The absolute silence in the beginning is amazing. I didn't realize how noisy these places can be until I saw this contrast. Great decision to put that in the video without any additional sound other than your voice.
I love your driving intros too! Great way to establish the surroundings of the location, and interesting to watch for someone who has lived in the western U.S. their whole life.
A sad ending for a once great mall. A shame that so much of that building material is not salvaged for use elsewhere. Glad to see your site growing. 6K coming up.
Watching the first video on the Schuylkill mall and finishing up with this video hit me very deeply. It reminds me that life is very impermanent and is subject to change within the passage of time. I got a very odd sensation of closure and happiness seeing this video. The mall clearly had a good life. The destruction contrasted with the bright and sunny sky dotted with a few clouds is such a stark side by side comparison. I don't know if you'll read this comment Sal, but I want to thank you very much for reminding me to be more appreciative of life. Watching your videos has oriented my perspective in a more positive light.
My heart is broken! I've been to this mall a few times in the past.. I ate at that small Italian spot.. browsed in the Black Diamond. So sad! Thank you so much for gathering the last few moments of what is left. Amazing job.
It is a sad to see a place that was so prominent in the community mostly knocked down! Things change and move on. Maybe it teaches us to treasure each moment! Lastly I find channels like this so fascinating visiting by video camera buildings wherever it is in the world!
I remember as a kid this mall was awesome but as i got older it got worse and worse the susquehanna mall is starting to go down too Seeing the china palace buffet makes me sick all over again
I just got back into watching dead mall series, and glad I found your channel. I’m an 80’s and 90’s mall rat. The Schuylkill Mall was “my mall”. I was 7 years old when this mall opened. So many memories of going here with my grandparents, almost every Saturday with my mom and my two little kids in tow throughout the early 2000’s. This was a great mall and had a Chick Fil A! So many great stores, I remember the original McCoreys store, Fashion Bug, Lerner, Barbara Moss, Taxi, Jean Nicole, The Gap, KB Toys. I feel like I grew up there and my kids, who are now 26 and almost 24, spent a lot of time there with me and my mom. The Chinese buffet in this video, used to be a Bonanza, I ate many times there on a Friday night and then shopping with my friends. So sad still and it’s over five years it’s gone now. Ironically, the warehouse built there is now also vacant. 🤷🏼♀️
Great follow-up! 👍 To all of those complaining about the name: Schuylkill is the name of the county where Frackville is located; the county also is the location of the source of the river of the same name, which was named that by Dutch settlers (Schuylkill roughly translates as "hidden river"). Could there have been better research on naming 40-some years ago? Possibly. However, the mall simply was named after its geographical location: Schuylkill County. No different than the Columbia Mall near Bloomsburg (Columbia County) or the Wyoming Valley Mall in Wilkes-Barre (the region is known as the Wyoming Valley because of the Wyoming River).
When this mall was opened in 1980 it was a great source of regional pride for the surrounding portion of the PA Anthracite Region. This is an area where. people who stayed are very proud of its anthracite mining heritage and history. Some of my ancestors lived approximately 15 miles away until they moved in the 1930s. Although I am three generations removed I am proud of my family's Anthracite Region heritage. It is a shame that the mall died out and was torn down.
I had elderly relatives in this part of the state too. Even though their adult children all moved away decades ago, I still feel an attachment to this place.
Northeastern PA's Anthracite Region is a place of scenic beauty and a rich history. Although I live in Philly, I have friends in the refion and visit a few times a year. It is something to be proud of!
Thanks for filming this Sal. It's really interesting to see followups like this and i'm sure the opportunity won't come around often. It's surreal to see an indoor place like this, that was once so vibrant with activity, abandoned, half-destroyed, and open to the elements like that. I'm glad the statue was saved!
@Sal Visting the Schuykill's Mall once last time before it fades to aches is a really nice treat to celebrate your 5,000 subscriber milestone. Nicely played 👏🏻 Here's to you and the Schuylkill Mall. Salute! ☕️Following you on Patreon now. Have a great week.
Thank you Sal, for getting such great footage of The Schuylkill Mall. As a resident of Schuylkill County i have many fond memories of this mall. Most of my childhood and teenage years were spent as a mallrat, shopping, looking for girls, and a few mischievous things I probably am better off NOT to mention. I never thought i could hold such a place so dear to my heart, Something so dated and mismanaged. Yet, every visit was a travel back to a simpler time in my life, regardless of how sad it may have been to see its once crouded halls reduced to a few stragglers and mall walkers, it was always a personal time capsule. Thanks for capturing MY mall and preserving it on film for me to revisit whenever I want.
This is… something. A feeling I didn’t know I needed. Remembering the unappreciated joys of being a 90s kid. Validation that it wasn’t just my mall that got weird over time and understanding the mechanics behind the changes. Thank you for documenting, sharing, and creating this very cool, niche content.
You know it's interesting. I remembered something I talked about years ago when I was talking to friends who visited abandoned hospitals. As I saw the old Schuylkill Mall sign on the ground, it reminded me of seeing castle ruins when I lived in (West) Germany. Malls/hospitals/factories are OUR castles. They were built by people with vision, utilized through the years, fell into disrepair when they were no longer deemed relevant and finally demolished to make way for something more modern and useful. I have a ways to go still through your current library (have watched a few videos before thanks to YT recommendations). Have really enjoyed it though. Glad I finally subscribed.
Great video sal. Sad looking place but you did a great job documenting it. And glad they saved the statue.and hopefully they save pedals. Thank you sir
Thank you so much for documenting this mall in its state. I was up there thee final day it closed. That mall meant a lot to the people around that area. Including myself, who went there as a kid, and have fond, gentle, wonderful childhood memories that are buried in that rubble...
I came across your video in a Reddit post and have many fond memories of going to Schuylkill and Fairlane Village Malls when I lived there in the 90s. The mall was pretty busy when I was there - I guess in the age of Amazon and Walmart (and online shopping in general), this was bound to happen. It's still heartbreaking to see/hear that the mall was demolished. I am glad to hear that the statue was relocated rather than demolished. There are two malls within striking distance where I live now (I left PA in 2002), and both of them are dying as well. I hope I don't see your series coming down here to GA, but after learning that one of the anchor stores - Macy's - has decided to close, I get the feeling we'll be seeing you here as well. Thank you Sal - I agree with the other commenters here that you've done top-quality filming and editing, and your research is fantastic. You've got yourself a new subscriber.
I recall a Bonanza Steakhouse and a Chick-Fil-A. McDonald's was right outside the Mall. Sears was there. Walden Book store. There were a large amount of elderly mall walkers as well as older folks sitting in the mid court area. I had business in the area and though not from Schuylkill County visited the Schuylkill Mall. many times. I even got a haircut there at the Holiday Hair business. In the early 80's it was the hot spot for the holidays. Locals would know better but my sense is that the Schuylkill Mall took away some businesses from downtown Pottsville. My strongest sense was that it had been a gathering place, a community center, for the aging population of Pottsville and Schuylkill County. It was always nice to visit and if I wanted a quick bite I went to the Schuylkill Mall. I recall the winding road that lead into the Mall from Route 81 and how the Mall was off of Route 61 on the way to Pottsville and Reading. I'm sorry to see it's demise as it had always been a friendly place to visit.
Thank you posting this. Lots of memories there... damn. Back in the early 90s they had a jam packed arcade. Nirvanas Closet was hands down the best Rock Tshirt store. It’s such a unique area for a giant Mall.
That was a really nice mural on the pizza restaurant wall. The round arched skylights were very nice. The metal star-like frames really give it a nice shape
Excellent vid, Sal! One of the best. This is my favorite kind of vids, even though, I love Malls and want them all, to survive. The soundtrack is absolutely, perfect!! 👊👏👏
I have a lot of fond memories of this mall. Been there many times at its highest and lowest moments. To see it being demolished is very sad, but with online shopping, malls charging outrageous ren't to stores, which in turn costs customers so much more than online shopping, that a lot of these malls killed off themselves. As for the Steamown mall, three major malls within 8 miles of each other was not cost efficient after the Shopped at Montage opened to add a mall to a ski resort. It sucks for the Steamtown mall because it was the one in the middle and everyone was moving from it to either the SaM or Viewmont in Dickson City. And the Steamtown mall had a garage to keep customers out of the weather vs. the open parking lots of the other two.
Steamtown at construction made sense and that's what many don't want to admit in the area. The Arena came to WB, area blew up, and Wyoming Valley Mall got an overhaul. Viewmont blew up, and then the Shoppes At Montage came and left Steamtown as you said, in the middle. The changes never came to Scranton to make that section of the city better too.
I really appreciate the effort you put in to this, your's is a serious last look at Schuylkill Mall, with proper tone and music. Another UA-camr tried a similar video, they failed pretty badly. While in the area, rolled by today. No Trespassing signs are up everywhere now and DaVita has fully finished the move. Those doors being open were pretty sweet. Only minor complaint I would say...you weren't even close on Knoebels pronunciation. Otherwise, excellent work.
@@sal LOL Thanks Sal! I was going off of the pronunciation of a friends last name Knoble which is pronounced something between no-bul & no-bel. Great video Saly I'll sub you bud.
Sal, thanks for producing these videos. I grew up in PA, but left in '98 after graduating college. Seeing the stark contrast of how I remember these malls (in particular, Century III, Camp Hill, Capital City, Indiana Mall, etc.) is very moving. I have very vivid memories of these places and stores... I'm glad you're taking the time to document all that you can. I'm especially glad that you're taking a slightly different approach to your expeditions, whereby you're continuing to research some of the creative, cultural and social significance that is coming about as a result of this (the statues, the history, the connections and the people involved). Keep up the excellent work! It is much appreciated!
I've been recently watching various abandoned videos from multiple people, and yours are my favorite. I wish you could have done a tour of Northland Mall in Columbus, Ohio, before it was demolished, but it was gone by the early 2000s.
Do you have downloads of the old Seeburg or Muzak library to dub to your videos ? So period perfect for cruising the mall in better days ! Reminds me of the almost abandoned Amon Carter Airport terminal in Ft Worth TX years ago before it was closed & demolished. We stopped by to see if the restaurant was still open & found no one in the place but heard "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" echoing through the place! I knew it was a Seeburg system because there was always a slight delay between songs when the player changed records. Love the old "elevator music" !
Absolutely fantastic job on your videos! I'm glad people like you are out there recording these picecs of retail history before it's all gone and some ugly commercial building takes its space. Great background music also!
Sal, its Keh-No-Bells Knoebels Anthracite Museum. Also, its Cen-Trail-EYa Centralia. I was able to visit the Schuylkill Mall at the very end of the demolition. It was from the main lot on the McDonalds side I had to go all the way to the left around the fencing. Only that very left end and a large loading dock was standing. July 2018.
I’ve said it before but it makes me grateful that someone bought our local mall and is TRYING. I have a hard time not being a little cynical about the whole thing but at least if/when it’s shuttered I’ll have known they tried hard to keep it going. It’s so empty. The new owners spruced it up a lot and it looks much better. I don’t know many people who go there. There are other malls 30-60 minutes away that stay busy though! Thanks for a great follow up.
Glad you got to see the remains of the mall. It’s amazing how much alike all of the 80s crown American malls looked and seeing this one looking like a time capsule reminds me of my mall the west Manchester mall in York which was converted a few years ago into a shopping center. Thanks for doing this and always be careful. Never know what might happen!
Im blown away at how perfect your videos are, this one is beautifully done, i love the detail and how you showed footage driving to the mall. Perfect narrating voice, and right at the best times in the video. I miss this mall even though i was only there twice...really upsets me seeing it torn down
It's important to remember Frackville is a town of 3,600 people in a county of 140,000 people. Sometimes in small towns like this just one newer shopping center like this - or even just a WalMart - can kill off an older mall like this.
I was in that mall when I lived in the area around 20 years ago. The China Buffet was a either a Ponderosa or a Bonanza a steak restaurant across from K-Mart. The only anchor stores were K-Mart and Sears and scattered shops through the mall.
Incredible musical selection... Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor. Wow! Great video and overall presentation. Keep it up! Awesome work my friend.
Sal you are a true professional with your video series What makes you different from all other explorers is your detailed research on the history of all the malls. In my opinion your work is the absolute best keep up the good work 🤙🤙🤘
Hello Sal love you blogs on old Malls in the US, They must of built loads of them out there how some of the shops make money I don’t know.All the mall I’ve seen you blog seem to be in the middle of nowhere.Here in the Uk we have many Indoor shopping centres (as we call them ) The Town I live in called Luton had the biggest in Europe built back in 1975 still going strong ,Back in the eighties a new City was built Called Milton Keynes which took the record for biggest mall in Europe now we have massive ones in London called Westfield Shopping centres all massive all nearly full occupancy keep blogging mate love them👍👍👍👍
You have very interesting documentaries. The background music & old commercials are a great touch. It reminds me of a few video games that have post apocalyptic themes.
Its so funny I had taken pictures of dead malls way back before UA-cam was big and I remember people making fun of me. I was just so eerily fascinated by it. I love that so many people are filming them with music and historical facts. This music reminds me of a Salute your shorts episode lol
Oh I believe it. I’m sure they’re super reputable...but it was crazy to me for such an place to stay open amidst a demolition, and all that goes with it.
Well Rose it may have felt heartbreaking back then, but in hindsight (as of 12/16/2020) demolishing the mall when they did.. now looks like a case of perfect timing.
All those hopes & dreams & ppl trying to live their lives - I've just turned 50 & am desperately trying to NOT think about all the ways I've wasted my life (like my dad always said I wld); this stuff makes me think of the 80's when I grew up. Depresses the hell out of me but can't stop looking! Cor lamme!
You should have seen this mall in the prime days. I grew up locally at the time when the mall was and fully operational. I moved away years ago but just came back up here a few days ago to visit and stop by the Schuylkill Mall. My heart dropped when I get seen a concrete slab. Just remember when we buy online to save a few dollars businesses like the Schuylkill mall all hurting. RIP Schuylkill Mall
thank you for this video and said the miner didn't go down with the mall that miner stand for all of us from the southern part of the county to the northern part. i lived most of my life in pottsville pa. just south of the mall every time i went to the mall i remember the miner. that miner means a lot to us is to on for get about our mining past and look to the future. well the future of the area looks grim now i"ve moved to texas in 2015 just shows us the area is dyeing more and more when compiles leave or just closed i'm sadden for my old home town where everything is going down.
Amazing job Sal! I was there about a month or so ago and toured the place at night (see my hinky video on my channel) and the demolition was at the same stage of progress as it was when I was there but, much of the rubble has since been processed and hauled away. The electric wall sign that you walked past inside the mall was unplugged when I went there so, for kicks I plugged it in. I see that it's still plugged in.. Lol! Thanks Sal, and keep the awesomeness coming!
Both my parents had to undergo dialysis in the final years of their lives, my late dad because of a terminal cancer diagnosis and my late mom because of the Type 2 diabetes she had lived with for over half her life, and let me tell you, had either of my parents had to go to a dialysis center located in a decaying or half-demolished mall I would have pulled them out of the center and found another one within an hour's drive of that location, I don't even care. That plus the dialysis center being run by the shadiest dialysis company ever, DaVita? It literally chills me to the bone thinking about what those poor dialysis patients had to go through while DaVita kept them at their Schuylkill Mall location. BTW, my late mom went to a Fresenius location and I was so happy she did because they took care of her so well and when we transitioned to at-home dialysis I received what I felt was the best training I could've possibly received, and ironically considering what's been going on this year that included a lesson on thoroughly washing my hands that has stuck with me all this time, and is the way the CDC has instructed everyone wash their hands to limit their exposure to the virus going around. BTW, on a different note I really appreciate your use of the Kmart mix tape from 1973 toward the close of the video! That was a nice touch.
Actarus eyescream Totally agree with you I am from U.k and have the same sort of Mall here. Lots of places closing due to internet shopping. And the way its going these will be a thing of the past.
I expect part of the reason the dialysis place stayed so long is there's likely a boatload of paperwork required to set up a new medical facility, and they wanted to allow enough time to deal with the inevitable bureaucratic delays.
Perth, W Aust calling... I'm a mall/kiosk worker (diff mall each week); we don't see anything like "dead malls" here - not that I've seen, anyway. N.B. we're about 10 yrs behind rest of the world...God, it's so depressing! Too many memory-ghosts; haunting!
Never been to any of the Malls, just found the videos very interesting, and what has over come these Malls, music is fitting also. I am British and live in the Philippines where they can not stop building new Malls
Would not say that as there all full all day every day,They are 20 + Million people in Metro Manila and so many Malls, some of the biggest malls i have ever seen
You should consider traveling to the Tri-State Mall, in Claymont, De. I'm not entirely sure if it's still active, but it does have some interesting history. My mother was a prostitute in the 70's... She was peddled in the offices behind the main all. It would be cool if you were able to find anything on what happened there.
There was a mall in huntsville al named "the mall" it was opened in the sixtys and closed in the ninetes. They built a super mall named Madison Square that killed it in 84 which just closed recently and demolished. It had a fountain that was saved and used for a center piece in the roundabout of the new shopping center that took its place. The new place is called the fountain.
Thought this was a trailer for the new terminator movie where skynet has taken over. Well filmed by the author, this is a sad look at the end to once vibrant mall.
As you said, the dialysis facility had a lease - a contract - and were insisting on compliance. Usually if either the tenant or the landlord wants to terminate the lease early they pay for the privilege. Moving is expensive and it may be much more for a medical facility. Either the owners wouldn't pay or it wasn't enough. So the dialysis place refused to move until their contract ended.
You should look up McCreeless Mall in San Antonio Texas. The only mall that died in that city. Don't know if the building is still there. Last time I saw it only had a $1.50 cinema left.
Wow. I spent my entire childhood in PA - born and raised in Philly and spent a few years of high school in Hershey. But I've never heard of Frackville or the Schuylkill Mall before. Schuylkill Expressway, Schuylkill River, Schuylkill punch (that's what we called tap water in Philly since the river was our main water source) - but not the Schuylkill Mall. I'd be curious to know what impact the mall closing had on that town - in terms of jobs and the surrounding businesses. Shame...looks like it was once a proud mall. Now just an empty shell - and barely that.
If anyone wants the overhead view of this mall it is still in Google Maps! A great way to gain a little perspective of how big of a deal this mall was. From the sky you can see a description of what Sal reads in that letter. The area and roads and bridges. Amazing. Thanks!
We've become a "throw away society." Instead of remodeling and reusing buildings we just tear them down and build a new one in it's place. Thousands of tons of building materials, bricks, lumber, electrical components, lighting fixtures, display cabinets and counter tops, glass, windows elevators, escalators and etc. are hauled away as junk to be burned or buried further contaminating our planet. We do the same thing with cars, houses, farm buildings, trucks, excavating equipment, in fact everything we consume; we are a wasteful society. My parents lived through the great depression and they didn't throw anything away that could still be used by them or anyone else. My brother, sister and me still joke around when one of us says we need this or that and the others asked if we've asked dad or mom if they have one in the attic, basement or barn. We'd joke that as long as it didn't have to be a certain color dad would probably have one and that was often true. He often have parts to fix broken items we had. I remember when TV's and stereo's as well as refrigerators, air conditioners and etc. would be repair, if at all possible, today we just throw them away and buy a new one even if the old once could have been fixed with a 2 dollar gasket. We consume too much and waste too much, including Shopping Malls.
When I lived in Illinois, most dialysis centers in my area were in run down strip malls where there was a Dollar Tree, Dollar General or Family Dollar. Coincidence or just low rent? There are a lot of dead strip malls here, but the only dialysis center I've seen in in a relatively new office building near a major hospital in my town. You may not get here before Collin Creek Mall goes down, though.
I suspect they were trying to keep it alive as long as they could. This fills me with sadness to see this place go, especially when you consider how proud of it the community was. It's a shame to see such a thing go completely to waste like this. You could have saved it by putting a school campus in there or some other thing
The absolute silence in the beginning is amazing. I didn't realize how noisy these places can be until I saw this contrast. Great decision to put that in the video without any additional sound other than your voice.
I love your driving intros too! Great way to establish the surroundings of the location, and interesting to watch for someone who has lived in the western U.S. their whole life.
I follow a few dead mall channels, but your voice, cadence, delivery, and deep research put you at the top for me.😊
yeah, a lot of dead mall channels I can't listen to b/c they always have nasally know it all voice.
From meeting Bill Elliot as a kid there, to painting the warehouse that now stands there....... I'm glad these memories still remain. Thank you🙏
The single greatest Dead Mall video I've ever seen. Your videos are pure art.
A sad ending for a once great mall. A shame that so much of that building material is not salvaged for use elsewhere. Glad to see your site growing. 6K coming up.
Watching the first video on the Schuylkill mall and finishing up with this video hit me very deeply. It reminds me that life is very impermanent and is subject to change within the passage of time. I got a very odd sensation of closure and happiness seeing this video. The mall clearly had a good life. The destruction contrasted with the bright and sunny sky dotted with a few clouds is such a stark side by side comparison.
I don't know if you'll read this comment Sal, but I want to thank you very much for reminding me to be more appreciative of life. Watching your videos has oriented my perspective in a more positive light.
Life is precious. Memories are important, and legacy is eternal. Thank you so much for watching, Keith!
My heart is broken! I've been to this mall a few times in the past.. I ate at that small Italian spot.. browsed in the Black Diamond. So sad! Thank you so much for gathering the last few moments of what is left. Amazing job.
Sarah Stemrich like your heartfelt comment. I agree. 👍👍
omg Sarah I know ....me to at black diamond..
It is a sad to see a place that was so prominent in the community mostly knocked down! Things change and move on. Maybe it teaches us to treasure each moment! Lastly I find channels like this so fascinating visiting by video camera buildings wherever it is in the world!
It’s incredibly sad...I will keep working to preserve them as much as possible!
I remember as a kid this mall was awesome but as i got older it got worse and worse the susquehanna mall is starting to go down too
Seeing the china palace buffet makes me sick all over again
I just got back into watching dead mall series, and glad I found your channel. I’m an 80’s and 90’s mall rat. The Schuylkill Mall was “my mall”. I was 7 years old when this mall opened. So many memories of going here with my grandparents, almost every Saturday with my mom and my two little kids in tow throughout the early 2000’s. This was a great mall and had a Chick Fil A! So many great stores, I remember the original McCoreys store, Fashion Bug, Lerner, Barbara Moss, Taxi, Jean Nicole, The Gap, KB Toys. I feel like I grew up there and my kids, who are now 26 and almost 24, spent a lot of time there with me and my mom.
The Chinese buffet in this video, used to be a Bonanza, I ate many times there on a Friday night and then shopping with my friends.
So sad still and it’s over five years it’s gone now.
Ironically, the warehouse built there is now also vacant. 🤷🏼♀️
Great follow-up! 👍
To all of those complaining about the name: Schuylkill is the name of the county where Frackville is located; the county also is the location of the source of the river of the same name, which was named that by Dutch settlers (Schuylkill roughly translates as "hidden river"). Could there have been better research on naming 40-some years ago? Possibly. However, the mall simply was named after its geographical location: Schuylkill County. No different than the Columbia Mall near Bloomsburg (Columbia County) or the Wyoming Valley Mall in Wilkes-Barre (the region is known as the Wyoming Valley because of the Wyoming River).
When this mall was opened in 1980 it was a great source of regional pride for the surrounding portion of the PA Anthracite Region. This is an area where. people who stayed are very proud of its anthracite mining heritage and history. Some of my ancestors lived approximately 15 miles away until they moved in the 1930s. Although I am three generations removed I am proud of my family's Anthracite Region heritage. It is a shame that the mall died out and was torn down.
Its an incredible shame. But...your family and community have a ton to be proud of!
I had elderly relatives in this part of the state too. Even though their adult children all moved away decades ago, I still feel an attachment to this place.
Northeastern PA's Anthracite Region is a place of scenic beauty and a rich history. Although I live in Philly, I have friends in the refion and visit a few times a year. It is something to be proud of!
You'll always have your wonderful memories, William.
Thanks for filming this Sal. It's really interesting to see followups like this and i'm sure the opportunity won't come around often. It's surreal to see an indoor place like this, that was once so vibrant with activity, abandoned, half-destroyed, and open to the elements like that. I'm glad the statue was saved!
@Sal Visting the Schuykill's Mall once last time before it fades to aches is a really nice treat to celebrate your 5,000 subscriber milestone. Nicely played 👏🏻 Here's to you and the Schuylkill Mall. Salute! ☕️Following you on Patreon now. Have a great week.
Thank you Sal, for getting such great footage of The Schuylkill Mall. As a resident of Schuylkill County i have many fond memories of this mall. Most of my childhood and teenage years were spent as a mallrat, shopping, looking for girls, and a few mischievous things I probably am better off NOT to mention. I never thought i could hold such a place so dear to my heart, Something so dated and mismanaged. Yet, every visit was a travel back to a simpler time in my life, regardless of how sad it may have been to see its once crouded halls reduced to a few stragglers and mall walkers, it was always a personal time capsule. Thanks for capturing MY mall and preserving it on film for me to revisit whenever I want.
My name is Sal, not Dan.
This is… something. A feeling I didn’t know I needed. Remembering the unappreciated joys of being a 90s kid. Validation that it wasn’t just my mall that got weird over time and understanding the mechanics behind the changes. Thank you for documenting, sharing, and creating this very cool, niche content.
You know it's interesting. I remembered something I talked about years ago when I was talking to friends who visited abandoned hospitals. As I saw the old Schuylkill Mall sign on the ground, it reminded me of seeing castle ruins when I lived in (West) Germany. Malls/hospitals/factories are OUR castles. They were built by people with vision, utilized through the years, fell into disrepair when they were no longer deemed relevant and finally demolished to make way for something more modern and useful.
I have a ways to go still through your current library (have watched a few videos before thanks to YT recommendations). Have really enjoyed it though. Glad I finally subscribed.
Great video sal. Sad looking place but you did a great job documenting it. And glad they saved the statue.and hopefully they save pedals. Thank you sir
Thank you so much for documenting this mall in its state. I was up there thee final day it closed. That mall meant a lot to the people around that area. Including myself, who went there as a kid, and have fond, gentle, wonderful childhood memories that are buried in that rubble...
I came across your video in a Reddit post and have many fond memories of going to Schuylkill and Fairlane Village Malls when I lived there in the 90s. The mall was pretty busy when I was there - I guess in the age of Amazon and Walmart (and online shopping in general), this was bound to happen. It's still heartbreaking to see/hear that the mall was demolished. I am glad to hear that the statue was relocated rather than demolished.
There are two malls within striking distance where I live now (I left PA in 2002), and both of them are dying as well. I hope I don't see your series coming down here to GA, but after learning that one of the anchor stores - Macy's - has decided to close, I get the feeling we'll be seeing you here as well.
Thank you Sal - I agree with the other commenters here that you've done top-quality filming and editing, and your research is fantastic. You've got yourself a new subscriber.
I recall a Bonanza Steakhouse and a Chick-Fil-A. McDonald's was right outside the Mall. Sears was there. Walden Book store. There were a large amount of elderly mall walkers as well as older folks sitting in the mid court area. I had business in the area and though not from Schuylkill County visited the Schuylkill Mall. many times. I even got a haircut there at the Holiday Hair business. In the early 80's it was the hot spot for the holidays. Locals would know better but my sense is that the Schuylkill Mall took away some businesses from downtown Pottsville. My strongest sense was that it had been a gathering place, a community center, for the aging population of Pottsville and Schuylkill County. It was always nice to visit and if I wanted a quick bite I went to the Schuylkill Mall. I recall the winding road that lead into the Mall from Route 81 and how the Mall was off of Route 61 on the way to Pottsville and Reading. I'm sorry to see it's demise as it had always been a friendly place to visit.
uncleelmer at one point there was also a mcdonalds in the mall!
9:34 Wild that the power is still on as they demolish the place.
Thank you posting this. Lots of memories there... damn. Back in the early 90s they had a jam packed arcade. Nirvanas Closet was hands down the best Rock Tshirt store. It’s such a unique area for a giant Mall.
3:26 door opening sounds like a goat.
I've only been here once. Why do I miss it so much?
That was a really nice mural on the pizza restaurant wall. The round arched skylights were very nice. The metal star-like frames really give it a nice shape
Good job sal 👍
Excellent vid, Sal! One of the best. This is my favorite kind of vids, even though, I love Malls and want them all, to survive. The soundtrack is absolutely, perfect!! 👊👏👏
that place was lit on a friday back in the 90's
Amazing. Congrats on your 5K subscribers, you do some really great work.
I have a lot of fond memories of this mall. Been there many times at its highest and lowest moments. To see it being demolished is very sad, but with online shopping, malls charging outrageous ren't to stores, which in turn costs customers so much more than online shopping, that a lot of these malls killed off themselves. As for the Steamown mall, three major malls within 8 miles of each other was not cost efficient after the Shopped at Montage opened to add a mall to a ski resort. It sucks for the Steamtown mall because it was the one in the middle and everyone was moving from it to either the SaM or Viewmont in Dickson City. And the Steamtown mall had a garage to keep customers out of the weather vs. the open parking lots of the other two.
Steamtown at construction made sense and that's what many don't want to admit in the area. The Arena came to WB, area blew up, and Wyoming Valley Mall got an overhaul. Viewmont blew up, and then the Shoppes At Montage came and left Steamtown as you said, in the middle. The changes never came to Scranton to make that section of the city better too.
I really appreciate the effort you put in to this, your's is a serious last look at Schuylkill Mall, with proper tone and music. Another UA-camr tried a similar video, they failed pretty badly.
While in the area, rolled by today. No Trespassing signs are up everywhere now and DaVita has fully finished the move. Those doors being open were pretty sweet.
Only minor complaint I would say...you weren't even close on Knoebels pronunciation. Otherwise, excellent work.
Well we have two so far lol. Did I butcher it that badly?? I’m not a local :(
Let me have a crack at it. Knoebels, pronounced No-buls. ?
Nope. The locals pronounce the K. Kuh-nobels
@@sal LOL Thanks Sal! I was going off of the pronunciation of a friends last name Knoble which is pronounced something between no-bul & no-bel. Great video Saly I'll sub you bud.
Thank you!
Sal, thanks for producing these videos. I grew up in PA, but left in '98 after graduating college. Seeing the stark contrast of how I remember these malls (in particular, Century III, Camp Hill, Capital City, Indiana Mall, etc.) is very moving. I have very vivid memories of these places and stores... I'm glad you're taking the time to document all that you can. I'm especially glad that you're taking a slightly different approach to your expeditions, whereby you're continuing to research some of the creative, cultural and social significance that is coming about as a result of this (the statues, the history, the connections and the people involved). Keep up the excellent work! It is much appreciated!
I've been recently watching various abandoned videos from multiple people, and yours are my favorite. I wish you could have done a tour of Northland Mall in Columbus, Ohio, before it was demolished, but it was gone by the early 2000s.
And the Musak is still running...amazing.
Do you have downloads of the old Seeburg or Muzak library to dub to your videos ? So period perfect for cruising the mall in better days ! Reminds me of the almost abandoned Amon Carter Airport terminal in Ft Worth TX years ago before it was closed & demolished. We stopped by to see if the restaurant was still open & found no one in the place but heard "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" echoing through the place! I knew it was a Seeburg system because there was always a slight delay between songs when the player changed records. Love the old "elevator music" !
Absolutely fantastic job on your videos! I'm glad people like you are out there recording these picecs of retail history before it's all gone and some ugly commercial building takes its space. Great background music also!
Sal, thank you for all you do. Much appreciated. Please keep going!! Dean from Minnesota
Great video...I have a lot of great memories at this Mall. I will definitely miss it. It was worth the 90 mile drive every weekend
Sal, its Keh-No-Bells Knoebels Anthracite Museum. Also, its Cen-Trail-EYa Centralia. I was able to visit the Schuylkill Mall at the very end of the demolition. It was from the main lot on the McDonalds side I had to go all the way to the left around the fencing. Only that very left end and a large loading dock was standing. July 2018.
Thanks for that. I’ve been corrected on how locals pronounce it many times, I’ve got it! Thanks for watching!
Awesome video!!! I love watching them - thank you for your expeditions
Was litterally just binging on your videos and then this comes out!
Just for you :)
Same here 😀
The Mall song is amazing. Gets stuck into your head.
I’ve said it before but it makes me grateful that someone bought our local mall and is TRYING. I have a hard time not being a little cynical about the whole thing but at least if/when it’s shuttered I’ll have known they tried hard to keep it going. It’s so empty. The new owners spruced it up a lot and it looks much better. I don’t know many people who go there. There are other malls 30-60 minutes away that stay busy though! Thanks for a great follow up.
Glad you got to see the remains of the mall. It’s amazing how much alike all of the 80s crown American malls looked and seeing this one looking like a time capsule reminds me of my mall the west Manchester mall in York which was converted a few years ago into a shopping center. Thanks for doing this and always be careful. Never know what might happen!
Im blown away at how perfect your videos are, this one is beautifully done, i love the detail and how you showed footage driving to the mall. Perfect narrating voice, and right at the best times in the video. I miss this mall even though i was only there twice...really upsets me seeing it torn down
*So awesome! I wish I was into UA-cam when the Rolling Acres Mall was being demolished. Thanks for sharing this in the group!*
We used to drive up from Baltimore to visit Black Diamond. I'm glad the miner statue is safe at Knoebel's.
It's important to remember Frackville is a town of 3,600 people in a county of 140,000 people. Sometimes in small towns like this just one newer shopping center like this - or even just a WalMart - can kill off an older mall like this.
I was in that mall when I lived in the area around 20 years ago. The China Buffet was a either a Ponderosa or a Bonanza a steak restaurant across from K-Mart. The only anchor stores were K-Mart and Sears and scattered shops through the mall.
Incredible musical selection... Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor. Wow! Great video and overall presentation. Keep it up! Awesome work my friend.
Stalker Stomper3 thank you! The music is haunting.
Nice plug for the Super Mario Brothers Supershow!
Great vid I like it keep up the great work and this is my second time watching this vid one 2 years ago and now
Sal you are a true professional with your video series
What makes you different from all other explorers is your detailed research on the history of all the malls. In my opinion your work is the absolute best keep up the good work 🤙🤙🤘
Hey thanks! I’ve been working on the latest episode for months, and I hope to finally release it this weekend. Stay tuned!!
@@sal thanks for all your efforts!! You totally rock and I'll be looking forward to seeing it 😀
Hello Sal love you blogs on old Malls in the US, They must of built loads of them out there how some of the shops make money I don’t know.All the mall I’ve seen you blog seem to be in the middle of nowhere.Here in the Uk we have many Indoor shopping centres (as we call them ) The Town I live in called Luton had the biggest in Europe built back in 1975 still going strong ,Back in the eighties a new City was built Called Milton Keynes which took the record for biggest mall in Europe now we have massive ones in London called Westfield Shopping centres all massive all nearly full occupancy keep blogging mate love them👍👍👍👍
You have very interesting documentaries. The background music & old commercials are a great touch. It reminds me of a few video games that have post apocalyptic themes.
Its so funny I had taken pictures of dead malls way back before UA-cam was big and I remember people making fun of me. I was just so eerily fascinated by it. I love that so many people are filming them with music and historical facts. This music reminds me of a Salute your shorts episode lol
For lack of anything else to say...this was just Amazing !!!
Thanks!!! One of my favorite pieces...
Song at 5:51?
Also really good video, I never knew I would find abandoned malls so interesting.
I did some checking, and the Chambersburg Mall is a zombie while apparently the Hagerstown Valley Mall is flourishing.
Davita is actually running a pretty good location at the North Hanover Mall in Hanover, PA.
But that's nuts that they stayed.
Oh I believe it. I’m sure they’re super reputable...but it was crazy to me for such an place to stay open amidst a demolition, and all that goes with it.
Sal yeah. That seems not exactly sterile.
Can't watch. So many "great" memories. I am still heartbroken. RIP SCHUYLKILL MALL !!!
RIP Schuylkill
All of teenagers, at the time, hung out there. It was shoulder to shoulder walking. No decent parking spaces. Yes, I am stuck in the GOOD OLD DAYS!!!
Absolutely heartbreaking...
Well Rose it may have felt heartbreaking back then, but in hindsight (as of 12/16/2020) demolishing the mall when they did.. now looks like a case of perfect timing.
All those hopes & dreams & ppl trying to live their lives - I've just turned 50 & am desperately trying to NOT think about all the ways I've wasted my life (like my dad always said I wld); this stuff makes me think of the 80's when I grew up. Depresses the hell out of me but can't stop looking! Cor lamme!
Sal...you do an excellent narration in yourvideos. Keep up the good work!
Thank you!!!
You should have seen this mall in the prime days. I grew up locally at the time when the mall was and fully operational. I moved away years ago but just came back up here a few days ago to visit and stop by the Schuylkill Mall. My heart dropped when I get seen a concrete slab. Just remember when we buy online to save a few dollars businesses like the Schuylkill mall all hurting. RIP Schuylkill Mall
did any one hear in the background the super Mario super show coming form the speakers in the mall or did he add that in?
😎
Wow.... great video!
You should have kept a set of those 3D glasses as a souvenir!
Also, the "K" in Knoebels is NOT silent. :)
I went there on July 1 last year. It was an experience I will never forget.
Seeing the ruins of this mall reminds me of the famous ruins from ancient civilizations.
Great video. Loved the filming. Thanks so much for posting this. Hope you do more soon.
I lived near ther. Thank You for this.
thank you for this video and said the miner didn't go down with the mall that miner stand for all of us from the southern part of the county to the northern part. i lived most of my life in pottsville pa. just south of the mall every time i went to the mall i remember the miner. that miner means a lot to us is to on for get about our mining past and look to the future. well the future of the area looks grim now i"ve moved to texas in 2015 just shows us the area is dyeing more and more when compiles leave or just closed i'm sadden for my old home town where everything is going down.
Amazing job Sal!
I was there about a month or so ago and toured the place at night (see my hinky video on my channel) and the demolition was at the same stage of progress as it was when I was there but, much of the rubble has since been processed and hauled away. The electric wall sign that you walked past inside the mall was unplugged when I went there so, for kicks I plugged it in. I see that it's still plugged in.. Lol!
Thanks Sal, and keep the awesomeness coming!
I need to check that video out!!!
Both my parents had to undergo dialysis in the final years of their lives, my late dad because of a terminal cancer diagnosis and my late mom because of the Type 2 diabetes she had lived with for over half her life, and let me tell you, had either of my parents had to go to a dialysis center located in a decaying or half-demolished mall I would have pulled them out of the center and found another one within an hour's drive of that location, I don't even care. That plus the dialysis center being run by the shadiest dialysis company ever, DaVita? It literally chills me to the bone thinking about what those poor dialysis patients had to go through while DaVita kept them at their Schuylkill Mall location. BTW, my late mom went to a Fresenius location and I was so happy she did because they took care of her so well and when we transitioned to at-home dialysis I received what I felt was the best training I could've possibly received, and ironically considering what's been going on this year that included a lesson on thoroughly washing my hands that has stuck with me all this time, and is the way the CDC has instructed everyone wash their hands to limit their exposure to the virus going around. BTW, on a different note I really appreciate your use of the Kmart mix tape from 1973 toward the close of the video! That was a nice touch.
Actarus eyescream Totally agree with you I am from U.k and have the same sort of Mall here. Lots of places closing due to internet shopping. And the way its going these will be a thing of the past.
I expect part of the reason the dialysis place stayed so long is there's likely a boatload of paperwork required to set up a new medical facility, and they wanted to allow enough time to deal with the inevitable bureaucratic delays.
Perth, W Aust calling... I'm a mall/kiosk worker (diff mall each week); we don't see anything like "dead malls" here - not that I've seen, anyway.
N.B. we're about 10 yrs behind rest of the world...God, it's so depressing! Too many memory-ghosts; haunting!
Never been to any of the Malls, just found the videos very interesting, and what has over come these Malls, music is fitting also. I am British and live in the Philippines where they can not stop building new Malls
So they’re over-malled in the Philippines too??
Would not say that as there all full all day every day,They are 20 + Million people in Metro Manila and so many Malls, some of the biggest malls i have ever seen
ua-cam.com/video/xQ-semjsrgA/v-deo.html Just take this link to see a few Manila Malls
Love the video Sal!!!
You should consider traveling to the Tri-State Mall, in Claymont, De. I'm not entirely sure if it's still active, but it does have some interesting history. My mother was a prostitute in the 70's... She was peddled in the offices behind the main all. It would be cool if you were able to find anything on what happened there.
There was a mall in huntsville al named "the mall" it was opened in the sixtys and closed in the ninetes. They built a super mall named Madison Square that killed it in 84 which just closed recently and demolished. It had a fountain that was saved and used for a center piece in the roundabout of the new shopping center that took its place. The new place is called the fountain.
Guy I used to work with used to be a cop. He actually used to go to the mall to meet with informants because it was always dead. haha
Thought this was a trailer for the new terminator movie where skynet has taken over.
Well filmed by the author, this is a sad look at the end to once vibrant mall.
As you said, the dialysis facility had a lease - a contract - and were insisting on compliance. Usually if either the tenant or the landlord wants to terminate the lease early they pay for the privilege. Moving is expensive and it may be much more for a medical facility. Either the owners wouldn't pay or it wasn't enough. So the dialysis place refused to move until their contract ended.
This is the most natural light some of these retail lots will ever get.
You should look up McCreeless Mall in San Antonio Texas. The only mall that died in that city. Don't know if the building is still there. Last time I saw it only had a $1.50 cinema left.
For your log series are you filming on your phone? If so you make it very smooth - almost no jerking.
For the official series, it’s a mix between iPhone X, Canon 80D, and GoPro Hero 6 Black.
Wow. I spent my entire childhood in PA - born and raised in Philly and spent a few years of high school in Hershey. But I've never heard of Frackville or the Schuylkill Mall before. Schuylkill Expressway, Schuylkill River, Schuylkill punch (that's what we called tap water in Philly since the river was our main water source) - but not the Schuylkill Mall. I'd be curious to know what impact the mall closing had on that town - in terms of jobs and the surrounding businesses. Shame...looks like it was once a proud mall. Now just an empty shell - and barely that.
I miss Mall Culture 😭
Good job, man. :)
Thanks :)
You are welcome
If anyone wants the overhead view of this mall it is still in Google Maps! A great way to gain a little perspective of how big of a deal this mall was. From the sky you can see a description of what Sal reads in that letter. The area and roads and bridges. Amazing. Thanks!
We've become a "throw away society." Instead of remodeling and reusing buildings we just tear them down and build a new one in it's place. Thousands of tons of building materials, bricks, lumber, electrical components, lighting fixtures, display cabinets and counter tops, glass, windows elevators, escalators and etc. are hauled away as junk to be burned or buried further contaminating our planet. We do the same thing with cars, houses, farm buildings, trucks, excavating equipment, in fact everything we consume; we are a wasteful society. My parents lived through the great depression and they didn't throw anything away that could still be used by them or anyone else. My brother, sister and me still joke around when one of us says we need this or that and the others asked if we've asked dad or mom if they have one in the attic, basement or barn. We'd joke that as long as it didn't have to be a certain color dad would probably have one and that was often true. He often have parts to fix broken items we had. I remember when TV's and stereo's as well as refrigerators, air conditioners and etc. would be repair, if at all possible, today we just throw them away and buy a new one even if the old once could have been fixed with a 2 dollar gasket. We consume too much and waste too much, including Shopping Malls.
When I lived in Illinois, most dialysis centers in my area were in run down strip malls where there was a Dollar Tree, Dollar General or Family Dollar. Coincidence or just low rent? There are a lot of dead strip malls here, but the only dialysis center I've seen in in a relatively new office building near a major hospital in my town. You may not get here before Collin Creek Mall goes down, though.
Love your channel.
Thanks John!
These are addictive.
rest in pancakes vintage mall sign. I like to imagine people broke pieces of it off and kept it.
You da man Sal
I suspect they were trying to keep it alive as long as they could. This fills me with sadness to see this place go, especially when you consider how proud of it the community was. It's a shame to see such a thing go completely to waste like this. You could have saved it by putting a school campus in there or some other thing
Gwinnett place mall, Duluth GA, over 300 homeowners displaced to build it. Lasted 20 yr.