I know this mall very well. It is quite a bit different than most dead malls in that it never really had a glory period. It opened in March of 89, 50 million dollars over budget (cost was 250 million). The high end department stores were a bad choice, as was the location. But, it was an interesting experiment, as it was really the first super-mall in the country. They were really banking on the mall itself drawing in customers. And it did, but people only really need to see something like that once or twice, then convenience/price etc... take precedence. After all the re-developments and expansions it now clocks in at a whopping 1.94 million square feet of retail space. But, on the inside, it is actually much larger than that. As they have whopping 50-foot-wide concourses, and elevated ceilings that aren't counted in the retail space, that make the place just enormous. Believe it or not, the mall was originally designed with the elevated ceilings because if it took off they were actually going to put a 3rd floor on this sucker. Now onto some of the fun facts. The mall originally had two food courts, both on the 2nd and 1st floors. Same location as the current food court. There were 24 restaurants at it's peak. The 2nd story food court caught on fire, and they just walled it off with drywall for years. Late 90s they finally took down the drywall and put in a gym (this was during the 3rd renovation of the mall by Gator Investments). The center concourse (where you saw the flying pigs) you were walking in originally had a labyrinth of concourses/walking paths (these were all taken out during the Mills renovation--the 4th and final renovation of the mall). There were sunken areas in the main court, and all sorts of walking paths for a kid to run around in. The food court area you liked was actually a huge hangout place for teens from 89-96. It was called Time Out on the Court. On the one side you had the food court. On the other side you had the largest arcade in the country (it was ran by Sega). Also, you had tons of rides and carnival style games. And I mean tons. You had a bumper car rink. You had laser tag. In the middle, between the food court and arcade, you had a huge Ferris wheel. And off to the side you had a large carousel and 18 hole put-put golf course. At the far end was the 2nd run movie theater. Problem is, the mall was never successful. It was at 50% occupancy within the first year. It would fluctuate between 35-75% for about 15 years. I can remember running down hallways, and there just being no stores in sight. And this was 93-97. In some of the hallways you walked through the store fronts probably only had actual stores in them for 2 years out of the 28 years the mall has been in existence (the opening year, and 2004 when Mills booked it to 94% occupancy). I don't want to say the mall was ever dangerous, as I think that was overblown, and I spent countless hours there during the 90s. But it was more ethnically and financially diverse than the crowds you would see at a mall like Kenwood. My guess is some of the suburban house wives probably were a little hesitant about shopping because of that (another reason for the failure). Because of this fear they actually started checking your IDs for a time period when you tried to enter the mall. Teenagers had to have parents with them on Friday nights and on the weekends. If you were with a group of your friends the mall security would try and separate you. There was a rule against wearing your hat backwards, but they didn't enforce it too much. If you want to see what the mall originally looked like (it was totally different than the mall you saw) below is a video about the grand opening. Skip to 5:35, that is when they show the mall. This was before they put in the Ferris wheel, as that came about 6 months or so later. ua-cam.com/video/gqz7ftDEqgs/v-deo.html
in 93, 94, 95, i remember first run movies being shown at the theatre at the end of the video by the police station, and i remember the restrooms being done in a black marble if i remember correctly.
Just a great walk through & insight into mall culture. It's fantastic getting a different perspective; gotta love the angles in the narration. 7:05 is a great footage too; the turquoise blue -> green -> salmon and sky-blue guided by amber ceiling lights is a great retrospect on 90's decor.
Another great video. You are my favorite dead mall guy on UA-cam. Also, thanks to your daughter for tolerating our weird fascination with dead malls and accompanying you in these malls.
Thanks for saying that man! My daughter is a champ. My actual job is owning a landscaping company and my daughter works with me during the summer doing all the same work as me in the heat of the Texas summer. She's a trooper.
I have lived in Cincinnati Ohio for 35 years it first opened up in 1989 I remember when it add a Biggs store in the mall I can't believe it's a dead malls now.
I used to work as a mall guard. I loved the night shift after most of the lights were turned off. I would hear butt tons of weird building noises. The roof would snap and pop all night as the temps outside would cool off. On a windy night the front gates of the anchor stores would shake and rattle. It takes a special breed of weirdo to enjoy the night shift and I loved it, noises and all.
That movie theatre on the top level was actually a Showcase Cinemas and it showed first run movies. It opened in the early 2000's and closed in 2010. The one on the ground floor (the Screens) was first called Super Saver Cinemas and then Danberry Cinemas. It's been closed since 2015. Believe it or not...this used to be a hot spot for kids back in the 90's. I used to live in Fairfield so I know what I'm talking about. This mall really started going downhill throughout the mid/late 90's and it was closed then reopened as Cincinnati Mills in 2004. A word to the wise...don't hang around there too late at night. Never use the bathrooms or the parking garage there either. A very skeezy place these days with some questionable people milling around in there.
Good stuff man. I appreciate the info on the theaters, but I am a little surprised to hear about the unsavory crowd hanging out here at night. This place seems a bit out of the way to be a hangout destination, and the place seemed fairly well kept. I guess the mood changes at night!
Lol...guess so. The parking garage is notorious for people getting jumped/mugged in. There's been a lot of reports of that. Some of the people that arcade attracts are kinda thiggish. I just wouldn't hang around too late at night. The place used to be jumpin on the weekends believe it or not. It had some popular clubs etc. it's a shell of it's former self which is sad.
Did the interior look like how it is now? It's amazingly colourful for a place that declined so much. And the flying pigs really made me wonder if it's a metaphor for "this place will thrive again when pigs fly."
No. The place was kind of a mix of really loud and disorienting (the original Super Saver Cinemas has this weird flickering effect) and Time Out! On the Court had the look of an arcade on steroids...lol. The rest of the mall was pretty ritzy looking. All of what you see now came from the 2004 renovation.
Liquorhead I'll second that! Your solid camera work, candid narration, and enthusiasm for what you're doing is refreshing! You're a fresh insight into the dead mall topic, you don't sugar coat it, you present it as it is.. what more could we ask for? Keep the videos coming!
Went there the other week. Now it's actually kinda scary inside of there. Somehow it re-opened its doors after the stay at home order was rescinded and the place is disintegrating rapidly. Did not feel entirely safe walking around. The restrooms are just... No. No soap, paper towels, restroom stall doors and uh... Even missing toilet seats.
My kids call it "The Spooky Mall" We had been in there when Baby's R Us was there, while walking through we heard a creepy laugh echoing down the halls. Had us looking around for like a Chucky doll or something.
Fantastic video. I live near the mall and I’ve been documenting this place for the last 3 years hoping to capture any changes. I will eventually make a video on this place.
Enjoyed your commentary very much. Seems like a cool experience to share with your daughter. Wondered if you drove around this mall? The back of the mall outside is kind of interesting with a parking garage and old night club entrance. Nobody ever shows the 460 foot long wall of unfinished drywall they used to block off part of this mall. It's on the second level across from the fitness center. There are six operating businesses here. Bee Fit fitness, Arcade Legacy, Bouncy House Ninja Course, Kohl's, Babies R Us and Bass Pro Shops. Plus a portable bungee next to the arcade. I was there about three weeks ago on a Sunday. There were about 60 or 70 people in the arcade while we were there. We saw probably about 30 other people walking around the mall. Plus 4 skateboarders inside. Not quite so perfectly dead as in your video but close ;)
kinda crazy i was listening to massive attacks protection walking around in there, which for me takes me back to the early 2000's. Then you play a teardrop remix!
The movies upstairs was the 1st run movies and the ones downstairs by the food court were the danberry dollarsaver, offering 2nd run movies on smaller screens and less comfortable seating for 3bucks. 1.75$ was only on Tuesdays. It lasted much longer than the movies upstairs, which I remember closing around 2008 or 2009 when the rest of the good stores left. I used to go to the food court and subway and the Japanese place were about the only surviving restaurants there, then go see a movie often. There used to be a night club if you went to the top of the parking garage. Who knows if that's still open or not? I left in 2011
The blue theater was actually the full-line theater called Showcase Cinemas 10, and the one below was the dollar cinema, Danbarry Dollar Saver Cinemas 8
I can still clearly remember the day this mall opened. I spent most of the 1990s shopping at this mall. It's sad to see it end up like this. I think Biggs' departure was the final straw.
Fun fact: You can play a drinking game based on how many times I say "you know" in this video. I gotta work on that. Very annoying, but I didn't notice it until after it was already uploaded. Ah well.
The Theater bellow is the original theater the Showcase Cinemas opened after renovation in 2002 to 2004 before the reno it had a carousel and roller coster ride it had a gold mirror bulkhead towards biggs and fashion light lighting it had a 80s feel to it
The mall had too many high end stores like Parisians, Elder Beerman etc and people did not want to spend top dollars for their products. The Winton road side of the mall featured a bus transit system to transport people in from neighboring states. 2004 was the rebirth of the mall with new stores and management which was short lived . The mall featured a Biggs grocery store and gym in the late 90s and early 2000. High rent drove many vendors out . Bass pro shop moving to West Chester etc. Mercy hospital was going to buy this mall/ property to turn it into a elderly convalescent facility, but the price was too high.
Thanks! And actually I didn't, although I did eat at the Burger King in the mall parking lot and should have probably taken a better survey of my surroundings, but alas, I did not.
At one point in the early 1990s there was an entertainment complex with several bars and restaurants. The play section was cool. There was a lot going on at Forest Fair, but it never fully met its potential. Too many expensive stores that didn't fit the nearby demographics. The Bass Pro Shop has been keeping it afloat for years, but its days are also probably numbered.
I really hope you go back to making these mall videos. You did a great job with the videos you made. I like how you just talk off the cuff. Please come back.
After most of the stores closed by biggs, they closed the whole sector. It looks like every sector is reopened again. There used to be so many security guards on segways everywhere you went around there
Was a nice mall at one time we got a lot of dicounts items there from the Wilson leather, and several other stores, j loved the little play area with the roller coaster, and bumper cars and games it was a childs haven, I took pic of J with the mannequins there too, she always wanted to pose like them Hope Tri county is not next #justsayn
It baffles the mind of the 100's of millions, perhaps billions of money lost in these malls. They really have their pick of malls to choose from any post apocalyptic movie.
this mall is well known as the 70 million dollar mistake . . its been sold many times with each new owner unable to bring the people back . . so now this mall will eventually close down and be demolished
I remember one of the last times I was there . me and a few friends were leaving the second floor movies when there crazy security started harassing us. they shot themselves in the foot with image of a unsafe place .
A very good video. Perhaps the original owners should have done more detailed market research. Malls attract 90 percent of it's customers locally. You're not going to sell high end items to an area with limited high end buyers. I'm guessing the Bass Pro Store is probably still making a profit.
I know this mall very well. It is quite a bit different than most dead malls in that it never really had a glory period. It opened in March of 89, 50 million dollars over budget (cost was 250 million). The high end department stores were a bad choice, as was the location. But, it was an interesting experiment, as it was really the first super-mall in the country. They were really banking on the mall itself drawing in customers. And it did, but people only really need to see something like that once or twice, then convenience/price etc... take precedence. After all the re-developments and expansions it now clocks in at a whopping 1.94 million square feet of retail space. But, on the inside, it is actually much larger than that. As they have whopping 50-foot-wide concourses, and elevated ceilings that aren't counted in the retail space, that make the place just enormous. Believe it or not, the mall was originally designed with the elevated ceilings because if it took off they were actually going to put a 3rd floor on this sucker.
Now onto some of the fun facts. The mall originally had two food courts, both on the 2nd and 1st floors. Same location as the current food court. There were 24 restaurants at it's peak. The 2nd story food court caught on fire, and they just walled it off with drywall for years. Late 90s they finally took down the drywall and put in a gym (this was during the 3rd renovation of the mall by Gator Investments).
The center concourse (where you saw the flying pigs) you were walking in originally had a labyrinth of concourses/walking paths (these were all taken out during the Mills renovation--the 4th and final renovation of the mall). There were sunken areas in the main court, and all sorts of walking paths for a kid to run around in.
The food court area you liked was actually a huge hangout place for teens from 89-96. It was called Time Out on the Court. On the one side you had the food court. On the other side you had the largest arcade in the country (it was ran by Sega). Also, you had tons of rides and carnival style games. And I mean tons. You had a bumper car rink. You had laser tag. In the middle, between the food court and arcade, you had a huge Ferris wheel. And off to the side you had a large carousel and 18 hole put-put golf course. At the far end was the 2nd run movie theater.
Problem is, the mall was never successful. It was at 50% occupancy within the first year. It would fluctuate between 35-75% for about 15 years. I can remember running down hallways, and there just being no stores in sight. And this was 93-97. In some of the hallways you walked through the store fronts probably only had actual stores in them for 2 years out of the 28 years the mall has been in existence (the opening year, and 2004 when Mills booked it to 94% occupancy).
I don't want to say the mall was ever dangerous, as I think that was overblown, and I spent countless hours there during the 90s. But it was more ethnically and financially diverse than the crowds you would see at a mall like Kenwood. My guess is some of the suburban house wives probably were a little hesitant about shopping because of that (another reason for the failure). Because of this fear they actually started checking your IDs for a time period when you tried to enter the mall. Teenagers had to have parents with them on Friday nights and on the weekends. If you were with a group of your friends the mall security would try and separate you. There was a rule against wearing your hat backwards, but they didn't enforce it too much.
If you want to see what the mall originally looked like (it was totally different than the mall you saw) below is a video about the grand opening. Skip to 5:35, that is when they show the mall. This was before they put in the Ferris wheel, as that came about 6 months or so later.
ua-cam.com/video/gqz7ftDEqgs/v-deo.html
Great comment! I knew about some of this but certainly not all. Thanks for sharing this!
geniusMoment I loved this mall as a kid so sad to see what it as became.
Loved this mall when it open!! You described it perfectly!! It was really a fun place to shop & hangout as a teenager!!
in 93, 94, 95, i remember first run movies being shown at the theatre at the end of the video by the police station, and i remember the restrooms being done in a black marble if i remember correctly.
Maybe only on opening day and just 6 months after that was the only glory days of the mall
Just a great walk through & insight into mall culture. It's fantastic getting a different perspective; gotta love the angles in the narration. 7:05 is a great footage too; the turquoise blue -> green -> salmon and sky-blue guided by amber ceiling lights is a great retrospect on 90's decor.
Thanks for the kind words!
Another great video. You are my favorite dead mall guy on UA-cam. Also, thanks to your daughter for tolerating our weird fascination with dead malls and accompanying you in these malls.
Thanks for saying that man! My daughter is a champ. My actual job is owning a landscaping company and my daughter works with me during the summer doing all the same work as me in the heat of the Texas summer. She's a trooper.
Intriguing choice of music mid way through the video. Massive Attack's "Tear Drop" One of my fave groups.
I have lived in Cincinnati Ohio for 35 years it first opened up in 1989 I remember when it add a Biggs store in the mall I can't believe it's a dead malls now.
I used to work as a mall guard. I loved the night shift after most of the lights were turned off. I would hear butt tons of weird building noises. The roof would snap and pop all night as the temps outside would cool off. On a windy night the front gates of the anchor stores would shake and rattle. It takes a special breed of weirdo to enjoy the night shift and I loved it, noises and all.
AngryFlagman I bet that was a very interesting job. Forest Fair has always fascinated me.
That movie theatre on the top level was actually a Showcase Cinemas and it showed first run movies. It opened in the early 2000's and closed in 2010. The one on the ground floor (the Screens) was first called Super Saver Cinemas and then Danberry Cinemas. It's been closed since 2015. Believe it or not...this used to be a hot spot for kids back in the 90's. I used to live in Fairfield so I know what I'm talking about. This mall really started going downhill throughout the mid/late 90's and it was closed then reopened as Cincinnati Mills in 2004.
A word to the wise...don't hang around there too late at night. Never use the bathrooms or the parking garage there either. A very skeezy place these days with some questionable people milling around in there.
Good stuff man. I appreciate the info on the theaters, but I am a little surprised to hear about the unsavory crowd hanging out here at night. This place seems a bit out of the way to be a hangout destination, and the place seemed fairly well kept. I guess the mood changes at night!
Lol...guess so. The parking garage is notorious for people getting jumped/mugged in. There's been a lot of reports of that. Some of the people that arcade attracts are kinda thiggish. I just wouldn't hang around too late at night. The place used to be jumpin on the weekends believe it or not. It had some popular clubs etc. it's a shell of it's former self which is sad.
Did the interior look like how it is now? It's amazingly colourful for a place that declined so much. And the flying pigs really made me wonder if it's a metaphor for "this place will thrive again when pigs fly."
No. The place was kind of a mix of really loud and disorienting (the original Super Saver Cinemas has this weird flickering effect) and Time Out! On the Court had the look of an arcade on steroids...lol. The rest of the mall was pretty ritzy looking. All of what you see now came from the 2004 renovation.
Your mall videos are becoming my favorite series.
Ah man, I appreciate you saying that! I'll try to keep making entertaining vids.
Liquorhead I'll second that! Your solid camera work, candid narration, and enthusiasm for what you're doing is refreshing! You're a fresh insight into the dead mall topic, you don't sugar coat it, you present it as it is.. what more could we ask for? Keep the videos coming!
Floor cleaning shot at the end was epic...good job on the Vid!
Went there the other week. Now it's actually kinda scary inside of there. Somehow it re-opened its doors after the stay at home order was rescinded and the place is disintegrating rapidly. Did not feel entirely safe walking around. The restrooms are just... No. No soap, paper towels, restroom stall doors and uh... Even missing toilet seats.
My kids call it "The Spooky Mall" We had been in there when Baby's R Us was there, while walking through we heard a creepy laugh echoing down the halls. Had us looking around for like a Chucky doll or something.
Fantastic video. I live near the mall and I’ve been documenting this place for the last 3 years hoping to capture any changes. I will eventually make a video on this place.
Enjoyed your commentary very much. Seems like a cool experience to share with your daughter. Wondered if you drove around this mall? The back of the mall outside is kind of interesting with a parking garage and old night club entrance. Nobody ever shows the 460 foot long wall of unfinished drywall they used to block off part of this mall. It's on the second level across from the fitness center. There are six operating businesses here. Bee Fit fitness, Arcade Legacy, Bouncy House Ninja Course, Kohl's, Babies R Us and Bass Pro Shops. Plus a portable bungee next to the arcade. I was there about three weeks ago on a Sunday. There were about 60 or 70 people in the arcade while we were there. We saw probably about 30 other people walking around the mall. Plus 4 skateboarders inside. Not quite so perfectly dead as in your video but close ;)
kinda crazy i was listening to massive attacks protection walking around in there, which for me takes me back to the early 2000's. Then you play a teardrop remix!
When I wanna take pics/viddy of a mall I just bring my kid and act like i'm filming him...it's worked for me every time.
No doubt. It's a sound strategy.
The movies upstairs was the 1st run movies and the ones downstairs by the food court were the danberry dollarsaver, offering 2nd run movies on smaller screens and less comfortable seating for 3bucks. 1.75$ was only on Tuesdays. It lasted much longer than the movies upstairs, which I remember closing around 2008 or 2009 when the rest of the good stores left. I used to go to the food court and subway and the Japanese place were about the only surviving restaurants there, then go see a movie often. There used to be a night club if you went to the top of the parking garage. Who knows if that's still open or not? I left in 2011
Since watching these types videos is this the theme of Mills malls bright colorful kinda cartoonish look?
The blue theater was actually the full-line theater called Showcase Cinemas 10, and the one below was the dollar cinema, Danbarry Dollar Saver Cinemas 8
I can still clearly remember the day this mall opened. I spent most of the 1990s shopping at this mall. It's sad to see it end up like this. I think Biggs' departure was the final straw.
I would have loved that movie theater around me when I was younger. That would have been the coolest thing to do while saving money as a teenager.
Fun fact: You can play a drinking game based on how many times I say "you know" in this video. I gotta work on that. Very annoying, but I didn't notice it until after it was already uploaded. Ah well.
Liquorhead you are far too harsh on yourself man. ..watched Dan bell's video on this mall yesterday and I happen to like your's better.
Hey thanks bro! I really appreciate that.
Liquorhead just calling it likes I sees it.
You said you live in Sherman? You hear about that bad wreck in Anna today?
Liquorhead no, I didn't man. ..what happened?
The Theater bellow is the original theater the Showcase Cinemas opened after renovation in 2002 to 2004 before the reno it had a carousel and roller coster ride it had a gold mirror bulkhead towards biggs and fashion light lighting it had a 80s feel to it
The mall had too many high end stores like Parisians, Elder Beerman etc and people did not want to spend top dollars for their products. The Winton road side of the mall featured a bus transit system to transport people in from neighboring states. 2004 was the rebirth of the mall with new stores and management which was short lived . The mall featured a Biggs grocery store and gym in the late 90s and early 2000. High rent drove many vendors out . Bass pro shop moving to West Chester etc. Mercy hospital was going to buy this mall/ property to turn it into a elderly convalescent facility, but the price was too high.
The best video on this mall yet.
By chance did you notice if the old KMart Bldg over between Carmax and Home Depot was still vacant?
Thanks! And actually I didn't, although I did eat at the Burger King in the mall parking lot and should have probably taken a better survey of my surroundings, but alas, I did not.
u got the theaters wrong....That mall was my home for 20 plus years good video... was a amazing place for years even threw the ups an downs......
The other 2 malls in the area you refer to are doing better just barely. North gate and tri county are mostly dead.
At one point in the early 1990s there was an entertainment complex with several bars and restaurants. The play section was cool. There was a lot going on at Forest Fair, but it never fully met its potential. Too many expensive stores that didn't fit the nearby demographics. The Bass Pro Shop has been keeping it afloat for years, but its days are also probably numbered.
I really hope you go back to making these mall videos. You did a great job with the videos you made. I like how you just talk off the cuff. Please come back.
Great job
Thanks!
What editing software do you use ? Let me know wen your back in N Tx i could use some help trying to edid some vid
Ah man I'm trying to fake it until I make it! I do it all with a phone. I use iMovie until I can justify needing to buy a MacBook to the wifey.
After most of the stores closed by biggs, they closed the whole sector. It looks like every sector is reopened again. There used to be so many security guards on segways everywhere you went around there
Looks like a cool mall
nice video!!
Hey I'm going to Cincinnati next month. Is this place still open?
Yes sir. Enjoy.
Kip Paseo yes kohls is still there and bass pro shop
Wait!?! Did babiesRus close?
Creepersh Originals still open
Biggs leaving was the start of the final decline in my opinion.
The pig sculptures are oddly appropriate. This mall will rebound when pigs fly.
Was a nice mall at one time we got a lot of dicounts items there from the Wilson leather, and several other stores, j loved the little play area with the roller coaster, and bumper cars and games it was a childs haven, I took pic of J with the mannequins there too, she always wanted to pose like them Hope Tri county is not next #justsayn
1st thumbs up///sorry u didn't dig this mall..;]
Thanks bro and yeah... sorry I didn't show more positive enthusiasm for this place. Maybe next time.
It baffles the mind of the 100's of millions, perhaps billions of money lost in these malls. They really have their pick of malls to choose from any post apocalyptic movie.
I played hide and seek with my friends here yesterday 😂
this mall is well known as the 70 million dollar mistake . . its been sold many times with each new owner unable to bring the people back . . so now this mall will eventually close down and be demolished
I remember one of the last times I was there . me and a few friends were leaving the second floor movies when there crazy security started harassing us. they shot themselves in the foot with image of a unsafe place .
Are you sure you didn't mean to use "Welcome to the Jungle" to open?
High blue hair, what a freak!
A very good video. Perhaps the original owners should have done more detailed market research. Malls attract 90 percent of it's customers locally. You're not going to sell high end items to an area with limited high end buyers. I'm guessing the Bass Pro Store is probably still making a profit.
Flying pigs? Now I'm thinking of Pink Floyd, and the Animals album.
10:15 randomly walks up to a random girl
Says video is not available?
That was a Starbucks in the middle section.
its complete helter skelter, everywhere you look its a different color a different shape. its just too confusing looking.
Hope that's your daughter you're following and filming? or I might have to report you to the Internet Police.
Like your videos, but please don't drink and drive.
All of my voiceovers are done from the relative safety and comfort of my own house.
My bad, thought you meant you were a few drinks in before you went to the mall. Liking your style with the comments.
Thank you!
😪😪😪😪😪
Zionism is to blame.