I remember when this mall opened. I was fifteen years old, hobbling with a boot on a broken foot. And no, there were no real refurbishments at any point.
the empty spot at 7:58 used to be a friendlys in the mid 90s when i was little. every time i walked by there i always smelled the amazing grilled cheese they had cooking in there.
From 5:11, the corner/diagonal end store was a Things Remembered... (Gift Shoppe, buy ornaments, pens, trinkets and such for coworkers, family, etc.) ... Next, was what used to be a GameStop, for many years, at least 2001 to whatever time, Broadview seemed to have cut in bigly where what used to be GameStop, and right next to it, was Friendly's restaurant. Was on the same side. Following that, the red beams and yellow walls place used to be Champs Sport Goods store, then yes The Avenue, and I'm not sure what the other stores further, before Filene's/Macy's, were. They were either used as galleries, they had Community Acting/Child's Theatre/Plays, which yeah bounced around the mall depending what year. This to say, Friendly's WAS great, even remembering the days of "Smoking, or Non?", though yeah the Rotterdam Friendly's was awesome! Great staff, great food, and yep great atmosphere, maybe even lucky to bump into your friends, family, sweethearts while finding a seat/perusing the menu. 😂 The storefront you see at 7:58, used to be Gertrude Hawk's, there was also a Yankee Candle shoppe right next to it, but what a lovely wing of the mall!! Scented candle shop, Bath & Body Works down the way, but Gertrude Hawke's (I'm not sure the spelling) was a fancier chocolatier, offering various candies and bagged goodies, as well as FRESH (they had a little bar, behind glass) dipped strawberries, bananas, ice cream, in your choice of chocolates, and... Yeah. Magical place there too. Any wonder why they'd dry up, I have fond memories lasting most of my life there, but yeah, uncanny to see like 80% of storefronts shuddered... Even in the Summertime, walking space was a commodity, never even mind the ideas of Harry Potter launches at Waldenbooks, or movie premieres over the years... Ironic enough the great Time Out arcade spot was replaced by a Trustco Bank 🤣 From throwing quarters out of fun and entertainment, to ... Banking practices 😅🤔 Just wanted to help, where Friendly's used to be seems to be dug out by the big boy Broadview (which is a conglomerate bank that took SEFCU from Schenectady) bank, that ... I'm not sure anybody will rush to, though I'd say food and video games have better place in a mall than banks (which I'd reckon already build branches monthly, it's almost comical how in a deep recession and inflation disaster, here comes shiny new bank!!!)... Definitely rather have our Friendly's, B&B Works, even Spencer's leaving the mall was ominous, since surely even the most calloused of souls could still find a laugh or humor, in Spencer's Gifts.
@@kabukimanbrazeetoh5664 Came here to say this, Friendley's was where Broadview was. Right next to the gamestop and EB games around the corner. At one time the Gamestop was a small magic shop. When it was Gamestop and EB games though I spend many a weekend in there with my mom at Friendly's with the goal of, as we waited for food, going to EB Games and Gamestop and looking at games and convincing my mom to buy one by the time we left. :D Directly across from it used to be an Earth Shop and then a Godiva chocolates and, yes, a Bath and Body Works.
I predict when the last mall in the US closes, there will shortly thereafter be a new retail phenomenon introduced whereby large enclosed spaces will be populated by stores that were previously only online. Officials will state "people decided they really wanted to see, touch and experience the things they are buying and are tired of the online experience" and, voila, the mall craze will be back. But it'll be awhile yet. Retail is built on sand, and what's in today will be out tomorrow.
It may happen sooner than you think. AI images are being used to scam people online by promoting products and services that don't actually exist. At least with in-person retail, what you see is what you get.
I recently started working at the NYS consolidated call center where the macys used to be! and imagine my surprise it was located where the Rotterdam mall used to be! I haven’t been here since I was a kid and it was a real mall. It’s crazy being back under such different circumstances and it’s very bittersweet and surreal, since I have memories of going here with my mom and sisters for back to school stuff as a kid. That said it was past it’s hay day even then as I’m only 25, but my mom would always say how much busier it used to be.
I went to Rotterdam Square every single Black Friday with my Mom, Aunt, and Grandma from the late 90's to the early mid 2000's. I didn't do much of the shopping, as I was a young teen at the time and was just brought to be the bag carrier. This place was absolutely full of people year round but especially packed during Black Friday's. Sometime in the early 2000's we didn't go during a Black Friday due to weather and would be the last time I'd be inside this mall. I thoroughly miss the days walking through these places. There was pretty much every staple 90's business in this mall and i visited every single one of them. I bought my first Pokémon game here, Pokémon Gold from KB Toys! Even got a pet Hamster here. There was a cookie place that sold delicious M&M cookies that I've never been able to find any other place that duplicated the taste. From the different smells of the stores you walk past and how the smells would combine with other shops, to the sounds your feet made when you walked on the tiled floor, to the sounds of conversation echoing off different parts of the mall, to the open sound of the water fountains, to the combined rabble of all the people at the food court, there was so many different things you'll only ever experience inside a huge ass mall like this. I've heard others say that if they knew they were doing something for the last time, they would in the moment appreciate that thing all the more, and I really feel that way when I think about the experience's I had with the handful of Malls the capital region of NY had. It greatly saddens me most are gone, a distant memory, and have no video of what they looked like. I'm thankful I had a chance to experience that uniqueness of Malls as a 90's kid. Maybe someday society decides to take a step back and slow down some, Online stores decide to try retro stuff and go back to physical locations and things like Malls can be a thing again. Now that I'm in my late 30's it would be cool experience something like this one more time. Thanks for the video and the brief trip down memory lane
Not sure if 21:36 is clever ("BING-O.K.!") or just too lazy/cheap to repaint. Thanks for the update video although I see absolutely nothing has changed in years.
I live 5 minutes away and haven't been there in 5 years, and that was for only the aquarium. There are actually more stores operating in your video than I figured were there!
I grew up in Schenectady, I didn’t frequent Rotterdam Square mall, I probably go more now than I did when the mall was at its peak! There’s just a lot of competition in the area, Crossgates, Colonie Center, Latham Circle Mall (now dead and gone) and Clifton Park Center (somewhat dead, but has enough to hang on). All these malls were pretty much within 20 minutes of each other! I take my daughter to the aquarium now, she really likes it. It’s a tad redundant for adults, but for kids it seems like a blast, and looks to draw a good crowd. The movie theater is very modern, with fancy reclining seats and is always empty, which I love! Great video!
There used to be a friendly's, a taco bell, a McD's (Though they closed well before the mall started to fail), Boarders Book store Macy's, Radio Shack, Claire's, TJ Max, Bath and Body Works, Spencers, Verizon Mobile, Sprint Mobile, Zumies, Shoe Dept or Show Warehouse (Fuzzy Memory), Wow arcade, Sabaros, DQ (Ice Cream only), FYE. Those are all the stores I remember being there when I sued to go there. I used to work there at the McDonalds.
Its definitely a Dead Mall. I also used to help that Children's theater there. They do some great work for kids. Debut's is all pretty cool. Also a shout out to that Taco Place that is still there. That guy who runs its basically makes Taco Bell style Food but it all taste way better and doesn't make me feel sick after eating it. I recommend. If you ever do an update video, check that place out, I'm sure he could use the business boost. I'd hate to see him go if its still a struggle there. ( I might go there this evening and grab a bite. Id be more of a regular but the mall doesn't really have anything to attract me there. Though this might be a great spot to have group meetups. (Maybe a good spot of card gamers to meet up.)
I managed the Sear’s Portrait Studio in 2004. Every storefront was open and the energy was wonderful. I managed Torrid in Crossgates in 2001 or 2002. I remember how energetic the malls were. I visited Albany just before the pandemic and all the malls seemed lackluster. Broke my heart. Even Colony Center didn’t have the same charm.
@@fleabittenadventures There's a small (working) studio adjacent to the main space. They moved (within the mall) at least twice before settling into the space. If you recall, to the left of the original Sears entrance, is an area of marshland, and the reasonably small "antenna" right in the center of it, is where that station (1240 AM) transmits from.
I lived in a town Rotterdam Junction near by, this mall dying was like an era dying. When Kmart was gone it was official, and it was very sad.. this mall holds many childhood memories and I still will walk the mall just for fun and the memories sometimes.
Yes... it was very sad when K-Mart left. I did a lot of shopping there. Sears had been dying very slowly for a long time before they finally closed it up.
I grew up going to this mall. I can remember it so packed in the holiday season back in the 90s you could barely walk through the halls. Recently they have some odd events to use the space. Seen a pop up craft market, and a Bigfoot convention. At one point in the last few years they had an Elvis impersonator wedding chapel. Here I remember EB games, Zumies, Gadzooks, Pacsun, Friendlys, Champs, most basic mall stores. Via has really done nothing, but keep the mall on life support. I still come here for the theater. Its one of the last non big corporate theaters in the region, and they take good care of the space. Updating what they can.
This mall used to be great. I don't know how they keep it open. The food court had McDonalds, Subway, Arby's, Sbarro, Auntie Anne's, Street Corner News and more I can't remember.
There used to be a Taco Bell next to McDonald’s, and next to Taco Bell I’m pretty sure there was a Dunkin’ Donuts I want to say. There was also an arcade
Thanks for an overall look at this mall… I just moved from Long Island to cobleskill… you actually made it that much easier to not come here knowing there are no longer retail stores open… I truly miss hands on merchandise and walking from store to store… Great exercise in between shopping… 😊 definitely got my steps in….now the only exercise you get is you’re fingers ordering on line!!!!😩especially coming from Long Island with so many stores to choose from… I so missed 😢 By watching this it’s looks like a ghost town… Even showing from outside of the mall… Many thanks for sharing this video!!!!🤗
Before covid it was still a bustling mall, I remember several hundred in line for the aquarium grand opening, and the mall was always fairly packed until then. The fountain is still there, it's just turned off during the winter, it's a fountain during warmer parts of the year. Definately some more people recently but yeah, most people are there for the aquarium still.
It's definitely a dead mall. I grew up going to this mall when it was Rotterdam Square with family in the late 80's when it opened & through the 90s. It had all your popular stores all the malls had & stayed current until the early 2000's when it started to show its age. I believe its demise was not keeping up on maintenance & updating as the 2 other malls in the area, Colonie Center & Crossgates Mall did. Added with the fact, that area in general has seen an economical decline over the past decade or so. Sad. Would be interested to see you do a walkthrough of Colonie Center and Crossgates Mall in the future.
Makes sense. And I do have videos of Crossgates and Colonie Center coming up. I have a backlog of something like 20 mall videos.... I'll get to them eventually.
I've been to 3 or 4 malls in the last year, after not being in one for at least 10 years, and 2 of those were Colonie Center and Crossgates. And this is because the Tesla Superchargers are there. One of the others was Destiny Mall in Syracuse, which is huge but appears to be dying. The one relatively lively one though was Short Hills in NJ, and every luxury brand store is in there like Prada, Gucci, YSL. etc... Oh, I guess a fifth mall would be Kings Plaza in Brooklyn. Living in NYC though you never went to the mall much anyway, it required a special trip out to the burbs.
I used to be a manager/actor/makeup artist for Tru-Terror which was a haunted house we opened and ran for one Halloween season the same year they opened the aquarium. It was an offshoot to Tru-Escape which was the escape room in that mall, I think that survived until Covid 19 pandemic happened. Kmart was still open, I want to say this was fall 2016 our last operating day was the day the aquarium opened. I am not sure which of the anchor store spots we were using but we used the dressing rooms part of the former store as part of the maze. We also had completely eliminated all light and made a second maze to our setup with a blackout maze, we gave the customers an intentionally dim and sometimes faulty led candle while our actors whispered and walked around them in the dark. It was the last time that group of people came together to haunt and I would have given just about anything to put those people and that place back together. We had hoped to reopen the following season but I guess we didn’t make enough to be profitable.
Check out Riverfront Mall in Amsterdam, NY. It’s a repurposed dead mall with NY State offices and other businesses inside, and is quintessential 1970s.
@@fleabittenadventures yes, they call it the Riverfront Center now. It was a smaller enclosed mall. They have some offices in there now and I believe they are talking about reopening the cinema. They have also added a few entertainment type businesses there recently from what I understand. My mother worked there in the early 80s. It is definitely a dead mall.
I remember Christmas shopping there back in it's hey day. The old K-Mart is now a Bingo hall (as shown towards the end of your video). The movie theater is still pretty nice and the China Wok in the food court is pretty good too. I have a hard time calling it Viaport and still call it Rotterdam Mall lol.
When going into places you might be allowed, sometimes you can say "can you tell me where the bathroom is" as soon as you encounter someone. That was a huge kmart!!
I had friends that worked as security guards their back in the early 90's . Spent many hours walking around during the weekends. The mall has busy back then. The fountain was super cool when it was new . I saw "My cousin Vinny " and Terminator 2 there. Didn't know the carousel was in Florida !! Great job ! You definitely did your homework
I was wondering what became of the carousel. Many fond memories of my childhood, going to Rotterdam mall, visiting the stores and we'd finished day with a carousel ride and an Aunt Ann's soft pretzel.
I wonder when that theater originally closed? I worked at a Loews back in the 90s. We were the only one around that wasn't rebranded Sony. It was subsequently demolished around '03 when Sony built a 14 screen cineplex a couple blocks over.
It used to have mcdonalds,taco bell,kmart,sears,where the carousel was my friend had a bounce house attraction she ran for a few years. There used to be a arcade near the foodcourt where the bathrooms are. That became a bank after. It had a Friendly's and a Champs all sport. Gamestop was in there until 2014 I think. Used to be a huge fountain by the movie theater. Mall opened in 1990 so it's 34 years old.
In the video, to your left was either a candle store or a similar store like Bath & Body Works, and on the right was a Champs store. And there was bowling inside the game place.
Well, Palisades Center Mall in New York also has a graveyard, a much larger one, but it's not quite as close as this one. There are probably others out there, I'm not just aware of them. Thanks for watching.
I'm so glad you mentioned the size and depth of the fountains in this video. When the mall first opened, the fountain was so loud (the acoustical architecture around it was poorly executed), and so overly powerful that it was impossible to hear anyone near you and the marble floors became incredibly slippery. I can't remember what the remedy was, but at first they just turned the fountain off. I think they found a way to lower the volume of water to reduce the volume of noise but I don't know if my memories are completely accurate. I can't find any articles about it. The only other memory I have is that they opened up a stand in the food court called "Corn Dog on a Stick", and I laughed every time I saw it. And there was an awesome Ferris wheel in a sunny cove in the food court.
Loved going to the arcade, the carousel, flipping some coins into the fountain. My grandparents would take me here on weekends, sometimes I'd hit the lottery and leave with a couple action figures from KB toys. We took our daughter last year to see the aquarium, it only takes about 40 minutes to walk through but the kids love it.
It’s dead Tom. So sad what has happened to all of these malls. And do they think a sign is going to keep people out of the state offices? They need a secured door there.
Suburban sprawl doesnt work. Urban works. Rural works. Suburban is a fantasy and the cycle of new retail space (strip or enclosed) gets filled (nowdays its hard to fill a brand new strip mall)... older malls lose tenants because people want to be in the shiny new part of town... then rinse and repeat. There is a life cycle of the suburban mall. If you have to drive to it and cant walk/train/monorail etc, then its just a matter of time before it dies.
I went to this mall a lot as a teenager. I remember going to Filenes, Northern Reflections, Deb, Weathervane, Companie International Express (now known just as Express), Spencers, Claires, BBW, Kmart and more. I went back just a few years ago and wanted to cry seeing it the way it is now.
This is my local mall that is literally 5 minutes from my house. I used to go there all the time as a kid and had the best time! Now it's dead. NY has a call center in there. There's a day care in there. I wouldn't be surprised if it is fully closed within 10 years.
We were there over February break and visited the aquarium which is fun and the new dinosaur fantasy museum. Lots of cool stuff in the aquarium definitely worth the trip!
I remember going here alot as a child, there used to be a fish store in one of the smaller store locations close to the center fountain, that was my favorite place. We have goldfish and we bought lots of fish food there.
No refurbishments I can see. I took a co op job while in college at Northeastern University in Boston for 6mo. working in nearby Schenectady at GE in late 88 early 89. That interior looks the same. I lived in Clifton Park but used to go every week mostly at lunch.
I remember this mall. It existed before 87. I remember going to see movies at the movie theater in the rear of the mall. It was separate entrance but attached to the mall. I remember driving out to the theater because they were an independent theater and they showed the NC-17 and NR films no other theater would show, back in the 80s and early '90s before the Internet. I remember that they only showed the NC-17 and NR movies at Midnight. The movies were never that great, which was a real disappointment. The other theater that was independent the year that the film Showgirls was released was at Exit 2 Central Ave across from Colonie Center. There was a stand alone box retailer around back and the theater was before you got to that retailer. I remember going to see Showgirls, the NR version, at that theater in the middle of the day and there were about 4 older women and 2 younger couples and myself and that was it. It was really cool because the older women all yelled at the same time in one scene that I took wanted to yell. Really awesome There were some movies that were just incredible seeing in the theater. Event Horizon was one of those films that was incredible
@@fleabittenadventuresthey are wrong. This mall opened sept 1, 1988….6 days before I was born. They are probably thinking of the former Mohawk mall, which was in nearby niskayuna. Which was demolished and strip malls were built now known as Mohawk commons
used to work at Kay Bee Toys in the late 90s and my mother worked at LensCrafters in the late 90s to early 2000s.... I believe the shoe store closed sometime this year
I keep getting the name of it wrong but the mall close to king Road and Tully was my teenage and childhood memories. When I was a little boy it was a Golf course. They knocked a ball over the fence they would give me a dime for everyone I brought back. Then all of a sudden they got really rude and wanted me to hunt them for free. Maybe they thought they would scare a little boy. From that time on every time I found one on the way to school I would hide it in my pocket. After a few months I had quite a collection of golf balls at home 😅😅
This mall was built when I moved to Rotterdam and it was the first this I remember seeing. It had the carousel in the main window and looked amazing! I spent so much time there as a kid and teenager. It was the go to spot. I worked in the food court. The fountain was great! We would always throw Pennie’s in it and sometimes steal quarters out of it😂 Great memories! It’s definitely dead.
I believe this mall was at one point owned by the same company that owned Wilton Mall in Saratoga, and they too had that kind of water fountain over in the center of the mall.
I wonder what could bring back some of these malls? Is it just people would rather buy online than go to a mall? Safety issues? Do the mall owners just increase the leases too much that the stores just find it cheaper to go online or new locations?
Yes, they had bowling. I bowled there once. I believe they took it out due to operation costs and that local residents still used the bowling alleys in the area, like sportsman's, town academy, and boulevard bowl.
Malls are just a reflection of society. Shopping in a mall used to be a fun, hands on experience, you went somewhere, socialized, grabbed a bite to eat, did some shopping and you didn't even need to buy anything to have a good time. Now shopping is done online, alone, in a virtual reality instead of a reality...life is slowly turning into this - a reality based on a screen instead of an actual environment and it is sad.
My childhood mall! The last time I remember it being crowded was on Black Friday 2009. After that it's been pretty much nothing. The recession really did a number on this place. Everyone goes to Crossgates and Colonie Center now.
Anchor stores leaving / going out of business just killed it. Was nice & modern when it opened, but it's location was not the best - it just sputtered along for years n years. With other offerings in the region, there just wasn't a big reason for anybody to go there. Mohawk Mall had much more visual/stylistic appeal, and even they couldn't survive the classic anchor store closing period. JCP, Kmart, Sears all had better locations elsewhere. Macy's and Filene's also had more central locations, and may have been a bit too high end for Schenectady County back then. The old fountains were really nice, but removed for liability/insurance and upkeep reasons.
I'm honestly surprised the FYE hung on as long as it did. Back in it's heyday this was a solid mall to go to when you didn't feel like driving all the way to Albany or Utica.
i was born 1992 when i was really young maybe 5 or 6 this mall was CRAZYY BUSY! the movie theaters were packed there were any store you could think of in it top Brands zumies pacsun bed bath beyond ["champs" when they were still in business] footlocker macy sears k mart american eagle there were pop up stands everywhere the Food court was most busy there was mcdonalds subway burgerking wendys even a Huge arcade on a staturday or friday there was an easy 2-3 maybe even 4 thousand people jammed into this mall the only thing keeping it alive is the via port and the aqurium other then that this mall has 110% decade in time there are a few malls in upstate ny that are slowly dieing more farther north but the king that sets them all apart is CROSSGATES MALL easy 20-30 thousand people in and out DAILY! parking lots JAMMED PACKED and the only other mall like that is COLONIE CENTER very close maybe 10-20 thousand people Daily but aot of the other malls like rotter dam have been bought out and converted into OPEN strip malls witch do much better
The only thing I remember about this mall is that at the front entrance it used to have the merry go round but I dunno if they still have it or they removed it, but man those were the days 😢
This is my LOCAL Mall. FYI - that HUGE Shoe Depot down near the aquarium -- moved OUT about a month ago!! The empty space (is closed) and features a few giant models of disgusting insects! (I hate bugs) The mall (as a whole) has been hemorrhaging storefronts continuously for the past 2 years. On weekends, the Aquarium and gift shop and adjacent children's play area are quite busy. The gaming area is also pretty busy, which are the ONLY reasons anybody comes to this mall. That area outside of where Macy's used to be, is often occupied on the weekends by a local children's theatrical group. They actually have stage plays in their converted space.
Since filming this, half if not more of those stores are gone now too. The movie theater, The 99, and the shoe store was the only reason to go. 99 and the movie theater is still there. A great and affordable way to see movies is what's keeping it afloat. The arcade is not bad but it's no Dave & Busters.
It was really surprising to me to see Bath and Body Works and Victoria’s Secret here so late into the malls decline. Those were probably the last two major stores here while the mall looked how it does now essentially.
Compared to Colonie Center and crossgates from the last time I visited Rotterdam square/ via port it’s definitely dead for the sense of shopping. The aquarium and local are the only things that keep people coming to that mall especially on the weekends. Timeline 90s to early 2010s mall was afloat, mid 2010s to 2020 dying, after 2021 onwards died
Good ear. I got a copyright claim for a few minutes of the video, so I had to mute some of the actual audio and replace it with audio from another video of mine.
Back in the good old days when the mall was alive I did overnight security. Sadly this mall is dead and forgotten. Between Crossgates mall and General Electric the area died.
Ya this mall used to have a fountain and now they turned it into a display but I think that's just temporary and they'll probably put the fountain back since its still there do you think so or no it's gone for good?
This was a great mall but starting in the early 2000's people thought it was more fun to drive all the way to colonies and cross gates. Bet folks wish they still had this backyard gem . There was the world of science, KB toys, radio shack, Spencer's, and an fye. The mall now is used in my opinion as a money laundering operation by the Turkish owners. If you look into all three or four dead malls they bought look just as dead. There also used to be an express, structure, Victoria secret, and a champs sports store. They had a finish line, foot locker, Kay jeweler, Hallmark, American eagle, gap and even a dollar store and a CVS. How you see the mall in the video is the busiest it gets. Most of the fly by night shops are only open a few hours a day for a few days a week.
Dead mall walking but it does look more alive than Emerald Square Mall. My mother visited the Macy's in Emerald Square mall this past weekend and she said it did not look good so I won't be surprised if that store gets closed in the next Macy's wave of closures.
You are better off going to the Albany area malls such as Colonie Center or Crossgates. Both are much better. Kohan is terrible. They don’t care about revitalizing their malls. They need to pay their bills. If Kohan cannot pay their bills, the cities and towns should shut down the company.
It’s good you have videos of the better malls. Some of the nicer and better known retailers and restaurants will leave the dying malls as soon as they hear Kohan or Namdar has purchased their mall because they are concerned about reputation. I know Apple and Cheesecake Factory try very hard to avoid opening stores in dying malls.
I missed this Place I wish they did something & put maybe a JCPenneys & some other Stores around or even other Shoe Store besides Encore which in my Opinions is ok I missed this Place thruout my Childhood I've been so in Love with this Mall & even these Days I hate Croosgates in Albany & many others I didnt wanna be around to much Crowds
It always surprises me how nice these malls look inside, such a waste with no customers. Also, I like that you drive around the property at the end.
Yes, a waste of electricity too. Glad you liked the video! Thanks.
I remember when this mall opened. I was fifteen years old, hobbling with a boot on a broken foot. And no, there were no real refurbishments at any point.
I didn't think so. Thanks for watching!
the empty spot at 7:58 used to be a friendlys in the mid 90s when i was little. every time i walked by there i always smelled the amazing grilled cheese they had cooking in there.
From 5:11, the corner/diagonal end store was a Things Remembered... (Gift Shoppe, buy ornaments, pens, trinkets and such for coworkers, family, etc.) ... Next, was what used to be a GameStop, for many years, at least 2001 to whatever time, Broadview seemed to have cut in bigly where what used to be GameStop, and right next to it, was Friendly's restaurant. Was on the same side.
Following that, the red beams and yellow walls place used to be Champs Sport Goods store, then yes The Avenue, and I'm not sure what the other stores further, before Filene's/Macy's, were. They were either used as galleries, they had Community Acting/Child's Theatre/Plays, which yeah bounced around the mall depending what year.
This to say, Friendly's WAS great, even remembering the days of "Smoking, or Non?", though yeah the Rotterdam Friendly's was awesome! Great staff, great food, and yep great atmosphere, maybe even lucky to bump into your friends, family, sweethearts while finding a seat/perusing the menu. 😂
The storefront you see at 7:58, used to be Gertrude Hawk's, there was also a Yankee Candle shoppe right next to it, but what a lovely wing of the mall!! Scented candle shop, Bath & Body Works down the way, but Gertrude Hawke's (I'm not sure the spelling) was a fancier chocolatier, offering various candies and bagged goodies, as well as FRESH (they had a little bar, behind glass) dipped strawberries, bananas, ice cream, in your choice of chocolates, and... Yeah. Magical place there too. Any wonder why they'd dry up, I have fond memories lasting most of my life there, but yeah, uncanny to see like 80% of storefronts shuddered...
Even in the Summertime, walking space was a commodity, never even mind the ideas of Harry Potter launches at Waldenbooks, or movie premieres over the years...
Ironic enough the great Time Out arcade spot was replaced by a Trustco Bank 🤣 From throwing quarters out of fun and entertainment, to ... Banking practices 😅🤔
Just wanted to help, where Friendly's used to be seems to be dug out by the big boy Broadview (which is a conglomerate bank that took SEFCU from Schenectady) bank, that ... I'm not sure anybody will rush to, though I'd say food and video games have better place in a mall than banks (which I'd reckon already build branches monthly, it's almost comical how in a deep recession and inflation disaster, here comes shiny new bank!!!)...
Definitely rather have our Friendly's, B&B Works, even Spencer's leaving the mall was ominous, since surely even the most calloused of souls could still find a laugh or humor, in Spencer's Gifts.
@@kabukimanbrazeetoh5664 Came here to say this, Friendley's was where Broadview was. Right next to the gamestop and EB games around the corner. At one time the Gamestop was a small magic shop. When it was Gamestop and EB games though I spend many a weekend in there with my mom at Friendly's with the goal of, as we waited for food, going to EB Games and Gamestop and looking at games and convincing my mom to buy one by the time we left. :D Directly across from it used to be an Earth Shop and then a Godiva chocolates and, yes, a Bath and Body Works.
70% of the tenants were vacant
I predict when the last mall in the US closes, there will shortly thereafter be a new retail phenomenon introduced whereby large enclosed spaces will be populated by stores that were previously only online. Officials will state "people decided they really wanted to see, touch and experience the things they are buying and are tired of the online experience" and, voila, the mall craze will be back. But it'll be awhile yet. Retail is built on sand, and what's in today will be out tomorrow.
It may happen sooner than you think. AI images are being used to scam people online by promoting products and services that don't actually exist. At least with in-person retail, what you see is what you get.
We'll see in about 20-30 years I guess.
Retailers that were exclusively online are already expanding with physical stores at top performing malls
Everything is cyclical. What’s old is new again.
I recently started working at the NYS consolidated call center where the macys used to be! and imagine my surprise it was located where the Rotterdam mall used to be! I haven’t been here since I was a kid and it was a real mall. It’s crazy being back under such different circumstances and it’s very bittersweet and surreal, since I have memories of going here with my mom and sisters for back to school stuff as a kid. That said it was past it’s hay day even then as I’m only 25, but my mom would always say how much busier it used to be.
I went to Rotterdam Square every single Black Friday with my Mom, Aunt, and Grandma from the late 90's to the early mid 2000's. I didn't do much of the shopping, as I was a young teen at the time and was just brought to be the bag carrier. This place was absolutely full of people year round but especially packed during Black Friday's. Sometime in the early 2000's we didn't go during a Black Friday due to weather and would be the last time I'd be inside this mall. I thoroughly miss the days walking through these places. There was pretty much every staple 90's business in this mall and i visited every single one of them. I bought my first Pokémon game here, Pokémon Gold from KB Toys! Even got a pet Hamster here. There was a cookie place that sold delicious M&M cookies that I've never been able to find any other place that duplicated the taste. From the different smells of the stores you walk past and how the smells would combine with other shops, to the sounds your feet made when you walked on the tiled floor, to the sounds of conversation echoing off different parts of the mall, to the open sound of the water fountains, to the combined rabble of all the people at the food court, there was so many different things you'll only ever experience inside a huge ass mall like this. I've heard others say that if they knew they were doing something for the last time, they would in the moment appreciate that thing all the more, and I really feel that way when I think about the experience's I had with the handful of Malls the capital region of NY had. It greatly saddens me most are gone, a distant memory, and have no video of what they looked like. I'm thankful I had a chance to experience that uniqueness of Malls as a 90's kid. Maybe someday society decides to take a step back and slow down some, Online stores decide to try retro stuff and go back to physical locations and things like Malls can be a thing again. Now that I'm in my late 30's it would be cool experience something like this one more time. Thanks for the video and the brief trip down memory lane
If Bath & Body Works closes it is definitely a dead mall
For sure.
Bath and Body Works is the Savior of dead and struggling malls @@fleabittenadventures
@@Nothinghere0101no
@@Nothinghere0101I'm gay too buddy
It closed a LONG while ago!!
Not sure if 21:36 is clever ("BING-O.K.!") or just too lazy/cheap to repaint. Thanks for the update video although I see absolutely nothing has changed in years.
I live 5 minutes away and haven't been there in 5 years, and that was for only the aquarium. There are actually more stores operating in your video than I figured were there!
I didn't count the open vs closed stores, but it's got to be at least 70% vacant?
Thank you for this video! It was cool and interesting!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
@@fleabittenadventures you are welcome Tom!
I grew up in Schenectady, I didn’t frequent Rotterdam Square mall, I probably go more now than I did when the mall was at its peak! There’s just a lot of competition in the area, Crossgates, Colonie Center, Latham Circle Mall (now dead and gone) and Clifton Park Center (somewhat dead, but has enough to hang on). All these malls were pretty much within 20 minutes of each other!
I take my daughter to the aquarium now, she really likes it. It’s a tad redundant for adults, but for kids it seems like a blast, and looks to draw a good crowd.
The movie theater is very modern, with fancy reclining seats and is always empty, which I love!
Great video!
Yeah, the omly way is if someone is dumb enough to invest in it. Just go to crossgates it is like 20 minutes and has so much more
Those Christmas snowflake decorations really add to the festive ambience ... and why bother with that tiny tree !
I'll bet they put up the exact same decorations every year. They probably don't want to pay for a bigger tree.
There used to be a friendly's, a taco bell, a McD's (Though they closed well before the mall started to fail), Boarders Book store Macy's, Radio Shack, Claire's, TJ Max, Bath and Body Works, Spencers, Verizon Mobile, Sprint Mobile, Zumies, Shoe Dept or Show Warehouse (Fuzzy Memory), Wow arcade, Sabaros, DQ (Ice Cream only), FYE. Those are all the stores I remember being there when I sued to go there. I used to work there at the McDonalds.
Its definitely a Dead Mall. I also used to help that Children's theater there. They do some great work for kids. Debut's is all pretty cool. Also a shout out to that Taco Place that is still there. That guy who runs its basically makes Taco Bell style Food but it all taste way better and doesn't make me feel sick after eating it. I recommend. If you ever do an update video, check that place out, I'm sure he could use the business boost. I'd hate to see him go if its still a struggle there. ( I might go there this evening and grab a bite. Id be more of a regular but the mall doesn't really have anything to attract me there. Though this might be a great spot to have group meetups. (Maybe a good spot of card gamers to meet up.)
Excellent memory!!
@@shadow_man_exe4727 Don't forget the huge Carousel they used to have at the food court. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rotterdam_Carousel.jpg
Wasn’t wow arcade in crosstown plaza? 🤔
@@public_riskyes. There was also one in this mall.
I managed the Sear’s Portrait Studio in 2004. Every storefront was open and the energy was wonderful. I managed Torrid in Crossgates in 2001 or 2002. I remember how energetic the malls were. I visited Albany just before the pandemic and all the malls seemed lackluster. Broke my heart. Even Colony Center didn’t have the same charm.
Spelling correction; it's "Colonie" Center. It's in the town of Colonie.
15:38 That's kind of a cool store with lots of old memorabilia. They're open limited hours - and have a huge rack of old (used) VHS movies for sale.
There's a radio station in the mall (w/ a parody of the old MTV logo). That's new!
Yeah, I wonder if they actually broadcast out of there. It looked empty when I walked past it.
@@fleabittenadventures There's a small (working) studio adjacent to the main space. They moved (within the mall) at least twice before settling into the space. If you recall, to the left of the original Sears entrance, is an area of marshland, and the reasonably small "antenna" right in the center of it, is where that station (1240 AM) transmits from.
I miss those good times where Malls used to be packed, but now online shopping has taken malls down.
Pretty much, with a few rare exceptions.
I lived in a town Rotterdam Junction near by, this mall dying was like an era dying. When Kmart was gone it was official, and it was very sad.. this mall holds many childhood memories and I still will walk the mall just for fun and the memories sometimes.
I may add, the movie theater is the best around. Good seats, good prices!
Yes... it was very sad when K-Mart left. I did a lot of shopping there. Sears had been dying very slowly for a long time before they finally closed it up.
More mall walkers than shoppers.
Yeah, I think so too.
I was there the other day for my 2nd time. To check out the Aquarium and it was nice. But the place is dead. It used to be owned by Wilmorite.
Yes, very dead. If I had more time, I would have checked out the aquarium too.
I grew up going to this mall. I can remember it so packed in the holiday season back in the 90s you could barely walk through the halls. Recently they have some odd events to use the space. Seen a pop up craft market, and a Bigfoot convention. At one point in the last few years they had an Elvis impersonator wedding chapel. Here I remember EB games, Zumies, Gadzooks, Pacsun, Friendlys, Champs, most basic mall stores. Via has really done nothing, but keep the mall on life support. I still come here for the theater. Its one of the last non big corporate theaters in the region, and they take good care of the space. Updating what they can.
I believe there was a Sears here back in the day.
Yes, it's next to the aquarium.
This mall used to be great. I don't know how they keep it open. The food court had McDonalds, Subway, Arby's, Sbarro, Auntie Anne's, Street Corner News and more I can't remember.
There used to be a Taco Bell next to McDonald’s, and next to Taco Bell I’m pretty sure there was a Dunkin’ Donuts I want to say. There was also an arcade
Thanks for an overall look at this mall… I just moved from Long Island to cobleskill… you actually made it that much easier to not come here knowing there are no longer retail stores open… I truly miss hands on merchandise and walking from store to store… Great exercise in between shopping… 😊 definitely got my steps in….now the only exercise you get is you’re fingers ordering on line!!!!😩especially coming from Long Island with so many stores to choose from… I so missed 😢
By watching this it’s looks like a ghost town…
Even showing from outside of the mall…
Many thanks for sharing this video!!!!🤗
lol ironic that you moved to cobleskill and want to throw the “ghost town” word around. What exactly is in Cobleskill, ms. Former Long Island? lmao
Before covid it was still a bustling mall, I remember several hundred in line for the aquarium grand opening, and the mall was always fairly packed until then. The fountain is still there, it's just turned off during the winter, it's a fountain during warmer parts of the year. Definately some more people recently but yeah, most people are there for the aquarium still.
It's definitely a dead mall. I grew up going to this mall when it was Rotterdam Square with family in the late 80's when it opened & through the 90s. It had all your popular stores all the malls had & stayed current until the early 2000's when it started to show its age. I believe its demise was not keeping up on maintenance & updating as the 2 other malls in the area, Colonie Center & Crossgates Mall did. Added with the fact, that area in general has seen an economical decline over the past decade or so. Sad. Would be interested to see you do a walkthrough of Colonie Center and Crossgates Mall in the future.
Makes sense. And I do have videos of Crossgates and Colonie Center coming up. I have a backlog of something like 20 mall videos.... I'll get to them eventually.
Enjoy your content. Take your time.
I've been to 3 or 4 malls in the last year, after not being in one for at least 10 years, and 2 of those were Colonie Center and Crossgates. And this is because the Tesla Superchargers are there. One of the others was Destiny Mall in Syracuse, which is huge but appears to be dying. The one relatively lively one though was Short Hills in NJ, and every luxury brand store is in there like Prada, Gucci, YSL. etc... Oh, I guess a fifth mall would be Kings Plaza in Brooklyn. Living in NYC though you never went to the mall much anyway, it required a special trip out to the burbs.
I used to be a manager/actor/makeup artist for Tru-Terror which was a haunted house we opened and ran for one Halloween season the same year they opened the aquarium. It was an offshoot to Tru-Escape which was the escape room in that mall, I think that survived until Covid 19 pandemic happened. Kmart was still open, I want to say this was fall 2016 our last operating day was the day the aquarium opened. I am not sure which of the anchor store spots we were using but we used the dressing rooms part of the former store as part of the maze. We also had completely eliminated all light and made a second maze to our setup with a blackout maze, we gave the customers an intentionally dim and sometimes faulty led candle while our actors whispered and walked around them in the dark.
It was the last time that group of people came together to haunt and I would have given just about anything to put those people and that place back together. We had hoped to reopen the following season but I guess we didn’t make enough to be profitable.
Love
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
Check out Riverfront Mall in Amsterdam, NY. It’s a repurposed dead mall with NY State offices and other businesses inside, and is quintessential 1970s.
Do you mean Riverfront Center? It looks like a strip mall on Google Maps. Thanks.
@@fleabittenadventures yes, they call it the Riverfront Center now. It was a smaller enclosed mall. They have some offices in there now and I believe they are talking about reopening the cinema. They have also added a few entertainment type businesses there recently from what I understand. My mother worked there in the early 80s. It is definitely a dead mall.
@@stephenpuliafico8812 Not really a mall anymore. The NY State Department of labor is there
I remember Christmas shopping there back in it's hey day. The old K-Mart is now a Bingo hall (as shown towards the end of your video). The movie theater is still pretty nice and the China Wok in the food court is pretty good too. I have a hard time calling it Viaport and still call it Rotterdam Mall lol.
When going into places you might be allowed, sometimes you can say "can you tell me where the bathroom is" as soon as you encounter someone. That was a huge kmart!!
Good suggestion.
I remember when Rotterdam Mall was in its hay day. Man it brings back memories of childhood. Different times. Different times.
I had friends that worked as security guards their back in the early 90's . Spent many hours walking around during the weekends. The mall has busy back then. The fountain was super cool when it was new .
I saw "My cousin Vinny " and Terminator 2 there.
Didn't know the carousel was in Florida !!
Great job ! You definitely did your homework
I was wondering what became of the carousel.
Many fond memories of my childhood, going to Rotterdam mall, visiting the stores and we'd finished day with a carousel ride and an Aunt Ann's soft pretzel.
I wonder when that theater originally closed? I worked at a Loews back in the 90s. We were the only one around that wasn't rebranded Sony. It was subsequently demolished around '03 when Sony built a 14 screen cineplex a couple blocks over.
Not sure. I didn't find that in my research. Thanks for watching.
The theater never closed, only rebranded with otherwise no interruption in service.
Kohan owned the Berkshires Mall in Lanesboro, MA. He ran that one into the ground as well.
It used to have mcdonalds,taco bell,kmart,sears,where the carousel was my friend had a bounce house attraction she ran for a few years. There used to be a arcade near the foodcourt where the bathrooms are. That became a bank after. It had a Friendly's and a Champs all sport. Gamestop was in there until 2014 I think. Used to be a huge fountain by the movie theater. Mall opened in 1990 so it's 34 years old.
In the video, to your left was either a candle store or a similar store like Bath & Body Works, and on the right was a Champs store. And there was bowling inside the game place.
A dead mall with a graveyard. Might be a first!
Well, Palisades Center Mall in New York also has a graveyard, a much larger one, but it's not quite as close as this one. There are probably others out there, I'm not just aware of them. Thanks for watching.
I'm so glad you mentioned the size and depth of the fountains in this video. When the mall first opened, the fountain was so loud (the acoustical architecture around it was poorly executed), and so overly powerful that it was impossible to hear anyone near you and the marble floors became incredibly slippery. I can't remember what the remedy was, but at first they just turned the fountain off. I think they found a way to lower the volume of water to reduce the volume of noise but I don't know if my memories are completely accurate. I can't find any articles about it. The only other memory I have is that they opened up a stand in the food court called "Corn Dog on a Stick", and I laughed every time I saw it. And there was an awesome Ferris wheel in a sunny cove in the food court.
They have it at about 1/3 of capacity. It's not done away with, it still runs during the warmer months of the year.
Loved going to the arcade, the carousel, flipping some coins into the fountain. My grandparents would take me here on weekends, sometimes I'd hit the lottery and leave with a couple action figures from KB toys.
We took our daughter last year to see the aquarium, it only takes about 40 minutes to walk through but the kids love it.
It’s dead Tom.
So sad what has happened to all of these malls.
And do they think a sign is going to keep people out of the state offices? They need a secured door there.
Yeah, I almost walked in there by accident. Hopefully the doors are locked once you get inside.
Suburban sprawl doesnt work.
Urban works. Rural works.
Suburban is a fantasy and the cycle of new retail space (strip or enclosed) gets filled (nowdays its hard to fill a brand new strip mall)... older malls lose tenants because people want to be in the shiny new part of town... then rinse and repeat. There is a life cycle of the suburban mall.
If you have to drive to it and cant walk/train/monorail etc, then its just a matter of time before it dies.
I went to this mall a lot as a teenager. I remember going to Filenes, Northern Reflections, Deb, Weathervane, Companie International Express (now known just as Express), Spencers, Claires, BBW, Kmart and more. I went back just a few years ago and wanted to cry seeing it the way it is now.
I opened the GameStop in this mall back in 2001-2002. This mall used to be so busy on the weekends. Sad to see what it’s become.
This is my local mall that is literally 5 minutes from my house. I used to go there all the time as a kid and had the best time! Now it's dead. NY has a call center in there. There's a day care in there. I wouldn't be surprised if it is fully closed within 10 years.
My hometown mall!!! Rotterdam, Mohawk ughhhh 90s Friday nights at these malls 😢😢
We were there over February break and visited the aquarium which is fun and the new dinosaur fantasy museum. Lots of cool stuff in the aquarium definitely worth the trip!
I remember going here alot as a child, there used to be a fish store in one of the smaller store locations close to the center fountain, that was my favorite place. We have goldfish and we bought lots of fish food there.
Kohan, Moonbeam or Namdar, the kiss of death trifecta!
I haven't run across Moonbeam yet, but Kohan and Namdar for sure.
No refurbishments I can see. I took a co op job while in college at Northeastern University in Boston for 6mo. working in nearby Schenectady at GE in late 88 early 89. That interior looks the same. I lived in Clifton Park but used to go every week mostly at lunch.
Yeah, I don't see any indication of refurbishments. Thanks for watching.
I remember this mall.
It existed before 87.
I remember going to see movies at the movie theater in the rear of the mall.
It was separate entrance but attached to the mall.
I remember driving out to the theater because they were an independent theater and they showed the NC-17 and NR films no other theater would show, back in the 80s and early '90s before the Internet.
I remember that they only showed the NC-17 and NR movies at Midnight.
The movies were never that great, which was a real disappointment.
The other theater that was independent the year that the film Showgirls was released was at Exit 2 Central Ave across from Colonie Center.
There was a stand alone box retailer around back and the theater was before you got to that retailer.
I remember going to see Showgirls, the NR version, at that theater in the middle of the day and there were about 4 older women and 2 younger couples and myself and that was it.
It was really cool because the older women all yelled at the same time in one scene that I took wanted to yell.
Really awesome
There were some movies that were just incredible seeing in the theater.
Event Horizon was one of those films that was incredible
I'm just going off of what I read on the internet and that indicated a late 80's opening date. Could be wrong though. Thanks for all the info.
@@fleabittenadventuresthey are wrong. This mall opened sept 1, 1988….6 days before I was born. They are probably thinking of the former Mohawk mall, which was in nearby niskayuna. Which was demolished and strip malls were built now known as Mohawk commons
Used to come here all the time in High School. Quick trip to the food court for lunch and a quick look through EBGames and then back to school
Used to come here a lot as a kid. Saw “Flight” here at the movie theater. Have not yet been to the aquarium.
Such a shame to see all those stores closed up. 😢
It seems to be happening almost everywhere nowadays.
used to work at Kay Bee Toys in the late 90s and my mother worked at LensCrafters in the late 90s to early 2000s.... I believe the shoe store closed sometime this year
I keep getting the name of it wrong but the mall close to king Road and Tully was my teenage and childhood memories. When I was a little boy it was a Golf course. They knocked a ball over the fence they would give me a dime for everyone I brought back. Then all of a sudden they got really rude and wanted me to hunt them for free. Maybe they thought they would scare a little boy. From that time on every time I found one on the way to school I would hide it in my pocket. After a few months I had quite a collection of golf balls at home 😅😅
Ha ha. Good times.
This mall was built when I moved to Rotterdam and it was the first this I remember seeing. It had the carousel in the main window and looked amazing! I spent so much time there as a kid and teenager. It was the go to spot. I worked in the food court. The fountain was great! We would always throw Pennie’s in it and sometimes steal quarters out of it😂 Great memories! It’s definitely dead.
nice video. I heard of this mall before
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
@@fleabittenadventuresI wish there were more Mohawk mall videos. This was great thank you.
I believe this mall was at one point owned by the same company that owned Wilton Mall in Saratoga, and they too had that kind of water fountain over in the center of the mall.
I wonder what could bring back some of these malls? Is it just people would rather buy online than go to a mall? Safety issues? Do the mall owners just increase the leases too much that the stores just find it cheaper to go online or new locations?
I can imagine removing a fountain also helps significantly with property liability insurance.
I remember being 15 thinking how cool it was sad how much it's gone
Yes, they had bowling. I bowled there once. I believe they took it out due to operation costs and that local residents still used the bowling alleys in the area, like sportsman's, town academy, and boulevard bowl.
Zumies was the store with the stained glass. Then the store with the Statue of Liberty in the window was a spencers..the memories
"They built the mall right next to a cemetery - you can see it right here." OK, maybe they shouldn't really lead with that as their sales pitch. 🤣
Imagine the missed opportunities, especially around Halloween!
I think they try to ignore it and hope most people don't notice.
True.
Malls are just a reflection of society. Shopping in a mall used to be a fun, hands on experience, you went somewhere, socialized, grabbed a bite to eat, did some shopping and you didn't even need to buy anything to have a good time. Now shopping is done online, alone, in a virtual reality instead of a reality...life is slowly turning into this - a reality based on a screen instead of an actual environment and it is sad.
My childhood mall! The last time I remember it being crowded was on Black Friday 2009. After that it's been pretty much nothing. The recession really did a number on this place. Everyone goes to Crossgates and Colonie Center now.
Anchor stores leaving / going out of business just killed it. Was nice & modern when it opened, but it's location was not the best - it just sputtered along for years n years. With other offerings in the region, there just wasn't a big reason for anybody to go there. Mohawk Mall had much more visual/stylistic appeal, and even they couldn't survive the classic anchor store closing period. JCP, Kmart, Sears all had better locations elsewhere. Macy's and Filene's also had more central locations, and may have been a bit too high end for Schenectady County back then. The old fountains were really nice, but removed for liability/insurance and upkeep reasons.
Was actually a fun mall to visit and work at back in the day. Worked there in the late 90s.
Great content. Get to learn about new england in a different way
Thank you! I appreciate it!
A beautiful but dead mall no doubt bout that ❤
I agree. It's pretty bad.
I'm honestly surprised the FYE hung on as long as it did. Back in it's heyday this was a solid mall to go to when you didn't feel like driving all the way to Albany or Utica.
My mother used to put on Fashion Shows there in the 90s.
I lived right up the street from that mall for 20 years. The movie theater is great there. Low price and reclining chairs.
Super taco still has the subway ambiance tiles
i was born 1992 when i was really young maybe 5 or 6 this mall was CRAZYY BUSY! the movie theaters were packed there were any store you could think of in it top Brands zumies pacsun bed bath beyond ["champs" when they were still in business] footlocker macy sears k mart american eagle there were pop up stands everywhere the Food court was most busy there was mcdonalds subway burgerking wendys even a Huge arcade on a staturday or friday there was an easy 2-3 maybe even 4 thousand people jammed into this mall the only thing keeping it alive is the via port and the aqurium other then that this mall has 110% decade in time there are a few malls in upstate ny that are slowly dieing more farther north but the king that sets them all apart is CROSSGATES MALL easy 20-30 thousand people in and out DAILY! parking lots JAMMED PACKED and the only other mall like that is COLONIE CENTER very close maybe 10-20 thousand people Daily but aot of the other malls like rotter dam have been bought out and converted into OPEN strip malls witch do much better
Nothing brings me to the mall unless there is an old cemetary inside.
The only thing I remember about this mall is that at the front entrance it used to have the merry go round but I dunno if they still have it or they removed it, but man those were the days 😢
This seems like the type of place they let Indy films film at during normal business hours
If the Bath and Bodyworks pulled out, shutting off the lights was a good call on the power company's part.
I agree. Thanks for watching.
This is my LOCAL Mall. FYI - that HUGE Shoe Depot down near the aquarium -- moved OUT about a month ago!! The empty space (is closed) and features a few giant models of disgusting insects! (I hate bugs) The mall (as a whole) has been hemorrhaging storefronts continuously for the past 2 years.
On weekends, the Aquarium and gift shop and adjacent children's play area are quite busy. The gaming area is also pretty busy, which are the ONLY reasons anybody comes to this mall. That area outside of where Macy's used to be, is often occupied on the weekends by a local children's theatrical group. They actually have stage plays in their converted space.
Light, Shoe Dept Encore moved to the Hannaford Plaza on Altamont Ave between Rent-a-Center and Rotterdam Liquor. Come see us sometime.
Dead Mall for sure,Tom.
Probably also a Haunted Mall.
Could be....
Since filming this, half if not more of those stores are gone now too. The movie theater, The 99, and the shoe store was the only reason to go. 99 and the movie theater is still there. A great and affordable way to see movies is what's keeping it afloat. The arcade is not bad but it's no Dave & Busters.
Shoe Dept Encore moved to Altamont Ave in the Hannaford Plaza. Rainbow is also now gone.
It was really surprising to me to see Bath and Body Works and Victoria’s Secret here so late into the malls decline. Those were probably the last two major stores here while the mall looked how it does now essentially.
Compared to Colonie Center and crossgates from the last time I visited Rotterdam square/ via port it’s definitely dead for the sense of shopping. The aquarium and local are the only things that keep people coming to that mall especially on the weekends.
Timeline 90s to early 2010s mall was afloat, mid 2010s to 2020 dying, after 2021 onwards died
It was definitely a shame this mall was practically dying in front of my eyes, I grew up going to that mall, it sucks seeing the results
13:35 What, no candy purchase? LOL
I know. I forgot my quarters....
@@fleabittenadventures I kid I kid...keep em comin. Good stuff!
Gertrude Hawk chocolates were there too
Used to be a huge arcade in there
Am I the only one that notices that in almost everyone of his videos there's the same music and a baby crying?
Good ear. I got a copyright claim for a few minutes of the video, so I had to mute some of the actual audio and replace it with audio from another video of mine.
Rotterdam always has fishing and pontoon boats in the middle of its mall, surprised you didn’t see any.
Back in the good old days when the mall was alive I did overnight security. Sadly this mall is dead and forgotten. Between Crossgates mall and General Electric the area died.
There are Sears enthusiasts?
Ya this mall used to have a fountain and now they turned it into a display but I think that's just temporary and they'll probably put the fountain back since its still there do you think so or no it's gone for good?
I doubt the fountain will come back. Fountains seem to be out of style at this point for some reason. I hope it comes back though.
They removed the bowling alleys and put in Arcade games
This was a great mall but starting in the early 2000's people thought it was more fun to drive all the way to colonies and cross gates. Bet folks wish they still had this backyard gem . There was the world of science, KB toys, radio shack, Spencer's, and an fye. The mall now is used in my opinion as a money laundering operation by the Turkish owners. If you look into all three or four dead malls they bought look just as dead. There also used to be an express, structure, Victoria secret, and a champs sports store. They had a finish line, foot locker, Kay jeweler, Hallmark, American eagle, gap and even a dollar store and a CVS. How you see the mall in the video is the busiest it gets. Most of the fly by night shops are only open a few hours a day for a few days a week.
It looks to be doing better than Hudson valley mall in Kingstown ny...
Dead mall walking but it does look more alive than Emerald Square Mall.
My mother visited the Macy's in Emerald Square mall this past weekend and she said it did not look good so I won't be surprised if that store gets closed in the next Macy's wave of closures.
I haven't been to Emerald Square in a while, but I thought it was a little more lively than this, at least on first floor. Hard to say though.
@@fleabittenadventures The 3rd floor food court at Emerald square had 2 restaurants remaining. The Rotterdam food court looks more lively.
Few weeks back I read an article that that stated the the Macy's at the Emerald Square Mall is on the list of closures for 2024.
@@yeahhoo86 I was looking for that list and haven't found it yet. Do you recall which site posted that list?
You are better off going to the Albany area malls such as Colonie Center or Crossgates. Both are much better. Kohan is terrible. They don’t care about revitalizing their malls. They need to pay their bills. If Kohan cannot pay their bills, the cities and towns should shut down the company.
I have videos of both those malls coming up shortly. And yes, they are FAR superior malls, no question.
It’s good you have videos of the better malls. Some of the nicer and better known retailers and restaurants will leave the dying malls as soon as they hear Kohan or Namdar has purchased their mall because they are concerned about reputation. I know Apple and Cheesecake Factory try very hard to avoid opening stores in dying malls.
Lived here for 15 years i remember when it was busy
I missed this Place I wish they did something & put maybe a JCPenneys & some other Stores around or even other Shoe Store besides Encore which in my Opinions is ok
I missed this Place thruout my Childhood I've been so in Love with this Mall & even these Days I hate Croosgates in Albany & many others I didnt wanna be around to much Crowds