Great to see a mall turn it self around and even better to see people shopping there. It is nice to know some folks still like shopping the good ole fashined way getting out of the house and going somewhere
I grew up in Manassas and this was my childhood mall, I can confirm that this mall was in bad shape pretty much for the entire 2000s decade, from the closing of Montgomery Ward until the arrival of Walmart. The original Sears was where the Walmart is now, and once Sears moved to the Wards space, there was a hallway back there that was dead until it was all torn down to make way for Walmart. There was also a movie theater near the food court that remained vacant for years until H&M and a few other stores filled the space. Ironically, Walmart helped to save the mall, and even though they probably chased Target away, the entertainment center that replaced it has been successful. I agree with you, struggling malls around the country should look at Manassas Mall as a model to thrive once again. I also agree on the big space near At Home, that is where Santa used to be before Christmas, I hope they still do that. I left the Manassas area about a year and a half ago, nice to see it's still going strong. Thanks for sharing.
Was the Montgomery Ward space, the same one that later became a Walmart? I sure can't think of many malls that have a Walmart with a still in use interior entrance, other than here and also Hilltop Mall (IIRC the name of it) in Richmond, CA.
@@BoratWanksta The Montgomery Ward space is actually where Sears is now and Walmart was built over the original Sears space. Once Wards closed, Sears decided to relocate to the slightly larger store. The original Sears would remain vacant for close to a decade, many nearby tenants would follow, and finally Walmart came in, demolished the old Sears building and built its Supercenter in its place. To give an idea of how empty that part of the mall was, my dad felt comfortable letting me practice driving around the original Sears parking lot when I was learning to drive.
Thanks for uploading and sharing this! Many warm and happy memories of being there with my mom as a kid, especially around Christmas. They used to have a Suncoast video store where I remember buying my first movie, The Muppet Movie”, on VHS! I also remember a bookstore, maybe Books-A-Million and a hobby shop, which was my favorite place to buy toy soldiers. I remember seeing a poster of Brittney Spears there and being embarrassed when my mom noticed me staring at it! Ha-ha! I can’t believe the water fountains are gone but glad to see Cinnabon is still there. The hope of getting a warm cinnamon bun always insured good behavior on my part 😊
Yes, but even as early as 1982 when I started working at the Hecht's (then turned into Target) the letters never were completely in tact. Always missing something giving it the Low Rent look it has struggled to shake
I grew up in Manassas, so this was my childhood shopping mall in the 90s and early 2000s. I remember many of the fixtures and interiors were deteriorating and my family never had practical shopping experiences there, so we didn’t go to Manassas Mall very often. After seeing this video, I have a very different opinion now. Pyramid refurbished the interiors and storefront and attracted the right mixture of stores and recreational areas to sustain the mall for many years to come. Hats off to Pyramid for saving Manassas Mall.
That blank intersection of the two mall corridors could stand to use a doughnut-shaped fountain and planter area with a sunken seating area in the "doughnut hole".
I lived in Manassas in the late 80s, my girlfriend at the time worked in this Mall. The only store that's still there is Victoria's Secret, and it was in a different location then. I helped a guy remodel one of the stores - it was called Family Bookstore. We worked nights because the power tools were too loud for normal business hours. A lot has changed since those days, obviously, I could only recognize some of the interior spaces. Thanks for making this vid.
I've only seen one mall with a Walmart, though that one wasn't a Supercenter. It was a Kmart-sized one. Then Walmart built a Supercenter across the street and closed the mall one. BTW, Manassas was know for two things; the site of two Civil War battles... And the whole John Wayne Bobbit mess - 'nuff said.
At one time the mall hosted a large number of fountains in those center areas. If you look at the floor tiles you can see the outlines of them. I think they paved over them in the 90s.
It's funny to hear you talk about the blandness of the aesthetics, as I see an interior that's a major upgrade from what it looked like in the 80s and early 90s.
Looks like they did am excellent job getting this property back from the brink. It is super bland, but I guess mall properties have to eventually be updated in order to stay relevant.
In High School this was the place to go. I loved Anderson Little. We went to a Gym that had a pool there. They closed it filled in the pool and Ruby Tuesday appeared. Then one day they took all the benches out they did not want kids from the High School up the street hanging out. Wow, 45 years have passed. It’s crazy remembering all the fun I had at this Mall. If you look online to this day people are still trying to find the recipe for Orange Bowl Pizza. It was awesome. Aw, those were the days. 💕🐺
I used to come here after school. There's highschool close to there and my buddy and I used to go the the arcade next to the food court called Aladdin's castle. We used to play games there and stuff back in the late 90's. Where that Hot Topic 5:53 used to be EB world. That's where I used to buy games and preorder stuff back in 1998. And at 6:09, that used to be a healthy juice joint where my girl friend used to work back in 2000.
The original anchor stores were WT Grant and Montgomery Ward, if I remember correctly. Most of the original stores I recall were Rite Aid, Harmony Hut, Morse, Foxmoor Casuals, Wagon Wheel restaurant, a hot dog stand called Hot Sam, a popcorn stand called Karamelkorn, and an Orange Bowl.
My main question, was what did At Home used to be years ago here? Like you said it looks in pretty good shape, except for(where I also agree) the signs of blandification like the fountains and/or planters likely being removed in certain places(i.e. 8:31 ). And is Sears still hanging on here as of now, or was it just open when you visited in(I presume) late 2018?
I remember going to this mall all the time when I was a little kid lol. I also remember there was a little kiddie carousel there and I would always beg my mom to let me ride it. I think they took it down tho lol
Is the movie cinema still in the mall? I remember crossing the street from the townhouses across sudley rd to watch Point Break when it first came out in 1991.
I used to live in Manassas VA. And Woodbridge, VA. Now I live In Wilson NC that is where I'm originally from. Love it there. You should check out Potomac Mills Mall it's way bigger than Manassas mall.
I want Aladdin's Castle back or some sort of arcade to make a comeback. The little statues in the food court are gone. Gamestop closed, Record and Rarities had a short life there. This mall still doesn't have a lot of stuff going for it for me personally. Uptown alley is alright when it comes to as an arcade but Dave and Busters is better.
I went to NOVA community college from 1979 to 1982 and this was a regular stop for me. There was a steak restaurant in this mall I always ate at but can't remember the name. I found your video while looking at Manassas crime videos, place has really gone down hill.
It would be great to have more kids activities, the race track is an A+ but maybe more like a Takewondo or Karate school along with a video game hangout and chess or checkers store example/analogy so parents can pay to have dropped off after school. Think of all highschool, middle school kids activities and create a store along with a functional commuting system to commute kids via bus after or from school etc.... we are not a third world so i believe this is possible... with the resources we have in fact the entire "Mall" should be dedicated to kids activities speciliazing in you guys figure it out! Good luck and lastly my neice betta get into Harvards you dig!
This mall has that Durban and Johannesburg kind of vibe. Should stay busy but the demographics of the customer base will be homogenous pretty soon and the types of shops in it are indicative of that.
good video doomie,,i use to live in this area for a very long time ,way back in the day ,, Manassas Mall use to be an air port..yes way back before it became a mall,,route 234 was a two lane highway through there..but that has been quite a long time ago..irongate was being built then too..great vid..
Foresight'..... I lived in Olde Town, Manassas. Great people and location, so what went wrong with the Mall and $udley Road? It never moved with the time, small town ideas are fine but not contained in Malls. It should have changed shape, become user friendly open air quadrants attached to entertainment and history. It's failed the young people of the town, when we could have provided a bright moving future. It's empty on too many levels, structure to goals to people..... It doesn't attract people from surrounding DC areas...... Obsolete...
I was there the day the mall opened, this mall is no where near what it was in the 80s. Sears closed, yes there was a pool in that open spot !!!!!!! WAL-MART SUCKS............
Great to see a mall turn it self around and even better to see people shopping there. It is nice to know some folks still like shopping the good ole fashined way getting out of the house and going somewhere
I grew up in Manassas and this was my childhood mall, I can confirm that this mall was in bad shape pretty much for the entire 2000s decade, from the closing of Montgomery Ward until the arrival of Walmart. The original Sears was where the Walmart is now, and once Sears moved to the Wards space, there was a hallway back there that was dead until it was all torn down to make way for Walmart. There was also a movie theater near the food court that remained vacant for years until H&M and a few other stores filled the space. Ironically, Walmart helped to save the mall, and even though they probably chased Target away, the entertainment center that replaced it has been successful. I agree with you, struggling malls around the country should look at Manassas Mall as a model to thrive once again. I also agree on the big space near At Home, that is where Santa used to be before Christmas, I hope they still do that.
I left the Manassas area about a year and a half ago, nice to see it's still going strong. Thanks for sharing.
Was the Montgomery Ward space, the same one that later became a Walmart? I sure can't think of many malls that have a Walmart with a still in use interior entrance, other than here and also Hilltop Mall (IIRC the name of it) in Richmond, CA.
@@BoratWanksta The Montgomery Ward space is actually where Sears is now and Walmart was built over the original Sears space. Once Wards closed, Sears decided to relocate to the slightly larger store. The original Sears would remain vacant for close to a decade, many nearby tenants would follow, and finally Walmart came in, demolished the old Sears building and built its Supercenter in its place.
To give an idea of how empty that part of the mall was, my dad felt comfortable letting me practice driving around the original Sears parking lot when I was learning to drive.
Same
I remember when there were stabbings in 2003
Thanks for uploading and sharing this! Many warm and happy memories of being there with my mom as a kid, especially around Christmas. They used to have a Suncoast video store where I remember buying my first movie, The Muppet Movie”, on VHS! I also remember a bookstore, maybe Books-A-Million and a hobby shop, which was my favorite place to buy toy soldiers. I remember seeing a poster of Brittney Spears there and being embarrassed when my mom noticed me staring at it! Ha-ha! I can’t believe the water fountains are gone but glad to see Cinnabon is still there. The hope of getting a warm cinnamon bun always insured good behavior on my part 😊
I've lived in Manassas va my whole life. I am 34 now I remeber this mall having a movie theater inside
Yes!!! I saw chicken run there. I have been looking for pictures can’t find them anywhere
Yes, but even as early as 1982 when I started working at the Hecht's (then turned into Target) the letters never were completely in tact. Always missing something giving it the Low Rent look it has struggled to shake
@@jameseubank5999 that was hects? Then what was where hects moved? Montgomery wards? What was it like back then? I wish there were more pics!
Sooooo long ago i remember both lol hects and montgomery wards
I both love and hate the past because of my abusive parents.
My first job in high school...sales clerk at the Montgomery Wards at the Manassas Mall. Brings back memories thanks for sharing!
Holy shit it’s crazy to see how much it’s changed. I remember hanging out there when I was a kid.
I moved away from the area 7 years ago.
I grew up in Manassas, so this was my childhood shopping mall in the 90s and early 2000s. I remember many of the fixtures and interiors were deteriorating and my family never had practical shopping experiences there, so we didn’t go to Manassas Mall very often. After seeing this video, I have a very different opinion now. Pyramid refurbished the interiors and storefront and attracted the right mixture of stores and recreational areas to sustain the mall for many years to come. Hats off to Pyramid for saving Manassas Mall.
That blank intersection of the two mall corridors could stand to use a doughnut-shaped fountain and planter area with a sunken seating area in the "doughnut hole".
I remember when it did.
Great video! Glad to see this one turn around as well as it did. I remember it used to be very run down and vacant for many years.
I lived in Manassas in the late 80s, my girlfriend at the time worked in this Mall. The only store that's still there is Victoria's Secret, and it was in a different location then. I helped a guy remodel one of the stores - it was called Family Bookstore. We worked nights because the power tools were too loud for normal business hours. A lot has changed since those days, obviously, I could only recognize some of the interior spaces. Thanks for making this vid.
Good video. Thanks for filming.
Thank you for documenting this mall and sharing some history. I'm a local and come to the mall often to visit the at home store :)
I've only seen one mall with a Walmart, though that one wasn't a Supercenter. It was a Kmart-sized one. Then Walmart built a Supercenter across the street and closed the mall one.
BTW, Manassas was know for two things; the site of two Civil War battles... And the whole John Wayne Bobbit mess - 'nuff said.
At one time the mall hosted a large number of fountains in those center areas. If you look at the floor tiles you can see the outlines of them. I think they paved over them in the 90s.
Broo i thought so too!! Just thought it was other malls
Had to close them up due to kids vandalizing them and the cost to upkeep
It's funny to hear you talk about the blandness of the aesthetics, as I see an interior that's a major upgrade from what it looked like in the 80s and early 90s.
Im from MD but have a cousin out in this area and I never even knew this mall existed wow lol
Guess that 1980s article about "the disappearing mall" still holds true. Been hearing that this mall is starting to slip. Again.
Looks like they did am excellent job getting this property back from the brink. It is super bland, but I guess mall properties have to eventually be updated in order to stay relevant.
There was I worked right next to it and the music drove me crazy
In High School this was the place to go. I loved Anderson Little. We went to a Gym that had a pool there. They closed it filled in the pool and Ruby Tuesday appeared. Then one day they took all the benches out they did not want kids from the High School up the street hanging out. Wow, 45 years have passed. It’s crazy remembering all the fun I had at this Mall. If you look online to this day people are still trying to find the recipe for Orange Bowl Pizza. It was awesome. Aw, those were the days. 💕🐺
Great video!
I live in Manassas!!
I wonder how the mall managed to do that!
Sears is gone now rip
I used to come here after school. There's highschool close to there and my buddy and I used to go the the arcade next to the food court called Aladdin's castle. We used to play games there and stuff back in the late 90's. Where that Hot Topic 5:53 used to be EB world. That's where I used to buy games and preorder stuff back in 1998. And at 6:09, that used to be a healthy juice joint where my girl friend used to work back in 2000.
U used to go to stonewall?
There was a big group of us back in the late 80s that would spend hours at Aladdin's Castle playing Street Fighter 2. lol Those were the days.
The original anchor stores were WT Grant and Montgomery Ward, if I remember correctly. Most of the original stores I recall were Rite Aid, Harmony Hut, Morse, Foxmoor Casuals, Wagon Wheel restaurant, a hot dog stand called Hot Sam, a popcorn stand called Karamelkorn, and an Orange Bowl.
Live here great video 👍
I used to live around this mall when I was 5
My main question, was what did At Home used to be years ago here? Like you said it looks in pretty good shape, except for(where I also agree) the signs of blandification like the fountains and/or planters likely being removed in certain places(i.e. 8:31 ). And is Sears still hanging on here as of now, or was it just open when you visited in(I presume) late 2018?
If I recall, At Home used to be JCPenney, and yes, Sears is still hanging in there as of now.
Doomie is right, that space was originally Leggett, became JC Penney in the 90s, and At Home came in very shortly after JC Penney closed up in 2015
@@DoomieGruntVentures Thanks to both you and simpsonsfanboy, for replying. Interesting Sears is somehow hanging on, here.
I'm still wearing socks I bought at that JC Penny.
I remember going to this mall all the time when I was a little kid lol. I also remember there was a little kiddie carousel there and I would always beg my mom to let me ride it. I think they took it down tho lol
I may be moving there soon. I am sure I'll end up there. Wonder how affected it was by Covid.
Is the movie cinema still in the mall? I remember crossing the street from the townhouses across sudley rd to watch Point Break when it first came out in 1991.
I used to live in Manassas VA. And Woodbridge, VA. Now I live In Wilson NC that is where I'm originally from. Love it there. You should check out Potomac Mills Mall it's way bigger than Manassas mall.
I want Aladdin's Castle back or some sort of arcade to make a comeback. The little statues in the food court are gone. Gamestop closed, Record and Rarities had a short life there. This mall still doesn't have a lot of stuff going for it for me personally. Uptown alley is alright when it comes to as an arcade but Dave and Busters is better.
Sears is finally closed and forever 21
It is open now I thought isnt it fover red or sum
@@clxudydeseane6533 no they closed that
Listen to Manassas album by Stephen stills. It’s great. The cover shot is taken at the manassas train station.
So full of hope and optimism, and then came the Covid. I still go to the Walmart almost daily.
Sears just announced it will close the Sears at Manassas mall in February. How will this affect the resurgence of Manassas mall?
I live in Woodbridge, VA not to far from Manassas
Davin Peterson shut up nigga
I have so much memories at this mall I have did everything form here
For the answer to the question at 6:40 : th-cam.com/video/mdzqB-oSpfA/w-d-xo.html A short shot of the fountain in an ad.
I live in Manassas
He has won countless awards for having the perfect spherical head shape. Ain't know foam touching this dome.
Good video, this is a mall that I’ve never been to and I’m only like 45 minutes away from it.
Last NOVA mall? Isn't Springfield still open, though under a new name?
I went to NOVA community college from 1979 to 1982 and this was a regular stop for me. There was a steak restaurant in this mall I always ate at but can't remember the name. I found your video while looking at Manassas crime videos, place has really gone down hill.
The steak restaurant was called York Steak House I believe, remembering going there as a kid.
The wagon wheel... had a big wagon wheel in the entrance from the mall. I used to climb on it as a kid. Late 70s -80s.
Does any1 remember when Golden Corral was NEXT 2 the mall, on the side where Target used 2b?
Yes, Golden Corral was where Hooters is now.
Wasn’t there a water fountain in the late 90s
Does anyone know if the mall would gladly sell the sears logo
Highly doubt it but ask mall management.
This mall looks alot like Chesterfield Towne Center in Richmond (which is my local mall).
I moved to Manassas and lived there for a year and a half. Old dead town and to top it off the mall was just sad. Glad i moved backt o Loudoun county.
What's the music?
I live in Virginia and I know that mall my house is like 3 seconds away
@corey Babcock yes
I'am living in manassas. VA
RIP Sears anchor tenancy at this mall. Would like to see how much more drywall has been put up.
They just have the normal wall they put up during there store closing sale and that’s all about it with the sears logo still remaining out and inside
i feel like the mall needs to get more big brand stores in order to compete with the local malls like fair oaks and potomac mills.
We used to come here all the time before Potomac Mills opened.
So that’s where Billy Beez is, I’m going to have to go up there.
It would be great to have more kids activities, the race track is an A+ but maybe more like a Takewondo or Karate school along with a video game hangout and chess or checkers store example/analogy so parents can pay to have dropped off after school. Think of all highschool, middle school kids activities and create a store along with a functional commuting system to commute kids via bus after or from school etc.... we are not a third world so i believe this is possible... with the resources we have in fact the entire "Mall" should be dedicated to kids activities speciliazing in you guys figure it out! Good luck and lastly my neice betta get into Harvards you dig!
It had wishing fountains in the 80s.
Kinda cool because I live here
This mall has that Durban and Johannesburg kind of vibe. Should stay busy but the demographics of the customer base will be homogenous pretty soon and the types of shops in it are indicative of that.
I go to manasas mall
I visited Radio Shack in the Manassas Mall.
I for a min I tought someone died but it’s the mall btw I like this mall and live in Manassas
They tried so hard. They were so close. Things were looking so promising.
Bro No one enters from the ihop door No one dose
When it was Ruby Tuesdays i did often. Lol
Crazy to see a mall be revitalized in this day and age.... No business can fail in NOVA with all the money flying around
Koki: Fairfax, Virginia 6/28/15
I went there
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What's Next for NC? Are you gonna do A visit to Crabtree Valley Mall?
good video doomie,,i use to live in this area for a very long time ,way back in the day ,, Manassas Mall use to be an air port..yes way back before it became a mall,,route 234 was a two lane highway through there..but that has been quite a long time ago..irongate was being built then too..great vid..
"Manassas Mall is the zombie mall that refuses to acknowledge it's dead..."
Foresight'..... I lived in Olde Town, Manassas. Great people and location, so what went wrong with the Mall and $udley Road? It never moved with the time, small town ideas are fine but not contained in Malls. It should have changed shape, become user friendly open air quadrants attached to entertainment and history. It's failed the young people of the town, when we could have provided a bright moving future. It's empty on too many levels, structure to goals to people..... It doesn't attract people from surrounding DC areas...... Obsolete...
I don’t what this guy is smoking, I live close by and NO ONE goes to Manassas Mall. They have already closed 5 stores and it’s a ghost town
Overstatement?
i always went here when i had money
I was there the day the mall opened, this mall is no where near what it was in the 80s. Sears closed, yes there was a pool in that open spot !!!!!!!
WAL-MART SUCKS............
How embarrassing for Manassas to be attached to a business that forces it's associates to wear sphincter vests!!! It's a real sign of the times!!! 😂
Jajaj. I rember we used to skip skool her next to Stonewall is asking arcade still thier
Your horrific spelling is showing that you skipped school. Pity.
this is the worst mall to ever be developed.
worst mall ever
Iva how
its nostalgic either way :D