The draw of the mall was Fortunoff. At its height, the mall was crowded. I remember Rainforest Cafe with 2 to 3 hour waits. The Great Train Store was awesome. There was an Off Saks. On weekends it took forever to find a parking space. It was a destination place. Every store was great and crowded. Especially the holidays. Once Fortunoff filed for bankruptcy back in 2009, it was only a matter of time for the entire mall to collapse. Great memories but now so sad to see completely dead.
The founding family bought back the brand but chose not to buy that location. Simon, which owned the rest of the mall apart from the Fortunoff’s, then defaulted on a loan, choosing to concentrate on the older but more profitable Roosevelt Field.
The mall’s collapse began in late 2008 when Steve and Barry’s filed for bankruptcy and the closure of that store alongside Fortunoff in early 2009 caused the mall to suddenly lose all of its traffic. However the source was not as popular as the Broadway mall which was located about five miles to the east. That mall had Gertz as its main anchor when it opened in 1956 and the Gertz store which was the tallest suburban department store building in the region was acquired by Stern’s in 1982 before it was converted to Macy’s in 2001. The mall’s other main anchor tenant is Ikea, which opened its first store in the New York region in 1990 but was not connected to the mall itself until 2003. In late 2019, Macy’s announced that it would close the former Gertz flagship store after 63 years, with the closure taking place in early March 2020 just days before the covid-19 pandemic was declared.
Used to go shopping and eat there all the time. Circuit city closed and they were never able to get another store in there. When fortunoff closed, that was it,
Thanks for making this clip. I remember being there some 20 years ago. At one point every store was open, and they even had a rainforest cafe, although I don't think it lasted. I had a CD player installed in my old car at the circuit city downstairs. The food court had a sbarro, mcdonalds, salad spot, and a few other nice things. In many ways it was better than Roosevelt field. It was cozier and more kid-friendly I think.
So glad someone else recognizes this absolute time slip of a place! Today I went off from 99 Ranch and was tangibly shocked at how decrepit the mall was outside of its anchors (among which is Ranch), especially with its barren food court. I've never heard of a Rax Roast Beef outside a video about its "Mr Delicious" ad campaign, but apparently it was here once upon a time! It was truly an experience to be in a space that lies between abandoned and alive.
Happy late birthday. Loved seeing this place. I hope to be able to go to a mall like this someday, where it's practically abandoned, but still open. Much like the Cincinnati Mills/Forest Fair Village mall. Keep up the good work
Thank you so much. I hope you can find some good malls to explore. You're PA based right? I would have recommended Columbia Mall but that closed its doors earlier this year. But maybe you could call them and see if they'll let you in. PA has a lot of old and dying malls, so just keep your eyes out for them
@@RayOutThere Yeah, I'm based in central PA. Most interesting things seem to be a couple hours away. Right now, my car is limiting my travel. But there are a few that I found and want to explore when I have the time for sure!
This mall really has a Historical History Behind it with the Lindberghs/Fortunoffs etc .. 2009 was the big hit for this mall with Fortunoff, Circuit City, Steve & Barry, but even after that some of the mainstream restaurants/ some stores kept it alive.. What surprises me is that it's on one of the busiest most populated roads of Long island. It is still somewhat alive from the stores that face the outside and is trying to make a comeback as being called Samanea mall. Currently still has a David & Busters, 99 Ranch Supermarket, Cheesecake Factory , Bloomingdale Furniture Outlet , and some other stores.
It was a fun mall 😔 I used to go there with friends on the weekends. It was smaller but felt safe. Loved going to Virgin Records to listen to all the new albums and walk around.
It was. It's funny bc even as you walked down the hall towards the bathrooms, I instantly remembered what hallway you were in and that the bathrooms were down there lol. This video brought back so many memories of when I was a teenager hanging out with my friends.
In its day this used to be my favorite mall. I'd visit with my Mom, eat at the food court, people watch and then go to Fortunoff, the Virgin Megastore, which was near the Shish Kabob you showed, and go to circuit city on the other end (across from Dave and Busters).
Wow. How incredibly dead. It looks like it’s still in really good shape. It’s too bad. It’s sad that Fortunoff is gone. That was a unique store. The Woodbridge mall had a great one. I wonder what they’ll do with this place.
I grew up at this mall. I remember when the rainforest restaurant closed we went less. Big name stores little by little started closing or moving into roosevelt field mall so we just stopped going. Its a tiny mall with a terrible layout so turning it into a show room for the new owners is probably a good idea but we will see
When I was a kid, I loved going to malls. Now I see so many malls dying, and I just have no desire to visit most malls anymore. It's depressing to see something that was once full of life and fun to be empty like this mall. I've never been to this mall, but I can imagine what I once looked like when all the stores were occupied and open. It's the end of an era as society moves away from enjoying malls like we used to. And yes, I am aware that there are still busy malls and popular malls, but there really is no demand for more malls like there used to be, just the opposite.
This is a really interesting place. It sounds like they are trying to redevelop the property, but as you mentioned it appears to be stalled. The mall history shows that it opened in 1997 and in 2009 all 3 anchors closed, that is a really short life for a mall. I wonder if that rug store is where they get all of the rugs for the store closing sales at department stores. Sears, Macy's, and JCPenney stores get a bunch of rugs in when they close stores, but they normally don't sell them.
For now, it looks like the main focus is to open the outward-facing tenants at the mall. A new asian grocery store opened at one of the former anchors and a few restaurants are expected to open this year.
Yeah this place never really took off from what I've learned. The outward facing businesses were pretty busy when I was there. And yes, I do see those rugs in dying anchors. I saw some at Exton last time I went. I also see them in parking lots of Home Depot
I've seen older footage of the mall..It had airplane hanger motif and details...There was an airstrip there before Fortunoff built the flagship store and the store was there for ages previous to Alan Fortunoff building the mall adjacent to the store.... alot of the hangar and airplane details of the mall have been stripped... Ray you may remember the Fortunoffs in Woodbridge Mall..Fortunoff was the store for home goods jewelry and furniture indoors and outdoors...the Mall at The Source was conceived as a luxury mall..though it ended up with a mix of tenants...also..the Roosevelt Field mall is and was the dominant mall ..located not too far..
The store fronts were really cool looking in this mall. Leave it to the good ol cheese cake factory to survive. Still have never ate at one but iv herd its good.
Would have been so cool if you started recording mall walks in the 90s, taking still shots and then today have videos fading in and out of 90s and current day videos/photos of the same shots of the same malls to show how dead they've gotten since the 90s.
The mall may have worked out (at least initially) if the layout wasn’t so atrocious. It as so split up, you had to go up and down and around and it created dead traffic and unnecessary travel which was frustrating. That H&M was also a two-floor Old Navy. The Source was designed so badly that many a time I refused to go even though it had stores I wanted to shop at. Still, I may go just for nostalgia😊. I do love dead malls and the ennui is oddly romantic.
I visited this mall just to see what they did to the Fortunoff, unfortunately it just sat abandoned. I took a look inside and saw collapsed ceiling tiles with an almost completely busted sign saying "Welcome to Fortunoff" That place was massive, almost 4 floors. I haven't heard anything about what they might turn it into ever since they cancelled the Casino plan. I have heard that a few people managed to get inside the abandoned Fortunoff somehow, which would be really interesting to just go inside and look around.
I will never understand why people hate the Mall so much. Do they think that there heads are going to explode if they shop inside instead of outlets or on line? The beauty of the Mall is it doesn't matter what the weather does outside your safe inside. Plus you get exercise by walking in a safe environment.
This mall in particular is right near a much larger and active mall, so people still do go to malls. Many malls died because the communities around them fell into decline, and/or the mall was mismanaged by its owners. Malls serve the purpose of shopping for leisure, which many people cannot do anymore because of time and money. For most people shopping is a necessity and not a luxury, so online shopping and big box retailers serve their needs.
@@RayOutThere I still don't see anything good about Malls going away. You don't have to have much money to shop at the Mall. I still feel like people have some kind of negative reaction about going to the Mall.
It’s 2 miles from Roosevelt Field and 5 miles from Broadway Mall. The decline began when Fortunoff’s era as a full service retailer ended (it was the anchor).
Redevelopment plans for the center, which was renamed Samanea New York in 2019-20, were announced back in 2016. Unfortunately, the plans for the redevelopment of the upper floor of the mall were put on hold as a result of financial issues stemming from the ownership change to Lesso Home, which was later renamed Samanea; the issues were worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Looks like it is only a matter of time before the center's upper floor is closed off.
We have some progress being made. About half of the south wing of the mall is now occupied by a sports training facility which features pickle ball courts, a change from the previous plans to have retail on the second level. The area where Saks Off 5th was is now an indoor trampoline park and the food court is being demolished to make way for a simulator attraction that is opening in 2025. Despite these changes, including the addition of an Asian supermarket on the first floor where circuit city was, the west wing’s upper level is still vacant.
I believe the mall at the source they are trying to redevelop it with some new tenants which is why it is stuck in this limbo state as they are waiting for a tenant to take a space. Also, did I catch a block buster sign in the old k-b toys? Great Video ray!
There were some strange out of place things in this mall like the blockbuster sign. I also think that Rax sign was a fake. I wonder if they had some kind of back to the 80's event here or something. Very strange. I also watched some videos of this place from about two years ago and they've re done the entire floor and ceiling since then
@@RayOutThere I don't think the Source was intended to ever compete with Roos. Field, it was designed as kind of an annex or ancillary mall. Most of the shops that were salvaged from here have moved down the block to the strip mall "mall" next to Roosevelt Field. (east of), so sometimes it's strategy and location that can save retail shops, but not always these days. But the purpose of the mall had outlived its demand. Same with Sunrise Mall. How Broadway Mall ISN'T dead I dunno yet, since Sears died the death right across the street and it's a total eyesore nightmare now. But somehow Roosevelt Field still brings in bodies, but it's also gotten dangerous and that's a bad sign for any future it might have. I think it will eventually die also.
@@RayOutThere I'm actually more upset that Century21 Dept. Stores closed down in Westbury (and everywhere), since that place really was great, I constantly found great deals there, and it was nicer than Marshalls or TJ Maxx. What a disaster!
Well, it was profitable for the first 10 years or so, I believe. Fortunoff's (who I think bankrolled it) Corp. figured they could make a profit with a smaller mall that had things that Roosevelt Field didn't, or something. Nordstrom's Rack was one example, targeting people who couldn't afford the main retailers or Bloomingdales and all that at R. Field. But retail started changing so drastically the past eight years or so, it didn't stand a chance anymore. Years before this was here they had the Roosevelt Raceway Flea Market around the corner, which was a thriving Flea Market but never replaced the malls, but somehow everyone made money and they all thrived, including the Tri County Flea Market in Levittown. Nowadays none of these things will make any money since nobody will get off their arses to go to one.
I thought I heard somewhere online the reason the Rax sign went up at The Source, was because some TV or streaming show filmed at The Source's food court? Since my memory from searching Rax's website, is that they didn't have a location at the food court of Source.
@@RayOutThere As for Rax, there are fewer than 10 locations left. Most are around Ohio, with a few also in Kentucky, West Virginia, and even one in Joliet, IL. I finally ate at the one in Joliet for myself back in September, and have to say I liked the food I got(including a BBC sandwich). They should take down their outside 'endless salad bar' sign on their outside sign, as I remember hearing this Rax got rid of their salad bar around the start of COVID. :(
No editing tricks, but I do think its a fake. I've watched a few older videos of this place and the food court signs I saw were not there. My theory is that they held some kind of "Back to the 80's" event at this mall and hung up retro signs in the food court. That would also explain the Blockbuster sign inside the KB Toys.
Very dead and had this been redeveloped the Mall should get a bus stop inside it just like Bridgewater Commons has the NJ Transit 114 bus Garden State Plaza Paramus NJ Transit UWS 175 & 171 Midtown Manhattan 163 Bus Willowbrook Mall Wayne, NJ 191 197 & 192 buses.
actually this is really sad - i no longer find this entertaining. If so many people are so concerned about "saving the planet " then they need to address the issues of malls becoming vacant - these are huge structures all over this country that once housed thriving businesses - promoted social interactions - they were American icons . This is only showing us how many businesses are failing in this country - this absolutely makes me sick to my stomach. When I was younger - i saw burger kings and mcdonalds within blocks of each other and always wondered how they could survive that way - now i have that answer - they cant - so much waste - thats all i see in this country so much going to waste. When will people wake up to the fact that we are giving away our future - we are giving away our country.
Here's my take on this. Malls existed to serve the purpose of shopping as a fun activity. Middle class people do not have the time and money for leisure shopping. Usually both members of a household are working full time and don't have extra money for luxuries. So people shop out of necessity, they turn to online shopping and big box stores because of the convenience. Online shopping did not kill the mall, it just filled the void. If you want to see in person shopping make a comeback, we need to put more money in the pockets of everyday people and a better work life balance.
Everything in that place at the time, was overpriced even for a mall. As people got better at online shopping its when the mall began to die. Its too obvious
How in the world can a piano store even make any profit at a mall like this, a tiny one, and especially given it's a dead mall now? Bizarre isn't the word. America's a weird freakin place. I mean, I'm a guitarist, even Guitar Center almost went totally Chapter 11 three years ago and somehow has hung on, but not sure how.
@@kennethsouthard6042 Hey, you might have something there! I mean, I used to work in Manhattan off W. 57th St. where that huge piano showroom is, that's one thing since it's right in NYC and near Lincoln Center, etc. and Juilliard. "Yeah Jim..we've hidden the coke in the Steinway Baby Grand....under the seat cushion. Can't miss it. Just don't damage it when you remove it"
I think what they should do is make these places huge fitness and sports complexes like Chelsea Piers in NYC. Since nobody is shopping in malls anymore, why not just make these places into something in demand and useful, and most gyms on LI suck since they're too small or cramped or limited? A big sports fitness complex or two would be needed.
@@RayOutThere I would consider that as one idea that might make sense. I would love to sign up for a place I can really run, jog, swim, etc. and not just a basic gym. Do more sports etc. Archery, even, which is lacking in LI these days.
The draw of the mall was Fortunoff. At its height, the mall was crowded. I remember Rainforest Cafe with 2 to 3 hour waits. The Great Train Store was awesome. There was an Off Saks. On weekends it took forever to find a parking space. It was a destination place. Every store was great and crowded. Especially the holidays. Once Fortunoff filed for bankruptcy back in 2009, it was only a matter of time for the entire mall to collapse. Great memories but now so sad to see completely dead.
I wish I could have seen it back then
I used to love going into the train store.
The founding family bought back the brand but chose not to buy that location. Simon, which owned the rest of the mall apart from the Fortunoff’s, then defaulted on a loan, choosing to concentrate on the older but more profitable Roosevelt Field.
Tower records !
The mall’s collapse began in late 2008 when Steve and Barry’s filed for bankruptcy and the closure of that store alongside Fortunoff in early 2009 caused the mall to suddenly lose all of its traffic. However the source was not as popular as the Broadway mall which was located about five miles to the east. That mall had Gertz as its main anchor when it opened in 1956 and the Gertz store which was the tallest suburban department store building in the region was acquired by Stern’s in 1982 before it was converted to Macy’s in 2001. The mall’s other main anchor tenant is Ikea, which opened its first store in the New York region in 1990 but was not connected to the mall itself until 2003. In late 2019, Macy’s announced that it would close the former Gertz flagship store after 63 years, with the closure taking place in early March 2020 just days before the covid-19 pandemic was declared.
Thank you for doing that. It was a great tour. I’ve been off the island for a few years now.
Used to go shopping and eat there all the time. Circuit city closed and they were never able to get another store in there. When fortunoff closed, that was it,
Thanks for making this clip. I remember being there some 20 years ago. At one point every store was open, and they even had a rainforest cafe, although I don't think it lasted.
I had a CD player installed in my old car at the circuit city downstairs. The food court had a sbarro, mcdonalds, salad spot, and a few other nice things. In many ways it was better than Roosevelt field. It was cozier and more kid-friendly I think.
I would have loved to have seen this mall back when it opened!
I remember that in the 80s malls were such a part of the culture people would go if they had nothing else to do
I used to have a kiosk at this mall. I remember this place was always so busy and crowded. Sad to see this place as it is now.
I went there all the time because it was less crowded than the other nearby malls until 2010 when I moved out of the area, I can't believe it's gone!
It looks like it must've been really cool
I remember this place, i love its aesthetics
I moved from Long Island in 1989, but I really miss Fortunoff's. May its memory be a blessing!
So sad and retro cool, Rax and KB Toys I miss KB Toys. Definitely miss malls like this.
Me too! This really reminded me of how malls were when I was in high school
Another awesome video, thanks Ray.
Thank you for watching
3:55 reminded me of going to the big mall during the 80s heyday
So glad someone else recognizes this absolute time slip of a place! Today I went off from 99 Ranch and was tangibly shocked at how decrepit the mall was outside of its anchors (among which is Ranch), especially with its barren food court. I've never heard of a Rax Roast Beef outside a video about its "Mr Delicious" ad campaign, but apparently it was here once upon a time! It was truly an experience to be in a space that lies between abandoned and alive.
Jeeez. So sad. Hopefully people start shopping again. 🙂
I think they'll be at the larger open mall just down the street from this one
Happy late birthday. Loved seeing this place. I hope to be able to go to a mall like this someday, where it's practically abandoned, but still open. Much like the Cincinnati Mills/Forest Fair Village mall. Keep up the good work
Thank you so much. I hope you can find some good malls to explore. You're PA based right? I would have recommended Columbia Mall but that closed its doors earlier this year. But maybe you could call them and see if they'll let you in. PA has a lot of old and dying malls, so just keep your eyes out for them
@@RayOutThere Yeah, I'm based in central PA. Most interesting things seem to be a couple hours away. Right now, my car is limiting my travel. But there are a few that I found and want to explore when I have the time for sure!
I use to go as a kid I remember the rain forest cafe and the rides around the mall
This mall really has a Historical History Behind it with the Lindberghs/Fortunoffs etc .. 2009 was the big hit for this mall with Fortunoff, Circuit City, Steve & Barry, but even after that some of the mainstream restaurants/ some stores kept it alive.. What surprises me is that it's on one of the busiest most populated roads of Long island. It is still somewhat alive from the stores that face the outside and is trying to make a comeback as being called Samanea mall. Currently still has a David & Busters, 99 Ranch Supermarket, Cheesecake Factory , Bloomingdale Furniture Outlet , and some other stores.
The outside stores seem to be doing well, it just the inside that's a tomb
It was a fun mall 😔 I used to go there with friends on the weekends. It was smaller but felt safe. Loved going to Virgin Records to listen to all the new albums and walk around.
I bet this place was amazing when it was new
It was. It's funny bc even as you walked down the hall towards the bathrooms, I instantly remembered what hallway you were in and that the bathrooms were down there lol. This video brought back so many memories of when I was a teenager hanging out with my friends.
Hope you had a good Birthday Ray. Great video to kick off the weekend!
Thank you so much! Have a good weekend
La tengo en el baño de la cama con un puesto con la ropa que tengo en la cara con mi novio
In its day this used to be my favorite mall. I'd visit with my Mom, eat at the food court, people watch and then go to Fortunoff, the Virgin Megastore, which was near the Shish Kabob you showed, and go to circuit city on the other end (across from Dave and Busters).
I wish I could have gone to this one back in the day
Wow. How incredibly dead. It looks like it’s still in really good shape. It’s too bad. It’s sad that Fortunoff is gone. That was a unique store. The Woodbridge mall had a great one. I wonder what they’ll do with this place.
It seemed like the businesses facing the street were busy when I went. I'm not sure why they keep the mall section open anymore
I grew up at this mall. I remember when the rainforest restaurant closed we went less. Big name stores little by little started closing or moving into roosevelt field mall so we just stopped going. Its a tiny mall with a terrible layout so turning it into a show room for the new owners is probably a good idea but we will see
Hi Ray
What a great Mall it’s pretty big it’s just a faded memory now of what it once was
Very true! Thanks for watching!
Oh, wow you when to this mall! I went to it about a month ago but at night time and its pretty dark lol.
It must've been real creepy!
@@RayOutThere yeah the Fortunoff court was ok but the off fifth saks court omg it was so dark.
1980's, 1990's everyone went to the MALL, Hung out at the Mall, I can't believe our beloved Mall's now , Linda in Oklahoma
When I was a kid, I loved going to malls. Now I see so many malls dying, and I just have no desire to visit most malls anymore. It's depressing to see something that was once full of life and fun to be empty like this mall. I've never been to this mall, but I can imagine what I once looked like when all the stores were occupied and open. It's the end of an era as society moves away from enjoying malls like we used to. And yes, I am aware that there are still busy malls and popular malls, but there really is no demand for more malls like there used to be, just the opposite.
I think a big problem is that they built too many malls. There is a bigger and nicer mall right next to this one. No wonder it died.
The dystopian 1984 becoming a reality pretty fast.
This is a really interesting place. It sounds like they are trying to redevelop the property, but as you mentioned it appears to be stalled. The mall history shows that it opened in 1997 and in 2009 all 3 anchors closed, that is a really short life for a mall. I wonder if that rug store is where they get all of the rugs for the store closing sales at department stores. Sears, Macy's, and JCPenney stores get a bunch of rugs in when they close stores, but they normally don't sell them.
For now, it looks like the main focus is to open the outward-facing tenants at the mall. A new asian grocery store opened at one of the former anchors and a few restaurants are expected to open this year.
Yeah this place never really took off from what I've learned. The outward facing businesses were pretty busy when I was there. And yes, I do see those rugs in dying anchors. I saw some at Exton last time I went. I also see them in parking lots of Home Depot
@@RayOutThere that’s wrong the mall was very busy before the recession
geez louise I wonder how long that Rax has been abandoned.
1997! That is still a baby in mall years.
There's already enough malls on Long Island. It would be cool if they open another one though.
I've seen older footage of the mall..It had airplane hanger motif and details...There was an airstrip there before Fortunoff built the flagship store and the store was there for ages previous to Alan Fortunoff building the mall adjacent to the store.... alot of the hangar and airplane details of the mall have been stripped...
Ray you may remember the Fortunoffs in Woodbridge Mall..Fortunoff was the store for home goods jewelry and furniture indoors and outdoors...the Mall at The Source was conceived as a luxury mall..though it ended up with a mix of tenants...also..the Roosevelt Field mall is and was the dominant mall ..located not too far..
I actually missed out on the Fortunoff at Woodbridge
Roosevelt field was once an airfield and the Source was part of where Charles Lindbergh took off for his Trans Atlantic flight.
The store fronts were really cool looking in this mall. Leave it to the good ol cheese cake factory to survive. Still have never ate at one but iv herd its good.
Its pretty good. Not good for you, but good.
Would have been so cool if you started recording mall walks in the 90s, taking still shots and then today have videos fading in and out of 90s and current day videos/photos of the same shots of the same malls to show how dead they've gotten since the 90s.
I wish I could go back in time. Back then we didn't appreciate what we had
@@RayOutThere Yep, who knew malls and arcades would soon die out. Good memories of both.
The mall may have worked out (at least initially) if the layout wasn’t so atrocious. It as so split up, you had to go up and down and around and it created dead traffic and unnecessary travel which was frustrating. That H&M was also a two-floor Old Navy. The Source was designed so badly that many a time I refused to go even though it had stores I wanted to shop at. Still, I may go just for nostalgia😊. I do love dead malls and the ennui is oddly romantic.
You're right, this mall had a really weird flow to it. The courts were second level and you had to go down the escalators. Not well designed
I think there is a furniture store there still operating and a 99 Ranch Chinese supermarket.
I visited this mall just to see what they did to the Fortunoff, unfortunately it just sat abandoned. I took a look inside and saw collapsed ceiling tiles with an almost completely busted sign saying "Welcome to Fortunoff" That place was massive, almost 4 floors. I haven't heard anything about what they might turn it into ever since they cancelled the Casino plan. I have heard that a few people managed to get inside the abandoned Fortunoff somehow, which would be really interesting to just go inside and look around.
I would love to see inside that closed Fortunoff!
Do they at least have bathrooms opened, that you can use?
I can confirm that the bathrooms are operational
Fountain.
I will never understand why people hate the Mall so much. Do they think that there heads are going to explode if they shop inside instead of outlets or on line? The beauty of the Mall is it doesn't matter what the weather does outside your safe inside. Plus you get exercise by walking in a safe environment.
This mall in particular is right near a much larger and active mall, so people still do go to malls. Many malls died because the communities around them fell into decline, and/or the mall was mismanaged by its owners. Malls serve the purpose of shopping for leisure, which many people cannot do anymore because of time and money. For most people shopping is a necessity and not a luxury, so online shopping and big box retailers serve their needs.
@@RayOutThere I still don't see anything good about Malls going away. You don't have to have much money to shop at the Mall. I still feel like people have some kind of negative reaction about going to the Mall.
It’s 2 miles from Roosevelt Field and 5 miles from Broadway Mall. The decline began when Fortunoff’s era as a full service retailer ended (it was the anchor).
Redevelopment plans for the center, which was renamed Samanea New York in 2019-20, were announced back in 2016. Unfortunately, the plans for the redevelopment of the upper floor of the mall were put on hold as a result of financial issues stemming from the ownership change to Lesso Home, which was later renamed Samanea; the issues were worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Looks like it is only a matter of time before the center's upper floor is closed off.
We have some progress being made. About half of the south wing of the mall is now occupied by a sports training facility which features pickle ball courts, a change from the previous plans to have retail on the second level. The area where Saks Off 5th was is now an indoor trampoline park and the food court is being demolished to make way for a simulator attraction that is opening in 2025. Despite these changes, including the addition of an Asian supermarket on the first floor where circuit city was, the west wing’s upper level is still vacant.
I’m glad you had a better experience than us 😂
I watched your video and that was ridiculous! I'm sorry you guys had to go through that. Stay safe out there my dude
What video?
@@wendysremix th-cam.com/video/0FeKpHoOiY8/w-d-xo.html
This mall always dead since it opened because of its close proximity (under 10 min) brim both Roosevelt Fields and Broadway Commons Malls
Yeah this place never really took off. Poor management and too much competition
I believe the mall at the source they are trying to redevelop it with some new tenants which is why it is stuck in this limbo state as they are waiting for a tenant to take a space. Also, did I catch a block buster sign in the old k-b toys? Great Video ray!
There were some strange out of place things in this mall like the blockbuster sign. I also think that Rax sign was a fake. I wonder if they had some kind of back to the 80's event here or something. Very strange. I also watched some videos of this place from about two years ago and they've re done the entire floor and ceiling since then
@@RayOutThere They had a stranger things/80s themed event for kids last halloween
@@wendysremix Thank you so much, I knew something like that must've taken place here but I couldn't find out anything
Where is this mall? I've lived on Long Island for my entire 48 years and dont know this mall
It goes by Samanea mall now
@@RayOutThere ahh westbury
Roosevelt field definitely killed it to
True!
@@RayOutThere I don't think the Source was intended to ever compete with Roos. Field, it was designed as kind of an annex or ancillary mall. Most of the shops
that were salvaged from here have moved down the block to the strip mall "mall" next to Roosevelt Field. (east of), so sometimes it's strategy and location that
can save retail shops, but not always these days. But the purpose of the mall had outlived its demand. Same with Sunrise Mall. How Broadway Mall ISN'T
dead I dunno yet, since Sears died the death right across the street and it's a total eyesore nightmare now. But somehow Roosevelt Field still brings in
bodies, but it's also gotten dangerous and that's a bad sign for any future it might have. I think it will eventually die also.
@@RayOutThere I'm actually more upset that Century21 Dept. Stores closed down in Westbury (and everywhere), since that place really was great,
I constantly found great deals there, and it was nicer than Marshalls or TJ Maxx. What a disaster!
Should’ve never opened this mall with the one of the biggest malls right down the block !
True!
Well, it was profitable for the first 10 years or so, I believe. Fortunoff's (who I think bankrolled it) Corp. figured they could make a profit with a smaller mall that
had things that Roosevelt Field didn't, or something. Nordstrom's Rack was one example, targeting people who couldn't afford the main retailers or Bloomingdales
and all that at R. Field. But retail started changing so drastically the past eight years or so, it didn't stand a chance anymore. Years before this was here they had
the Roosevelt Raceway Flea Market around the corner, which was a thriving Flea Market but never replaced the malls, but somehow everyone made money and
they all thrived, including the Tri County Flea Market in Levittown. Nowadays none of these things will make any money since nobody will get off their arses
to go to one.
Also, Mid Island Plaza Mall did very well for decades even without trying to compete with Roosevelt Field Mall.
Good video
Thanks
Would be nice to rollerblade in with indoor safe wheels
exactly there should be a bike lane inside the mall
i remember when i was 9 in 1994 my mom would take us to the cheesesteak factory
LOL A RAX. I've never actually seen one open, wonder when that one closed.
I think there's only a few left in Ohio
I thought I heard somewhere online the reason the Rax sign went up at The Source, was because some TV or streaming show filmed at The Source's food court? Since my memory from searching Rax's website, is that they didn't have a location at the food court of Source.
@@RayOutThere As for Rax, there are fewer than 10 locations left. Most are around Ohio, with a few also in Kentucky, West Virginia, and even one in Joliet, IL. I finally ate at the one in Joliet for myself back in September, and have to say I liked the food I got(including a BBC sandwich). They should take down their outside 'endless salad bar' sign on their outside sign, as I remember hearing this Rax got rid of their salad bar around the start of COVID. :(
OY! How much money can they get for selling those rugs? 💰
I do NOT believe that Rax sign. Gotta be an edit trick!
No editing tricks, but I do think its a fake. I've watched a few older videos of this place and the food court signs I saw were not there. My theory is that they held some kind of "Back to the 80's" event at this mall and hung up retro signs in the food court. That would also explain the Blockbuster sign inside the KB Toys.
Very dead and had this been redeveloped the Mall should get a bus stop inside it just like Bridgewater Commons has the NJ Transit 114 bus Garden State Plaza Paramus NJ Transit UWS 175 & 171 Midtown Manhattan 163 Bus Willowbrook Mall Wayne, NJ 191 197 & 192 buses.
Too much competition from Roosevelt Field.
Tear it down or expand the nassau community college
EVERY EMPTY MALL SHOULD BE CONVERTED INTO AFFORDABLE HOUSING !!! EACH STORE COULD BE AN APARTMENT. THERE IS ROOM FOR A SUPERMARKET ..
actually this is really sad - i no longer find this entertaining. If so many people are so concerned about "saving the planet " then they need to address the issues of malls becoming vacant - these are huge structures all over this country that once housed thriving businesses - promoted social interactions - they were American icons . This is only showing us how many businesses are failing in this country - this absolutely makes me sick to my stomach. When I was younger - i saw burger kings and mcdonalds within blocks of each other and always wondered how they could survive that way - now i have that answer - they cant - so much waste - thats all i see in this country so much going to waste. When will people wake up to the fact that we are giving away our future - we are giving away our country.
丶圠日前在一起很久久以前的 也可以很忙但 也就是你們不 是不是每天都 、） ksk
Here's my take on this. Malls existed to serve the purpose of shopping as a fun activity. Middle class people do not have the time and money for leisure shopping. Usually both members of a household are working full time and don't have extra money for luxuries. So people shop out of necessity, they turn to online shopping and big box stores because of the convenience. Online shopping did not kill the mall, it just filled the void. If you want to see in person shopping make a comeback, we need to put more money in the pockets of everyday people and a better work life balance.
Wow super slow
Everything in that place at the time, was overpriced even for a mall. As people got better at online shopping its when the mall began to die. Its too obvious
What the hell is Rax??? Mom let’s go eat a Rax….???
How in the world can a piano store even make any profit at a mall like this, a tiny one, and especially given it's a dead mall now? Bizarre isn't the word. America's a weird freakin place.
I mean, I'm a guitarist, even Guitar Center almost went totally Chapter 11 three years ago and somehow has hung on, but not sure how.
Maybe it's a money laundering front business for some crime syndicate.
@@kennethsouthard6042 Hey, you might have something there! I mean, I used to work in Manhattan off W. 57th St. where that huge piano showroom is, that's one thing since it's right in NYC and near Lincoln Center, etc. and Juilliard. "Yeah Jim..we've hidden the coke in the Steinway Baby Grand....under the seat cushion. Can't miss it. Just don't damage it when you remove it"
Tax write offs help
Sure that wasn't a real skeleton of the first cashier from 1997?
haha maybe!!!
@@RayOutThere Whooahrrr that's Trevor from 1987! Poor bugger. He did his final credit return.
I think what they should do is make these places huge fitness and sports complexes like Chelsea Piers in NYC. Since nobody is shopping in malls anymore, why not just
make these places into something in demand and useful, and most gyms on LI suck since they're too small or cramped or limited? A big sports fitness complex or two
would be needed.
I think that would be a great use for dead malls. I also see a lot of tech clubs for students which is great
@@RayOutThere I would consider that as one idea that might make sense. I would love to sign up for a place I can really run, jog, swim, etc. and not just a basic gym. Do more sports etc. Archery, even, which is lacking in LI these days.