The kids from this generation won’t know what they’ve missed. Malls were not just for shopping. You could hang out in them all day, meet countless girls, go to the movies, the arcade, the food courts, etc, etc. They had huge indoor fountains, escalators, sky lights, etc. Malls were an EXPERIENCE. Companies like Amazon won’t stop until the entire earth is a giant cement ball with nothing but warehouses and UPS trucks. What have we become?
I am only 11, but I think stranger things has really unlocked a new fascination in retro malls for me! All the neon lights, the social activites... It makes me really sad to see all these malls either being remodelled into plain gray concrete blocks or being demolished. I would love for all malls to look like Starcourt again.
22 in a few days and I currently work in a mall that appears to be thriving, I even got to hang out with friends here, every other mall I've been in has practically been deserted, but this one is typically pretty crowded still, it's probably the closest I'll get to that experience even though I'm sure malls were more crowded back in the day
It's even sadder how much tax revenue we lose when they leave, nobody realizes Amazon pays ZERO taxes. The govt. gives us the pleasure of making up the deficit, how nice. I'd actually rather walk around the mall, ogle chicks, and watch people like we did back in the 80s than wait for stuff brought by UPS.
@@jimmartin7881 yea that's why I try to never ever buy stuff from Amazon. I bought something recently from their because that was the only to do it and I was heated.
@@jimmartin7881 you are dead on correct about Amazon and corporate in general. Get away with paying little to no taxes. This whole system is corrupt and has been for a very long time.
I spent every Friday night from 1988-1992 at this mall. My mom owned a men’s clothing store on one of the roads into the mall. After the Mall of Georgia opened this mall turned to the dark side. So sad to see such an amazing part of my childhood gone.
Dingo Rivera it was outside the mall in the strip center next to Hooters. Classic Big and Tall, they sold to almost every Falcons lineman in the early 90s. It was a second location and only open from 1989-1994.
@Coach jBrew thats so cool if u dont mind i am doing a little report on this mall for my school do you have any facts for me so i can put it on my report thanks have a great day/night
@@miax5180 look into the timeline of the Mall of Georgia opening and the downfall of the mall. I know they added a wing with anchor store in the mid-late 90s but it always seemed under developed compared to other parts of the mall. The last time I was in the mall was August 2005 when my wife and I got our 2nd dog from the pet store that was in the mall for years. It was the mall for the Duluth, Buford, Gainesville area in the 80s & 90s.
Man, it’s sad and sucks to see all these malls closing up. I love going into all the different malls and let the kids play when me and the wife travel.
Malls as a thing aren't going anywhere soon... In tourist heavy areas, like LA, Miami, Orlando, etc, many people come from other countries to shop, and it's sometimes inconvenient, risky, and/or impossible to buy online ahead of a trip. But as for big malls in smaller less tourist frequented cities... Yeah, I'm afraid most malls will be out of business in the next couple of decades (Most, not all, I do believe that there is room for smaller malls, in lesser quantities).
I liked to go to the mall to walk for exercise. I'd see others doing the same and then sitting at Starbucks or in the seats in the food court to stare at their laptops or play games on the while their kids ate a meal or played in the kiddie pen. When we got tired of Lenox Sq. or Perimeter Mall, we'd visit a new mall. Not all malls are dead. Oglethorpe Mall, the older mall in Savannah, Ga., has outlasted the newer mall. I could practically walk from my aunt's house on Abercorn to Oglethorpe, but never got to visit her new mall. I think Mall of Ga. and Cumberland Mall are ok. Not sure about Northlake and even Town Centre Mall (near me). Maybe, dead malls could be re-purposed as a homeless shelter. Like the walkers in one to be able out of bad weather, they could get the urban outdoors folks off the streets.
There's only a very few that still inject money into remodeling them and making them look nicer. But most malls I go into just seem antiquated, old carpet, old smells. Not many people. It kinda is sad. As a teen me and my cousins would always go to the movies inside the mall or just browse everywhere.
No words other than this was beautiful, Anthony. 5 years ago I would have laughed at anyone who suggested a dead mall walkthrough could bring tears to my eyes.
same !! than i saw old fashion 80s movies and series like stranger things ..........and now....i wished, i could be a part of it back in time and it hurts that such beautiful places got shut down now :C
This area brings back lots of memories. Eating at Circus Pizza in the mid 90's, going to Qzar in the early 00's. This being the main mall anyone went to b4 Mall of GA or Sugarloaf Mills was built. Eating at the Ryan's buffet that had a train that would go through the restaurant on the ceiling, and if you ate all your vegetables, begging your parents to play mini golf at pirate's cove (right behind the Ryans) Everything except the mini golf is gone now. Poor local community and better/newer malls ran this thing into the ground. I vividly remember the fish fountains at the food court and a model car with a bunch of looney tunes characters near the exit that we'd see every time we came.
As someone who also watched a huge childhood mall recently close, it’s pretty heartbreaking. In hindsight though, shopping malls in general feel like a failed experiment. The more I learned about them, the more sense it made as to why so many failed. They’re difficult to maintain, expensive, require a lot of investment by the owners, and they aren’t very flexible to change. Strong competition, lousy management, or a bad economy can be enough to seal its fate. Then you’re left with a huge, empty, depressing husk. Some malls today are luckily still thriving, but it’s no wonder so many of them have closed.
Just seeing how they recreated that mall made me feel some unreal nostalgia. Would have been cool if they would have kept it open for a little while so the public could see it. I would have paid big money
I'm glad that another 80s era production will be using that mall space as there is a film being filmed here soon. If it has been already. Would have been so cool to have been able to tour the food court back when the stranger things set was there still.
I think he did film it when it was still all set up all the neon on the star court sign everything, because it’s my favourite show I felt like such a fanboy when I watched that video lol
This was my childhood mall, it was sad watching the decline of this mall over the years. It used to be a grand sight, with beautiful architecture and lighting. Boy I miss it. On another note, this mall was recently closed and sold to the county's redevelopment agency for 32 million dollars.
@@haroldisintrouble They want to knock it down and turn it into housing/distribution. Last time I was near there they were using Sears for covid shots and the rest of the mall had a bunch of movie sound stages proped up in it. Plans for demolition have already been discussed.
I cant be the only one who finds it really sad but also like just trippy to see a place you grew up and have so many found memories of turned to well…this. and seeing it a popular show, that really tripped me up like “hold on a second i know that food court-“
For some reason this one really hits my nostalgia feels. So many things I remember from malls of that era, that seem to be missing from the more successful modern malls. The unusual angles, elevations changes, even the very typical in mall sit down restaurant that was pretty much a staple of 70s and early 80s malls.
This video was so beautifully done. You gave us a lot of info that I didn't know about. I grew up about 45 minutes from this mall and we went almost every weekend. It was where I got all my school clothes, my mom's clothes, our home decor, everything came from here. We would go here, then eat lunch, then shop around Duluth. Every time was a magical experience to me as a kid. At the time, there was nothing else like this mall. Seeing this video literally brought tears to my eyes. It's so hard seeing something that was a staple of your youth reduced to an empty building that will never again be what it once was. The lighting being so beautiful and the mall being so pristine almost makes it worse. It makes me remember how beautiful it was back then. I needed this video, so thank you for talking the time and effort to do this. The music is so hauntingly beautiful. The photos you added of it in it's heyday was the cherry on top. It's so sad but I love it.
This is easily one of the three best videos you have ever done. I've watched your channel from almost the beginning (along with Sal's channel) and have followed the "Dead Mall" scene for over 15 years, but only now watching this video have I realized that these dead malls are empty skeletons from the past, because society and time have forgotten the purpose they once served. Cincinnati Mills/Forest Fair Village/Cincinnati Mall is my favorite Dead Mall, but, for some reason, not even the many videos I have watched of that mall could evoke that realization. Your comment about how the empty anchor space of a dead mall is being used to restore life is profoundly-ironic. Kudos on this great piece of work and best of luck with evolution of your channel going forward.
This was the NEW mall when I was a teen. It was the chosen one! Still live in the area and lived a mile away when Mall of GA opened and figured that was the end, It took awhile. But before that the malls were all spaced out nice and evenly. The mall was our internet. The food court our chat room. The theater our TH-cam. The arcade our online games. Spencers was, well, nobody really knows what Spencers was. Slightly deviant I guess. Stranger Things has really captured life in this area (even though it's in Indiana) in the 80s perfectly.
I use to love the malls hanging with my best friends, no cell phones we were at south dekalb mall northlake and I went to Gwinnett a few times. It was always busy, my first job sgt singers on memorial drive, super-x downtown Decatur and cub food on Covington hwy my mom bought her first car at northlake , iszui I mark, I remember richway on Covington hwy and drug emporium on memorial drive..wow
I live about 15 miles from Gwinnett Place Mall, and it’s been over 20 years since I last visited it. I like that you added the photos with people, showing how it used to be. Some friends of mine lived on Boggs Road, about 2 miles from the mall. I can remember when the mall was under construction, and how excited my friends were and anticipating the opening.
Growing up I remember this was the mall everyone went to, then as you stated Mall of GA and Sugar Loaf Mills Mall came along and unfortunately hurt this Mall. I wanted to add that I remember one time my family and I were going to spend some family time together and guess what? We went to the Mall of GA instead. I went to this mall today, obviously I was only able to see this mall from the outside, there was no security or anyone to ask to see if I could get a sneak peak and go inside. I sure do miss this mall and it's sad to see what has become of this mall.
This mall when it opened in the 80's, it originally had a bunch of really cool fountains. They started at a waterfall from the second floor down to the first near the arcade. And from there a series of separate fountains were scattered throughout the mall to simulate a river flowing through the ground floor of the mall. It had a lot of plant life and even had bridges that crossed over the "river". It was so cool. That is my memory of this mall. I think the fountains came out some time in the late nineties.
Fantastic. That was great seeing old photos of the place. They really do need to make a permanent attraction. The place would get more people than ever then. That piano version of the main theme is incredible. Yeah, I'd be expecting the Mind Flayer to crash through too, certainly at night.
My name Bill Thompson i used go to this Mall a lot it was a nice place to shopp it sad that we all now doing shopping online we need help keep malls open they keep people working an everyone need to do walk because once they gone they gone it be nice to see malls come back to life ❣️
I worked at that mall in 2003 with my cousin and our friends. We worked in a kiosk selling lotion and nail kits. We barely made enough money to eat so we would go get "samples" at every food vendor or do surveys to try and get 5 bucks or a sample meal. It was a weird time for us as we were all in our early 20s and west coasters. It's crazy to see the mall now after almost 20 years having not seen it. I have weird memories of those times. Thanks for making this video. Pretty cool that this mall was in stranger things. That kinda blew my mind.
As a kid of the 80’s and early 90’s, the mall was the place to go! Girls, Footlocker, The Arcade, Radio Shack, the department stores… you and your buddies could just get dropped off at the mall and you had 3-5 hours of entertainment. Then go to the Skating Rink and skate to the hits of the 80’s. Michael Jackson and Prince, or Pat Benetar and Madonna. What a time to grow up in.
Made me cry again. I want my son to take me to Forest Fair Mall or whatever it is now. I was there once. Sad. Thank you for tribute at the end.Prayers for her family.
Used to work at The GAP in this mall on the 2nd floor, back in the late 90’s. This was the place to be back then. I miss all the good old times my friends and I had. Hanging out at the Electronics Boutique to check out the latest games, chilling at the food court, and drive bys of Hot Topic knowing they had all the cool stuff for sale but never letting my friends know otherwise. I raise my cup to you, Gwinnett Place Mall.
Mall of GA about 10 miles up interstate is bigger and anchor stores at gwinnett place ended up moving there. That mall attracted higher end better quality stores. Simon who owned gwinnett place and mall of GA stopped investing in gwinnett place hence that mall slowly died. The area around gwinnett place died with it so effect was more far reaching.
It is terribly sad , The last time I went to this mall the only stores open were shoe stores and clothing stores. Belks is usualy always the last to go
Bro I would be so down for that mall to reopen as a stranger things themed mall with Food,Clothes,Gadgets and Costumes from Stranger Things what do y’all think?
I grew up in a small town two hours northeast of Atlanta (near the Georgia/South Carolina line), and, if my family wanted to shop in the suburbs of Atlanta, we drove to Gwinnett Place mall. I spent many happy hours in this mall during the mid-to-late 1980s, when Gwinnett Co. was the fastest growing county in America. As a hub for activity around northeast Atlanta, Gwinnett Place was hopping year-round, and when I reflect on the boom years for suburban mall shopping, this mall was "Exhibit A." With the demise of these local cultural centers, our society has been left all-the-poorer in their absence.
I would love to go to this mall one day as i'm a huge stranger things fan. Sadly I think there's probably more of a chance that the mall will be torn down then me actually going. I can't see it being there for that much longer with the rate that things are are going in terms of store closures. What a shame that they didn't keep the set for tours. I get it would have been a huge cost because of licencing etc but that could have made the mall some money.
Quite a video, Anthony! Earlier today, I got a COVID shot in a former Bon Ton in Lancaster, PA's Park City Mall. Afterwards, I spent a brief time walking through it; the stores were mostly not open, yet. Park City is hanging in, but it's clear they were hurt by the shutdowns like every other mall.
I moved from the Chicago suburbs (I lived right near Woodfield Mall) to Atlanta in the mid-90’s, and I really enjoyed visiting Gwinnett Place Mall. We’d always visit the Warner Bros. store, hit the food court, stop into Kay-Bee Toys, HMV, the book stores, various clothing stores, and others. The mall was seemingly always near 100% occupancy, but the narrator is correct; once Mall of Georgia (and its many, many satellite strip malls and stores) opened up, Gwinnett Place Mall’s decline was evident and quick. One day I want to go visit Woodfield Mall again and see if it’s anywhere as big and fun as I remember.
So, I worked in this mall for 4 years (2007-2011). The mall was on a fast downward spiral then....the glory days were long gone then. I saw many stores close and I saw the food court close completely. I was the visual manager at Belk, in the space previously Parisian. This is the dept. store you walked through, and it was a bit chilling and emotional for me. So sad this place is in this state, but it's no surprise when you consider the other newer malls within 10 miles. Thank you for this great walkthrough.
Wow! The "mall experience" may become a thing of the past. Kids will only know of malls by media sources. Even now in 2024 North Dekalb Mall is being demolished to make way for a mixed use community. Also Northlake Mall is on life support as well as a few other malls. Man have times changed.
The electronic hum of the malls in their deserted or semi-deserted state is so eerie and sad. Malls were such an intricate part of my generation’s backdrop. There are so many memories that occurred at the malls of my past. Brick and mortar retail is dead. 😢
So sad all these magnificent malls are dying and closing in the states. I live in Australia and our malls here are as busy as ever. Hard to find a parking space at times.
This mall opened February 1, 1984. Anchors Davison's, Rich's, and Sears also opened that day. Mervyn's opened later on October 17, 1986. JCPenney opened October 22, 1997 at the mall in the space that Mervyn's vacated. I still remember the story on the news (WAGA, channel 5, which we watched every evening for news) where an aerial view of the mall and empty parking lots were shown saying that tomorrow, it would be packed for the mall's opening.
I would pay Disney World amounts of money to be able to go into a replica of an 80s mall, like Star Court from Stanger Things... Complete with contemporaneously dressed crew, mandatory dress code for visitors, AND most importantly, replica or original good (even if they aren't all for sale). For example, you can go into a Footlocker, and see 80s shoes in the racks, but perhaps you can only buy one or two types of shoes. For stuff like restaurants, it'd be cool to have a business agreement with franchises like Taco Bell to sell their products with 80s packaging, and offer most or at least some of the products that they used to sell in that time. Maybe they can even get a few old cars and park them in the first lines of parking, so that from the inside, you can only see the old cars. We need some billionaire that grew up in the 80s to make this happen! Elon Musk, what are you waiting for?!? xD
@@porfiriato84 well, to each their own, I say. "Wasting money" is a subjective conceñt (well, almost always). If you like something, then the experience won't be a waste of money, like going to see a movie, or Disneyland, or even tourism in general.
@@scotianbank maybe in 20 years this would be a good idea when all malls will be completely gone. But we still have plenty of them. Too early to create such a "mall museum"
A place of memories. Was so awesome back in the day it has changed a lot. All of the fountains are gone. The plants everything. Location killed it. Miss it much
It’s unfortunate that nobody did a video on this mall before the remodel and they put that nasty carpet in on the second floor. It used to have that beautiful shiny red brick flooring on the second floor. Gave it a totally different look and feel especially around Christmas time. Mall owners who put carpet in malls should be arrested by the fashion police.
WOW Anthony... Just WOW!.... I remember when this mall was packed, all the time. There was a NASCAR Thunder store just I used to visit. BTW: even abandoned the food court looks better then it did when the mall was open.
4 reasons why gwinnett place mall died 1)Mall of GA opened in 1999, only about 10 miles up interstate 85 it was attracting better stores 2)Discover mills opened in 2001 and it attracted higher end stores at time, it was only less than 5 miles up interstate 85. 3)Demographics around mall changed dramatically in 2000’s, mostly Hispanic and Asian and stores at mall and all around were not equipped for change. 4)the owners of mall stopped investing on it and stores one by one began leaving and people very quickly stopped going there and instead opted to go to mall of ga. It was a grand mall in its time, was the biggest in area and for most of southeast. It was always packed with people and thrived from its opening in February 1984 until about late 90’s. Like watching an old friend die. RIP Gwinnett Place
@@damianoteroreggiori6083 Simon quit investing in Gwinnett place as soon in as Mall of GA opened because they owned and still own that mall. They were going to invest everything into the growth of Mall of GA. Gwinnett place was left to wilt and die. I can remember when it opened and the excitement from that. Everything around it literally ballooned up within 3 years. Now that whole area is dying. 🥲
Great video, nice mall design, thanks. Rather than demolishing these classic, often beautiful indoor building designs, it's good when they find a way to keep them going with some kind of business.
I remember a time when this place was still active. I never got to experience this place during it's prime, (I visited this place in 2011) It was still a fun place to be at that time. I met lots of cool people, and would visit Game Stop back when the 3DS first launched. This place started dying quickly after, I think from around 2013 and on when the downfall truly began. Last time I visited back around 2016 (I took MARTA and passed through to Fry's to get a UMPC), I was filled with Kenopsia. There was a store around that time near Macy's that had Vintage video games and rare gear. I hate that I was broke because I really wanted to support them, but I see they've left too. Times sure change, I don't even live anywhere near GA anymore, so other than curiosity, I just like to look up areas I've visited in my past and see what's new. This place is only a Kenopsia wonderland now, and Fry's Electronics is now a Car Dealership. (from what I see online ofc) I wonder what they'll do with it, Re-purpose it, or smash, and replace? All the Gentrification going on around the Atlanta (and surrounding) areas, I'd imagine more apartments!
Aww man I was literally just thinking I should go walk Gwinnett Place Mall sometime soon to see what state it’s in nowadays before it ends up being shut down permanently. Didn’t know it already had. Sad I’ll never get that chance.
Same here! Well I should state I knew Gwinnett Place Mall had permanently ran out of business. But I also wanted to walk this mall before it did and I never did get the opportunity either. 😪
This makes me so sad. When I moved to Gwinnett county from Los Angeles in 1992, this was my hangout. Me and my friends would get dropped off and hang out for hours. I was just in the Macy's and Beauty Masters yesterday. Looking at your footage almost looks like The Titanic in the ocean. Wow!
Thank you for sharing! I have always wanted to see the inside of this place. I accidentally came across it while in the Gwinnett area working on Axanar.
So glad you had access to the whole mall for your tour. This food court area is as close as you can get to true 1980 styles. I visited this mall once in 2004 and it was a decent, but forgettable mall. Several years later, Sears changed my opinion of the mall with their newly remodeled retro store. Can you put some of the extra footage on your second channel?
I lived in GA this mall was still open the years I lived there. I went to the movies at this mall. I knew we were up 💩 creek when Payless went out of business.
It's never over, 'til it's over. As your quintessential Industrial engineer I can think of numerous uses for former malls. I recommend that we don't tear them down. Community Colleges could use these for training students fresh outta high school. Entertainment centers and nice restaurants..... Book stores.... computer gaming centers..... study centers leading to a two-year degree.. Also, storage facilities. Use these for high school classes. It's endless....
I really hate that that young lady you mentioned in the video died way too soon. This proves to show you that life is precious and short that tomorrow is not promised. That’s why we should treat all people with kindness and respect because we don’t know what others went though in their past, enjoy your life to the fullest and keep God and Jesus in your life. This is a nice mall that is going to waste. Hopefully they do something better with the mall in the future. Great job with the video and paying your respects to the young lady in the end. 👏🏾
this was the mall to go to in the 90s as a teenager, incredible how it has turned into a ghost town. you know this mall has been going down for a while when the old payless shoe source logo still up
This video has me feeling some type of way. This mall holds some special thoughts for me. This is where I got my first job in 2005, Arby’s, and even with the short time of working here, I will never forget exploring and walking around this huge mall. I remember the Fredericks of Hollywood here and seeing a “sexy” store that wasn’t Victoria’s Secret for bigger/bustier girls and being enchanted 😍. The decline of malls has me feeling sad and I hope we can build on and recreate them in our future❤.
this is like talking to grandma asking her what it was like on a horse to get places before the car came along. Eventually no one talked about horses any longer just like they wont talk about malls but we will have these cool videos to watch in history class instead of some old black and white photos of people sitting on horses or carriages with their school bag in tow and their Dennis the Menace overalls wardrobe.
This mall and it's location has recently been decided by the city area to be revived. Thats great. Im not sure if it'll be a mall again but the structure will be reused I think?
It truly breaks my heart. This mall had beauty and character. 80s malls were far superior in design and feel than 90s or 2000s malls. I don’t like the harsh, cold, and rigid personality and feel of the design of Mall of Georgia with its noisy, echoing, impersonal auditorium like food court that feels little better than a high school gymnasium.
The kids from this generation won’t know what they’ve missed. Malls were not just for shopping. You could hang out in them all day, meet countless girls, go to the movies, the arcade, the food courts, etc, etc. They had huge indoor fountains, escalators, sky lights, etc. Malls were an EXPERIENCE. Companies like Amazon won’t stop until the entire earth is a giant cement ball with nothing but warehouses and UPS trucks. What have we become?
I am only 11, but I think stranger things has really unlocked a new fascination in retro malls for me! All the neon lights, the social activites... It makes me really sad to see all these malls either being remodelled into plain gray concrete blocks or being demolished. I would love for all malls to look like Starcourt again.
Ehem I’m from the 2000’s generation and I’m a kid :) I was practically raised in the Holyoke Mall
22 in a few days and I currently work in a mall that appears to be thriving, I even got to hang out with friends here, every other mall I've been in has practically been deserted, but this one is typically pretty crowded still, it's probably the closest I'll get to that experience even though I'm sure malls were more crowded back in the day
It's because most Americans have become lazy fat a@# who want cheap easy home delivery 🚚. We're living in very sad times.
I agree with you. Definitely blessed to have experienced the 80s
It's crazy to be front row for the downfall of something that at one time seemed so concrete in our lives.
'Concrete', hehe....
It's even sadder how much tax revenue we lose when they leave, nobody realizes Amazon pays ZERO taxes. The govt. gives us the pleasure of making up the deficit, how nice. I'd actually rather walk around the mall, ogle chicks, and watch people like we did back in the 80s than wait for stuff brought by UPS.
@@jimmartin7881 yea that's why I try to never ever buy stuff from Amazon. I bought something recently from their because that was the only to do it and I was heated.
@@jimmartin7881 you are dead on correct about Amazon and corporate in general. Get away with paying little to no taxes. This whole system is corrupt and has been for a very long time.
Amazon now collects sales tax
I spent every Friday night from 1988-1992 at this mall. My mom owned a men’s clothing store on one of the roads into the mall. After the Mall of Georgia opened this mall turned to the dark side. So sad to see such an amazing part of my childhood gone.
Yep mall of Georgia was a dagger to the heart for Gwinnett place
Dingo Rivera it was outside the mall in the strip center next to Hooters. Classic Big and Tall, they sold to almost every Falcons lineman in the early 90s. It was a second location and only open from 1989-1994.
@Coach jBrew thats so cool if u dont mind i am doing a little report on this mall for my school do you have any facts for me so i can put it on my report thanks have a great day/night
@@miax5180 look into the timeline of the Mall of Georgia opening and the downfall of the mall. I know they added a wing with anchor store in the mid-late 90s but it always seemed under developed compared to other parts of the mall. The last time I was in the mall was August 2005 when my wife and I got our 2nd dog from the pet store that was in the mall for years. It was the mall for the Duluth, Buford, Gainesville area in the 80s & 90s.
My parents actually met here working at a clothing store there! Without this mall I wouldn’t be alive
Man, it’s sad and sucks to see all these malls closing up. I love going into all the different malls and let the kids play when me and the wife travel.
I know its heartbreaking malls are pretty much a thing of the past
Malls as a thing aren't going anywhere soon... In tourist heavy areas, like LA, Miami, Orlando, etc, many people come from other countries to shop, and it's sometimes inconvenient, risky, and/or impossible to buy online ahead of a trip.
But as for big malls in smaller less tourist frequented cities... Yeah, I'm afraid most malls will be out of business in the next couple of decades (Most, not all, I do believe that there is room for smaller malls, in lesser quantities).
I liked to go to the mall to walk for exercise. I'd see others doing the same and then sitting at Starbucks or in the seats in the food court to stare at their laptops or play games on the while their kids ate a meal or played in the kiddie pen. When we got tired of Lenox Sq. or Perimeter Mall, we'd visit a new mall. Not all malls are dead. Oglethorpe Mall, the older mall in Savannah, Ga., has outlasted the newer mall. I could practically walk from my aunt's house on Abercorn to Oglethorpe, but never got to visit her new mall. I think Mall of Ga. and Cumberland Mall are ok. Not sure about Northlake and even Town Centre Mall (near me). Maybe, dead malls could be re-purposed as a homeless shelter. Like the walkers in one to be able out of bad weather, they could get the urban outdoors folks off the streets.
There's only a very few that still inject money into remodeling them and making them look nicer. But most malls I go into just seem antiquated, old carpet, old smells. Not many people. It kinda is sad. As a teen me and my cousins would always go to the movies inside the mall or just browse everywhere.
No words other than this was beautiful, Anthony. 5 years ago I would have laughed at anyone who suggested a dead mall walkthrough could bring tears to my eyes.
same !! than i saw old fashion 80s movies and series like stranger things ..........and now....i wished, i could be a part of it back in time and it hurts that such beautiful places got shut down now :C
This area brings back lots of memories. Eating at Circus Pizza in the mid 90's, going to Qzar in the early 00's. This being the main mall anyone went to b4 Mall of GA or Sugarloaf Mills was built. Eating at the Ryan's buffet that had a train that would go through the restaurant on the ceiling, and if you ate all your vegetables, begging your parents to play mini golf at pirate's cove (right behind the Ryans) Everything except the mini golf is gone now. Poor local community and better/newer malls ran this thing into the ground. I vividly remember the fish fountains at the food court and a model car with a bunch of looney tunes characters near the exit that we'd see every time we came.
Dude you unlocked a memory 😢
As someone who also watched a huge childhood mall recently close, it’s pretty heartbreaking. In hindsight though, shopping malls in general feel like a failed experiment. The more I learned about them, the more sense it made as to why so many failed. They’re difficult to maintain, expensive, require a lot of investment by the owners, and they aren’t very flexible to change. Strong competition, lousy management, or a bad economy can be enough to seal its fate. Then you’re left with a huge, empty, depressing husk. Some malls today are luckily still thriving, but it’s no wonder so many of them have closed.
Excellent use of the sound track in the beginning. Very fitting. Well done!
Thank you!
I can’t thank you enough for documenting my childhood mall one last time. So many great memories. 😭
stranger things
Just seeing how they recreated that mall made me feel some unreal nostalgia. Would have been cool if they would have kept it open for a little while so the public could see it. I would have paid big money
exactly!!
I'm glad that another 80s era production will be using that mall space as there is a film being filmed here soon. If it has been already. Would have been so cool to have been able to tour the food court back when the stranger things set was there still.
I think he did film it when it was still all set up all the neon on the star court sign everything, because it’s my favourite show I felt like such a fanboy when I watched that video lol
Is it The Electric State?
I went through my childhood mall yesterday, so sad, I took pictures just in case the next time I go it isn't open anymore
This was my childhood mall, it was sad watching the decline of this mall over the years. It used to be a grand sight, with beautiful architecture and lighting. Boy I miss it.
On another note, this mall was recently closed and sold to the county's redevelopment agency for 32 million dollars.
The county has bought the mall back and they are gonna bring it back alive!
@@haroldisintrouble They want to knock it down and turn it into housing/distribution. Last time I was near there they were using Sears for covid shots and the rest of the mall had a bunch of movie sound stages proped up in it. Plans for demolition have already been discussed.
I cant be the only one who finds it really sad but also like just trippy to see a place you grew up and have so many found memories of turned to well…this. and seeing it a popular show, that really tripped me up like “hold on a second i know that food court-“
For some reason this one really hits my nostalgia feels. So many things I remember from malls of that era, that seem to be missing from the more successful modern malls. The unusual angles, elevations changes, even the very typical in mall sit down restaurant that was pretty much a staple of 70s and early 80s malls.
Right on 🙂
This video was so beautifully done. You gave us a lot of info that I didn't know about. I grew up about 45 minutes from this mall and we went almost every weekend. It was where I got all my school clothes, my mom's clothes, our home decor, everything came from here. We would go here, then eat lunch, then shop around Duluth. Every time was a magical experience to me as a kid. At the time, there was nothing else like this mall. Seeing this video literally brought tears to my eyes. It's so hard seeing something that was a staple of your youth reduced to an empty building that will never again be what it once was. The lighting being so beautiful and the mall being so pristine almost makes it worse. It makes me remember how beautiful it was back then. I needed this video, so thank you for talking the time and effort to do this. The music is so hauntingly beautiful. The photos you added of it in it's heyday was the cherry on top. It's so sad but I love it.
I worked there from 1987- 1991 at Mervyns. It was a great time in my life and I miss it, Mervyns and Gwinnett Place Mall. ❤
This is easily one of the three best videos you have ever done. I've watched your channel from almost the beginning (along with Sal's channel) and have followed the "Dead Mall" scene for over 15 years, but only now watching this video have I realized that these dead malls are empty skeletons from the past, because society and time have forgotten the purpose they once served. Cincinnati Mills/Forest Fair Village/Cincinnati Mall is my favorite Dead Mall, but, for some reason, not even the many videos I have watched of that mall could evoke that realization. Your comment about how the empty anchor space of a dead mall is being used to restore life is profoundly-ironic. Kudos on this great piece of work and best of luck with evolution of your channel going forward.
Thanks so much!
This was the NEW mall when I was a teen. It was the chosen one! Still live in the area and lived a mile away when Mall of GA opened and figured that was the end, It took awhile. But before that the malls were all spaced out nice and evenly. The mall was our internet. The food court our chat room. The theater our TH-cam. The arcade our online games. Spencers was, well, nobody really knows what Spencers was. Slightly deviant I guess. Stranger Things has really captured life in this area (even though it's in Indiana) in the 80s perfectly.
I love that Taco Bell that appears at 4:10 that's been there so long that it has the old logo, yet says "coming soon"
that was a part of the Stranger Things set.
Am sure that was for movie
This has to be one of the most Cinematic episodes that Ace has directed. You can really tell from the improvement in the editing style.
ty!
I use to love the malls hanging with my best friends, no cell phones we were at south dekalb mall northlake and I went to Gwinnett a few times. It was always busy, my first job sgt singers on memorial drive, super-x downtown Decatur and cub food on Covington hwy my mom bought her first car at northlake , iszui I mark, I remember richway on Covington hwy and drug emporium on memorial drive..wow
I live about 15 miles from Gwinnett Place Mall, and it’s been over 20 years since I last visited it. I like that you added the photos with people, showing how it used to be.
Some friends of mine lived on Boggs Road, about 2 miles from the mall. I can remember when the mall was under construction, and how excited my friends were and anticipating the opening.
Growing up I remember this was the mall everyone went to, then as you stated Mall of GA and Sugar Loaf Mills Mall came along and unfortunately hurt this Mall. I wanted to add that I remember one time my family and I were going to spend some family time together and guess what? We went to the Mall of GA instead. I went to this mall today, obviously I was only able to see this mall from the outside, there was no security or anyone to ask to see if I could get a sneak peak and go inside. I sure do miss this mall and it's sad to see what has become of this mall.
Aces Adventures a chronology of America's malls. Thank you. You rock.
This mall when it opened in the 80's, it originally had a bunch of really cool fountains. They started at a waterfall from the second floor down to the first near the arcade. And from there a series of separate fountains were scattered throughout the mall to simulate a river flowing through the ground floor of the mall. It had a lot of plant life and even had bridges that crossed over the "river". It was so cool. That is my memory of this mall. I think the fountains came out some time in the late nineties.
Shoulda seen this place between 1986-1991 or so.
Yep. Alot of my teenage years were spent here. Mostly in Tape World or Camelot Records. :P
Fantastic. That was great seeing old photos of the place. They really do need to make a permanent attraction. The place would get more people than ever then. That piano version of the main theme is incredible. Yeah, I'd be expecting the Mind Flayer to crash through too, certainly at night.
My name Bill Thompson i used go to this Mall a lot it was a nice place to shopp it sad that we all now doing shopping online we need help keep malls open they keep people working an everyone need to do walk because once they gone they gone it be nice to see malls come back to life ❣️
I worked at that mall in 2003 with my cousin and our friends. We worked in a kiosk selling lotion and nail kits. We barely made enough money to eat so we would go get "samples" at every food vendor or do surveys to try and get 5 bucks or a sample meal. It was a weird time for us as we were all in our early 20s and west coasters. It's crazy to see the mall now after almost 20 years having not seen it. I have weird memories of those times. Thanks for making this video. Pretty cool that this mall was in stranger things. That kinda blew my mind.
As a kid of the 80’s and early 90’s, the mall was the place to go! Girls, Footlocker, The Arcade, Radio Shack, the department stores… you and your buddies could just get dropped off at the mall and you had 3-5 hours of entertainment. Then go to the Skating Rink and skate to the hits of the 80’s. Michael Jackson and Prince, or Pat Benetar and Madonna. What a time to grow up in.
This mall opened Christmas 1984. I lived in Lilburn at that time and shopped here many times. My last visit was in 1990. It was a great place to shop.
Made me cry again. I want my son to take me to Forest Fair Mall or whatever it is now. I was there once. Sad. Thank you for tribute at the end.Prayers for her family.
Thanks for the note
Fantastic job on this one, as always! Great historic photos showing the mall's better days and awesome narrating. Keep up the amazing work!
Used to work at The GAP in this mall on the 2nd floor, back in the late 90’s. This was the place to be back then. I miss all the good old times my friends and I had. Hanging out at the Electronics Boutique to check out the latest games, chilling at the food court, and drive bys of Hot Topic knowing they had all the cool stuff for sale but never letting my friends know otherwise. I raise my cup to you, Gwinnett Place Mall.
What a beautiful mall. It's really hard to believe that it couldn't keep business going.
When you have 2 bigger newer malls nearby yes I can believe they couldn't keep it going.
Mall of GA about 10 miles up interstate is bigger and anchor stores at gwinnett place ended up moving there. That mall attracted higher end better quality stores. Simon who owned gwinnett place and mall of GA stopped investing in gwinnett place hence that mall slowly died. The area around gwinnett place died with it so effect was more far reaching.
Id shop there. Very nice place
It is terribly sad , The last time I went to this mall the only stores open were shoe stores and clothing stores. Belks is usualy always the last to go
I think malls are outdated because of the internet has taken over😢
The level of access you had at this mall is...wow, just wow.
Bro I would be so down for that mall to reopen as a stranger things themed mall with Food,Clothes,Gadgets and Costumes from Stranger Things what do y’all think?
I grew up in a small town two hours northeast of Atlanta (near the Georgia/South Carolina line), and, if my family wanted to shop in the suburbs of Atlanta, we drove to Gwinnett Place mall. I spent many happy hours in this mall during the mid-to-late 1980s, when Gwinnett Co. was the fastest growing county in America. As a hub for activity around northeast Atlanta, Gwinnett Place was hopping year-round, and when I reflect on the boom years for suburban mall shopping, this mall was "Exhibit A." With the demise of these local cultural centers, our society has been left all-the-poorer in their absence.
I would love to go to this mall one day as i'm a huge stranger things fan. Sadly I think there's probably more of a chance that the mall will be torn down then me actually going. I can't see it being there for that much longer with the rate that things are are going in terms of store closures. What a shame that they didn't keep the set for tours. I get it would have been a huge cost because of licencing etc but that could have made the mall some money.
Quite a video, Anthony! Earlier today, I got a COVID shot in a former Bon Ton in Lancaster, PA's Park City Mall. Afterwards, I spent a brief time walking through it; the stores were mostly not open, yet. Park City is hanging in, but it's clear they were hurt by the shutdowns like every other mall.
I moved from the Chicago suburbs (I lived right near Woodfield Mall) to Atlanta in the mid-90’s, and I really enjoyed visiting Gwinnett Place Mall. We’d always visit the Warner Bros. store, hit the food court, stop into Kay-Bee Toys, HMV, the book stores, various clothing stores, and others. The mall was seemingly always near 100% occupancy, but the narrator is correct; once Mall of Georgia (and its many, many satellite strip malls and stores) opened up, Gwinnett Place Mall’s decline was evident and quick. One day I want to go visit Woodfield Mall again and see if it’s anywhere as big and fun as I remember.
So, I worked in this mall for 4 years (2007-2011). The mall was on a fast downward spiral then....the glory days were long gone then. I saw many stores close and I saw the food court close completely. I was the visual manager at Belk, in the space previously Parisian. This is the dept. store you walked through, and it was a bit chilling and emotional for me. So sad this place is in this state, but it's no surprise when you consider the other newer malls within 10 miles. Thank you for this great walkthrough.
Wow the white neon with gold back plating wrapped around those pillars was sweet. I don't think I have seen that before.
Wow! The "mall experience" may become a thing of the past. Kids will only know of malls by media sources. Even now in 2024 North Dekalb Mall is being demolished to make way for a mixed use community. Also Northlake Mall is on life support as well as a few other malls. Man have times changed.
The electronic hum of the malls in their deserted or semi-deserted state is so eerie and sad. Malls were such an intricate part of my generation’s backdrop. There are so many memories that occurred at the malls of my past. Brick and mortar retail is dead. 😢
Thank you once again Anthony.you have made a real difference in our lives.
Ace man... thanks for doing all of these videos... so many good Memories coming back to me... dates, etc...
no problem my guy!
I used to go to that mall back in the 90's, it strange to see it so dead. At least I can now see it in Stranger Things.
So sad all these magnificent malls are dying and closing in the states. I live in Australia and our malls here are as busy as ever. Hard to find a parking space at times.
Awesome! I want to roller skate through the mall and hire Ace to DJ!
That would be amazing!
That would definitely be cool!
*A Flock of Seagulls intesifies*
This mall opened February 1, 1984. Anchors Davison's, Rich's, and Sears also opened that day. Mervyn's opened later on October 17, 1986. JCPenney opened October 22, 1997 at the mall in the space that Mervyn's vacated. I still remember the story on the news (WAGA, channel 5, which we watched every evening for news) where an aerial view of the mall and empty parking lots were shown saying that tomorrow, it would be packed for the mall's opening.
I would pay Disney World amounts of money to be able to go into a replica of an 80s mall, like Star Court from Stanger Things... Complete with contemporaneously dressed crew, mandatory dress code for visitors, AND most importantly, replica or original good (even if they aren't all for sale). For example, you can go into a Footlocker, and see 80s shoes in the racks, but perhaps you can only buy one or two types of shoes.
For stuff like restaurants, it'd be cool to have a business agreement with franchises like Taco Bell to sell their products with 80s packaging, and offer most or at least some of the products that they used to sell in that time. Maybe they can even get a few old cars and park them in the first lines of parking, so that from the inside, you can only see the old cars.
We need some billionaire that grew up in the 80s to make this happen! Elon Musk, what are you waiting for?!? xD
I just don't see the point in doing this. Wasted money.
@@porfiriato84 well, to each their own, I say. "Wasting money" is a subjective conceñt (well, almost always). If you like something, then the experience won't be a waste of money, like going to see a movie, or Disneyland, or even tourism in general.
@@scotianbank maybe in 20 years this would be a good idea when all malls will be completely gone. But we still have plenty of them. Too early to create such a "mall museum"
I joined the NAVY at the recruiter outside this Mall. Also, I remember seeing a Lava Lamp for the first time here.
I worked at several stores here and still live only a 20 minute drive away. So many memories of this mall. Thank you for posting.
A place of memories. Was so awesome back in the day it has changed a lot. All of the fountains are gone. The plants everything. Location killed it. Miss it much
What’s the song playing at 4:14? Absolutely beautiful sound
That's a horrible story but the murder that took place in the small I don't know why that would have bet that's just crazy
It’s unfortunate that nobody did a video on this mall before the remodel and they put that nasty carpet in on the second floor. It used to have that beautiful shiny red brick flooring on the second floor. Gave it a totally different look and feel especially around Christmas time. Mall owners who put carpet in malls should be arrested by the fashion police.
i cant stop watching this i love it
WOW Anthony... Just WOW!.... I remember when this mall was packed, all the time. There was a NASCAR Thunder store just I used to visit.
BTW: even abandoned the food court looks better then it did when the mall was open.
4 reasons why gwinnett place mall died 1)Mall of GA opened in 1999, only about 10 miles up interstate 85 it was attracting better stores 2)Discover mills opened in 2001 and it attracted higher end stores at time, it was only less than 5 miles up interstate 85. 3)Demographics around mall changed dramatically in 2000’s, mostly Hispanic and Asian and stores at mall and all around were not equipped for change. 4)the owners of mall stopped investing on it and stores one by one began leaving and people very quickly stopped going there and instead opted to go to mall of ga.
It was a grand mall in its time, was the biggest in area and for most of southeast.
It was always packed with people and thrived from its opening in February 1984 until about late 90’s. Like watching an old friend die. RIP Gwinnett Place
The nail in the coffin was Simon selling it in like 2015, around there.
@@damianoteroreggiori6083 Simon quit investing in Gwinnett place as soon in as Mall of GA opened because they owned and still own that mall. They were going to invest everything into the growth of Mall of GA. Gwinnett place was left to wilt and die. I can remember when it opened and the excitement from that. Everything around it literally ballooned up within 3 years. Now that whole area is dying. 🥲
Great video, nice mall design, thanks. Rather than demolishing these classic, often beautiful indoor building designs, it's good when they find a way to keep them going with some kind of business.
I remember a time when this place was still active. I never got to experience this place during it's prime, (I visited this place in 2011) It was still a fun place to be at that time. I met lots of cool people, and would visit Game Stop back when the 3DS first launched. This place started dying quickly after, I think from around 2013 and on when the downfall truly began. Last time I visited back around 2016 (I took MARTA and passed through to Fry's to get a UMPC), I was filled with Kenopsia.
There was a store around that time near Macy's that had Vintage video games and rare gear. I hate that I was broke because I really wanted to support them, but I see they've left too. Times sure change, I don't even live anywhere near GA anymore, so other than curiosity, I just like to look up areas I've visited in my past and see what's new. This place is only a Kenopsia wonderland now, and Fry's Electronics is now a Car Dealership. (from what I see online ofc) I wonder what they'll do with it, Re-purpose it, or smash, and replace? All the Gentrification going on around the Atlanta (and surrounding) areas, I'd imagine more apartments!
Pushed my baby through this mall in a stroller every weekend, 1993. Great memories.
Aww man I was literally just thinking I should go walk Gwinnett Place Mall sometime soon to see what state it’s in nowadays before it ends up being shut down permanently. Didn’t know it already had. Sad I’ll never get that chance.
Same here! Well I should state I knew Gwinnett Place Mall had permanently ran out of business. But I also wanted to walk this mall before it did and I never did get the opportunity either. 😪
This makes me so sad. When I moved to Gwinnett county from Los Angeles in 1992, this was my hangout. Me and my friends would get dropped off and hang out for hours. I was just in the Macy's and Beauty Masters yesterday. Looking at your footage almost looks like The Titanic in the ocean. Wow!
Thank you for sharing! I have always wanted to see the inside of this place. I accidentally came across it while in the Gwinnett area working on Axanar.
Love the music and the footage of this place! Great job as always!
Great video! I grew up going to this mall and worked at Macy’s in my teens
So glad you had access to the whole mall for your tour. This food court area is as close as you can get to true 1980 styles. I visited this mall once in 2004 and it was a decent, but forgettable mall. Several years later, Sears changed my opinion of the mall with their newly remodeled retro store. Can you put some of the extra footage on your second channel?
possibly, i have a lot of B ROLL
@@AcesAdventures1 I'd love to see some of that extra footage that didn't make it to this video, for a video on your 2nd channel.
to me it looks more futuristic like 2044 then 1980
I lived in GA this mall was still open the years I lived there. I went to the movies at this mall. I knew we were up 💩 creek when Payless went out of business.
Man this olace is 15 minutes away from me. I learned how to drive in the parking lot almost 10 years ago now. Its crazy to see the dismay its in now.
It's never over, 'til it's over. As your quintessential Industrial engineer I can think of numerous uses for former malls. I recommend that we don't tear them down. Community Colleges could use these for training students fresh outta high school. Entertainment centers and nice restaurants..... Book stores.... computer gaming centers..... study centers leading to a two-year degree.. Also, storage facilities. Use these for high school classes. It's endless....
I really hate that that young lady you mentioned in the video died way too soon. This proves to show you that life is precious and short that tomorrow is not promised. That’s why we should treat all people with kindness and respect because we don’t know what others went though in their past, enjoy your life to the fullest and keep God and Jesus in your life. This is a nice mall that is going to waste. Hopefully they do something better with the mall in the future. Great job with the video and paying your respects to the young lady in the end. 👏🏾
I used to go to this mall as a kid and then I worked on Stranger Things as a set dresser there. Pretty neat
I don't get it. If the mall is closed off then why do they still turn the lights on at night?
it's probably automatic
Great documentation of a great mall which hosted a great series!
I’m glad you arrange to get permission for your videos. I subscribe to someone else who keeps getting busted by security.
I always try to do things the right way
this was the mall to go to in the 90s as a teenager, incredible how it has turned into a ghost town. you know this mall has been going down for a while when the old payless shoe source logo still up
I went there often and worked there for a short time. I miss that place.
I like the neon signs at the food court
Me too
When did it close? Always wondered why it and Sugarloaf were so close to each other.
I went their back in 1999 and remember how crowded it was. So sad
This video has me feeling some type of way. This mall holds some special thoughts for me. This is where I got my first job in 2005, Arby’s, and even with the short time of working here, I will never forget exploring and walking around this huge mall. I remember the Fredericks of Hollywood here and seeing a “sexy” store that wasn’t Victoria’s Secret for bigger/bustier girls and being enchanted 😍. The decline of malls has me feeling sad and I hope we can build on and recreate them in our future❤.
That was very moving thank you Ace xxx
I wish they could keep it as a landmark to the Stranger Things shows.
Netflix still owns that property meaning they are probably gonna shoot there again!
@@nikitavoigtlaender256 I hope that's true
I just drove through the parking lot in Gwinnett mall were starcourt mall is and there’s a film crew with trailers right infront
Grew up in this mall. It started going downhill when Sugarloaf Mills opened and now it's just echoes of my childhood
this is like talking to grandma asking her what it was like on a horse to get places before the car came along. Eventually no one talked about horses any longer just like they wont talk about malls but we will have these cool videos to watch in history class instead of some old black and white photos of people sitting on horses or carriages with their school bag in tow and their Dennis the Menace overalls wardrobe.
I'm the 1,000th like!!! Great job Ace's Adventures and keep up with the great work. Love the 80s!
I worked in this Mall 13yrs, "82-94". Hung out here , many memories. I used to sit on the bench and smoke cigarettes.
This mall and it's location has recently been decided by the city area to be revived. Thats great. Im not sure if it'll be a mall again but the structure will be reused I think?
You know I kinda don’t blame people. I’m 35 and I’d like to go see that set. I’d be fun.
It truly breaks my heart. This mall had beauty and character. 80s malls were far superior in design and feel than 90s or 2000s malls. I don’t like the harsh, cold, and rigid personality and feel of the design of Mall of Georgia with its noisy, echoing, impersonal auditorium like food court that feels little better than a high school gymnasium.
Thanks for capturing this. So many memories.
It's hard to believe that Mall is going down hill like I use to live near this Mall back in the day
Sup, Mr. Ace. Nice meeting you at the store earlier today. Hope you found that copy of NHL you were looking for. -Justin
It would be good if you would say what stores used to occupy some of the spaces. You know a mall is truly dead when the escalators no longer work
Ace, thank you for the very true words at the start.
That music... wonderful.