My dad was the Senior Vice President at the Taubman Company in charge of Planning and Design He workd on this mall as well as Fairlane, Great Lakes Crossing, Beverly Center, Cherry Creek, Briarwood, Charleston Place (Hotel), Partridge Creek and many more. From all the stories I heard Taubman Company was a great company to work for!
Imagine living near it as I do. So many memories here. Massive parking lot. Going up and down the glass elevators was always fun as a kid. This one hurts.
@@davidm6819 I used to call it the Golden C@@k Ring before Golden Butthole became more popular 😀 There’s another one in Bay City; I joked that if it ever came off it’s mounts, it would be The Bay City Roller. 😀
Ace reminding me to binge watch all the old content, while I am currently binge watching all the old content, lol!!!! Love re-watching, the music, the aesthetic, the different events, and comparing them to older and newer videos, seeing how much farther they have fallen or risen, but 99 percent of the time, fallen or gone. Just greatness!!!!
@@genegjr But doesn't every mall look dead in some sections? Even in the 90's a mall that I lived near that is thriving to this day, had some dimly lit dead sections.
@@TheKingOfInappropriateComments yes but we have a mall here called the Christina mall it's huge 400 stores all on one floor including Macy's Jc Penny's and Target it's never going to be a dead mall it's always crowded on weekends but they lost 3 restaurants JB Dawson California pizza 🍕 kitchen and a Panera bread and a Bose store a Microsoft store and a children's place reopened in 2021 so this mall will never be called a dead mall
This was my Fast Times at Ridgemont high! I worked at Crowley's from ages 16-22/ 1989-95. We had to park on the grass during holidays because it was so packed!! After Crowley's, it started sliding. More stores left, here we are😢
We are about the same age and yes this was my Fast Fimes at Ridgemont High. This place used to be absolutely packed on Saturday afternoons. So much to see and do there, back then.
@@melrobinson6400 😂 I worked at Hudson’s for a little while and Ruby Tuesdays at the mall. But the best times at the mall were before we were old enough to drive and our moms would drop us off for the afternoon. Aaah the freedom! After we got our licenses we went a lot less to the mall because we could go anywhere then.
When I was a little kid we used to go to the hydro tube! There were three clear water slides that you entered on the top and it took you to the lower level! So much fun at them all my whole childhood and teen years
That mall is gorgeous. I understand the need to revitalize it, but I’m sure that will destroy the pure 70’s aesthetics of the place. Anchors? Well, my two cents is that malls were built to compliment the anchors, which were the main draws. 40 years ago, no one could imagine a company as large as Sears or Kaufman’s going kaput. An anchor goes, then the stores in those wings lose traffic and either move to the center of the mall or out of it entirely.
I feel like malls should have stores like Target as an anchor. Just having a bunch of clothes and appliance stores doesn't make sense. Macy's + Target + Costco/Lowe's and then the mall in the middle would be interesting.
As someone who lives in Metro-detroit, there are a few malls you could visit that are dead mall treasures: Eastland Center, Oakland Mall, Westland Mall.
I loved this mall so much as a kid I wrote a short paper about it in third grade. At the time it had the Tilt arcade, one of the best arcades in the area. I still enjoy visiting the mall every so often just to walk around.
Before the arcade and the indoor water slide, there was a ice rink. I remember it well, a kid tripped me and I fell right on my face. Had a goose egg on my forehead and had to stay up all night in fear of a concussion. Good times...
I lived in southeast Michigan between 2000 and 2003. I tried to visit as many of the area malls as possible. I remember thinking that there were too many malls in the area including this one. I barely remembered Lakeside until you posted this video. What a masterpiece of 70’s architecture!
Can't wait for the vid on Lakeside, it reminds me so much of what Summit Place in Waterford/Pontiac looked like before it closed :I You should also visit The Mall at Partridge Creek down the street, that place has major anchoritis and a testament that lifestyle centers can also die out like the malls before it.
The truth ie, this is your channel. We ride along with you. So you should be able to go and record what interests you. If All you do is make context for others. You will burn out fast. Keep bringing us good stuff. But have fun too.
What an amazing mall! I love the upper level entrance to the old Lord and Taylor. I’ll appreciate any content you create - the Route 66 trip content was amazing last year. I loved living vicariously though you when I was unable to travel in 2020!
Thank you for the excellent video. I love the 80’s fashion show and how you videoed the sculptures, waterfall, planters, conversation-pitt closeups, and even the elevator lights. The music was excellent too. Along with your soft-spoken voice which gave respect to this paining giant and comfort to the viewer. The news update at the end was an excellent touch and nice hopeful tie up of what’s to come. I feel very nostalgic about this mall. It opened at a time when my parents (mom and step dad) were divorcing so it was a refuge for my mom, sister and me. A few years later, my mom got a job at the Hudson’s cash office to pay the bills for the condo we moved into on 9/15/77. She would work there until shortly after Hudson’s became Dalton Hudson’s. Hudson’s Marketplace and Children’s departments became a few of my first jobs. My sister worked at Toronto Leathers. Some of the very first stores in my memory were the ice skating arena, movie theater, Yummy Land, County Seat, B. Daltons, Winkelman’s, Marrianne’s, and Friendly’s to name a few. I came back here the christmas after my mom passed (4/24/18) to buy an ornament from Macy’s (formerly Hudson’s) as a memorial ornament to celebrate our times of togetherness and fun we had at this mall. So sad to see the emptiness but glad to see that it is still so well maintained even though it’s struggling so. Again, great job on the video. ❤️🥰
FYI, your Mom worked for Dayton-Hudson, not "Dalton Hudson", and the merge between Dayton's (Minneapolis) and Hudson's (Detroit) occurred in 1969, which is before Lakeside even broke ground. For a time, Dayton-Hudson owned B. Dalton bookstores, which is where the name confusion might come from.
oh i hope you got a chance to get to Eastland Mall while you were hear/ in Macomb! thats being demolished very soon , and has had a interesting resurgence ... Along with Westland Mall ... i worked there and they have the last anchor Sears in MI.
Wow, I loved Dom Deluise 😮 I'm sure I was there with the family but I was only 10 so I don't remember. I do remember they had an ice skating rink inside of the mall 💕 I miss the old days at that mall growing up...
When the anchors start pulling out then everything just goes. I get so sad watching your videos but I cannot get enough of them. My favorite place in the 80’s and 90’s was the mall. Now I am 55 and haven’t been for over 2 years. It’s overwhelming to see the boarded up or chained down stores. I remember the first time I saw “my” mall Eastgate Mall in Chattanooga TN close it was traumatic. I could never get used to the new mall they built 6 miles away. All my memories were just stuck. The music , the crowd the “cool” kids, the Music stores, they all seem such so distant or almost not real. I can see how people get stuck in time but I think this younger generation won’t feel the way that we do. It’s so different now. Don’t even have to get off of the couch to shop, play games, restaurants are kinda just take out food now. It’s sad they will not experience the anticipation of a new cassette, or a VHS, or just hanging out at the mall with your friends. Their connections are different. Their perception is different. Malls will still be around for awhile but they will never be what they were. Thanks for sharing!
I grew up on this mall. I was around when it was just farmland. The irony of this mall was ppl were upset about the mall being built(traffic, crowds) and now ppl are upset about the mall being torn down. As I said I was around when the mall opened. I even eventually worked here lol. Its sad to see such an iconic landmark fall to nothingness.
Oh wow, I'm glad you mentioned that, I was beginning to think I imagined an ice skating rink 😆no one remembers it. I was 10 when the mall opened. I am sad I don't remember the water park, wish I had pictures from back then 😞
I have vague memories of my parents taking me to this mall in the 80s more vivid memories of my sister taking me here in the 90s hanging out here with my friends in the early 2000s and one time in 2010 when my ex-wife challenged me to walk up the downward escalator which I did successfully but was then too tired to do anything else LOL. Literally a lifetime memories in this place.
Mall after mall this never gets old. Every piece of retail corridor you film brings back the fondest of memories from my childhood, when so much of it was spent in the department stores and malls that existed here back in the '80s with my mom and grandmother.
I loved this. I felt like I actually toured this former Taubman treasure. I absolutely loved the music. I’ve watched it a couple times seeing things I missed and to enjoy the music. Great one!!!
The 1980s music goes well with this video. Those years were the hey days for this location. Hearing about the closing of Lakeside has reminded me of how quickly time has passed. I remember being there in 1976 as a kindergarten or first grade pupil. I still remember how scared I was of the glass railings. I refused to go near them in spite of dad's reassurance of their safety. I imagined the glass breaking and me plummeting to the floor. There was a sunken rest area in the middle of the mall. It had comfortable, built-in couches. And there was also a small stage. Without any self consciousness, I would take the stage and sing verses of "It's a Grand Old Flag". That song was taught in most elementary schools that year in honor of the bicentennial.
I live in Sterling Heights but closer to Troy, so my go-to mall (if I MUST go to a mall) is Oakland Mall. I actually live closer to Universal Mall but I never think to go there. I really can’t remember the last time I’ve been in Lakeside, other than quickly in & out of either Sears, or Macy’s (and that was, for an eye exam at the LensCrafters inside Macy’s). I did however get my Covid vaccinations at the county-run drive through, which used to be the Sears Auto Center. Surprisingly well-organized efficient, and friendly. (Everything that, in the end, Sears wasn’t.)
During the mid to late 80’s Lakeside Mall was our social media and internet! Met my first girlfriend here. “Same day delivery”? How about buy it and immediately take it home with you, which was just 10 minutes away? Good ole days!
In the early to mid 1990s, this mall was almost unapproachable near Christmas. The mall is surrounded by parking lot, around which is the main five-lane loop called Lakeside Circle. Near Christmas, people would have to drive up the curb and park on the grass on the OUTSIDE of Lakeside Circle, as there would be no available parking spaces. THAT is how busy this mall used to be. The stores would be packed, the lines to check out would be long, and no matter what you did with your coat it always seemed too hot. At the time it was a major inconvenience, but now I wish it was that busy again. When Hudson's became Marshall Field's is when one could really start seeing the demise of Lakeside. Hudson's had allure all its own to people around the Detroit area, thanks to its 2.2 million square foot department store in Downtown Detroit. Although the downtown facility was all but shuttered by the time Lakeside approached its peak, the Modus Operandi was nearly the same at all of its branch stores operating at Eastland, Northland, Westland, Southland, Twelve Oaks, Fairlane, Oakland, Pontiac, and Lakeside malls (and I'm sure I missed some). High fashion, high attention to customer service, restaurants, repair services, and their world famous no-questions-asked return policy all were amenities to which Hudson's customers had grown accustomed. When it was merged, acquired, renamed (twice) and then left in the rear-view mirror bearing little resemblance to what Hudson's once was, I think a lot of people became bitter about malls. The image and the emotion of shopping at these places had become tainted with corporate greed and people were put off. Coupled with a period of many large companies (not just retail companies, but companies of all types) merging or being acquired which lead to massive layoffs of all kinds, wage stagnation, and the increased surge in online shopping, brick and mortar facilities could no longer compete. One could say they were a victim of their own success, if only for the shareholders. Remember, all the "X"-land malls were conceived and planned by J. L. Hudson Company. They were built by Hudson's, so with the demise of Hudson's came the eventual demise of the malls themselves. It was not the only reason, but I truly suspect it was perhaps the largest reason. HOWEVER! As the news clip eluded to, Lakeside is not completely dead and looks like it will survive in a different form. JCP and Macy's are supposed to remain open during and after the mall's transformation, as well as many of the other smaller stores within the mall. So please, if you can, try to support the remaining tenants of Lakeside. We all have to remember that, if we want a nice community we have to be great community members, and if we have a place that we want to survive, we have to support it.
I remember those days. Christmas shopping season you had to drive around until you caught somebody leaving to get a parking spot. The entire lot was full. Used to be one of the nicest malls around. Built at about the same as twelve oaks and the 2 were very similar for years. Now 1 is closing while the other is thriving. Besides partridge creek, Anyone have any theories as to why?
@@Rob2068 A couple quick points; Lakeside is and always has been the largest mall in the state of Michigan at 1.5 million square feet. Having said that, it has been announced that it will officially close for good July 1, 2024. As for why it is closing, you have to remember that at the time it was built, it was completely surrounded by farmland as the whole area was pretty rural still. Lakeside WAS the attraction to the area. Now, it is saturated by other things to do. Hall Road is jam packed with other stores and restaurants. When Lakeside opened, Hall road was only two lanes and enveloped by trees and crops. Now it is four lanes in each direction. In general, I think Lakeside just got old, especially when Hudson’s ceased to exist. People like new things, so they visit other places now. Even Partridge Creek is barely in the black from what I understand. So to summarize, I think the whole area is over saturated with other shopping experiences and Lakeside is the oldest thing there. Ground is supposed to be broken at the Lakeside site for redevelopment in 2025.
@@paulwindisch1423 again very similar situation to twelve oaks. Nothing around twelve oaks when it was built same time as lakeside. There’s another video that says folks were questioning why twelve was built so far away from anything. Now, just like lakeside, the area is very built up. Only thing not there is a partridge creek. But twelve oaks is doing fine. Would be interesting to know why.
I remember when I forgot where I parked my car once at this mall around Christmas time about 11 years ago. Took us a half an hour of riding around with security. Still love you, Lakeside.
Hudson's became Dayton-Hudson and then Marshall Field's followed by Macy's. Could the demise of malls be not so much anchor stores, but the demise of anchor stores? Online shopping, in my opinion, is responsible. People seem to no longer shop brick and mortar. It's terribly depressing for an 80's teenager in today's world.
Awesome video!! Loved visiting Lakeside as a kid and sad to see it dying out with fewer and fewer stores seemingly everytime I visit. Malls these days are a dying breed and thankfully MI still has two main malls going strong with Great Lakes and Somerset. Agree with other commenters, Partridge Creek is also another mall losing many stores sadly.
I used to work at Hudson's Eastland Mall from 1975 until 1980 and the Eastland Mall was a super busy mall. Then, I worked at Montgomery Ward located on Gratiot and East 7 Mile on the Eastside of Detroit. The Montgomery Ward store was located in a strip mall on Gratiot between Lappin and East 7 Mile Road. The Hudson's at Eastland Mall became a Marshall Field's and merged with Macy's which is closed permanently. The Montgomery Ward store has closed permanently in 1985.
I'm in Canada and don't have as many dead malls. One thing that I have noticed is in Canada most malls have a grocery store as there anchor and it works. The grocery store is likely to never leave. I have wondered why US malls don't do the same
They do work. Brings in so much business to the malls. Customers and employees of the grocery store shop in the mall. Mall employees just have to go into the grocery store in the mall instead of going somewhere else. They did take out the grocery store where I live, business went right down and that was when the mall started dying. It is now pretty much a ghost town in our mall. The old Sears spot is cursed too. Nothing lasts for more than a few years.
Thank you for filming this, this used to be a great place, remember when olgas kitchen was there and I remember I got my first haircut there when I was 2 or 3, great memories, hopefully something or someone will revive this mall.
This is my local mall and would go here all the time with my friends in middle school and shop all day. You would never find me here alone today, as the sex trafficking/stalking here is crazy. It is known as a dangerous location for women now a days, and I truly miss the magic of this mall, I would have a BLAST as a kid here.
Lakeside, and Fairlane, and Twelve Oaks all on one day. They were developed by JL Hudson, and sold to Taubman. For those of us who we’re actually there at the time and trained staff. Malls fail because they didn’t embrace digital marketing fast enough. The marketing for a mall store should drive business to the mall. The other issue is that selling is not a cool job anymore. Working in digital media is much more exciting. The opening day was a big event in my career. I will never forget it. Many if these specialty stores had volumes in excess of six to ten million dollars.
Ha. I was born less than 2 weeks after the date those malls opened. Finding malls older than me. Nice. 😅 loving the warm asthestics and the wood used in the mall. Feels nostalgic.
Meanwhile, the smaller and older Macomb Mall in blue collar Roseville is thriving, would never have thought it would possibly outlast Lakeside, which in its hay-day, was one of the best and most modern malls in the region. Sad to see this place fade away!
@@stoopidgerl Same here, in the 80s. Macomb was the "local" mall for me, Lakeside was the mega one that we would go out to once in awhile. So weird seeing lakeside in a "dead mall" video that apparently has national scope.
I think that malls need to look at getting popular stores as anchors. Walmart, target, goodwill, kohl's here on the east coast. The mall's need to adapt to the popular stores, if these stores would want to be anchors that is.
Yes! I think the old anchors like Macy’s, Sears, Penney’s are passé. Need Nordstrom , Dillards, others you mentioned. We have an outdoor mall in Jacksonville Florida called St John Town Center. It has target, dillards ,Nordstrom, coach store, Michael kors store, Tory Burch store, Louis Vuitton, Anthropologie, Apple, Steve Madden, and more plus lots of great restaurants sprinkled in. It’s packed year round.
Or try getting in a grocery store as an anchor? Most of the malls or shopping centers here in Canada had grocery stores at some point or another. Our local mall had one, and lost alot of foot traffic once it left the mall. Our mall is also losing 2 stores as of recent, one being the anchor that took over Sears, and Foot Locker. But sadly, alot of malls here are dead or close to dying, or have been converted into outdoor shopping centers or a few vendors with condos above them. Outdoor malls aren't as practical though due to our cold winters
Amazon shut down all the Malls….Amazon just started in Asia but the Malls are booming and still building more. The third largest Mall in the world is in Manila Philippines.
People can shop on Amazon and get it at their door. I don't like to buy clothes like that. I want to see it and try it on. So, the way to bring these stores back is go back to offering real service to customers. Make it relaxing to shop. In the old days there was a fitting room attendant who wasn't just there to make sure you didn't steal but also to ask, "Can I get that for you in another size? In another color?" That was great.Dress Barn did that and I loved that store. It was the only store around that still did that. That's how you sell clothes! If something doesn't fit you have to get dressed and go out and look to see if they have it in a size larger/smaller. Nah, I'm too tired to do that.
Can't believe we're coming to the end of the road for Lakeside Mall. Some things you just want to see live forever, and I always thought Lakeside would be one of those. Soon Lakeside will be just a memory.
Funny enough I drove passed lakeside earlier, honestly sad to see my childhood mall become what it is today. I still go time to time with family or friends whenever we head to hot topic or the anime store to see what they have, that’s all that trip is worth going for at this point. I’ve even vlogged myself shopping there with a friend. I remember when I was younger and all these stores were still opened and the mall felt alive, this was when Forever21, toysrus outlet, radio shack, Yankee candle, wetzles pretzels, etc were still opened there. Now it’s all closed and nothing more than random pop up shops clogging the empty spaces or just closed off, I remember walking into that Sears almost every trip when it was closing until they finally boarded it up as seen in the video. I wish this mall can somehow survive and be able to thrive in someway and hopefully sooner than later
Neat to see a video about this. This was the mall I grew up by. A little sad to see it dying, I still visit it once a year for Christmas shopping. Every year it gets more empty
I remember all of hubbub in the days before it opened. It opened on the same day as Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, and, I believe Briarwood in Ann Arbor. All Taubmans. That day, there was an ice storm that left our neighborhood without power for five days.
@Ace's Adventures *Great that you have VIDEO EVIDENCE of the neglect that surrounds Michael Kohan's owned mall properties!* Thanks for being willing to stand up and take action to prevent this slum lord from being able to destroy yet another mall*
The best of this mall was in the early to mid 90s, going there as a kid and playing in the kids area. Giant cereal bowl, bacon and eggs, spilled soda, waffles and pads of butter, loved this place as a kid.
God I remember going here all the time years ago. My sister got her ears pierced at Claire's here. I remember the Lakeshore Grill inside Macy's. Their seasoning was so good we stole and it brought it home. I like the elevator design with the seats around it and the water fountains. I have a video on my channel of the Sears elevators before they shut down.
Lakeside mall does look well maintained, I remember when I liked to walk around lakeside mall & different stores.. Good old Penny’s, lord & Taylor etc.
Makes me so sad to see Lakeside like this, went last year and decided to take a ton of pics. It was a treat to go when I was younger, did not hang out much in the 80's when I was in my teens because I lived closer to Macomb Mall but shopped here a lot throughout the 90's - 00's. Every Christmas I would eat and have a few drinks at Bennigan's and then do my Christmas shopping.
Many great memories of Lakeside Mall. Came from Detroit with a friend in 1976-seemed to be a forever trip, but well worth the drive! Moved closer after marrying. Took my boys there often to walk and play in the play area. So sad to see it this way.😢
This mall is far from dead, many stores remaining and new ones do open up still from time to time. Many of the anchor stores have left and those spaces remain open but there are quite a few people that still go to this mall compared to the other ones around (Oakland, Macomb, even Partridge creek are all dying) This mall certainly is not. They are planning big renovations to it which will include an indoor ice skating rink, food trucks, modern art. Check it out the new owners look to have some awesome plans for it, hope it materializes. As far as I know so far no plans to demolish this mall in the near future. Used to go here as a kid in the 80;s I loved it and still love this mall!
I ended up there quite by accident yesterday on my way to a concert with some time to kill and just thrilled to happen on a dead mall to explore. The Macy’s women’s store was fairly busy. The rest of the mall was mostly empty. In this video it still looks quite lively. There are still a few major chains left (Claire’s, Express, Torrid, etc.) but the mall is so huge that they’re just lost in there. Fountains are still bubbling, though, and it’s well kept. Such a classic Taubman design.
To answer your question as an outsider to the USA: why don't they make malls such as lakeside both functioning real malls with modern anchors which you must still have, but more importantly a mixed use community within the mall and also make it a vintage destination? You could re-open non branded shops that sold and demonstrated vintage products such as telephone shops, camera and film developing shops etc and have tours of how it used to look at the height of its success and people could dress up and have photo opportunities with actors who are dressed up in that period. Plus discos and roller skating etc. But not in a tacky way-like it's a real authentic experience like you have gone back in time? The tour guides could talk about the history of the mall and the description of what store used to be where etc. I'd love to go to something like that. It's an idea I guess but I don't know why mall owners just think of profits and run the malls into the ground with debt instead of doing something like that? It really works those sort of experiences. We have them here in the UK run by American organisations ironically, or small "experience" companies who rent farms for a month for Halloween. I love it. 😊
I grew up with the mall… I miss the arcades, bookstore, game store, and the actual food court haha! I went recently and the food court only has 2 restaurants now 🤪!
Fun Fact: Area wise this is the largest mall in the state of Michigan. I went here for the first time this past March with my mom. First time she went on a mall trip with me. :3 I really liked the Route 66 video from last year and hope it's longer. Also can't wait to see what other MI malls you visited. I'm excited for Courtland Center. That had a working fountain.
Lakeside, Somerset and Twelve Oaks are all within spitting distance in terms of size (+/- 50,000SF on 1,500,000SF bldgs). I think Lakeside "cheats" a bit by counting the former JCPenney Auto (a separate building). Twelve Oaks didn't have 'external' auto centers, they were built into the anchors. The Macy's at Twelve Oaks is huge, 400,000SF.
Oh yeah and I'd like to see some other content so bring it on. Truth be told, I find dead malls a bit depressing but the music and graphics and the production in general that you do are a work of art.
For my former local mall, penhorn mall, the mall went abandoned within 3 years of it’s Walmart closing and moving to a super centre location, and before that the mall did pretty good (Not counting the Sears wing, that wing was pretty dead for the Sears still being open at that time!)
1:18 I believe that statue is called the six toner. The guy that made it also build something for the cockpit for the space shuttle challenger that blew up. I’m 46 now. And lakeside was so important to me. I lived in macomb twp. All my life. I can remember being as young as 3 years old, being blown away by the structure of the mall. In the 70s, 80s, and early 90s it was filled with endless people. All parking spots taken up. Even worked their in my teens at Pacific Sunwear (when it was cool back then.) it was right next to Victoria Secret near the elevator. Many Dates and movies there too. I’ll be there when they tear it down in a few years.
My dad was the Senior Vice President at the Taubman Company in charge of Planning and Design He workd on this mall as well as Fairlane, Great Lakes Crossing, Beverly Center, Cherry Creek, Briarwood, Charleston Place (Hotel), Partridge Creek and many more. From all the stories I heard Taubman Company was a great company to work for!
This mall is a masterpiece. So sad to see it dying.
Imagine living near it as I do. So many memories here. Massive parking lot. Going up and down the glass elevators was always fun as a kid. This one hurts.
I live near it too my parents grew up at lakeside mall I haven’t been there in years
I was hoping he’d drive by “The Halo” and tell that story
It's the Golden Butthole. That term was coined by my friend. LOL.
@@davidm6819 I used to call it the Golden C@@k Ring before Golden Butthole became more popular 😀
There’s another one in Bay City; I joked that if it ever came off it’s mounts, it would be The Bay City Roller. 😀
Ace reminding me to binge watch all the old content, while I am currently binge watching all the old content, lol!!!! Love re-watching, the music, the aesthetic, the different events, and comparing them to older and newer videos, seeing how much farther they have fallen or risen, but 99 percent of the time, fallen or gone. Just greatness!!!!
This was an amazing mall back in the 80's and 90's. It was my absolute favorite. I'm so sad it's dying. :(
Maybe it's just me but the mall looks to be well maintained.
And relatively not dead.
It looks dead in some sections
@@genegjr But doesn't every mall look dead in some sections? Even in the 90's a mall that I lived near that is thriving to this day, had some dimly lit dead sections.
@@TheKingOfInappropriateComments yes but we have a mall here called the Christina mall it's huge 400 stores all on one floor including Macy's Jc Penny's and Target it's never going to be a dead mall it's always crowded on weekends but they lost 3 restaurants JB Dawson California pizza 🍕 kitchen and a Panera bread and a Bose store a Microsoft store and a children's place reopened in 2021 so this mall will never be called a dead mall
@@TheKingOfInappropriateComments this mall is owned by Brookfield properties formally General Growth properties
The intro is 🔥 Dead malls and synthwave the perfect combo !!! Love it!
Thanks!
My childhood mall! Used to go to the movies there all the time before the theater closed in 97.
I thought the theatre was across the street on the other side of Schoenherr.
@@DJMetzler337 There was definitely a movie theater in this mall. Saw the Brinks Job with my first boyfriend there.
@@szatkown I loved the ticket booth that was a one person station in the middle of the hallway...right off Sears!
hey man, do you remember Tilt, the two story arcade??
@@fatribz Sure do! Always loved that place.
This was my Fast Times at Ridgemont high! I worked at Crowley's from ages 16-22/ 1989-95. We had to park on the grass during holidays because it was so packed!! After Crowley's, it started sliding. More stores left, here we are😢
We are about the same age and yes this was my Fast Fimes at Ridgemont High. This place used to be absolutely packed on Saturday afternoons. So much to see and do there, back then.
@@drewblue1164 , my son is 28, and he says, mommy, tell me more stories about working at the mall 🤣🤣
@@melrobinson6400 😂 I worked at Hudson’s for a little while and Ruby Tuesdays at the mall. But the best times at the mall were before we were old enough to drive and our moms would drop us off for the afternoon. Aaah the freedom! After we got our licenses we went a lot less to the mall because we could go anywhere then.
no matter how dead this place is ill never stop going. i live here and i been going to this mall my entire life
When I was a little kid we used to go to the hydro tube! There were three clear water slides that you entered on the top and it took you to the lower level! So much fun at them all my whole childhood and teen years
That mall is gorgeous. I understand the need to revitalize it, but I’m sure that will destroy the pure 70’s aesthetics of the place. Anchors? Well, my two cents is that malls were built to compliment the anchors, which were the main draws. 40 years ago, no one could imagine a company as large as Sears or Kaufman’s going kaput. An anchor goes, then the stores in those wings lose traffic and either move to the center of the mall or out of it entirely.
I feel like malls should have stores like Target as an anchor. Just having a bunch of clothes and appliance stores doesn't make sense. Macy's + Target + Costco/Lowe's and then the mall in the middle would be interesting.
I am so spoiled! I grew-up in metro detroit and was surrounded by taubman masterpieces!
As someone who lives in Metro-detroit, there are a few malls you could visit that are dead mall treasures: Eastland Center, Oakland Mall, Westland Mall.
Mario Kiezi bought it, he’s going to make it the best mall in Michigan
Eastland is demolished 😢
I loved this mall so much as a kid I wrote a short paper about it in third grade. At the time it had the Tilt arcade, one of the best arcades in the area. I still enjoy visiting the mall every so often just to walk around.
Tilt was badass especially when Street Fighter 2 came out. Place was packed out every weekend. Now it's just for mall walkers
Before the arcade and the indoor water slide, there was a ice rink. I remember it well, a kid tripped me and I fell right on my face. Had a goose egg on my forehead and had to stay up all night in fear of a concussion. Good times...
My boyfriend worked at tilt
I remember the HYDROTUBE, as well
Tilt was awesome got to play Mortal Kombat 2 there fun times
I lived in southeast Michigan between 2000 and 2003. I tried to visit as many of the area malls as possible. I remember thinking that there were too many malls in the area including this one. I barely remembered Lakeside until you posted this video. What a masterpiece of 70’s architecture!
This intro was FYRE!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Is a beautiful mall. Love the Lord & Taylor store front.
Can't wait for the vid on Lakeside, it reminds me so much of what Summit Place in Waterford/Pontiac looked like before it closed :I You should also visit The Mall at Partridge Creek down the street, that place has major anchoritis and a testament that lifestyle centers can also die out like the malls before it.
The truth ie, this is your channel. We ride along with you. So you should be able to go and record what interests you. If All you do is make context for others. You will burn out fast. Keep bringing us good stuff. But have fun too.
What an amazing mall! I love the upper level entrance to the old Lord and Taylor. I’ll appreciate any content you create - the Route 66 trip content was amazing last year. I loved living vicariously though you when I was unable to travel in 2020!
get ready for Round 2 soon!
To see it during its heyday, it was really something.
Thank you for the excellent video. I love the 80’s fashion show and how you videoed the sculptures, waterfall, planters, conversation-pitt closeups, and even the elevator lights. The music was excellent too. Along with your soft-spoken voice which gave respect to this paining giant and comfort to the viewer. The news update at the end was an excellent touch and nice hopeful tie up of what’s to come.
I feel very nostalgic about this mall. It opened at a time when my parents (mom and step dad) were divorcing so it was a refuge for my mom, sister and me. A few years later, my mom got a job at the Hudson’s cash office to pay the bills for the condo we moved into on 9/15/77. She would work there until shortly after Hudson’s became Dalton Hudson’s. Hudson’s Marketplace and Children’s departments became a few of my first jobs. My sister worked at Toronto Leathers. Some of the very first stores in my memory were the ice skating arena, movie theater, Yummy Land, County Seat, B. Daltons, Winkelman’s, Marrianne’s, and Friendly’s to name a few. I came back here the christmas after my mom passed (4/24/18) to buy an ornament from Macy’s (formerly Hudson’s) as a memorial ornament to celebrate our times of togetherness and fun we had at this mall. So sad to see the emptiness but glad to see that it is still so well maintained even though it’s struggling so. Again, great job on the video. ❤️🥰
So sorry about your mom.
FYI, your Mom worked for Dayton-Hudson, not "Dalton Hudson", and the merge between Dayton's (Minneapolis) and Hudson's (Detroit) occurred in 1969, which is before Lakeside even broke ground. For a time, Dayton-Hudson owned B. Dalton bookstores, which is where the name confusion might come from.
oh i hope you got a chance to get to Eastland Mall while you were hear/ in Macomb! thats being demolished very soon , and has had a interesting resurgence ... Along with Westland Mall ... i worked there and they have the last anchor Sears in MI.
Sadly they announced last week the Sears in Westland is closing soon.
A little history, when the food court was opened, actor Dom Deluise was at the ribbon cutting.🙂
Who the hell is that?
Wow, I loved Dom Deluise 😮 I'm sure I was there with the family but I was only 10 so I don't remember. I do remember they had an ice skating rink inside of the mall 💕 I miss the old days at that mall growing up...
@@josiffexplosiff1 He was a great actor. Recently, I watched the movie Fatso which he starred in, check check it out,very funny 😆❤
@@josiffexplosiff1 Watch Smokey and The Bandit 2 and The Cannonball Run for starters.
I was there when Lakeside opened in 1976. When I first visited (as first grader) only Sears was opened.
When the anchors start pulling out then everything just goes. I get so sad watching your videos but I cannot get enough of them. My favorite place in the 80’s and 90’s was the mall. Now I am 55 and haven’t been for over 2 years. It’s overwhelming to see the boarded up or chained down stores. I remember the first time I saw “my” mall Eastgate Mall in Chattanooga TN close it was traumatic. I could never get used to the new mall they built 6 miles away. All my memories were just stuck. The music
, the crowd the “cool” kids, the Music stores, they all seem such so distant or almost not real. I can see how people get stuck in time but I think this younger generation won’t feel the way that we do. It’s so different now. Don’t even have to get off of the couch to shop, play games, restaurants are kinda just take out food now. It’s sad they will not experience the anticipation of a new cassette, or a VHS, or just hanging out at the mall with your friends. Their connections are different. Their perception is different. Malls will still be around for awhile but they will never be what they were. Thanks for sharing!
Great intro… one of my favourites!
I grew up on this mall. I was around when it was just farmland. The irony of this mall was ppl were upset about the mall being built(traffic, crowds) and now ppl are upset about the mall being torn down. As I said I was around when the mall opened. I even eventually worked here lol. Its sad to see such an iconic landmark fall to nothingness.
Me too! I went to Magahay Elementary
My Aunt took me to this mall when Crowley's opener up, I was around 12, the mall had a ice skating rink, and water slide at one time
Oh wow, I'm glad you mentioned that, I was beginning to think I imagined an ice skating rink 😆no one remembers it. I was 10 when the mall opened. I am sad I don't remember the water park, wish I had pictures from back then 😞
Yes, it was called the HYDROTUBE
Very good music that matches the mall just like the rolling across mall video, thanks!
Oakland Mall was the go-to place for me and my mom. Lakeside Mall was when we felt adventurous to travel to. Somerset Mall was way to fancy for us. 😆
This video is so well done! Absolutely love the intro and music!
Ty!!!
I have vague memories of my parents taking me to this mall in the 80s more vivid memories of my sister taking me here in the 90s hanging out here with my friends in the early 2000s and one time in 2010 when my ex-wife challenged me to walk up the downward escalator which I did successfully but was then too tired to do anything else LOL. Literally a lifetime memories in this place.
Excellent in every way shape and form. Thanks
Mall after mall this never gets old. Every piece of retail corridor you film brings back the fondest of memories from my childhood, when so much of it was spent in the department stores and malls that existed here back in the '80s with my mom and grandmother.
I am going to miss this mall when it goes away soon in the next few years, it is never going to be the same without this mall when it goes down 😔😪😭😞😥.
That intro song was flippin epic you must send me the link
I loved this. I felt like I actually toured this former Taubman treasure. I absolutely loved the music. I’ve watched it a couple times seeing things I missed and to enjoy the music. Great one!!!
The love the mall like this.
The 1980s music goes well with this video. Those years were the hey days for this location. Hearing about the closing of Lakeside has reminded me of how quickly time has passed.
I remember being there in 1976 as a kindergarten or first grade pupil. I still remember how scared I was of the glass railings. I refused to go near them in spite of dad's reassurance of their safety. I imagined the glass breaking and me plummeting to the floor.
There was a sunken rest area in the middle of the mall. It had comfortable, built-in couches. And there was also a small stage. Without any self consciousness, I would take the stage and sing verses of "It's a Grand Old Flag". That song was taught in most elementary schools that year in honor of the bicentennial.
I live in Sterling Heights but closer to Troy, so my go-to mall (if I MUST go to a mall) is Oakland Mall. I actually live closer to Universal Mall but I never think to go there. I really can’t remember the last time I’ve been in Lakeside, other than quickly in & out of either Sears, or Macy’s (and that was, for an eye exam at the LensCrafters inside Macy’s). I did however get my Covid vaccinations at the county-run drive through, which used to be the Sears Auto Center. Surprisingly well-organized efficient, and friendly. (Everything that, in the end, Sears wasn’t.)
I love that beginning flash back section. It was great to start the video. I'd love to also see the living malls and how they are staying going.
During the mid to late 80’s Lakeside Mall was our social media and internet! Met my first girlfriend here. “Same day delivery”? How about buy it and immediately take it home with you, which was just 10 minutes away? Good ole days!
I grew up with this mall. Thank you for documenting it for when it unfortunately dies. A lot of memories here.
In the early to mid 1990s, this mall was almost unapproachable near Christmas. The mall is surrounded by parking lot, around which is the main five-lane loop called Lakeside Circle. Near Christmas, people would have to drive up the curb and park on the grass on the OUTSIDE of Lakeside Circle, as there would be no available parking spaces. THAT is how busy this mall used to be. The stores would be packed, the lines to check out would be long, and no matter what you did with your coat it always seemed too hot. At the time it was a major inconvenience, but now I wish it was that busy again.
When Hudson's became Marshall Field's is when one could really start seeing the demise of Lakeside. Hudson's had allure all its own to people around the Detroit area, thanks to its 2.2 million square foot department store in Downtown Detroit. Although the downtown facility was all but shuttered by the time Lakeside approached its peak, the Modus Operandi was nearly the same at all of its branch stores operating at Eastland, Northland, Westland, Southland, Twelve Oaks, Fairlane, Oakland, Pontiac, and Lakeside malls (and I'm sure I missed some). High fashion, high attention to customer service, restaurants, repair services, and their world famous no-questions-asked return policy all were amenities to which Hudson's customers had grown accustomed. When it was merged, acquired, renamed (twice) and then left in the rear-view mirror bearing little resemblance to what Hudson's once was, I think a lot of people became bitter about malls. The image and the emotion of shopping at these places had become tainted with corporate greed and people were put off. Coupled with a period of many large companies (not just retail companies, but companies of all types) merging or being acquired which lead to massive layoffs of all kinds, wage stagnation, and the increased surge in online shopping, brick and mortar facilities could no longer compete. One could say they were a victim of their own success, if only for the shareholders. Remember, all the "X"-land malls were conceived and planned by J. L. Hudson Company. They were built by Hudson's, so with the demise of Hudson's came the eventual demise of the malls themselves. It was not the only reason, but I truly suspect it was perhaps the largest reason.
HOWEVER! As the news clip eluded to, Lakeside is not completely dead and looks like it will survive in a different form. JCP and Macy's are supposed to remain open during and after the mall's transformation, as well as many of the other smaller stores within the mall. So please, if you can, try to support the remaining tenants of Lakeside. We all have to remember that, if we want a nice community we have to be great community members, and if we have a place that we want to survive, we have to support it.
I remember those days. Christmas shopping season you had to drive around until you caught somebody leaving to get a parking spot. The entire lot was full.
Used to be one of the nicest malls around. Built at about the same as twelve oaks and the 2 were very similar for years. Now 1 is closing while the other is thriving. Besides partridge creek, Anyone have any theories as to why?
@@Rob2068 A couple quick points; Lakeside is and always has been the largest mall in the state of Michigan at 1.5 million square feet. Having said that, it has been announced that it will officially close for good July 1, 2024.
As for why it is closing, you have to remember that at the time it was built, it was completely surrounded by farmland as the whole area was pretty rural still. Lakeside WAS the attraction to the area. Now, it is saturated by other things to do. Hall Road is jam packed with other stores and restaurants. When Lakeside opened, Hall road was only two lanes and enveloped by trees and crops. Now it is four lanes in each direction. In general, I think Lakeside just got old, especially when Hudson’s ceased to exist. People like new things, so they visit other places now. Even Partridge Creek is barely in the black from what I understand. So to summarize, I think the whole area is over saturated with other shopping experiences and Lakeside is the oldest thing there.
Ground is supposed to be broken at the Lakeside site for redevelopment in 2025.
@@paulwindisch1423 again very similar situation to twelve oaks. Nothing around twelve oaks when it was built same time as lakeside. There’s another video that says folks were questioning why twelve was built so far away from anything. Now, just like lakeside, the area is very built up. Only thing not there is a partridge creek. But twelve oaks is doing fine. Would be interesting to know why.
great piece man excited for the next one
The intro was so rad 100%
I remember when I forgot where I parked my car once at this mall around Christmas time about 11 years ago. Took us a half an hour of riding around with security. Still love you, Lakeside.
This intro is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Hudson's became Dayton-Hudson and then Marshall Field's followed by Macy's. Could the demise of malls be not so much anchor stores, but the demise of anchor stores? Online shopping, in my opinion, is responsible. People seem to no longer shop brick and mortar. It's terribly depressing for an 80's teenager in today's world.
This is a valid point.
Great looking dead mall! Love the new intro too.
Duett for the win! Amazing synthwave group.
Thanks Anthony, You're The Best !! You Keep Filming, I'll Keep Watching.
Awesome video!! Loved visiting Lakeside as a kid and sad to see it dying out with fewer and fewer stores seemingly everytime I visit. Malls these days are a dying breed and thankfully MI still has two main malls going strong with Great Lakes and Somerset. Agree with other commenters, Partridge Creek is also another mall losing many stores sadly.
Partridge creek is relatively new. And quite close to Lakeside. Part of the problem could be market saturation.
@@armorer94 Don't forget Twelve Oaks Mall . it's still active
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I used to work at Hudson's Eastland Mall from 1975 until 1980 and the Eastland Mall was a super busy mall. Then, I worked at Montgomery Ward located on Gratiot and East 7 Mile on the Eastside of Detroit. The Montgomery Ward store was located in a strip mall on Gratiot between Lappin and East 7 Mile Road. The Hudson's at Eastland Mall became a Marshall Field's and merged with Macy's which is closed permanently. The Montgomery Ward store has closed permanently in 1985.
I lived across Lappin from Montgomery Wards in 1983. :) Eastland was the cool mall before Lakeside.
@@slothbros7607 Do you remember the Great Scott!Supermarket, that was in the parking lot behind the Montgomery Wards and Federal's Department Store 🏬?
@@davidsquires154 I think that is where I shopped back then. :)
Great vid I like it keep up the great work
I'm in Canada and don't have as many dead malls. One thing that I have noticed is in Canada most malls have a grocery store as there anchor and it works. The grocery store is likely to never leave. I have wondered why US malls don't do the same
They do work. Brings in so much business to the malls. Customers and employees of the grocery store shop in the mall. Mall employees just have to go into the grocery store in the mall instead of going somewhere else. They did take out the grocery store where I live, business went right down and that was when the mall started dying. It is now pretty much a ghost town in our mall. The old Sears spot is cursed too. Nothing lasts for more than a few years.
Thank you for filming this, this used to be a great place, remember when olgas kitchen was there and I remember I got my first haircut there when I was 2 or 3, great memories, hopefully something or someone will revive this mall.
Hopefully that plan at the end will come to fruition.
ahhh yes carnival cuts
This is my local mall and would go here all the time with my friends in middle school and shop all day. You would never find me here alone today, as the sex trafficking/stalking here is crazy. It is known as a dangerous location for women now a days, and I truly miss the magic of this mall, I would have a BLAST as a kid here.
That’s so weird cuz i once saw this guy creepily follow me into the bathroom a couple years ago here, i was only like 13 and i ran out the bathroom 😂
Lakeside, and Fairlane, and Twelve Oaks all on one day. They were developed by JL Hudson, and sold to Taubman.
For those of us who we’re actually there at the time and trained staff.
Malls fail because they didn’t embrace digital marketing fast enough. The marketing for a mall store should drive business to the mall. The other issue is that selling is not a cool job anymore. Working in digital media is much more exciting.
The opening day was a big event in my career. I will never forget it. Many if these specialty stores had volumes in excess of six to ten million dollars.
Love the skylights in this one.. incredible. Malls are the cathedrals of the 20th century.
High quality footage and video. Keeps getting better and better. I had to watch this twice😊
Great mall
Ha. I was born less than 2 weeks after the date those malls opened. Finding malls older than me. Nice. 😅 loving the warm asthestics and the wood used in the mall. Feels nostalgic.
Meanwhile, the smaller and older Macomb Mall in blue collar Roseville is thriving, would never have thought it would possibly outlast Lakeside, which in its hay-day, was one of the best and most modern malls in the region. Sad to see this place fade away!
I am also shocked at how well Macomb Mall was revitalized!! Thought for sure it would die. Was a mallrat in my teen years in the 90s.
@@stoopidgerl Same here, in the 80s. Macomb was the "local" mall for me, Lakeside was the mega one that we would go out to once in awhile. So weird seeing lakeside in a "dead mall" video that apparently has national scope.
Why couldn't we just have stayed in '87 on that fashion show! Wanna go back!
I think that malls need to look at getting popular stores as anchors. Walmart, target, goodwill, kohl's here on the east coast. The mall's need to adapt to the popular stores, if these stores would want to be anchors that is.
Yes! I think the old anchors like Macy’s, Sears, Penney’s are passé. Need Nordstrom , Dillards, others you mentioned. We have an outdoor mall in Jacksonville Florida called St John Town Center. It has target, dillards ,Nordstrom, coach store, Michael kors store, Tory Burch store, Louis Vuitton, Anthropologie, Apple, Steve Madden, and more plus lots of great restaurants sprinkled in. It’s packed year round.
Or try getting in a grocery store as an anchor? Most of the malls or shopping centers here in Canada had grocery stores at some point or another. Our local mall had one, and lost alot of foot traffic once it left the mall. Our mall is also losing 2 stores as of recent, one being the anchor that took over Sears, and Foot Locker. But sadly, alot of malls here are dead or close to dying, or have been converted into outdoor shopping centers or a few vendors with condos above them. Outdoor malls aren't as practical though due to our cold winters
This is wild, I grew up in the area and this was a mall I went to sometimes.
Same. I graduated from Sterling Heights High. This is where the cool kids shopped.
We take a walk around this mall occasionally. Thank you for capturing this footage.
Thanks for watching
Amazon shut down all the Malls….Amazon just started in Asia but the Malls are booming and still building more. The third largest Mall in the world is in Manila Philippines.
What remix of Wham is that? It is pretty awesome :)
People can shop on Amazon and get it at their door. I don't like to buy clothes like that. I want to see it and try it on. So, the way to bring these stores back is go back to offering real service to customers. Make it relaxing to shop. In the old days there was a fitting room attendant who wasn't just there to make sure you didn't steal but also to ask, "Can I get that for you in another size? In another color?" That was great.Dress Barn did that and I loved that store. It was the only store around that still did that. That's how you sell clothes! If something doesn't fit you have to get dressed and go out and look to see if they have it in a size larger/smaller. Nah, I'm too tired to do that.
Beautiful mall, amazing fountains and ceilings love it. Sad to see it like this.
An all too common thing
Can't believe we're coming to the end of the road for Lakeside Mall. Some things you just want to see live forever, and I always thought Lakeside would be one of those. Soon Lakeside will be just a memory.
Funny enough I drove passed lakeside earlier, honestly sad to see my childhood mall become what it is today. I still go time to time with family or friends whenever we head to hot topic or the anime store to see what they have, that’s all that trip is worth going for at this point. I’ve even vlogged myself shopping there with a friend. I remember when I was younger and all these stores were still opened and the mall felt alive, this was when Forever21, toysrus outlet, radio shack, Yankee candle, wetzles pretzels, etc were still opened there. Now it’s all closed and nothing more than random pop up shops clogging the empty spaces or just closed off, I remember walking into that Sears almost every trip when it was closing until they finally boarded it up as seen in the video. I wish this mall can somehow survive and be able to thrive in someway and hopefully sooner than later
Yep. Bought my washer and dryer from that Sears. I would hang out with my college friends here all the time.
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Neat to see a video about this. This was the mall I grew up by. A little sad to see it dying, I still visit it once a year for Christmas shopping. Every year it gets more empty
The Lord and Taylor corridor has always been Lakeside’s deadest area. Whenever I shopped there, I rarely saw anyone go over there.
It had an Olga's Kitchen and I worked there back in the day....loved the Hydrotubes and the movie show. It was the very best mall ever.
I remember all of hubbub in the days before it opened. It opened on the same day as Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, and, I believe Briarwood in Ann Arbor. All Taubmans.
That day, there was an ice storm that left our neighborhood without power for five days.
taubman is great
I was just saying this needed to be made before it completely died. Thank You.
@Ace's Adventures
*Great that you have VIDEO EVIDENCE of the neglect that surrounds Michael Kohan's owned mall properties!*
Thanks for being willing to stand up and take action to prevent this slum lord from being able to destroy yet another
mall*
The best of this mall was in the early to mid 90s, going there as a kid and playing in the kids area. Giant cereal bowl, bacon and eggs, spilled soda, waffles and pads of butter, loved this place as a kid.
God I remember going here all the time years ago. My sister got her ears pierced at Claire's here. I remember the Lakeshore Grill inside Macy's. Their seasoning was so good we stole and it brought it home. I like the elevator design with the seats around it and the water fountains. I have a video on my channel of the Sears elevators before they shut down.
Lakeside mall does look well maintained, I remember when I liked to walk around lakeside mall & different stores.. Good old Penny’s, lord & Taylor etc.
Makes me so sad to see Lakeside like this, went last year and decided to take a ton of pics. It was a treat to go when I was younger, did not hang out much in the 80's when I was in my teens because I lived closer to Macomb Mall but shopped here a lot throughout the 90's - 00's. Every Christmas I would eat and have a few drinks at Bennigan's and then do my Christmas shopping.
Many great memories of Lakeside Mall. Came from Detroit with a friend in 1976-seemed to be a forever trip, but well worth the drive! Moved closer after marrying. Took my boys there often to walk and play in the play area. So sad to see it this way.😢
This mall is far from dead, many stores remaining and new ones do open up still from time to time. Many of the anchor stores have left and those spaces remain open but there are quite a few people that still go to this mall compared to the other ones around (Oakland, Macomb, even Partridge creek are all dying) This mall certainly is not. They are planning big renovations to it which will include an indoor ice skating rink, food trucks, modern art. Check it out the new owners look to have some awesome plans for it, hope it materializes. As far as I know so far no plans to demolish this mall in the near future. Used to go here as a kid in the 80;s I loved it and still love this mall!
It's coming down in early 2024. Announced today. Only the Penney's and Macy's buildings will be spared.
@@craigjensen6853 yeah I read that as well. 😔 its just heartbreaking to me. So many memories there.
I ended up there quite by accident yesterday on my way to a concert with some time to kill and just thrilled to happen on a dead mall to explore. The Macy’s women’s store was fairly busy. The rest of the mall was mostly empty. In this video it still looks quite lively. There are still a few major chains left (Claire’s, Express, Torrid, etc.) but the mall is so huge that they’re just lost in there. Fountains are still bubbling, though, and it’s well kept. Such a classic Taubman design.
Nice job on this and nice footage
To answer your question as an outsider to the USA: why don't they make malls such as lakeside both functioning real malls with modern anchors which you must still have, but more importantly a mixed use community within the mall and also make it a vintage destination? You could re-open non branded shops that sold and demonstrated vintage products such as telephone shops, camera and film developing shops etc and have tours of how it used to look at the height of its success and people could dress up and have photo opportunities with actors who are dressed up in that period. Plus discos and roller skating etc. But not in a tacky way-like it's a real authentic experience like you have gone back in time? The tour guides could talk about the history of the mall and the description of what store used to be where etc. I'd love to go to something like that. It's an idea I guess but I don't know why mall owners just think of profits and run the malls into the ground with debt instead of doing something like that? It really works those sort of experiences. We have them here in the UK run by American organisations ironically, or small "experience" companies who rent farms for a month for Halloween. I love it. 😊
Where does the money come from? You have to have paying tenants and customers to shop there.
Dude, sick WHAM mix….where can I find it?
Just look up wham remix it’s the one with the cats for the pic
I use to work in that mall. This walk thought takes me through my childhood and teen years. Its very sad to see this mall go down.
I grew up with the mall… I miss the arcades, bookstore, game store, and the actual food court haha! I went recently and the food court only has 2 restaurants now 🤪!
Fun Fact: Area wise this is the largest mall in the state of Michigan.
I went here for the first time this past March with my mom. First time she went on a mall trip with me. :3
I really liked the Route 66 video from last year and hope it's longer. Also can't wait to see what other MI malls you visited. I'm excited for Courtland Center. That had a working fountain.
Didja happen to see where the Sears Auto Center was transformed into the one of the county’s drive-thru Covid vaccination site?
I believe Somerset is larger if you combine north and south sections.
Lakeside, Somerset and Twelve Oaks are all within spitting distance in terms of size (+/- 50,000SF on 1,500,000SF bldgs). I think Lakeside "cheats" a bit by counting the former JCPenney Auto (a separate building). Twelve Oaks didn't have 'external' auto centers, they were built into the anchors. The Macy's at Twelve Oaks is huge, 400,000SF.
There's no way Lakeside is bigger than Great Lakes Crossing. Unless you're not counting outlet malls.
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Oh yeah and I'd like to see some other content so bring it on. Truth be told, I find dead malls a bit depressing but the music and graphics and the production in general that you do are a work of art.
Appreciate that, wish UA-cam didn’t hate small creators lol
For my former local mall, penhorn mall, the mall went abandoned within 3 years of it’s Walmart closing and moving to a super centre location, and before that the mall did pretty good (Not counting the Sears wing, that wing was pretty dead for the Sears still being open at that time!)
I was a salesperson at Lord & Taylor there at Lakeside in 1978. I was 19. Clinique counter…good times
Dude, I have never been more mesmerized by an intro or outro! Great taste in music and great content, keep up the good work.
1:18 I believe that statue is called the six toner. The guy that made it also build something for the cockpit for the space shuttle challenger that blew up. I’m 46 now. And lakeside was so important to me. I lived in macomb twp. All my life. I can remember being as young as 3 years old, being blown away by the structure of the mall. In the 70s, 80s, and early 90s it was filled with endless people. All parking spots taken up. Even worked their in my teens at Pacific Sunwear (when it was cool back then.) it was right next to Victoria Secret near the elevator. Many Dates and movies there too. I’ll be there when they tear it down in a few years.
So many great memories here in the 80s and 90s🤘🏿😈😎🍻
They had the best holiday decorations back in the day