Hay Justin I worked at Walnut Mall for some time at the Lowrey Organ Center selling organs and pianos back in the day. It was fun and the store owner actually built a upper level for displaying pianos and organs.
Dojo- Great video, man. I love the interview with your grandma at the end, that really puts this story in perspective. I'm glad that they repurposed it. Sadly this is the same story that a lot of malls across the country have dealt with. A bigger and better mall opens down the street and the old mall dies. Way too many malls were built over the years.There is a dead mall down the street from me called Landmark (in Alexandria, VA) which has been dead for over a decade. I have no idea why it is still open since it is within 10 miles of 4 other malls that are thriving and a swanky commercial district called King Street is only a few miles away. There's Springfield Mall 5 miles southwest, which used to dead but recently underwent a $200 million + renovation. Tyson's Fashion Center and its wealthier sister Tyson's Galleria (aka Tyson's II) are right next to each other about 10 miles west and Pentagon City is 8 miles north.
Alex Summy thank you! I really think the dead mall stuff is interesting stuff. In fact. They are my most viewed abandoned videos. I didn't know about Springfield. That's interesting
Just a few corrections... Walnut Mall did not move to Southpark mall. Walnut Mall was already dying and losing stores before Southpark mall came along. The theater did not move to Southpark or down the road. Crater 8 theater was owned by a different organization. Petersburg's plan was to develop a commercial area down Crater Road where the Crater 8 theater was built. The theater was the only business to build there. The owners of Southpark mall wanted to build down past the theater but failed to reach an agreement with Petersburg. Colonial Heights stepped up and got them to build in their terriority instead. Crater 8 cinemas finally died out because there was nothing else down there. Walmart built a store down Crater road many years later.
+Guybrush Threepwood I never said it moved to south park. Just that a lot of the stores in and around the mall moved there. It's interesting to know about them wanting to build more though. I wonder how that would have gone
I remember our little mall and I miss it. It wasn't the largest mall but it had style. Our mall was the best!! You did a wonderful job on this large part of Petersburg's modern day history.
I remember going to JCPenney's at Walnut Mall in the late '60s with my grandmother. She did indeed used to get dressed up to go there! I also remember going to the theater to see my very first movie w/ my older brother The movie was called "your's mine and ours" with Lucille Ball and Bob Hope. I was 5 years old.
I lived in Petersburg for ⁴³years And I remember that there was a colonial store, people's drug, dad's brothers fish house, and a Restraunt called lowels who also owned a Jean shack at the end of its existence!
Hi thanks Petersburg Virginia could be a beautiful place to live but there is too much violence and crime when I was growing up it was such a pretty place to be it looks dirty now in Petersburg we all should have some kind of meeting to get it fixed old houses should be restored we need to put in for the mall to be restored if everyone could pitch in with their opinion maybe things could get better for Petersburg it was a nice place
Was my stomping grounds decades and decades ago. Thalheimers….Miller and Rhodes….crème de la crème. Our now 39 year old son was a child model and did a stint in the mall.
The seafood restaurant was Fass Brothers, which became Family Fish House. I ate there a few times with family members who lived in Hopewell. It was an AYCE place. It was really good!
Awesome Video! Keep up the good Work! Thankyou for having that wonderful Woman share her Memories! I live in Massachusettes and I used to go the Methuen Mall where that was a Treat for me on my Days off when I was in my Teens and early Twenties! When I had my Kids, we would go there on my Days off and it was so wonderful! The Mall was like a little fantasy fun World to enjoy. I loved going there and loved the Sights, Scents and Sounds of the Mall. Unfortunately, the Methuen Mall was closed in the late 90s and demolished to make Way for the Loop in Methuen. The Kids are grown and they also remember going to the Mall and enjoying a World of Fantasy and Fun. Ah the Memories! I could go on. Keep up the good Work and I thoroughly enjoyed your Video!Thankyou! Blessed Be! )0(
I have many fond memories of Walnut Mall....I think the restaurant was called "The Family Fish House" the food was really good, I remember you had to walk down and around in a dark blue room with fish nets and nautical type stuff on the walls like buoy's or life vests or rings.......they also had fish tanks with live fish in them., I think. Near the end though the restaurant switched over to a place called " Country Cookin" (?)... There also was a Bresslers 33 flavors ice cream shop in there I loved, the place was narrow, about 8 ft wide and it was about 25 ft long....I spend many hours in the Waldenbooks..... The 2 screen theater was fantastic, Im glad the original building still stands....the same lady worked there the whole time I was a kid, all through the 70's into the early 80's, ,she took tickets- I later learned she was one of the few casualties of the tornado that ripped through Colonial Heights in 1992 (?) she was at the time working at the new WalMart, I think, RIP.... thanks for the upload and keep em coming.....
+wotan237 no problem! Thank you for sharing and commenting. I'm glad you posted the name of the ice cream place. I did a follow up video with my grandma and uncle on the channel and they couldn't remember the name. I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I actually remember the tornado. It was pretty scary
The lady that worked at Walnut Mall Theater was a witch! LOL All of us kids were scared of her. She was mean and nasty. I often wondered if she knew how to smile. LOL I loved going to the movies there, but hated dealing with the ticket lady.
The fish restaurant was called Fass Brothers Fish House! I used to shop at Walnut Mall and attended movies at the Walnut Mall Theatre! I loved shopping there, especially at Christmas.
We used to go to that mall and theater all of the time. Great memories. That fish house restaurant was the best! The Thalhiemers bakery was the best also.
At the food lion section of your video there was a 2 screen theatre as you noted, however down the road where walgreens sits today 7/13/18 and was called cinema 8. It stayed open for awhile but it could not compete with South Park.
I do remember that old theater. I saw Dr. Dolittle(1998) in there when I was 10. Last movie I saw there was Bicentennial Man(1999) I'm not sure when it closed. I think it was 2005
Thanks for posting this video. My first job was at the J.C. Penny's from 1976 - 1978 in the mall. It was a very busy place especially on Saturdays and people would come from as far south as Emporia, VA to shop.
@@ThePodCastDojo Yes it was a classic. One of my fav memories was a Friday night while I was working, 3 streakers (guys not wearing any clothes) ran through mall and jumped into the fountain in the center of the mall then exited out the main entrance! We all laughter about that for weeks.
Justin, good to see a young man like yourself take an interest AND share in this type of history. Your grandma added a great touch to this one. She's right - those toll booths along 95 were a bear! She said "chits" - now that's old school vocabulary. Tell her thanks.
Great video! I really enjoyed seeing how it had become a food lion shopping center (also, damn! your food lion looked way nicer than either of the ones in Charlottesville) and the interview at the end was great!
I have a guy helping me at work today, he lives in Petersburg and he told me there use to be a mall in Petersburg I was like I don't remember that I was born in 88 and lived in Colonial heights and chester my whole life very interesting! Nice video
+Michael Duncan thanks! If it wasn’t for deadmalls.com I would never have known this place existed since no one talked about it. I was born in 87 but we lived in Manassas. We moved down here in 91 and briefly moved to Petersburg while our house in Chester was being built. However when we moved I think Walnut mall had just closed down for a few months.
Same thing happened to Manor East Mall, was the very first mall for Bryan/College Station, Texas, located off of Villa Maria and Texas avenue. They tore most of it down except for one department store and the movie theater, known as Manor East 3, where I saw Star Wars in the 1970s. Then made into a shopping center with an HEB grocery store. I was able to take photos of the mall, but sadden it is no longer there any more, but with a new shopping center called Tajo's
1:36 Cinema 8 South Crater Rd! I vividly remember being at the Thalheimers liquidation sale on the last weekend in late May 1991, clothes all over the floor, fixtures tied in plastic Looking back, I wish i could see what games Aladdin's Castle had, I remember being in there but at such a ripe age didnt know what a video game was and never thought id love them so much Then there was Bradlees Woolworth and the Sears across the street Currently living in New Jersey, lived in Prince George from the day I was born to 2012
M&R was at the Walnut Hill Plaza, not the Mall. The fashion shows were sponsored by Tiffany Bridal Shoppe. School choirs would perform at the Mall as well.
There had been plans in 1980 to add a second story. I loved Thalheimer's. Petersburg could have been something great but they blew it and did not support small businesses. They got what they deserved.
Petersburg did support our mall and many surrounding communities also supported Walnut Hill Mall. Many factors contributed to the closing of the mall. South Park believe you me was a factor, one of many reasons why it closed another was political. Thank you for showing your true feelings about our community. I believe you!
I remember going with my mother to shop there when I was little. I moved away in 1994. Wish I had pics of this place from back then Got searching for abandoned Petersburg videos cause I looked up the old Ramada inn on google earth and noticed it is abandoned now. My grandmother worked there. Would love to see at least a video of that place. Would love it even more to see the inside again myself
ThePodCastDojo The Arcade was up stairs from Red lobster it was before south park was built.And Dance's Sporting Goods was around the corner from the movie theater.k
@1:21 That was actually a picture of my local mall, Walnut Square Mall in Dalton, GA! It's pretty much dead, with only about 10 stores still opened. It's so sad to see it this way :( I had so many fun memories there, I loved jumping on those big trampolines!
1:20 or so... "I've never seen a grocery store inside of a shopping mall." Speaking for myself... I used to live in upper Minnesota; the Thunderbird and Mesabi Malls had Red Owl grocery stores in them. Another shopping mall close to where I now live(I'm near Niagara Falls NY) is the PEN Centre in St. Catherine's, in Ontario Canada; they have a Zehr's Supermarket. I know because I've visited there twice.
I noticed in the video of Rotting Acres that was made in 2003 before it closed that it had a post office. I have noticed DMVs in dead malls too. Some malls are still booming. We have a couple here. I think it is a lot about location. I am glad they repurposed the space. It is my understanding that Colonial Heights once was a lot nicer and upscale area than it is now.
Walnut Mall closed way after 1991, more like 1998. South Park Mall opened in 1991 or 1992. But yea there was a record store named Gary’s next to the Foot Locker. I met Eric B & Rakim there in like 1987. Alladin’s Castle at the time was an amazing arcade. I remember A&N had the suede Pumas and Troop shoes on display at the front door. The memories maaaan !!!!
In the 50s and 60s, people even dressed up for a day Disneyland. It's funny how I see videos of dead malls that are abandoned in other parts of the country that are just sitting there while here in the Phoenix area, with all the growth we've seen since the 90s, when a dead mall does bite the dust, it gets demolished sooner rather than later. Or they get redeveloped into something else like the ols Maryvale Mall. The old Valley West Mall/Manistee Towne Center was even used to film Eight Legged Freaks before it was demolished.
During the interview, she discusses the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike. The last vestige of the old road is visible on 95, just south of Route 10 (Hundred Road), as the old name of the turnpike is still on a VDOT building adjacent to the highway.
Reminds me of Dixie Square in Harvey Illinois demolished in 2012. It was way before my time and I live in Wisconsin, but it was very interesting to read about. Also looking at old photo's it was very beautiful but failed only a few years after it opened when democratics changed and the neighborhood went to shit. A guy who explored it found an old typed letter from a woman who had her purse snatched in front of a wards in 1966 by a "negro child" days after it opened. Then he found a letter from the owner replying to her saying they'd try to get security going (which is a problem we have in our mall here in Racine which is probably another reason it isn't doing so well either). This mall was even lucky it was put out of it's misery. A lot of malls like Dixie square and rolling acres just sat and rot. And as much as I do like online shopping, I miss mall shopping at least you could try on clothes or didn't have to worry about being scammed. I hate Walmart btw.
I remember this mall I"m a native of Colonial Heights and visted this mall when I was just a kid, I bought my very first stereo and it still plays just like the first day I brought it home Oh and the bus ride on the big green bus with the banner that said ( Mad Man Dapper Dan I would give you all of them but my wife won't let me) for used cars WOW what rememories it brought back from so long ago. City Officials ran a whole lot of businesses away South Park Mall was offered to The City Of Petersbug but Officals didnt want it
I tell you another thing that’s killing malls is the rift raft. Shootings violence ETC .... Also the prices are way too outrageous and the quality and quantity of the merchandise is very poor.Back then You already knew you were gonna pay more than K-Mart Roses and ETC but at least it was of impeccable quality and quantity. Just my opinion.
I remember when I was little seeing the abandoned building and my mom talking about it when it was still open. I think my she worked at the Thalhimers there. It's sad that South Park has gone downhill as well though. Its not like it was when we were kids.
+NicoNicoleinTokyo that's so cool! Yea I really wish I could have seen it in its glory days. It looked like a pretty mall. I think South Park malls problem is it has too many of the same type of stores
The Family Fish House was one of the restaurants, I can't remember the name of the other. Aldan's Castle was the arcade on the right between the fish house and Thalhimers. That was my first movie at Walnut Mall "Return of the Jedi".
South park mall in a couple of years maybe next year is going to be abandoned. I went there two months ago to look for gifts, it was dead asf. It was hardly anybody in there not like how in the mid 2000s when I was a kid there would be a good amount of ppl in there. Some stores are even closing or have already been closed. It's a shame that mall is about to be out of business
I still think Ft. Lee will keep it alive. However I definitely think without that the mall is immediately doomed. I think one major issue is they havent filled the Sears wing. I feel like once an anchor dies vacancy spreads to the rest of the wing
Post office was across the street from the mall, not in the mall. Pretty sure there was never a grocery store in the mall. Food Lion occupies that site now; maybe that's the source of confusion.
Walt, I do remember there being a Big Star supermarket on the very end of the Thalheimer's side once upon a time. That went away at some point, and Thalheimer's expanded into that space. I remember my grandmother saying Big Star was a dump ... seems like an odd fit for Walnut Mall or really any mall, but it seems like the early 60's were kind of the wild west days of mall planning, so maybe the owners were trying something new.
@@slimsav1 : Hey there, Noah! 👋 Big Star? In Walnut Mall? Huh. I did not know that. Remember The Sun, across the street? Now that was a right dump. lol Hope you're well!
What if I were to tell you the original plans was for Southpark to be in Petersburg. The area that Walmart is in now. Yeah that was the original plan but Petersburg didn’t want to hand over the tax breaks. If that had came true Colonial Heights would still be a sleepy little town and Petersburg would be booming. What if I told you that it goes back decades before that. Busch Gardens (and Anheiser Busch) at the time wanted the brewery and theme park to be built on Lake Chesdin in Dinwiddie (instead of Williamsburg/James City County). Petersburg at the time said no to connecting them to the water system. Two times Petersburg has shot themselves in the foot.
@05:13, it was the home to me basically coming into this world. I was born 4/13/1985. My granny took my mom to the Walnut Mall (4/12, which is my mom’s birthday) and walked her like crazy, the next day I was born. A similar thing happened with my wife and daughter in 2008. We went to Swaders, with friends, walked like crazy, and the next day I was born.
I dont think malls will totally go extinct because there are some malls that are still just as healthy as they were in the 80s and 90s. But I don't think you'd ever find any new indoor malls being built. Now me personally. I was a millionaire I would re open walnut mall
@@kabinovskorner7205 Yeah your right. Have you ever been to Roanoke Virginia ? The same thing happened to a mall there called Cross Roads Mall. At one time it was the only mall around.
I never seen a grocery store inside the mall either but I did see a post office in the mall. my local mall here in Syracuse New York Destiny USA formerly known as Carousel Center had a post office in it. It service the mall and the towns around the mall for years. you could go get a bite to eat in the food court upstairs and bring your package along with you and then go downstairs to the Post Office and mail out your package all in one day. post office just couldn't sustain themselves anymore when the new mall management took over for Destiny USA. They kept increasing rent in the post office left. Backspace no I believe is a test center for all the stores. I know it had a bookstore which didn't last because almost nobody reads books nowadays and then it was the As Seen On TV store and they moved out and moved into another location now I don't know what the post offices but Storms Come and Go all the time into the post office and never stay there
I used to go to South Park all the time in middle and highschool with my friends. Still go there somethimes. Had no idea there was ever a mall in Petersburg. Then again, I don't feel safe walking anywhere in Petersburg let alone South Park Mall.
+Justin James well I'm sure that may have had something to do with it but the mall died in 1991. The Walmart was there in I believe 1992. But I think if the walmart predates South Park Mall. I think it would have had a major effect in its downfall
At 2:18 you mention “Walnut HILL Mall”. Twice. It was Walnut Mall. Walnut Hill Shopping Center was across the street which housed Miller & Rhoads. Do your homework.
Hay Justin I worked at Walnut Mall for some time at the Lowrey Organ Center selling organs and pianos back in the day. It was fun and the store owner actually built a upper level for displaying pianos and organs.
Dojo- Great video, man. I love the interview with your grandma at the end, that really puts this story in perspective. I'm glad that they repurposed it. Sadly this is the same story that a lot of malls across the country have dealt with. A bigger and better mall opens down the street and the old mall dies. Way too many malls were built over the years.There is a dead mall down the street from me called Landmark (in Alexandria, VA) which has been dead for over a decade. I have no idea why it is still open since it is within 10 miles of 4 other malls that are thriving and a swanky commercial district called King Street is only a few miles away. There's Springfield Mall 5 miles southwest, which used to dead but recently underwent a $200 million + renovation. Tyson's Fashion Center and its wealthier sister Tyson's Galleria (aka Tyson's II) are right next to each other about 10 miles west and Pentagon City is 8 miles north.
Alex Summy thank you! I really think the dead mall stuff is interesting stuff. In fact. They are my most viewed abandoned videos. I didn't know about Springfield. That's interesting
Just a few corrections... Walnut Mall did not move to Southpark mall. Walnut Mall was already dying and losing stores before Southpark mall came along. The theater did not move to Southpark or down the road. Crater 8 theater was owned by a different organization. Petersburg's plan was to develop a commercial area down Crater Road where the Crater 8 theater was built. The theater was the only business to build there. The owners of Southpark mall wanted to build down past the theater but failed to reach an agreement with Petersburg. Colonial Heights stepped up and got them to build in their terriority instead. Crater 8 cinemas finally died out because there was nothing else down there. Walmart built a store down Crater road many years later.
+Guybrush Threepwood I never said it moved to south park. Just that a lot of the stores in and around the mall moved there. It's interesting to know about them wanting to build more though. I wonder how that would have gone
Guybrush Threepwood that's how it happened
Oh how I remember going there as a kid.! Thanks for the walk down memory lane!
That and Joe's Place
I remember our little mall and I miss it. It wasn't the largest mall but it had style. Our mall was the best!!
You did a wonderful job on this large part of Petersburg's modern day history.
Thank you! I hope this video keeps it alive in spirit. I really wish I could have seen it in person
I remember our little mall and I miss it. It wasn't the largest mall but it had style. Our mall was the best!!
I remember going to JCPenney's at Walnut Mall in the late '60s with my grandmother. She did indeed used to get dressed up to go there! I also remember going to the theater to see my very first movie w/ my older brother The movie was called "your's mine and ours" with Lucille Ball and Bob Hope. I was 5 years old.
Thanks for posting this! I used to go with my grandmother in the late 70s!
Glad you enjoyed the video!
I lived in Petersburg for ⁴³years And I remember that there was a colonial store, people's drug, dad's brothers fish house, and a Restraunt called lowels who also owned a Jean shack at the end of its existence!
Let's not forget the Woolworth and Charlie pizza, Shoneys, mad Italian, and Joe's Place
I was born in Petersburg! I know live in North Carolina. South Park Mall is small but I love the fireworks and fair!
!
Me too! Thanks for checking out my video
Me three!
Hi thanks Petersburg Virginia could be a beautiful place to live but there is too much violence and crime when I was growing up it was such a pretty place to be it looks dirty now in Petersburg we all should have some kind of meeting to get it fixed old houses should be restored we need to put in for the mall to be restored if everyone could pitch in with their opinion maybe things could get better for Petersburg it was a nice place
I remember Walnut Mall.
That was the hangout place for me and my friends, so was Battlefield Park.
Yeah, when cars were parked back to back at the entrance to end at crater road. It was like a mini Woodstock then, lol battlefield park
@@bethedmonds3028
Haha back then it was a little safer to.
We would sneak in the woods near the mall and smoke and drink.
Was my stomping grounds decades and decades ago. Thalheimers….Miller and Rhodes….crème de la crème. Our now 39 year old son was a child model and did a stint in the mall.
The seafood restaurant was Fass Brothers, which became Family Fish House. I ate there a few times with family members who lived in Hopewell. It was an AYCE place. It was really good!
yep ....loved the fish aquarium at entrance and the hush puppies
Use to be my old hang out in the 70’s.
Awesome Video! Keep up the good Work! Thankyou for having that wonderful Woman share her Memories! I live in Massachusettes and I used to go the Methuen Mall where that was a Treat for me on my Days off when I was in my Teens and early Twenties! When I had my Kids, we would go there on my Days off and it was so wonderful! The Mall was like a little fantasy fun World to enjoy. I loved going there and loved the Sights, Scents and Sounds of the Mall. Unfortunately, the Methuen Mall was closed in the late 90s and demolished to make Way for the Loop in Methuen. The Kids are grown and they also remember going to the Mall and enjoying a World of Fantasy and Fun. Ah the Memories! I could go on. Keep up the good Work and I thoroughly enjoyed your Video!Thankyou! Blessed Be! )0(
I'm happy that y have good memories of methuen mall!!!
I have many fond memories of Walnut Mall....I think the restaurant was called "The Family Fish House" the food was really good, I remember you had to walk down and around in a dark blue room with fish nets and nautical type stuff on the walls like buoy's or life vests or rings.......they also had fish tanks with live fish in them., I think. Near the end though the restaurant switched over to a place called " Country Cookin" (?)... There also was a Bresslers 33 flavors ice cream shop in there I loved, the place was narrow, about 8 ft wide and it was about 25 ft long....I spend many hours in the Waldenbooks..... The 2 screen theater was fantastic, Im glad the original building still stands....the same lady worked there the whole time I was a kid, all through the 70's into the early 80's, ,she took tickets- I later learned she was one of the few casualties of the tornado that ripped through Colonial Heights in 1992 (?) she was at the time working at the new WalMart, I think, RIP.... thanks for the upload and keep em coming.....
+wotan237 no problem! Thank you for sharing and commenting. I'm glad you posted the name of the ice cream place. I did a follow up video with my grandma and uncle on the channel and they couldn't remember the name.
I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I actually remember the tornado. It was pretty scary
The lady that worked at Walnut Mall Theater was a witch! LOL All of us kids were scared of her. She was mean and nasty. I often wondered if she knew how to smile. LOL I loved going to the movies there, but hated dealing with the ticket lady.
My dad use to run the projector at the old movie theatre in Walnut Hill. I bet she knows my dad. Jimmy Dean. We lived in Walnut Hill
It's possible. I can always ask
It’s so great to have a UA-camr I like that’s from the tri-city area like me.
The fish restaurant was called Fass Brothers Fish House! I used to shop at Walnut Mall and attended movies at the Walnut Mall Theatre! I loved shopping there, especially at Christmas.
Thank you for your story! I would loved to have seen the Christmas there
Tamara, did you live in Kennelworth
We used to go to that mall and theater all of the time. Great memories. That fish house restaurant was the best! The Thalhiemers bakery was the best also.
I remember going to family fish house and Aladdins castle gameroom ❤good times
If you love this video. Be sure to check this one out as well! 👇👇👇
ua-cam.com/video/39wFVPwEm9g/v-deo.html
Kool video buddy!! Thx for posting. Grew up in the Burg!! Moved in 98
Thanks! I'm happy you enjoyed it
At the food lion section of your video there was a 2 screen theatre as you noted, however down the road where walgreens sits today 7/13/18 and was called cinema 8. It stayed open for awhile but it could not compete with South Park.
I do remember that old theater. I saw Dr. Dolittle(1998) in there when I was 10. Last movie I saw there was Bicentennial Man(1999) I'm not sure when it closed. I think it was 2005
Thanks for posting this video. My first job was at the J.C. Penny's from 1976 - 1978 in the mall. It was a very busy place especially on Saturdays and people would come from as far south as Emporia, VA to shop.
Thanks! If I had a time machine this would be the abandoned mall I would visit
@@ThePodCastDojo Yes it was a classic. One of my fav memories was a Friday night while I was working, 3 streakers (guys not wearing any clothes) ran through mall and jumped into the fountain in the center of the mall then exited out the main entrance! We all laughter about that for weeks.
+Vern Orrell hahaha! I didnt even know Walnut Mall had a fountain. That must have been built later into its life
Such an interesting video and great quality ! Keep up the great work!
I remember this place vividly. I went to the Aladdin's Castle there and spent a many a quarters in those arcade games.
Justin, good to see a young man like yourself take an interest AND share in this type of history. Your grandma added a great touch to this one. She's right - those toll booths along 95 were a bear! She said "chits" - now that's old school vocabulary. Tell her thanks.
Will do! Thank you my friend. I think it's important to preserve history like this
I believe she is referring to Woodmere Apts as being behind the Mall
Great video! I really enjoyed seeing how it had become a food lion shopping center (also, damn! your food lion looked way nicer than either of the ones in Charlottesville) and the interview at the end was great!
NinjaSpidey thanks! I'm glad you liked it! I thought the interview would be a nice touch. I want to try to do more if I can
I have a guy helping me at work today, he lives in Petersburg and he told me there use to be a mall in Petersburg I was like I don't remember that I was born in 88 and lived in Colonial heights and chester my whole life very interesting! Nice video
+Michael Duncan thanks! If it wasn’t for deadmalls.com I would never have known this place existed since no one talked about it. I was born in 87 but we lived in Manassas. We moved down here in 91 and briefly moved to Petersburg while our house in Chester was being built. However when we moved I think Walnut mall had just closed down for a few months.
Same thing happened to Manor East Mall, was the very first mall for Bryan/College Station, Texas, located off of Villa Maria and Texas avenue. They tore most of it down except for one department store and the movie theater, known as Manor East 3, where I saw Star Wars in the 1970s. Then made into a shopping center with an HEB grocery store. I was able to take photos of the mall, but sadden it is no longer there any more, but with a new shopping center called Tajo's
My mom used to go to that mall and work at that movie theater
Mariah Cook I remember you telling me that which is why I mentioned it at the end. Thanks for watching!
I used to go to that Movie theater . The lady up front hated when you came up there smoking.
The theatre beside the mall? Because my dad and Tommy Clemmons ran the projectors there
It is very interesting to know how things change over time and what used to be a huge more back then are just but a couple stores.
Franny Rodriguez it really is. I'm glad you enjoyed the video
1:36 Cinema 8 South Crater Rd!
I vividly remember being at the Thalheimers liquidation sale on the last weekend in late May 1991, clothes all over the floor, fixtures tied in plastic
Looking back, I wish i could see what games Aladdin's Castle had, I remember being in there but at such a ripe age didnt know what a video game was and never thought id love them so much
Then there was Bradlees Woolworth and the Sears across the street
Currently living in New Jersey, lived in Prince George from the day I was born to 2012
M&R was at the Walnut Hill Plaza, not the Mall. The fashion shows were sponsored by Tiffany Bridal Shoppe. School choirs would perform at the Mall as well.
Walnut Hill Plaza was something in its heyday ...we hung out plenty over there, too.
Very good video. Very interesting. Great stories. Thanks.
There had been plans in 1980 to add a second story. I loved Thalheimer's. Petersburg could have been something great but they blew it and did not support small businesses. They got what they deserved.
They were going to add a whole second story to the mall? That would have been great.
Petersburg did support our mall and many surrounding communities also supported Walnut Hill Mall. Many factors contributed to the closing of the mall. South Park believe you me was a factor, one of many reasons why it closed another was political.
Thank you for showing your true feelings about our community. I believe you!
I remember going with my mother to shop there when I was little. I moved away in 1994. Wish I had pics of this place from back then
Got searching for abandoned Petersburg videos cause I looked up the old Ramada inn on google earth and noticed it is abandoned now. My grandmother worked there. Would love to see at least a video of that place. Would love it even more to see the inside again myself
I don't think I can get inside but I can possible get a video from the outside
I had so much fun in this mall.
Do you have any cool stories about it?
ThePodCastDojo going to the arcade and red lobster they had a gnc too
I had no idea there was an arcade and a red lobster in there. That must have been towards the end of its time
ThePodCastDojo The Arcade was up stairs from Red lobster it was before south park was built.And Dance's Sporting Goods was around the corner from the movie theater.k
That’s so cool thanks for sharing. I love learning more about this mall
@1:21 That was actually a picture of my local mall, Walnut Square Mall in Dalton, GA! It's pretty much dead, with only about 10 stores still opened. It's so sad to see it this way :( I had so many fun memories there, I loved jumping on those big trampolines!
I actually caught the mistake after I released the video 🤣. I used to frequent Northlake mall when I lived in Atlanta for a year
Chesapeake Square Mall has a post office in it. It also has one of the large Target stores which has a grocery in it. -Cliff
1:20 or so... "I've never seen a grocery store inside of a shopping mall."
Speaking for myself... I used to live in upper Minnesota; the Thunderbird and Mesabi Malls had Red Owl grocery stores in them. Another shopping mall close to where I now live(I'm near Niagara Falls NY) is the PEN Centre in St. Catherine's, in Ontario Canada; they have a Zehr's Supermarket. I know because I've visited there twice.
I noticed in the video of Rotting Acres that was made in 2003 before it closed that it had a post office. I have noticed DMVs in dead malls too. Some malls are still booming. We have a couple here. I think it is a lot about location. I am glad they repurposed the space. It is my understanding that Colonial Heights once was a lot nicer and upscale area than it is now.
Walnut Mall closed way after 1991, more like 1998. South Park Mall opened in 1991 or 1992. But yea there was a record store named Gary’s next to the Foot Locker. I met Eric B & Rakim there in like 1987. Alladin’s Castle at the time was an amazing arcade. I remember A&N had the suede Pumas and Troop shoes on display at the front door.
The memories maaaan !!!!
In the 50s and 60s, people even dressed up for a day Disneyland. It's funny how I see videos of dead malls that are abandoned in other parts of the country that are just sitting there while here in the Phoenix area, with all the growth we've seen since the 90s, when a dead mall does bite the dust, it gets demolished sooner rather than later. Or they get redeveloped into something else like the ols Maryvale Mall. The old Valley West Mall/Manistee Towne Center was even used to film Eight Legged Freaks before it was demolished.
During the interview, she discusses the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike. The last vestige of the old road is visible on 95, just south of Route 10 (Hundred Road), as the old name of the turnpike is still on a VDOT building adjacent to the highway.
very nicely done...respect
Reminds me of Dixie Square in Harvey Illinois demolished in 2012. It was way before my time and I live in Wisconsin, but it was very interesting to read about. Also looking at old photo's it was very beautiful but failed only a few years after it opened when democratics changed and the neighborhood went to shit. A guy who explored it found an old typed letter from a woman who had her purse snatched in front of a wards in 1966 by a "negro child" days after it opened. Then he found a letter from the owner replying to her saying they'd try to get security going (which is a problem we have in our mall here in Racine which is probably another reason it isn't doing so well either). This mall was even lucky it was put out of it's misery. A lot of malls like Dixie square and rolling acres just sat and rot. And as much as I do like online shopping, I miss mall shopping at least you could try on clothes or didn't have to worry about being scammed. I hate Walmart btw.
I've been to that mall in Racine. They said it's so small that u could hear each other from opposite sides of the building
I remember this mall I"m a native of Colonial Heights and visted this mall when I was just a kid, I bought my very first stereo and it still plays just like the first day I brought it home Oh and the bus ride on the big green bus with the banner that said ( Mad Man Dapper Dan I would give you all of them but my wife won't let me) for used cars WOW what rememories it brought back from so long ago.
City Officials ran a whole lot of businesses away South Park Mall was offered to The City Of Petersbug but Officals didnt want it
I tell you another thing that’s killing malls is the rift raft. Shootings violence ETC .... Also the prices are way too outrageous and the quality and quantity of the merchandise is very poor.Back then You already knew you were gonna pay more than K-Mart Roses and ETC but at least it was of impeccable quality and quantity. Just my opinion.
Most malls have high lease cost and most retailers left after five years lease. External shopping center are cheaper than mall.
once again had no idea lol....been in central VA all my life but i can understand this one i was 3 years old when it closed lol
Yea I was 4 and by the time I was even old enough to remember it. South park was thriving and there was no point going to walnut
I remember when I was little seeing the abandoned building and my mom talking about it when it was still open. I think my she worked at the Thalhimers there. It's sad that South Park has gone downhill as well though. Its not like it was when we were kids.
+NicoNicoleinTokyo that's so cool! Yea I really wish I could have seen it in its glory days. It looked like a pretty mall. I think South Park malls problem is it has too many of the same type of stores
The Family Fish House was one of the restaurants, I can't remember the name of the other. Aldan's Castle was the arcade on the right between the fish house and Thalhimers. That was my first movie at Walnut Mall "Return of the Jedi".
Thalhimers was not beside Aladins Castle. That was JCPenney. Thalhimers was at the opposite end of the mall.
nice! your grandma was a plus!!
+Sonny S thanks! I think she really enjoyed being let of this as well
Nice input from another generation
South park mall in a couple of years maybe next year is going to be abandoned. I went there two months ago to look for gifts, it was dead asf. It was hardly anybody in there not like how in the mid 2000s when I was a kid there would be a good amount of ppl in there. Some stores are even closing or have already been closed. It's a shame that mall is about to be out of business
I still think Ft. Lee will keep it alive. However I definitely think without that the mall is immediately doomed. I think one major issue is they havent filled the Sears wing. I feel like once an anchor dies vacancy spreads to the rest of the wing
Post office was across the street from the mall, not in the mall.
Pretty sure there was never a grocery store in the mall.
Food Lion occupies that site now; maybe that's the source of confusion.
Walt, I do remember there being a Big Star supermarket on the very end of the Thalheimer's side once upon a time. That went away at some point, and Thalheimer's expanded into that space. I remember my grandmother saying Big Star was a dump ... seems like an odd fit for Walnut Mall or really any mall, but it seems like the early 60's were kind of the wild west days of mall planning, so maybe the owners were trying something new.
@@slimsav1 :
Hey there, Noah! 👋
Big Star? In Walnut Mall? Huh. I did not know that.
Remember The Sun, across the street? Now that was a right dump. lol
Hope you're well!
What if I were to tell you the original plans was for Southpark to be in Petersburg. The area that Walmart is in now. Yeah that was the original plan but Petersburg didn’t want to hand over the tax breaks. If that had came true Colonial Heights would still be a sleepy little town and Petersburg would be booming. What if I told you that it goes back decades before that. Busch Gardens (and Anheiser Busch) at the time wanted the brewery and theme park to be built on Lake Chesdin in Dinwiddie (instead of Williamsburg/James City County). Petersburg at the time said no to connecting them to the water system. Two times Petersburg has shot themselves in the foot.
@05:13, it was the home to me basically coming into this world. I was born 4/13/1985. My granny took my mom to the Walnut Mall (4/12, which is my mom’s birthday) and walked her like crazy, the next day I was born. A similar thing happened with my wife and daughter in 2008. We went to Swaders, with friends, walked like crazy, and the next day I was born.
very good
Used to go to Stuart's Plus at this mall.
fass brothers fish house
Bill Havrilla we used to eat there a couple of times a month!!
Bill Havrilla that was the place to go eat
Sad but malls might be extinct just like Blockbuster Video. The were an adventure a great place to meet family and friends.
I dont think malls will totally go extinct because there are some malls that are still just as healthy as they were in the 80s and 90s. But I don't think you'd ever find any new indoor malls being built. Now me personally. I was a millionaire I would re open walnut mall
@@kabinovskorner7205
Yeah your right.
Have you ever been to Roanoke Virginia ?
The same thing happened to a mall there called Cross Roads Mall.
At one time it was the only mall around.
also fort Lee used IT for training. that was ausome
I never seen a grocery store inside the mall either but I did see a post office in the mall. my local mall here in Syracuse New York Destiny USA formerly known as Carousel Center had a post office in it. It service the mall and the towns around the mall for years. you could go get a bite to eat in the food court upstairs and bring your package along with you and then go downstairs to the Post Office and mail out your package all in one day. post office just couldn't sustain themselves anymore when the new mall management took over for Destiny USA. They kept increasing rent in the post office left. Backspace no I believe is a test center for all the stores. I know it had a bookstore which didn't last because almost nobody reads books nowadays and then it was the As Seen On TV store and they moved out and moved into another location now I don't know what the post offices but Storms Come and Go all the time into the post office and never stay there
Lucas Nencetti that's interesting. I'm going to research that mall when I can
Petersburg is screwed. The hospital I was born in was torn down in Petersburg.
Southside regional? My sister was born there. I know they tore down the old building and just moved it. I think it is closer to Ft. Lee
Yea
SRMC was torn down and rebuilt off of Crater Road, across the road not too far from Walmart.
you should go and explore abandoned stores even go inside
+Patrick Astor there are definitely some places I plan to go to
is the mall shell still there
No I wish it was. They demolished it around 2005-2006 to make a new Food Lion
CVS drug store by it self was the last tenant before it offical closed. And Walnut Mall sit abandoned for years.
I think that ended up moving to South Park Mall because I remember a CVS in South Park Mall for years.
I used to go to South Park all the time in middle and highschool with my friends. Still go there somethimes. Had no idea there was ever a mall in Petersburg. Then again, I don't feel safe walking anywhere in Petersburg let alone South Park Mall.
I was there today
And I live in Petersburg va
And my bother works at food lion
And went to school there
That same food lion
Wal-Mart killed the mall
+Justin James well I'm sure that may have had something to do with it but the mall died in 1991. The Walmart was there in I believe 1992. But I think if the walmart predates South Park Mall. I think it would have had a major effect in its downfall
Wasn't Walnut converted into the shopping center with Target, Toys-R-US, and BooksAMillion?
No, that's in Colonial Heights which isnt too far away. Right now Walnut Mall is a strip mall with Food Lion and a couple of other stores in there
Oh, I know where that is.
At 2:18 you mention “Walnut HILL Mall”. Twice. It was Walnut Mall. Walnut Hill Shopping Center was across the street which housed Miller & Rhoads. Do your homework.