Wanted to let those watching this video that, as of 11/7/23, the Eastfield Mall is no more. It's in the process of being razed for some sort of strip mall. As someone who spent much of his childhood here, it actually hurt to watch local news stations covering its destruction. Very glad Sal made this video... thank you!
This one is bussin'. That brown brick tile is exactly what was on the floor of one of my favorite childhood malls. It just never gets old. And that blue neon....man.
@@sal this is my mall, I bought my first and only leather jacket in there with my own money when I was 14 in around 92' (it was pigskin) and was dope lol. In Bellamy Middle School a Buddy who I shared a locker with borrowed it and who knows from there he got kicked out of school.
The brown brick title Crossroads mall had as well late 2000/early 2001 put a new title over the brown brick saw the brown brick tile when they got rid of the candy place in the halls of the mall.
This is my childhood right here. I live near it. I remember when it was thriving. Thw fountain, the kb toys, the jcpennys, sears, and macys…. I even remember the mcdonalds and hot topic and the Walden bookstore…Now it’s all gone. The thrills, the neon…. All gone.
Most malls in Massachusetts have been slowing down. The only 2 malls that moved forward in Massachusetts are Burlington and Natick. When the natick mall changed the whole thing about 7 years ago I think making the mall bigger and added a condo building with new retail stores it got really busy it was alot of foot traffic everywhere even on a Monday. Think of the 1970s maybe. There are a better restaurants in the Burlington mall area not just fast food junk. The east side of the state is also a thriving business scene. Lots of buying and selling.
I worked at the Mall in the early 80's. During Christmas, there was literally no parking left. Cars were parked on the grass. Police were needed at entrance and exits to control traffic, and close parking if needed if there was no more. It was literally shoulder to shoulder inside. So sad to see what was once a bustling Mall turn dead. Eastfield was the FIRST enclosed shopping Mall in New England.
Happy Thanksgiving, Legion! I may or may not be half passed tf out from too much turkey and scotch right now, but I love you all. Happy to drown in a sea of neon with you all. Sub or I'll cry BYEEEEEEEE! PS, follow me on Counter Social since Twitter is a dumpster fire: @Salvatore
I’ve been to that mall many years ago. Didn’t seem like it was in a great area. Sal I’m from CT when are you gonna be doing some malls down here? Enfield and Meriden in particular. I would love to go on one of your dead mall Ex log adventures.
I'm from Western Ma. and the Eastfield Mall was our first local shopping mall. Had a lot of fun memories going there over the years. It's sad what it has now become.
I worked at Steiger's department store when I was a kid during & after the Christmas season. My friends and I spent nearly every Saturday there. My Momma used to bring us to the parking lots after a big snow storm to play on the huge piles of snow from plowing. She did a bunch of donuts in the parking lot too! With 7 kids in the car laughing hysterically.....she was the FUNNEST MOTHER EVER!!!!
no matter which mall it is, it reminds us of the mall we went to as a kid and it is sad to see them die out. I cant expect the world to be what it was 40 years ago. Keep up the great videos Sal
Another great episode, thanks. I really do feel bad about malls closing because it was such an innovative way of connecting people and businesses, and seeing less of them just saddens me. People overall now prefer online shopping and I can't blame them, but it pains me we're losing a piece of history. Thank you for making video evidence as this will serve for future generations to appreciate what they didn't have.
Malls were popular because the Boomers & their parents paved over paradise to put a parking lot down. The Automobile was the Iphone or Ipod of yesteryear. They weren't treated as something you would hand down to your kids instead they were disposable consumer goods that were junkers around 100,000 miles. KIds want a drivers license so they can regain the childhood they lost due to lack of independence due to their car dependent society. I don't hate the malls but we need to realize what was driving force that made them popular to begin with the youth. Same goes for why kids wanted to get their license to begin with.
Thanks for this trip to my childhood. I lived across from this mall as a teenager…in the Fernbank apartments. Me and my friends basically lived in this mall during my teen years during the late 80s. Constantly cruising up and down the halls “looking for chicks.” Many quarters spent at The Dream Machine arcade. So many memories. Subbed for this video alone.
Sal Happy Thanksgiving Sir. I appreciate all your videos. I am 41 now and I remember the late 90s to early 2000s when malls where awesome. Thanks for all you do. Its nice watching something that teaches you history, and it brings back memories. Best Regards, Mr Brad
I'm very glad you took videos of the Eastfield Mall before it gets ripped apart and turned into a housing commons later in the year or 2024. I was there a couple of months ago just to see how empty it was before I realized that Eastfield is a dead mall.
This is symmetrical neon blue mall heaven! I’m always looking at the tile designs on the floor and how they echo what’s going on in the ceiling designs, how the communal chairs are placed and whether they’re curbed or straight edged, this mall is definitely a puritan pleasure. Your videos are by the best as they are like visual art history essays, the history and facts from start to finish are superbly put chronologically visual so that your videos tell more than just a day out pointing a camera to random places that are abandoned… you’re actually recording the art history of dead malls across America and I’ve never appreciated anyones videos as much as yours for the fact they’re as intellectual as they are entertaining. Finally someone who is doing it right. 🎉
Nice seeing the WBZ videos from the 80s at the beginning and end I remember watching WBZ back then This weekend I was by 2 live malls Pheasant Lane in NH and Burlington Mall MA both were busy I was also at the Woburn village which replaced the former Woburn Mall in one of the recent ex logs on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving it was very busy
Oof, not gonna lie, something about that "School of Fish" shop @18:46 hit me in the gut and drew a tear. 😥 All I can say to places like that is "Shine On, You Crazy Diamond". Shine on....
My main mall was Holyoke mall, but sometimes I would go to this mall, even when the sears was open and the cinematic was open. The neons were so cool and I liked how different it was from Holyoke. I miss when this mall had more open, now I only go to Holyoke and pass by the mall instead of going inside, it looks abandoned but it really isn’t 😢
I love this channel - I am unsure why, it is painful to watch... maybe watching the decline of western civilization.. or at least a part of America that defined much of the 20th century .. but it is fascinating none the less. The narration and historical facts about these once great meeting and shopping centers is very professional and interesting.. Being in my 50s These videos bring back some strong memories. I miss the malls.
Sal that age limit idea for malls has been applied to our biggest mall here in Syracuse, New York called DestinyUSA for years due to a rise in crime. Currently the rules are you must be 18 to visit our mall. It states it on our malls official website as well Sal. Just in case you wanted to see what is going on here in Central New York.
We went to that mall several years ago on a visit to the area. It is quite large. Hope it's doing okay. Did some exploring there, then hit Dinosaur BBQ to pig out.
The recent no-punishment policies of some politicians has crushed some retailers. Sal should have mentioned that as yet another headwind in the decline of retail. That is the most obvious in places like NYC, LA, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore...you know.
Thank you for sharing❤️ it really hit when you said there's only 700 shopping malls left if the US... I wish there was something we could all do to help this before it's too late💔
Of all mall exploration videos I’ve seen this one has to be my hands down favorite one, and I don’t even live anywhere near it. I love the vintage neon lights and 70’s decor mixed with modern store fronts and some modern designs. I hope this mall is doing good even today
I live in Springfield Ma!!!! This mall was full of people, but after they put a curfew for teenagers under 18 on Friday's and Saturdays the mall started to die. The bus used to also run until 9:30 on Friday and Saturday then changed to 6:30!!!!! The East field mall was dead long before the pandemic happened.
Look at how those floor tiles have the same quadrant design as the above quadrants embedded in the greater design of the tile floor so that it brings the ceiling and floor design together. Bliss.
Aw man, I wish the malls near me had something like that interactive jewelry making thing! That's the first that I've heard of a mall doing something like that to increase traffic, and it sounds like a great idea.
Wow, so cool to see you go to this one, Sal! The energy here is unreal! I went here in April of 2018 out of curiosity on a rainy day. Sears was celebrating their 125th anniversary with some sale signs, and would announce closure maybe 2 weeks later. I fell for that neon, and this quickly became my favorite dead mall. I also think the fountain was still there, though not really working. You unlocked a magic memory for me. Thanks for sharing.
20 years ago i was in Mesa Arizona. Arizona Mills was thriving mall already and the Fiesta Mall in Mesa was Thriving also. Now i see Fiesta is gone and Arizona Mills is still good. wow and sad.
There were, and still are, many memorable stores at the Eastfield Mall. Dream Machine Arcade was a favorite for many through the 1990's into early 2000's; Radioshack was still around for quite a while, at a time before GameStop was started by Babbage's (pre-1999). It's great that there are still long-lasting companies there, like Kay Jewelers, and Hannoush Jewelers, LensCrafters, Donovan's Irish Pub, and Mykonos; still by comparison, it's good to see that the "younger", but still great Mocha Emporium, like Old Navy, and Aéropostale, are also doing okay. The mall benefits with traffic from the still otherwise busy area, which has constantly changed, over the last few decades. The 1991 footage brought had shown areas across the Eastfield Mall, on the other side of Boston Road. That's now Lowe's Plaza, and Lowe's currently sits on the spot where Lechmere's (x-1997) and Child World (x-1991) had been; where the current Liquors44 now occupies where Stop & Shop was, and Stop & Shop took over where Bradlees (x-2001) was; McDonald's location built in the late 1990's is currently undergoing renovations, and modernization. On the next tier up, in Haymarket Square, Ocean State Job Lot occupies the previous Toys "R" Us (x-2018) location; a GameStop location closed in 2020; Foody Goody changed names to Four Seasons Buffet around 2016, and the location closed in 2020; Chuck E. Cheese location closed in 2020. Harbor Freight Tools now occupies where Famous Dave's (x-2012) was, which had previously been occupied by Ground Round until 2008.
My grandmother used to work at Stigers before they closed. Then she got a job at supermarket in Hadley. She's retired now. The cinema is now a temporary court house while the main court house is having mold problems throughout the entire building.
It’s still open, at least it was as of about 6 months ago, but the only shops in there, for the most part, are just the storefront ones. There aren’t any anchor stores there anymore, sadly. I used to work down the road from there.
@@organrick -- Old Navy is one of their biggest stores. Now, if they could get Target to open up in the former Macy's, the mall would be on its way to revival.
@@cameraz99 Believe it or not, Ames is coming back to New England and NY. So far there are only plans for CT and RI, but can you imagine if they opened up in this location?
Great video! Brought back a lot of memories. I was a mall rat in the early eighties and spent a couple of dollars at Dream Machine. I worked at Sears for a couple of years and then Eastfield Fireplace Shoppe. I still live in the area and frequent Donavans Irish Pub which you could have mentioned as it has been there for over 22 years as has Mykonos.(Best Gyros around) And you would’ve gotten better service than the other bar you went to. My guess is she didn’t start being nice to you until she knew you were filming a documentary. Update….no more Covid shot in the old Macy’s and Springfield District court has been out of there for months.
I grew up in the area in the 90s. I never once went to the Eastfield Mall. It was just a little further away than the Holyoke Mall, which, of course, is much bigger. So there was never any reason to go. And, when the Fairfield Mall was still around, it was easiest to go there. I’d be very interested in what you think of the Kingston Mall, which is almost dead, but still has major anchors, a movie theater, and just built luxury apartments where the Sears used to be. I have to think that apartments on-site will help revitalize the mall.
As a native Minnesotan, I am a Mall of America-holic. I have been a faithful customer since it's opening in 1992, and I have no plans to stop going. I always go, and I always have something in my hand buying things from the mall. The mall sits on the site of the former Metropolitan Stadium baseball field, and the site of the former North Stars Hockey arena is now an IKEA. The 1996 law for out mall was actually needed due to gang activity. There was a period in the nineties where gangs were rampant in Mall of America. Gangs stopped at MoA because the public outcry was that great. Mall of America is an American landmark. We even had two movies made. "Jingle All The Way" starring Sinbad the comedian, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. There was also Dora The Explorer ; "The Lost City of Gold" filmed there. Christina Ricci, who was Wednesday Addams from the 1993 "Addams Family," was part of the film crew there.
Thanks for the wonderful update. I’m 62 years old and I grew up in the mall and your right parents would drop us off but they would be six or seven or eight of us from our neighborhood and we spend our money and sit around and laugh at people all alone all good, clean fun the place looks like a deserted desert.
Oh, you could have gone with material from WGGB Channel 40 or WWLP Channel 22, instead of another from Boston. Even a Connecticut station would be closer, like WFSB 3, WTIC 61, WVIT 30, or WTXX 20. I don't think I realized 99 Restaurants were a New York and New England thing, but realized that when you seemed a tad unfamiliar with it. Go a little east down Boston Road (Route 20, which actually does go across the state to Boston) and you'd hit the Friendly's headquarters in Wilbraham (which I think has a slightly larger reach than 99 Restaurants). Go a bit west and there are a whole bunch of other restaurants, like there used to be Salvatore's. I think they might have been closed by the time you got there. This mall was definitely the closest one to where I grew up. The Showcase Cinemas version of the cinema opened when I was a freshman in college, and I worked at that cinema between sophomore and junior years. I never quite thought of it that way, but describing it in terms of its neon is apt. I did always kind of associate it with that blue neon color. I did always consider it kind of a small mall, especially when compared to the Holyoke Mall. I used to go to the Dream Machine arcade a lot as a kid, where kids much younger than me would kick my ass at Mortal Kombat, but where we'd bring our report cards for tokens. Even smaller was the Springdale Mall across Boston Road, which I pretty much went to for the Papa Gino's and to play video games at the Lechmere. My mom used to take my brother and me to the Papa Gino's some Wednesdays for all-you-can-eat pasta and we'd play the Ghostbusters theme on the jukebox. Once, when I was little, I accidentally knocked over the flag and got yelled at by one of the employees.
Good video. It's obvious you did a lot of research. My brother-in-law was manager of the mall from the mid-'70s to the early -'80s. The mall was his baby. During walks around the mall he would go out of his way to pick up the smallest scrap of paper on the ground. The mall was busy, but it was spotless. A good friend of mine was the Rouse Company's project manager when they were building the food court. I was hired to photograph the construction from beginning to end. At one point, there was talk of putting a second story on the mall, which I heard was originally constructed for that eventuality, but it never happened.
Anybody remember the wooden gazebos over the fountains? They were right near where the food court was at the end. In that pit area where the pretzel place was. Also remember dream machine was down that long hallway with the exit off in the corner. The hallway was all white yet the small corner on the left side was like a dark cave until you stepped inside to the sounds of a million beeps and hoops from all the arcade games in there. Man so many memories from back in the day
I lived behind that mall for 25 years of my life, spent most of my teenage years there. It was an epic time...I still go there from time to time for resales of shoes and clothes.
I live in California and there are no blue laws with the exception of Chik. Fil A, and Hobby Lobby which have a no Sunday policy. They still have J.C. Penney, Macy's, Sears which is usual anchor tenants, they do have food courts that sell mostly fast food and there is also casual dining such as Red Robin, Applebee's, California Pizza Kitchen, Buffalo Wings. I noticed the song in the restaurant was a song from George Bizet Carmen.
Blue laws were about the prohibition of selling certain items on Sundays. Places that sold food weren’t usually included. I can remember the hardware aisle in the supermarket being roped off on Sundays. So Chik Fil A would be allowed to operate, but Hobby Lobby would not. Those business close on Sundays now because that is their choice.
@@504RoadTrips Here are some things that have prohibitions. In Utah, no liquor sales on Sundays, Tucson, Arizona car dealerships are not open on Sundays, Mississippi does not sell liquor on Sundays exceptions are casinos and fraternal organizations, most states don't allow dealerships to open on Sundays, New Jersey does not permit the sale of clothing, electronics, furniture. Oklahoma does not permit the sale of alcoholic beverages exceptions are military bases, fraternal organizations IE Freemason's, Elks, Moose, Shriners, VFW Veterans of Foreign Wars, car dealerships are not open on Sundays. This is just a few. In Tucson Arizona. They have a Gentlemen's Agreement that they will not sell cars on Sundays.
@@frankdenardo8684 most of those were in effect in Louisiana until the mid-80s. Except for the liquor thing. Louisiana is pretty much a free-for-all when it comes to alcohol. They didn’t increase the drinking age to 21 until 1990, a few months before I turned 18. People who were a few months older than me could buy alcohol legally for 3 years because they were grandfathered under the old law. Not that anyone ever checked ID anyway. Even today, I’m not sure if you can buy a car from a dealership on a Sunday.
@@504RoadTrips 12 States with Outright Ban on vehicle sales Pennsylvania Maine Missouri Minnesota Wisconsin Indiana Oklahoma Colorado Iowa Illinois New Jersey Louisiana 7 States with Partial Restrictions North Dakota Maryland Michigan Nevada Rhode Island Utah Texas California has no laws in the books for selling vehicles on Sundays. But it depends on the owners of dealerships in that state. A lot small towns in California that have dealerships don't do business on Sundays. In Canada 🇨🇦. No dealerships are open on Sundays. That applies from the West Coast all the way to the Maritime provinces. After prohibition. States elected to be dry or not. Half of the counties in the southern United States are dry.
Believe it or not 10 years ago the mall used to be even more dead than it is now. It kind of went through a mini rebirth most of the tenants in that mall haven't been there for more than 10 years
Vital to capture "the shopping experience", what a slice of time, of life, commerce, of adolescent experiences- I would have watched it even if I had not been up all night sick as fuck!
Eastfield Mall and Enfield Square were the two malls I grew up hanging out in 1980s time line. Holyoke Mall came around later and dwarfed both. It is REALLY sad to see where the Mall went, even before COVID hit. Back in the day, Eastfield Mall used to be packed- One could barely move around Christmas time. Now? It looks as though even the Fountain area is shut and roped off. As always, WELL DONE with this video! Any chance of coming back up to see Holyoke or Enfield?
Sad to see Eastfield mall like this.. Do you remember "The Flaming Pit" restaurant... "Orange Julius" ? My family would come from WSPFLD for a shopping trip...good memories with my family. Now the 'mall' is the internet😕
I grew up in the area of my entire life as well and one thing I can say about the creator of this series is the Holyoke Mall will never be a dead Mall! Like you said I think Holyoke Mall is the main reason all the malls and Springfield went out of business. I really really miss the eastfield Mall a lot of fond memories there.
For some reason the eastfield mall was my favorite as a kid. So much so I decided to ride my bike there all the way from Enfield CT when I was 10! I massively underestimated how far away it really was since I was used to my parents driving which made it feel much closer. It took my friend and I about 3 hours and I ended up getting a flat tire. Haha. My parents had no idea I did that until I told them when I was much older.
I installed all of that interior neon and the square grid lights with my first mentor in 1999 while working for Agnoli Sign Co. That was a nice night-shift project. Our company also made and installed the large pylon and gateway signs. The mall is closed just a few weeks ago. I remember visiting that mall as a kid so many times. Just an amazing place. Sad to see it go.
Great episode as usual. Just so well made and interesting every time. By the way I just heard that The Mall at Robinson in Pittsburgh was just bought by Kohan. I’ve always thought it was dying slowly but it may be worth an eventual visit with that news (though it’s not the most exciting mall…built in the late 90s or early 00s I believe).
I was at the mall a 2 days days before it closed. The "throwback" corner was by the former JCP and sill lit up. Many of the other squares still had the tunes intact but were not working.
Now the 99 is closed and is serving as a sort of food pantry for Veterans, there are Covid test sites in the old JC Penney parking lot, and I got my 2nd Covid shot inside the old Steiger's/Macys store. When I was a teen (late 80's/early 90's) it was THE hangout.
You were right, I was still here so I subscribed. I saw a video about stores that were once mall staples that don't exist anymore, and it made me wonder if the dying malls weren't only a product of changing attitudes in shopping, as the crashing of major department stores. I haven't done a bit of research, only watching videos of their decline that now speaks more of the separate stores closing and I have to wonder if the mall decline was the by product of the stores' decline. This probably has people going 'duh', but seriously, I always assumed the stores left because the people didn't want to shop big malls anymore, (a big shout out to internet shopping), not the stores closings causing the decline of the mall and I think that's worth thinking about. I'm rambling I know, sorry,.
So many malls are gone. Here in southeastern Massachusetts, the Swansea Mall and Taunton's Silver City Galleria are a past memory. The Harbor Mall in Fall River was reconstructed as a plaza concept. Dartmouth still has its mall, but who knows what the future holds.
A local area mall in the past year or so enacted a 2pm curfew for all those under 18 without an adult after 2pm on Friday-Sunday which is just insane, but apparently the local teens can't behave themselves. That mall is always busy though.
Moxie is an acquired taste, Sal; you have to be from New England to drink it. I used to like it, but they added HFCS. The diet stuff... right with ya' there. Drank that once, but not twice.
I lived in Western Massachusetts from my birth in August 1993 until 2019 and now reside in South Florida. There are NO MALLS from Mass that can compare to those here in Miami, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, and Hollywood. However that being said, Eastfield Mall was a good mall growing up! I remember seeing santa claus and easter bunny for pictures growing up, kb toys, macys, jcpennys, steve and barrys, and so many other stores. I remember being excited to see a tropical fish store school of fish move in. I've supported school of fish back when they were james tropical. but in 2018ish the mall started a deep decline. the cinemas were the first thing to decline and was not shocked when they closed.Honestly, I don't see the Eastfield Mall lasting another year sadly.
It is cool that the mall management kept a portion of the neon intact. Neon is disappearing at an alarming rate. Restaurants seem to be the only business model that still have neon intact. This mall reminds me of Northwest Mall in Houston. The design of the corridors and even ability to survive after losing all major anchors.
I went there to get my COVID shots at one of the defunct Anchor stores and it wasn't too bad to be honest. I've seen worse like the Berkshire mall for example.
I think the difference between why the malls in Florida and California are so successful in this generation is that they are able to go with the flow in terms of being modern! Modern techonogly stores, modern decor, modern restaurants they aim to please the younger audience and its proven to be successful. the nice weather and open air space of some of the mall space also helps.
Sal you did a story about Western Hills Mall in Fairfield, Alabama about how it was almost dead. Well they just did a multi million dollar upgrade to try and bring the mall back to life. Just thought you would like this little tidbit.
It is sad to see Eastfield Mall the way it is today!!! When I was at the age of 13 - 15 yrs. old in the mid to late 70's we would go to the mall and shop, go to the movies and hangout on Saturday's and it was always filled with people. In the early to mid 80's my father worked their as a janitor in the day time and my mother took on a second job at night in the mall at 16 plus. On the day's my father wasn't working we would take my 1 1/2yr. old son (at the time) up their and walk around and go to Friendly's to have some lunch. Everyone knew my father so everyone knew my son and I! My son went their so much he used to think he owned the mall walking ahead of us waving and saying hi to all the people that worked in all the stores that knew us so I didn't really have to worry about him getting too far ahead of us or lost because the people that worked there would see him and come out to say hi too him to slow him down and talk to him to make sure that my father or I were behind him and then at night we would go there to pick up my mother when she got out of work. In early 2000 my son started working there (yes the same one 😂) at the arcade they had in the mall as a manager for a little while until they closed it down and then he started working at the Cinemark Movie Theater and became one of the managers their and even then the mall was still busy then! Then that's when Eastfield Mall started setting there rules about teenagers being in the mall without a parent and sorry I have to correct you It wasn't at the age of 15 yrs. old it was the age of 16 they had to be with a parent! That's when it seemed like the mall started slowly going downhill and it's very sad to see that. One of my husband's football players that he used to coach owns a shop up there now it's been their for awhile now where you can go paint pictures, or go buy them or have a printed t-shirt made up and I hope he really makes it their the way it is get now. I think they should lift up their band on the teenagers I think it will come back to life it would get the parents in there to find them and hopefully go do some shopping! As long as the kids are not causing trouble, I don't understand why they put the rule in the first place! Yeah I understand they shouldn't be there when school is in session that I do understand and shouldn't be allowed in there unless they're with a parent but otherwise after school and on weekends they should be allowed up there as long as they are not causing any trouble!! If they don't do something soon I don't know what's going to happen to the Eastfield Mall I mean Christmas is here and there will be more people in the mall but after Christmas it dies back down so they have to do something soon if they want the mall to succeed !!!
Wanted to let those watching this video that, as of 11/7/23, the Eastfield Mall is no more. It's in the process of being razed for some sort of strip mall. As someone who spent much of his childhood here, it actually hurt to watch local news stations covering its destruction. Very glad Sal made this video... thank you!
This one is bussin'. That brown brick tile is exactly what was on the floor of one of my favorite childhood malls. It just never gets old. And that blue neon....man.
I’m so sad that they got rid of the neon…
@@sal this is my mall, I bought my first and only leather jacket in there with my own money when I was 14 in around 92' (it was pigskin) and was dope lol. In Bellamy Middle School a Buddy who I shared a locker with borrowed it and who knows from there he got kicked out of school.
The brown brick title Crossroads mall had as well late 2000/early 2001 put a new title over the brown brick saw the brown brick tile when they got rid of the candy place in the halls of the mall.
The brown brick didn’t cost extra either, it was more economical than the coloured tiles that also required someone to create the design pattern.
@@salikr. It makes it look futuristic
This is my childhood right here. I live near it. I remember when it was thriving. Thw fountain, the kb toys, the jcpennys, sears, and macys…. I even remember the mcdonalds and hot topic and the Walden bookstore…Now it’s all gone. The thrills, the neon…. All gone.
Remember how we waited for it to open. I was a student at Elms.
Same. The J.C. Penney has been missed especially
Yes! The FYE and the hot tpic were my fave places.
Most malls in Massachusetts have been slowing down. The only 2 malls that moved forward in Massachusetts are Burlington and Natick. When the natick mall changed the whole thing about 7 years ago I think making the mall bigger and added a condo building with new retail stores it got really busy it was alot of foot traffic everywhere even on a Monday. Think of the 1970s maybe. There are a better restaurants in the Burlington mall area not just fast food junk. The east side of the state is also a thriving business scene. Lots of buying and selling.
The timing of "mall condos" was terrible and many new units were put on auction. Maybe it also was the concept of living in a mall next to a highway.
I worked at the Mall in the early 80's. During Christmas, there was literally no parking left. Cars were parked on the grass. Police were needed at entrance and exits to control traffic, and close parking if needed if there was no more. It was literally shoulder to shoulder inside. So sad to see what was once a bustling Mall turn dead. Eastfield was the FIRST enclosed shopping Mall in New England.
What were the most popular stores then? And the least popular?
No different in the mid 80s and even the 90s. Holidays were always packed and it felt like an event
Congratulations on haveing probably the only footage of the 99's restraunt at the Eastfield mall
So glad you captured all the neon, before it was removed 😥
Happy Thanksgiving, Legion! I may or may not be half passed tf out from too much turkey and scotch right now, but I love you all. Happy to drown in a sea of neon with you all. Sub or I'll cry BYEEEEEEEE! PS, follow me on Counter Social since Twitter is a dumpster fire: @Salvatore
Ready for the fun!!!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Sal, would you do a video about the Mills Malls, and how Simon converted them from whimsical designs to plain and basic looking malls
@@sal I'm a huge fan! your videos are so underrated!
I’ve been to that mall many years ago. Didn’t seem like it was in a great area. Sal I’m from CT when are you gonna be doing some malls down here? Enfield and Meriden in particular. I would love to go on one of your dead mall Ex log adventures.
I'm from Western Ma. and the Eastfield Mall was our first local shopping mall. Had a lot of fun memories going there over the years. It's sad what it has now become.
I'm in Amherst! :)
I'm In Holyoke. Only thing Springfield has to offer is gambling, hookers and heroin.
I worked at Steiger's department store when I was a kid during & after the Christmas season. My friends and I spent nearly every Saturday there. My Momma used to bring us to the parking lots after a big snow storm to play on the huge piles of snow from plowing. She did a bunch of donuts in the parking lot too! With 7 kids in the car laughing hysterically.....she was the FUNNEST MOTHER EVER!!!!
no matter which mall it is, it reminds us of the mall we went to as a kid and it is sad to see them die out. I cant expect the world to be what it was 40 years ago. Keep up the great videos Sal
My hometown. This was THE SPOT every Friday night in middle school. Ahhh brings back so many memories
Another great episode, thanks.
I really do feel bad about malls closing because it was such an innovative way of connecting people and businesses, and seeing less of them just saddens me. People overall now prefer online shopping and I can't blame them, but it pains me we're losing a piece of history.
Thank you for making video evidence as this will serve for future generations to appreciate what they didn't have.
Malls were popular because the Boomers & their parents paved over paradise to put a parking lot down. The Automobile was the Iphone or Ipod of yesteryear. They weren't treated as something you would hand down to your kids instead they were disposable consumer goods that were junkers around 100,000 miles. KIds want a drivers license so they can regain the childhood they lost due to lack of independence due to their car dependent society.
I don't hate the malls but we need to realize what was driving force that made them popular to begin with the youth. Same goes for why kids wanted to get their license to begin with.
Thanks for this trip to my childhood. I lived across from this mall as a teenager…in the Fernbank apartments.
Me and my friends basically lived in this mall during my teen years during the late 80s. Constantly cruising up and down the halls “looking for chicks.”
Many quarters spent at The Dream Machine arcade.
So many memories.
Subbed for this video alone.
Thank you for watching and the sub!! Much more on the way :)
That blue neon looks incredible and gives off quite the retro vible. Glad you captured it before its removal. Thanks for another great log.
Sal Happy Thanksgiving Sir. I appreciate all your videos. I am 41 now and I remember the late 90s to early 2000s when malls where awesome. Thanks for all you do. Its nice watching something that teaches you history, and it brings back memories. Best Regards, Mr Brad
Thank you so much for following my series Brad!!! I have tons more to share, I hope you stick with me!
@@sal I plan continuing to support all the time as always. You have a great content and excell history on malls.
Thank you so much. That really means the world to me.
I'm very glad you took videos of the Eastfield Mall before it gets ripped apart and turned into a housing commons later in the year or 2024. I was there a couple of months ago just to see how empty it was before I realized that Eastfield is a dead mall.
This is symmetrical neon blue mall heaven! I’m always looking at the tile designs on the floor and how they echo what’s going on in the ceiling designs, how the communal chairs are placed and whether they’re curbed or straight edged, this mall is definitely a puritan pleasure. Your videos are by the best as they are like visual art history essays, the history and facts from start to finish are superbly put chronologically visual so that your videos tell more than just a day out pointing a camera to random places that are abandoned… you’re actually recording the art history of dead malls across America and I’ve never appreciated anyones videos as much as yours for the fact they’re as intellectual as they are entertaining. Finally someone who is doing it right. 🎉
Nice seeing the WBZ videos from the 80s at the beginning and end
I remember watching WBZ back then
This weekend I was by 2 live malls Pheasant Lane in NH and Burlington Mall MA both were busy
I was also at the Woburn village which replaced the former Woburn Mall in one of the recent ex logs on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving it was very busy
Make sure to check out ExLog 109, I covered Woburn!
Ooo it’s like a Thanksgiving present 🦃 ! Thanks Sal!
My pleasure!!!
Oof, not gonna lie, something about that "School of Fish" shop @18:46 hit me in the gut and drew a tear. 😥
All I can say to places like that is "Shine On, You Crazy Diamond". Shine on....
My main mall was Holyoke mall, but sometimes I would go to this mall, even when the sears was open and the cinematic was open. The neons were so cool and I liked how different it was from Holyoke. I miss when this mall had more open, now I only go to Holyoke and pass by the mall instead of going inside, it looks abandoned but it really isn’t 😢
I love that you find all the old commercials for the malls
I love this channel - I am unsure why, it is painful to watch... maybe watching the decline of western civilization.. or at least a part of America that defined much of the 20th century .. but it is fascinating none the less. The narration and historical facts about these once great meeting and shopping centers is very professional and interesting.. Being in my 50s These videos bring back some strong memories. I miss the malls.
Hey I appreciate that! Much more on the way!
Great job on all your video's. I love the historical data and pictures you include.
Great video but I'm not understanding the WBZ clip, Boston is over 1.5 hours away from Springfield haha. Our tv stations are WGGB and WWLP
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sal that age limit idea for malls has been applied to our biggest mall here in Syracuse, New York called DestinyUSA for years due to a rise in crime. Currently the rules are you must be 18 to visit our mall. It states it on our malls official website as well Sal. Just in case you wanted to see what is going on here in Central New York.
We went to that mall several years ago on a visit to the area. It is quite large. Hope it's doing okay. Did some exploring there, then hit Dinosaur BBQ to pig out.
The recent no-punishment policies of some politicians has crushed some retailers. Sal should have mentioned that as yet another headwind in the decline of retail. That is the most obvious in places like NYC, LA, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore...you know.
But can youths still visit if accompanied by an adult?
Yay!! You just made my day. Thank you and happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Thank you for sharing❤️ it really hit when you said there's only 700 shopping malls left if the US... I wish there was something we could all do to help this before it's too late💔
Of all mall exploration videos I’ve seen this one has to be my hands down favorite one, and I don’t even live anywhere near it. I love the vintage neon lights and 70’s decor mixed with modern store fronts and some modern designs. I hope this mall is doing good even today
My friends and I used to walk to the mall in the late 70s and 80s....it was awesome!
I live in Springfield Ma!!!! This mall was full of people, but after they put a curfew for teenagers under 18 on Friday's and Saturdays the mall started to die. The bus used to also run until 9:30 on Friday and Saturday then changed to 6:30!!!!! The East field mall was dead long before the pandemic happened.
Youths had long been a boon and a bane for malls at the same time...
I am obsessed with the jumper the rightmost person is wearing at 5:10 - it's so colourful! This video is a marvel and a gem, thanks as always Sal!
Look at how those floor tiles have the same quadrant design as the above quadrants embedded in the greater design of the tile floor so that it brings the ceiling and floor design together. Bliss.
Aw man, I wish the malls near me had something like that interactive jewelry making thing! That's the first that I've heard of a mall doing something like that to increase traffic, and it sounds like a great idea.
Wow, so cool to see you go to this one, Sal! The energy here is unreal! I went here in April of 2018 out of curiosity on a rainy day. Sears was celebrating their 125th anniversary with some sale signs, and would announce closure maybe 2 weeks later. I fell for that neon, and this quickly became my favorite dead mall. I also think the fountain was still there, though not really working. You unlocked a magic memory for me. Thanks for sharing.
I love that ceiling, excellent video, one of my new favorite dead malls fs.
Love the new intro. Old malls never fail to take me back.
20 years ago i was in Mesa Arizona. Arizona Mills was thriving mall already and the Fiesta Mall in Mesa was Thriving also. Now i see Fiesta is gone and Arizona Mills is still good. wow and sad.
There were, and still are, many memorable stores at the Eastfield Mall. Dream Machine Arcade was a favorite for many through the 1990's into early 2000's; Radioshack was still around for quite a while, at a time before GameStop was started by Babbage's (pre-1999).
It's great that there are still long-lasting companies there, like Kay Jewelers, and Hannoush Jewelers, LensCrafters, Donovan's Irish Pub, and Mykonos; still by comparison, it's good to see that the "younger", but still great Mocha Emporium, like Old Navy, and Aéropostale, are also doing okay. The mall benefits with traffic from the still otherwise busy area, which has constantly changed, over the last few decades.
The 1991 footage brought had shown areas across the Eastfield Mall, on the other side of Boston Road. That's now Lowe's Plaza, and Lowe's currently sits on the spot where Lechmere's (x-1997) and Child World (x-1991) had been; where the current Liquors44 now occupies where Stop & Shop was, and Stop & Shop took over where Bradlees (x-2001) was; McDonald's location built in the late 1990's is currently undergoing renovations, and modernization.
On the next tier up, in Haymarket Square, Ocean State Job Lot occupies the previous Toys "R" Us (x-2018) location; a GameStop location closed in 2020; Foody Goody changed names to Four Seasons Buffet around 2016, and the location closed in 2020; Chuck E. Cheese location closed in 2020. Harbor Freight Tools now occupies where Famous Dave's (x-2012) was, which had previously been occupied by Ground Round until 2008.
The McDonald's has been there for way longer than the 90s. They've been there since at least '87. Back when they used to be next to vanguard bank
My grandmother used to work at Stigers before they closed. Then she got a job at supermarket in Hadley. She's retired now.
The cinema is now a temporary court house while the main court house is having mold problems throughout the entire building.
This dead mall is astonishingly clean and maintained. Wow.
That was in 2019. I hope it’s still that way!!!
It’s still open, at least it was as of about 6 months ago, but the only shops in there, for the most part, are just the storefront ones. There aren’t any anchor stores there anymore, sadly. I used to work down the road from there.
@@organrick -- Old Navy is one of their biggest stores. Now, if they could get Target to open up in the former Macy's, the mall would be on its way to revival.
@@cameraz99 Believe it or not, Ames is coming back to New England and NY. So far there are only plans for CT and RI, but can you imagine if they opened up in this location?
That aesthetic is epic.
The blueness of that food court, where the wrestling was happening, reminded me of old photos of Cinderella City in Colorado.
Great video! Brought back a lot of memories. I was a mall rat in the early eighties and spent a couple of dollars at Dream Machine. I worked at Sears for a couple of years and then Eastfield Fireplace Shoppe. I still live in the area and frequent Donavans Irish Pub which you could have mentioned as it has been there for over 22 years as has Mykonos.(Best Gyros around) And you would’ve gotten better service than the other bar you went to. My guess is she didn’t start being nice to you until she knew you were filming a documentary.
Update….no more Covid shot in the old Macy’s and Springfield District court has been out of there for months.
I grew up in the area in the 90s. I never once went to the Eastfield Mall. It was just a little further away than the Holyoke Mall, which, of course, is much bigger. So there was never any reason to go. And, when the Fairfield Mall was still around, it was easiest to go there.
I’d be very interested in what you think of the Kingston Mall, which is almost dead, but still has major anchors, a movie theater, and just built luxury apartments where the Sears used to be. I have to think that apartments on-site will help revitalize the mall.
This Mall was my favorite. They always decorated for Christmas. Penney's was the best.
I spent many childhood weekends there browsing book stores and at the Dream Machine with friends!
Another awesome video! I"m thankful for you making this awesome channel filled with amazing mall tours!
Thank you, sir!
@@sal your welcome good sir
Adore all your videos! Thank you!
The nostalgia vibes i get from this almost made me cry, i dont know why it makes me sad.
i grew up in springfield ma and went to this mall many times throughout my life. i live in florida now, but i still visit from time to time
As a native Minnesotan, I am a Mall of America-holic. I have been a faithful customer since it's opening in 1992, and I have no plans to stop going. I always go, and I always have something in my hand buying things from the mall. The mall sits on the site of the former Metropolitan Stadium baseball field, and the site of the former North Stars Hockey arena is now an IKEA. The 1996 law for out mall was actually needed due to gang activity. There was a period in the nineties where gangs were rampant in Mall of America. Gangs stopped at MoA because the public outcry was that great. Mall of America is an American landmark. We even had two movies made. "Jingle All The Way" starring Sinbad the comedian, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. There was also Dora The Explorer ; "The Lost City of Gold" filmed there. Christina Ricci, who was Wednesday Addams from the 1993 "Addams Family," was part of the film crew there.
Thanks for the wonderful update. I’m 62 years old and I grew up in the mall and your right parents would drop us off but they would be six or seven or eight of us from our neighborhood and we spend our money and sit around and laugh at people all alone all good, clean fun the place looks like a deserted desert.
Neon lights DO NOT leak "freon"The glass tubes are SEALED and can stay that way for up to decades.The scare is ridiculous.
the east field mall hosts many community events like boy scouts pinewood derby championships, and semi pro wrestling events
I live right down the street. Worked at 3 or 4 of the cell phone fish bowls too. This mall used to be great. So sad. Dream Machine forever.
Oh, you could have gone with material from WGGB Channel 40 or WWLP Channel 22, instead of another from Boston. Even a Connecticut station would be closer, like WFSB 3, WTIC 61, WVIT 30, or WTXX 20.
I don't think I realized 99 Restaurants were a New York and New England thing, but realized that when you seemed a tad unfamiliar with it. Go a little east down Boston Road (Route 20, which actually does go across the state to Boston) and you'd hit the Friendly's headquarters in Wilbraham (which I think has a slightly larger reach than 99 Restaurants). Go a bit west and there are a whole bunch of other restaurants, like there used to be Salvatore's. I think they might have been closed by the time you got there.
This mall was definitely the closest one to where I grew up. The Showcase Cinemas version of the cinema opened when I was a freshman in college, and I worked at that cinema between sophomore and junior years.
I never quite thought of it that way, but describing it in terms of its neon is apt. I did always kind of associate it with that blue neon color. I did always consider it kind of a small mall, especially when compared to the Holyoke Mall. I used to go to the Dream Machine arcade a lot as a kid, where kids much younger than me would kick my ass at Mortal Kombat, but where we'd bring our report cards for tokens.
Even smaller was the Springdale Mall across Boston Road, which I pretty much went to for the Papa Gino's and to play video games at the Lechmere. My mom used to take my brother and me to the Papa Gino's some Wednesdays for all-you-can-eat pasta and we'd play the Ghostbusters theme on the jukebox. Once, when I was little, I accidentally knocked over the flag and got yelled at by one of the employees.
This was my hangout as a kid. The arcade was the place.
Another great ex log. You’ve been crushing it man
Good video. It's obvious you did a lot of research. My brother-in-law was manager of the mall from the mid-'70s to the early -'80s. The mall was his baby. During walks around the mall he would go out of his way to pick up the smallest scrap of paper on the ground. The mall was busy, but it was spotless. A good friend of mine was the Rouse Company's project manager when they were building the food court. I was hired to photograph the construction from beginning to end. At one point, there was talk of putting a second story on the mall, which I heard was originally constructed for that eventuality, but it never happened.
Thank you for posting this ❤️ But it's so sad what happened to this mall..Use to be one my Favorite Malls! Wonder what happened....
Excellent episode! Really great background history on this mall and it had such nice and eerie neon lighting. Happy Thanksgiving.
I spent a lot of time in this mall as a kid. Dream machine was the best place to be even if you didn’t have any quarters. The Holyoke mall was fun too
Anybody remember the wooden gazebos over the fountains? They were right near where the food court was at the end. In that pit area where the pretzel place was. Also remember dream machine was down that long hallway with the exit off in the corner. The hallway was all white yet the small corner on the left side was like a dark cave until you stepped inside to the sounds of a million beeps and hoops from all the arcade games in there. Man so many memories from back in the day
I lived behind that mall for 25 years of my life, spent most of my teenage years there. It was an epic time...I still go there from time to time for resales of shoes and clothes.
I live in California and there are no blue laws with the exception of Chik. Fil A, and Hobby Lobby which have a no Sunday policy. They still have J.C. Penney, Macy's, Sears which is usual anchor tenants, they do have food courts that sell mostly fast food and there is also casual dining such as Red Robin, Applebee's, California Pizza Kitchen, Buffalo Wings. I noticed the song in the restaurant was a song from George Bizet Carmen.
Blue laws were about the prohibition of selling certain items on Sundays. Places that sold food weren’t usually included. I can remember the hardware aisle in the supermarket being roped off on Sundays.
So Chik Fil A would be allowed to operate, but Hobby Lobby would not. Those business close on Sundays now because that is their choice.
@@504RoadTrips Here are some things that have prohibitions. In Utah, no liquor sales on Sundays, Tucson, Arizona car dealerships are not open on Sundays, Mississippi does not sell liquor on Sundays exceptions are casinos and fraternal organizations, most states don't allow dealerships to open on Sundays, New Jersey does not permit the sale of clothing, electronics, furniture. Oklahoma does not permit the sale of alcoholic beverages exceptions are military bases, fraternal organizations IE Freemason's, Elks, Moose, Shriners, VFW Veterans of Foreign Wars, car dealerships are not open on Sundays. This is just a few. In Tucson Arizona. They have a Gentlemen's Agreement that they will not sell cars on Sundays.
@@frankdenardo8684 most of those were in effect in Louisiana until the mid-80s. Except for the liquor thing. Louisiana is pretty much a free-for-all when it comes to alcohol. They didn’t increase the drinking age to 21 until 1990, a few months before I turned 18. People who were a few months older than me could buy alcohol legally for 3 years because they were grandfathered under the old law. Not that anyone ever checked ID anyway.
Even today, I’m not sure if you can buy a car from a dealership on a Sunday.
@@504RoadTrips 12 States with Outright Ban on vehicle sales
Pennsylvania
Maine
Missouri
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Indiana
Oklahoma
Colorado
Iowa
Illinois
New Jersey
Louisiana
7 States with Partial Restrictions
North Dakota
Maryland
Michigan
Nevada
Rhode Island
Utah
Texas
California has no laws in the books for selling vehicles on Sundays. But it depends on the owners of dealerships in that state. A lot small towns in California that have dealerships don't do business on Sundays. In Canada 🇨🇦. No dealerships are open on Sundays. That applies from the West Coast all the way to the Maritime provinces.
After prohibition. States elected to be dry or not. Half of the counties in the southern United States are dry.
Nice tour Sal...
I'll drink to neon. Cheers!
Believe it or not 10 years ago the mall used to be even more dead than it is now. It kind of went through a mini rebirth most of the tenants in that mall haven't been there for more than 10 years
Vital to capture "the shopping experience", what a slice of time, of life, commerce, of adolescent experiences- I would have watched it even if I had not been up all night sick as fuck!
Blue neon is made with Argon and Mercury. Freon is not used in any lighting application.
Eastfield Mall and Enfield Square were the two malls I grew up hanging out in 1980s time line. Holyoke Mall came around later and dwarfed both. It is REALLY sad to see where the Mall went, even before COVID hit. Back in the day, Eastfield Mall used to be packed- One could barely move around Christmas time. Now? It looks as though even the Fountain area is shut and roped off. As always, WELL DONE with this video! Any chance of coming back up to see Holyoke or Enfield?
Sad to see Eastfield mall like this.. Do you remember "The Flaming Pit" restaurant... "Orange Julius" ? My family would come from WSPFLD for a shopping trip...good memories with my family. Now the 'mall' is the internet😕
@@1jmoquin ORANGE JULIUS FTW! 😂 Seriously, I got the "recipe" for that years ago so I can just make my own. Miss that Stand, though....
I grew up in the area of my entire life as well and one thing I can say about the creator of this series is the Holyoke Mall will never be a dead Mall!
Like you said I think Holyoke Mall is the main reason all the malls and Springfield went out of business. I really really miss the eastfield Mall a lot of fond memories there.
And Stigers !!
For some reason the eastfield mall was my favorite as a kid. So much so I decided to ride my bike there all the way from Enfield CT when I was 10! I massively underestimated how far away it really was since I was used to my parents driving which made it feel much closer. It took my friend and I about 3 hours and I ended up getting a flat tire. Haha. My parents had no idea I did that until I told them when I was much older.
I installed all of that interior neon and the square grid lights with my first mentor in 1999 while working for Agnoli Sign Co. That was a nice night-shift project. Our company also made and installed the large pylon and gateway signs. The mall is closed just a few weeks ago. I remember visiting that mall as a kid so many times. Just an amazing place. Sad to see it go.
We're the blue and white floors put in at the same time? Is that when the Steiger's fountain was removed? Take care!
Great episode as usual. Just so well made and interesting every time.
By the way I just heard that The Mall at Robinson in Pittsburgh was just bought by Kohan. I’ve always thought it was dying slowly but it may be worth an eventual visit with that news (though it’s not the most exciting mall…built in the late 90s or early 00s I believe).
I was at the mall a 2 days days before it closed. The "throwback" corner was by the former JCP and sill lit up. Many of the other squares still had the tunes intact but were not working.
Now the 99 is closed and is serving as a sort of food pantry for Veterans, there are Covid test sites in the old JC Penney parking lot, and I got my 2nd Covid shot inside the old Steiger's/Macys store. When I was a teen (late 80's/early 90's) it was THE hangout.
I was going to see Santa in the 70s at this mall. I grew up on Boston Road this mall is so sad for me. Nice work!
"Moxie" brought to you by Lost in Yonkers... Sal, your buddy counting his calories? Lol. Malls like Blockbuster thought they were invincible 😅😅
The reason we have too few malls today is because we built too many malls yesterday. Great video Sal :)
Missed you for a bit but it's good to see you thriving bud
You were right, I was still here so I subscribed. I saw a video about stores that were once mall staples that don't exist anymore, and it made me wonder if the dying malls weren't only a product of changing attitudes in shopping, as the crashing of major department stores. I haven't done a bit of research, only watching videos of their decline that now speaks more of the separate stores closing and I have to wonder if the mall decline was the by product of the stores' decline. This probably has people going 'duh', but seriously, I always assumed the stores left because the people didn't want to shop big malls anymore, (a big shout out to internet shopping), not the stores closings causing the decline of the mall and I think that's worth thinking about. I'm rambling I know, sorry,.
if this keeps getting worse that fountain will never be uncovered again
That wbz commercial was awesome
So many malls are gone. Here in southeastern Massachusetts, the Swansea Mall and Taunton's Silver City Galleria are a past memory. The Harbor Mall in Fall River was reconstructed as a plaza concept. Dartmouth still has its mall, but who knows what the future holds.
The 90s was awesome
A local area mall in the past year or so enacted a 2pm curfew for all those under 18 without an adult after 2pm on Friday-Sunday which is just insane, but apparently the local teens can't behave themselves. That mall is always busy though.
Moxie is an acquired taste, Sal; you have to be from New England to drink it. I used to like it, but they added HFCS. The diet stuff... right with ya' there. Drank that once, but not twice.
I’m anti moxie
I lived in Western Massachusetts from my birth in August 1993 until 2019 and now reside in South Florida. There are NO MALLS from Mass that can compare to those here in Miami, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, and Hollywood. However that being said, Eastfield Mall was a good mall growing up! I remember seeing santa claus and easter bunny for pictures growing up, kb toys, macys, jcpennys, steve and barrys, and so many other stores. I remember being excited to see a tropical fish store school of fish move in. I've supported school of fish back when they were james tropical. but in 2018ish the mall started a deep decline. the cinemas were the first thing to decline and was not shocked when they closed.Honestly, I don't see the Eastfield Mall lasting another year sadly.
Looking good video, I can't wait Sal, way cool.
Hey at least this beautiful mall still has its neon tuned on which is a huge plus ion my eyes.
Amen
It is cool that the mall management kept a portion of the neon intact. Neon is disappearing at an alarming rate. Restaurants seem to be the only business model that still have neon intact. This mall reminds me of Northwest Mall in Houston. The design of the corridors and even ability to survive after losing all major anchors.
I went there to get my COVID shots at one of the defunct Anchor stores and it wasn't too bad to be honest. I've seen worse like the Berkshire mall for example.
I think the difference between why the malls in Florida and California are so successful in this generation is that they are able to go with the flow in terms of being modern! Modern techonogly stores, modern decor, modern restaurants they aim to please the younger audience and its proven to be successful. the nice weather and open air space of some of the mall space also helps.
Sal you did a story about Western Hills Mall in Fairfield, Alabama about how it was almost dead. Well they just did a multi million dollar upgrade to try and bring the mall back to life. Just thought you would like this little tidbit.
Didn't they have a shootout their recently that killed the mall manager?
@@wsc2004 about 6 years ago they did
Is there a mall in the continental us that has not had a shootout??
Great as always😀👍. HTG😀
Thanks!
I read yesterday that everyone’s favorite, Kohan bought my childhood mall, Emerald Square Mall in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.
NO!!!!
The aquarium store is fantastic btw.
It is sad to see Eastfield Mall the way it is today!!! When I was at the age of 13 - 15 yrs. old in the mid to late 70's we would go to the mall and shop, go to the movies and hangout on Saturday's and it was always filled with people. In the early to mid 80's my father worked their as a janitor in the day time and my mother took on a second job at night in the mall at 16 plus. On the day's my father wasn't working we would take my 1 1/2yr. old son (at the time) up their and walk around and go to Friendly's to have some lunch. Everyone knew my father so everyone knew my son and I! My son went their so much he used to think he owned the mall walking ahead of us waving and saying hi to all the people that worked in all the stores that knew us so I didn't really have to worry about him getting too far ahead of us or lost because the people that worked there would see him and come out to say hi too him to slow him down and talk to him to make sure that my father or I were behind him and then at night we would go there to pick up my mother when she got out of work. In early 2000 my son started working there (yes the same one 😂) at the arcade they had in the mall as a manager for a little while until they closed it down and then he started working at the Cinemark Movie Theater and became one of the managers their and even then the mall was still busy then! Then that's when Eastfield Mall started setting there rules about teenagers being in the mall without a parent and sorry I have to correct you It wasn't at the age of 15 yrs. old it was the age of 16 they had to be with a parent! That's when it seemed like the mall started slowly going downhill and it's very sad to see that. One of my husband's football players that he used to coach owns a shop up there now it's been their for awhile now where you can go paint pictures, or go buy them or have a printed t-shirt made up and I hope he really makes it their the way it is get now. I think they should lift up their band on the teenagers I think it will come back to life it would get the parents in there to find them and hopefully go do some shopping! As long as the kids are not causing trouble, I don't understand why they put the rule in the first place! Yeah I understand they shouldn't be there when school is in session that I do understand and shouldn't be allowed in there unless they're with a parent but otherwise after school and on weekends they should be allowed up there as long as they are not causing any trouble!! If they don't do something soon I don't know what's going to happen to the Eastfield Mall I mean Christmas is here and there will be more people in the mall but after Christmas it dies back down so they have to do something soon if they want the mall to succeed !!!
Update: the mall is closing July 15, 2023 much to people's disappointment.
Springfield Massachusetts this brings back memories. Oh Chucko I remember you and I wish I didn't
I never knew JC Penneys had supermarkets. I don't remember any in Wisconsin so I'm guessing it was a regional thing.
Never heard of that here in NY, ever. Must have indeed been a regional thing, NY didn't have that.