I worked there in the early 2000s. It was so busy. It was very hard to find parking. Always loud, bustling. In the food court there used to be beautiful paintings of angels on the ceiling. Lots of good food choices. It used to be a really good place to hang out.
Holy shit I just clicked on this video because I only ever went to this mall maybe one time and wanted to see how it was doing and then I recognize @0:31 that employee that starts the countdown was our head manager at the Gamestop warehouse in Grapevine, TX. I started working there Summer 2001 so he transferred from that store to the warehouse in-between that video and before I started working there. So crazy to randomly see someone I knew 23 years ago. Probably nobody cares but it's a different feeling seeing someone again on video after so long when you weren't expecting to. 🤔
This was my childhood/teen years mall. I was 7 when it opened. It was called Music City mall the last time I was there a few years back, which didn’t make sense. This mall had everything back in the day. Thank you for the tour.
I visited this mall when i was in a 8 hour layover at DFW airport, I booked an uber and i got to explore this mall in September 2024, this may be one of the most breathtaking malls i have ever explored, the place seemed so familiar yet i had never been there before. It was a getaway from the chaos of an airport and i look back on it as the highlight of my trip going back to St louis.
25:06 This actually helped more than it hurt. Minus the UA theater eventually becoming Studio Movie Grill, Lewisville had lost all of its regular movie theaters by this point. The old mall theater was all that was left, and it was really dated and musty. The new cinemark was a major upgrade, and since they were already there to see a movie, it added some foot traffic back to the mall itself. There were more talks of the mall shutting down around the time they did the new theater, and this absolutely bought it more time.
Wow, I lived in Lewisville and worked at this mall back in 95-97 at Sears in my last years of Lewisville high school and I remember when this mall used to be jam-packed. Parking lots always full. I haven't been to this mall in years so it's wild to see it dead and empty.
I live in Lewisville...since 2017, have never stepped foot in this place. With the inception of online shopping malls have almost become obsolete... except for Northpark Mall. That place will never fold 😂
I moved to Valley Ranch in 1988 and then to Coppell in 1991. I took my toddlers to VRM when it rained so they could get out and stretch their legs. I always went in through Dillard's. I have pictures of my kids with Santa and the Easter Bunny from here and one year, I took my Christmas card photo at the mall. My two boys stood in front of the big, wrapped boxes that I caught a glimpse of some at the 13:19 mark. I think they also had a Furr's at one point and we ate there a lot. I saw Titanic at the theater there. We moved away in 2000, and I have never been back. It's sad to see what has become of not only VRM but many malls across the country.
I’ve lived in the North Texas area for nearly 30 years and only remember visiting this mall one time. I needed to buy some dress slacks at Dillards for a new job back in 2017. Grapevine Mills and Stonebrier malls put a stake in the heart of that place.
It makes no sense. I've been to those other two and there is NOTHING special about them. I don't like GM because the layout is confusing and you have those ridiculous LOUD announcements by the entrances "YOU ARE ENTERING NEIGHBORHOOD 3!!" It isn't doing so well either. I still don't get why my dad's friend's kids loved to shop at GM when VR in its heyday had the same shops and the same brands. The only thing GM has over it is Rainforest Cafe and the food isn't even that good.
@@largol33t1that’s untrue. Grapevine mills was an actual outlet mall. You could buy name brand past season clothing for 20~50% off. if you were only shopping at hot topic or foot locker then yes they were pretty much the same but Levi’s, polo, Nike outlet stores were a big difference. Also GM was just a big roundabout lol
@@largol33t1It’s because GM has legoland, peppa pig land AND sea world. That’s the main attractions. Also they do have some good stores inside. But based on the kids stores I understand why there’s a lot of people because i believe that GM is the only mall over here with all three of those. I use to go to LegoLand and Seaworld almost every other weekend because it was close so i TOTALLY understand that.
incredible video, friend. this is my childhood mall and what sparked my own interest in dead malls after watching its decline over the years. it used to be a great mall, but it just simply couldnt compete with other malls in the area and in my memory that really started to show during the 2010s. the period it was Music City was by far the most otherworldly feeling, most of the times i visited there would be pianists playing in one of the halls, and it would echo throughout the mall (which was about as busy as in your videos). it truly felt like walking into a dream. ive been trying to follow the redevelopment plans and i hope they will be able to pay homage to the mall like they plan to, regardless of how bittersweet the destruction of the rest of it will be. i usually try to visit it a couple times of year to see whats changed and its somehow more empty every time. iirc the last thing 19:16 was was a clothing boutique, but it was a comic/ttrpg store before that; and 17:49 was a kirklands-like store that sold novelty home goods/gadgets in its heyday. honestly i feel like i could list what every store was at one point in time haha. i need to make another visit soon, thanks for the reminder. fantastic work
Every time I go here, it breaks my heart more and more. It gets emptier with each visit. My husband went to a Ham Radio convention there this summer. I can't believe how empty it was. 😢
I remember when this mall was built! I lived nearby in Highland Village. It was all the rage in the 90s… I also remember when Grapevine Mills was built- Hanson performed and I got to skip school with my 2 best friends 🤣. Mmm Bop killed…
I also attended the Christmas album release at Grapevine Mills. I was too young to drive, so my dad took me. After the concert and interview, he drove me to Marcus HS. I was on time, but I remember hearing over the announcements that anyone attending that would be marked unexcused. I just felt like it would be too embarrassing to admit. I honestly was afraid someone at the mall would recognize me, and out me, not realizing that in order to have seen me, they too had to have attended, meaning they liked Hanson as well. I pretty much wasn’t allowed to like anything, as anything I openly liked always seemed to become a source of ridicule. After school, my father gave me the Christmas album. Even though I didn’t really want it, he drove all the way back after dropping me off at Marcus. I later learned that they had opened GameWorks just for Hanson to enjoy in private. They ended up autographing the orange Indy car. A couple years ago, I heard one of their songs off that album. I started to cry. I still had that album, and it was STILL unopened. I think I even hid it from my husband. THATS how embarrassed I was! I don’t know if I had ever thanked my father. He didn’t have to drive me that early to the mall, back to school, and then return, just to purchase it out of the blue. I mean, it could’ve been a Christmas present, but it wasn’t. He just gave it to me that same day. I was surprised my mom even let him, as I could have been late to school. Heaven forbid I be late for school!
Awesome video! It was interesting to see the state of the mall today (like many others, I’ve had no reason to visit this mall for years) The PS2 midnight launch video was a nice touch
Living 10 minutes away from this mall, I spent my childhood there. Fun fact, there used to be three fountains, not two. The area where the live stage is used to have a massive fountain there too that they would cover up around Christmas ever year to make a stage for Santa. I spent so much time at the mall as a kid that I legit have a cringe worthy photo of me in front of the iconic hottopic doors from when I graduated high school lol My wedding ring was bought at the Blue Moon (the empty store at 35:01 and the Asian family who ran that store were super sweet. At least 15 years of my life was spent regularly going to this mall and It's depressing to see how it is today when compared to the mid 90's to early 2000's. Sadly Lewisville in general is starting to have a lot of stores die out. We even recently lost Barnes N Noble. Now the only bookstore in the city is Half Price.
Ahhh!! Thanks for the clarification! I didn’t even realize😅 I figured that stage was always sort of there.. but makes me wonder, could ALL of them theoretically be turned on again?
I lived in the Lewisville area in the late 90's and would go to this mall a lot, usually to visit Suncoast Video, Blockbuster Music and the food court. It's sad to see it in such an abandoned state.
It doesn't make sense to me since Grapevine Mills and Stonebriar Center are thriving and yet they have NOTHING special or new. In fact, VR actually expanded the entrance where an anchor was and turned it into a mini-mall called Zion. It even has a second food court inside. There is nothing special about Stonebriar Center and yet it's always busy on weekends. i hate going there because the layout of the roads is a nightmare. You have to make a U-turn coming off the 121 and jerk your car hard over 4 lanes to get to the entrance. Leaving is just as annoying because the outer area of the parking lot is like a massive roundabout with two-way traffic. It's a nightmare and when you get to the connecting road to 121, the traffic is coming at 50 mph, making it VERY difficult to merge. I don't understand why those tenants don't move to VR. It would be cheaper and there is pleeenty of room.
Such a pity. Used to be a very happening place. Malls in general are failing along with the anchor stores. I miss them. So much nicer of a shopping experience than shopping centers where you have to get out in the weather. Also I miss having more choices for in person shopping.
I use to go to Vista Ridge all the time when I was younger. I'd have nightmares of being lost in it with all the stores empty, so it was a surreal feeling going back after a long time and seeing it actually empty. The decline was pretty quick. I remember going around 2013 and it was still busy and had few empty spaces, and then about five years later it was mostly empty. DFW did a great job cannibalizing its malls. You could see The Galleria from the Valley View mall's parking lot. Really bad zoning. I hope the redevelopment actually happens. Valley View was supposed to get the same treatment 6 years ago, and it never happened.
This mall was one of my childhood malls. Thank you so much for doing a video of it 🙏 I feel like it’s very under documented. I grew up going to it around the tail end of its golden era. It was an amazing mall, and it captivated me with its retro aesthetics and cavernous ceilings. I have so many fond memories from this mall and still walk around it every couple of weeks and reminisce or just enjoy the calmness of the place.
My first job in high school was at this mall. In 1996 I worked at the Sears in this mall, it was awesome back then. Though I later took a job at the Grapevine Mills mall a couple years later.
Lake Dallas High School '82-'86 and Golden Triangle Mall was the center of my teenage "Fastimes at Ridgemont-esque " existence. I remember when Vista Ridge opened and stole the thunder from Denton. I currently live near the dead Ridgemar Mall in Fort Worth. It is kind of sad that these hangouts are turning into ghost towns even though I never bought anything from any of them. I'm assuming internet shopping has a lot to do with it.
many wonderful memories with my family at this mall. it's been sad to see it decline. its only two months older than me. also thanks for putting vista ridge instead of 'music city' (we all hated the name) or the vista lol
I surely remember when this mall was popping off back in 2007 when I was in middle school. Grapevine Mills Mall is like 10 minutes away from Vista, so its no surprise why its still barren. I still go there now just for Zion Market for groceries and stuff and Cinemark is still going strong too. There are usually seasonal anime art festivals and other events that are usually hosted there today as well. I just hope that this time capsule of a mall will be here to stay for a long time.
I find it interesting that Zion Market has pumped some life back into the mall. The place now has TWO food courts, the other is in Zion and caters mostly towards an Asian crowd. I still visit this mall when they have anime/manga conventions in the center atrium under the food court.
Thanks for sharing! This mall used to be one of our favorite hangouts as teenagers. Crazy to see how dead it is now. Reminds me of Valley View before it was torn down.
Back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s this mall was bustling and super busy. I always loved all the natural light. Even up until 2010 it was doing well. But all the development moved north and the constant construction of all the highways made it difficult to get to. Sad to see it in this condition.
I have always lived within a short drive of this mall and I have a ton of great memories going there with my family and seeing it around the mid 2000s. As a kid I had no idea that it was on the brink of dying but the signs definitely showed by the time I was a teen. It’s so surreal watching this. I remember this place having a Disney store, hot topic, pac sun, etc. glad to see the attention it’s getting tho!
A palm tree mall is the best mall. Plus, I think the exposed mechanics of the escalators is a neat aesthetic touch. Hoping to finally catch a live steam whichever mall it may be next!
Thanks for sharing. This makes me sad. I lived near here and visited often in the 90s with my kids. It was a really nice place. I blame the pandemic, bad economy and Amazon for it's downfall. Those Christmas decorations you showed today are quite sparse compared to the huge beautiful tree in the main courtyard they used to have and large hanging garland.
Thank you for another great dead mall video CDogg. The center court is beautiful though I doubt as beautiful as it was in 1989. As for the rest of the mall it feels very sterile. Outside of the main court there are few plants or neon to speak of. But, I’ve never been a fan of the turn of the century 1900 AD look with the painted steel bars exposed everywhere. It’s too hard, cold, and rigid. I prefer the warm, comforting feel of early 80s malls with the plants, fountains, neon, and tiny lights on the structural edges that produced a feel similar to Main Street in DisneyWorld at night.
I have many memories of this. I lived in Lewisville my Freshman year of HS. I would go and skateboard around the mall and get in trouble with security. Hang out with friends and such. Fast Forward a few years and I was a shift lead for AT&T Wireless selling 1,000s of Nokia 5165s and the mix and match faceplates that came with them. This was at Golden Triangle Mall in Denton just up the road (about 30mins) from Vista Ridge. I then became an Assistant Sales Manager at Vista Ridge and worked there for 6 months before moved to Stonebiar Center Mall after it was built. The food court was amazing at Vista Ridge. So much variety.
Really nice mall. Love the huge center court. Your videos never disappoint. The music choice is always fitting. Love the flags everywhere in there. I was in the 10th grade when this mall opened 😄. Hope you have a good weekend.
Wow, the guy talking about PS2 at the start takes me back. I worked at Electronics Boutique as the assistant manager at Vista Ridge Mall during the PS2 launch. I ended up getting a PS2 that was not picked up by someone who reserved it.
I was the Macy’s Loss Prevention Manager 2009-2010 before moving to the Galleria Mall. 2 things hurt that mall imo. Sitting along 35E, a lot of the residents around that mall worked closer to Dallas where Northpark and The Galleria ruled. Our store was pummeled with Returns originating from those locations, showing that a good portion of the local residents shopped at the other malls with higher end selections. Anchor stores had poorly executed offering what their demographics wanted and suffered the consequences. Stonebriar Mall down the road in Frisco also helped Vista Ridge’s demise like it did Collin Creek in Plano. The surrounding area was a little wonky too but nothing bad enough to affect traffic to the mall. Growth in the neighboring area like Frisco pulled traffic away too. Lewisville feels like a tired area and the mall reflected it. I worked at three successive malls that died for similar reasons; Valley View Mall, Collin Creek and Vista Ridge. Sad but it’s reflective of how communities change.
Its interesting to notice that the highway they were banking on from the start to increase the prominence and foot traffic of VR was inevitably what lead to its downfall. Once SRT was completed, what was once a 30-45 min trip to Stonebriar or GM was shortened down to 10-15 min which was huge for those living in that part of DFW. Not to mention the massive new mixed use developments that also came up in the last 15 years (both Legacys, The Star, Grandscape, and Southlake TC), it was an automatic death sentence for VR. Residents had better, newer and more exciting choices that were all suddenly very close by because of the new highway
I worked there in the late 90’s finishing high school. What a great place it was and what fun we had! It’s crazy to see how nice the mall really was and is even by today’s standards. The railings, metalwork, and planter boxes out over the corridor with no plants in them anymore. It’s sad.
Another Lewisville native checking in - thanks for making such an amazing video on this incredible mall! I hope you didn't sleep on Mr. Pretzel (in the old Sears court). They have the best pretzels, and it's so fun to grab one and walk around what's left of the mall!
I'm from North texas, I used to live in Lewisville where Vista Ridge is (I still live only 40 minutes away) and it's just insane how that mall went from bustling and busy, to... A shell. It's depressing. That mall, and grapevine Mills which is only about 15 minutes away were pretty impactful to Young me. I still can't believe it's a dead mall now, I went there about a year ago? 2 years ago and the state it's in was just depressing, just empty and no real major chains at all
Sears going out of business was the final nail in the coffin. It was struggling for a solid decade before that, but you could always count on people to come to Sears.
I worked at Vista Ridge back in 1994-96 at Sears. So sad to see what is now. Back in the day, it was hard to find parking even with that huge parking lot. There is a new Asian market in the mall which is really cool with its own food court. If you’re near the area, I recommend checking it out!
I’ll tell you what happened…. I remember the Vista being built. It was the biggest and best for a couple of decades. The surrounding town/cities didn’t have their own shops. Even when Grapevine Mills came and Vista was still solid. Same when Stonebriar came. The infrastructure lacked and made 10-20 miles a 45 minute drive. Once the completion of highways, housing and shops opened, Vista Ridge slowly made no sense to visit. Some retailers like Wet Seal, 5-7-9, and Arden B, filed and closed. Other retailers made the logical sense not to have so many stores only 10 miles apart.
Nice, my dead mall. I’ve been there many times - mostly for the theater and because it was near a Barnes & Noble (which regrettably has now closed). I have this weird fascination with how dead and empty it is - it’s a pleasant place to walk. It went through a phase a few years ago when it called itself Music City Mall, and would have locals playing music at various spots in the mall. That idea died out a while back.
Having lived near FM3040 for years, it is actually not a bad place for walking during summer evening. Place was kept cleaned and easy to get to and just be sure to park by the Korean market.
We used to go as kids in the 4th of July and cardboard box down the grassy hills lol. My brother would take me when i was little. I later worked there in high-school. Just 4 or 5 years ago took my own kids to see santa here. Crazy, i never thought about how a good chunk of life was spent there.
I remember when they were just scraping dirt to start building the Mall. Yeah, I'm that old. I haven't been there in years. Used to be such a busy nice Mall for shopping & walking around, but that was so long ago now.
I remember when they first opened their doors. It was so much faster to get there compared to Prestonwood Mall when I lived in Carrollton TX. The Mall is still here but looks abandoned sad to say.
I go and walk around this mall. I like to try and remember what stores use to be there back in the 90’s and 2000’s when this mall was popular. I use to take my kiddos there to play at the indoor playground back when it was located down by Macys and the movie theater.
3:25 this Ollie's used to be a toys r us. There was (is?) A Chuck e. Cheese in walking distance. It was a fantasy of mine to go to Chuck e cheese and toys r us all in the same day but our parents didn't spoil us like that.
I live in north Texas. I can smell the clip of vista ridge! We went all the time as kids and I even got my ears pierced there when I was 10. We went to Brown Bag concerts that were put on by KLTY, Christian radio station. It was absolutely packed.
Cool video Cdogg! I also watched the live stream that you did here. I want to correct something I commented in the live stream, i meant to put that amigoland mall is in southern texas, but thanks to auto correct it came out as Southtown texas, it is actually in The city of Brownsville
Retired malls could be turned into amazing residential buildings creating an entire indoor neighborhood! Especially for those with disabilities to learn community integration!
I hear people say this but modern building codes make such a conversion extremely difficult. Things like legal bedrooms must have an egress (generally a window) other than the internal door to the exterior of the structure are a big challenge.
I lived in Lewisville at the time. Worked at ti. The old Texas raceway was across the hwy and used to run my 510 around the track although not full speed because it's was torn up, anyway great job on this video and keep up the great work. Thanks for sharing
I didn't visit Vista Ridge as often as Valley View, which used to be my go-to mall. The main things I remember about VR are the anchor department stores, the food court, and the old Cinemark Movies 12 with its CRT video wall, showing movie previews. That was some cutting-edge, high-tech stuff back then. I remember there used to be a Wendy's, Chick-Fil A, Panda Express, and some express Japanese hibachi place inside the food court. I think the new Cinemark 15 opened in 2006, which replaces the old Movies 12. The last time I was there in 2012, there were many more shops with brand names than there are now. Word for word, Stonebriar and Grapevine Mills essentially led to the decline of VR. I even heard that Willow Bend are in the verge of declining as well. I hope they don't demolish this prime property; it's too young and beautiful for that. Perhaps they could redevelop it, similar to what they're doing with Collin Creek now that apartments and hotels are surrounding VR.
The Zion market that you talked about is an interesting topic. That development was seen by many as the final nail in the coffin for the mall. It occupied the old Sears space which was separated from the rest of them all and had separate ownership of the property. I believe that the Zion owners were not required to contribute anything toward the rest of the mall property because of this. I’ve been told that the Zion market has a very loyal customer base, but they very rarely venture into and make business in the other parts of the mall. And the Zion food market definitely killed the malls food court as it was direct competition. Most current customers come to the mall for the Zion marketplace and prefer to eat in its food court. I moved to this general area in 1991 and remember going to this mall the first time in either 1991 or 1992. So it was only two or three years old at that time which I did not know. I remember going to see Star Trek the Undiscovered Country at the theater in the Movies 12.
Oh wow love how much information you provide about the mall! So sad, in some way the comparison I am making seems off but I see it in a similar way, and that is in past history one hears about cities and towns being abandoned and all the malls all around our nation seem to be treated similarly. Who knows what it will all be like in the next decade.
I worked there in college between ‘92 and ‘95. First on the dock for Dillard’s and then in Electronics. Met some great people and have fond memories of the place.
This mall thrived for years and dominated the retail market in the northern suburbs. But, as you mentioned in this video, Grapevine Mills, Stonebriar, and Willow Bend opened one right after the other, taking business and market share. A decade into that, it became evident Vista Ridge was losing that battle. The rapid growth and wealthy residents had shifted to west Denton County as well as central and north Collin County. Much of Lewisville underwent rapid demographic and economic change. Signs of urban decay and blight begin to show, and the mall’s fortunes began to change.
I just moved to Lewisville 3 months ago, and just visited this mall for the first time last month. In my first week here, I didn't even really notice it was there, and I live literally around the corner from it! When I visited (for some kind of mini anime con), I remember telling my girlfriend "there needs to be a video on this mall." Well, I know what I'm watching this morning 😅 I came from south Houston, and the way I see Vista Ridge is that it is to Grapevine Mills what Almeda Mall is to Baybrook Mall. Both formerly thriving, but get overshadowed by the other.
@@Realjoshterrymusic Baybrook *to me* has gotten a little more boring, but maybe that's as I've aged and cared less about modern trends. I LOVED when Baybrook had the Disney Store on the opposite end of the food court from the WB store, they had Sharper Image, and some other gems. More recently, I only ever went there to hang with friends at Dave and Buster's that opened in 2015, and even they're kind of getting stale while trying to hype themselves up. In summary, Baybrook's alive and well, and they're certainly thriving. I like Grapevine Mills up here a lot better. Better clothing store choices (again, for me personally), a Round 1, and a better food court.
There’s actually a good amount of videos on this mall, mainly about the Jcpenny’s as the whole closing down of that was kind of controversial in the area.
Make sure to hit up the Korean restaurants in the Zion Market food court! Some great mom and pop Korean restaurants, including my favorite Korean fried chicken in DFW, Hot Some Chicken.
Zion Market is alive and well. They try to also do like a monthly artist market with cosplayers. It was a place I went to often with my friends when we were younger, it’s so sad to see it decline 😭 Grapevine Mills is thriving though
I also forgot to say Vista Ridge was apparently used as an on location set for a show, I can’t remember the name of the show, Dead Summer or something idk 🤷♂️
Not sure if it was unintentional but back in the day, entrance 2 was the entrance for people who wanted to reserve their walking energy for inside the mall vs walking through the parking lot. There were always good spots around that entrance.
When I was in junior high school my dad, sister and I made it our mission to visit every mall in Dallas Fort Worth for no reason whatsoever other than just to go. A father and daughter’s bonding experience. That was in the mid 1990s so while I recognize the names, I only vaguely remember the actual mall interior.
19:15 from what I can recall (last time I visited this mall was before Covid) this space was a comic book/trading card shop that also had tables for tournaments
I'm from Irving and I never really went to this mall that frequently but I went just for the movie theater a few times in the past year and i couldn't believe how dead it was. Also, the malls seem to close so early now, it makes it pretty much impossible for people to shop after work.
Funny enough when you mentioned the rolling giant, that mall was actually in Dallas before they bulldozed over it! I’m glad I got to see that mall in real life before then
When I moved to the Dallas Fort Worth Area in the early 90s, most of the major cities like Carrollton and Lewisville were undeveloped and the Mall was lit by Blue Lights that shined up into the clouds and you could see the mall as far out as 10-15 miles. It was a hopping place with Movies and Arcades and something going on in every corner of the mall! The facility is still in perfect condition and its a shame that there is no business!
I live in Lewisville. The only time I went there in recent years was either Bath and Body Works (which moved to a shopping center across the street) or the massage spa (it was one of the few where you didn't think you were in a brothel, but the male therapist messed up my shoulder on a chair massage so I haven't been back since). I have no reason to visit it now outside of maybe the Dillard's Outlet.
My crochet guild was trying to find a place teach crochet - for free. Someone insisted that we go to "the Vista." And we accomplished next to nothing. We did give a pattern and yarn to one person, and spoke with a few more. But there was virtually no traffic. We need to make another plan. (Yet almost 20 years ago, I spend many days in the mall putting together an exhibit for a charity, and it was so vibrant!)
A few years ago they changed the name to Music City Mall. I was completely unaware that Lewisville had taken that title from Nashville. I think they had plans to bring in local musicians to drive foot traffic. The mall in Denton TX also briefly tried the local music scheme. I think both quickly discovered that the only foot traffic that local music drives is to the exits.
Wow, I spent quite some time here in the 90’s. Not as much as some. My mom worked for Lomas. When Lomas HQ was built in Dallas, they relocated the trees from there to around the mall.We also attended several company picnics on the land owned by Lomas around Vista Ridge.
I used to live in an apartment just down the road from Vista Ridge when I lived with my parents from 2013-2016 and we would go to the mall constantly to see movies and just hang out around the mall afterward. One of the oldest pictures on my phone is from September 1st 2014 when my mom took a picture of me with my phone while I was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the Macy's (the area at the 20:25 mark) it was so weird watching this since I haven't been back to that mall since I left. 😢
I've seen videos where some cities have taken the 'dead mall' and converted them into small apartments, with small businesses. There' coffee shops and small restaurants within for the renters, plenty of parking ... they should renovate the damn things. All that $ put into them, and some are still gorgeous tho abandoned.
I grew up in the Flower Mound area, during the Christmas season our Boy Scout troop used to fundraise for summer camp by gift wrapping in Vista Ridge. We were usually located in one of the central plazas, except for our last year were the mall allowed us a store front. Back then the mall used to have a vibrant life about it, it's sad to see the slow decline in a really cool mall. Also that movies 12 was such a cool layout but the new Cinemark though was really a breath of fresh air when it opened.
Grew up and still live in Flower Mound. In the 90s, you pretty much HAD to travel to Lewisville for anything. You wanted to eat out, most of the restaurants were around/near that mall. Of course, back then, there really was a vista on that ridge. You could see both the Dallas and Ft Worth skylines. Unfortunately the town could not keep up with the demand on infrastructure, and it took an HOUR to drive from Flower Mound to that mall. It was ridiculous! We were literally counting the days for Grapevine Mills to open. We had been to both Potomac Mills and Gurnee Mills, and were excited to finally get one of our own. Grapevine Mills became the go to mall for most people because not only was it brand new, but it didn’t take an HOUR to get to.
I used to live near hear, and I remember back when it was packed. Even before Covid it had a fair amount of people but all the stores were leaving. It’s weird because there’s not a whole lot over there besides Grapevine mills and that’s dead too. You should do Irving Mall, now that’s sad!
@ it’s holiday season so yeah there’s gonna be a crowd there, but it’s nothing like it used to be and half the big stores are gone now. There’s only a few malls in the metroplex that are consistently busy, like North Park
@@JayBelafonte yup you can tell its dying. Went there recently and didn't see as many name brand stores as it used to have; way more mom and pop stores. Might be like Vista Ridge in a decade or two hard to tell though.
@@taejuny_ exactly, I remember when they had the flag ship stores and all the entertainment. Most of all that is gone and there’s nothing but a lot of Mom and Pops like you said. If they lose a couple of those big brands they have left, I see them becoming like Vista Ridge in 5 years or so.
I went to UNT 99-03. And we really did call it The Vista then. If you couldn’t find something real quick at Golden Triangle which was pretty much dead in 1999, you rode down 35E to Vista. My friends worked at Dillard’s and I think Macy’s too. It always looked very similar to Deerbrook Mall in Humble/Houston to me.
I was at UNT during this same time. You are so right. It was nothing to me to ride down to Vista ridge even as I worked at the Mervyns next to golden triangle back then. It's a bit sad seeing the mall now. I even hate the name lol
I was a freshman in 1990 and this mall was new. It's the place where every junior high and high school kid wanted to be. It was still cool in 1994 when I left town.
I used to go here a lot about 15 years ago. Moved away for years. Recently moved back and I can’t believe how dead it is now. I drove by yesterday and couldn’t tell if it was open or not .
That’s so cool!! It’s so neat that this mall in particular was home to so many such events back in the day. I really hope that with whatever new redevelopment it goes thru, it’s given the community aspect again.
I actually go to this mall semi regularly still. But not for the usual mall uses. A growing portion of the mall is becoming a little asian shop district similar to nearby Carrolton. They have a night club, a full grocery store, an asian food court, several restaurants including one of my favorite hot pot places. I think that will probably the salvation of this mall going forward.
I worked there in the early 2000s. It was so busy. It was very hard to find parking. Always loud, bustling. In the food court there used to be beautiful paintings of angels on the ceiling. Lots of good food choices. It used to be a really good place to hang out.
Holy shit I just clicked on this video because I only ever went to this mall maybe one time and wanted to see how it was doing and then I recognize @0:31 that employee that starts the countdown was our head manager at the Gamestop warehouse in Grapevine, TX. I started working there Summer 2001 so he transferred from that store to the warehouse in-between that video and before I started working there. So crazy to randomly see someone I knew 23 years ago. Probably nobody cares but it's a different feeling seeing someone again on video after so long when you weren't expecting to. 🤔
This was my childhood/teen years mall. I was 7 when it opened. It was called Music City mall the last time I was there a few years back, which didn’t make sense. This mall had everything back in the day. Thank you for the tour.
I visited this mall when i was in a 8 hour layover at DFW airport, I booked an uber and i got to explore this mall in September 2024, this may be one of the most breathtaking malls i have ever explored, the place seemed so familiar yet i had never been there before. It was a getaway from the chaos of an airport and i look back on it as the highlight of my trip going back to St louis.
Usually people go to Grapevine Mills Mall on layovers from DFW airport.
25:06 This actually helped more than it hurt. Minus the UA theater eventually becoming Studio Movie Grill, Lewisville had lost all of its regular movie theaters by this point. The old mall theater was all that was left, and it was really dated and musty. The new cinemark was a major upgrade, and since they were already there to see a movie, it added some foot traffic back to the mall itself. There were more talks of the mall shutting down around the time they did the new theater, and this absolutely bought it more time.
Wow, I lived in Lewisville and worked at this mall back in 95-97 at Sears in my last years of Lewisville high school and I remember when this mall used to be jam-packed. Parking lots always full. I haven't been to this mall in years so it's wild to see it dead and empty.
I worked at that Sears around that time too. I did merchandise pick up.
Me too!
I live in Lewisville...since 2017, have never stepped foot in this place. With the inception of online shopping malls have almost become obsolete... except for Northpark Mall. That place will never fold 😂
I moved to Valley Ranch in 1988 and then to Coppell in 1991. I took my toddlers to VRM when it rained so they could get out and stretch their legs. I always went in through Dillard's. I have pictures of my kids with Santa and the Easter Bunny from here and one year, I took my Christmas card photo at the mall. My two boys stood in front of the big, wrapped boxes that I caught a glimpse of some at the 13:19 mark. I think they also had a Furr's at one point and we ate there a lot. I saw Titanic at the theater there. We moved away in 2000, and I have never been back. It's sad to see what has become of not only VRM but many malls across the country.
I’ve lived in the North Texas area for nearly 30 years and only remember visiting this mall one time. I needed to buy some dress slacks at Dillards for a new job back in 2017. Grapevine Mills and Stonebrier malls put a stake in the heart of that place.
It makes no sense. I've been to those other two and there is NOTHING special about them. I don't like GM because the layout is confusing and you have those ridiculous LOUD announcements by the entrances "YOU ARE ENTERING NEIGHBORHOOD 3!!" It isn't doing so well either. I still don't get why my dad's friend's kids loved to shop at GM when VR in its heyday had the same shops and the same brands. The only thing GM has over it is Rainforest Cafe and the food isn't even that good.
@@largol33t1that’s untrue. Grapevine mills was an actual outlet mall. You could buy name brand past season clothing for 20~50% off. if you were only shopping at hot topic or foot locker then yes they were pretty much the same but Levi’s, polo, Nike outlet stores were a big difference. Also GM was just a big roundabout lol
@@largol33t1It’s because GM has legoland, peppa pig land AND sea world. That’s the main attractions. Also they do have some good stores inside. But based on the kids stores I understand why there’s a lot of people because i believe that GM is the only mall over here with all three of those. I use to go to LegoLand and Seaworld almost every other weekend because it was close so i TOTALLY understand that.
And Southlake turning their "downtown" into a shopping mecca.
Vista ridge was very full and popular still in the early 2000s. It didn’t start going empty until after like 2012.
incredible video, friend. this is my childhood mall and what sparked my own interest in dead malls after watching its decline over the years. it used to be a great mall, but it just simply couldnt compete with other malls in the area and in my memory that really started to show during the 2010s. the period it was Music City was by far the most otherworldly feeling, most of the times i visited there would be pianists playing in one of the halls, and it would echo throughout the mall (which was about as busy as in your videos). it truly felt like walking into a dream.
ive been trying to follow the redevelopment plans and i hope they will be able to pay homage to the mall like they plan to, regardless of how bittersweet the destruction of the rest of it will be. i usually try to visit it a couple times of year to see whats changed and its somehow more empty every time. iirc the last thing 19:16 was was a clothing boutique, but it was a comic/ttrpg store before that; and 17:49 was a kirklands-like store that sold novelty home goods/gadgets in its heyday. honestly i feel like i could list what every store was at one point in time haha. i need to make another visit soon, thanks for the reminder. fantastic work
this mall was my childhood
I wish I could’ve seen it in its prime.. it’s a beautiful mall even today
@@NorthCdogg22 It was nuts there when it was in its prime. Used to go there as a kid. Now Lewisville is too much like Dallas. Crime and drugs
Every time I go here, it breaks my heart more and more. It gets emptier with each visit. My husband went to a Ham Radio convention there this summer. I can't believe how empty it was. 😢
I remember when this mall was built! I lived nearby in Highland Village. It was all the rage in the 90s…
I also remember when Grapevine Mills was built- Hanson performed and I got to skip school with my 2 best friends 🤣. Mmm Bop killed…
I also attended the Christmas album release at Grapevine Mills. I was too young to drive, so my dad took me. After the concert and interview, he drove me to Marcus HS. I was on time, but I remember hearing over the announcements that anyone attending that would be marked unexcused. I just felt like it would be too embarrassing to admit. I honestly was afraid someone at the mall would recognize me, and out me, not realizing that in order to have seen me, they too had to have attended, meaning they liked Hanson as well. I pretty much wasn’t allowed to like anything, as anything I openly liked always seemed to become a source of ridicule.
After school, my father gave me the Christmas album. Even though I didn’t really want it, he drove all the way back after dropping me off at Marcus. I later learned that they had opened GameWorks just for Hanson to enjoy in private. They ended up autographing the orange Indy car. A couple years ago, I heard one of their songs off that album. I started to cry. I still had that album, and it was STILL unopened. I think I even hid it from my husband. THATS how embarrassed I was!
I don’t know if I had ever thanked my father. He didn’t have to drive me that early to the mall, back to school, and then return, just to purchase it out of the blue. I mean, it could’ve been a Christmas present, but it wasn’t. He just gave it to me that same day. I was surprised my mom even let him, as I could have been late to school. Heaven forbid I be late for school!
You should thank him now. ❤️
@@ringorollhe passed away in 2005.
Awesome video! It was interesting to see the state of the mall today (like many others, I’ve had no reason to visit this mall for years) The PS2 midnight launch video was a nice touch
@@Arei thank you!!
Living 10 minutes away from this mall, I spent my childhood there. Fun fact, there used to be three fountains, not two. The area where the live stage is used to have a massive fountain there too that they would cover up around Christmas ever year to make a stage for Santa. I spent so much time at the mall as a kid that I legit have a cringe worthy photo of me in front of the iconic hottopic doors from when I graduated high school lol My wedding ring was bought at the Blue Moon (the empty store at 35:01 and the Asian family who ran that store were super sweet. At least 15 years of my life was spent regularly going to this mall and It's depressing to see how it is today when compared to the mid 90's to early 2000's. Sadly Lewisville in general is starting to have a lot of stores die out. We even recently lost Barnes N Noble. Now the only bookstore in the city is Half Price.
Literally what I was waiting for forever 😭
BTW the mall actually had THREE fountains. The third was in the center court beneath the stage.
Ahhh!! Thanks for the clarification! I didn’t even realize😅 I figured that stage was always sort of there.. but makes me wonder, could ALL of them theoretically be turned on again?
I grew up there, thanks for the video! Class of Flower Mound HS 2004.
I lived in the Lewisville area in the late 90's and would go to this mall a lot, usually to visit Suncoast Video, Blockbuster Music and the food court. It's sad to see it in such an abandoned state.
It doesn't make sense to me since Grapevine Mills and Stonebriar Center are thriving and yet they have NOTHING special or new. In fact, VR actually expanded the entrance where an anchor was and turned it into a mini-mall called Zion. It even has a second food court inside. There is nothing special about Stonebriar Center and yet it's always busy on weekends. i hate going there because the layout of the roads is a nightmare. You have to make a U-turn coming off the 121 and jerk your car hard over 4 lanes to get to the entrance. Leaving is just as annoying because the outer area of the parking lot is like a massive roundabout with two-way traffic. It's a nightmare and when you get to the connecting road to 121, the traffic is coming at 50 mph, making it VERY difficult to merge. I don't understand why those tenants don't move to VR. It would be cheaper and there is pleeenty of room.
Such a pity. Used to be a very happening place. Malls in general are failing along with the anchor stores. I miss them. So much nicer of a shopping experience than shopping centers where you have to get out in the weather. Also I miss having more choices for in person shopping.
I use to go to Vista Ridge all the time when I was younger. I'd have nightmares of being lost in it with all the stores empty, so it was a surreal feeling going back after a long time and seeing it actually empty. The decline was pretty quick. I remember going around 2013 and it was still busy and had few empty spaces, and then about five years later it was mostly empty. DFW did a great job cannibalizing its malls. You could see The Galleria from the Valley View mall's parking lot. Really bad zoning. I hope the redevelopment actually happens. Valley View was supposed to get the same treatment 6 years ago, and it never happened.
This mall was one of my childhood malls. Thank you so much for doing a video of it 🙏 I feel like it’s very under documented. I grew up going to it around the tail end of its golden era. It was an amazing mall, and it captivated me with its retro aesthetics and cavernous ceilings. I have so many fond memories from this mall and still walk around it every couple of weeks and reminisce or just enjoy the calmness of the place.
“If you’re still watching” Bruh 😐 😂 Of course we watch the video to the end and the real ones hit the like button
My first job in high school was at this mall. In 1996 I worked at the Sears in this mall, it was awesome back then. Though I later took a job at the Grapevine Mills mall a couple years later.
I worked at Sears then too!
oh man i hope you do the Golden Triangle Mall in Denton!
It's just a normal crappy mall
It’s not dead
I SECOND THIS. Also, Nolan River Mall in Cleburne and Lake Air Mall in Waco.
@@matthewgreen8276as oppossed to vista ridge. Like what exactly made vista ridge not a "normal crappy mall" ?
Lake Dallas High School '82-'86 and Golden Triangle Mall was the center of my teenage "Fastimes at Ridgemont-esque " existence. I remember when Vista Ridge opened and stole the thunder from Denton. I currently live near the dead Ridgemar Mall in Fort Worth. It is kind of sad that these hangouts are turning into ghost towns even though I never bought anything from any of them. I'm assuming internet shopping has a lot to do with it.
many wonderful memories with my family at this mall. it's been sad to see it decline. its only two months older than me.
also thanks for putting vista ridge instead of 'music city' (we all hated the name) or the vista lol
I surely remember when this mall was popping off back in 2007 when I was in middle school. Grapevine Mills Mall is like 10 minutes away from Vista, so its no surprise why its still barren. I still go there now just for Zion Market for groceries and stuff and Cinemark is still going strong too. There are usually seasonal anime art festivals and other events that are usually hosted there today as well. I just hope that this time capsule of a mall will be here to stay for a long time.
AMC is at Grapevine Mills Mall, Vista Ridge Mall has Cinemark theaters. Either way it is sad to see this mall as it is now.
I find it interesting that Zion Market has pumped some life back into the mall. The place now has TWO food courts, the other is in Zion and caters mostly towards an Asian crowd. I still visit this mall when they have anime/manga conventions in the center atrium under the food court.
I love the music. Holy moly it's peaceful.
Thanks for sharing! This mall used to be one of our favorite hangouts as teenagers. Crazy to see how dead it is now. Reminds me of Valley View before it was torn down.
Thank you, this mall was my childhood. So many memories of being a young mallrat hanging with my friends, or holiday shopping with my family. RIP Tad
Back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s this mall was bustling and super busy. I always loved all the natural light. Even up until 2010 it was doing well. But all the development moved north and the constant construction of all the highways made it difficult to get to. Sad to see it in this condition.
I have always lived within a short drive of this mall and I have a ton of great memories going there with my family and seeing it around the mid 2000s. As a kid I had no idea that it was on the brink of dying but the signs definitely showed by the time I was a teen. It’s so surreal watching this. I remember this place having a Disney store, hot topic, pac sun, etc. glad to see the attention it’s getting tho!
A palm tree mall is the best mall. Plus, I think the exposed mechanics of the escalators is a neat aesthetic touch. Hoping to finally catch a live steam whichever mall it may be next!
Hoping you can too! This mall does have a lot of really nice aesthetics, makes it quite memorable!
Thanks for sharing. This makes me sad. I lived near here and visited often in the 90s with my kids. It was a really nice place. I blame the pandemic, bad economy and Amazon for it's downfall. Those Christmas decorations you showed today are quite sparse compared to the huge beautiful tree in the main courtyard they used to have and large hanging garland.
I grew up going to this mall when it was brand new and it was the best thing out there.I worked here as well and it was so busy!
Thank you for another great dead mall video CDogg. The center court is beautiful though I doubt as beautiful as it was in 1989. As for the rest of the mall it feels very sterile. Outside of the main court there are few plants or neon to speak of. But, I’ve never been a fan of the turn of the century 1900 AD look with the painted steel bars exposed everywhere. It’s too hard, cold, and rigid. I prefer the warm, comforting feel of early 80s malls with the plants, fountains, neon, and tiny lights on the structural edges that produced a feel similar to Main Street in DisneyWorld at night.
I have many memories of this. I lived in Lewisville my Freshman year of HS. I would go and skateboard around the mall and get in trouble with security. Hang out with friends and such.
Fast Forward a few years and I was a shift lead for AT&T Wireless selling 1,000s of Nokia 5165s and the mix and match faceplates that came with them. This was at Golden Triangle Mall in Denton just up the road (about 30mins) from Vista Ridge. I then became an Assistant Sales Manager at Vista Ridge and worked there for 6 months before moved to Stonebiar Center Mall after it was built.
The food court was amazing at Vista Ridge. So much variety.
Lol Golden Triangle Mall is only 15 minutes away
Really nice mall. Love the huge center court. Your videos never disappoint. The music choice is always fitting. Love the flags everywhere in there. I was in the 10th grade when this mall opened 😄. Hope you have a good weekend.
Thanks Seabee! Have a great weekend yourself!
I distinctly remember going to Al's formal wear, so i could rent a tuxedo for my circle of friends dances. They left some years ago.
You should do Irving Mall next, that place is really sad. Back in the early 90’s it was a nice place. Whole city of Irving fell off
Wow, the guy talking about PS2 at the start takes me back. I worked at Electronics Boutique as the assistant manager at Vista Ridge Mall during the PS2 launch. I ended up getting a PS2 that was not picked up by someone who reserved it.
I was the Macy’s Loss Prevention Manager 2009-2010 before moving to the Galleria Mall. 2 things hurt that mall imo. Sitting along 35E, a lot of the residents around that mall worked closer to Dallas where Northpark and The Galleria ruled. Our store was pummeled with Returns originating from those locations, showing that a good portion of the local residents shopped at the other malls with higher end selections. Anchor stores had poorly executed offering what their demographics wanted and suffered the consequences. Stonebriar Mall down the road in Frisco also helped Vista Ridge’s demise like it did Collin Creek in Plano. The surrounding area was a little wonky too but nothing bad enough to affect traffic to the mall. Growth in the neighboring area like Frisco pulled traffic away too. Lewisville feels like a tired area and the mall reflected it. I worked at three successive malls that died for similar reasons; Valley View Mall, Collin Creek and Vista Ridge. Sad but it’s reflective of how communities change.
Its interesting to notice that the highway they were banking on from the start to increase the prominence and foot traffic of VR was inevitably what lead to its downfall. Once SRT was completed, what was once a 30-45 min trip to Stonebriar or GM was shortened down to 10-15 min which was huge for those living in that part of DFW. Not to mention the massive new mixed use developments that also came up in the last 15 years (both Legacys, The Star, Grandscape, and Southlake TC), it was an automatic death sentence for VR. Residents had better, newer and more exciting choices that were all suddenly very close by because of the new highway
It’s is/was a great mall. We live like 4mins from it and I love waking my baby there on a rainy day haha. Or visiting the cats.
I worked there in the late 90’s finishing high school. What a great place it was and what fun we had! It’s crazy to see how nice the mall really was and is even by today’s standards. The railings, metalwork, and planter boxes out over the corridor with no plants in them anymore. It’s sad.
Another Lewisville native checking in - thanks for making such an amazing video on this incredible mall!
I hope you didn't sleep on Mr. Pretzel (in the old Sears court). They have the best pretzels, and it's so fun to grab one and walk around what's left of the mall!
I'm from North texas, I used to live in Lewisville where Vista Ridge is (I still live only 40 minutes away) and it's just insane how that mall went from bustling and busy, to... A shell. It's depressing. That mall, and grapevine Mills which is only about 15 minutes away were pretty impactful to Young me. I still can't believe it's a dead mall now, I went there about a year ago? 2 years ago and the state it's in was just depressing, just empty and no real major chains at all
Sears going out of business was the final nail in the coffin. It was struggling for a solid decade before that, but you could always count on people to come to Sears.
I never got the appeal of Grapevine Mills vs Vista Ridge, but it definitely became the new place to go. Haven’t been to GM in ages either.
Interesting mall and beautiful stonework. Thanks for the history and video!
I worked at Vista Ridge back in 1994-96 at Sears. So sad to see what is now. Back in the day, it was hard to find parking even with that huge parking lot. There is a new Asian market in the mall which is really cool with its own food court. If you’re near the area, I recommend checking it out!
I’ll tell you what happened…. I remember the Vista being built. It was the biggest and best for a couple of decades. The surrounding town/cities didn’t have their own shops. Even when Grapevine Mills came and Vista was still solid. Same when Stonebriar came. The infrastructure lacked and made 10-20 miles a 45 minute drive. Once the completion of highways, housing and shops opened, Vista Ridge slowly made no sense to visit. Some retailers like Wet Seal, 5-7-9, and Arden B, filed and closed. Other retailers made the logical sense not to have so many stores only 10 miles apart.
Can't wait to watch this later!
Nice, my dead mall. I’ve been there many times - mostly for the theater and because it was near a Barnes & Noble (which regrettably has now closed). I have this weird fascination with how dead and empty it is - it’s a pleasant place to walk. It went through a phase a few years ago when it called itself Music City Mall, and would have locals playing music at various spots in the mall. That idea died out a while back.
Having lived near FM3040 for years, it is actually not a bad place for walking during summer evening. Place was kept cleaned and easy to get to and just be sure to park by the Korean market.
We used to go as kids in the 4th of July and cardboard box down the grassy hills lol. My brother would take me when i was little. I later worked there in high-school. Just 4 or 5 years ago took my own kids to see santa here. Crazy, i never thought about how a good chunk of life was spent there.
I remember when they were just scraping dirt to start building the Mall. Yeah, I'm that old. I haven't been there in years. Used to be such a busy nice Mall for shopping & walking around, but that was so long ago now.
My daughter and I like to go to Zion Market for fun Korean snacks. We never knew anything was accessible past the Cat Cafe. Thanks for the tour!
I remember when they first opened their doors. It was so much faster to get there compared to Prestonwood Mall when I lived in Carrollton TX. The Mall is still here but looks abandoned sad to say.
such a cool video ! i learned so much about this dead mall
I go and walk around this mall. I like to try and remember what stores use to be there back in the 90’s and 2000’s when this mall was popular. I use to take my kiddos there to play at the indoor playground back when it was located down by Macys and the movie theater.
so nostalgic. I used to live in Lewisville just right off round grove. I actually almost bought my wedding band right there at Vista Ridge.
3:25 this Ollie's used to be a toys r us. There was (is?) A Chuck e. Cheese in walking distance. It was a fantasy of mine to go to Chuck e cheese and toys r us all in the same day but our parents didn't spoil us like that.
I used to fish behind it, had a nice spillway
Ollie's also took over and converted the old Mesquite Toys R US. It's a good building and floor space for them.
chuck e cheese is definitely still there
@@LoneStarCarper they added a marina and gravel parkinglot on the other side of the road from the toxic landfill lol
This place looks almost likes Savannah mall, but different developers.
Good choice on the jammzzzz!
🎼🎶🎉🎉
Thank you!!
Yep, I've been to both.
such a beautiful mall 🤩
@@katgoad agreed!!
It was really pretty in the early 90s when they went all out with the Christmas decorations.
I live in north Texas. I can smell the clip of vista ridge! We went all the time as kids and I even got my ears pierced there when I was 10. We went to Brown Bag concerts that were put on by KLTY, Christian radio station. It was absolutely packed.
Cool video Cdogg! I also watched the live stream that you did here. I want to correct something I commented in the live stream, i meant to put that amigoland mall is in southern texas, but thanks to auto correct it came out as Southtown texas, it is actually in The city of Brownsville
Retired malls could be turned into amazing residential buildings creating an entire indoor neighborhood! Especially for those with disabilities to learn community integration!
I hear people say this but modern building codes make such a conversion extremely difficult. Things like legal bedrooms must have an egress (generally a window) other than the internal door to the exterior of the structure are a big challenge.
love the videos keep them up please..
You got it!
I lived in Lewisville at the time. Worked at ti. The old Texas raceway was across the hwy and used to run my 510 around the track although not full speed because it's was torn up, anyway great job on this video and keep up the great work. Thanks for sharing
I didn't visit Vista Ridge as often as Valley View, which used to be my go-to mall. The main things I remember about VR are the anchor department stores, the food court, and the old Cinemark Movies 12 with its CRT video wall, showing movie previews. That was some cutting-edge, high-tech stuff back then. I remember there used to be a Wendy's, Chick-Fil A, Panda Express, and some express Japanese hibachi place inside the food court. I think the new Cinemark 15 opened in 2006, which replaces the old Movies 12. The last time I was there in 2012, there were many more shops with brand names than there are now. Word for word, Stonebriar and Grapevine Mills essentially led to the decline of VR. I even heard that Willow Bend are in the verge of declining as well. I hope they don't demolish this prime property; it's too young and beautiful for that. Perhaps they could redevelop it, similar to what they're doing with Collin Creek now that apartments and hotels are surrounding VR.
The Zion market that you talked about is an interesting topic. That development was seen by many as the final nail in the coffin for the mall. It occupied the old Sears space which was separated from the rest of them all and had separate ownership of the property. I believe that the Zion owners were not required to contribute anything toward the rest of the mall property because of this. I’ve been told that the Zion market has a very loyal customer base, but they very rarely venture into and make business in the other parts of the mall. And the Zion food market definitely killed the malls food court as it was direct competition. Most current customers come to the mall for the Zion marketplace and prefer to eat in its food court.
I moved to this general area in 1991 and remember going to this mall the first time in either 1991 or 1992. So it was only two or three years old at that time which I did not know. I remember going to see Star Trek the Undiscovered Country at the theater in the Movies 12.
Oh wow love how much information you provide about the mall! So sad, in some way the comparison I am making seems off but I see it in a similar way, and that is in past history one hears about cities and towns being abandoned and all the malls all around our nation seem to be treated similarly. Who knows what it will all be like in the next decade.
Another bop from Cdawg! Keep up the great work!
I worked there in college between ‘92 and ‘95. First on the dock for Dillard’s and then in Electronics. Met some great people and have fond memories of the place.
This mall thrived for years and dominated the retail market in the northern suburbs. But, as you mentioned in this video, Grapevine Mills, Stonebriar, and Willow Bend opened one right after the other, taking business and market share. A decade into that, it became evident Vista Ridge was losing that battle. The rapid growth and wealthy residents had shifted to west Denton County as well as central and north Collin County. Much of Lewisville underwent rapid demographic and economic change. Signs of urban decay and blight begin to show, and the mall’s fortunes began to change.
I just moved to Lewisville 3 months ago, and just visited this mall for the first time last month. In my first week here, I didn't even really notice it was there, and I live literally around the corner from it!
When I visited (for some kind of mini anime con), I remember telling my girlfriend "there needs to be a video on this mall." Well, I know what I'm watching this morning 😅
I came from south Houston, and the way I see Vista Ridge is that it is to Grapevine Mills what Almeda Mall is to Baybrook Mall. Both formerly thriving, but get overshadowed by the other.
How is baybrook? I grew up going there and katy mills I haven’t been to either in 10 years
@@Realjoshterrymusic Baybrook *to me* has gotten a little more boring, but maybe that's as I've aged and cared less about modern trends. I LOVED when Baybrook had the Disney Store on the opposite end of the food court from the WB store, they had Sharper Image, and some other gems.
More recently, I only ever went there to hang with friends at Dave and Buster's that opened in 2015, and even they're kind of getting stale while trying to hype themselves up.
In summary, Baybrook's alive and well, and they're certainly thriving. I like Grapevine Mills up here a lot better. Better clothing store choices (again, for me personally), a Round 1, and a better food court.
There’s actually a good amount of videos on this mall, mainly about the Jcpenny’s as the whole closing down of that was kind of controversial in the area.
Make sure to hit up the Korean restaurants in the Zion Market food court! Some great mom and pop Korean restaurants, including my favorite Korean fried chicken in DFW, Hot Some Chicken.
Zion Market is alive and well. They try to also do like a monthly artist market with cosplayers. It was a place I went to often with my friends when we were younger, it’s so sad to see it decline 😭 Grapevine Mills is thriving though
I also forgot to say Vista Ridge was apparently used as an on location set for a show, I can’t remember the name of the show, Dead Summer or something idk 🤷♂️
Not sure if it was unintentional but back in the day, entrance 2 was the entrance for people who wanted to reserve their walking energy for inside the mall vs walking through the parking lot. There were always good spots around that entrance.
When I was in junior high school my dad, sister and I made it our mission to visit every mall in Dallas Fort Worth for no reason whatsoever other than just to go. A father and daughter’s bonding experience. That was in the mid 1990s so while I recognize the names, I only vaguely remember the actual mall interior.
I was just about to go to bed and then I saw the new video
19:15 from what I can recall (last time I visited this mall was before Covid) this space was a comic book/trading card shop that also had tables for tournaments
Yep. My youngest used to go there for Pokémon tournaments. I think Covid killed that store.
Another great video. You always have the best music while narrating your video
I'm from Irving and I never really went to this mall that frequently but I went just for the movie theater a few times in the past year and i couldn't believe how dead it was. Also, the malls seem to close so early now, it makes it pretty much impossible for people to shop after work.
The Ollies you drove past used to be Toys R Us
Funny enough when you mentioned the rolling giant, that mall was actually in Dallas before they bulldozed over it! I’m glad I got to see that mall in real life before then
love this vid..34:59 makes a great sad mall pic lol....hope to go some day!...thx
When I moved to the Dallas Fort Worth Area in the early 90s, most of the major cities like Carrollton and Lewisville were undeveloped and the Mall was lit by Blue Lights that shined up into the clouds and you could see the mall as far out as 10-15 miles. It was a hopping place with Movies and Arcades and something going on in every corner of the mall! The facility is still in perfect condition and its a shame that there is no business!
I live in Lewisville. The only time I went there in recent years was either Bath and Body Works (which moved to a shopping center across the street) or the massage spa (it was one of the few where you didn't think you were in a brothel, but the male therapist messed up my shoulder on a chair massage so I haven't been back since). I have no reason to visit it now outside of maybe the Dillard's Outlet.
My crochet guild was trying to find a place teach crochet - for free. Someone insisted that we go to "the Vista." And we accomplished next to nothing. We did give a pattern and yarn to one person, and spoke with a few more. But there was virtually no traffic. We need to make another plan. (Yet almost 20 years ago, I spend many days in the mall putting together an exhibit for a charity, and it was so vibrant!)
It is called Music City Mall now. But this is amazing to see you highlight the mall I used to venture through as a kid, and work at!
@@lljaesungll it was called music city until 2022, I talk about it in the video
A few years ago they changed the name to Music City Mall. I was completely unaware that Lewisville had taken that title from Nashville.
I think they had plans to bring in local musicians to drive foot traffic. The mall in Denton TX also briefly tried the local music scheme. I think both quickly discovered that the only foot traffic that local music drives is to the exits.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I grew up in Denton and we would drive to Lewisville to go to the mall every other weekend because it was so much better than ours
Wow, I spent quite some time here in the 90’s. Not as much as some. My mom worked for Lomas. When Lomas HQ was built in Dallas, they relocated the trees from there to around the mall.We also attended several company picnics on the land owned by Lomas around Vista Ridge.
I used to live in an apartment just down the road from Vista Ridge when I lived with my parents from 2013-2016 and we would go to the mall constantly to see movies and just hang out around the mall afterward. One of the oldest pictures on my phone is from September 1st 2014 when my mom took a picture of me with my phone while I was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the Macy's (the area at the 20:25 mark) it was so weird watching this since I haven't been back to that mall since I left. 😢
I've seen videos where some cities have taken the 'dead mall' and converted them into small apartments, with small businesses. There' coffee shops and small restaurants within for the renters, plenty of parking ... they should renovate the damn things. All that $ put into them, and some are still gorgeous tho abandoned.
I grew up in the Flower Mound area, during the Christmas season our Boy Scout troop used to fundraise for summer camp by gift wrapping in Vista Ridge. We were usually located in one of the central plazas, except for our last year were the mall allowed us a store front. Back then the mall used to have a vibrant life about it, it's sad to see the slow decline in a really cool mall. Also that movies 12 was such a cool layout but the new Cinemark though was really a breath of fresh air when it opened.
Grew up and still live in Flower Mound. In the 90s, you pretty much HAD to travel to Lewisville for anything. You wanted to eat out, most of the restaurants were around/near that mall. Of course, back then, there really was a vista on that ridge. You could see both the Dallas and Ft Worth skylines.
Unfortunately the town could not keep up with the demand on infrastructure, and it took an HOUR to drive from Flower Mound to that mall. It was ridiculous! We were literally counting the days for Grapevine Mills to open. We had been to both Potomac Mills and Gurnee Mills, and were excited to finally get one of our own. Grapevine Mills became the go to mall for most people because not only was it brand new, but it didn’t take an HOUR to get to.
I used to live near hear, and I remember back when it was packed. Even before Covid it had a fair amount of people but all the stores were leaving. It’s weird because there’s not a whole lot over there besides Grapevine mills and that’s dead too. You should do Irving Mall, now that’s sad!
Grapevine isn’t dead I was just there this past Saturday and they were crowded AF. It helps being near two large resorts which drives more traffic
@ it’s holiday season so yeah there’s gonna be a crowd there, but it’s nothing like it used to be and half the big stores are gone now. There’s only a few malls in the metroplex that are consistently busy, like North Park
@@JayBelafonte yup you can tell its dying. Went there recently and didn't see as many name brand stores as it used to have; way more mom and pop stores. Might be like Vista Ridge in a decade or two hard to tell though.
@@taejuny_ exactly, I remember when they had the flag ship stores and all the entertainment. Most of all that is gone and there’s nothing but a lot of Mom and Pops like you said. If they lose a couple of those big brands they have left, I see them becoming like Vista Ridge in 5 years or so.
I live 10 minutes from this mall. Has been sold several times. It is called MusicCity Mall now. Back in the day, this was the place to shop.
I went to UNT 99-03. And we really did call it The Vista then. If you couldn’t find something real quick at Golden Triangle which was pretty much dead in 1999, you rode down 35E to Vista. My friends worked at Dillard’s and I think Macy’s too. It always looked very similar to Deerbrook Mall in
Humble/Houston to me.
What’s interesting is Golden Triangle now seems to be doing a lot better than VR now.
I was at UNT during this same time. You are so right. It was nothing to me to ride down to Vista ridge even as I worked at the Mervyns next to golden triangle back then. It's a bit sad seeing the mall now. I even hate the name lol
The Aquarium at Ridgmar Shuttered a couple months ago and I haven’t been back since to see what else has closed.
I used to live east of 35 right across the street from the mall in 2001. It was crazy busy all the time at that mall.
I was a freshman in 1990 and this mall was new. It's the place where every junior high and high school kid wanted to be. It was still cool in 1994 when I left town.
I used to go here a lot about 15 years ago. Moved away for years. Recently moved back and I can’t believe how dead it is now. I drove by yesterday and couldn’t tell if it was open or not .
Childhood mall. For any Dragon Ball Z fans, the voice actors were always at SunCoast signing vhs’ since FunAnimation was located in the area.
That’s so cool!! It’s so neat that this mall in particular was home to so many such events back in the day. I really hope that with whatever new redevelopment it goes thru, it’s given the community aspect again.
I actually go to this mall semi regularly still. But not for the usual mall uses. A growing portion of the mall is becoming a little asian shop district similar to nearby Carrolton. They have a night club, a full grocery store, an asian food court, several restaurants including one of my favorite hot pot places. I think that will probably the salvation of this mall going forward.