then. So sad to see it empty.
I grew up as a kid in this mall, spending summers there. I remember buying my Playstation 1 at the Gamestop!
I remember going there during a winter vacation, in 1986, and it was packed on a Thursday night. Went to a local music store and got cassette tapes, Simple Minds, and Thompson Twins. Wanted to stay.
So sad to see this happened to Metrocenter. My wife and I used to hang out here back in the early 2000s. It was busier back then, but still had vacancies. We lived in Peoria at the time. Now we live near Prescott, and the mall up here (Prescott Gateway) is doing fine--almost at capacity, and fairly busy.
I miss sun valley mall in Glendale. Its mostly wall mart now. I remember my parents used to always enter from the east side through a furniture store. There was a restaurant not too far off, near an arcade that sold hotdogs with brown mustard. And a sporty little NY style hole wall pizza joint near the west side. Loved the arcade. It was the first Streetfighter 2 arcade machine I ever played.
Nice video, as always. Clarity is awesome on that camera btw :)
Man, my mom loved that Goldwaters. I really thought Spencers was the coolest store because of all the blacklight posters.
what a shame. When I lived in Phoenix as a teenager in the late 80's, this mall was always PACKED on a Saturday. The parking lot was full and the strip around the mall was bumper to bumper cars on a Friday and Saturday night with kids cruising. Golf-n-Stuff was jam packed too. Good memories.... a shame to see it's demise.
I started going to MetroCenter in the late 70s. I lived right near where they would eventually open Paradise Valley Mall but at the time MetroCenter was the closest mall. There used to be a bar that from the outside looked like the outside of a plane. I always loved that and wanted to go in but I was only 7 so of course we didn't go. That was later replaced by a hamburger restaurant that had telephones at each table. You would go in and find a table then "call in" your order. When your food was ready they called you back and you would go to the counter and pick it up. The store front that you said that you liked (upstairs near the old anchor store) had been The Avenue - a clothing store for plus sized women. There is only 1 Avenue store left in the Phoenix area. They have gone to almost completely online. Two stores down, the one with the wood frame front was Lane Bryant. Across the opening from Lane Bryant was a Chick-fil-A. For many years that Chick-fil-A was the only one in the Phoenix area. I used to make the drive to MetroCenter just for Chick-fil-A. In 1999 I worked at the Lane Bryant in MetroCenter. I was the night manager. I remember being told NEVER take the deposit to the bank at night and NEVER walk to your car alone. At that time there was a lot of gang activity there. When my sister was a teenager she and her friends used to cruise the mall on weekends like many people did. They would drive around the circle of the mall for hours. The cars barely moved. That was how people met.
I was one of the ones who put in the tile floor!! Wow, what memories this brings back! We could only work at night and had to be out of there before they opened!
Love the Sears building. There was also a building that was a cross of Edward Durrell Stone and Yamasocki.
Oooo I am kind of curious what it looks like now and when you will visit again.
I haven’t been to that mall in ages. The interesting thing is that many stores are doing well outside of Metro (especially the fast food), yet the mall itself is just there.
Thank you for the informative video!
Cloverleaf Mall in Richmond Virginia (which has been demolished) had those exact same lamp posts outside of it!
Loving your channel! I lived in Mesa for about 5 years, and never made it out to this particular mall. I actually worked @ Fiesta Year’s back, and wow this mall looks eerily similar!
I moved from Phoenix 20 years ago but visited in-laws a couple times a year. These are quite the videos! Reminds me of Tower Plaza before it was closed. I called it the Scotch-tape Boutique Mall (old SNL skit) since there weren't many stores and they were very niche. Didn't visit this one often but I remember the skating rinks and crowds. The world has changed.
I used to shop here back in 2008 when I used to live in Glendale. So crazy to see how much of a decline this mall went from. It used to be such a populated place at the time.
Wow.. In the early 2000 I use to hang out there. Mall was busy, crowded. Use to watch movies there, watch the skateboarders. Eat at the food court. Sad to see..