That was when there was still a middle class. Now its the 1% who own everything. The 99% own a BIG Mortgage and are broke after 2 decades of refinancing and blowing their money. The 99 % Cant afford to just shop after bailing out the oligarchy in 2008. Its a 1% World now
Now we have shopping centers where we have to go out in the weather to get to the next store, and we have scan our own items to check out now. We used to go to the mall to socialize and discover new merchandise.
When Walmart moves out of the mall it's bad! Too bad they can't save the coffee cart and what stores seniors need, then add senior housing where the Sears closed.
So. This was where I proposed to my wife in 2005 when it was booming. It's also where I went about 10 years ago after my divorce when I was homeless for 2 months to walk around and get coffee. Great memories. Honestly I hope it survived but it's been on its last legs for almost a decade now. You can get a bus up there from the homeless shelter in Coatesville btw lol.
@ugiswrong lol my ex goes there all the time. Probably that's what you should worry about. She has a van with nicks and bumps and dents and a missing mirror. Good luck.
This is still a beautiful mall,vibrant, not that long ago.The recession really hurt this place,not to mention, online shopping,and off-price stores.💙💜💙
If the malls were repurposed into studio apartments and made them into like a gated community. Coffee shop, hair stylist, gym, dog park. It would be successful. Safe environment, people could walk, have fun . It woukd be a cool place to live.
That is an excellent idea, especially since there is a housing shortage. If they could have a Patient First or some type of Medical Facility to occupy an anchor store location, it would be fantastic.
@@daydreambunny222The ones at Oxford valley are luxurious housing and will be close to 5 grand a month. That won’t help the homeless people. There are so many houses around that area that are unoccupied and just rotting away. Such a shame.
Remember when malls were so warm and inviting. Especially around Christmas. This mall looks like a hospital complex, no wonder people don’t want to come
My old stomping ground. Worked at Strawbridge's, Sam Goody, and security there in the 80s and 90s. That mall used to be owned by Rouse and was hopping back in the day. The Zook house used to be the mall offices .
I remember in the 80s, as a kid, the mall was way smaller and dungeon-like with dark tile. Then they remodeled it to what it is today. I used to work at the Sears in 2004. Was busy back then.
The problem is when they remolded alot of these malls in the early 90's they turned them in to Luxury malls instead of for the middle class shopper like they used to be. The King of Prussia mall is for rich people now.
Malls were a great place not only to shop, but as entertainment for kids. Hang outs for you and your friends. There was so much for them to do. Plus being around other kids, socializing, running and walking around, movies, arcades, you could spend hours at the mall, no matter the weather. Now they stare at tablets all day.
Moved to chester county in 1969 when there was no mall, just an ice cream shop. The mall might be dead but everything around it is a total overdeveloped nightmare
@@gianfeliciano9816 Total overkill when it comes to overdevelopment in the area. They kept building strip mall shopping centers when there were still other strip mall centers in that area with major vacancies.
Loved that mall! Kaybee Toys and McDonalds were just off the play yard. My theory is that the malls died after Kaybee Toys went under. Kids loved going to the mall to get to go to Kaybee.
I wish malls could make a comeback. It is nice to go to one store to another without driving. I think if they could revamp they would be popular where I am from. People here love to shop.
Geesh 😞. I moved from Chester County in 2017 and I’m so surprised to see Exton mall in this shape! My son is 13 and we’d take him here on the regular when he was a baby. It was stores everywhere. The food court had, chick Fila, 5 Guys, a Japanese restaurant, cheesesteak place. Also a ice cream shop. Where those kiddie rides were, I remember going to a eyeglass store to get my eyes checked. It’s sad!
Went to Mississippi about 12yrs ago and visited a local mall that looked exactly like this. It was spooky. Had no idea then that it was foreshadowing a larger trend. Eventually someone will make a documentary or write a book about this stuff.
I hate that people don’t seem to bothered by the malls struggling. I loved going to the mall and still do. Amazing that people don’t enjoy shopping in person anymore.
KOP used to be a neat mall 'cause it had a variety of stores like book shops, CD and DVD places, newsstands. Nowadays there is no variety, 95% is clothing and food. How is a mall supposed to survive without a variety of stores?
Uh King of Prussia serves the 1%. The 1% percent now own everything free and clear. The 99% Have loads of debt and own nothing but a BIG Mortgage after 2 decades of refinancing. Its over. The 1% own everything. U either have million plus or own nothing. Middle class is gone and is certainly no longer going to a average middle class mall. You have owners!!! They own you!!!
I think these malls were on their way out long before COVID hit us but then when it finally did hit, it was pretty much the nail in the coffin. I remember going to downtown Philly and walking through what used to be The Gallery. Complete ghost town now.
Sad truth. I live in Lakeland, Florida. Our mall, Lakeland Square Mall is so empty. Sears, GONE! Macy's, GONE! Burlington Coat Factory, moved. There was a flea market like store but that too is gone. Lakeland Square Mall will probably close soon. I thank god I enjoyed malls when I was in high school. Best times of my life then.
I went to the Philippines in 2023 for a few months and stayed in Manila and Cebu. The malls are definitely alive out there. It reminds me of what the malls used to look like when I was a kid in the 80s. Just crowded and full of people. I really loved it. Also they are like one stop shops out there. They combine grocery shopping, Furniture shopping, Hardware stores, food stores, ice skating in some, bowling, movie theaters, massage spas, dentistry, medical, veterinary services, etc. And also you have mutliple floors. I honestly like their malls a lot better. Its more convenient especially when you don't have a car.
I was there last year, and I can confirm this. It was a trip seeing the security guards outside inspect the bottom of each car with mirrors. But yeah, the malls there are packed. The customers are dressed nice there too.
God this is so depressing seeing this mall in this state. This mall was popular until 2014, when JCPenny closed, then everything started going downhill.
Zune lol I thought I was the only person that owned one of those. Most people have no idea what they are. I still have mine. It's laying out in the shed
If you want giant dream catchers and fencing lessons (sword fighting lessons) go to the Exton Square Mall. I'm surprised those attractions aren't bringing the crowds in.
My wife and I are a retired couple living in a small, rural city. Like much of the Northeast, time has not been kind to our way of life. Almost all of our factories and manufacturing facilities have either closed for good or moved down south. Our once bustling but small Mall is dead, having gone from 50(?) stores, several restaurants, and two movie theaters to two stores and a pizza place. We used to spend time in the Mall, especially during our frigid winter days; even if we didn't spend a lot of money, we could socialize and "people watch." We miss those days, we miss the Mall, but it seems they've been ruined by technology. It's the same one we're using here.
They used to have a sunken play area where the food court is located. They had dinosours kids could climb on. They were like the old brontosaurus type dinosaurs.
My childhood and teen mall when I lived in the area. The floors used to be very dark brown tile . They had a huge fountain in one spot and the kids playground thing had these big dinosaurs in primary colors. One of the stores I remember being there was downstairs called “Feel Fine” which was a women’s clothing store. I forget what year they redid the mall installing the white flooring that is there now . Also if I remember correctly there wasn’t a good court per se but a few food stores along the hall upstairs . There was an Orange Julius and. Chic-fila in the late 70s. Strawbridge & Clothier was the main store there. In the kids section they made it like the wizard of oz . They had a tornado on a wall and a hot air ballon in the one section
I worked at this mall 40+ years ago. Parking was a pain in the a** until they built those parking decks in the mid 90s(?). It was still hard to find parking around the holidays even after they were built. Todd Tuckey was a legend on local Philadelphia TV. I would stay awake late on Friday mornings (I worked nights) just to watch his infomercial at 11:30 am on Channel 48 (the new one not the old WKBS). I'm sorry to hear his wife Pam passed away. I'll have to write a comment on his channel. She was funny and you can get a whole "pizza pie" for 5 dollars. I love when you make it out to the far-reaching Philly suburbs. That area seems to be stretching farther and farther out Rt. 30 these days. Are you going to do a follow up at the Concord Mall this year? Growing up in Kennett Square, the Concord Mall was the closet mall to my parents' house and I'm pretty sure it's still open as of Dec. 2024.
He mentioned the King of Prussia Mall. Not all malls have suffered the same fate. It really depends on the location. Malls like the Cherry Hill Mall in South Jersey and Christiana Mall in Delaware are thriving, along with the King of Prussia Mall. . The Christiana Mall right before Christmas was jam packed with shoppers, and the parking lot was absolute gridlock.
Captain, it looks like the only business making money here is the electric company "keeping the lights on". Twenty years ago I remember going to the food court for lunch breaks from work. So sad to see another victim of online shopping!
back in the 90s pop purchased a F14 Tomcat & a Dragon's Lair from Todd. Still have the pinball. it's 1 of the machines a cleaned up during the Covid shutdown.
Ahh, we live in Euxton pronounced Euxton in Lancashire UK. You know the English adding letters in words that don’t need it!. Love the vlog as we love them all. Thank you so much!!
They had an ice cream store made from their dairy products called THE GUERNSEY COW. Great iced cream. In the 1960s Exton was a 2 lane almost dirt road.
I used to go to this mall occasionally back in the 80's and early 90's. Never was one of my favorites, but it was "A Mall". LOL I'm glad to see most of them going out of business, they destroyed countless down towns across the country. Just to be clear, bottled water is just tap water. I've had several jobs where it was next to impossible to call out of work. It's not that uncommon.
I hung out there when I was a teen... I think they had that far East store It was called and in the back they had all the '80s metal posters and shirts for sale...
100% me too used to get the black light posters and the 3/4 sleeve Maiden and Ozzy shirts and all those pins and patches for my denim jacket especially my DIO patch.
I've seen some of these malls covert the second level into residential apartments. Residents love the convenience of it and mall ownership likes having some of the overhead taken care of with rents. The shops also like having a captive audience of regulars right upstairs.
I generally hate the idea of apartment living, but living upstairs at a mall like this, if there was a good variety of shops and restaurants below sound awesome! I saw this in Hong Kong and it worked great. I don't know why they don't do that here.
Was just there yesterday. If you thought that was a lot of buckets, that’s only a fraction of what we saw. Also it was dusk into nighttime when we went and it was sooooo dark they barely had any lights on. People were at the fencing place tho and that looked cool.
I worked at Baskin-Robbins in 1978, my junior year of high school. The mall was rather dark back then but bustling. It’s beautiful now. Too bad it will be completely dead and gone soon.
We have the Galleria Mall here where I live and it's still going strong. It's the only big Mall still operating. We also get a lot of Canadian traffic along with our own people.
My childhood mall. Many trips made here with my dad on the weekends. Many things purchased here, many visits to santas lap, many Friday nights after school being a complete mall rat. Had my first date here to in middle school. Really going to be a sad day when it goes under.
I live close to this one. Used to go a lot “before the Internet ruined everything”. My daughter worked in one of the stores for a while. Kids always liked Zumies but never got into Spencer Gifts. Back where I am from, most malls are closed. Around Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Just like Exton is on its way to closing, eventually. That arcade is really cool, like a Dave n Busters. It is about ten years too late.
Here in Lancaster the Park City Center Mall is booming The parking lots that surround it are full esp on weekends. How is Main St. at Exton doing? There's a similar outdoor mall in Lancaster called Belmont and it's crazy busy.
i mean... Lancaster isn't demographically or economically diverse or as much populated as Exton. Exton is upper class and there's a whole heck of a lot to do around here than Lancaster. there are like 5 malls and a million shopping centers all within a 40 min radius to each other. most people around here just go to KOP
@@larrydysondevuh, you haven't been to lancaster lately, it's booming with the hottest real estate market in the state. One theory, amish, Mennonite and old folks still prefer in person shopping to online.
@@larrydysondevExton demographics have completely changed. You're right, the people there now have more $$ to spend and they go to K of P (in their Tezlas)!
Philly Captain! I am retired since 2021 and it is totally amazing whenever I walk into these malls. It’s actually extremely sad to me, I grew up in the 70s and 80s when they were booming. There is so much that they can do with malls now, and some of them are starting to convert to housing and retail. I go to the Exton mall to go into Macys and that’s it! The people that are there are usually getting in their steps, this would be an awesome walking track, too. Hello, investors, please come and save these malls! Hope to meet you someday at the mall, Captain!
I was there last maybe 2 years ago and I thought it was dead then, but geez it's really bad now. It looks a lot like the Granite Run Mall before it shut down. Shame really, first time ever visiting in the early 2000's it was packed and had almost no empty stores.
Sad to see, especially no Santa. When we lived out this way up to 2018 (just 6 years ago), it was so busy at Christmas time and the Santa line was very long. Wonder how does Round One cover even it's electric bill with no one in it? Maybe its busier at nights...
I remember this mall back in the day - had a Disney store, a Wizards of the Coast, 2 GameStop's, etc. Used to go there frequently from Downingtown. Sad.
Chick-Fil-A, Cousins Burgers, and a pizza place are pretty decent choices on whats (remaining) there at the food court, be it for mall shoppers and those who work at this mall and want lunch.
I just placed an online order for Boscov's and part of it was filled from the Exton store. I guess that explains why, maybe that location has a lot of surplus inventory to ship.
I thot you were talking about Salvation Army buckets and how few there are in that mall. We used to ring the bells at a couple of locations at our mall but as shops closed down each year we eventually weren't called to serve. And, we were all volunteers--no pay as some 'needy' ringers are now. It's not hardly in use now; a gym, a few shops (very few last visit), plans are for a company to put offices, test rooms, etc in it.
Clear sign that a mall is in its death throes is multiple leaks in public areas. Roof maintenance isn't cheap, but if you ignore it the whole structure will be uninhabitable fairly soon (mold, etc.), and a total loss not long after. When you look at videos of people exploring abandoned malls, it's water ingress that destroys them. When mall management lets the roof go bad, the place is on borrowed time. Unchecked water damage will quickly render the structures too far gone to repair. Eventually the only thing to do is demolition. There have been attempts to convert malls to residential use, but it's a real stretch. Mall buildings were generally built cheap, fast, and with only retail use in mind. We have a local former mall (Crestwood Plaza) that died, and eventually was demolished to be replaced by a new grocery and some housing development. Much more viable than trying to save the mall itself.
PREIT is building expensive apartments at Willow Grove Mall. Affordable housing is needed but high rent apartments are not.They are getting special zoning setbacks and allowing for high density because it is near the train station. It always about corporate profits,
My parents would take us there a few Fridays a month in the early 70s, then once I got my drivers license my friends and I would go there Friday nights hoping to meet girls. The last time I was there was when Sears was closing. I'm part of the reason it's dead, I do most of my shopping online now.
The Arcade is the most impressive thing about this mall. However, where are the pinball machines, 'cause I sure play a mean pinball. HA ! It's really open till 2 a.m.? I'll have to go bowling at 12:30 a.m. if I can't sleep.
So sad, I remember the malls around the holidays when I was a kid growing up in the 70'80's90's were a place of excitement & wonder. A ritual mom would drag us to for weeks leading up to Christmas chasing gifts & such. The saddest times were the week or 2 after Christmas when she diod returns and it was a dead zone. Every department looked like a hurricane came thru. Stuff everywhere. Most lights unplugged. All the magic gone. Kids are missing something just internet shopping.
I remember when the malls were so crowded you could barely move
That was when there was still a middle class. Now its the 1% who own everything. The 99% own a BIG Mortgage and are broke after 2 decades of refinancing and blowing their money. The 99 % Cant afford to just shop after bailing out the oligarchy in 2008. Its a 1% World now
That was before the information superhighway knocked its lights out.
Yes during Christmas time
It is disturbing and distressing to this very day that this has happened. Crowded malls are American as apple pie, baseball or hot dogs.
I have good memories of this mall.
It’s sad seeing stores empty like this so close to Christmas.
Is it, really?
@@power2tread627 yeah dh
Now we have shopping centers where we have to go out in the weather to get to the next store, and we have scan our own items to check out now. We used to go to the mall to socialize and discover new merchandise.
Those are referred to as “ Destination” stores. You go in, go out, go home.
Yup. The new shopping centers are inferior to the old malls. Popular doesn't mean better.
Dead malls are among the saddest things ever to happen to our culture.
You can blame Amazon and Walmart for this
@susanemmendorfer7613 kind of . The folks that put convenience and saving a buck or two are missing the point about mall shopping and community .
I agree, I love online shopping, but I also like going to the mall to get out of the house, be around people and try clothes on.
to be fair theyre also sad when crowded.
When Walmart moves out of the mall it's bad! Too bad they can't save the coffee cart and what stores seniors need, then add senior housing where the Sears closed.
So. This was where I proposed to my wife in 2005 when it was booming. It's also where I went about 10 years ago after my divorce when I was homeless for 2 months to walk around and get coffee. Great memories. Honestly I hope it survived but it's been on its last legs for almost a decade now. You can get a bus up there from the homeless shelter in Coatesville btw lol.
Never go to KOP
@ugiswrong lol my ex goes there all the time. Probably that's what you should worry about. She has a van with nicks and bumps and dents and a missing mirror. Good luck.
Welcome 2 the WONDERFUL world of divorce sans spouse
She dropped divorce papers?
Lot of memories with this mall😢
This is still a beautiful mall,vibrant, not that long ago.The recession really hurt this place,not to mention, online shopping,and off-price stores.💙💜💙
It's empty because, They no longer hand out bourbon chicken on a toothpick samples in the food court !
If the malls were repurposed into studio apartments and made them into like a gated community. Coffee shop, hair stylist, gym, dog park. It would be successful. Safe environment, people could walk, have fun . It woukd be a cool place to live.
That is an excellent idea, especially since there is a housing shortage. If they could have a Patient First or some type of Medical Facility to occupy an anchor store location, it would be fantastic.
They are actually doing that at Oxford Valley mall in bucks County pa
@@daydreambunny222The ones at Oxford valley are luxurious housing and will be close to 5 grand a month. That won’t help the homeless people. There are so many houses around that area that are unoccupied and just rotting away. Such a shame.
@@daydreambunny222 Yah you'll never be able to afford them I'm sure!
@doingstufforatleasttrying4843 I'm from that area I see them probably not getting filled because it's too expensive
Remember when malls were so warm and inviting. Especially around Christmas. This mall looks like a hospital complex, no wonder people don’t want to come
I actually think this "decor" trend helped do malls in. Back when malls were popular, they had color and pizzazz. Now they're cold and sterile.
Main Line Health took over a good chunk of it.
My old stomping ground. Worked at Strawbridge's, Sam Goody, and security there in the 80s and 90s. That mall used to be owned by Rouse and was hopping back in the day. The Zook house used to be the mall offices .
I remember in the 80s, as a kid, the mall was way smaller and dungeon-like with dark tile. Then they remodeled it to what it is today. I used to work at the Sears in 2004. Was busy back then.
The problem is when they remolded alot of these malls in the early 90's they turned them in to Luxury malls instead of for the middle class shopper like they used to be. The King of Prussia mall is for rich people now.
Malls were a great place not only to shop, but as entertainment for kids. Hang outs for you and your friends. There was so much for them to do. Plus being around other kids, socializing, running and walking around, movies, arcades, you could spend hours at the mall, no matter the weather. Now they stare at tablets all day.
Moved to chester county in 1969 when there was no mall, just an ice cream shop. The mall might be dead but everything around it is a total overdeveloped nightmare
For those not familiar with the area...the mall is surrounded by about 12-15 shopping centers in a 10 mile radius. Total overkill.
Right! It was "The Cow"🍦and around the corner on Rt 100 was the Exton Drive-In. LONG AGO..
@@sportsnet1997 Not really overkill.
@@gianfeliciano9816 Total overkill when it comes to overdevelopment in the area. They kept building strip mall shopping centers when there were still other strip mall centers in that area with major vacancies.
@@sportsnet1997 So is King of Prussia and East Lampeter. Nothing new.
The bucket list…only in dead mall form..very entertaining.😊 Good job Captain.
I live 10min away from this mall. It used to be a really good mall.
I used to work in this mall when I was a teenager. Used to be my stomping ground. Miss the old days
First floor Hanover Shoes, 1977.
Great time to work there.
Loved that mall! Kaybee Toys and McDonalds were just off the play yard. My theory is that the malls died after Kaybee Toys went under. Kids loved going to the mall to get to go to Kaybee.
Sadly, no toy stores
Tweens don't know how to play
We older people may have to teach them
I wish malls could make a comeback. It is nice to go to one store to another without driving. I think if they could revamp they would be popular where I am from. People here love to shop.
Geesh 😞. I moved from Chester County in 2017 and I’m so surprised to see Exton mall in this shape! My son is 13 and we’d take him here on the regular when he was a baby. It was stores everywhere. The food court had, chick Fila, 5 Guys, a Japanese restaurant, cheesesteak place. Also a ice cream shop. Where those kiddie rides were, I remember going to a eyeglass store to get my eyes checked. It’s sad!
Todd Tuckey really nice guy. Love his store. My condolences to him on his wife’s passing. Great video Capt’n.
Went to Mississippi about 12yrs ago and visited a local mall that looked exactly like this. It was spooky. Had no idea then that it was foreshadowing a larger trend. Eventually someone will make a documentary or write a book about this stuff.
Was this the old CLOVERLEAF mall in Hattiesburg?
My wife and I just left the Montgomery Mall it was so sad we both had to leave it was depressing.
I hate that people don’t seem to bothered by the malls struggling. I loved going to the mall and still do. Amazing that people don’t enjoy shopping in person anymore.
Sad. I don't know why it's dying when KOP is growing. Thanks Amazon !
fun fact. kop is the largest (retail) mall in america
KOP used to be a neat mall 'cause it had a variety of stores like book shops, CD and DVD places, newsstands. Nowadays there is no variety, 95% is clothing and food. How is a mall supposed to survive without a variety of stores?
Uh King of Prussia serves the 1%. The 1% percent now own everything free and clear. The 99% Have loads of debt and own nothing but a BIG Mortgage after 2 decades of refinancing. Its over. The 1% own everything. U either have million plus or own nothing. Middle class is gone and is certainly no longer going to a average middle class mall. You have owners!!! They own you!!!
Love KOP mall, I’m only 45 minutes away. Sears, lands end.
@@larrydysondevI think on the east coast
I think these malls were on their way out long before COVID hit us but then when it finally did hit, it was pretty much the nail in the coffin. I remember going to downtown Philly and walking through what used to be The Gallery. Complete ghost town now.
Sad truth. I live in Lakeland, Florida. Our mall, Lakeland Square Mall is so empty. Sears, GONE! Macy's, GONE! Burlington Coat Factory, moved. There was a flea market like store but that too is gone. Lakeland Square Mall will probably close soon. I thank god I enjoyed malls when I was in high school. Best times of my life then.
I went to the Philippines in 2023 for a few months and stayed in Manila and Cebu. The malls are definitely alive out there. It reminds me of what the malls used to look like when I was a kid in the 80s. Just crowded and full of people. I really loved it. Also they are like one stop shops out there. They combine grocery shopping, Furniture shopping, Hardware stores, food stores, ice skating in some, bowling, movie theaters, massage spas, dentistry, medical, veterinary services, etc. And also you have mutliple floors. I honestly like their malls a lot better. Its more convenient especially when you don't have a car.
I was there last year, and I can confirm this. It was a trip seeing the security guards outside inspect the bottom of each car with mirrors. But yeah, the malls there are packed. The customers are dressed nice there too.
I was there in 2019, and yes, it's pretty neat!
SM mall there is awesome
God this is so depressing seeing this mall in this state. This mall was popular until 2014, when JCPenny closed, then everything started going downhill.
I worked down the road from this mall and would eat lunch here almost everyday. In 2007 I purchased my Zune from this mall, good times.
Zune lol I thought I was the only person that owned one of those. Most people have no idea what they are. I still have mine. It's laying out in the shed
If you want giant dream catchers and fencing lessons (sword fighting lessons) go to the Exton Square Mall. I'm surprised those attractions aren't bringing the crowds in.
So sad. I remember when it was always busy. When they built the food court and you had to wait for an open table.
Damn you Amazon...😂 I use to go there regularly.
I remember growing up, my parents would make trips to the Exton Square Mall, Granite Run, King of Prussia and Franklin Mills.
My wife and I are a retired couple living in a small, rural city. Like much of the Northeast, time has not been kind to our way of life. Almost all of our factories and manufacturing facilities have either closed for good or moved down south. Our once bustling but small Mall is dead, having gone from 50(?) stores, several restaurants, and two movie theaters to two stores and a pizza place. We used to spend time in the Mall, especially during our frigid winter days; even if we didn't spend a lot of money, we could socialize and "people watch." We miss those days, we miss the Mall, but it seems they've been ruined by technology. It's the same one we're using here.
They used to have a sunken play area where the food court is located. They had dinosours kids could climb on. They were like the old brontosaurus type dinosaurs.
My childhood and teen mall when I lived in the area. The floors used to be very dark brown tile . They had a huge fountain in one spot and the kids playground thing had these big dinosaurs in primary colors. One of the stores I remember being there was downstairs called “Feel Fine” which was a women’s clothing store. I forget what year they redid the mall installing the white flooring that is there now . Also if I remember correctly there wasn’t a good court per se but a few food stores along the hall upstairs . There was an Orange Julius and. Chic-fila in the late 70s. Strawbridge & Clothier was the main store there. In the kids section they made it like the wizard of oz . They had a tornado on a wall and a hot air ballon in the one section
I worked at this mall 40+ years ago. Parking was a pain in the a** until they built those parking decks in the mid 90s(?). It was still hard to find parking around the holidays even after they were built. Todd Tuckey was a legend on local Philadelphia TV. I would stay awake late on Friday mornings (I worked nights) just to watch his infomercial at 11:30 am on Channel 48 (the new one not the old WKBS). I'm sorry to hear his wife Pam passed away. I'll have to write a comment on his channel. She was funny and you can get a whole "pizza pie" for 5 dollars. I love when you make it out to the far-reaching Philly suburbs. That area seems to be stretching farther and farther out Rt. 30 these days. Are you going to do a follow up at the Concord Mall this year? Growing up in Kennett Square, the Concord Mall was the closet mall to my parents' house and I'm pretty sure it's still open as of Dec. 2024.
He mentioned the King of Prussia Mall. Not all malls have suffered the same fate. It really depends on the location. Malls like the Cherry Hill Mall in South Jersey and Christiana Mall in Delaware are thriving, along with the King of Prussia Mall. . The Christiana Mall right before Christmas was jam packed with shoppers, and the parking lot was absolute gridlock.
Captain, it looks like the only business making money here is the electric company "keeping the lights on". Twenty years ago I remember going to the food court for lunch breaks from work. So sad to see another victim of online shopping!
This is quickly turning into one of my favorite channels.
To rejuvenate the mall id open a bucket store that sells buckets. The mall will buy them to pick up the water. It’s win win a sure foolproof winner.
I used to work in Exton a decade or so ago and I remember this mall. Didn't know it closed. KOP mall definitely not dead lol
back in the 90s pop purchased a F14 Tomcat & a Dragon's Lair from Todd. Still have the pinball. it's 1 of the machines a cleaned up during the Covid shutdown.
Ahh, we live in Euxton pronounced Euxton in Lancashire UK. You know the English adding letters in words that don’t need it!. Love the vlog as we love them all. Thank you so much!!
The Irish are better at needless letters lol
Sadly this area is experiencing something very similar to what the UK has gone through. Globalism.
Been watching a couple of dead / dying malls in the US recently.
I'm from PHL and I must say, your "dead" malls all look well-lit, clean and decent.
15:05 All the tension and dread I didn’t realize had been building up in my body for 15 minutes was released at once and I burst out laughing.
They had an ice cream store made from their dairy products called THE GUERNSEY COW. Great iced cream. In the 1960s Exton was a 2 lane almost dirt road.
I used to go to this mall occasionally back in the 80's and early 90's. Never was one of my favorites, but it was "A Mall". LOL I'm glad to see most of them going out of business, they destroyed countless down towns across the country. Just to be clear, bottled water is just tap water. I've had several jobs where it was next to impossible to call out of work. It's not that uncommon.
Make every Mall of this caliber into. A indoor theme park roller skating rink, paint ball and indoor roller coasters and zip line 😮 and a water park.
I always here about these dead malls yet Deptford mall in NJ always seems to be thriving every time I go parking lot packed with cars last week.
HEAR
I hung out there when I was a teen... I think they had that far East store It was called and in the back they had all the '80s metal posters and shirts for sale...
100% me too used to get the black light posters and the 3/4 sleeve Maiden and Ozzy shirts and all those pins and patches for my denim jacket especially my DIO patch.
I've seen some of these malls covert the second level into residential apartments. Residents love the convenience of it and mall ownership likes having some of the overhead taken care of with rents. The shops also like having a captive audience of regulars right upstairs.
I generally hate the idea of apartment living, but living upstairs at a mall like this, if there was a good variety of shops and restaurants below sound awesome! I saw this in Hong Kong and it worked great. I don't know why they don't do that here.
Was just there yesterday. If you thought that was a lot of buckets, that’s only a fraction of what we saw. Also it was dusk into nighttime when we went and it was sooooo dark they barely had any lights on. People were at the fencing place tho and that looked cool.
I worked at Baskin-Robbins in 1978, my junior year of high school. The mall was rather dark back then but bustling. It’s beautiful now. Too bad it will be completely dead and gone soon.
You're close to me (West Chester). I've been to this arcade a few times.
Worked in Exton for a bit and used to come to this mall for lunch and shopping all the time about 11 years ago
We have the Galleria Mall here where I live and it's still going strong. It's the only big Mall still operating. We also get a lot of Canadian traffic along with our own people.
My childhood mall. Many trips made here with my dad on the weekends. Many things purchased here, many visits to santas lap, many Friday nights after school being a complete mall rat. Had my first date here to in middle school. Really going to be a sad day when it goes under.
I live close to this one. Used to go a lot “before the Internet ruined everything”. My daughter worked in one of the stores for a while. Kids always liked Zumies but never got into Spencer Gifts. Back where I am from, most malls are closed. Around Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Just like Exton is on its way to closing, eventually. That arcade is really cool, like a Dave n Busters. It is about ten years too late.
Here in Lancaster the Park City Center Mall is booming The parking lots that surround it are full esp on weekends. How is Main St. at Exton doing? There's a similar outdoor mall in Lancaster called Belmont and it's crazy busy.
i mean... Lancaster isn't demographically or economically diverse or as much populated as Exton. Exton is upper class and there's a whole heck of a lot to do around here than Lancaster. there are like 5 malls and a million shopping centers all within a 40 min radius to each other. most people around here just go to KOP
@@larrydysondevuh, you haven't been to lancaster lately, it's booming with the hottest real estate market in the state. One theory, amish, Mennonite and old folks still prefer in person shopping to online.
@@larrydysondevExton demographics have completely changed. You're right, the people there now have more $$ to spend and they go to K of P (in their Tezlas)!
Philly Captain! I am retired since 2021 and it is totally amazing whenever I walk into these malls. It’s actually extremely sad to me, I grew up in the 70s and 80s when they were booming. There is so much that they can do with malls now, and some of them are starting to convert to housing and retail. I go to the Exton mall to go into Macys and that’s it! The people that are there are usually getting in their steps, this would be an awesome walking track, too. Hello, investors, please come and save these malls! Hope to meet you someday at the mall, Captain!
I was there last maybe 2 years ago and I thought it was dead then, but geez it's really bad now. It looks a lot like the Granite Run Mall before it shut down. Shame really, first time ever visiting in the early 2000's it was packed and had almost no empty stores.
Sad to see, especially no Santa. When we lived out this way up to 2018 (just 6 years ago), it was so busy at Christmas time and the Santa line was very long. Wonder how does Round One cover even it's electric bill with no one in it? Maybe its busier at nights...
I like watching watching TNT Amusement videos with Todd and his crew working on pinball and arcade games.
I use to take my girls to the Burlington Mall they loved the Hello Kitty Store. It was new then. Sad.
The arcade looks kickass.
There are two malls near me, both are doing pretty well. One lost it’s Sears anchor and is still busy.
I remember this mall back in the day - had a Disney store, a Wizards of the Coast, 2 GameStop's, etc. Used to go there frequently from Downingtown. Sad.
I can’t decide what’s more disturbing; the fact that the mall is still open or the fact that people are actually glad it’s open
Chick-Fil-A, Cousins Burgers, and a pizza place are pretty decent choices on whats (remaining) there at the food court, be it for mall shoppers and those who work at this mall and want lunch.
So the Macy's is supposed to close in February and then the mall's supposed to be partially torn down and medical offices and apartments
Are they keeping the Round One?
at least they are making something useful.
Who would want to live in a crappy mall apartment?
@@VanHellsing12 this land is worth a fortune....it is in one the best schools districts in the state......
@@VanHellsing12 I read that as they will be building new apartment buildings in the spot where part of the mall is being torn down.
This looks so much like the Moorestown Mall in NJ, except that one isn't dead yet.
I just placed an online order for Boscov's and part of it was filled from the Exton store. I guess that explains why, maybe that location has a lot of surplus inventory to ship.
Does the Power One arcade have an outside entrance? I would be shocked if they left the mall doors open till 2 a.m.
Yes
Hey Philly Captain, great video from the Exton Mall-Pa..Enjoy your Friday and the weekend.
We have 2 malls down here in Dover. The Blue Hen mall being the oldest of the two. They turned that mall into a corporate center.
I thot you were talking about Salvation Army buckets and how few there are in that mall. We used to ring the bells at a couple of locations at our mall but as shops closed down each year we eventually weren't called to serve. And, we were all volunteers--no pay as some 'needy' ringers are now. It's not hardly in use now; a gym, a few shops (very few last visit), plans are for a company to put offices, test rooms, etc in it.
Exton Mall had a big food court too
So sad.
Best Dark Brandon in history
Malls were magical this time of year. Things like Amazon gave us convenience but at a price.
You are SOOO FUNNY!! You have a very distinct voice
They should just tear it down and turn it back to farmland!
I went to Christiana Mall a few days ago. It was jammed but depressing in a different way.
Clear sign that a mall is in its death throes is multiple leaks in public areas. Roof maintenance isn't cheap, but if you ignore it the whole structure will be uninhabitable fairly soon (mold, etc.), and a total loss not long after. When you look at videos of people exploring abandoned malls, it's water ingress that destroys them.
When mall management lets the roof go bad, the place is on borrowed time. Unchecked water damage will quickly render the structures too far gone to repair. Eventually the only thing to do is demolition.
There have been attempts to convert malls to residential use, but it's a real stretch. Mall buildings were generally built cheap, fast, and with only retail use in mind. We have a local former mall (Crestwood Plaza) that died, and eventually was demolished to be replaced by a new grocery and some housing development. Much more viable than trying to save the mall itself.
PREIT is building expensive apartments at Willow Grove Mall. Affordable housing is needed but high rent apartments are not.They are getting special zoning setbacks and allowing for high density because it is near the train station. It always about corporate profits,
My parents would take us there a few Fridays a month in the early 70s, then once I got my drivers license my friends and I would go there Friday nights hoping to meet girls.
The last time I was there was when Sears was closing.
I'm part of the reason it's dead, I do most of my shopping online now.
I've been at Burlington county mall with my mom years ago. Sad no longer.
This was my go to mall. It was always busy up until about 2010
The Arcade is the most impressive thing about this mall. However, where are the pinball machines, 'cause I sure play a mean pinball. HA ! It's really open till 2 a.m.? I'll have to go bowling at 12:30 a.m. if I can't sleep.
At least they are keeping the mall very clean!
I worked on the expansion of the Exton Mall back in 2000. Seems like yesterday.
You sound like you're from Glen Burnie, MD. Go Os, Hawn!!! :)
Topiary is the word with the plants in the fountain
I totally forgot about the Exton Mall. King of Prussia mall still good right now
Dam I used to go this mall once a week less than a decade ago godddam it was packed back then!
That's sad because at one time, that was a cool mall. I used to run out of my way to go there
So sad, I remember the malls around the holidays when I was a kid growing up in the 70'80's90's were a place of excitement & wonder. A ritual mom would drag us to for weeks leading up to Christmas chasing gifts & such. The saddest times were the week or 2 after Christmas when she diod returns and it was a dead zone. Every department looked like a hurricane came thru. Stuff everywhere. Most lights unplugged. All the magic gone. Kids are missing something just internet shopping.
Love the TNT amusement infomercials
16:33 The guardian angel for dead malls.
We live nearby this is sad
I enjoy all your mall post. Especially malls never been too. Have you been to Gloucester township outlets