Thank you for this video. I grew up in Syracuse and moved away in early 2000's. Shopping town has a special place in my heart. so many wonderful memories. I wanted to seek what the the mall is like today. Thank you creating this.
Another great video ace! I️ find it bizarre that Sears keeps that store open. They are doing horrible as it is, so it’s weird that they keep locations open in completely dead malls like this, but close locations in thriving malls.
I know at first I was kind of like some will stay until the end. My Sears at my local mall closed in January. But JcPenny in the same mall is fine, but yet closed in a more popular location so sometimes you scratch your head.
Thanks for this video, Ace. You brought back wonderful memories for me when my mom and I used to take the bus there every Saturday. Back in the 1970’s and 1980’s-Shoppingtown Mall was the in place to go.
Syracuse NY born and raised here. Thank you for making this video. Who knows what will come of the mall so this will serve as a great time capsule in years down the road. I always loved this mall from the fountains built into the floor and the wooden rails and glossy tile. The glass ceilings are also really cool. Much more beautiful mall then Carousel when new imo.
Great video Ace. Have lived upstate for the past fifteen years...went to this mall a lot when I was a teenager and young adult. It was actually really nice and decent when I first moved here. A LOT more shoppers, a lot more businesses and an active vibe all around. The location of the community room downstairs was formerly the location of the old Dewitt Community Library before it moved to the first floor, then finally out of the mall altogether. I spent many an afternoon in the aisles, browsing. The mall's seriously gone downhill and I honestly don't expect to see it still open in the next two years. I'd be shocked if they pulled it around. Only thing that seems to keep it going is the movie theater.
At 1:42 with the shot of the empty Payless store, sounds like they’re playing ‘Jessica’ by the Allman Brothers from the 70s on their sound system. Those light strips on the ceilings with clear S14 10 watt bulbs look cool!
William Haynes the food court is completely empty and the only place to get anything to eat is at a little convenience store that is next to the escalator.
I remember that beautiful light sculpture that huge above the escalators in Pennys....not knowing it was from a famous glass sculpture person...they THREW IT AWAY..i remember folks fishing pieces out of thrle trashy
I find this mall particularly beautiful, especially with the night lighting at he windowed ceiling and the abundance of flowing water throughout. Ashamed no one in that area seems to find it beautiful enough to go and shop there..
skeletank mcgraw I agree. It sucks. I struggle from time to time but I try to show my local mall support. Granted Amazon, cost of living, better deals, etc exist, but prettier malls overtake the history of an older mall.
I'm young enough to have played in that play area. I vaguely remember it opening and the excitement surrounding it, and how uncomfortably hard the structures were.
I'm shocked the Sears is actually still in Shoppingtown. Although I guess they need ONE Sears Holdings chain in that area since I think the Kmart that was pretty much next door closed a while back. But from the looks of it half of the Sears store is blocked off now, yet I didn't seen any closing signs. Weird.
What a sad mall, it has really declined from what I can tell when Moonbeam took it over. That Sears is pretty bad as well. I like the elevator shots, and the old couples dancing had me laughing.
Great video really captures the sadness of that dying mall and the dying Sears. Maybe that Sears will become a smaller one level location and repurpose the upper level for something else. MIss your bits of additional commentary, but I can see why you shot the video this way. To show an example of a really fast declining mall. And Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret hang on. You got the gift Anthony of letting the film tell the story.
I think it's funny how Bath and Body Works always seems to stick around in malls, like, how many lotions and perfumes can you sell to justify staying open? The Towne Mall Galleria in Middletown, Ohio is a perfect example of this, the bath and body works is the only source of life for the whole mall.
I think I went to this mall a long time ago. Too bad you are late to it, but Latham Circle Mall was amazing, and there are no good vids of it out there, really sad....
I grew up at this mall. Super sad to see it like this now. Was in town last weekend and definitely noticed that Sears is now closed. The mall is about to be given to Onondaga County due to unpaid back taxes owed by Moonbeam
i live in syracuse! i remember that place from when i was little. also the penn cann mall in cicero just north of syracuse :) awesome video. what you just travel around and visit old stores? was the music really still playing? what did it smell like in there?
Waterfall still working. As usual in dead malls Bath and Body Works and Victoria Secrets goes on. They must have bought horrible contracts with malls they could not get out of.
Damn...I can only imagine being an employee at any store inside this mall...oh how sleepy I would get. I don’t blame that guy sleeping, not one bit lol 😴 💤 💤
Now closed down. It shut down mid/late March, I believe. I live in Central NY and have been going to the mall for the last fifteen years, but a LOT less in the past few years. It's sad to see what's happened to it because when I first moved here, it was a pretty decent mall, now it doesn't really have anything.
They hung on through it all lol. This mall had many ups and downs over the years. Bath and body works didn’t budge. I believe they even moved to a bigger store within the mall at one point.
My family and I used to go to the movies here as recently as a few months ago. It's been like this for awhile now. Guess it couldn't compete with Destiny USA. Great Northern may be next.
This mall is quite well maintained, some decay visable, but not much. It's totally dead. Beautiful mall though. Hey if you could, can you go to the mall that's been closed in Champlain, NY for many years, I'm really curios about that place and the story of that place
They still have a Bath and Body Works. I was worried for a second. I have to say at a certain point a lot of these places have similar architecture. Were there only a few designers for them?
I love running water and fountains in malls. The calming sound and even the smell of chlorine. They renovated my local mall and took out all the fountains. Now it's fucking boring and smells like a fart.
To see a Sears in a mall like that tells me that they still have more stores to close. There appears to be more people walking around in that place than the number of stores justify. Must be mall walkers?
This place is trash. Grew up around the area and used to remember when this place was big. Was there this past summer and got kicked out by security for just walking to the movie theater. Then got followed around by security after pulling into the parking garage at night. Wasn’t there to do any harm. It’s a good spot for photography
Wow shopping town is dead or than I ever saw it. It was dead the last time you did a video on this mall but I can't believe how dead it is now. You still have Black mamba Skate Park. A Gymboree place the arcade regal cinema movie theater Rite Aid pharmacy Bath and Bodyworks and LensCrafters pretty much nothing else left in the mall so sad. Rite Aid pharmacy is being bought out by Walgreens pharmacy. Rite Aid pharmacy put a flyer out in the mail to all Rite Aid customers or anybody who got a flu shot from the pharmacy saying Rite Aid is changing they are being converted over to a Walgreens pharmacy and you will be no more Rite Aid pharmacy anymore. Don't know what they'll do with the shopping town location. Will they keep it will it be closed I do not know. Like Anthony said in the video go to the Wikipedia page on the mall for more information
Is too bad,looks like a pretty nice mall.What happened?Surrounding area get sketchy/urban or did middle class disappear there like Ohio's Midway mall did?Or a combination of both?Man full on sleeping in Sears was so appropriate.😴Sears was like Midway's was,a tomb.
Shopping town was a great mall till media play closed (where that skate park is now) it's been on a steady decline since . Destiny has had a hand in what has happened to this mall and so has all the strip mall's/ shopping plaza's you can find now all up and down Erie Boulevard some of the mall's shops have moved into these strips and plaza's and into Destiny. I give Destiny another 10-20 years or even less and we'll be seeing it on some of these dead mall shows. Stores are already closing and a big story last yr of cockroaches found in the kitchen of one of the resturant's in the food court. Shopping town is a mall you dead mall documentary people should keep a real close eye on. Moonbeam (the company that owns Shopping town)says they're not going to close the mall but rather repurpose it. It'll be interesting to see if they hold their word and see video documenting it's repurpose because there's quite a few people that see this mall heading in the same direction as Rolling Acres mall.
Thank you for this video. I grew up in Syracuse and moved away in early 2000's. Shopping town has a special place in my heart. so many wonderful memories. I wanted to seek what the the mall is like today. Thank you creating this.
My favorite kind of video. I used to live in Elma, New York until 1978 when these malls were happening...
and you moved from beautiful Elma NY? to where may I ask ?
FloridaGreg33770 Los Angeles, Catalina Island and San Diego...
sounds nice, my friend !🤗
Not so much shopping going on at Shoppingtown. The shot with the elderly guy sleeping in the sears office was pretty symbolic.
He looked like he was dead
I used to hang out here when this mall was slammed busy all the time seeing it like this is like...WOW thanks for doing what you do! Love the footage!
Another great video ace! I️ find it bizarre that Sears keeps that store open. They are doing horrible as it is, so it’s weird that they keep locations open in completely dead malls like this, but close locations in thriving malls.
they can afford the rent at this mall, and busy malls they cant
I know at first I was kind of like some will stay until the end. My Sears at my local mall closed in January. But JcPenny in the same mall is fine, but yet closed in a more popular location so sometimes you scratch your head.
Thanks for this video, Ace. You brought back wonderful memories for me when my mom and I used to take the bus there every Saturday. Back in the 1970’s and 1980’s-Shoppingtown Mall was the in place to go.
Rip shopping town 1975 2018 you will always be remember 😭😭😭
Syracuse NY born and raised here. Thank you for making this video. Who knows what will come of the mall so this will serve as a great time capsule in years down the road. I always loved this mall from the fountains built into the floor and the wooden rails and glossy tile. The glass ceilings are also really cool. Much more beautiful mall then Carousel when new imo.
This really does bring back memories. Thanks again Ace!!!
Great video Ace. Have lived upstate for the past fifteen years...went to this mall a lot when I was a teenager and young adult. It was actually really nice and decent when I first moved here. A LOT more shoppers, a lot more businesses and an active vibe all around. The location of the community room downstairs was formerly the location of the old Dewitt Community Library before it moved to the first floor, then finally out of the mall altogether. I spent many an afternoon in the aisles, browsing. The mall's seriously gone downhill and I honestly don't expect to see it still open in the next two years. I'd be shocked if they pulled it around. Only thing that seems to keep it going is the movie theater.
At 1:42 with the shot of the empty Payless store, sounds like they’re playing ‘Jessica’ by the Allman Brothers from the 70s on their sound system. Those light strips on the ceilings with clear S14 10 watt bulbs look cool!
Great video! That is just crazy dead, lol. Love what was done to what was a Hot Topic 😀 many a family pictures were done in Sears portrait studios.
I love a mall that has fountains. Reminds me of being little and throwing pennies into them for wishes.
Beautiful but sad content. I did enjoy that there was no talking and no loud music. Thank you.
only food place I saw open was the gum ball machines
William Haynes the food court is completely empty and the only place to get anything to eat is at a little convenience store that is next to the escalator.
I remember that beautiful light sculpture that huge above the escalators in Pennys....not knowing it was from a famous glass sculpture person...they THREW IT AWAY..i remember folks fishing pieces out of thrle trashy
I lived in Syracuse from 1994-1996. This was a happening place back then.
Mark S i hate people named mark >:(
Pink floyd at the dome
Jay Fuller Great show! I’ll never forget that.
Great video, as always!
Dana Cantu ty!
Very cool shots going up & down towards the end. Almost like a drone shot.
you got some amazing shots of that mall
It’s so sad to see a mall this nice so dead and neglected
I find this mall particularly beautiful, especially with the night lighting at he windowed ceiling and the abundance of flowing water throughout. Ashamed no one in that area seems to find it beautiful enough to go and shop there..
skeletank mcgraw I agree. It sucks. I struggle from time to time but I try to show my local mall support. Granted Amazon, cost of living, better deals, etc exist, but prettier malls overtake the history of an older mall.
I live about 30 miles from this mall. How it remains open is a complete mystery.
I'm young enough to have played in that play area. I vaguely remember it opening and the excitement surrounding it, and how uncomfortably hard the structures were.
I'm shocked the Sears is actually still in Shoppingtown. Although I guess they need ONE Sears Holdings chain in that area since I think the Kmart that was pretty much next door closed a while back. But from the looks of it half of the Sears store is blocked off now, yet I didn't seen any closing signs. Weird.
What a sad mall, it has really declined from what I can tell when Moonbeam took it over. That Sears is pretty bad as well. I like the elevator shots, and the old couples dancing had me laughing.
Great video really captures the sadness of that dying mall and the dying Sears. Maybe that Sears will become a smaller one level location and repurpose the upper level for something else. MIss your bits of additional commentary, but I can see why you shot the video this way. To show an example of a really fast declining mall. And Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret hang on.
You got the gift Anthony of letting the film tell the story.
What kind of camera do you use to record in these malls?
I think it's funny how Bath and Body Works always seems to stick around in malls, like, how many lotions and perfumes can you sell to justify staying open? The Towne Mall Galleria in Middletown, Ohio is a perfect example of this, the bath and body works is the only source of life for the whole mall.
Tommy W. And GNC!
Someone needs to pull the plug on this place. I need a Zoloft just to get through this video!
What was with the old guy just sleeping there?
I think I went to this mall a long time ago. Too bad you are late to it, but Latham Circle Mall was amazing, and there are no good vids of it out there, really sad....
I grew up at this mall. Super sad to see it like this now. Was in town last weekend and definitely noticed that Sears is now closed. The mall is about to be given to Onondaga County due to unpaid back taxes owed by Moonbeam
This mall seems the type of place you could relax at.
i live in syracuse! i remember that place from when i was little. also the penn cann mall in cicero just north of syracuse :) awesome video. what you just travel around and visit old stores?
was the music really still playing? what did it smell like in there?
Waterfall still working. As usual in dead malls Bath and Body Works and Victoria Secrets goes on. They must have bought horrible contracts with malls they could not get out of.
Damn...I can only imagine being an employee at any store inside this mall...oh how sleepy I would get. I don’t blame that guy sleeping, not one bit lol 😴 💤 💤
6:53 , the saddest mannequin.
its sad i grew up going to this mall hopefully they can redevelop it soon
LOL @ 5:25
callmemarc I know, it's like he don't even care anymore, so why not take a little nap? Lol 😀
Bath & body works, of course! Lol
904 CZV of course. But as malls die off where does a bath and body works store go to hang out at? Crappy outdoor malls?
wild bill pretty much. I see them set up shop in outlet malls.
Now closed down. It shut down mid/late March, I believe. I live in Central NY and have been going to the mall for the last fifteen years, but a LOT less in the past few years. It's sad to see what's happened to it because when I first moved here, it was a pretty decent mall, now it doesn't really have anything.
They hung on through it all lol. This mall had many ups and downs over the years. Bath and body works didn’t budge. I believe they even moved to a bigger store within the mall at one point.
I love that fountain. I miss mall fountains. The new ones are so boring with no fountains.
My family and I used to go to the movies here as recently as a few months ago. It's been like this for awhile now. Guess it couldn't compete with Destiny USA. Great Northern may be next.
It always seems like bath and body works is one of the last holdouts in every dead mall
OMG ! where is everyone ? Oh yea....thats right it's NY State....anyone with anything going on, leaves.......
The shoppingtown mall 's days are numbered as the last anchor sears is closing
This mall is quite well maintained, some decay visable, but not much. It's totally dead. Beautiful mall though.
Hey if you could, can you go to the mall that's been closed in Champlain, NY for many years, I'm really curios about that place and the story of that place
The old dude sleeping has to be totally bummed. I bet he's been there since the beginning and retired now.
dont be afraid to do commentary, i prefer it.
Used to go there all the time
The Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body closed in mid March. There's really nothing there anymore...
Thanks, Sears. But what about YOUR dreams?
imma be honest i came here to look at the deb storefront but that jcpenney and the payless woooow
Not even the fountains are running now
Good video :)
Does anyone ever bother you and ask you what your doing when you record in public?
Explore with Rick i have a method to be extremely casual and picking my spots
It’s even more empty now. Galaxy of Stars is gone. And Sears is set to pull out as well.
Wow...they should rename this mall...."Ghost Town Mall" for reals!!!
Lol I hear the start of the original 'Top Gear' TV series theme, at 3:52 And what is that at 8:17 - a meeting point for trolls or something?
They still have a Bath and Body Works. I was worried for a second. I have to say at a certain point a lot of these places have similar architecture. Were there only a few designers for them?
8:53 There are places... you can go... just to fence? Why isn't there places like that anywhere near where I live.
Nice
Is the vintage audio place still there? That guy is super cool.
They actually closed and relocated to Jamesvill, there is literally nothing there now
My Mom worked at Campange bridal for YEARS
I love running water and fountains in malls. The calming sound and even the smell of chlorine. They renovated my local mall and took out all the fountains. Now it's fucking boring and smells like a fart.
When are you heading out to Northridge mall ?
Nice mall I wish I had visited this and Penn cann
This was a very nice mall. Still looks good but the big mall, Destiny, had an effect.
Destiny mall took your place
you missed the only reason people actually come here anymore... the great Black Mamba Skatepark
To see a Sears in a mall like that tells me that they still have more stores to close. There appears to be more people walking around in that place than the number of stores justify. Must be mall walkers?
there is enough space in these stores you could convert them in to small apartments
@:20 E. W Edwards Department store 1968-1974
This place is trash. Grew up around the area and used to remember when this place was big. Was there this past summer and got kicked out by security for just walking to the movie theater. Then got followed around by security after pulling into the parking garage at night. Wasn’t there to do any harm. It’s a good spot for photography
Wow shopping town is dead or than I ever saw it. It was dead the last time you did a video on this mall but I can't believe how dead it is now. You still have Black mamba Skate Park. A Gymboree place the arcade regal cinema movie theater Rite Aid pharmacy Bath and Bodyworks and LensCrafters pretty much nothing else left in the mall so sad. Rite Aid pharmacy is being bought out by Walgreens pharmacy. Rite Aid pharmacy put a flyer out in the mail to all Rite Aid customers or anybody who got a flu shot from the pharmacy saying Rite Aid is changing they are being converted over to a Walgreens pharmacy and you will be no more Rite Aid pharmacy anymore. Don't know what they'll do with the shopping town location. Will they keep it will it be closed I do not know. Like Anthony said in the video go to the Wikipedia page on the mall for more information
Is too bad,looks like a pretty nice mall.What happened?Surrounding area get sketchy/urban or did middle class disappear there like Ohio's Midway mall did?Or a combination of both?Man full on sleeping in Sears was so appropriate.😴Sears was like Midway's was,a tomb.
Louis Aloi destiny USA
Amy Capen:A newer mall in a more upscale outer ring suburb?The BBD as us mall rats used to call it in the 80s.The bigger & better deal??This Destiny?
Louis Aloi yeah that one. The irony is I've never been to destiny USA shoppingtown carousel or Penn cann
Drove around destiny USA
Shopping town was a great mall till media play closed (where that skate park is now) it's been on a steady decline since . Destiny has had a hand in what has happened to this mall and so has all the strip mall's/ shopping plaza's you can find now all up and down Erie Boulevard some of the mall's shops have moved into these strips and plaza's and into Destiny. I give Destiny another 10-20 years or even less and we'll be seeing it on some of these dead mall shows. Stores are already closing and a big story last yr of cockroaches found in the kitchen of one of the resturant's in the food court. Shopping town is a mall you dead mall documentary people should keep a real close eye on. Moonbeam (the company that owns Shopping town)says they're not going to close the mall but rather repurpose it. It'll be interesting to see if they hold their word and see video documenting it's repurpose because there's quite a few people that see this mall heading in the same direction as Rolling Acres mall.
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH @5:25
The poor guy must have been rushed off his feet 😂
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