I worked in Fashion Square from early 1994 to mid 1997, and it was really bustling. It's so weird to see it completely vacant like this. I miss the old Vive La France spot with amazing sandwiches on French baguettes that were delicious, but would cut the roof of your mouth to shreds. I saw a grown woman check a 6 year old kid into the register counter like he was a hockey player into the glass at Hallmark Cards because this woman was trying to get one of the last Beanie Babies available. And you could always walk around to the Ruby Tuesday's and get a bowl of Rattlesnake Pasta for lunch.
I remember getting my books and watching movies in this mall 40 years ago. Now it’ll be homes for people. Sad. I watched ET and return of the Jedi there in the 80s
There were 2 theaters there, if I remember, the General Cinema on like the backside of the mall (not facing colonial), and then the AMC right next to the Toys R Us (which is now Dick's Sporting Goods) and I believe the AMC theater itself is a Church(?). I don't remember much of the General Cinema but I saw a lot of movies at the AMC. The General Cinema one def closed like 10 yrs before the AMC one did. The theater inside there now is nowhere close to what either was back in the day.
This one hurts. I grew up with this mall. We used to go to the Peaches music store nearby, then hit this place up for lunch in the food court, maybe see a movie, hit up the stores for band t-shirts and tennis shoes. Time sure does fly.
Oh the memories as I watch this. This was THE mall to hang out at when I was a teen in the early eighties. Then, in 1985, The Florida Mall opened...and started the decline of the FSM.
My sister and I actually used to trick or treat at this mall (from store to store) for Halloween 1983-84, because it was too sketchy in my neighborhood for us to walk around at night. Fond memories…
Bruh your music at the beginning of the video sent me into a dream, why cant malls play this music and go back to neon lights like it used to. So many young people would go flocking.
EXACTLY!! I wish malls could go back to the days of neons, and music like the soundtracks of my videos. I wish some mall companies could give us a sort of retro throwback in a thriving mall.
@Bookworm214-y3d my local dead mall started doing that, several businesses came in after people started going back! They do tons of vaporwave all the time. Then I woke up
There was a mall in the downtown area of my city. The owners ended up turning the upper level into apartments. The big store windows are still there on each apartment. They've been made into foyers. There's a wall with a door beyond the foyers. Behind the wall is the apartment. When you walk through the mall, you can see how people have decorated their foyers with personal touches. Some are done up real cute. Since people in the city often don't own cars, many times there's bicycles stored in the foyers. Sometimes there is sporting equipment store there. I've seen some used as a library. It's fun to walk past & get an idea about the personality of the person who lives there. The only stores left are a Walgreen & TJ Max on the lower level. There's also a fitness club on the lower level.
I worked at Robinson’s during my last year in high school (‘76) and through 1981 before moving to Denver Colorado. At the time, every store front had a tenant and was a really hopping place!! After losing my job due to Covid, I relocated back to Florida and have visited the mall a few times, mainly for Dillard’s clearance center. So sad to see it pretty much totally empty. I reminisced about all the stores that used to be there like Burdine’s, York Steak House, Musicland and more. So sad so many malls across the country are ending up in the shape and eventually being torn down to build big box open air shopping centers, like they did at Colonial Plaza 😞😞. Time sure does change things….
This was my mall growing up in the 1970's. Have not been in it in many years. I still think it needs to be turned in apartments or condos. It is in a great location on east colonial dr area.
First time to see a dead mall I've been to from any channel I watch. So surreal. 😅 My old local mall was the Seminole Town Centre in Sanford, FL. From when I visited it October '22 and then again about six months later it changed so drastically. Hope someone does a video on that one some day. All malls deserve to be remembered. 🥺 I'm weird, I know. 😅
I usually visit once every 2-3 months. I love how cheap Premier Cinemas is and I go there a lot. When I was at the mall in the evening of September 12th 2024, I walked the entire interior before my movie started, Champs Sports had closed, which is a shame because I liked that location. The employees were super chill and very helpful. Not counting the anchors or Chipotle. The only national retailers left inside the mall are Hot Topic and Spencer’s.
So sad to see this mall in this state. I grew up going to this mall. I still remember going here in the 1990s to buy video games and shop for clothes. The two theaters across the street from it were ones I saw almost every movie from the 90s in. I think now one of them is a college and the other is a church.
We've lost a few more "stores" there since you shot this. The guy who owned the Juice place and the little ice cream restaurant finally closed the juice bar and now serves out of the ice cream restaurant. A couple of the office shops have closed as well. Sad to watch this.
I visit there frequently, since it’s near my house and has a Hot Topic and Spencer’s right there next to each other, plus a movie theatre- all good things for an Orlando teen. I remember I went once with a few friends and we were ecstatic to see such a high number of visitors- 21. The vending machines are still restocked regularly (I assume, since I haven’t gotten food poisoning yet), but the soda ads still have the old Coke Zero bottles on them. It’s sad to see it in such a miserable state. I still love it, though, as eerie as it may be.
Sad to see it like this but it was predictable. As of today I think its more like 5% occupancy. I was the operations manager of OFS from 2005-2012. I retired and left just before the sale to Up development, they were known for buying failing/defunct malls and I'm pretty sure they got it for a song and a dance. The theater didn't open until 2005, it opened shortly after I started. Its not other malls that caused OFS to fail. Its all of the retail in general in Orlando and mismanagement by PREIT. Colonial properties owned it prior to PREIT and sold it to them. Towards the end PREIT hired Crossman reality to help get empty space leased and they failed. It wasn't long after hiring Crossman that PREIT sold it to Up development who went bankrupt and now I believe the bank owns it. BTW, if you don't know, the land that the mall sits on is owned by the Maguire family. The owners of the mall lease the land from them. Its a 99yr land lease.
So this mall is 40mins from me & I don’t think I ever step foot inside but man this mall is HUGE! can’t believe how Dead it is.. west oak used to be the mall I went as a teenager but it’s also dead too.. The Florida mall is the one I go to in the Orlando area sometimes the outlets
I wish more malls would do all the cool neon lights and cool colorful architect again, with vaporwave music like in your vid! 💙🩵 I havent been to this mall, i need to check it out before i cant anymore, Anyhooo awesome video
I have not been since the reno and I feel like it was darker before. I went there a lot in the late 90's. I remember going to Wet Seal there a lot. I wish I could go to Hovan in the food court! I also lived in an apartment right near there in 2002.
Really fell the past decade. I can't understand the business aspect of malls these days. You'd think they'd lower rent so much that it would make people put businesses in them.
I know it costs a lot of money, but I'm sure the building could see some success if turned into housing. Assuming it would be affordable cause the last think Orlando needs are more "luxury" apartments.
I don't understand why the Cities don't offer incentives to reclaim these retail spaces for business parks with food courts or arcades and fun rooms with food courts, etc...they keep clearing land and building new which often sit empty for years. Wasteful and destructive to the beautiful FL nature we all love.
UP Development bought it for $35 million in 2013. It's easily worth $150+ million now. They are waiting to cash in for mixed use and apartments/condos.
There two malls like 5 min from each other one is for luxury brands millennia mall for rich people the other is for Hollister and middle class poor people(Orlando fashion square) they both are declining because nobody got the money to waist anymore not in this day and age on top of that there another mall in winter park and if you go even further there the Florida mall lol 😂 which has a little bit of both but huger then both other malls
What are your thoughts on Orlando Fashion Square, and what do you think it's future holds? I don't believe it has much time left as a mall.
Native here. Sad to see it go but memories will always hold
@@ERA_Productions I’m a Native as well and I agree with the other comment. I think it will close down. I grew up shopping there. A lot of memories. 🙏🏻
I love that they still put up Christmas décor.
What's really weird about this one is that the entire area immediately around the entire mall is and has been thriving.
Especially with Baldwin Park being right up the road
@@Zebrowsky79 Exactly! It's near downtown. Everybody broke probably.
Can't believe the old school hot topic is still in this mall
Same. I’m shocked it’s still there with the state this mall is in.
I worked in Fashion Square from early 1994 to mid 1997, and it was really bustling. It's so weird to see it completely vacant like this. I miss the old Vive La France spot with amazing sandwiches on French baguettes that were delicious, but would cut the roof of your mouth to shreds. I saw a grown woman check a 6 year old kid into the register counter like he was a hockey player into the glass at Hallmark Cards because this woman was trying to get one of the last Beanie Babies available. And you could always walk around to the Ruby Tuesday's and get a bowl of Rattlesnake Pasta for lunch.
I worked there the same time period while I was in high school. Loved it!
Wow. Grew up in the '80s down the street in Winter Park, and this used to be one of the high end malls. RIP Burdine's 😢
I remember that store. I worked there! LOL They changed to Macys a long time ago I believe.
Live in Orlando and I haven't been to that mall in a decade. I watched Tron Legacy in the movie theater.
I remember getting my books and watching movies in this mall 40 years ago. Now it’ll be homes for people. Sad. I watched ET and return of the Jedi there in the 80s
There were 2 theaters there, if I remember, the General Cinema on like the backside of the mall (not facing colonial), and then the AMC right next to the Toys R Us (which is now Dick's Sporting Goods) and I believe the AMC theater itself is a Church(?). I don't remember much of the General Cinema but I saw a lot of movies at the AMC. The General Cinema one def closed like 10 yrs before the AMC one did. The theater inside there now is nowhere close to what either was back in the day.
This one hurts. I grew up with this mall. We used to go to the Peaches music store nearby, then hit this place up for lunch in the food court, maybe see a movie, hit up the stores for band t-shirts and tennis shoes. Time sure does fly.
Use to be such a vibe when I was a teen
Oh the memories as I watch this. This was THE mall to hang out at when I was a teen in the early eighties. Then, in 1985, The Florida Mall opened...and started the decline of the FSM.
My sister and I actually used to trick or treat at this mall (from store to store) for Halloween 1983-84, because it was too sketchy in my neighborhood for us to walk around at night. Fond memories…
Bruh your music at the beginning of the video sent me into a dream, why cant malls play this music and go back to neon lights like it used to. So many young people would go flocking.
EXACTLY!! I wish malls could go back to the days of neons, and music like the soundtracks of my videos. I wish some mall companies could give us a sort of retro throwback in a thriving mall.
@Bookworm214-y3d my local dead mall started doing that, several businesses came in after people started going back! They do tons of vaporwave all the time. Then I woke up
There was a mall in the downtown area of my city. The owners ended up turning the upper level into apartments. The big store windows are still there on each apartment. They've been made into foyers. There's a wall with a door beyond the foyers. Behind the wall is the apartment. When you walk through the mall, you can see how people have decorated their foyers with personal touches. Some are done up real cute. Since people in the city often don't own cars, many times there's bicycles stored in the foyers. Sometimes there is sporting equipment store there. I've seen some used as a library. It's fun to walk past & get an idea about the personality of the person who lives there. The only stores left are a Walgreen & TJ Max on the lower level. There's also a fitness club on the lower level.
I used to work there in 2016/17. The most activity would be in the movie theater when movies release. This brought me back 😭
I worked at Robinson’s during my last year in high school (‘76) and through 1981 before moving to Denver Colorado. At the time, every store front had a tenant and was a really hopping place!! After losing my job due to Covid, I relocated back to Florida and have visited the mall a few times, mainly for Dillard’s clearance center. So sad to see it pretty much totally empty. I reminisced about all the stores that used to be there like Burdine’s, York Steak House, Musicland and more. So sad so many malls across the country are ending up in the shape and eventually being torn down to build big box open air shopping centers, like they did at Colonial Plaza 😞😞. Time sure does change things….
Ah the memories, especially in the arcade
TILT! First place I saw and played SF2, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, so many memories!
Marvel vs Capcom for me
This was my mall growing up in the 1970's. Have not been in it in many years. I still think it needs to be turned in apartments or condos. It is in a great location on east colonial dr area.
First time to see a dead mall I've been to from any channel I watch. So surreal. 😅
My old local mall was the Seminole Town Centre in Sanford, FL. From when I visited it October '22 and then again about six months later it changed so drastically. Hope someone does a video on that one some day. All malls deserve to be remembered. 🥺
I'm weird, I know. 😅
I usually visit once every 2-3 months. I love how cheap Premier Cinemas is and I go there a lot. When I was at the mall in the evening of September 12th 2024, I walked the entire interior before my movie started, Champs Sports had closed, which is a shame because I liked that location. The employees were super chill and very helpful.
Not counting the anchors or Chipotle. The only national retailers left inside the mall are Hot Topic and Spencer’s.
Man I worked at auntie annes in that mall mid 90s.
So sad to see this mall in this state. I grew up going to this mall. I still remember going here in the 1990s to buy video games and shop for clothes. The two theaters across the street from it were ones I saw almost every movie from the 90s in. I think now one of them is a college and the other is a church.
The architecture indoors is quite nice, truly! Lots of nice curves on that 2nd floor
Nice work is always Andrew
Lets go cant wait you rock
I appreciate your support!!
We've lost a few more "stores" there since you shot this. The guy who owned the Juice place and the little ice cream restaurant finally closed the juice bar and now serves out of the ice cream restaurant. A couple of the office shops have closed as well. Sad to watch this.
It sucks to see the places you loved as a child/teen go under
I visit there frequently, since it’s near my house and has a Hot Topic and Spencer’s right there next to each other, plus a movie theatre- all good things for an Orlando teen. I remember I went once with a few friends and we were ecstatic to see such a high number of visitors- 21.
The vending machines are still restocked regularly (I assume, since I haven’t gotten food poisoning yet), but the soda ads still have the old Coke Zero bottles on them.
It’s sad to see it in such a miserable state. I still love it, though, as eerie as it may be.
it been go down for years. it been middle child between florida mall and outlet. it og mall like altamonte mall.
Love your videos!
Thank you!!
Sad to see it like this but it was predictable. As of today I think its more like 5% occupancy.
I was the operations manager of OFS from 2005-2012. I retired and left just before the sale to Up development, they were known for buying failing/defunct malls and I'm pretty sure they got it for a song and a dance.
The theater didn't open until 2005, it opened shortly after I started.
Its not other malls that caused OFS to fail. Its all of the retail in general in Orlando and mismanagement by PREIT. Colonial properties owned it prior to PREIT and sold it to them. Towards the end PREIT hired Crossman reality to help get empty space leased and they failed. It wasn't long after hiring Crossman that PREIT sold it to Up development who went bankrupt and now I believe the bank owns it.
BTW, if you don't know, the land that the mall sits on is owned by the Maguire family. The owners of the mall lease the land from them. Its a 99yr land lease.
imagine turning old malls into apartments alongside shops and grocery. that would be interesting.
Thanks for the video. This place is SO dead...wow. And bland. I am surprised Macy's is still open. Not looking good
This mall has been dying since the closed the navy base in 93. When that happened, we noticed a major decrease in foot traffic
So this mall is 40mins from me & I don’t think I ever step foot inside but man this mall is HUGE! can’t believe how Dead it is.. west oak used to be the mall I went as a teenager but it’s also dead too.. The Florida mall is the one I go to in the Orlando area sometimes the outlets
I wish more malls would do all the cool neon lights and cool colorful architect again, with vaporwave music like in your vid! 💙🩵
I havent been to this mall, i need to check it out before i cant anymore, Anyhooo awesome video
I have not been since the reno and I feel like it was darker before. I went there a lot in the late 90's. I remember going to Wet Seal there a lot. I wish I could go to Hovan in the food court! I also lived in an apartment right near there in 2002.
Kinda sad. It's still a beautiful structure. It would be a shame to tear it down.
great video
Really fell the past decade. I can't understand the business aspect of malls these days. You'd think they'd lower rent so much that it would make people put businesses in them.
Old native here, does anyone remember the statues of like acrobats on large marble balls? And also working fountains and real trees in the mall?
I know it costs a lot of money, but I'm sure the building could see some success if turned into housing. Assuming it would be affordable cause the last think Orlando needs are more "luxury" apartments.
@@MrTeamFoolish Most of the fancy apartment complexes are already full of section 8 tenants
Wow this place is done
Yeah, it’s on borrowed time at this point.
Do they have any plans to do anything with this mall? Like I’m surprised it’s still there. The west oaks mall is dead as well.
I don't understand why the Cities don't offer incentives to reclaim these retail spaces for business parks with food courts or arcades and fun rooms with food courts, etc...they keep clearing land and building new which often sit empty for years. Wasteful and destructive to the beautiful FL nature we all love.
So sad to see. How is it some malls in Orlando die but millenia mall is thriving?
FL Mall and Millenia are literally right in tourist area. most of the shoppers are out of towners (foreigners)
@@abp1400 The Altamonte mall is still thriving though.
UP Development bought it for $35 million in 2013. It's easily worth $150+ million now. They are waiting to cash in for mixed use and apartments/condos.
I wonder if they will have any trouble selling it for that since there maybe height restrictions due to the executive airport being right there.
We don’t need more apartments and condos in Orlando!
@@moonlightprincess449 Huh? Do you have any idea, clearly you don't, how large the housing shortage is here? What's your solution? 😔
@@moonlightprincess449 Yeah that’s not true at ALL
@@dpporlando yes I do everywhere I see houses and apartments it’s annoying af
I feel like I’ve been here but also I’m not sure. Dead malls have that weird look about them
Really sad.
The old management company screwed this place up badly
Lol ard's ard's
Those lights out on that Dillard’s sign is just a representation of this mall alone. 😂
i think its totally possible for young folks to gather in 80s dead mall and just chill at a very affordable price😂.
There two malls like 5 min from each other one is for luxury brands millennia mall for rich people the other is for Hollister and middle class poor people(Orlando fashion square) they both are declining because nobody got the money to waist anymore not in this day and age on top of that there another mall in winter park and if you go even further there the Florida mall lol 😂 which has a little bit of both but huger then both other malls