What a refreshing change from other mall videos. No annoying music, you let us hear the natural mall sounds. Great background information also. Keep up the great work!
Hi. That one store you asked about was a GNC, I was a regional manager for them up until 2017 and that was one of the stores that I oversaw. The adjacent anchor was a Stein Mart up until it closed. During my time that I was with GNC, I had an opportunity to meet the owners, they truly tried to work with retailers, but COVID didn’t help and retail in general just isn’t what it used to be…
Wow, Tom, this is your greatest video ever and I mean ever. You are in my neighborhood. This mall is less than a mile away from me. I once had a store/kiosk in this mall until they wanted to triple my rent. I also worked at KB Toys in the mall. I wish I knew you were coming cause I always wanted to meet you. I also worked at jamesway. Bon ton is going to be Giant foods grocery store and I will be there when they open cause I currently working there 32 years
These videos are all so great! It was nice to see the flea market ones and I would love to see more of those too! I really can't beleive your channel doesn't have more subscribers.
On most Wednesdays around 9 am, a group of clients of an organization called Sights for Hope, all of whom live with visual impairments, do a walk around South Mall. It provides exercise, socialization and companionship.
It's sad that all these malls close and die like this...I understand that some people don't like going out to get stuff...and the mall is more expensive then these online stores but still. I like walking around the malls with a friend and getting a few things. It's relaxing
One huge thing about this mall is it has food truck events that are insanely popular in the summer. It's crazy the mall also smelled like sewer and waste for a long time. They did something recently that made it smell better
The store in question at the 2:15 mark was a GNC store. This mall is the closest to our home in Allentown, PA. I lived in this area all my life. 66 years. Yes I have been shopping here since it opened when the mall was on the other side of the Hess's store.
I'm a local to the area all my life and have lived by that mall for the last 10 years. I'd say its been pretty bad in the last 5-10 years, especially since Bon Ton closed. Within the last 5 years or so both jewelers (they were on the corners to the right when you enter the mall) left as well as the GameStop, GNC, Payless Shoes. New tenants come in but most leave soon. The arcade there is amazing, but fairly recent - within the last 5 years. Dinos has been there forever. The mall was a decent place in the late 90's and early 00's when Kaybee Toys, Waldenbooks, Victoria's Secret and all the mall mainstays were still there. There used to be more in-mall events like card shows too. I'm always hopeful that it'll turn around, especially with Giant moving to the old Bon Ton location, but we'll see.
This mall really started losing "bigger name" stores upon the closure of The Bon Ton in 2018. Recent news states that Giant, a Pennsylvania based grocery store chain, is going to take over The Bon Ton portion of the mall to build a brand new grocery store.
"Back to the Arcade" relocated here late last year or early this; it had been at Merchants Square Mall, a converted factory about 2 miles northeast of this mall... all the game play you can handle for a flat fee! Merchants' future is uncertain... the last report on it back in 2023 suggested it would be redeveloped as a light-industry facility that would remain subdivided as the mall had been... You nailed it on Rea ("ray") & Derick (one R) Drugs and Weis Markets! Good luck, and I'm off to view your video at Whitehall Mall straightaway!
Back to the arcade is the only reason I go to South mall , it’s too bad you got there too early, they have modern games in the front, the middle has games from the 90s and in the back is all the old school classic arcade games , pay 1 price and play all day and the owner Mark is an awesome guy!
I spent a decent amount of time there in the 90s/00s and it wasn't exactly popping back then either. Though it was nice to see Dino's pizza is still there. I would have been nice if the tenants of the recently closed Merchant's Square would move in here, but doesn't look like that is happening. The place can be revived, the area is growing, and there will be a grocery store moving in, hopefully will get some people in there.
This mall sees more traffic when the habitat for humanity store is open, which is only 1x per month, but with special week long openings when they need to move merchandise. When I head to Habitat I always stop at Dino's for a pizza or a sub sandwich. Spirit Halloween does set up in that larger glass door enclosed anchor unity, but as you see it now is what it looks like most week days, the weekend is slightly busier, and that T Mobile store does get busy on and off
I'm glad you mentioned early in your video that the mall was actually just north of the old Hess's (Bonton) which is now a Staples, liquor store and Japanese steakhouse
This mall was great around 2015. I would spend hours in Black Rose antiques... An anchor sized antique mall, and it was packed full. Stein Mart and Bon Ton were less my cup of tea but I still liked browsing. Between them there were stores like FYE and GameStop (one of the two you looked into near the end), coffee shop... Then go through the Bon Ton to Petco which had tons of animals to look at. I always wondered why there was a tiny mall section there, that explains it! I assume the concourse used to go straight through where PetSmart is? Are there any photos of the original mall? Also, I would have liked to see the back but other than the Gym it's probably a lot of nothing. In any case, with no anchors it's obvious the interior section doesn't have long. It was nice to see it one last time.
That little remnant of the original mall you mention near the end of the video was (eventually) basically just another entrance. You could walk through Bon Ton / Hess and exit the mall there or continue into Pet Smart. They closed it off when Bon Ton closed since there's no purpose for it.
Holy moly! We happened to go to this mall for some quick necessities while attending a wedding a few years ago… it was dead and depressing back then.. it hasn’t changed.
I lived in Allentown for most of my life and the South Mall used to be pretty fun but yeah it's usually pretty barren. I remember as a kid in the late 90s it had a Pokemon card kiosk that couldn't be beaten. Back To The Arcade is awesome, really good retro game selection, pretty much the only thing appealing left in that mall besides Yoccos (Allentown staple!). I used to like going there in the 2010s as well for Black Rose, which had a lot of cool vendors in it as well as the Mercantle but I believe both closed because the mall is delusional about being a dying mall and hiked up rent by a really insane amount.
Lived a 15 minute bus ride from downtown Seattle so I shopped there until I was about 40 then moved to burbs and then started enjoying malls. Still do.
Back to the Arcade is awesome they are in busineess and have a second locatiion in the Palmer Mall. What you will usually see here is people selling baseball cards on tables in the open space.
Where the Staples and Petco are now if that was where the original indoor mall was then what about the current indoor mall was that around yet at that time or not yet?
Yucco's is a unique hot dog place to Allentown I moved here from upstate NY, the Albany Troy Schenectady Saratoga area And Troy started two very unique food items that you can't find anywhere else. Hot Dog Charlie's on Second Ave in Lansingburg , aka North Troy, near 121st Street. They have Hembold mini hot dogs on mini buns with a unique chili sauce, onions and mustard, called The Works. Hembolds is in Troy. They supply mini hot dogs to many local restaurants and hot dog places. The other absolutely amazing food item in Troy is the handheld fish fry. It is a long piece of haddock on a hot dog roll. It comes with a sweet chili sauce or tarter sauce or cocktail sauce or plain and each has a unique taste. They also have open belly clam rolls, clam strips rolls, scallop rolls and they are all the best I have ever had. Nowhere else has fish fry like this and it is the major thing I miss. Ted's Fish Fry, also on Second Ave in North Troy near 109th street is the original Fish fry. There are a bunch of other fish fry places in the area. The Catholic Church is huge in this area and that is the reason why I think they started a fish fry place. Wednesday, Friday and Sunday were all fish days During Lent many of the churches also have a fish fry dinner. If you ever get up to Troy, you should try these two places. The South Mall used to have a movie theater in the 80s I remember going to see CHUD there. I remember buying records and batteries in Jamesway Those stores were great. Places like Caldor, J.M. Fields, Bradles, they had an automotive department, furniture, electronics, records and tapes, clothes, they were better than Walmart and bigger. I really miss those stores.
When your mall starts losing all of their larger named retail chains and replaces them with the equivalent of mom and pop stores, your mall is dying. It's at that point your mall starts to transition to being an indoor flea market.
Weird little mall. It might limp along for a couple more years until the rest of the inside malls closes. Hard to say what will happen to small low-end retail strips but most seem to be going extinct and shopping is going on-line.
Water stains on the ceiling are never a good look. I bet there was a Radio Shack in there at some point. Empty anchors, a Community Room and a closed off Security office... if it's not dead, it's in ICU. Attic Mice looks like a great place to hunt; I hope they have somewhere else to go if the mall has its plug pulled. Or an exterior entrance. The flower/plant dudes in the parking lot look like they're going like gangbusters.
They should lease to offices and businesses. Plenty of space and parking. And all those workers would be looking for lunch. Of course not as many people are working in the office these days…
That mall is always that empty.. anyway there was a fye/ strawberry / Payless / Victoria secret/ kay jewelers/ s valley sports / cj banks / freeman jewelers / waldon books / fashion bug/ Claire's/ game stop/ footlocker/ mastercuts/ Hallmark
you seem to like to go to malls when they have just opened or are on an off day mid week. Yes they may be in bad shape but you are making them worse by showing them when no one is inside.
No he is spot on with this mall, I get my hair done here and that mall is always just like that and actually more stores have closed since he uploaded this video.
The outside stores are definitely hanging in there .. but he Petco to Blick side of the mall are all doing well. Stop being so doom and gloom .. that’s going to be a Giant soon as a new anchor store . Stop making it seem like the area is dead one of the most populated areas outside of Philly suburbs
What a refreshing change from other mall videos. No annoying music, you let us hear the natural mall sounds. Great background information also. Keep up the great work!
Hi.
That one store you asked about was a GNC, I was a regional manager for them up until 2017 and that was one of the stores that I oversaw. The adjacent anchor was a Stein Mart up until it closed.
During my time that I was with GNC, I had an opportunity to meet the owners, they truly tried to work with retailers, but COVID didn’t help and retail in general just isn’t what it used to be…
Was there a time when RITE AID actually owned the GNC chain?
@@trentpettit6336 GNC had products within their stores, but both companies were separate from on another.
Wow, Tom, this is your greatest video ever and I mean ever. You are in my neighborhood. This mall is less than a mile away from me. I once had a store/kiosk in this mall until they wanted to triple my rent. I also worked at KB Toys in the mall. I wish I knew you were coming cause I always wanted to meet you. I also worked at jamesway. Bon ton is going to be Giant foods grocery store and I will be there when they open cause I currently working there 32 years
Wow, this is GIANT news! Pun intended! 😄 What will eventually happen to the current GIANT building, once the move is completed?
@@trentpettit6336 it's all to see who the landlord rents it to
They closing the giant around the corner?
Awesome Video Man! Love the vintage charm here!
These videos are all so great! It was nice to see the flea market ones and I would love to see more of those too! I really can't beleive your channel doesn't have more subscribers.
On most Wednesdays around 9 am, a group of clients of an organization called Sights for Hope, all of whom live with visual impairments, do a walk around South Mall. It provides exercise, socialization and companionship.
It's sad that all these malls close and die like this...I understand that some people don't like going out to get stuff...and the mall is more expensive then these online stores but still. I like walking around the malls with a friend and getting a few things. It's relaxing
One huge thing about this mall is it has food truck events that are insanely popular in the summer. It's crazy the mall also smelled like sewer and waste for a long time. They did something recently that made it smell better
I grew up going here when I was a kid. It provides lots of nostalgia to me.
The store in question at the 2:15 mark was a GNC store. This mall is the closest to our home in Allentown, PA. I lived in this area all my life. 66 years. Yes I have been shopping here since it opened when the mall was on the other side of the Hess's store.
Bath and body works is still thriving we just had 2 new ones open near me here in Louisiana
I'm a local to the area all my life and have lived by that mall for the last 10 years. I'd say its been pretty bad in the last 5-10 years, especially since Bon Ton closed. Within the last 5 years or so both jewelers (they were on the corners to the right when you enter the mall) left as well as the GameStop, GNC, Payless Shoes. New tenants come in but most leave soon. The arcade there is amazing, but fairly recent - within the last 5 years.
Dinos has been there forever. The mall was a decent place in the late 90's and early 00's when Kaybee Toys, Waldenbooks, Victoria's Secret and all the mall mainstays were still there. There used to be more in-mall events like card shows too.
I'm always hopeful that it'll turn around, especially with Giant moving to the old Bon Ton location, but we'll see.
Freeman Jewelers ! 🙌
OMG, PharMor. I worked at one in the late 80s early 90s. Later on they went bankrupt when there was a big embezzlement scandal.
This mall really started losing "bigger name" stores upon the closure of The Bon Ton in 2018. Recent news states that Giant, a Pennsylvania based grocery store chain, is going to take over The Bon Ton portion of the mall to build a brand new grocery store.
This place was fun in the 90's.
"Back to the Arcade" relocated here late last year or early this; it had been at Merchants Square Mall, a converted factory about 2 miles northeast of this mall... all the game play you can handle for a flat fee!
Merchants' future is uncertain... the last report on it back in 2023 suggested it would be redeveloped as a light-industry facility that would remain subdivided as the mall had been...
You nailed it on Rea ("ray") & Derick (one R) Drugs and Weis Markets!
Good luck, and I'm off to view your video at Whitehall Mall straightaway!
Back to the arcade is the only reason I go to South mall , it’s too bad you got there too early, they have modern games in the front, the middle has games from the 90s and in the back is all the old school classic arcade games , pay 1 price and play all day and the owner Mark is an awesome guy!
I’ve seen some videos of inside Back to the Arcade on UA-cam. Looks very nice inside.
I spent a decent amount of time there in the 90s/00s and it wasn't exactly popping back then either. Though it was nice to see Dino's pizza is still there.
I would have been nice if the tenants of the recently closed Merchant's Square would move in here, but doesn't look like that is happening.
The place can be revived, the area is growing, and there will be a grocery store moving in, hopefully will get some people in there.
@@thomasw3285 many of them
Are in attic mice one and two
This mall sees more traffic when the habitat for humanity store is open, which is only 1x per month, but with special week long openings when they need to move merchandise. When I head to Habitat I always stop at Dino's for a pizza or a sub sandwich. Spirit Halloween does set up in that larger glass door enclosed anchor unity, but as you see it now is what it looks like most week days, the weekend is slightly busier, and that T Mobile store does get busy on and off
I'm glad you mentioned early in your video that the mall was actually just north of the old Hess's (Bonton) which is now a Staples, liquor store and Japanese steakhouse
This mall was great around 2015. I would spend hours in Black Rose antiques... An anchor sized antique mall, and it was packed full. Stein Mart and Bon Ton were less my cup of tea but I still liked browsing. Between them there were stores like FYE and GameStop (one of the two you looked into near the end), coffee shop... Then go through the Bon Ton to Petco which had tons of animals to look at. I always wondered why there was a tiny mall section there, that explains it! I assume the concourse used to go straight through where PetSmart is? Are there any photos of the original mall? Also, I would have liked to see the back but other than the Gym it's probably a lot of nothing. In any case, with no anchors it's obvious the interior section doesn't have long. It was nice to see it one last time.
That little remnant of the original mall you mention near the end of the video was (eventually) basically just another entrance. You could walk through Bon Ton / Hess and exit the mall there or continue into Pet Smart. They closed it off when Bon Ton closed since there's no purpose for it.
Actually there was a Rite Aid in that section too as well as a Orange Julius type of place
Holy moly! We happened to go to this mall for some quick necessities while attending a wedding a few years ago… it was dead and depressing back then.. it hasn’t changed.
I lived in Allentown for most of my life and the South Mall used to be pretty fun but yeah it's usually pretty barren. I remember as a kid in the late 90s it had a Pokemon card kiosk that couldn't be beaten. Back To The Arcade is awesome, really good retro game selection, pretty much the only thing appealing left in that mall besides Yoccos (Allentown staple!). I used to like going there in the 2010s as well for Black Rose, which had a lot of cool vendors in it as well as the Mercantle but I believe both closed because the mall is delusional about being a dying mall and hiked up rent by a really insane amount.
I would say it is a dying mall that probably will be demolished!...Another great video; thank you!
So, a lot like Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, Mass.: a small, dead indoor mall connected to a big-box strip that is thriving.
My video from a few years ago shows a lot of what used to be in the now-vacant units.
Holy crap... I had a birthday at that mall back in the day at the arcade. I've been wondering if it still existed.
They have food truck on Thursdays most of the year in the parking lot that is a big hit.
Lived a 15 minute bus ride from downtown Seattle so I shopped there until I was about 40 then moved to burbs and then started enjoying malls. Still do.
I’m pretty certain that the Clothing Store in that Stein Mart wing was a Christopher & Banks.
Back to the Arcade is awesome they are in busineess and have a second locatiion in the Palmer Mall.
What you will usually see here is people selling baseball cards on tables in the open space.
The Black Rose Antique Mall was great when it was there (closed maybe five years back?). Once they moved out I never went back.
Please do return to Attic Mice, if possible, it looked very interesting.
This mall has frequent baseball card shows with great prices. Size of show is medium. Definitely go Saturday for maximum dealers
Have you ever done the Millcreek Mall in Erie PA?
They had discount shoes (2:26) until recently. It looked temporary
You finally hit close to home 😂
Get a couple of dogs at Yocco's.
I actually live right by that mall and I think that mall has been like that for about a year or so I think maybe more I can't really remember
Outdated is good.
It's always like this. Deader than Dead
I was there today (10/3/24).
Where the Staples and Petco are now if that was where the original indoor mall was then what about the current indoor mall was that around yet at that time or not yet?
Yucco's is a unique hot dog place to Allentown
I moved here from upstate NY, the Albany Troy Schenectady Saratoga area
And Troy started two very unique food items that you can't find anywhere else.
Hot Dog Charlie's on Second Ave in Lansingburg , aka North Troy, near 121st Street.
They have Hembold mini hot dogs on mini buns with a unique chili sauce, onions and mustard, called The Works.
Hembolds is in Troy. They supply mini hot dogs to many local restaurants and hot dog places.
The other absolutely amazing food item in Troy is the handheld fish fry. It is a long piece of haddock on a hot dog roll. It comes with a sweet chili sauce or tarter sauce or cocktail sauce or plain and each has a unique taste.
They also have open belly clam rolls, clam strips rolls, scallop rolls and they are all the best I have ever had.
Nowhere else has fish fry like this and it is the major thing I miss.
Ted's Fish Fry, also on Second Ave in North Troy near 109th street is the original Fish fry.
There are a bunch of other fish fry places in the area.
The Catholic Church is huge in this area and that is the reason why I think they started a fish fry place.
Wednesday, Friday and Sunday were all fish days
During Lent many of the churches also have a fish fry dinner.
If you ever get up to Troy, you should try these two places.
The South Mall used to have a movie theater in the 80s
I remember going to see CHUD there.
I remember buying records and batteries in Jamesway
Those stores were great. Places like Caldor, J.M. Fields, Bradles, they had an automotive department, furniture, electronics, records and tapes, clothes, they were better than Walmart and bigger.
I really miss those stores.
When your mall starts losing all of their larger named retail chains and replaces them with the equivalent of mom and pop stores, your mall is dying. It's at that point your mall starts to transition to being an indoor flea market.
The 1st store u asked what was in it was a gnc. I worked at the mall for 6yrs. It's always been dead.
Weird little mall. It might limp along for a couple more years until the rest of the inside malls closes. Hard to say what will happen to small low-end retail strips but most seem to be going extinct and shopping is going on-line.
First vacant space was a skateboard store
Didn't know about Jamesway being inside a mall. Most of the ones here in NY were in strip malls.
I like the way it is right now too
2:18 That was a GNC.
That’s Emmaus isn’t it? Allentown is right next door
Water stains on the ceiling are never a good look. I bet there was a Radio Shack in there at some point. Empty anchors, a Community Room and a closed off Security office... if it's not dead, it's in ICU. Attic Mice looks like a great place to hunt; I hope they have somewhere else to go if the mall has its plug pulled. Or an exterior entrance. The flower/plant dudes in the parking lot look like they're going like gangbusters.
Just curious.....what is the farthest distance you have driven for a mall video?
They should lease to offices and businesses. Plenty of space and parking. And all those workers would be looking for lunch. Of course not as many people are working in the office these days…
That mall is always that empty.. anyway there was a fye/ strawberry / Payless / Victoria secret/ kay jewelers/ s valley sports / cj banks / freeman jewelers / waldon books / fashion bug/ Claire's/ game stop/ footlocker/ mastercuts/ Hallmark
Attic Mice is a great place to go for odds and ends / antiques
I live in Emmaus, Pennsylvania at 18 East Minor Street
@@stacianneslifer6654 I live in Emmaus also
This mall is in sad state. COVID really killed it…
I wonder what the rent is like
Have you ever gotten any grief for walking around with a camera on your chest?
That mall is dead!
Bath and Body Works has been moving into strip malls. I mean, lifestyle centers.
They'll look out of place next to the nail salons, and Vape and CBD stores.
Looks like a good place to walk around stoned on a rainy Tuesday in the fall.
Please don't, you shouldn't be out in public while under the influence of drugs.
you seem to like to go to malls when they have just opened or are on an off day mid week. Yes they may be in bad shape but you are making them worse by showing them when no one is inside.
No he is spot on with this mall, I get my hair done here and that mall is always just like that and actually more stores have closed since he uploaded this video.
The outside stores are definitely hanging in there .. but he Petco to Blick side of the mall are all doing well. Stop being so doom and gloom .. that’s going to be a Giant soon as a new anchor store . Stop making it seem like the area is dead one of the most populated areas outside of Philly suburbs
Boring
What is? The mall or my video, or both?