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In episode 38 of the Expedition Log Series, we take a walk through the incredibly dangerous Greenspoint Mall, which the locals have renamed "Gunspoint Mall" after decades of crime. Every courtyard at the end of each concourse is dead, but the center of the mall still has it going on...to some degree. Come take a walk with me through this shrine to commerce and crime! Ft. the Wolfman as sponsor!
#dmodfam #exlog #salguido
Hey everyone! Greenspoint (Gunspoint) Mall is here! Can you spot the three times the pair of guys was following me? Thank you so much to my patrons for directly supporting my Expeditions...every $1 counts, and it goes a long way! To each and every one of you that have subscribed and followed my channel for the last couple years...THANK YOU! So much more on the way, stay tuned!
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Haha must be!
I totally read that out with your voice in my head haha Looking forward to it!
See you soon!
@@Angela-jc8bk and those guys who were stalking Sal
Oh and by the way you think you could visit Plano TX and try to cover Collin Creak mall? Before it’s too late, as in it’s being scheduled for demolition this summer. :(
In 1985, at the height of Madonna fever, Greenspoint Mall held a Madonna look-alike contest. I remember visiting the mall during the event. The mall was packed, and I do mean packed from one end to the other, with 14 to 18-year old teenage girls dressed in their best Madonna garb. The mall was booming then and couldn't stock their clothing racks with enough Madonna-esque apparel. What an era it was. I kind of miss those days.
I miss those days too...
Yes I remember that, was in High School at the time...
Yeah! The 80’s were the Heyday of malls it seems. My mall was Fox Valley mall in Aurora, IL
The mall was always booming during the 20 years I grew up there. I hope it still is. I miss ‘Musicland’ ‘Record Town’ and ‘Sam Goody’
I just saw at Target the other day a section of their music devoted to vinyl. It was kinda weird to see that after all these years.
That was probably before her pointy cone titties phase. 🙄
This is fascinating. I’d love to get with you and hear more about it.
I’m from Houston & it’s sad that the other people outside of Houston have heard greenspoints nick name “gunspoint” 🤣
I've lived in the Houston area or surrounding areas most of my life & I remember that place being a hub of activity & lots of fun! I'd love to have all the quarter's back that I spent at Aladdin's Castle! My highschool was the 1st one to hold it's prom at the Wyndham Hotel, which you can see at 3:06, the building with the spikey-looking roof.
@@AlexandraMyers73 I use to live down the street by both greenspoint and memorial city mall. Both very different areas and people on those two sides of town. You have the higher upper class snobby people in memorial and ghetto lower class in GP...I learned how to deal with em both lol
@@AlexandraMyers73 I don't think so lol I went to aldine 9th grade center and after that moved to memorial high school for my sophomore year. Was some good times lol wish I can go back
Don't let that bother you Laura, im sure some of their Malls (if they STILL have one) may not be as safe either...
Lol I’m the exact opposite. Lived there for a long time and never heard it called that
I grew up going to Greenspoint Mall. Then in October 1989, I was stopped in the Hallmark store by a cop who escorted me out to my car. Place was filling with opposing gang members getting ready to fight, and HPD was trying to empty the mall fast. The officer put...no, THREW my baby stroller in the trunk and told me "you and your baby get out of here....and please don't come back ". He saved our lives that day. And I started going to Willowbrook.
Are you familiar with the old NORTHLINE Mall which was about five miles south of Greenspoint? Unfortunately, crime was a problem at Northline going back to at least the 70's, when Greenspoint was new!
@@trentpettit6336 I literally live about 2 miles from the Northline Mall. Back in 1996, The Magic Johnson Theater opened(I Saw Space Jam there on Opening day in 8th Grade), it was the MAIN thing that kept this mall from dying, but ultimately, the Magic Johnson theater folded up in '06, the Mall eventually died and was deactivated in 2008. It remains abandoned.
@@Tornado1994 But I thought there was a Walmart (and a bunch of other stores, plus a few restaurants) there today... I'm confused...
@@trentpettit6336 That's Northline Commons.
Stop shopping. Spend on necessary
I remember walking into this mall back in 2012 and literally within 15 seconds of walking in I was like "yah, nahh I'ma head out" lol
Pussy
@@davehouston6528 Sorry, I wasn't used to being in such a shit hole
Don’t apologize. The place is a massive pile of shit. I feel bad for the people there.
@Allen Todd you mad mad. Glad I got to make u mad lol
@Allen Todd na cat lol
This video makes me heartsick. I worked at Greenspoint Mall in the summer between my sophomore and junior year, 1979. I worked at J Riggins, a very modern menswear store. I sold my share of bellbottom slacks and shirts with giant collars and big cuffs. We used to take our lunch at the food court and listen to the water operated chimes. There were giant trees everywhere in keeping with the malls motto “springtime every day“.
We used to park way out at the far edges of the parking lot, and then enter the mall through the employee hallways like the one at 18:10. We never feared for our lives, and it was no big deal to walk down those hallways well after midnight when the stores closed.
Back then, that area of North Houston represented the new, clean and shiny part of the city that everyone wanted to go to. It was a suburban paradise. My how things have changed. Thank you for sharing this video with us. It took me down memory lane.
I remember and loved J Riggings (not that one). All those clothing stores I used to go to are gone. It's nice to hear from someone who remembers the great days. It was so much fun to visit or work at a mall then. A lifetime of friends and memories. When I worked in a mall we always were to park in the outer perimeter of the lot usually outside the drive that circled the mall. It was never scary.
Thank you for this pastime history of this mall! Growing up this mall was at its downhill time (late 2000s) as we would always go up to the woodlands mall
I used to shop at this mall in the 1980’s and believe it or not I managed the J. Riggings store in College Station until it went out in 1995. Good memories.
I bet this mall was awesome until the s*** heads moved out of the Heights into North Houston Greenspoint area
@@passive101 lol
Houston native here... I'm not old (only 26) but I remember going back to school shopping at Greenspoint. Now I wouldn't step foot there if you paid me.
I'm 27, native Houstonian, and I remember how it was when crime was low to nonexistent, I wouldn't send my worst enemy to Greenspoint mall. Unless they fix the crime rate, no one should go there.
Lol I’m defo younger at 21 but I haven’t been to Greenspoint in awhile. I didn’t know it was like this now. Lol I lived in South Park so we only went a few times to go for school shopping. It used to be packed.
I remember in the early 80s greenspoint mall was the place to be. Lots of girls, teens, everybody having a good time. It would be jam packed on the weekends. It was fun. Now its a damn shithole
I was there maybe a month or two ago buying a uniform for my job lol. Place is eerie.
I'm old(36) I remember the last time I stepped foot inside and that was February 5,1994.
I'm a security guard in Greenspoint we fight a lot
Wassup bro we went to school together lol
What school?
Omnibad wym pull up, you know where to find him lmfaoo
U lying
how m4ny ppl yhu killt?
I am 50 years old. I grew up on the north side of Houston. I knew cops that would not respond to stolen car calls at that mall because they would get stuck there doing them all day and they hated it. There was a notorious and much copied group that called themselves "The Greenspoint Possie" that prided themselves in how much they stole from the stores there and how much misery they caused the community there. One upmanship eventually led to killings in that area. Now, for those of us that live in the area we call that whole general area Gunspoint. Their are lots of apartments in that area and they are all low income havens for crime. As for the guys following you... Sizing you up to rob. Maybe watching to make sure you didn't come out and catch their partner breaking into your car(or a car they thought was yours).
Bruh, I took my family there not knowing it was a dangerous mall and our lives could’ve been in danger. So glad nothing happened to us
Now I really want to buy a hideous couch from an eccentric guy who calls himself The Wolfman.
Captain Freedom so that’s where wolfman Jack ended up
Me too !
Bill Hawkins Ask for The Wolfman.
This is a Georgia company im
pretty sure. I think he may have died. I remember him when I was little watching tv.
Old-school Atlanta shit
Fun fact: Watch this with "The Shining" soundtrack and it's scarier than most horror movies today.
That no saggy pants sign tells you all you need to know.
Yeah those e-boys are ruthless.
Agree
your're right, poor minorities are the only ones who shop at malls anymore.
Amen
@James Stacey , first thing I spotted too!! Yep NO JNCO pants ZONE!!!! 🤦🏻♂️😂😂😂😂
i didn’t even realize the mall was called greenspoint until this video. i’ve only ever called it gunspoint
I completely believe this statement
@@sal that's what the locals call it!
Oh, dang. I'm so sorry. It was once very nice.
I grew up in Houston - finished high school in 90, so I remember Greenspoint Mall, but also left Houston back in 93 and remember it quite well...I guess the name changed then but I remember it being a great mall to go. I do not remember it being an issue to go to the area but I did not live near it and seemed fine.
@@2Cambell no it wasnt lol
I was born in the 80's, so I'm a sucker of anything retro....especially 60's-70's.
I love 60's and 70's architecture, I'm a huge fan of retro-futurism. That kind of architecture shows up a lot in older malls. Yummy nostalgia....
I'm an 80' baby too and I just love the old architecture from the 60's- 80's. I don't know why, I just do.
I was born in 90 but retro-futurism in malls and buildings unlock forgotten memories. It feels peaceful.
Such a tragedy that so many huge malls have gone out of business in our country over the years. They used to provide a lot of employment.
The Tragedy was they built them a total waste of trillions of dollars across the nation. Now they are being torn down this truly shows the value those with money value what they built.
@@RobertMillerJustme not the one in the white rich side , GreensPoint , SharpTowns Mall , Pasadena Mall and GulfGate Mall Shiite down because they in the hood but BayBrook Mall sucked bad compared to them but it got the all the money because it’s in the White side of town , I’m not trying to start anything but it’s the truth
@@beerman9807 I accept that money talks - I am in the Dallas area but grew up in Baltimore Md and very few are left, most of them have public transportation BUT are in areas with more police. The area I lived in had golden ring mall which was opened in late 1974 and they tore it down in 2002, it was a very middle-class area at the time. To think those buildings did not make it to 30 years old is mind-blowing to me. But honestly, it shows the very true nature of those with money, they have very little vision and foresight and pore good money after bad. The labor is wasted by tearing them down.
In all honesty, I have gone to 2 malls in the last 30 years and both times it was in and out, I personally just never got malls they were ok in my teens but by the time I was 30 they lost all appeal to me also I am cheap I look for value at the discount price names brands never appealed to me, I was 55 before I owned a pair of Nikes, I am 59 and grew up poor and worked my ass off to get out of it.
Amazon. Lol
The spots where everything goes quiet except for the ambient sounds is extremely atmospheric, creepy, compelling and enthralling. Beautiful work, great documentary on this mall. Great job, thank you.
I'm a simple man, I see a dead mall video and I watch. Thanks for the content Sal, you and Dan Bell make youtube amazing.
You make my comment section amazing.
Stongbah43 Don't worry I'm sure TH-cam ruin that some day.
if you like this channel and dan bell, check out the Retail Archaeology channel, he makes great videos too!
I am 68 yrs old from Houston. I went to Greenspoint mall grand opening. And many times after that.
Are you bragging or complaining?
justin Pennington or reminiscing
GREGORY SMITH BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Greenspoint mall use to be much better then now?
welcome to the New and Greater America.
Hello im a houston native and i just wanna say that this mall looks worst in 2020 and 2021 PLEASE DO NOT GO THERE IT IS EXTREMELY SCARY
Nearly every store is gone as of 2023 it was honestly scary I came to explore the abandoned parts but left after seeing some sus shit
Imagine if someone bought one of these doomed malls and turned it into an apartment complex.
A mini-mall community.
Motel Rx I’ve seen a video about this! A lady showed her place and it was tiny but the entire mall was turned into an apartment complex!!
Yess! I have said this same thing. I live by the johnstown galleria mall and always thought to myself they could hit rent if theyd turn them into apartments.
Or a senior home
Or a homeless shelter
@@lizmowrey9866 A senior living facility with its own hair & nail salons, grocery, apparel, hobbies, crafts, cafe, restaurants, ect.......
This content creator should be a movie director. Damn, this was more interesting than most of the trash at the movies or T.V.
I love you.
Get a room
Houstonian here, holy hell I wouldn't be caught dead at Gunspoint! I was never allowed to go there for good reason. That place has a sad history. I was born in 85 and knew that mall's history well. We either went to West Oaks or Memorial after it's renovation. You've got balls of steel for stepping foot in that place.
Why is that?
This mall is horrible. So is the area around it. Houston rocks, but this direct area needs help.
West Oaks went down in 2008.
@@Tornado1994 I guess Greenspoint outlasting it means something.
You got that right. I heard it’s being converted into a Coca Cola Factory.
There should be a horror game about a dead mall.
Dead rising basically lol
Left 4 Dead 2 (Death center)
Silent hill 3
It’s not just the mall. The entire neighborhood is called Gunspoint
I live in Houston and I want to thank you for showing the inside of this mall because back in the early 80's it had potential and now it is way too unsafe to go there. You took a risk I would never take.
lol dude relax the guy who went crazy is dead you won't get killed or anything
Dead?
@@sal I'm talking about Jason Hawkins. btw really informative and well structured video. i just think most of the ppl commenting are being overdramatic about the "risk" of going there
Belgard lol people are so ridiculous. There’s nothing unsafe about it, even during the 80s and 90s. It’s a big big place, rare instances happen. It isn’t unsafe and never was unsafe, but that perception certainly played a part in its demise.
I am a young, short female and I've gone there alone a handful of times. It is a creepy environment sure. At most I get prying eyes, maybe the men wondering why the hell anyone would come shop here, but was never harassed unless you count the food court workers trying to get me to buy their food lol.
Lived in Houston all my life and never been due to strict instructions by my parents. Been to malls all over the city like Baybrook, Almeda, Katy Mills, but never there. Good to see someone talking about these things
@Infinit 0 Katy has TONS of Black People. your point?
And Katy has turned into shit
I lived in Houston (actually nearby Richmond) in the late 80’s, early 90’s and then again in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. My father was a district manager for Sam Goody and I visited this mall with him a few times. It was ALWAYS a sketchy place and I can tell you that it’s ABSOLUTELY true that all the locals refer to it as “Gunspoint Mall”.
And tourists like me that heard it from locals. Talked with a few people while I was there that definitely called it Gunspoint.
I was almost kidnapped there when i was little
That’s awful, and I completely believe you.
I felt like i could have gotten kidnapped in those weird long bathroom hallways with doors that lead to somewhere else, LUCKILY i am alive
I believe that. We stopped going there when Deerbrook Mall opened up in Humble then the Wooodlands Mall.
I was a kid when the Star Wars 'actors' made an appearance. I got Darth Vader's autograph on a promo picture!
I thought it was the coolest thing ever to see Darth Vader and R2D2 in person walking the halls at the mall.
You need to get out more.
@@Mom_sBasement you mean like out of the "basement"?
@@DIVISIONINCISION lol ... I don't think he did.
My man you just about made yourself a victim by cornering yourself in an isolated area. You may not have been aware of them by that point but be careful man. May want to consider carrying a firearm if you don't.
Maybe it was to bait them in then he shows them the guns point if they try anything.
Sykokiller bait them in hahaha killers in houston dont give a single fuck
@@rolandomontana1389 yeah like having a gun is gonna save you from other people who have multiple guns lmao
@@rolandomontana1389 I do a lot of things so no one can stalk me. I have about three dozen cars with out of state or out of country plates, most of the cars are US or Canadian built (I don't drive foreign cars), and the cars are not tracalbe. Addresses are Post Office box numbers.
@@randylahey9953 a sawed off Winchester pump is my choice of weapon. It increases the spread and I have a Czechoslovakian made 9mm automatic with hollow bullets to increase the likelihood fatal injury.
Bruh, Almeda Mall has the same stores this mall does. Footaction, Uniform Superstore, that snack stand, weird cheap Suits store, Champs, more shoes...... that’s how you know a mall is ghetto, when it’s really just a big shoe store with weird generic restaurants 😫😫
Haha, PlazAmericas (formerly Sharpstown Mall) also has like 90% of those stores you mentioned.
Trust me, I've been to Sharpstown a few times.
I don't care to go to any mall in the 21st century. In the 80s it was popping..
I know a lot of the history of the mall. Great research on your part! However, at the time of the Gonzalez killing, the ficus trees and waterfall were long gone. Those were replaced in the 1987 renovation.
I'm moving from Pasadena to gunspoint soon. Me and my bf went to the movie theater at gunpoint mall to see glass and their projector over heated!!!! Everyone started protesting for free popcorn 😂 and we ended up getting free popcorn and a refund and just went to amc to see the movie. Never again.
Every word of this is believable
Texas Made ckuz Pasadena aint shit fucking cops in every corner
Omg! I lived here for 2 years, stay safe!!!
Holy shit, I remember this. It even had a few blog post.
Southside Playa yeah and alot are crooked or just dont give a fuck who they get
Omg, a no sagging pants policy sign. That made me laugh so hard!
That's a big clue to problems they've had and the kind of people they are trying to keep out. It's probably a waste of time, though.
Lmao 😂
but they are easy to outrun with their pants like that. lol
Hell some here just have pants off. In those crotch cutters almost look like a thong. Guys too.
True and very necessary to keep one big criminal element away.
I’m in Houston for business and unknowingly booked my stay at the Hilton North in Greenspoint. The Hilton is grand yet frozen in time like the mall in many ways, settled in a cluster of skyscrapers build by Exxon in Greenspoint in the roaring 80s. Exxon since fled Greenspoint and my Hilton 9th floor hotel room faces empty ghost towers and Greenspoint Mall. My hotel can be seen at the end of this video as he walks to his car, the pointed building. My hotel has armed security and I drove to the mall before knowing all this for lunch today and my sense of danger fired up when I approached the court doors. I decided to leave as I had my suitcase in my rental and did not want it stolen or a broken window on my rental car.
It is so eerie watching this now in my hotel looking at the dead mall as we speak and rain begins to fall.
Great video
I’m from Greenspoint- born and raised here. I guess I’m just used to it by now because I feel completely comfortable in every place near Greenspoint.
Me too
I'm glad you didn't decide to walk down that corridor 😰 and your reflection scared the crap out of me🤣
I read this at the exact moment he passed the corridor 😂
My mom yelled at me for like a week after she found out how dangerous of a situation I put myself into here. Worth it. Won’t revisit..
@@sal In your video I was yelling at you too🤣 " nope, nope oh hell no!🤣
@@davidedwards4088 Me too! I was like, "Sal...don't go in that hallway. No! Those guys are gonna come get you!" It was like watching a horror movie. Be careful.
@@sal, thanks for putting yourself out there. But you might consider bringing along some backup next time you visit a hellhole like that one.
FYI, After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Displaced flood victims exceeded the NRG Center shelter's capacity. ~800 people were moved to the empty Macy's store in Greespoint.
Yep
Wow! I swear, I thought Gunspoint had the nickname because of the stories of people getting robed of J’s on the first release date?
2016
@@ChromeChildren12 Formed August 17, 2017 Made landfall August 25. I was there ;)
I remember that! (Houston native). Then it closed in April 2018
it’s heartbreaking to see a mall that I hold dearly in my memories, turn into what it is today, i cant help but see your shots of emptiness and in my head picture all of the people i once saw in the late 90s roaming around, as a kid of course my favorite part about that mall in particular was the arcade area next to the food court, having some NY style pizza.
To answer your question it was around 2005 that the mall started decaying at a faster rate, across from Greens Road, there was a funriture store called Finger’s furniture, the original owner passed away and the son sold the whole company, and the property was turned into a flea market, which had items of lower quality but cheaper prices, which attached to the crime, it was the fatal blow to Greenspoint Mall.
It was decaying wayyyy before then
This brought back memories. That restaurant you peeked into was a “Casa Olé” mexican restaurant for ages. This mall was my stomping grounds as a young teen. I remember we started going there when I was young because North Oaks got too run down and after we watched a horrifically burned electrician run through the mall in shock and collapse (he lived but it was pretty awful) my parents decided we’d go to Greenspoint instead from then on. I remember sitting and listening to the sound of the musical fountain while I was bored out of my mind of the adults shopping and losing a shoe in the grates around the trees and then being nervous about stepping on them (I was little). It had a lot of fountains but they all kept getting turned into planters as I got older. In the late 80’s my family experienced an attempted car jacking in the parking lot (security was coming so they ran). By the early 90’s we’d seen or nearly been involved in so many incidents (we got followed a lot) our parents started driving us to hang out at Willowbrook instead. Then the “really” nice mall opened in The Woodlands.
I remember Casa Ole. Used to eat lunch there all the time. The food quality went down hill and I quit eating there. I remember the musical fountain too. I remember going to North Oaks to see movies a few times. North Oaks Theater was OK until it turned into a dollar theater and that pretty much did it for me. The AMC at Willowbrook was pretty good back then.
My ex and I got deathly Ill at that casa ole!!
I live in the woodlands and the mall is bussin
I feel like The Woodlands Mall is the only truly successful mall besides Willowbrook and HPO in left North Houston
Sure you could take a road trip to Katy Mills or Baybrook if you wanted to, but who has the time and money for that just to go shopping.
It’s sad to see all of the smaller malls go under
A december recording? Christmas decorations and a dying mall is eerie as hell.
Yep. I was there Dec ‘18- Jan ‘19 !
Yep. Every abandoned video I watch theres always some Christmas stuff around.
@17:53 you see the three people that were apparently following Sal. Gotta love how when they noticed you were coming back, they did a quick turnaround and walk away as though they weren't up to something.
... And the at the end, they flip-out because they were like "shit busted!!!"
@@somedude8242 a mass shooter of barely 5 people in the same spot at once? Probably worse.
Maybe they were curious. Black people are curious too. If he’s so scary and paranoid then don’t go to those areas
@@sandrajones8774 Yeah, and men follow women around all the time because they're just 'curious' 🙄
@Maintenance Renegade Couldn't have said it better, myself. Hit the nail on the head
Thank you for being brave enough to film the inside of this mall. I remember going to this mall in the early 2000's. I currently live about 15 miles away from it. You couldn't pay me to pull into that parking lot. If I had a flat tire I'd ride the rims until I was far away. It's a shame the perpetual carnival didn't appear to be there when you visited. I swear I've never seen anybody at it but I've seen it lit up and all the rides going.
17:20 your reflection scared me! Especially after you mentioning these guys following you.
You gotta be careful Sal. Next time go with back up. We don't want to lose you.
is this story a joke? so there is only one Hillary look a like on the planet?
YES
Sal.... you are brave. I would never set foot in that mall . Houston avoids it at all costs lol
I couldn’t *not* go in...it was so intriguing!!
Sal is from Baltimore. He's used to it lol.
Yeah...bad area. Very bad. I'd feel safer in Fifth Ward.
Lauren Corredor yes! Don't go into that mall no less than having an AK47 with a 100 rd ammo drum! lol! Many yrs ago a lady sheriff was murdered there.
Lauren Corredor the mall isn’t dangerous , you just don’t fit in that area . It’s a ghetto ass mall . Been working there for so long now
In the mid 1980s Houstons economy tanked due to Oil bust. This area suffered greatly and many nearby apartments became abandoned. At this time many houses were foreclosed for pennies on the dollar which also hurt the area.
I went to Greenspoint in the evening one night in late 2019.. I don't know what compelled me to go, but I remember walking through and just being in a state of melancholy and eerie. The whole mall has this feeling you can't shake that goes beyond the abandonment... The best thing that came out of it was the nike sandals I got for a deal lol. Even when I was a kid people avoided this place.
The mall is also very haunted if you go near the kids ride you can hear a child’s laughter and the toy moving on its own also in the bathrooms you can sense someone in the stall next to you
That is By far one of the best dead mall videos I have watched.
The backstory that you gave him the mall was Very interesting, informative, and kind of unsettling!
Thanks so much George! If I might recommend another of mine, it’s episode 36, my sequel to the Century III Mall! I think you’ll enjoy it!
YES- MURDERS HAVE HAPPENED THERE
I lived in the Houston area back in the early 80's we'd go to this mall every so often. It was rather far away from were we lived, but I always remembered it being one of the nicer malls in the Houston area at that time.
yep me too Lived in the Pinehurst area and it was a big deal to go there on the weekends. Sadly now when I go see my mom it is all"Houston" and so much traffic After my inlaws and mom passes away me and my wife will never go back.
As a native Houstonian who went to this mall as a child with her dad every other weekend for dinner at Casa Ole and a trip to the toy store, this place gives me the heebie jeebies. Haven't been inside Greenspoint Mall since 2002-2003 when I went with a church youth group for an outdoor parking lot concert (Festival Con Dios, I think). It was sketchy even back then and I only went to the food court (with a friend). Thank you for this informative video and glad you made it out safely! Sad to see it so empty and dangerous.
The last time I stepped foot in Greenspoint was in February 1994. I'm Black,BTW. Mom and I did eat at the Wendys outside of it back around June 2002 shortly after Dave Thomas' death.
We didn't bother shopping or even stepping foot in Greenspoint.
In 2000-2004, we lived in Klienbrook/Champion Forest which was only 5 minutes away from Willowbrook. So we had THAT entirely!
I was trying to remember the name of the Mexican restaurant that was there, thank you! Casa Ole...that was a pretty standard visit after doing some shopping.
I remember eating casa ole in elementary school! Parents would always take me there to eat chicken tenders. Those slapped
You’re very lucky, I’m a houstonian and that corner you walked into I is dangerous.Honestly what you experienced is just the tip. Like that’s a good day. I used to go a lot with my mom and sister in the early late 90s and early 2000s.
The renovation you discussed in the late 80’s was a “bright” update. The original interior design was very “brown.” Brown floor tiles, earth colors and the aforementioned Ficus trees everywhere. The remodel took out the brown tiles and all the earth tones and brought in the colors you saw now. I grew up in that mall and it’s sad to see what the area has become.
The original sounds horrible
Christian B it was the style at the time and was actually very nice.
I grew up near Houston. Our mall was built in 1980 and had the same Brown and tan color scheme.
That must have been a 70s thing. Here in New Orleans, the Plaza Mall (in New Orleans East) had that exact color scheme. Actually Greenpoint reminds me of the Plaza, similar setup. They underwent a "brightening" remodel sometime in the late 80s. Like Greenpoint, the Plaza was superhot when it opened in '77, was very popular through the 80s, went downhill in the 90's. Now that whole area is a crime-infested sh**-hole.
This is where my army recruiting center was, I’m a woman btw and I remember despite my dad being right there, everyone was super nervous about me being outside the center. I was so shocked by how desolate the mall was. It was scary and depressing, it takes a lot to scare me but I was genuinely uncomfortable and I was surrounded by my father and several soldiers. I had to keep going back and forth due to my intake process taking so long but each time I went, fewer stores were open and less people were shopping.
Brooo thats so scary it reminds me of west oaks mall I used to live in the apartments in front and it was so eerie all restaurants were closed and only a few stores were open like Sears and Victoria Secret now I think the store it’s all closed the only thing that remains is Dillars
I remember going there one time when I was a kid with my mom. The experience of being at the mall for the first time was amazing. Now I just look down at it from the beltway and wonder how it's still open.
5:45...
6:53...
9:41- ducks into luggage shop after suspicious person spotted...
10:15- seeing if coast is clear...
10:30- clerk of luggage shop asks, "can I help you?" to unseen person...
10:57- guy to the right...
11:18- guy on bench...
14:28- guy ahead of massage kiosk...
16:03- guy to the right...
17:56-...(!)...have we been made?...
23:41- clearly upset about being made...
scumbags keeping the stereotype alive, then cry BLM when they get shot
Chris Nelson PIG
Nathan Gillon With that awareness I have to assume you work retail..
I noticed that he ducked into the luggage shop to get away from the guy that was behind the sign.
Correct
Yeah I remember when that area was "out in the country" when I was a kid,we used to go rabbit hunting and ride dirt bikes in the empty field before the mall was built,the only section of beltway 8 that existed was between I-45 and Hwy 59 to service the big airport (which was still fairly new at the time) and Greens Road used to dead end at I-45 and then when they finished construction and opened up it was the cool place to be,they used to have fireworks displays on the 4th of July and there were traffic jams and the place was packed during the Christmas holiday season,we used to hang out there as teenagers in the early 80's back and forth between the movie theater,food court (Brothers pizza was awesome)and video arcade (the first one was called Funway Freeway then it moved to the other side of the mall and was re named Aladdin's Castle),the apartments that were built around the mall were full of oil company employees and the area was safe to live in until the oil bust,the recession and layoffs came,the oil workers left,section 8 took over the apartment complexes and a gang known as the Greenspoint Posse roamed the area,then came the infamous murder of the off duty sheriff's officer and the rest is pretty much history.
TH-cam Certified Master Mechanic
What year was the Hilton North built, I’m staying here now as I watched this video across from the Greenspoint mall
Man does that bring back some memories. On weekends my high school buddies & I would drive down from Conroe to shop & hit the arcade, meet people from other schools. And there used to be a drive-in theater directly across the road. Thanks for the history. Moved from Houston after joining the military in 90 & always wondered what happened to the area.
Brothers Pizza had a brother store at West Oaks Mall. That one moved to a little center at highway 6 and I 10. It is still open and still awesome! But growing up I ate at the West Oaks one and this one. I remember the lines at West Oaks would wrap around the entire food court. There was a Sbarro too but nobody ate there.
@@kjkj6362 It was built in the mid 80's if I remember correctly.
@@historiclift27 I never made it to west oaks mall but I heard they also had (maybe still have) a store somewhere in the Woodlands area.
You know what freaks out someone following you. Running full tilt at them with out letting up. I don't think someone would want to wait and find out why a single person was chasing them.
Dear lord. I remember going to Greenspoint many times right around the time it opened until we moved from the area in 1981. What is so memorable was the feeling that there was running water all throughout the mall. I remember looking at all the places where there were waterfalls that were full of coins from people throwing in pennies and to my amazement even quarters, into the water to make a wish. I went back to the mall around 2004 for the first time and I couldn’t believe it. I can tell you that if those kids following you had been able to catch you in that back corner you would have been robbed. They know the places where they are out of sight much better than you do. If I had the cash I would wall off those stores into individual apartments and put a massive gate around the place and make it an indoor gated community. Just think of how many apartments you could build into all these empty malls.
This reminds me of the Southpark episode where Randy bought a closed down Blockbuster in hopes of revitalising the video rental store.
It was a disaster.
I grew up not too far from Greenspoint Mall. I watched it go from good to bad like many native or long time Houstonians. I have fond memories of how beautiful the Christmas decor at Foley’s (Macy’s) was when I was younger. It’s not as horrible as most make it out to be. Sure, it’s had it’s fair share of problems. It’s an eyesore when driving past, which is probably one of the biggest issues in my opinion. I actually found really great deals at Macy’s and Dillard’s Clearance Center when they were still open. People automatically label something as unsafe because of clientele. There are reports of break-ins and robberies at most Houston-area malls. Houston Police Department (HPD) actually has a sub station at GPM. It has the potential of being great due to its size and proximity to IAH (Houston’s international airport), but I’m skeptical if it’ll ever return to its former glory. Thanks for sharing! Brings back lots of great memories!
Thanks for the memories!
I'm 59 years old and I remember as a child we always shopped in New Orleans at all the individual stores located there on Canal Street, then in the 60's Lakeside Mall opened an open air mall and we went there. It was covered and became the Mall's we are used to today in the late 60's. As I get older I realize I've seen the beginning and now the end of so many different business's and your series leaves me with a bitter sweet nostalgia. I now shop online exclusively because no one goes to the mall anymore.
Great report!! I grew up roaming that mall with my mother as a child in the 80s and hanging out with friends and dates as a teenager in the 90s. Thanks for the upload!
The video isn't even live and there are 10 dislikes. Really people? So petty...just wait for the premiere, and then decide! If you really don't like it, downvote me to oblivion!
Edit: I'm not concerned with the dislikes...they count as engagement just like thumbs up do...what I am concerned with is why it's possible to downvote (or even upvote) a video when it hasn't even been released...perhaps youtube should only make voting a thing as the premiere starts...you know?
It’s just probably little 1st graders hating on every single one of your videos
I wouldn't worry man.
You and Ace are my two faves so far for mall stuff. Haters are haters.
Thank you!
I LOVE your content and always want to see more, sorry can't support you on Patreon, (they don't support free speech) so I won't donate thru Patreon or Paypal, perhaps streamlabs or subscribestar?, forget the kids downvoting, any interaction with your channel promotes it in the algorithm, up or downvote.
Rip jungle gym , i used 2 go there back in 2008-2010
aFloatingSpoon omg me too
Same
Yeah same
@5:50 the cinematic background music slowly transitions into echoing mall music, and then Sal talks about this mall as if it is a poem.
Just found your channel, and it's incredibly interesting and satisfying to watch. Thanks for the uploads!
Thanks so much for watching!!!!
I lived in Spring TX at the time which is only about 9 miles north of (Guns Point), I remember a kid was killed right outside the mall for a new pair of Jordans that had just been released. And when we say "Guns Point"...we aren't just talking about the mall, it's that whole area.
and I thought Rolling Acres Mall was a sketchy mall when it was open...
This mall is definitely the sketchiest I've been to, and it makes Iverson look like Disney.
@@sal wonder how it compares to Eastland Center Mall in Harper Woods, MI?
@@Karmy. anything in Detroit would be a deathtrap as far as I"m concerened. i"m surprised the Lions are still there. I keep waiting for North Dakota to offer to buy them out with all that oil money.
@jdslyman true
@jdslyman cool info
Wow just watching this gave not good vibes. It might be better if you went with a friend. There's safety in numbers. And I did see those dudes following you. I'd get nervous and leave immediately. But a great video!
It was...sketchy...but thanks for watching!!
I wouldve confronted them. "You looking for trouble?"
By far one of the best dead mall videos I’ve ever seen. Amazing job
When the mall was "renovated" in 1987, one of the major changes was to "upgrade" the floors from standard, vinyl floor tile to the pink/orange terra-cotta clay floor tiles that were vogue at the time. The terra-cotta clay floor tiles would absorb moisture so that when it rained, it made the floors less slippery, in addition to helping improve the appearance of the mall. Hope this helps.
For as long as I can remember, Greenspoint Mall was nicknamed Gunspoint Mall. I would never go to this place for my own safety. Not a good area of town. West Oaks Mall in west Houston used to be a great mall I grew up going to and now it's a crap mall too. Sharpstown Mall is just as bad as Greenspoint imo. On the other hand, It's nice that Memorial City Mall was revitalized...I grew up going to this one too. Now it's still a great mall to shop at. Town N Country Mall - 3 stories was a hot spot too for shopping in the 80's, now it's torn down and redone as City Centre...beautiful area with outdoor shopping venue. It's a great place to dine, shop and gorgeous hotels. Thanks for the video...I forgot about some of those stores - Joskes, Foleys, Mervyns.
Don't forget Northline Mall.
Guru Gee It’s no longer there though.
I lived in Mission Bend/Alief from 2004-2015. The West Oaks, used to be a fantastic Outlet Mall that went to shit in 2008 after a Crooked,CORRUPT RE Manager brought it as a Tax Evasion Scheme. The Owner also allowed Saudis to take over and ran ALL of the Best Businesses out of there. For 7 LONG Years, New Stores would come open up, but only be open for 6 months and then move out. 2012 was even WORSE. Dumbass FORCED the Alamo(The MAIN Thing Keeping The Mall AFLOAT) to close 8 months too early in order to replace it with the STUPID ASS Toby Keith's Restaurant. Despite Opening The Reagal Edwards 21, it couldn't carry the same Level of the Revenue Stream The Alamo Drafthouse did. To add insult to Injury, the Renovation Schedule and Budget for The Restaurant fell WAY behind schedule, and opened 11 months LATE. Unsurprisingly, Toby Keith's Restaurants filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in November 2013 and the Restaurant imploded rather badly. It closed within a month.
FINALLY, in June 2017, the RE Manager was convicted of Multiple counts of Tax Evasion and Real Estate Fraud. He's serving a 10 year Prison Sentence.
As for Sharpstown, it started falling apart in the Late 80s.
That brings back so many memories to me with me being there from day one to the last trip in 98. I worked at Wards from 84 to 86. A lot of my life was spent in that mall.Thanks for the footage of what it is now.
I remember when they opened that mall. It was a big deal and I think it was the largest mall in Texas (back then). It was the hot place to shop for about a decade and then it just went down. I really can't believe they can afford to keep the lights and a/c turned on. They just need to demolish it, rip up the parking lot & plant trees.
I miss this mall the smell of the fountain the food court and the carnival
The Batman the carnival still there
Edwin draws I know I miss when the mall was populated haven’t been in the carnival in 10 years fun time
@Darth Odysseus been busy choking her she seems to enjoy it
@@DIVISIONINCISION yes took padme here
I guess the guy at 23:58 was also mad that the mall was a dead place now lol
XD
Salty af 😂😂😂😂😂
He must’ve smudged his Puma or something
Wow! Great video!! Love the history. I've seen many of the dead mall videos but yours is by far the best. Will watch others now😍
All the "bad elements" from Gunspoint are now frequenting Willowbrook Mall off 249. They need to keep Gunspoint open so they keep all "those people" there.
Great stuff watching from Ireland and can still feel the nostalgia this is what TH-cam is made for. Keep up the great work!!
Hey thanks! Much more on the way
You've knocked it of the park once again, Sal! 👍😉❤️
Good history of this mall. I live here and I stopped going to this mall years ago after New York and Company was moving out of that mall. That woman being shot at Body Luxuries I remember that and it's so grim to even go inside now. They just need to shut the mall down and put something else up. It smells and reeks of old house now.
I remember that incident too
Vee Orange I just moved to houston what side you on
Coca Cola has apparently brought the property so it'll FINALLY be closed in Spring 2020!
@@MrCalverino Me too. Alot of Houstonians were furious. Petitions to shut the Mall down went up too.
Vee Orange haven’t I seen you on mocospace before?
Beautiful documentation Sal. I enjoy that you put much effort into the historic background, happenings and details of the buildings that you survey. Sad that these iconic buildings fall into disrepair and abandonment. Many can be yet salvaged by someone with vision and practical money backing. The malls truly were the retail stars of the 1980's, a time period in American history that I savor.
I like the history research you put into these videos.
Whoa. I lived in Greenspoint from dec 28th 1986 till feb of 87. That music sculpture was AMAZING. I got very ill from a flu...I walked in Greenspoint to build my strength back up...it is bizzarre to hear it quiet...thus brings me memories..I was 18...now 51..
Thank you so much for the memories! It must’ve been incredible to see Greenspoint back in the day!
I followed my then boyfriend..he left Syracuse Sept 86...I left a note on the kitchen table ("Thanks for everything, been a slice, I love you"), hopped a greyhound to follow, and left home for good at 18..got there Dec 28th.. Left for Phx Az on Friday, Feb 13th, 1987.
Thefireslove - What an awesome story. Thank you for sharing that. This vid must be heartbreaking to your memories.
Great content Sal. Really enjoy your videos and backstory surrounding the lifespan of these dying malls. Keep up the good work!!
Thanks Brent! Tons more on the way!
Subscribed immediately, the presentation of this was immaculate, one of my all time favorite dead mall videos!
Thank you!!!
I love your narration. You paint such a picture of the mall’s happier times with your words.
Thanks for the kind words, Mari!
@@sal My pleasure!
Sal, I seem to be addicted to watching dead mall/retail videos and I must admit, this one is one of the best I've ever watched. The sense of foreboding was palatable, from the drive-in opening which was almost black and white to the narration of the senseless murders. The Wolfman commercial was a wonderful counterpoint.
I went back and watched it a second time, looking for the guys following you.
A very compelling video, I'm subscribing and will watch more of your videos.
Thank you so much! I might suggest to start from ExLog 1 to see the progression...but the latest one, ExLog 40 is fantastic.
The Wolfman and his daughter Donna owned two furniture stores in Atlanta and yes it is true that that he was sued by Wolfman Jack and won so he kept the name. His daughter and he had a falling out and when he dies she kept the stores...
I can see the reason for the lawsuit. I thought it WAS Wolfman Jack!
He sounds exactly like uncle Si on duck dynasty
@@mikemichaud5578 He even does the HEY!! like uncle Si does!
Hey, fellow Sal here, and native Houstonian, i remember back in the late 90s/early 00s that this place still had good foot traffic. But slowly watching it die is just wild to witness. I now work in the Greenspoint area, i make it a point to never stop there for gas. Its the wild west there. Shame it had to go that route.
5:46 no sagging pants......lmfao
maybe too many sagging pants hanging out there, that's why the mall is called, a dangerous dead mall...smh
Can’t wait for this Sal! 🙌🏼👍🏼
Can’t wait to show you!
Wonderful professional production! Amazing research and a work of love!
Whenever I go to Greenspoint mall , it feels like I’m in a back room
Seidy L that’s my main interest in this channel. It’s like a bizarre but cool concept exploring abandoned malls. Greenspoint with the open space is like the holy grail of weird back room empty vibes if that makes sense, so yeah. In short I agree lol
I used to go here when i was younger so it was already dead but i made "some" memories, esp with my school
This was the mall to go to back in the 80's during my high school years. I have fond memories of going to the movies and shopping at Foleys with my Grandmother. So to see how the mall has slowly deteriorated is so sad.
Houston...we have a problem...
A massive problem at that...
Houston IS the problem.
There's not a single part of Houston I even want to see.
KrazyKeith4Prez 2020 Uptown Houston and Memorial City are very nice parts, you should visit there.
@@yuh2634 Once hurricane season is over, I will consider.
Love the work you do putting together all the history on these malls.
Greenspoint I remember back in 1993 helping security for Christmas shoppers walking in the parking lot. It was a requirement for the university of Houston criminal justice academy class We had to volunteer there. All we had was flashlights.was a bit scary.
Miss the old mall sounds, smells and arcades. Baybrook mall down south of Houston seems to be still thriving! They figured out a way to keep it alive with an open court concept second phase to the mall and attracting many nice restraints.
Here's my recollection. I Lived in this area from Feb 1995 - Oct 1998. Was in high school most of this time at Nimitz and nearby Aldine Night HS. The nearby neighborhood itself is called Greenspoint and it was also referred to derisively as Gunspoint. The crime rate here was one of the highest in crime ridden 1990s Houston. This mall was fairly getto to me but I spent a ton of time at it. Knowing what we know now I was fortunate not to have been caught up in anything. For you people who live in big cities. Watch your back. Always. Be vigilant. Know your surroundings at all times when alone. Don't end up like the folks we heard about in this video. Gunspoint
i like your stuff very informative you give a full back ground on all the things that have happened keep it up mate