America's abandoned Malls

[Bronxboykev]

Landloards don't care they charge crazy rents, store owners cant cut it so they sink, the landlords make more money from the Tax writeoffs if spaces stay empty than if they were rented so they dont care either way. Take away their fallback and then see if they want half empty spaces, also Who has money to spend at 1 mall store let alone 3-5-10 Stores... If the economy wasnt tanked maybe more of these places would be open and thriving.

[Red Hulk]

That picture is downright eerie.

[ScottA]

We have 2 malls here. Montgomery Mall has been empty for almost 10 years now. it had Circus World when I was growing up. There was talk all last year of combining 2 magnet schools together and moving them in the mall, complete with police station. But it never happened. They did turn some of it into a new fire station. But I dare say it will never be a retail place again.

Eastdale Mall is still hanging on with Sears, Pennys, Belks and Dillards as anchoring stores. But all the toy, book and music stores are gone now and the only stores I might remotely visit still are Spencers Gifts and Hallmark at Christmas time. Even the cinemas are gone now. Other than that I have no reason to go there. Eastdale Mall also has an indoor ice skating rink.

It's also worth mentioning that both malls are one story.

Those pictures are cool and eerie at the same time.

[Nostalgiabuff]

we still have 2 malls in Poughkeepsie. the one was converted to a strip mall, which I rarely if ever go to...but there is a Hobby Lobby and Kmart there

then we have a Galleria, which is usually packed with a lot of big anchor stores. I generally only go in 3-4 stores there.....Target, Best Buy, Sears and JC Penneys come to mind. there is a store called Hot Topic there though that has a lot of pop culture stuff, sometimes even things I like, LOL, but the store is really geared for the teen crowd.

they actually instituted an under 18 restriction on weekends, starting at like 5 pm you cannot be in the mall without a parent after 5, unless you work there. you can go into some of the individual stores or the movie theater but only from that stores entrance. it was because of so called gangs of kids roaming the mall scaring shoppers, and getting in fights

[Spawn67]

Yea this article has made me reflecting on my time at the malls when I was a kid in the late' 70s through I would say about 1995. As I posted earlier in this post about a mall I went to there are several others that are sadly gone. I spent alot of time there and it was HUGE deal to go the mall almost weekly. Nowdays i never go to a mall and when i do its kinda of sad because hardly anyone is in there and the stores are empty.
Did anyone happen to get this book?

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115485/photos-shopping-malls-1980s

[enyawd72]

What really concerns me more than anything is there are very few manufacturing jobs left in America. That leaves service and retail, both of which are rapidly vanishing as well. Jobs are scarce now...In another 20 years, where are people going to find a job at all?

SCARY.

[PNGwynne]

I grew up going to the first mall pictured in that article (Rolling Acres). In my late teens/early 20s my brother and I went there almost every weekend.

Me, too! Ach, wasn't it great? I remember it fondly, and still have some clothing from Diamonds there.

[PNGwynne]

Wha! May I ask which one?

[megocrazy]

The mall I hung at as a kid is a joke now. You couldn't move in there on a friday night. Lots of teens but still crowded. Now its deserted. They put up a new 2 story mall about 20 minutes north of there that is intalks to possibly become a casino. They've been losing stores consistently for years. Waste of prime located real estate. The only other mall we had when I was a kid, was about to go outabout 10 years ago when Walmart stepped in and opened a store to anchor it. They recently opened a Super WM and a Sam's Club and closed that store. Rumor has it the Foxwoods casino just bought the property. I'm guessing we'll be hearing about a casino vote in the near future. Or at least a high stakes bingo hall.

[Monsterama2000]

Me, too! Ach, wasn't it great? I remember it fondly, and still have some clothing from Diamonds there.

It was great! We'd go to Churchill's Books, Waldenbooks, K-B Toys, Spencer's, the record stores and eat at Flaming Gyros. Plus, they always had trading card shows. I really miss it.

[jwyblejr]

we still have 2 malls in Poughkeepsie. the one was converted to a strip mall, which I rarely if ever go to...but there is a Hobby Lobby and Kmart there

then we have a Galleria, which is usually packed with a lot of big anchor stores. I generally only go in 3-4 stores there.....Target, Best Buy, Sears and JC Penneys come to mind. there is a store called Hot Topic there though that has a lot of pop culture stuff, sometimes even things I like, LOL, but the store is really geared for the teen crowd.

they actually instituted an under 18 restriction on weekends, starting at like 5 pm you cannot be in the mall without a parent after 5, unless you work there. you can go into some of the individual stores or the movie theater but only from that stores entrance. it was because of so called gangs of kids roaming the mall scaring shoppers, and getting in fights

The one that was converted to a strip mall,is that the one that had the Japanese toy store?

[PNGwynne]

Jeans West/ Bottom Half

I asked because I was going to try & place it in the floorplan in my mind--bottom level near Monty Wards?

[PNGwynne]

It was great! We'd go to Churchill's Books, Waldenbooks, K-B Toys, Spencer's, the record stores and eat at Flaming Gyros. Plus, they always had trading card shows. I really miss it.

I recall all those--I still have toys in my collection from that K-B.