Neonopolis: The (Kind Of) Neon Dead Mall | Retail Archaeology
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- In this episode we take a look at Neonopolis, a dead mall in Las Vegas, NV.
This episode's music is from NINENINENINE:
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Escalators don't break, they magically turn into stairs.
When I walked through this place...probably in 2010...they had the thing as boarded up as could be. A down grade from stairs to...death trap warning.
If you live in the UK, outdoor ones turn into waterfalls! :D
Terrible 'joke', as escalators can kill you if the brakes fail. Escalator brake failures have happened before.
@@SweetBearCub Well, it's fine if nobody's on it when it breaks.
@@DeevDaRabbit I saw one clear out the whole third floor when it brakes failed. That old lady never saw it coming.
Its so dark in that mall. People probably think its closed
I'm gonna be honest, when I walked down freemont street, i had no idea that area even existed. Thats probably part of why its so dead.
I guess with so much to do, and see in Vegas it's hard to catch people's attention unless you market the hell out of it.
Fremont St. One e.
Me too. I wish I would have known about this place.
Was a local and didn't even know about it.
Sounds to me they need some NEON SIGNS to let people know there's a mall there lol
You know it’s a dead mall when it has an art gallery...
That was neat. I really liked the vintage toy store, arcade and bowling alley. I am also a fan of old school pinball .
This place looks absolutely phenomenal! It has a really nice aesthetic to it
Being born and raised in Vegas, I remember when this place first opened up. It was exciting at first. It had a Dave and Buster’s, and movie theater. As a local you tend to stay away from Freemont, or the strip for that matter. Yes Freemont is always packed 24/7 but most people walking there aren’t there to shop, or bowl, they’re there to drink and party.
It's slowly coming back. There's an axe throwing place, the Denny's, the famous toy store, a few bars, but Krave has since closed, the watch repair/jewelry kiosk is still there, Heart Attack Grill, the wedding chapel. The arcade I believe is closed but there's now a go kart place. The upper levels aren't faring well except for the bars (Sarah Hester Ross of TikTok fame is there!!!), but those seem to always be crowded. And the parking garage below is fantastic.
There used to be Jillian's which was on the first and second floor. The bowling alley is left over from it and the sign for Heart attack Grill is the old sign. The movie theater was on the second and third ffloor.The ticket booth is or was right in front of Denny's. Was pretty nice when it first opened.
This place suffered because of the 2008 recession. There was a theater back in the day that was popular but closed in early 2010, there was a small venue that many bands used to play during the "scene" era called Jillians but shops ended up closing down and it kind of went down hill from there.
It has changed a ton since it originally opened. It had a movie theater and a La Salsa Cantina at one point, and also I think a pretty popular bar. I lived across the street in 2018 and it was pretty much always dead, except the Denny's full of people after the've been drinking and The Nerd and the axe place sometimes on weekends.
Wow this is is a nice mall also those neon isosceles triangles screams 80s vibes
I really miss mall shopping in the 90s
Always feels like I'm there with you cruisin through a cool place, love your vids dude thank you for everything you do
This place was supposed to have offices on the top and then retail at the bottom, but I don't think the office / business part ever really happened. I think Zappos had an office there for a little bit and that's about it. This was built before all that new stuff came in around 2008 on Fremont Street on the other side of Las Vegas Blvd.
Oh wow. We walked right by this (waiting for breakfast buffet to open lol) and had no idea what it was, now I regret not walking around!
That crust is dope!
Wish I knew this was here when I went to Vegas. Would have been worth it just to see the Tekken cabinet.
It was so weird looking at this video since Iv lived in Vegas all of my life and didn’t even know it was a mall and to make it even weirder I work on the Zipline so seeing my co workers on camera was so trippy at 1:55 (cool guys btw) anyways Thxs for the new info I might check it out when I go on break next time great video btw 💕
those arcades were pretty cool, and definitely dug the retro toy store! shame about all that dead neon, though. :(
It would be so easy to replace all of the broken ones now with those inexpensive LED strips that look just like neon lights from the front.
Tekken 6 cabinet is a Adapted Japanese one to be on "standing" position. But yes, is the same layout than Japanese Domestic ones. Just with a higher stand.
There used to be a movie theater there but closed down over 10 years ago
I have been to the area tons, including last month and did not know it was there.
as someone who lives in vegas, i've never heard of this mall. not surprised since it's dead.
I was in Vegas in 2012 but didn't even know this place existed
Oh I remember you made a live stream on this mall, it looks like a beautiful mall though
Was just here today and while I was walking around was like "I've seen this before." Bought an animation cel from the toy shack.
Ah, when I'm back in Vegas for the Trek Convention at the Rio,I'm checking that toy store out (If it's still there.) I'm fascinated by semi open retail spaces...I'll consider it an away mission!😹
Thanks for sharing!
Very cool
I was there in the early 2000s shortly after it opened and it was dead then.
That toy store at the end looks pretty neat
They are on Tekken 7 now! Love your videos!
I want to go to there! 😍
I love pizza and neon lights that pizza looked NOICE!
I want that air hockey table for my garage!!! Our arcade that used to be in our mall had the same one. I looked into buying a used one but they run like 3-5k
impressive mall
I never knew this place even existed, never saw it.
@4;27 "super heroes an things"...that's Jimi and pot plants man.
Yeah, superheros.
Check out the boulevard mall in Las Vegas
Nerd Bar at Neonopolis is pretty cool. My friends ans I usually go there when we go out
Omg really🙊🙀😱🤯😳😨 they need the hologram projector's neon is so old and so 80's!😐😑Omg and that pizza looked good.😍😊😋Tekken 7 is the latest game i 😍.That Mario DX looked fun.
😂😂😂 dang, i saw Lord of the Rings when it first came out at the movie theater there. That Denny's has seen my family and friends a lot... 😂😂😂 Glad to see those stroke causing neon lights burnt out! Just saying when you've been drinking and gambling and then BAM now your face first into so hard concrete.
It's a shame the place is deserted, I think it had a lot of potential. With the zipline terminus could have been at the bridge, and that would have driven a lot of foot traffic to the mall. They need some special attractions in there. A wedding chapel, jewellers, etc, aren't really big crowd draws.
Perhaps a hotel and casinos upstairs would draw people in? Maybe a strip club?
When you have the #Best #Pizza & #HamBurgers that is all that matter$
Thanks 🙏👏👍
Love the vids
i lived there for 4 years and never knew ab this lmao. fuck
Spooky
oh boy I sure am hungry for some DENY
Telemundo used to have offices upstairs.
Are they gone now? They were still listed on the mall directory when we were there in December.
I saw the video from there before. Intertnet really does kill brick & mortar
I was at the nerd a couple months ago. It was a ton of fun. They had a giant bull to ride that was a dick instead of a bull 😂
It was super busy and everyone there was partying. Didn’t see, like a dead mall to me, maybe I came on a busy weekend and I was wasted or something
People with epilepsy be like: Do I smell a free lawsuit?
This looks like it would be a good cyberpunk dystopia setting.
Granted it would be better if all the neon lights were working, then again some of those dead lights still stand out so with the right editing program an amateur film maker might be able to overlay some neon colors over those dead lights.
Then again with that top level so empty I bet you could use it as the set of a movie, that playhouse might be good for interior sets if there's enough space...
@@12Mantis Exactly I was thinking while watching the video, it reminded me of Big Trouble in Little China from some reason.
@@phantommeister7504 A~nd now I'm thinking of that scene towards the end of the movie where most of the bad guys are gathered together to watch their supernatural boss marry the two girls in that stadium like structure which has a bunch of neon lighting.
I love that aesthetic. Let’s make the 2020s one giant cyberpunk decade
@@gigilaco Heh, that comment sounds like the lead-in for a story where a person or a group of people suddenly find themselves in a world that has been warped by some Random Omnipotent Being (ROB) to follow a cyberpunk aesthetic.
I kinda feel that one reason why this mall is mostly dead is, why would you come here, when you can go to the other awesome place across the street?
It's a vibe
Neither place is awesome.
@@Expressionistix But at least there's two spots across the street to see gigs. Neonopolis used to have a place years ago.
There used to be a movie theater here as well.
@@Expressionistix well I've never been to either. But that other place is packed, there must be something about it
7:05 "two bad decisions back-to-back" lol
Jonny, the owner of The Toy Shack, use to be one of Rick Harrison’s “experts” on Pawn Stars.
Until he beat up his girlfriend.www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/pawn-stars-expert-johnny-jimenez-jr-arrested-for-domestic-violence-20151211/
Did Gold and Silver really stop using Jonny as an expert, on the show Pawn Stars? If so, that's sad to hear. I'll admit I haven't watched the new episodes as much, but if they really stopped using him as a toy expert, that is sad. I always enjoyed seeing him, whenever he made an appearance on Pawn Stars.
@@kenkobra But did he beat his girlfriend? Dosen't really look like it according to the article.
Heart Attack Grill. Karaoke. Bad cheap jewelry store. Two wedding chapels and a dive bar. Wow, how many bad life choices can one mall hold?
This place looks awesome, yet sad at the very same time. I think they could replace the neon with LED neon strips that would give near the same look, yet will last many many times longer, and that would really help dress up the place.
Shame, looks pretty aesthetic
Hendrix was indeed a superhero.
Thank you, I had to agree.
I love how he panned to it at 4:20 lol
That is the only Heart Attack Grill left.
With a name like that, and reputation it has I can fully understand why.
Finally, a place I can eat for free
There's only ever been one HAG. It moved to different locations in its history. Three spots in the Valley and then, Vegas.
There was a Heart Attack Grill here in DFW area. However, when it opened, it drew a lot of criticism. It ended up closing in October 2011 due non-payment of rent. Likely, that was because there was so much backlash, that no one wanted to eat there.
@@sonicmoremusic1 , I use to live in Vegas and was about 15 pounds shy of the eat for free mark.
I went here a couple years ago and was also surprised by how empty it is. My friend and I went to The Nerd, did the zipline, and went to the container park. PETA was protesting outside the Heart Attack Grill when we were there lol.
>PETA outside of the Heart Attack Grill
I wonder what would happen if the Heart Attack Grill told PETA that "our meat is killed more humanely than your dogs"?
You think with a name like "Heart Attack Grill" that, in PETA's eyes, would be a problem correcting itself, but then again, this _is_ PETA. Rationality need not apply.
PETA has no leg no leg to stand on protesting. They should instead protest itself.
What is the container park?
@@mysock351C😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Of course, it wouldn't be Vegas without Wedding chapels and people getting married
That place was screwed since before it was even built. While under construction, the Mann Theater chain, which was to be the anchor, went out of business. Then the Galaxy theaters moved in but never did any kind of business despite being the only place downtown. Even at that time the second level was mainly empty and the place has yet to pull it's weight to justify the tearing down of an entire city blocks worth of local businesses The bars and the food places are the only things there that really attract people off of Fremont St, but that still isn't saying much.
Totally agree, also like, Krave moved in, but the owner was running the night club without a liquor license, then Krave closed; the Drag Queen bowling moved and went out of business, and now became the Nerd bar.
They hold wrestling events down there once every few months. Mostly during the spring and summer though. The Nerd does good when Fremont street is busy though like for Halloween and New Years and all that.
I was going to mention the movie theater being there also. Couldn’t remember the chain. I think the theater was supposed to be one of the nicer places of the time (back when regular theater houses were just starting to install stadium seating). Even still, the movie theater was never a big draw with locals-why deal with finding and paying for parking downtown to go to a movie, when almost every locals casino had a theater by that point (and free parking). I think that can also explain why locals didn’t really frequent the mall itself-other more accessible and better options in the burbs.
Neonopolis is also a victim of Fremont Street’s reputation. When constructed, the Fremont Street Experience was still relatively new as a redevelopment effort of the city, and this Neonopolis was another effort. By the 90s/early 2000s, more of the new “Vegas” Experience that really drew tourism was all about the Strip, and Fremont Street just was “old Vegas” and had a more “seedy” reputation. The Fremont East District came several years later, and has really come to prominence in the last 5-10 years as a nightlife area-the adjacent Neonopolis wasn’t able to capitalize on the Fremont East rise, and the nearby Container Park later managed to attract the mall-like interest in a more unique development.
George knapp was screaming on ktlv that it was mobbed up i remember...
@@williamshea9799 I remember The Drink and Drag LOL
I think the problem is despite being right next to Fremont Street, there's not a lot of reason to leave Fremont Street to come in here. it doesn't look like the good restaurants are buried within, and most of those going to Fremont Street aren't looking for the same sort of shopping experiences that they can get at home. Even worse, a lot of the resort-scale casinos have their own shopping and often boutique shopping, so that further reduces demand for more retail for visitors.
The place might have cool neon if it all worked, but it's not as cool as what's on Fremont Street, and yet it's not different enough to be worth seeing otherwise. It's vestigial in that sense.
America has built too many retail space.
So has just about every country. Hong Kong for example.
@@michelleevans5531 Busier cities in the Philippines as well.
Look at the South China Mall and come back to me on that
Well, we're working on that. Some of it's turning into experience space, which is awesome.
So I have lived in Las Vegas my entire life and loved taking my kids to the neonopolis when it opened! It was never very full with tenants but it had a great movie theater there. The city owned the parking below the actual mall and I believe is contracted to care for the facility. I have always been at a loss as to why it has not fared better. But when the movie theater pulled out there was no draw for locals to go there with their families. That’s all I can think of. That and outdoor malls in Las Vegas suffer horribly from the heat in the summer. Any way just wanna day thank u for your content! I love all of the video and interesting commentary! Keep up the good work sir!
Justa Mannn but the best priced parking!!!!
We’re in Vegas this weekend. I’ll check this out tomorrow if not for just the arcade and axe throwing.
Sean Langley post updates when you do it!
Wang Computers it was...ok. We realized we had been there before and it wasn’t super memorable the last time either.
@@splangley lol
Sean Langley hahaha!!!!
arcades in america really does depress me, i look at japanese arcades and i'm like "OH WOW I WANT TO PLAY ALL OF THESE ARCADES ALL NIGHT LONG!!!" but i look at arcades here in the states and i'm like "oh nice, a few arcades i've seen in every mall corners they try to hide from public view"
Yep, and 90 percent of the time when you do find one outside of a decided fun center, or Dave & Busters, it's full of Sugar Loaf crane games, and such just looking to take your money, or at least that's how it is here in my neck of the woods in the southeast.
@@CommodoreFan64 i live in dallas texas, and we have 0 arcades now just toddler cranes and sticker machines
@@mmoarchives2542 I'm on the SC side of the SC/GA Border, and it's the same here unless you go to someplace like Putt Putt Golf, and Games, or Chuck e Cheese with very limited selection, however they are building a Dave & Busters across the river, but I can't stand them as the games mostly suck, the food is crappy, it's all over hyped, and over priced.
@@CommodoreFan64 exactly, i went to japan at age 21, never wanted to leave because i loved the entertainment there, i spent most my 2 weeks just wondering around the arcade blocks, being back here in the states i don't even have incentives to even get out anymore, i just sit at home on my free time playing online games or watching movies digitally, it's hard to get out when there's no where to go, malls are dying, arcades are dead, retail is closing up shops and going online, parks are just homes for the hobos, and clubs is where you go if you want to go to jail or get stabbed
@@mmoarchives2542 In my area we only have 1 fully open mall "Augusta Mall" but it's still not someplace I want to go anymore with prices so dang high, and retail here is being taken over by stores like Walmart, Target, Aldi, Kroger's, ROSS, TJ Maxx, etc.. blah blah bland, so you are right I don't go out unless I'm doing the bi-weekly shopping, or other real needs, as for me, it's a 30 plus minute drive to get too those stores one way. So my free time off work is spent at home gaming, watching movies, pro wrestling, etc.. I don't even go to the movies anymore as for me, my girlfriend, and her daughter by the time we got tickets, and snacks for a single movie that's nearly $40 bucks that can be spent on paying the ISP bill, or other needed things.
Last time I was there, Nerd was a Drag and Bowling club. Drag queens would perform every 20 minutes on those counters between the lanes
Would love to have a time machine and go back to 2003 to see this place in its heyday...
I actually felt that, regardless of the year when it was opened, the aesthetic is mostly 90's. That was just my impression
@@Rogue849 - Ahhhh yes.. More themed attractions for adults.. Between the gender neutral wedding chapel, the tomahawk throw and the homeless shooting gallery, there's plenty of fun to be had by all.... 😜
@@Rogue849 I got more of a mid 80's to early 90's vibe myself with all the neon. Sad they can't hire a company to go in, and replace all of it with cheaper, and longer lasting LED neon strips that would really help it out ALOT!!
@@CommodoreFan64 ... That's funny, I don't care who you are! LED neon!
That’s a lot of neon for early 2000s.
looks like a good place to get mugged. anywhere off fremont/the strip is vegas gets gnarly FAST
4:25 Jimi Hendrix and Weed are superheroes I guess 😁
U OG THTAT RIGHT ..LOL
Holy shit
yeah i just had to re-wind that part I was like wtf? I mean, I guess hendrix and weed ARE superheroes, to some :D
To answer your Tekken question yes it's still going the lastest one is Tekken 7 which is in season 3
I was checking it out on STEAM last year, and I was like WTF for the price they wanted for a complete package you really need to be dedicated to playing Tekken these days.
I wonder if the mall could attract more people if they got all the neon working.
Connor Katz that and more drugs
The Toy Shack is owned by "Johnny" , the toy expert on Pawn Stars. I believe the sports memorabilia store is owned by another Pawn Stars expert.
Those are my buddy’s who know everything there is to know about anything.
Never even knew it existed. I found Vegas to be the second grossest city I ever visited (Hollywood is #1), but I would definitely check Neonopolis out if I had the chance. It looks very Blade Runner.
if they fix all the Neon, and have more steam coming from the restaurants I would for sure have to agree.
Been to san Francisco lately? Downtown smells like a Porto potty but I havent been to Hollywood in years.
@@brutalbasspro I was thinking more of the junkies and crackheads that seem to infest Hollywood like rats. I haven't been to the bay in over a decade but I don't recall it smelling too bad. Traffic was a nightmare though.
Dude so much public pooping its bad!
That’s nuts, I spent an evening on Fremont street maybe in 2008 (they didn’t have zip lines back then), and had no idea this outdoor mall was within eyesight. Great walkthrough! This was really informative.
Having lived in Japan nearly half my life now, but growing up in The Bay Area Norther California in the 90s it’s always heartbreaking seeing how mall culture is completely dead back there especially here in Osaka where they are seemingly never ending and never empty until midnight when they shut the metro down. Always a laugh tho for what Americans call ‘arcades’ too 🤣
3:50: "Murica". Lol! That art gallery around minute 6 is pretty random there, I think
E.T. is creepy. And he ruined Atari. No good will ever come of that alien.
My friend and I visited there last January, mostly because of the parking garage underneath. To this day, she still calls it “that sketchy mall across from Fremont.” The only thing that kept us there longer than we needed to be there was that toy store, which had an unusually large selection of animation production cels. (I bought one with MC Skat Kat from Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract” video from there!)
BTW, maybe I’m wrong, but it kinda looks like they’re playing Tekken 7 on the bar TV around 8:35 ...
(This is Coming from an LV guy) I've been there before many times, that Tekken 6 board ran on the Namco 256 (PS3 Based Arcade System). it was released in 2008. today Tekken 7 runs on a PC based arcade system since 2017 (which ironically you'll see at 8:34 running the PS4 Version.) the arcade had alot of older games before since the last time it was ever renovated. NBCUniversal Still owns the Space of the 3rd floor for KBLR Telemundo 39 since 2009.
KRAVE, up on the third floor, was a large gay bar that replaced the failed multi-plex movie theater.
Ultimate Sports Cards actually had a successful YT channel within the sports memorabilia community in the mid 2000’s. Not sure if they’re still active at it.
Escalators are never broken,they just become stairs,lol
Curt g Mitch Hedberg, is that you?
Curt g 😝
Someone else may have commented, but the 3rd floor used to be the movie theater. If I remember correctly it was a fancy one before fancy ones were trendy. Back then there were a lot more shops. If I remember correctly one of the owners had problems paying bills and the AC didn't work, which caused a lot of stores to exit, or just die off. There was a small window when it was a cool vibrant place.
Looks more like Jimi Hendrix and Weed to me on that mural.
Yeah, super heroes 😉
The mural was for a "cannabis museum" that moved. It was a cheesy tourist trap that had fake weed plants, giant buds and joints to take pictures with and post on Instagram. The only cool thing in there was a giant glass bong made by Jerome Baker.
That place is far from dead. Thats the Old Strip. Its packed at night. Most of their business is from tourists at night. People stumble into there drunk and buy whatever grease they can get their hands on.
It looks like someone tried to copy the glitz & lights of Japan, but failed miserably. A total eyesore.
Me: Wait a minute... *AXE THROWI-*
*Gets decapitated*
My Version of Arthur from Thomas the tank engine (who's a character in my headcanon for those who want 2 know): Lady damn it... Not again...😑
I wish you could do a video on the Toy Shack.
But as always great video. Please keep them coming.
That mall has always been dead. I saw the movie "Narc" in 2002 at that mall when the movie theater was open. One problem I remember and experienced: There was always a strong "sewer smell" that was a problem for quite a while. That may have kept people away.
I LOVE neon light signs!!! I wish they would make a comeback
That pizza _looks_ like it could have stood to have been cooked longer. The cheese didn't look like it had toasted.
What's the meaning of your screen name?
Maybe THX1138 was already taken?
@@museonfilm8919 ... Probably, but it's not exclusive in this venue.
@@JW...-oj5iw It's a portmanteau including a refrence to Lucas' early work.
@@TWX1138 ... Is the TWX from George Costanza at the car dealership?
Amazing walk! Loving it! Thanks so much! : )
I hate asshole businesses that charge for toilet use. It should be illegal to charge people to use toilets.
I worked across the street from there frkm March to September and my coworkers and I would go play the arcade once in a while. I also took some pictures from the bridge... I think you missed the collectible sports cards shop, its pretty cool too.
Did you get a change to go to the Primm Fashion Outlet Mall, it's pretty dead too, but very well maintained and they have street art all over the inside of the mall.