Meriden Mall: It Looks Like a Dead Mall to Me! 2023 Update! Meriden, Connecticut.

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  • Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
  • Join me as I take another look at Meriden Mall in Meriden, Connecticut.
    It looks like a dead mall to me. What do you think?
    If you liked this video, please give me a thumbs up, leave a comment and subscribe to my channel! Thanks!
    Source of information:
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    www.wfsb.com/2...
    #deadmall #deadmalls #mall #malls #connecticut #meriden #shoppingmall #shoppingmalls #retail #nostalgia

КОМЕНТАРІ • 344

  • @linall2345
    @linall2345 Рік тому +77

    My teenage stomping grounds. Makes me sad. The pet store closed pretty recently. It was fun back in the day.

    • @craigg.6609
      @craigg.6609 5 місяців тому +3

      Yup. Gentle Jungle.

    • @IM-cs9ke
      @IM-cs9ke 5 місяців тому +2

      Mid 90s 😢

  • @italiano246
    @italiano246 Рік тому +70

    Connecticut native. That pet store was the most popular place in the whole mall before it closed. They'd let you pick an animal and play with it for a while in those rooms just past the cages for free. The prices for the animals, however, were outrageous, to put it mildly, $3000~ for a dog or cat. This is because all the animals they had were from puppy/cat mills. So, as much as i have fond memories of playing with the cute animals there, it's for the best that it closed.

    • @joewoodchuck3824
      @joewoodchuck3824 4 місяці тому +2

      Puppy and kitten mills should make the animals cheaper, not more expensive due to economy of scale, etc. BUT, the stores always charged more because it was/is an easy way to get the advantage and prestige of a pedigreed animal without the hassle of selecting a reputable local breeder.

    • @Sidera17
      @Sidera17 2 місяці тому +2

      I remember this! In my early 20s I went there and, on a whim, just opened the guinea pig cage and scooped one out!
      Usually they're scared, but this one just decided "it's you" and bonded to me right there in the store. So I ended up going home with a pig unexpectedly. He lived for 7 years!
      I'll never forget that store. ❤

    • @itsfuckingfiona
      @itsfuckingfiona 2 місяці тому

      I remember going a few years ago and I took out a Shiba Inu to play with. That dog looked healthy, but many others looked somewhat sickly and they were crammed into these cages with mesh floors and no mats. This probably hurt their paws, so some of the small ones were trying to curl up in their food bowls. And a friend bought a boxer there and he had abundant health issues even when he was younger.

  • @INXSFan33
    @INXSFan33 Рік тому +18

    I grew up in Kensington 10 minutes down the Chamberlain Highway. I used to go here all the time. It was always Meriden for Hollister, Westfarms for Abercrombie. I have so many memories of Hollister, Sears, Eddie Bauer, FYE, cinnabon, the pet store, Lindt, the video game store next to the food court. I could go on and on. I'm 34 and I am glad I caught the tailend of the golden era of malls. That being said, Westfarms is still going strong as ever. The only negative I could say about it, is the loss of Godiva.

    • @suziecreamcheese211
      @suziecreamcheese211 11 місяців тому +2

      I’m near Westfarms mall and I agree.

    • @craigg.6609
      @craigg.6609 5 місяців тому +1

      Westfarms and the Danbury Mall still doing good.

    • @joewoodchuck3824
      @joewoodchuck3824 4 місяці тому

      There are advantages to store shopping, especially in certain commodity categories. You can usually take the purchase home today for example.

  • @motivatingbibleverses
    @motivatingbibleverses Рік тому +21

    Gotta give them credit for the tree and decorations....at least they are going through the motions.

  • @ecosby100
    @ecosby100 Рік тому +25

    I’m 35 and been going to that mall since I could remember at 3-4 years old lol. You could not believe how busy that place was in the late 90s. The parking garage on the second floor was add I believe In the early 2000s. It’s crazy to think they expanded the mall in the early 2000 just before the on line shopping boom

  • @RaccoonsOnTheGarbageTrain
    @RaccoonsOnTheGarbageTrain Рік тому +18

    I believe the reason the opening in the floor (on the second level in front of Boscov's that you noticed missing) is gone because when Boscov's renovated the old Penney's they did not follow the exact footprint. The lower level of Boscov's actually took over a few of the smaller stores that were just outside Penney's and the store front was pushed into the mall. If you walk into Boscov's from the lower level of the mall, you will notice the floor slopes down a bit part way into the store. This is where the original Penney's storefront was. The opening would have had to be covered over to give the front of Boscov's a ceiling.

  • @charlestonpinballarcade
    @charlestonpinballarcade Рік тому +23

    Thanks for risking your life and testing the candy for us!😂😂

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому +5

      No problem!

    • @iworkout6912
      @iworkout6912 9 місяців тому

      I bet there isn't one mall in the US, big and small that doesn't have the candy machines, lounge vibrating chairs, little merry go round, etc. I wonder who invested in all of them, and if they made their money back.

    • @abuseofpower5817
      @abuseofpower5817 7 місяців тому +1

      😂In regards to cleaning the equipment at the fifteen dollar rollercoaster headset. You forgot you did not clean the candy dispenser when you purchase the candy. You with the bare finger scrape out all that stale candy.Imagine how many did the same thing, That was dirty unsanitary what U did.😅

  • @shinmiroku
    @shinmiroku 7 місяців тому +14

    Haven't been there in years, but this makes me sad, I still remember loving coming here when I was a kid when the arcade was there.

  • @Luvthedesert22
    @Luvthedesert22 Рік тому +21

    It may be a dead mall but at least they seem to be keeping it up. It looks clean. Unlike Enfield Square😮

  • @dorothymurray7244
    @dorothymurray7244 Рік тому +11

    Beautiful Mall,sad that no one seems to like going shopping in person anymore.
    I would never do online shopping.l love going shopping in person trying on clothes, shoes before l buy.Eating at the food court or taking in a movie.Really sux that people have lost all interest in that.As long as l have an open Mall to go to ,l will be going.

  • @lonelyman1967
    @lonelyman1967 Рік тому +6

    I'm glad you mentioned Software Ect. that used to be there. That's where I got my first PS1 from lol. That food court looks sad now. It's been years since I been to that mall.

    • @マシュードーラン
      @マシュードーラン Рік тому +3

      Dude yes! Right in that corner across from the food court I believe. There was Sarku Japan which was amazing and now it’s Tokyo Express which is owned by the Chinese I’m sure! Same formula just less on the veggies and finesse but the chicken is still great. They don’t ask if you want extra sauce anymore…Just nostalgia and time makes everything eventually bittersweet

    • @stonedalldayjedi533
      @stonedalldayjedi533 2 місяці тому

      That was my first job ever with Mike, Heather, and Tiff!

  • @domenicdefusco6328
    @domenicdefusco6328 6 місяців тому +5

    I used to go to the gentle jungle to hang out with all the dogs, glad they're free now. This place was my teenage hangout spot for so long, grew up in the town over.

  • @eb8696
    @eb8696 9 місяців тому +6

    Actually my family got our first golden retriever from that pet store back in November 1997. I was there in the nineties as a teen too. It was a fun place to go as a teen back then, and school clothes shopping was always there. Sad to see it so quiet now, completely different place 😔

    • @leenotliar
      @leenotliar 6 місяців тому

      aww how long did he live until?

  • @OrbitEntertainment0
    @OrbitEntertainment0 Рік тому +9

    I just went there last week, seriously the deadest mall I’ve seen

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому +2

      It's dead, but it's no match for Enfield Square Mall. I think Crystal Mall is worse too.

    • @OrbitEntertainment0
      @OrbitEntertainment0 Рік тому

      @@fleabittenadventures I haven't been to the other malls before, but I might visit them one day since I'm curious to see.

    • @マシュードーラン
      @マシュードーラン Рік тому

      @@fleabittenadventuresI have no memories of those ones. WestFarms and Meriden were my malls so to see the difference between the two it’s super depressing and sad. Nostalgia is a powerful thing

  • @ambsat
    @ambsat Рік тому +5

    Many a Saturday or Sunday mom and I spent shopping there. It was our "staple" mall, closest to us in North Haven, when we didn't travel to Stamford Town Center, which we did often, as we loved that mall. Another one biting the dust. :( These videos make me sad and nostalgic for the memories I spent there, especially with my mom, who's no longer here. But, that said, I'm part of the problem...I stopped mall shopping (except sometimes having to go to specific stores for Christmas presents) about 15 years ago. Not that I only shop online either, I go to local little shops in my area too, and the outlets occasionally. 50/50

  • @swayze693
    @swayze693 6 місяців тому +7

    meriden native here. who remembers: suncoast, KB toys, pacsun, sam goody, cinnabun, interface modeling, express, cosimo pizza, hard rock cafe, filenes, lord & taylor, the airbrush lady, the cajun cafe food sampler guy, above us, urban behavior, friendlies, the underground, that little water feature by the middle escalator, best buy mobile, i can go on forever someone keep it going…my heart breaks watching this mall close

    • @stonedalldayjedi533
      @stonedalldayjedi533 2 місяці тому

      Do you remember the tank top dude with the beanie who would always be lingering? Or the glow in the dark mini golf?

  • @thedeviot8368
    @thedeviot8368 Рік тому +11

    The same Namdar overlords that took over Enfield, took over this mall not long ago and it quickly fell into desolation not long after. IIRC They also bought the Trumbull Mall and Crystal Mall. They seem to treat most properties like a slumlord so I don't anticipate the situation getting any better. More than likely, the proverbial husk will be squeezed until they eventually abandon it altogether and leave the city with its dilapidated ruins. The same fate probably awaits all of the malls they own in CT. It's a shame because even 15 years ago that mall was pretty respectable and was fairly busy. I actually got my previous smartphone at that Best Buy because no one in my town had one.

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому +4

      It's probably only a matter of time before this place looks like Enfield Square Mall.

    • @CODMarioWarfare
      @CODMarioWarfare 7 місяців тому +3

      Sadly I think this mall was already in serious decline over the course of Westfield’s ownership. But Namdar trying to get the last bits of blood from the stone certainly won’t be good for it.
      I’ve also heard that that Best Buy was being heavily subsidized by the city of Meriden since it nearly closed in 2012, so its existence was always going to be tenuous.

    • @bivvystridents3752
      @bivvystridents3752 3 місяці тому +1

      Brick and mortar retail is dead. It isn't coming back.

  • @similartracks
    @similartracks 10 місяців тому +2

    forever 21 and pralines are both gone.. im surprised this mall is still here

  • @maryannefeyer6332
    @maryannefeyer6332 Рік тому +14

    I was just in that pet store over the summer, and it was the saddest thing I’d ever seen. I was there a few years ago around Labor Day, and there was a very cruel man taking back all the bunnies that didn’t sell. I was holding one that I wouldn’t let him take; I wish I could have saved them all. My late husband and I wanted to call the police, but neither one of us trusted that guy to not come after us.

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому +1

      I didn't realize that the pet store closed that recently.

    • @bivvystridents3752
      @bivvystridents3752 3 місяці тому

      The nice mean man is named Armand. He sells the rabbits for meat.

  • @jsmurd
    @jsmurd Рік тому +4

    @fleabittenadventures Nice Video. I liked the pictures you included in this video and hearing about the mall's history. The more information you can bring, the better the video will be. Also, I have a Sears update for the Concord California location. It's still open for business. I was there on Sunday December 3rd. I even purchased some active wear there. I wish Sears could be saved at the last minute like JCPenney was.

    • @R32R38
      @R32R38 Рік тому +1

      When JCP got bailed out in 2020 it had far more stores than Sears had today. Sears is so vastly diminished I see no way it can be a major chain again.

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому

      Thanks! Thanks for the info on Sears. I wish that was closer so I could take a look.

  • @Neon_Bayhem
    @Neon_Bayhem 6 місяців тому +5

    Haven't been to this mall in nearly a decade. I use to go there every week. I use to buy used DVDs and then Blu-rays at FYE and my favorite Best Buy was there, I use to go every Tuesday for new releases. That mall's food court had the best Philly cheese steak sandwiches.

    • @sped6954
      @sped6954 6 місяців тому

      I've never been to that mall, but about the Philly Cheese Steak place that you mentioned... there's a few seconds glimpse of a Philly Steak place starting around 28:28 ish. Again, I've never been there, so I have no idea whether or not it's the same place. Just thought I'd mention it.

    • @Neon_Bayhem
      @Neon_Bayhem 6 місяців тому +1

      @@sped6954 wrote my comment before finishing the video but yes, that's the place. Don't know the quality now since I haven't been there in years but they had so many options and they made it right there in front of you. Good fries too.

    • @craigg.6609
      @craigg.6609 5 місяців тому

      @@Neon_BayhemYes, Charlie’s is still there along with Cajun Cafe. That’s it (as of 8/28/24).

  • @jjncreator
    @jjncreator 6 місяців тому +3

    I’ve been living in Meriden for 26 years, and I remember when the mall was thriving and had all kinds of stores. Used to go to GameStop, BestBuy, and the food court all the time. It’s sad to see the mall going through this.

    • @craigg.6609
      @craigg.6609 5 місяців тому

      Around holiday time, it was hard to find a seat in the food court. Now, it’s practically all there is. Empty seats.

  • @portlandsoxfan
    @portlandsoxfan Рік тому +7

    I'm pretty sure those people mover escalators were gone before 1987. Hung out at this mall a lot in high school from 86-90 and don't ever remember the flat escalators (I could be wrong, but I feel like I would remember that.

    • @portlandsoxfan
      @portlandsoxfan Рік тому +3

      EDIT: One of your links shows me that I am indeed wrong if the caption is correct and it was taken in 1986.

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому +1

      Not sure. I'm just going by what the internet says, and the internet is never wrong, right? :)

    • @eb8696
      @eb8696 9 місяців тому

      Yes I m 44 I remember the old escalators, when they added the new originally the ones were behind a wall back then in the 80’s

  • @TaylorSchlupp
    @TaylorSchlupp Рік тому +2

    Love your videos. You need to take a road trip to Columbus Ohio. We got a mall that is so dead but has an active 2 story arcade with an indoor go-kart track, roller coaster and drop tower. Last time I was there it was empty. Mall at Tuttle Crossing

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому

      Thanks! Glad you like them. Ohio is just a bit too far for now though. Maybe if all my videos start getting over 100,000 views.... I'll start doing some overnight trips to NY, NJ and PA over the next few months though

    • @Padoinky
      @Padoinky Рік тому

      Lived in CBus (New Albany), for 13 yrs… I recall the Mall at Tuttle Creek being the go-to place for the west side suburbs such as Dublin, left CBus in 2010, but even by then, the new Wexner outdoor mall/community, Easton Town Center, was putting all the area indoor malls out of biz

  • @moxxy8626
    @moxxy8626 7 місяців тому +2

    When I was 5-6 (2010-11) the mall was still pretty popular. I'd return to the Meriden mall less and less each year, and as every year came and went, so did the people and the stores. I really need to return to the mall again because who knows how long until it shuts down.
    I really love those pretzel places. Those soft pretzel bites were god tier.

  • @muranette835
    @muranette835 7 місяців тому +2

    Went into that mall a couple weeks ago. Even thay Praline's ice cream at 10:14 is gone... That was a huge childhood memory of mine getting ice cream while Christmas shopping

  • @mgrella63
    @mgrella63 Рік тому +2

    Its very clean and well kept but really sad that its so dead, I wish somehow it could be turned around and profitable again, I miss the Pet Store They were Awesome !! Such Great people ! I heard after 26 years they retired.Well Deserved! I bought my Awesome dog there

  • @JoeO.
    @JoeO. Рік тому +2

    Wow, I forgot about those people movers from back in the day! Spent most of our time at Chapel Square, Post Mall (remember when it was outdoors?), and in later years Crystal Mall, but occasionally spent time at Meriden...

    • @hattiem.7966
      @hattiem.7966 7 місяців тому

      Last time I was in Meriden was in the late 1980's.What is the average house price now?My ancestors were in that area in the in the late 1600's to mid 1800's.

  • @NewHaven203
    @NewHaven203 Рік тому +2

    I went here last week to do Christmas shopping and was shocked how dead it was! I used to hit the Milford mall which is definitely better but I now live in Meriden and tried this mall out, it was a 20 minute visit!

  • @BarrCode674
    @BarrCode674 10 місяців тому +3

    Dicks is closing their store on April 20, so Boscovs will be the only anchor left. But they may just move out right after them.

  • @PhyllisJerry
    @PhyllisJerry 7 місяців тому +8

    As of June 2024, it increasingly looks like the Yale medical clinic isn’t happening-three years after buying it, they still haven’t started construction. The mall is right across the street from MidState, the other major hospital in the region, and supposedly Yale only bought the former Macy’s to stop them from opening their own facility there. The Dick’s also closed right after Christmas 2023, and the Sears space was just up for auction and didn’t get a single bid. It wouldn’t surprise me if after this holiday season the mall closes to the public, with Boscov’s staying open as a standalone store sealed off from the rest of it.

    • @danagibbs3265
      @danagibbs3265 6 місяців тому +1

      I'd expect Ruby Tuesday to stay open as well if they did something like that. I frequently do Doordash deliveries from there and Charlies + Cajun in the food court. Now both escalators by the food court have been broken for about a month making that a pain. I had talked with a couple of the merchants in the food court over a year ago and they said when the new owners took over they jacked up the rent like crazy. Both of them left shortly after. It really sucks seeing this mall go down from what it was.

    • @craigg.6609
      @craigg.6609 5 місяців тому +2

      @@danagibbs3265And the food court now consists of just Charlie’s and Cajun Cafe. Sad.

    • @tylerphilpott1303
      @tylerphilpott1303 3 місяці тому

      ​@@craigg.6609update Cajun Cafe closed in the recent week.

    • @robsouth7309
      @robsouth7309 3 місяці тому

      Cosimo’s Pizza (in the food court) had some really good pizza, rolls and Italian dishes. Like almost everything in that food court, it’s gone now.

    • @danagibbs3265
      @danagibbs3265 3 місяці тому

      @@craigg.6609 Cajun Cafe left

  • @georgef551
    @georgef551 Рік тому +4

    The original mall, minus the 2nd level, reminds me of how Searstown (Whitney Field) used to be. It was about that small, give-or-take.

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому

      Yes, I think I remember that from one of the old floor maps of Whitney Field.

  • @brucesumter4327
    @brucesumter4327 Рік тому +1

    wow so cool malls i am so Glade you your mom haveing a good time with together ty for video

  • @rlm6213
    @rlm6213 Рік тому +4

    We have one of those "people-mover" conveyor type escalators at the Forum Nova Karolina, a regional shopping mall in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

  • @vermontvermont9292
    @vermontvermont9292 3 місяці тому +1

    I miss the mall days. Specifically 1992-2008. Those were great times. I also remember going to the mall as a kid in the 80s, they were super busy from what i remember.

  • @ahfcross
    @ahfcross Рік тому +4

    Looks like there was a Borders Bookstore across from the Best Buy! Spent many many hours there in the early 2000’s 😢

    • @hattiem.7966
      @hattiem.7966 7 місяців тому +1

      I miss Borders and their cafe.They closed in my area 15 years ago.I rarely go to the one at Barnes and Noble at a outdoor shopping center.

  • @johnmurphy7953
    @johnmurphy7953 6 місяців тому +1

    Good video! Shopped there through all the renovations. I like online shopping, but prefer going to the mall if they had something to offer. Increasing limits of product selection really hurt. Limited inventory means limited sales. Lack of clothing sizes also hurts. West Farms Mall seems to have reinvented itself, unlike the Meriden Mall.

  • @BeanieG82
    @BeanieG82 11 місяців тому +2

    I’d like to see a walk through of Boscovs! I might go there just to see that store. I’ve been to one of their NJ stores and I loved it.

    • @chris4195
      @chris4195 8 місяців тому +1

      A great store and the only reason to go there now.

  • @danthechevymanc6b475
    @danthechevymanc6b475 Рік тому +2

    I go to that mall pretty often. I worked in a Hickory Farms kiosk there in November 2010. It was a busy mall then. It's very slow except during the Christmas shopping season. But even then, not all that crowded. I mostly go there for Harry's Eatery and Tokyo Express. Great food at Tokyo express and great snacks, drinks, or treats at Harry's. Best Buy closed early this year or late last year, I forgot when, and that really hurt the mall. I shopped there a lot. There's not a lot of business left in the mall. I hope it survives. Thanks for the fun facts about the mall. Lots of memories there, Dates, food, shopping, and my 2nd job.

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому

      Thanks. Glad you liked it!

    • @craigg.6609
      @craigg.6609 5 місяців тому +1

      Tokyo Express is now gone.

    • @danthechevymanc6b475
      @danthechevymanc6b475 5 місяців тому

      @@craigg.6609 Not long after I made that comment, it closed. It was the only thing in the food court that was consistently busy so I was surprised.

  • @arturocuizon69
    @arturocuizon69 Рік тому +5

    I'm seeing a trend here that G Fox was 1 of the original anchors at most or all Connecticut malls. Were they a Connecticut based department store and that was why they were 1 of the original anchors at most or all Connecticut malls or no?

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому +5

      Yea, G Fox was based in Hartford, Connecticut. Back in the 80s, when I was going to malls as a kid, G Fox was everywhere.

    • @arturocuizon69
      @arturocuizon69 Рік тому

      @@fleabittenadventures so that explains why they were in most or all Connecticut malls but were they also in other states too or just the state of Connecticut?

    • @shrapnel77
      @shrapnel77 9 місяців тому +1

      G. Fox was at the Naugatuck Valley Mall in Waterbury when I grew up. That was my mall, but was torn down in the late 90's. I have pictures of a torn down G.Fox and Sears.

    • @arturocuizon69
      @arturocuizon69 9 місяців тому

      @@shrapnel77 what is that mall now did they turn it into anything new like a mixed used place with retail and office buildings or is it still a vacant spot?

    • @craigg.6609
      @craigg.6609 5 місяців тому

      @@arturocuizon69It’s a plaza now. The “new” mall in Waterbury is called the Brass Mill and it’s also a dead mall.

  • @BPGalvin
    @BPGalvin 6 місяців тому +2

    I do believe there was a border books and movies store in the mall somewhere I think we library is😂😂thanks for sharing your experience

    • @s0nnyburnett
      @s0nnyburnett 6 місяців тому +1

      There definitely was

    • @swayze693
      @swayze693 6 місяців тому +1

      it’s where TJ max was. i worked at best buy in high school and always got the frozen coffee things on my lunch break💔

  • @FandralStar
    @FandralStar 3 місяці тому +2

    Also, fun fact about that pet store: It got shut down after several animal cruelty violations from drugging, starving, and generally neglecting the animals. It was very very sad and the animals in there were always visibly depressed, I was actually so happy when it finally got shut down.

  • @chrisf2471
    @chrisf2471 10 місяців тому +2

    Heart playing in the background was a nice touch

  • @HalfEatenMedia
    @HalfEatenMedia Рік тому +2

    A few years ago it was a lively mall. They had a book store that had musicians play music for customers and everything. It was busy.
    The last 5 years have been detrimental.

  • @michellebailey1797
    @michellebailey1797 Місяць тому

    Please do an update if you can! This is the mall I grew up going to. So sad to see it going.

  • @CODMarioWarfare
    @CODMarioWarfare 7 місяців тому +1

    I believe that the entrance to Lord & Taylor was actually in front of where Best Buy and TJ Maxx were/are. Best Buy, Borders, and Dicks were all added in an expansion after L&T closed, along with the hallways past the corridor to the roof parking.
    This mall will forever live on as the go-to stock photo whenever someone mentions Software Etc, probably because it was one of the last ones in existence. As a kid we’d always park at Sears and I’d always beeline to Software Etc to browse the video games.

  • @andysorensen1737
    @andysorensen1737 Рік тому +5

    The more of these Wow arcades I see the more amazed I am they exist. There’s never any traffic at least when you capture them and I can’t imagine what they do bring in covers the rent unless it’s extremely cheap.

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому

      I agree. I think the most people I've ever seen in one is maybe 2 people, other than myself.

  • @bigtimetimmyjim6486
    @bigtimetimmyjim6486 8 місяців тому +2

    When I lived in the area, I loved the store "Dollar N Things", best dollar store selection you will ever find and found a ton of deals there; I heard it closed down, which signifies an end of an era for me.

  • @jacobharvey2946
    @jacobharvey2946 7 місяців тому +2

    Wow. So many memories here… it was my family’s “local mall.” FYI, Dicks Sporting Goods closed since this is went up. Thoughts, in no particular order:
    - When Best Buy opened, there were still a couple record/media stores. You could literally walk to Best Buy and save 30%, at least. The other stores made no sense to me.
    - My high school jazz band once played a concert in the food court.
    - It felt so small before they put in the extra, “upstairs,” wing.
    - I once let my mom discuss getting my brother a 3D card (late 90s) with a person from Software, Etc. I was curious… I then swooped in and stopper her from getting anything and dumped a bunch of knowledge about the item the guy was trying to sell her. Kinda obnoxious, but you don’t lie to my mom about technology.
    - Plus many more…

    • @jacobharvey2946
      @jacobharvey2946 7 місяців тому

      Local is in quotes because it was about 15 minutes away, and there were a few only slightly farther (and we wonder why they imploded so fast…) away that we’d visit for certain stores.

  • @Stephen_A.
    @Stephen_A. 6 місяців тому +1

    Yes, the Meriden public library was temporarily located in the mall while expansions/renovations were being done to the original library. Those expansions/renovations are done now and they are no longer in the mall.

  • @JuanIChiapetta
    @JuanIChiapetta Місяць тому +1

    Looks like the same lady going in at 0:17 then leaving at 30:40 🙃

  • @thunderfoot74
    @thunderfoot74 4 місяці тому

    I lived in Meriden most of my life, and the Meriden mall used to be the place to be back in the 80s and early 90s. I go back there every now and then just to see how much it changed, and wow! It's now practically devoid of stores and shoppers. I miss the stores like Walden Book Store, Gwiz, orange Julius, kay bee toy's Chess King, Madisons, and Record Town. Fun fact this isn't the original location of the Meriden mall. It used to be where the Meriden hub used to be in the center of Meriden which is now a green.

  • @s0nnyburnett
    @s0nnyburnett 6 місяців тому +1

    Meriden mall had all the cool stores for entertainment stuff while westfarms was mostly clothing. I'd go to spencers to get RE4 action figures and look at the adult stuff, the food court was pretty good for malls around central CT. Think I still has the roll of solder I bought at the radioshack there. Can't believe how bad it is now. I was mad when the savers that was right next to it closed for no reason too. I worked retail for a long time outside the mall space and watched how things gradually slowed down from crazy to noticeable drop by 2018-2019 and then the coup de gras in 2020 and when I left last year it was dead at night it was sad and hard to go to work.

  • @thomasmosakowski
    @thomasmosakowski Рік тому +1

    Lord & Taylor actually was housed in the entirety of the space that now has the closed Bestbuy, TJMaxx & Dicks. Basically the entrance was at the turn you made to the upper parking deck. Also the former Sears on the first floor has an exterior only entrance to a new retailer The Rush Market which is an online home furnishings store.

  • @SummerVilleGamedev
    @SummerVilleGamedev 6 місяців тому +1

    been going to this mall my whole life. around 10 years ago it was pretty packed most of the time. nowadays it seems like every other store closes down bc of lack of service.

  • @schrollG
    @schrollG 2 місяці тому

    I remember my mother taking me here in December 1989 and again in December 1992 for Christmas shopping-both times on a Friday evening. The mall was really hopping then. I'd come here on my own years later when they had a Borders. Sad to see what has happened.

  • @No_Use_For_A_Name
    @No_Use_For_A_Name Рік тому +3

    Those flat type escalators are pretty much all you see in most of Australian shopping centres.
    So you can take trolleys on them.
    Surprising to hear them spoken of the way in this video, sounding like they aren't very common in America.

  • @ronhoover5516
    @ronhoover5516 Рік тому +7

    I've never been here, but judging from the pictures from the earlier times, they sure blanded out this mall! It's so sterile now. They've made malls these clinical places, not warm colorful inviting places like they used to be. It's sad. It's like the owners have given up.

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому +4

      Yes, a lot of malls have gone for the white/beige look. I prefer the colorful malls from the 70s, 80's and 90's.

    • @s0nnyburnett
      @s0nnyburnett 6 місяців тому +1

      Kinda the trend for all retail and fast food and other places the last 10 years. All bland depressing schemes with no personality, nothing memorable. Can't tell a McDonalds from a starbucks or chipotle anymore.

  • @tonyringo6309
    @tonyringo6309 10 місяців тому

    Biting into the stale candy, 2:18 now that was a perfect southern Connecticut moment 😁

  • @Stephen_A.
    @Stephen_A. 6 місяців тому +1

    Ramani's is renovating a large building on East Main Street and I wouldn't be surprised if they leave the mall to be located only in the new building.

  • @docgom8404
    @docgom8404 6 місяців тому +1

    I remember those old moving carpet escalators and the real trees in the mall when it was only 2 anchors. Also remember there was ash trays around the seating because you could smoke in that place. GROSS! I spent many days roaming around in there after the first Sears wing was added when I was a young teenager. Sad place now, been out of Meriden for 25 years, only back to visit once in a while, this old mall is just a sad state of what it once was...

  • @ianbattles7290
    @ianbattles7290 3 місяці тому +2

    25 years ago, this was THE place to be on a Friday night.

  • @rael5469
    @rael5469 Рік тому +1

    In Fort Worth, Texas, The Ridgemar Mall Looks beautifully renovated but almost dead inside. It's really sad to see.

  • @chris4195
    @chris4195 Рік тому +4

    I really had hoped this mall wouldn't have declined as it has, but you can blame it on the owners. There wasn't much they could do about losing Sears and perhaps Macy's, but they raised the rent on the remaining tenants which wasn't feasible seeing as they lost two anchors. The mall property is on the edge of a questionable area, but certainly shouldn't hurt it. I just went today for Boscovs. They are the saving grace of the mall. Always busy and a great store. Would hate to lose it. I can see them moving to Buckland Hills Mall if they are forced out. It's not entirely true that everyone only shops online. When you have nothing interesting to bring people in, people won't come. Look at Westfarms as an example of how you do things right.

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому +2

      Yeah, the owner has me worried just based on how they are handling Enfield Square Mall.

  • @danmccarthy4700
    @danmccarthy4700 4 місяці тому +1

    I went there last month for the first time since the pandemic. There were only 2 restaurants left in the food court. It was truly sad.

    • @similartracks
      @similartracks 4 місяці тому

      only Charleys remains

    • @danmccarthy4700
      @danmccarthy4700 4 місяці тому +1

      @@similartracks No more Cajun Cafe??!

    • @similartracks
      @similartracks 4 місяці тому

      @@danmccarthy4700 got it from 2 sources that tuesday they was evicted

  • @Madness832
    @Madness832 Рік тому +6

    Wow, I remember Child World (1:00).

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому +1

      I have a vague memory of going to a Child's World in the early 80s. I was more of a Toys R Us guy though.

  • @Yogib123
    @Yogib123 13 днів тому

    I remember the original square mall and going there growing up, and the cars being out at Christmas time when they expanded the mall it's amazing what has happened to it it's sad😢

  • @joewoodchuck3824
    @joewoodchuck3824 4 місяці тому

    I lived along the coast near enough to the larger Crystal Mall preferably, but occasionally stopped in Meriden for various errands such as Noacks German deli and possible mall visit. It's all behind me now after moving to the South.

  • @madmerlot841
    @madmerlot841 Рік тому +6

    The mall is definitely on life support. I don't think it will survive the next economic slowdown. It probably barely survived 2020.

  • @johndersham1
    @johndersham1 2 місяці тому +1

    Does that TJ Maxx have an outside entrance from the parking lot?I have not seen them in Malls much.

  • @Stephen_A.
    @Stephen_A. 6 місяців тому +2

    I really miss the Best Buy. It was so convenient.

  • @amygravelle5820
    @amygravelle5820 3 місяці тому

    Worked at several places in that mall. So sad to see its demise like this. Used to be a happening place.

  • @user-vg2eg7oo5n
    @user-vg2eg7oo5n 6 місяців тому +1

    I went to Boscov's a few weeks ago, there was a plate of free fudge samples on the candy counter.
    Otherwise, a very dead mall.
    Gun shots in the mall a few years ago, did not help.
    Waterbury Brass Mill Mall just reopened their theater, but seems to be half dead.

  • @dcz5961
    @dcz5961 Рік тому +1

    my home mall! wandered around this place over the summer. looks like its doing even worse ;-;
    i miss the best buy.

  • @Sprikers
    @Sprikers 8 місяців тому +4

    We just closed the arcade this week. A real huge bummer. H2 Overdrive and the cranes have gone up to Lake George, NY.
    We try our best but vandals destroyed the candy machines inside the arcade, and busted the glass. It was too much!
    D&B and Round1 are suffering, too. It’s crazy how shitty teens and scumbag vandals destroy machines in broad daylight. A lot of that new equipment costs 10s of thousands!!
    Thanks for the video walkthrough!

    • @jaysherman2615
      @jaysherman2615 7 місяців тому +1

      A lot of it has to do with location as well. I used to work at an arcade in NH and nobody defaced the machines on purpose. Granted natural wear and tear would happen on the moving parts because kids are rough with the machines, but never was any smashing or destruction on purpose.
      But those machines are expensive. I remember House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn costing about $50,000. The prices are no joke.

    • @btlcry
      @btlcry 7 місяців тому +1

      @@jaysherman2615 If you don't mind me asking, where did you work in NH? My family's vacation spot when I was a kid was the Lakes Region, Laconia specifically. I spent countless hours, and quarters/tokens at Funspot and Weirs Beach.

  • @margeslack9660
    @margeslack9660 7 місяців тому +1

    I was just there a couple weeks ago. Very empty. Sad.. I grew up hanging out there.

  • @EASplattering
    @EASplattering 6 місяців тому +1

    twenty plus years ago I used to ride my bike over 30-45 mins to play in the Time out arcade there, Ive worked at Software etc, Pac Sun, and spencers gifts there in highschool and early college. It was quite the place before the world moved on.
    Now they should be retirement communities or homeless shelters, or even libraries would be better than a dead mall, it is very sad to see the stomping ground of my young adulthood so very derelict.

  • @0tteru
    @0tteru 5 місяців тому

    That candy stand looks unchanged since the last time I was there probably over 10 years ago. This used to be a nice mall, its sad to see it so dead, I loved hanging out at the local malls here.

  • @jimsawhill2003
    @jimsawhill2003 Рік тому +2

    Amazing...Meriden is still trying to thrive, however, like most of Connecticut, it needs to revamp itself. Meriden used to be the Silver City because of International Silver, but no manufacturing is done in Connecticut much anymore.
    That said, Meiden Mall looks like it could comeback from the brink. Unfortunately, having stores getting mismanaged (Sears, Macy and Eblens) wont help a mall, and very city wanted a mall in the 1970s. Macy bought all of the local department stores and now every mall looks the same (Macy, JCPENNEY as anchors, same national chains in the malls. The 1970s had different stores - anchors G.Fox, Sage-Allen in Connecticut, local clothing stores like D&L, Casual Corner. Malls are boring nowadays, a mall in Connecticut, looks the same as in Ohio or Florida...

  • @MannyKunV
    @MannyKunV 9 місяців тому +2

    since the 4 months, charlotte russe closed, forever 21 closed, champs closed, zumiez closed, the Dick's sporting goods closed, Tokyo express closed, the phone repair kiosk is moving out, and the slingshot gallery closed.
    also the 78 dinner NEVER opened (last tweet was from 2022) and the Animates custom shirts has been closed for the past week. either they closed shop early or just havent been opening.

    • @shrapnel77
      @shrapnel77 9 місяців тому +2

      Wow! I used to go to that DSG all the time and used that rooftop parking. Not a good sign.

    • @MannyKunV
      @MannyKunV 8 місяців тому +1

      @@shrapnel77 the ceiling under the roof parking had a lot of fissures and leaks. They patched them up but not on the inside so the ceiling has a lot of cracks still

  • @free322001
    @free322001 6 місяців тому

    Malls were the place to hang out weekend afternoons, as teens. And shopping there just before Christmas with every out doing the same was part of the season. Sad it's gone.

  • @deborahdesanto2313
    @deborahdesanto2313 11 місяців тому +3

    Tom thanks for making this video I enjoy your videos.

  • @マシュードーラン
    @マシュードーラン Рік тому +1

    I’m here right now…it’s depressing and very sad to see the state it’s in. SO many places closed and cage doors lowered. The food court is a ghost town. There’s three food places open instead of the hustle and bustle it used to be. 5 or 6 empty abandoned spaces. Even to the point that it looks like they were stocking the soda and just left it all there. You can tell they just left mid shift…I think it was just the location honestly. No easy way to get there. WestFarms Mall is absolutely slam packed with people and shopping because it’s right off the highway and easy to get to. That one will be around for a long time to come

  • @brianp3570
    @brianp3570 5 місяців тому

    I've only gone during non-peak hours but there has been a very visible decline in the general vibe from where it was several years ago. I've only ever had limited reasons to go there (shoes for work, something at Dick's or Best Buy, Sears auto for a flat tire, Macy's on the off chance something was deeply discounted). Last time I looked in FYE out of morbid curiosity and their inventory is uncanny, it feels like a time portal to the 2010s, which explains the store being completely void of customers, and that's the feeling the whole mall gives me.

  • @tylerphilpott1303
    @tylerphilpott1303 6 місяців тому +2

    Oh this mall has got WAAAAAY worse since this video. It's up there with Enfield. Dicks, the Japanese food court restaurant, and one of the other restaurants closed. And Hot Topic is closing September 2nd. This mall is no longer on life support. It's in its coffin. Sad as i grew up going to it when it was Westfield for Trick or Treating as a kid and also took my godson there for a Halloween as well.

  • @Hazdazos
    @Hazdazos 6 місяців тому +1

    It's sad to see stuff like this because of the memories, but these greedy mall operators brought it into themselves. Family member used to work at WestFarms in West Hartford/Farmington and seemingly every other year they would raise the rent. Everything was so expensive at the mall were it became a place to go look at things, but then go buy them at cheaper stores. Then the Internet happened and with Amazon's amazing return policies, it just became easier to buy things on your phone, have it arrive the next day, and if you didn't like it, just return it. The rise and eventual fall of malls is a perfect example of greedy corporations getting what they deserve, even if it ultimately is sad to see because we all grew up going to them as kids.

  • @arosenweig
    @arosenweig Рік тому +3

    I would go to Westfarms instead since they still have JCPenney, Macys, and Nordstrom.

  • @Yeahno-ey3rb
    @Yeahno-ey3rb 4 місяці тому

    Was the store On Cue there? Also I remember Caldors over at Hawley Lane Mall had a conveyor belt "people mover" escalator.

  • @TheRealDee96
    @TheRealDee96 Рік тому

    Can you do evergreen walk which is basically almost like an outdoor mall but a shopping center?

  • @dlewis9760
    @dlewis9760 Рік тому +6

    The door opens and there's a Ruby Tuesday. Of course there is.

    • @fleabittenadventures
      @fleabittenadventures  Рік тому +4

      I should do a video inside a Ruby Tuesday before they all close too.

    • @hattiem.7966
      @hattiem.7966 7 місяців тому

      I miss Ruby Tues.They closed in my city 4 years ago.​@@fleabittenadventures

  • @drscopeify
    @drscopeify Рік тому +1

    Security can sometimes go overboard, but I guess they got orders to do that? There sure are not many malls that still have the big 3 anchors but the mall here near Seattle called Tukwila Southerner has got to be one of the last of it's kind, it has it's Macy's, JC Penny and yes Sears that is still open at least for now, it also has a Nordstrom, no Boscovs out west that I know of. I mostly go there for a bakery called 85c makes the best cakes around here.

  • @マシュードーラン
    @マシュードーラン Рік тому +1

    Of everything that has gone and closed down (almost everything) I can’t believe FYE is still there in the same spot. That’s mind boggling! Thats an Amazon kill shot yet somehow they’re still there. So bizarre! They used to have an awesome arcade spot too right by that lower food court area. What a complete mindfuck to walk through there and see what it all is now

  • @kjcolby1978-pr8wf
    @kjcolby1978-pr8wf 7 місяців тому

    Sad to see... funny thing about this (and the Enfield Square for that matter) is that Meriden (and Enfield) used to have TWO malls! Imagine that LOL... 2 small towns with 2 malls

  • @re2pect129
    @re2pect129 7 місяців тому +2

    I remember the days when you couldn’t find parking there during Christmas.

  • @UCNXxAEo9D3wZJO7xgOF9qrg
    @UCNXxAEo9D3wZJO7xgOF9qrg 2 місяці тому

    Good times playing Mario Kart in the back of the food court with friends during high school.

  • @TenguTalks
    @TenguTalks 10 місяців тому

    I haven't been there since...July 2020. But Im passing through next weekend on the way to Anime Boston, I should take a detour.

  • @josephsachse251
    @josephsachse251 6 місяців тому +1

    I grew up going to this mall and i currently live 5 minutes away from it. Sad to see it go down hill, I hope it’s repurposed.

  • @margaret-mure
    @margaret-mure Рік тому

    12:43 the Rainbow was a Forever 21 for awhile in my good old days... seems like a lot of Forever 21s were closed up/then moved around in these malls.

  • @295g295
    @295g295 Рік тому

    I see a T-mobile store, did that used to be Sprint cell-phones, and before that, a RadioShack? - 26:47

  • @295g295
    @295g295 Рік тому

    33:00 - I think at a Boscov's store, an entrance has a 'glass wall' .