FULL TOUR of the Abandoned CREEPY Vernon Park Mall in Kinston, NC
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ส.ค. 2024
- Step into a world frozen in time as we embark on a hauntingly captivating exploration of the once-vibrant Vernor Park Mall in Kinston, North Carolina. In this mesmerizing video, we invite you to witness the eerie beauty and melancholic charm of a forgotten retail haven.
The abandoned storefronts, now adorned with layers of dust and remnants of a bygone era, stand as silent witnesses to the mall's former glory. Through our lens, we capture the poignant atmosphere that permeates the space.
Peering through shattered windows, we catch a glimpse of faded signage, remnants of merchandise, and remnants of a once-thriving community hub. Each discovery serves as a poignant reminder of the vibrant life that once filled these now-empty spaces.
With a mix of historical context and personal reflection, we delve into the rise and fall of Vernor Park Mall. We explore the factors that led to its decline, reflecting on the changing landscape of retail and the impact it had on this once-beloved establishment.
While the mall may now be a shadow of its former self, we pay homage to its legacy and the memories it holds for those who once frequented its halls. Through storytelling and interviews with former patrons and employees, we breathe life into the faded memories, preserving the spirit of this forgotten retail gem.
Join us on this poignant journey as we unravel the mysteries and emotions that surround the abandoned Vernor Park Mall in Kinston, North Carolina. Together, let us reflect on the transient nature of commerce, the resilience of communities, and the enduring allure of forgotten places.
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#urbandecay #deadmall #abandoned #abandonedplaces #malls #deadmalls #deadmall #old #oldplaces #retro #shoppingmall #malltour #creepy #northcarolina
I grew up in Trenton but had family in Kinston. VPM had a cafeteria early on. In the 70s and 80s it thrived. I actually worked at Brody's when it moved there in 1981.
Wow! Randomly stumbled across this. I lived in Kinston until 97. When I left, that place was doing fine. I even worked at the Rose’s one Christmas season. Had no idea it died.
Yeah it’s pretty sad seeing what it’s become
ABSOLUTELY ADORED
Shopping At Crabtree &
Even Made SEVERAL
#BuildABear's🐻 There,
Along with Getting A
Slew Of Merch From:
#DisneyStore, KayBee
(WoodFloors), Discovery,
EBGames & SharperImage!
We Even Ate At ENORMOUS 2nd Floor
FoodCourt (Chinese🍜 &
#TheCheesecakeFactory)
My ENTIRE Family Was
There When They Opened
TriangleTownCentre &
Enjoyed Step👟Fountain &
Beautifully Lit FoodCourt.
I'm not a Kinston girl but I am an NC girl. I grew up in Raleigh and I grew up with malls every-freaking-where! There was North Hills, Crabtree, and Triangle Towne Center (which developed far aftervthe first two) I even worked at North Hills in highschool in the late 90s for a hot minute! The only one left that's exactly the same and still thriving from what I can tell is Crabtree. I'm thrilled that at least one of them is atill kicking. I'm not entirely sure about Triangle Towne but North Hills is completely different. I think they still call it that name but it ain't no mall (not really)
I’m not sure about the rest of the state but there’s a mall in Greenville NC that’s still kicking the same as it always has been and looks to be about the size of the mall in this video. Still has pacsun, belks, JCPenney, Spencer’s, and a food court with chic fil a and awesome Japanese food for $12 a plate, and a few more places, I hope it still stays open for the rest of time even tho it’s kindve small compared to most. Crab tree I hope never fails either
I grew up in Cary nc .. Cary town center was dying bad In 2014 .. I remember going there and it was like a ghost town
@@mikejohnson9876 Yeah, she's totally defunct now. Ghost town city
I was a student at Lenoir Community College from 1979 to 1981 so I remember Vernon Park when it was a thriving shopping center. People from all over the eastern part of NC would go there. Saturdays were especially busy with shoppers and kids just hanging out.
There was an Italian restaurant in the plaza area behind the mall that was popular and there was a deli that had a restaurant in it that served excellent sandwiches. I loved their pastrami sub! I can't remember the name of the Italian place but the deli/restaurant was called The International Shop.
I came to Kinston years later and when I drove into the parking lot at the mall, I thought it had already closed as the lot was almost empty of cars but when I went around to the east side, there were a few cars outside of Belk. Back then, you could still go inside the mall but it was obvious that Vernon Park's days were numbered because so many stores were closed. I went inside and the only people there were fitness walkers and group of folks who were handing out religious literature. One or two stores were open but when I turned to go down one of the hallways, I felt as though I had entered the Twilight Zone. Everything was closed and with the exception of other walkers, I didn't see another person. Even the office area that was located on the second floor was no longer being used.
On my last trip to Kinston a couple of years later, only Belk remained open and the rest of the mall was closed off completely. I remembered the mall during its heyday and I felt sad to now see the decline of what had once been such a big part of Kinston.
It will be interesting to see what becomes of the old property. But no matter what happens, it will never be Vernon Park Mall. Again, it makes me feel sad but at least I do have my memories and for those, I am grateful.
@@ChrisDavis-zt6zb I to remember spending many Saturdays here and have great memories sadly that’s all they are now though
Sadly thousands of these once awesome malls litter the USA now old and forgotten. TY for showing us a great piece of our history, I had so much fun going to mall with friends or GF shopping hangin out.
Unlike many places, this mall didn't close because of Covid or the rise of internet shopping. This mall closed long before that. Because they lost business after the owners didn't want kids roaming around after 6pm and heavily restricted the business hours. It was honestly really sad for our community because now those kids have nowhere safe to hang out
I still live in Kinston. We had JC penny at one end, Sears , Radio Shack An arcade Stacy s was a restaurant that sold hot dogs , hamburgers and some of the best french fries and ice cream. We had Eckerd Drugs. The Rainbow Shop. Hall Mark Gift Shop. Merle Norman. Claire's . A record store. Cato . Megatrends, Hibbett Sports.Footlocker. Pay less Shoes , Brody's ,At one point K and W. Shoe show. The Uppercuts was the barber shop. Paper Heroes at Candy land. Upstairs was Dr Lancaster a dentist. Affordable Care.JC penny had a hair salon . This is only a partial list,
the upstairs barbershop actually moved downstairs to the entrance for many years before they closed and moved down the street next to Food Lion. Somebody actually bought the mall with the intention of fixing it back up but it seems to have stalled.
I remember my parents taking me to see STAR WARS at the movie theater behind the mall back in 1977. Afterwards, we ate at Pizza Villa which, back then, was right next door. I can still remember the song playing as we entered the Pizza Villa. It was "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gees.
Tommy’s pizza was right next to the theater. Best pizza ever! The gravel you see by the “food court” entrance is from the roof. The new owner has removed it from the theater and replaced it ( I hope) and has been doing some work to the Winn Dixie and that area. I hate seeing it like this. 😢 I hope the new owner can fix it all and get something going in there. I know there are malls in the cities next to Kinston that are thriving, so it’s not an “all malls are dying“ thing. This mall absolutely can be fixed and stores brought back in and the community will support it, if they actually bring in stores that are affordable for this community.
Miss the mall so much. Would spend hours there just roaming around, having fun, staying out of trouble. Good times
i spent a TON of time here growing up in the 90's and early 2000's. Once it started emptying out but still unlocked i would go there and roam around and take photos
I grew up in Kinston I was one of the kids hanging out in the late 80s. I remember it and I come back to visit often. It’s sad but it’s the future with online shopping and better deals. Kinston is known for poverty and the families with money. Does not seem to be as much middle class there anymore!
Glad I watched this. I’m from the next town over.
30+ years ago I went to Vernon Park. It was still doing okay back then but several spots were boarded up. The skylight was leaking. The original fixtures (from the 50s) were deteriorating and looked throwback antique. It was like a time travel to the past.
I see they revamped the facade to look modern. Probably the same leaky building inside. They had interested buyers but never got the funding to really overhaul the building. Crime hasn’t helped and the population being darker than most towns, well…you see the problem.
"Population Being Darker"
Yeah, It's Happening
ALL-OVER The Place,
As NOW EVERY TOWN
Has A #FivePoints😣
@@CarlyCatharsis …ah, Five Points! Such a notorious place.
Back in the 80s, WCTI 12 did a report on the drug dealing going on in the Five Points block.
They sent a cameraman up to the roof of the Ramada Inn (later became the Days Inn) and played a video of the drug dealers on the news. I guess nowadays it’s not such a terrible thing. Back then it made quite a stir.
@@guitarcomet5😅STILL IS😪
MY Family👵👭Lost OUR
Inherited Home Downtown
Back in 2021, To A Clown🤡
Who USED TO Stalk Us👫👭
Around Walmart. All Due To Us NOT Being Able To Afford💸
All The Repairs😠 Since Flood
Of 2018 Ravaged Downtown!
The Animal Jungle did have a pet monkey. It stayed for a while. It also had like a Lynx and another large cat for some reason along with some exotic birds. That little section of the mall towards the end was the last section that closed down and I remember not even 10 years ago when everything was shut down except the DMV, a clothing store by that entrance, and a very small restaurant. There used to even be a trading card shop and candy store called Paper Heroes in Candy Land that lasted for a while. Paper Heroes's owner's wife died of cancer or something similar and he let go of the business. I definitely miss this place and I heard there were talks of reviving it or turning it into another something else. Many of us locals feel like this place shut down because of a curfew that the owners put in place for kids under 16. They couldn't be in there without their parents after like 6pm which killed the business. The mall closed not long after that.
Paper heroes and the animal jungle and the arcade room were my favorite spots ohh man 🫤
This is so sad! I am a Kinston Nc gal and remember when VPM was the happening place in the 70’s and 80’s and was a very nice and pretty malI . I even worked inside the mall while I was in high school in the 80’s at JCP. I moved away after graduation but have been longing to come back home but now I see there is nothing to come home to. As the saying goes…Rebuild it and they will come.
Yeah Kinston in 2024 is pretty sad compared to how it used to look
@@TheBlackHeartsClub on the 2nd floor was a place where that taught different styles of dance that were popular at the time. My mom took dance lessons there and underneath it on 1st floor was a shoe store. I am pretty sure there were other shops on the 2nd floor too. I also remember a big dirt pile on side of mall that we would go 4 wheeling and bogging before they built more stores. You’ve really brought back the memories. Thanks for making this video.
@@Carolina-ln7bi thanks for watching I wanted to film it because I also had many memories here way back when and I’m sure one day it’s gonna be demolished
they had these really creepy christmas animatronics, like and elf choir and various other decorations. They were old even back when i was a kid, but they would wip them out every christmas in the center of the mall.
I frequent Kinston and it's a shame how little the chamber of commerce promotes businesses. They couldn't even keep their Lidl open
I’m from Snow Hill, only about 25 minutes from Kinston. First date with first kiss at 13 years old was at that mall
That mall was the best place to go , now everyone goes to the mall in Greenville
This place was my childhood back when I lived in kinston. The great days I had there. I hate to see it like this now😭😭
Heartbreaking. I spent so much time there as a kid😢
I Wouldn't Say It Was
The Biggest Mall Hotspot
Around Eastern NC, But
#TheWB SURE DID Think
It Was Up There! But At
ONE POINT, I'd Dare Say
Goldsboro & CarolinaEast
Were ABOVE VernonPark,
with #TwinRiversMall
Just Around the TailEnd.
I can’t believe the WB signs are still actually up lol
@@TheBlackHeartsClub
I Remember ONCE Seeing
A BUNCH Of Them Around
The Hallway Just Opposite
PetStore🐇 & KayBeeToys!
There Were Even A Few
Promoting UPN; #Moesha,
SteveHarvey & WayansBros!
Used to drive from Kinston to Goldsboro just because their mall had a Camelot Music.
Brooooo I forgot goodys ever existed, my mom always LOVED to go to that store, if that was the only store she would go to when going out….atleast in my town of NC (Washington) we had one that turned into a burkes, then it turned into a Beal’s which is nowhere near, it’s basically a offbrand burkes and it sucks imo (only old folk go in there) you’ll be paying full price for some stuff…needless to say from what I can remember of being a kid always going to goodys, it was a great store…I hate seeing places like this fail
@@yaboiidrew3930 Even
NewBern Had A GOODY's
About 10 Or 12 Years Ago
(ClothingStore, NOT To Be
Confused with SamGoody's;
Multimedia/Music Store)
Around Same Time We Had
#CATOFashion & CiCisPizza🍕
THAT GOODY's Later Moved
To Havelock & I'm NOT Sure
IF It's STILL in Business?
Dang made it to the tube! lol I remeber when the arcade was popping
Its been purchased, just look it up. The owner doesn’t know what to do with it
Expressions used to be Profits and roses turned into sears before shutting down.
i walked around here with my dad sometimes to get exercise, and used parking lot to learn to drive
Did it fully close now? I was in kinston 6 plus years ago and it was open mainly for the DMV and a few random stores.
Yes besides belk that only has outside entry point it doesn’t allow access to the mall like it used to ! It’s a mess
I'm from Greenville. We had Carolina east mall. It's been torn down now. It was my favorite mall.
Yeah, Those Idiots
Replaced It with A Dumb
#WholeFoods? I Loved
THAT Place: StarrCade,
KayBeeToys, NASCAR Store, SEARS, Dr.Pet
(1980's; Where MY Fam &
Even #SkipWaters Got
Our Various Dogs🐩🐕).
Even K&W Cafeteria Was
Pretty Awesome!
@@CarlyCatharsis I know right also great American cookies
@@jasonglisson1690
Crabtree Had #MrsFields🍪 &
#VernonPark Had Pretzels🥨.
I live in Kinston, wish the mall was still open
So glad I moved away
The mall was thriving in 2009 but the prices in the mall got too high so then people stopped coming and the mall had to close
That used to be the best mall in the whole small town there was a park in there including a sand box i went there one time i think but my parents always went there so pretty i feel bad i was looking for this video i was questioning me like how many ppl went there how does it look like is it nice?
I love kinston becuz I live there and it’s not abandoned if people was there shopping
Brody's!
It’s really sad when you see how bad the whole structure. The garbage was never picked up. You
would think developers would purchase the space
for say a Target super center, Amazon Warehouse space or a Home Depot or Lowes.
Someone did purchase it and there were plans for renovations. Thats probably why those paint cans were on there. But we haven't heard about any progress on that in a few years. Obviously they're doing something if there's paint cans, but they can't even clear the trash out so are they really doing anything? Lol
@@MrRedrider1968 there's already an Amazon distribution center a few minutes from there but, a Target wouldn't hurt. I don't think anybody will back it tho. Everybody would rather just drive the 25 minutes to Greenville or Goldsboro
That’s a good point.
I met my first 5 wives at that mall alot of great memories nah just kiddin
🤣🤣
Mormon📘 #SisterWives?
My Sister Married A
Howard From: #DeepRun,
So I Spent ALOT Of Time At SamGoody's Music, KayBeeToys & IceCream Parlor & #TakeTenArcade Throughout the Mid
Nineties! It Was Like A
Second Home, Next To
OG; #TwinRiversMall;
Where I ONCE Worked
At 2-Comics/Collectable
Shops, Calendar📅Store,
Tiny DollarTree, KayBee &
#RadioShack For A Bit.