c/abandoned-mall-stories

7

anthony_wells•2d ago

My grandpa told me the Westgate Mall would be empty in 10 years back in 2005 and I laughed at him.

He said people would stop driving to a dead building with no anchor stores and now it's just a dusty hallway with a Dollar Store and I still think about that conversation every time I walk through there, has anyone else had a relative call it years before it happened?

6

hugog43•2d ago

The weird echoing sound in the old Northgate food court finally made me realize why I keep going back to dead malls.

I was standing right where the giant fountain used to be in 2009 at Northgate Mall in Seattle last Saturday and the way my steps bounced off the tile brought back a memory of my mom buying me a pretzel at that exact spot, has anyone else had a random sensory flashback hit them mid-exploration?

2

the_morgan•3d ago

My flashlight died in the dark food court at Oak Hollow Mall

I was exploring the old Oak Hollow Mall last week and had to pick between heading up to the second floor or checking out the basement when my flashlight started flickering. I chose the basement and got stuck for 20 minutes in total darkness after my batteries finally gave out, fumbling around until I found an emergency exit. Has anyone else had to make a quick choice like that on a trip and regretted it?

17

drew_west•5d ago

Hot take: taking photos of the food court fountains is pointless

My buddy Jason swore I'd get better shots of the old food court fountain at Oak Hollow Mall if I used a tripod and slow shutter, but half my pictures came out blurry and the other half showed too much dirt in the water. Did that advice help you guys or was it just me screwing up the settings?

15

jessefoster•5d ago

Had to choose between saving the carpet or the food court tiles at our local dead mall

I mean, maybe it's just me but I feel like every abandoned mall trip eventually comes down to a weird choice. So I was at this place outside of Cincinnati, the Forest Fair Mall, it's been basically empty for years. The food court had this old terrazzo floor with a giant compass pattern built into it, really cool. But the carpet in the old Hallmark store area was this wild 90s pattern with purple and teal zigzags. I only had time to photograph one before security came by. I picked the carpet because idk, you see tile patterns kinda sorta similar sometimes but that carpet was one of a kind. Got like 12 shots before I heard the keys jingling. Got out fine but I still wonder if the compass pattern was more worth it. Has anyone else had to pick which part of a mall to document because of limited time?

8

valgibson•21d ago

The thing people get wrong about the old food court fountains

I keep seeing posts calling those big tile fountains in mall food courts from the 80s and 90s "water features" or "art installations." No, they were just really expensive places to lose your keys and have your little brother fall into after eating a Sbarro. I spent every Saturday at the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, New Jersey from 1987 to 1993, and that fountain was mostly a coin graveyard with pool float toys stuck in the filter. People forget those things were LOUD too, you couldn't hear your mom calling you from across the food court over the water. Am I the only one who remembers the smell of chlorine mixed with day-old Chinese food coming off those things?

17

ryan_kim63•21d ago

Found a time capsule receipt from 1987 inside a dead mall in Ohio

I was poking around the old food court at the Rolling Acres Mall in Akron last month and pulled up a loose floor tile near where the Orange Julius used to be. Underneath was a receipt from 1987 for a Sbarro pizza and a Coke that cost $3.45 total. Wildest part is the employee discount code on it was 'MOONPIE' and I have no idea why that cracks me up so much. Has anyone else found weird old documents or trash from the glory days at their local dead mall?

6

thomas_scott•23d ago

Ran into an old security guard at the Forest Hills Mall - lasted maybe 10 minutes but I still think about it

So I was poking around the Forest Hills Mall in Ohio last summer, the one that closed back in 2019. I was just taking some photos of the food court when this older guy comes out of a door I didn't even see. Turns out he was the night security guard, been there for like 15 years before and after it closed. He didn't yell at me or anything, just asked what I was doing. I told him I liked exploring old places and he started pointing out stuff - like how the fountain in the middle used to have real koi fish and some kid dropped a whole ice cream cake in it once. He said the weirdest thing though, he told me he still walks the same patrol route every night even though nothing is there to guard. Said it feels wrong to stop. It got me thinking, you guys ever meet someone who was still kind of working a dead place like that? What do they even do all night?

1

emma_hart•23d ago

Someone told me to stop using my phone flashlight in abandoned malls and it changed everything

I used to always shine my phone light straight ahead when walking through dark corridors. Last month at an old mall in Akron, a guy from a local urbex group told me to hold it low and angled down instead. He said the light bounces off the floor and illuminates more without making dust motes look like fog. I tried it and could actually see details in the ceiling tiles and wall cracks I had missed before.

2

anthony_wells•23d ago

I always took photos of the missing ceiling tiles until a security guard stopped me

Every trip to a dead mall I was obsessed with documenting the water damage and collapsed drop ceilings. Thought that was the coolest part of urban decay. This guard at the old Granite Run Mall in Pennsylvania told me the real story is the floor tiles that still have the 80s pattern intact since nobody walks there anymore. Now I focus on the forgotten details that are still standing instead of the wreckage. Anyone else shift what they look for after a conversation like that?

4

jason73•26d ago

Showerthought: I used to laugh at people taking photos inside dead malls

Back in 2020, I rolled my eyes at a guy in our local Raleigh mall snapping pictures of empty corridors and old food court tiles. Then I walked through the abandoned Belk wing last month and noticed the neon sign from 1987 still flickering above a boarded-up entrance. Anyone else have a moment where a random detail suddenly made you understand the whole point of this hobby?

5

stone.sarah•26d ago

Shoutout to the $15 headlamp I bought before exploring the old Fox Run Mall in New Hampshire

I seriously thought my phone flashlight would be enough but that place is pitch black inside past the food court. The headlamp saved me from tripping over a fallen ceiling tile and probably breaking my ankle lol. Has anyone else had a cheap piece of gear unexpectedly save their whole trip?

20

morgan_lewis18•26d ago

Took me three trips to figure out the food court in the old Meadowbrook Mall was actually on the second floor the whole time

I kept walking around the ground level looking for the orange chicken place I remembered from 2005 and after like 45 minutes of circling I finally looked up and saw the escalator was hidden behind a giant fake plant.

19

aaron_flores84•27d ago

The floor gave way under me at the old Galleria in Cleveland

I was walking through the food court area of this dead mall near Cleveland last month when a tile just cracked and my right foot went straight through. Turns out there was a leaky pipe underneath that had rotted the subfloor for years. I had to pull my leg out, covered in gross black water, and the whole mall security guy just shook his head and said "yeah that happens every few months." Anyone else ever have something collapse or break while you were exploring?

4

amymiller•27d ago

Got locked inside the old Fountain Place Mall at midnight last Friday

I was taking pictures of the empty food court when I heard the security gates slam down behind me. Worked for 20 minutes to find a side door that still opened, but every exit was sealed tight. Ended up climbing through a busted ceiling panel in the back hallway and dropping into the parking garage below. Has anyone else been trapped in a closed mall, or just me?

26

luna_sanchez•29d ago

Found a 1990s directory map inside a dead mall in Ohio

I was poking around the old Rolling Acres Mall in Akron last weekend and found a full directory map from 1992 still hanging near the food court. What blew me away was that it listed 87 stores but according to the sign only 12 were vacant back then. Does anyone else find it wild how fast these places just emptied out once the anchor stores left?

11

riley_king16•1mo ago

The fountain at Oak Hollow Mall was bone dry by 2019

I went back to Oak Hollow Mall in Ohio last month, and that big fountain near the food court was completely empty with trash in the bottom. Back in 2015 when I was a kid, that thing was running strong with coins and kids throwing pennies in it. What killed these malls faster, the online shopping or the rent hikes?

2

shane_perry29•1mo ago

Old security guard's advice changed my mall exploration approach

Guy named Frank at Northpark Mall told me to stop taking photos of the dead plants and empty stores. Said focus on the architectural details, the tile work, the old fountain basins that are dried up. Started doing that and my shots actually tell a story now instead of just looking depressing. Anyone else get feedback that shifted how you document these places?

21

victor_butler50•1mo ago

The carousel at West Oaks Mall finally stopped spinning for good last month

I drove by West Oaks Mall two weeks ago and noticed the carousel is gone. That thing had been running since they opened in 1988, and I used to take my niece there every Christmas just to ride it. They sold it off to some private collector before the mall closes for good in June. Anyone know what other old malls are losing their last original features?

6

phoenixking•1mo ago

The security guard who told me to never go in through the old food court entrance

Ran into an old security guard outside the dead mall in Huntsville last month. He said the food court entrance was the worst way in because the floor was rotted out near the old Orange Julius. I laughed it off and went in that way anyway. Fell through some plywood right into the old prep area and twisted my ankle. Now I always listen to the guys who worked there back when it was still open. Anyone else get bad advice from someone who actually knew a place but you ignored them anyways?

16

thomas83•1mo ago

Vent: Tried walking through the old food court at the Bayside Mall last week

I went to check out the Bayside Mall near Tampa cause I heard it was completely empty now, and I wanted to snap some pics of the old Pizza Hut sign hanging there... but the floor was so warped from the roof leaks that my shoe got stuck in a cracked tile and I practically fell into a dried-up fountain. So I spent 20 minutes trying to pull my sneaker out while echoey drips were the only sound in the whole place... has anyone else dealt with floors that are way worse than the pictures online make them look?

15

hugo645•1mo ago

Rant: The time a mall security guard gave me a weirdly helpful tip

I was exploring the old Sunrise Galleria in Akron, trying to get past a locked service door to the food court, when a guard caught me and just said 'Try the custodian's closet on level two, the back panel is loose.' It actually worked, and I found a perfectly preserved 1990s Orange Julius stand. Has anyone else had a run-in with security that ended up helping your explore?

21

ivanb41•1mo ago

Heads up about the old Westgate Galleria's second floor, folks

I've been in there maybe five times over the past year and keep seeing people ignore the clear signs of a failing support beam near the old food court, which is a huge risk because that whole section could give way if you're not careful where you step.

4

drew_grant52•1mo ago

Took my old film camera to the dead mall in Peoria and got a weird surprise

Everyone says you need a tripod for those long exposure shots in dark places... so I tried hand-holding a 2-second shot in the old food court. The photo came out with this crazy, wavy blur from a flickering exit sign I didn't even notice, and it looks way more interesting than my usual sharp pictures. I learned that sometimes the 'wrong' way can show you something the right way misses. Has anyone else gotten a cool shot by accident in a place like that?

26

grace_bailey34•1mo ago

Rant: The food court at the old Sunrise Mall in Corpus Christi is just gone now

I went back there last weekend for the first time in maybe 8 years, and the whole center section where the fountain and all the tables were is just a big empty concrete pad. It used to be the only spot with any light left. A security guy told me they ripped it out last fall because the roof was leaking so bad it became a safety thing. Has anyone else seen a mall lose its last decent spot like that?