It’s so surreal seeing my childhood mall covered by you. It really was the shopping epicenter back then. What I’ve heard is that shops began leaving or moving to the nearby Colony Place since rent was too high in the mall.
I can help you with many of the occupancies and where they were, in the year 2000. I am the author of "The BEST Little Reference Map of Kingston." (C) 2000. It's more of a map book than a historical reference. I used to have a list of all of the retail occupants there. I used to work for the Kingston Fire Dept. where we had such a list that I helped to maintain for a while. You are right about Filene's (Macy's), and Hoyts Cinema's locations. Next to the Cenema used to be a Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts. As you walked down the mall, the first large occupancy on the Left was Lynn's Furniture (Before that, it was Lechmere). Near the center of the Mall on the right, was J.C.Penny (Best Buy). The location of the J.C. Penny entrance you can still tell by the floor tiles, at 11:15 into your video. That hallway was never there. Near the entr. to J.C. Penny was Belden Jewelers, so you were right that that empty space was a Jewelry store. To the left, where Target is now, used to be Bradlees-(same spot). Just after that, on the left, was a Radio Shack. There were many well-known stores in that Mall. Too many to mention. Many kiosks used to line those hallways too! There was always nothing in the Center of that Mall. It was meant to be open space. It was used for seasonal entertainment at times. That mall went through several transitions. As retailers closed or left that mall, we saw the mall switch to more of an entertainment space. Maybe we'll see another transition to be used for housing, or medical ? I haven't been in that mall in some time. Thanks for the tour!
My earliest memories of Independence Mall they had a Taco Bell in the food court, and a really great arcade called Cyberstation, where one of the most popular games was Dance Dance Revolution. There was a Best Buy which later moved to Colony Place which basically replaced Kingston Collection as the Plymouth area’s big commerce center. Way at the far end of the mall was a Sears. There was also a great place to get Candy and Soda called Hennessey News. They actually brought some cool stuff into the mall in the 2010s. Including an Irish Pub called Waxy’s (in the space across from the Food Court to the left), and an Indoor Electric Go-Kart Track called K1 Speed, which occupied the space where Cyberstation was. Unfortunately neither succeeded. Across from SkyZone used to be Border’s Book Store which is now FJ Fitness. I think when I knew it was over for the Kingston Collection was during COVID when FujiChen closed. They were resilient!
fj is fit factory, fujichen had the best mall food ever!!!! mama chef was good for a while until she got bought out, k1 was awesome, but the arcade there was wayyyyyyy better
This mall used to be so hoppin. It was THE place to be when I was a teen. Lots of cool stores and the food court had an abundance of selections. Nowadays I only go to the Target. Since most stores are around the anchors, most people don't walk the mostly empty corridors anymore. Also the super walmart area down the street stole a LOT of business. The middle used to be where you'd meet with Santa or the Easter Bunny, but years ago they moved down to the Macy's wing. Downstairs is where they store the mall decor. I know because sometimes you can see the stuff through the grates. The Fit factory used to be a Borders Bookstore, and the Trampoline park was an Old Navy. Also to the left of Sears used to be a Payless, and to the right was a cat adoption place.
Watching this makes me want to cry. I remember this being the place to be in the late 90's and early 2000's as a teen on the weekends. When I go now I feel creeped out and like it is a hollow imitation of what used to be, with only the echoes of the past remaining.
I get the same feeling…when I was young, we only went to the Hanover Mall, but once General Cinema closed and before Patriot Cinema, we went to the Independence Mall. Once Newbury Comics opened, I was fully sold.
11:06 That was another anchor store at one point. After it closed it became a bounce house place called "Pump N' Jump" (I would go all the time as a kid) I remember there used to be a fountain in front of it. It was demolished a couple of years ago to make that new hallway entrance. The Pump N' Jump moved into the former Best Buy until they closed.
I live literally 5 minutes away from this mall and have been going there since the early '90s. So many fond memories when it was at its peak and fully crowded. I remember meeting Steven Tyler of Aerosmith at Cyberstation and getting his autograph! I still have it in my room. And in high school I remember going through Jo Ann Fabrics to sneak into the theater. And the McDonald's at the food court was always packed. My mom and my aunt would take me to Brigham's for lunch and get ice cream. I've lost count of the number of times I went to KB Toys and Electronics Boutique. Nowadays I just go there to see a movie from time to time, and maybe go to the Target. It's really sad what it's been reduced to. RIP Independence Mall.
I used to go there a ton when i was in high school from 1999-2003. It was THE place to go for a long time. I'm not surprised that its really gone downhill over the years especially since Colony Place went in an exit down. The Kingston Mall was also plagued by super high rent from what people who worked there told me.
This mall used to have a KB toys with the little child sized door. The storefront to the left if you were looking at sears was an unfortunate pet store. Brighams ice cream and food was thriving. So many memories as a child and this became my go to “off cape” mall for my friends when we got our license. Decades later (2018ish) my friends and I would find ourselves at Pinz on Wednesdays doing karaoke and going out to the bars after. Thanks for covering this.
Also trying to rack my brain. I didn’t get to read the other comments but I’m pretty sure the hallway to target led to Bradlees. As you mentioned the building and structure definitely has changed but I remember passing a nail salon on the left and the restrooms as you approach the target inside entrance.
This mall is having the same fate as the Silver City Galleria. Macy's and Target are the only anchor stores which is making this mall basically near dead. It's not like the Walpole Mall. I saw some photos of that mall on the Internet when it was at it's peak and the Walpole Mall is super dead.
Those pyramid skylights used to have hanging prisms dangling from them. This mall had a brief comeback in the late 2000's But the great recession really killed it. It used to have a Linens N Things, Best Buy, Borders Books among others. It was never a great looking mall though. It's so generic looking and always has been.
Yes, Bradless was demolished and Target was built on the same site. I used to have a photo of all the rubble, it was pretty shocking, like a bomb went off there. I worked at the mall in 1995-1996 and 1998-1999 during the Christmas season at the old KB Toys.. On a Sunday night, the food court was so packed you could barely walk through it. Also that whole corridor where the Newbury Comics is now was packed with people. Food court had some good restaurants, including a Surf 'n Turf that gave you a huge plate of steak strips and fried clam strips for $5.99.
Was gonna go there on Black Friday out of curiosity. I'm about 30 minutes away in Brockton. You ever go to Solomon Pond Mall in Marlboro, MA or the Auburn Mall in Auburn, MA? Even the Emerald Square Mall in Attleboro, MA is pretty dead nowadays! You ever go to the Hanover Mall or Silver City Mall before they closed? They were in Hanover and Taunton, MA respectively.
Yes, I've been to Solomon Pond, Auburn Mall and Emerald Square. I've got videos of each. I didn't start doing these videos until last years, so I missed out on Silver City and Hanover Mall. Thanks for watching!
I remember (adjacent town grad Class of 2005) They had a bunch of shiny vertical light deflectors set up in a swooping curvy formation in the pointed center 10:37
Its definitely sad to see what this mall has become. It used to be packed with stores and it was a place to look forward to. The old arcade was cool back in the day. R.I.P to the OG Kingston Mall
I'll never understand why indoor malls are dying, they're so much better than the new outdoor malls. You can walk around and browse at indoor malls without having to worry about the weather.
Going to Newbury Comics back in the early 2000's was an amazing experience when I was a kid and looking forward to seeing what Godzilla figures they had in stock.
PINZ has its own entrance so that may have been the Leachmere(?) store. In the middle there used to be this big almost rainbow crystal chandelier! In my memory the Sky Zone used to be Old Navy. The gym right across from it was Borders! Payless was to the right of Sears.
Too bad there really aren't any photos of this mall from back in the 80's or 90's that I could find online. I would love to see the fountain and chandellier!
The food court used to be jam packed on your left was the video arcade, then a McDonald's, some kind of Chinese food, then Dunkin Donuts and Taco Bell, then on the right side was another Chinese food, Pizzeria Regina, Sun Glasses hut and Lid's.
13:24 That was a Kay Jewelers. After they closed, one of my Uncle's stores was in there. He sold vitamins and all kinds of workout supplies. He ended up closing it down because people kept on stealing from the store and running off.
Sorry to hear this. I always wondered about shoplifting theft loss at mall stores like this. Seems like it would be hard to protect against at the smaller inline non-anchor stores.
What baffles me is the number of shoppers compared to the number of open stores. It's like there's no place to shop but all these people are NPCs who don't know what to do with themselves. Extremely odd. With that kind of foot traffic I'd think I'd want to have a store in there, depending on the rent.
shame this place is so dead now, it’s where i went all the time as a kid and it was sad to see it slowly die. i still go there sometimes for the regal cinemas and the newbury comics but its a shell of its former self. nowadays its hard to imagine it being one of The shopping centers of massachusetts!
True. If I lived nearby I would probably go to the mall just for those stores. If you take away the entertainment businesses though, there's not much else left there.
I worked at Pearle Vision in Independence Mall back in ‘94-‘96, and remember Filene’s & Filene’s Basement. Probably just the video, but I’m thinking that it looked backward when you filmed it because unless it moved, the entrance to parking was on the right as you left Pearle. Also, at that time, there was a Chili’s across from it. I remember standing in there and watching the results of the OJ trial. So sorry to see it dying. It was such a busy place back then!
At 4:05 that was an Irish pub that was open for a few months then closed abruptly. I think the owner was arrested for tax evasion and failing to pay employees.
Live near the area. I remember when i was a kid. It was an absolute blast. Still do walk throughs from time to time, actually. Trust me, it was never this dead, lol.
Last I was there was to walk daily on my lunch break in 2015 … the mall has definitely died. There were tons more kiosks and small shops and those restaurants used to be pretty good. At that corner place off the food court there used to be a burger place (not a very good one though IMO). The Fit Factory location used to be a Borders books - to me the point the mall started to die was when that closed (early-to-mid 2000’s), smaller shops started dropping rapidly, then Sears closed. That white hallway used to be walled off and led to an anchor store, but I can’t recall the name. All the smaller stores along it appear to be boarded up on your video (I once saw the construction wall door open - wish I had taken a picture!) Personally never understood why the apartments went in but seem to be a trend.
So the race track used to be the arcade called “Cyberstation” and Jo Ann Fabrics was tucked in the corner between the theater and the arcade and then the first place in the food court after the arcade was McDonald’s.
That red store next to the cinema in the food court was an arcade, and it was an awesome arcade. Go to this mall outside of the holiday season. It’s a dead mall. Lechmere was about where the bowling alley is now.
This mall could be rejuvenated with something modern like Round1. From what I hear, the owners are driving people out with rent hikes. The non-shops like Pinz, SkyZone, and the movie theater are doing well. The stores close as quickly as they open.
I’ve lived in Kingston all my life(23 years) and from as far back as I can remember that basement was closed the mall was the place to be as a kid but after 2008 was the first decline then covid made it what it is today the only reason I still go is target and the gym
I think the year on the basement closing is wrong. I started going there in late 1990, and remember the Filene's Basement being open for years after that.
Yeah the food court used to have a pizzeria Regina and a Subway and a Taco Bell and a dunkin' donuts and all the other usual staples. Probably two dozen stores at the turn of the century even as the recently is like 2006.
Yeah I went there a couple times during the height of the pandemic I think I got to screen protector put on my phone. There was some go-karts and s*** but it didn't look like anyone was using them
Unfortunately Macys announced it’s going to close in Early 2025, I’m guessing at that point they may possibly do what they did to Hanover and demolish most of the mall besides Target, Skyzone, Fit Factory, The cinema, and billy beez and move other open stores into other areas around Plymouth
Despite the sign having the burnt out letters, the movie theater still does pretty well, especially last year during the barbie/oppenheimer release week, that was the busiest i had seen that mall in years. Otherwise it is definitely depressing seeing it in its current state, having lived near it my whole life. I wish it was the SIMON management group that bought it instead of this current other one, as the cape cod and braintree malls are managed by them and absolutely floursihing in comparison
6:21 as far as I remember before that racing placed closed, the enterance was in the food court, practically straight forward from the door you walked in from
14:01 as far as I remenber, the left side was a laser tag place, the reason they have a whole hallway is cause there was a big area for the actual laser tag gameplay in the back
Don't think Bradlees was ever there but my friend got caught stealing a discman from Lechmere. I used to frequent that store. The food court also had an a &W and a Great Steak and Potato co. There fries were awesome. There was a Cinnabon in the middle and A Pizzeria Uno down the opposite end of the food court
I've been going to that mall since 2017 and every time I go there I wonder can I even call it a mall anymore and when I'm there I mostly spend my time in pins or Target and every once in a blue moon I would go to the theater there alone but now it's not even worth that
Lechmere was farther down, newbury comics was an fye, I think NRM music before that? Bradlees and Lechmere were before the target add on but near that hallway. Joann was not the Lechmere. Very sad to see the state of things, was a great mall.
Filene’s basement was open in the 90s, I grew up here 1992 on it was open til the 2000s, and then something else went there I forget but was still open, before it closed for good.
Trampoline park was Old Navy most of the years, unsure what was before it, across the way of that was Borders for a long time. Next to Sears was a pet store, to the left entrance was RadioShack and a camera store, so the mall started failing from the Sears end toward the food court. Target was built mid 2000s, I worked in the mall starting in 2003, elevator was for the filenes basement handicapped entrance
I live with in a couple miles of the mall. It was booming when it opened, but online shopping took its toll Then it was sold and now it's an overpriced playground/ arcade.
Even with the massive skylights it feels pretty dark in there. Can’t imagine what it’s like at night. And yeah, this is absolutely dead. As for the arcade. I’d be curious to see what the rent is. A dead mall near me famously charged no rent for a couple years post-COVID.
It all went down the street to Colony Place in the late 2000s. That’s where the commerce went. The Walmart that used to be in the old Plymouth Cordage Complex moved there, then a bunch of stores from Independence Mall moved there. Leases for commercial space were cheaper there and a lot of places seized that.
Yes, that looks dead. Maine Mall is closet to me. Seems dying to me. There are a couple of non-mall shopping areas, one in Scarborough and one in Biddeford. There are groupings of stores - Target, Home Goods, Pet Smart, Walmart, HD, Staples etc. They are usually busy.
It’s so surreal seeing my childhood mall covered by you. It really was the shopping epicenter back then. What I’ve heard is that shops began leaving or moving to the nearby Colony Place since rent was too high in the mall.
People used to go all the way up from Cape to do school shopping at this mall.
Once Best Buy left and moved over by the Walmart, I feel like it was pretty much the final game over for the Kingston Mall
Same!
I can help you with many of the occupancies and where they were, in the year 2000. I am the author of "The BEST Little Reference Map of Kingston." (C) 2000. It's more of a map book than a historical reference. I used to have a list of all of the retail occupants there. I used to work for the Kingston Fire Dept. where we had such a list that I helped to maintain for a while.
You are right about Filene's (Macy's), and Hoyts Cinema's locations. Next to the Cenema used to be a Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts. As you walked down the mall, the first large occupancy on the Left was Lynn's Furniture (Before that, it was Lechmere). Near the center of the Mall on the right, was J.C.Penny (Best Buy). The location of the J.C. Penny entrance you can still tell by the floor tiles, at 11:15 into your video. That hallway was never there. Near the entr. to J.C. Penny was Belden Jewelers, so you were right that that empty space was a Jewelry store. To the left, where Target is now, used to be Bradlees-(same spot). Just after that, on the left, was a Radio Shack.
There were many well-known stores in that Mall. Too many to mention. Many kiosks used to line those hallways too! There was always nothing in the Center of that Mall. It was meant to be open space. It was used for seasonal entertainment at times.
That mall went through several transitions. As retailers closed or left that mall, we saw the mall switch to more of an entertainment space. Maybe we'll see another transition to be used for housing, or medical ?
I haven't been in that mall in some time. Thanks for the tour!
My earliest memories of Independence Mall they had a Taco Bell in the food court, and a really great arcade called Cyberstation, where one of the most popular games was Dance Dance Revolution. There was a Best Buy which later moved to Colony Place which basically replaced Kingston Collection as the Plymouth area’s big commerce center. Way at the far end of the mall was a Sears.
There was also a great place to get Candy and Soda called Hennessey News.
They actually brought some cool stuff into the mall in the 2010s. Including an Irish Pub called Waxy’s (in the space across from the Food Court to the left), and an Indoor Electric Go-Kart Track called K1 Speed, which occupied the space where Cyberstation was. Unfortunately neither succeeded.
Across from SkyZone used to be Border’s Book Store which is now FJ Fitness.
I think when I knew it was over for the Kingston Collection was during COVID when FujiChen closed. They were resilient!
fj is fit factory, fujichen had the best mall food ever!!!! mama chef was good for a while until she got bought out, k1 was awesome, but the arcade there was wayyyyyyy better
This mall used to be so hoppin. It was THE place to be when I was a teen. Lots of cool stores and the food court had an abundance of selections. Nowadays I only go to the Target. Since most stores are around the anchors, most people don't walk the mostly empty corridors anymore. Also the super walmart area down the street stole a LOT of business.
The middle used to be where you'd meet with Santa or the Easter Bunny, but years ago they moved down to the Macy's wing.
Downstairs is where they store the mall decor. I know because sometimes you can see the stuff through the grates.
The Fit factory used to be a Borders Bookstore, and the Trampoline park was an Old Navy. Also to the left of Sears used to be a Payless, and to the right was a cat adoption place.
Watching this makes me want to cry. I remember this being the place to be in the late 90's and early 2000's as a teen on the weekends. When I go now I feel creeped out and like it is a hollow imitation of what used to be, with only the echoes of the past remaining.
I get the same feeling…when I was young, we only went to the Hanover Mall, but once General Cinema closed and before Patriot Cinema, we went to the Independence Mall. Once Newbury Comics opened, I was fully sold.
Liminal era for malls it seems 😕
11:06 That was another anchor store at one point. After it closed it became a bounce house place called "Pump N' Jump" (I would go all the time as a kid) I remember there used to be a fountain in front of it. It was demolished a couple of years ago to make that new hallway entrance. The Pump N' Jump moved into the former Best Buy until they closed.
Pretty sure it was Bob’s Stores back in the day.
i had a birthday at pump n jump ages ago, i remember that fountain too! So many pennies i threw in there. The Brigham's restaurant was awesome too
@based4106 I miss that place
I live literally 5 minutes away from this mall and have been going there since the early '90s. So many fond memories when it was at its peak and fully crowded. I remember meeting Steven Tyler of Aerosmith at Cyberstation and getting his autograph! I still have it in my room. And in high school I remember going through Jo Ann Fabrics to sneak into the theater. And the McDonald's at the food court was always packed. My mom and my aunt would take me to Brigham's for lunch and get ice cream. I've lost count of the number of times I went to KB Toys and Electronics Boutique. Nowadays I just go there to see a movie from time to time, and maybe go to the Target. It's really sad what it's been reduced to. RIP Independence Mall.
I used to go there a ton when i was in high school from 1999-2003. It was THE place to go for a long time. I'm not surprised that its really gone downhill over the years especially since Colony Place went in an exit down. The Kingston Mall was also plagued by super high rent from what people who worked there told me.
This mall used to have a KB toys with the little child sized door. The storefront to the left if you were looking at sears was an unfortunate pet store. Brighams ice cream and food was thriving. So many memories as a child and this became my go to “off cape” mall for my friends when we got our license. Decades later (2018ish) my friends and I would find ourselves at Pinz on Wednesdays doing karaoke and going out to the bars after. Thanks for covering this.
Also trying to rack my brain. I didn’t get to read the other comments but I’m pretty sure the hallway to target led to Bradlees. As you mentioned the building and structure definitely has changed but I remember passing a nail salon on the left and the restrooms as you approach the target inside entrance.
Very scary. This was THE mall when I was a kid. Booming shops, anchor stores, food court and movies. Too bad.
This was my mall growing up. Once saw 4 movies in a day without paying and the taco bell in the food court was legend.
at 10:41 there used to be a reflective glass sculpture hanging it was like multiple panes of glass stringed together
I think this falls into the it wished it was closed mall.
I'll drink to that
Yeah, it doesn't look good.
No it Doesnt.
@@fleabittenadventureswish it would close so I can finally ran sack the old hollister for all of the wall paper and wood etc
This mall is having the same fate as the Silver City Galleria. Macy's and Target are the only anchor stores which is making this mall basically near dead. It's not like the Walpole Mall. I saw some photos of that mall on the Internet when it was at it's peak and the Walpole Mall is super dead.
I didn't see Walpole Mall listed as a mall in MA before you mentioned it. I'll have to check it out someday. Thanks.
@@fleabittenadventuresthat place used to be so rad
Same contracters designed Taunton and Kingston malls
Used to be so rad Now so sad
Those pyramid skylights used to have hanging prisms dangling from them. This mall had a brief comeback in the late 2000's But the great recession really killed it. It used to have a Linens N Things, Best Buy, Borders Books among others. It was never a great looking mall though. It's so generic looking and always has been.
Yeah and the hanging prism things looked just like swastikas 😅
Man this is crazy to see, grew up going to this mall as a kid. I never expected it to still be open as it was dying when I moved in 2010
Yes, Bradless was demolished and Target was built on the same site. I used to have a photo of all the rubble, it was pretty shocking, like a bomb went off there. I worked at the mall in 1995-1996 and 1998-1999 during the Christmas season at the old KB Toys.. On a Sunday night, the food court was so packed you could barely walk through it. Also that whole corridor where the Newbury Comics is now was packed with people. Food court had some good restaurants, including a Surf 'n Turf that gave you a huge plate of steak strips and fried clam strips for $5.99.
This is my local mall! It was so much better many years ago. My uncle actually owned a couple of businesses in the mall.
Was gonna go there on Black Friday out of curiosity. I'm about 30 minutes away in Brockton. You ever go to Solomon Pond Mall in Marlboro, MA or the Auburn Mall in Auburn, MA? Even the Emerald Square Mall in Attleboro, MA is pretty dead nowadays! You ever go to the Hanover Mall or Silver City Mall before they closed? They were in Hanover and Taunton, MA respectively.
Yes, I've been to Solomon Pond, Auburn Mall and Emerald Square. I've got videos of each. I didn't start doing these videos until last years, so I missed out on Silver City and Hanover Mall. Thanks for watching!
I remember (adjacent town grad Class of 2005) They had a bunch of shiny vertical light deflectors set up in a swooping curvy formation in the pointed center 10:37
1:07 K1 actually used to be in Setting The Scene. I went there a few times as a kid.
Really? The picture I have of K1 shows it inside one of the locations with the red arch.
@@fleabittenadventures Yes. It still had the red arch in the video.
Have indoor racetracks ever thrived in malls? They all seem to be in & out within a few years in any mall I've known them to be in.
Not that I know of. My guess is that they're too expensive for most people.
Thank you for the video!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
I saw that piece of candy, but I think it may have been there when I got there. I wasn't sure, so I left it.
Its definitely sad to see what this mall has become. It used to be packed with stores and it was a place to look forward to. The old arcade was cool back in the day. R.I.P to the OG Kingston Mall
I used to love coming here at one point it had the biggest and most crowded food courts and the movies were so popular
Ah what picture? I think you forgot to add it
Doh!
I'll never understand why indoor malls are dying, they're so much better than the new outdoor malls. You can walk around and browse at indoor malls without having to worry about the weather.
Going to Newbury Comics back in the early 2000's was an amazing experience when I was a kid and looking forward to seeing what Godzilla figures they had in stock.
ITS STILL THE INDEPENDENCE MALL TO ME GODDAMNIT
Shhh! Its not a 'mall', it wishes to be addressed as a 'collection'!😂
I've seen that type a thing a lot at dead and dying malls.
PINZ has its own entrance so that may have been the Leachmere(?) store. In the middle there used to be this big almost rainbow crystal chandelier! In my memory the Sky Zone used to be Old Navy. The gym right across from it was Borders! Payless was to the right of Sears.
I remember the chandelier! Do you remember the fountain?
Thanks for the info!
Too bad there really aren't any photos of this mall from back in the 80's or 90's that I could find online. I would love to see the fountain and chandellier!
@@fleabittenadventures I actually have some pictures
@@TheFunArchivistomg really?
The food court used to be jam packed on your left was the video arcade, then a McDonald's, some kind of Chinese food, then Dunkin Donuts and Taco Bell, then on the right side was another Chinese food, Pizzeria Regina, Sun Glasses hut and Lid's.
I memba only the cool kidz would use the corner back door @34:52. It's also where the fights would go down..
Have u been to Patrick Henry mall in Newport News va? In there yesterday and it was plenty live
Not yet
The basement was originally Filene's Basement. I last visited in 2003, so I don't know when it closed.
13:24 That was a Kay Jewelers. After they closed, one of my Uncle's stores was in there. He sold vitamins and all kinds of workout supplies. He ended up closing it down because people kept on stealing from the store and running off.
Sorry to hear this. I always wondered about shoplifting theft loss at mall stores like this. Seems like it would be hard to protect against at the smaller inline non-anchor stores.
@@ronhoover5516 Don't be sorry. I hate that prick 😂
This mall used to be great when I was a kid (I’m 35), it’s now a dead/dying mall, super sad
What baffles me is the number of shoppers compared to the number of open stores. It's like there's no place to shop but all these people are NPCs who don't know what to do with themselves. Extremely odd. With that kind of foot traffic I'd think I'd want to have a store in there, depending on the rent.
I think there were a lot of people in the entertainment businesses like Pinz and Billie Beez, etc. That's my guess.
I like how you always buy candy from the machines!
As long as I remember to bring change and the mall has candy machines
shame this place is so dead now, it’s where i went all the time as a kid and it was sad to see it slowly die. i still go there sometimes for the regal cinemas and the newbury comics but its a shell of its former self. nowadays its hard to imagine it being one of The shopping centers of massachusetts!
Now you can go to square one mall again ples remember and first
Someday
Hey, they have a Newbury Comics and a Spencer's, at least!
True. If I lived nearby I would probably go to the mall just for those stores. If you take away the entertainment businesses though, there's not much else left there.
I worked at Pearle Vision in Independence Mall back in ‘94-‘96, and remember Filene’s & Filene’s Basement. Probably just the video, but I’m thinking that it looked backward when you filmed it because unless it moved, the entrance to parking was on the right as you left Pearle. Also, at that time, there was a Chili’s across from it. I remember standing in there and watching the results of the OJ trial. So sorry to see it dying. It was such a busy place back then!
At 4:05 that was an Irish pub that was open for a few months then closed abruptly. I think the owner was arrested for tax evasion and failing to pay employees.
This was the only place to really hangout in the 90's as a teen. Used to be super busy...thanks Amazon for killing Malls
Live near the area. I remember when i was a kid. It was an absolute blast. Still do walk throughs from time to time, actually. Trust me, it was never this dead, lol.
15:30 I swore Felines Basement (The company) went out of business in 2011
Last I was there was to walk daily on my lunch break in 2015 … the mall has definitely died. There were tons more kiosks and small shops and those restaurants used to be pretty good. At that corner place off the food court there used to be a burger place (not a very good one though IMO).
The Fit Factory location used to be a Borders books - to me the point the mall started to die was when that closed (early-to-mid 2000’s), smaller shops started dropping rapidly, then Sears closed.
That white hallway used to be walled off and led to an anchor store, but I can’t recall the name. All the smaller stores along it appear to be boarded up on your video (I once saw the construction wall door open - wish I had taken a picture!)
Personally never understood why the apartments went in but seem to be a trend.
So the race track used to be the arcade called “Cyberstation” and Jo Ann Fabrics was tucked in the corner between the theater and the arcade and then the first place in the food court after the arcade was McDonald’s.
That red store next to the cinema in the food court was an arcade, and it was an awesome arcade. Go to this mall outside of the holiday season. It’s a dead mall. Lechmere was about where the bowling alley is now.
This mall could be rejuvenated with something modern like Round1. From what I hear, the owners are driving people out with rent hikes. The non-shops like Pinz, SkyZone, and the movie theater are doing well. The stores close as quickly as they open.
Looks like a similar build-style to the Berkshire Mall in Western MA.
I’ve lived in Kingston all my life(23 years) and from as far back as I can remember that basement was closed the mall was the place to be as a kid but after 2008 was the first decline then covid made it what it is today the only reason I still go is target and the gym
I think the year on the basement closing is wrong. I started going there in late 1990, and remember the Filene's Basement being open for years after that.
Only reason that place is open is the movies, Target, the trampoline park and the apartment building they build where the preexisting sears was
The Skyzone Trampoline park looks like it was an Old Navy at some point
Used to go to Filenes Basement for deals. Used to shop the Toys R Us across from the mall for my kid too, they had everything.
Yeah the food court used to have a pizzeria Regina and a Subway and a Taco Bell and a dunkin' donuts and all the other usual staples. Probably two dozen stores at the turn of the century even as the recently is like 2006.
Yeah I went there a couple times during the height of the pandemic I think I got to screen protector put on my phone. There was some go-karts and s*** but it didn't look like anyone was using them
Used to work at Spencer’s there back in 09. The mall was packed every Friday and Saturday night. Now there’s nothing
Bradlees was located in the New Target
Unfortunately Macys announced it’s going to close in Early 2025, I’m guessing at that point they may possibly do what they did to Hanover and demolish most of the mall besides Target, Skyzone, Fit Factory, The cinema, and billy beez and move other open stores into other areas around Plymouth
Despite the sign having the burnt out letters, the movie theater still does pretty well, especially last year during the barbie/oppenheimer release week, that was the busiest i had seen that mall in years. Otherwise it is definitely depressing seeing it in its current state, having lived near it my whole life. I wish it was the SIMON management group that bought it instead of this current other one, as the cape cod and braintree malls are managed by them and absolutely floursihing in comparison
Man, this is quite sad to see. I used to go to this mall all the time with my mom as a kid, sad to see the place so empty!
2:23 they replaced the public piano with a VR game? Sad.
4:35 atleast newbury is still open, that’s kinda cool
6:21 as far as I remember before that racing placed closed, the enterance was in the food court, practically straight forward from the door you walked in from
10:41 back in the day when I would come here, the middle is where events would be, like pictures with Santa or artificial ice skating in December
14:01 as far as I remenber, the left side was a laser tag place, the reason they have a whole hallway is cause there was a big area for the actual laser tag gameplay in the back
If you want to go to a better mall south of Boston, you should visit the South Shore Plaza in Braintree.
This is the mall of my teenage years 😢
The food court area was always dark for some reason.
I don't remember there ever being a Leechmere or a Bradlees store. Maybe they were there briefly.
Don't think Bradlees was ever there but my friend got caught stealing a discman from Lechmere. I used to frequent that store. The food court also had an a &W and a Great Steak and Potato co. There fries were awesome. There was a Cinnabon in the middle and A Pizzeria Uno down the opposite end of the food court
I've been going to that mall since 2017 and every time I go there I wonder can I even call it a mall anymore and when I'm there I mostly spend my time in pins or Target and every once in a blue moon I would go to the theater there alone but now it's not even worth that
The food court was thriving all the way up until around 2022 when the rest of the mall really started to die
Lechmere was farther down, newbury comics was an fye, I think NRM music before that? Bradlees and Lechmere were before the target add on but near that hallway. Joann was not the Lechmere. Very sad to see the state of things, was a great mall.
Filene’s basement was open in the 90s, I grew up here 1992 on it was open til the 2000s, and then something else went there I forget but was still open, before it closed for good.
Trampoline park was Old Navy most of the years, unsure what was before it, across the way of that was Borders for a long time. Next to Sears was a pet store, to the left entrance was RadioShack and a camera store, so the mall started failing from the Sears end toward the food court. Target was built mid 2000s, I worked in the mall starting in 2003, elevator was for the filenes basement handicapped entrance
Yes! Pins was Lechmere, that sliding door was the pick up for large appliances. Sorry to comment so much just as I watched haha
I live with in a couple miles of the mall.
It was booming when it opened, but online shopping took its toll
Then it was sold and now it's an overpriced playground/ arcade.
Worked there back in 1995 and even back then the place looked like it was on borrowed time.
The target opened in late 2002 and was completely new construction
Actually next to the Jo-Ann Fabrics was a video arcade.
Looks like there’s quite a bit of entertainment in that mall.
Even with the massive skylights it feels pretty dark in there. Can’t imagine what it’s like at night. And yeah, this is absolutely dead.
As for the arcade. I’d be curious to see what the rent is. A dead mall near me famously charged no rent for a couple years post-COVID.
Awesome 😊
I’ve been in there at around 11 at night at pinz for a concert and it was very dark
Decent money in the area, I'm surprised the mall's the way it is.
Yeah, I was kind of shocked at how dead it was.
It all went down the street to Colony Place in the late 2000s. That’s where the commerce went. The Walmart that used to be in the old Plymouth Cordage Complex moved there, then a bunch of stores from Independence Mall moved there. Leases for commercial space were cheaper there and a lot of places seized that.
The reda archway is where a huge book store was
The book store was at the other end where the gym is now. The red archway by the food court was an arcade.
I stopped here today to use the bathroom after a long drive. Absolutely a dead mall
This mall looks so sad, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
The shopping center less than a mile away destroyed this mall. Took best buy, old Navy and a few other stores.
Colony Place.
Hahaha so grumpy when he sees kids having fun
Negative Nelly he should call the channel lol
Think skyzone use to be an Old Navy
Bradlees use to be where Target is now. The trampoline place at one time was Old Navy.
Thanks for the info. The old maps of the mall were kind of unclear and not to scale.
I bring my kids here to billy beez and ever time we go more stores leave.
My friend in high school got busted for shoplifting from that target. We graduated in '08 so it's before then lol
I grew up in this end. Walking end to end in my jncos.
That place is way more empty than the last time I was there. They’re just holding on to the land atm.
Was there the first day that mall opened in 1989
Has it changed much since then?
Just went through your Playlist and don't see any va malls
Not yet. Too far for now.
This mall used to be the shit back in the day. Sad to see how it is now..
Also RIP Steve and Barry’s lol
Mall is strange things will open and close but will somehow always have stuff nonetheless
I live here this mall used to be awesome
Yes, that looks dead. Maine Mall is closet to me. Seems dying to me. There are a couple of non-mall shopping areas, one in Scarborough and one in Biddeford. There are groupings of stores - Target, Home Goods, Pet Smart, Walmart, HD, Staples etc. They are usually busy.
I'll probably get up to the malls in Maine sometime in 2024. Thanks for watching!
Honestly its kinda heart breaking
do liberty tree mall in danvers its tiny
Sky zone was an old navy.
I only go for the movie theater lol
We all know being from Kingston that you go into the movie side first
Ur history on the basement is wrong. Its been closed since before 05