Stamford Town Center: A Taubman Treasure - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2026-09-22 | Stamford Town Center: A Taubman Treasure - Raw & Real Retail
THE REAL TOURS: #25 Springfield Mall (PA) - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2023-03-17 | The Springfield Mall in Springfield, PA is a pretty dull mall during the day. Something about the lighting just doesn't make it exciting at all during the daytime. But at night, boy does that change. Springfield Mall gets into its element after the sun goes down, and we really enjoyed the mall FINALLY. It's nice to find out what time of the day is the best to visit a mall. This tour was recorded on January 5, 2023 at around 6:30pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #24 Willow Grove Park Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2023-02-17 | This is the 24th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Willow Grove Park mall is a special place. Formerly a grand old amusement park, it lives a second life as a pretty cool shopping mall. A beautifully designed building, it's always a pleasure to walk its halls.
THE REAL TOURS: #23 Main Street Commons - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2023-02-15 | Here is a cool place we found by accident. We were at a bar in Bethlehem, PA that just so happened to be connected to a cool mini-mall!, SCORE!!
THE CHRISTMAS TOURS: #7 Oxford Valley Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2023-02-03 | This is the last Christmas Tour this season, I promise :)
THE REAL TOURS: #22 Hamilton Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2023-01-20 | This is the 22nd tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.We visited the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing, NJ the day after Christmas hoping to film another Christmas Tour, but sadly the mall didn't have any decorations up except for the Santa display in center court. So, we get another real tour entry instead. This tour was recorded on December 26, 2022 at around 8pm.
Farewell Coventry Mall Raw & Real Retail 2022-12-30 | The Coventry Mall in Pottstown, PA is closing this weekend. Let's give it one last look before we say goodbye forever...
THE CHRISTMAS TOURS: #3 Cumberland Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-12-28 | The Cumberland Mall in Vineland, NJ is an often overlooked mall. With next to no video coverage, it's easy to forget this place exists, sitting all by itself in south Jersey. We figured why not give it a peek during the holiday season and see how it is doing. What we found is a pretty darn healthy mall that doesn't look like it is going anywhere. A little bit of a surprise, since the mall recently was sold to the dreaded Kohan Retail Investment Group, who are well known for killing otherwise healthy malls. This tour was recorded on December 26, 2022 at around 6:30pm.
Christmastime at the NOT Dead Mall! (RAW Footage) - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-12-27 | ...
THE CHRISTMAS TOURS: #2 King of Prussia - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-12-23 | Just a few years ago, this shopping mall was the largest in America. Bigger have arisen, but maybe not better? Let's take a look!This tour was recorded on December 20, 2022 between 5pm and 9pm.
THE CHRISTMAS TOURS: #1 Moorestown Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-12-16 | It's Christmas Time! Rather than doing the typical music video for Christmas, we figured why not go with our current trend and do a Real Tour at one of the most comfortable malls in our area, the cool Moorestown Mall located on the outskirts of Moorestown, NJ. We are proud to report that the occupancy and foot traffic at this mall just keeps getting better and better. Last time we were here, the occupancy rate was exactly 75%. Tonight I counted an easy 79%, perhaps more like 85% had I counted the outside shops (oops!). I can't believe this once blighted mall is making a big comeback!This tour was recorded on December 15, 2022 at around 7pm (Hurrah for holiday mall hours!)
Christmastime at the Dead Mall! (RAW FOOTAGE) - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-12-14 | Merry Christmas!
THE RAW SERIES: #42 Tuscany Marketplace - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-11-18 | This is the 42nd installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!A bit of a different one this week, the Tuscany Marketplace in Cherry Hill, NJ is a cute little outdoor shopping complex themed around a seafood restaurant that anchors one side. Also featuring a Toscana 52 on the other side, some outlet stores and nice decor, including a cool fountain. There wasn't a whole lot going on the day we went, but it was a little bit early and it was a bit chilly for outdoor dining. There isn't a whole lot to it, but we just thought you might want to see it too. This tour was recorded on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at around 5pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #21 Marketfair - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-11-11 | This is the 21st tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.
THE REAL TOURS: #20 Cressona Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-11-04 | This is the 20th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Cressona Mall in Pottsville, PA is a tale of an already demalled mall. It used to be bigger, with most of its sustainable tenants being solely outward-facing now. The remnants of the interior mall are rather sad now, with few tenants left besides Goodwill, and little attention paid to the hallway it seems, besides removing the foliage, which was a bad move in my opinion. The new owners seem to care, with the repaving of the parking lot as proof, but I don't think the interior hallway is going to last much longer. Here's a shoutout to the classic SkyCity blog's coverage of this mall:http://skycity2.blogspot.com/2017/03/cressona-mall-pottsville-pa.htmlThis tour was recorded on September 14, 2022 at around 4:30pm
THE REAL TOURS: #19 Park City Center - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-10-28 | This is the 19th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Park City Center mall in Lancaster, PA is one of our favorite thriving malls. It has a unique design, featuring a center circle, from which 8 hallways branch outward, like the spokes on a wheel. Center court features a really cool tent pole design, with a main spire in the center and a tent roof over the rest. Each hallway has a name that designates either the anchor at the end or the direction of the exit it leads to. This mall has suffered similar woes as far as anchor closings, with The Bon-Ton and Sears closing within the same couple years. Fortunately this is the premiere mall in the area and they quickly started finding ways to fix this gap, ending up with a pretty popular Round One in the old Sears spot. The Bon-Ton doesn't have a permanent tenant yet, but during our visit it was being used for a pop-up Spirit Halloween. During our visit, there was a hallway open that I've never seen open before. Upon inspection, we found an ancient customer service area that resembled the way the mall looked 40 years ago. This is the area you see in the video thumbnail. It was a really cool and unexpected find. This tour was recorded on Friday, September 16, 2022 at around 7pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #18 Harrisburg Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-10-22 | This is the 18th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Harrisburg Mall, formerly the Harrisburg East Mall, is an enigma. Dying for quite a few years, I have never seen a picture of it pre-renovation. What you see in this video is the way it looked after they modernized this mall. I hear tales of how much darker this mall used to be, with a black/red/brown motif instead of the current one. I wish I had a pic of the older mall, if you do PLEASE share it in the comments. Enjoy this 2022 look of what Harrisburg Mall looks like right now. This tour was recorded on September 15, 2022 at around 4pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #17 The Laurel Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-10-14 | This is the 17th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Laurel Mall in Hazleton, PA is a cozy mall with cool architecture, skylights, and a Boscov's! We like to drop by maybe once every other year and see how it is holding up. Some people on the internet love to exaggerate this mall's decline, and they have every reason to have this skepticism too. In 2018, the mall underwent major renovations and as a result most of the inline shops were empty during renovations. Anyone visiting during this time and didn't know this fact might mistake it for a hurting mall. Alas, once the renovations were complete, all the stores came back and they even filled some gaps along the way. The mall has its problems like any place does but it's doing pretty good considering the condition of retail in general these days.BTW, this mall has one of the best pizza places I've ever tried (I'm from Philly, I know good pizza), Caffe Europa. This is the place that has the very odd decor on its brick oven depicting the sun and moon that used to be in Phillipsburg Mall until they closed for good. If you are in the area, please do go and give them some business, you will not regret it!This tour was recorded on September 14, 2022 at around 7pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #16 Lebanon Valley Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-10-07 | This is the 16th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Lebanon Valley Mall in Lebanon, Pa is a very sad tale. Not much is known of its history besides major tenant shifts. The Boscov's department store is responsible for building this mall, and is an interesting tale of how the department store existed alone at first, and the mall was attached to it later. The mall itself is tiny but cozy. It has a pretty great fountain outside of the Boscov's, which we've done an extensive video on before (link below). It feels like a comfy local mall to hang out at, despite not a lot going on.Fountain action:youtube.com/watch?v=riq3BbCIexIThis tour was recorded on September 15, 2022 at around 7pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #15 York Galleria (RIP GEORGE ZAMIAS) - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-09-30 | This is the 15th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.York Galleria is easily in our top 5 malls ever visited. It is a very comfortable mall to just go to to walk and enjoy the early 1990s design choices and cool architecture. The mall itself is kind of struggling, with many changes the last few years, the most obvious being the conversion of the downstairs portion of Sears into an outward-facing casino. JCPenney was split up into a Gold's Gym downstairs, with a Marshall's upstairs, with half the old anchor space being unused. The former Bon-Ton space is now housing a self-storage facility, also outward-facing. This mall features our favorite Boscov's location, featuring plenty of mirrored surfaces and neon tubes. I'd like to ask all of you reading this to please give a moment of silence to the man who built this mall along with Johnstown Galleria and many other malls who passed away on September 17, 2022 at the age of 92. Requiescat in pace, George D. Zamias, Sr.This tour was filmed on Friday, September 16, 2022 at around 5:30pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #14 Colonial Park Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-09-23 | This is the 14th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Colonial Park Mall in Harrisburg, PA is a real mood. It sits on a pretty significant hill, and as such is full of tiny ramps and tiny stairs. You could probably roll a quarter from one end to the other. Mike Kohan owns this mall, and as expected, it is stagnating. Probably a little under half full, it seems a mass migration in slow motion. It's a total shame, because we love this mall, even with all its faults. You'll love the fountain by Boscov's.This tour was recorded on Thursday, September 15, 2022 at around 5:30pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #13 Plaza 1 Mini-Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-09-11 | This is the 13th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Plaza 1 Mini Mall is a cozy little mall in Toms River, NJ located in the heart of a retirement village called Holiday City. As such, it serves as a community hub for the retirees that live here. It it not a traditional setup with anchor stores, more of an old fashioned simple plus sign mall with local shops and a nice bar and Italian restaurant. Its primary function is as a flea market that runs on the weekends and Wednesdays, which closes up by 4pm, so whenever we visit, most of the businesses are closed for the day. This tour was recorded on September 9, 2022 at around 6:30pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #41 Galleria at Crystal Run - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-09-04 | This is the 41st installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!The Galleria at Crystal Run in Wallkill, NY is a fairly well to do mall that mirrors another mall we've already covered, the Silver City Galleria. With one glaring exception though—the overload of white paint. The managers of Crystal run have seen fit to paint EVERY last thing the same shade of off-white. I know this is done to convey a sense of cleanliness, but to my eyes it looks totally bland and dull, to the point where I want to get away and not spend any time there at all.This tour was recorded on February 21, 2019 at around 2pm.
5 Minutes of Sweet Fountain Action at the Mall! - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-07-28 | This is the amazing fountain at the Plymouth Meeting Mall. Despite a couple renovations over the years, this fountain has survived to this day and is run at near full power! Enjoy a few minutes of this relic and chill out by the fountain.
THE REAL TOURS: #12 Philadelphia Premium Outlets - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-06-17 | This is the 12th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.As it turns out, we were in the area one day, and figured why not take a lap through the Philadelphia Premium Outlets. Not our usual wheelhouse, an open air outlet mall, but why not. Not too much to say about this one.This tour was recorded on May 31, 2022 at around 6:30pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #11 Montgomery Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-06-10 | This is the 11th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Montgomery Mall in Montgomeryville, PA is one of our local malls, and as such we like to keep tabs. About 6 months ago, Simon Property Group sold this mall to the dreaded Kohan Retail Investments, who have the absolute WORST track record for mall success. Kohan is what we like to call a slumlord owner. Bills don't get paid, utilities regularly get shut off, the man is always in court over owed taxes, it's a real bad scene if Mike Kohan buys your mall. It is a death sentence. This is what prompted us to visit after such a short period of time. We were last here in the tail end of the 2021 summer season, when Jones Lang LaSalle were the temporary holders of the property. What we saw 6 months after Kohan acquired the property was a carbon copy of the period when JLL owned it, except for a few more vacancies, which is par for the course in a Kohan mall. Absolutely nothing was done, even down to the White-Out placed over the old Simon logos and names on walls. A simple $50 coat of paint would make this better, but no, Kohan keeps it looking ghetto. The mall is about half full right now, and with the amount of effort I know Kohan will put into it, this will only get worse.This tour was recorded on April 28, 2022 at around 6pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #10 Moorestown Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-06-03 | This is the 10th tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.We visit the Moorestown Mall in Moorestown, NJ very frequently. Maybe every other month or so. This particular visit we noticed the mall is doing much better in terms of inline store occupancy, so thought why not do a 6 month update? I counted all the interior mall spaces and figured out that the mall is boasting a 75% occupancy rate (68 open stores out of 91 total spaces). In this day and age of the rapidly crumbling mall scene, 75% is doing mighty fine. Even malls that appear to be much healthier like Oxford Valley can only claim 69% occupancy these days.This tour was recorded on May 19, 2022 at around 6:30pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #9 Berkshire Mall (PA) - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-05-27 | This is the 9th tour of our new series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.This is the Berkshire Mall in Wyomissing, PA. This is one of our favorite malls in PA. One of this things that really shines about this mall is the old sorts of decor they use in the mall, specifically the floors. Old orange honeycomb and black tiles from the 1980s dominate this mall, with plenty of live plants and old wooden benches, setting the stage for a very comfortable experience walking its halls. With a fountain at either end and a neon paradise upstairs, this mall delights every time.This tour was recorded on May 24, 2022 at around 6:30pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #40 Midway Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-05-23 | This is the 40th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!The Midway Mall in Elyria, OH is is a dying mall in an overmalled area of greater Cleveland. Built in the 1960s, portions of the mall still are untouched, showing off old designs such as mirrored trim, interesting stone work, big globe lights, and liberal use of palm trees. It was a delight yet quite sad to walk around this mall.This tour was recorded on October 17, 2019 at around 12:30pm.Here is an article written by Nicholas Eckhart on the Dead and Dying Retail blog:http://www.deadanddyingretail.com/2011/12/midway-mall-dying-or-recovering.html
THE REAL TOURS: #8 Whitehall Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-05-20 | This is the 8th tour of our new series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Whitehall Mall in Whitehall, PA is a property that has been mostly demalled for a long while. Only a single vintage hall remains, serving primarily the Kohl's and a few local tenants. Once upon a time there was much more to the entrance, with another big hallway to your left as you enter, with 2 other anchor stores, a Leh's department store and a Sears, not to mention a Weis supermarket. All of this has been removed, creating a mostly outward facing strip center with a small interior section that consists of mostly local shops and a Kohl's which replaced a Clover discount store. Most of the enclosed area that remains today isn't even original to the mall, rather a 1982 expansion which added Clover as a 3rd anchor pad. Big thanks to our good friend, The Gone-Ton for an amazing blog post documenting the history of this very interesting place. Please do take a moment to have a look and learn much more than I can tell you here:the-gone-ton.blogspot.com/2020/06/whitehall-mall-whitehall-pa.htmlThis tour was recorded on May 12, 2022 at around 5:30pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #7 Plymouth Meeting Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-05-13 | This is the 7th tour of our new series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Plymouth Meeting Mall in Plymouth Meeting, PA is one of our favorites. It is striking architecturally, mostly due to the developer, The Rouse Company, who developed the mall in partnership with Strawbridge & Clothier. One of the few examples where a modern renovation looks better than the original, depending on the aesthetic you are into. Copious palm trees, a nicely thought out ceiling, and the best fountain you'll get to see in person in a mall nowadays, this mall never fails to please. We have visited this mall dozens of times and every single time it is a joy.This tour was recorded on May 3, 2022 at around 6pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #39 The Mall in Columbia - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-05-09 | This is the 39th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!The Mall in Columbia in Columbia, MD is a big thriving mall in the suburbs of Baltimore. It is not dead nor hurting in the least. It was developed by The Rouse Company, started by an architect named Jim Rouse, who pretty much came up with the look of the "standard" mall of the 1970s and 1980s. This was the first mall developed by Rouse, and Columbia is the company's headquarters.This tour was recorded on January 11, 2019 at around 11:30am.
THE REAL TOURS: #6 Exton Square Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-05-06 | This is the 6th tour of our new series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.If you've been watching our channel, you know this is a mall we keep close tabs on and visit often. We decided to visit this property on this day specifically because it was when a deal was finalized to sell the mall by PREIT to a developer named Brandywine Realty Trust, who are not known for maintaining malls, rather specializing in mixed use properties. Rumors are already circulating that half of the property will be converted into medical lab facilities. This seems to be the winning formula at this mall, with much of the first floor being used as outpatient doctor's offices. The mall currently sits in a dismal state, with an occupancy rate under 20%. A tragic state of affairs, considering how beautiful the mall is, with the 90s wood grain renovation dazzling you at every turn. Hopefully the property remains accessible and relatively unchanged, but at least we now have a record of its decline and renovation to come.This tour was recorded on April 26, 2022 at around 7pm
THE RAW SERIES: #38 Richland Mall (OH) - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-05-04 | This is the 38th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!There's not a whole lot to say about the Richland Mall in Mansfield, OH, seems a rather typical mall that serves its area well. Not being near any other malls except a much deader one, Marion Centre, certainly goes a long way towards this end. The center Macy's court retains some original design architecturally and has a striking late 1960s look to it.This tour was recorded on October 17, 2019 at around 3pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #37 Olean Center Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-05-02 | This is the 37th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!Olean Center Mall is a small regional mall along the southern tier of New York that has been on the decline for quite some time. However, due to its somewhat isolated location, it's unlikely to fully die. Anchored by a JCPenney and Kohl's, much of the interior stores are vacant. The mall is pretty cozy, with vintage aesthetics and cool skylights.This tour was recorded on June 26, 2019 at around 2pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #5 South Mall (feat. BACK TO THE ARCADE!) - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-29 | This is the 5th tour of our new series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The South Mall in Allentown, PA has been a mall falling on hard times as of late, with the exception being the businesses that have turned their access outward. About half the mall is not accessible from the interior hallway, and have conceded to being a strip mall instead. This is a study of the businesses that have not opted for outside entrance only. The concept of the enclosed interior mall is not a lost or outdated idea, as in almost every instance, including this one, there is an example of a successful venture doing the same thing, just with more gloss or class. Lehigh Valley Mall, which is doing remarkably well, is a very short drive from South Mall, and every other mall in the area. More to the point is we don't need a mall for every little town and suburb. This is why we get malls like the South Mall, which is trying very hard to stay afloat in this very compact retail world of today. I hope they land on their feet, as the current owners seems very earnest, but the retail climate doesn't seem very friendly to small regional malls today.This tour was recorded on April 21, 2022 at about 6pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #36 Virginia Center Commons - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-27 | This is the 36th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!Virginia Center Commons is a beautiful mall with excellent architecture that has fallen on hard times these last several years. The two main wings of the mall have been walled off, leaving only the center portion with the food court and JCPenney. The northeast end of the mall with the former Sears and Macy's has been demolished and is currently being redeveloped into a indoor sportsplex. JCPenney closed in May 2021, making Burlington the sole anchor accessible from within the interior mall. There are plans on the books to raze the entire mall (minus the American Family Fitness in the southwest anchor pad) and turn it into a mixed use facility.This tour was recorded on October 20, 2020 at around 5pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #35 Fingerlakes Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-25 | This is the 35th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!This mall features a vintage design used by Pyramid Companies in the late 1970s that is only seen in a small handful of places. With plenty of dark brick floors & planters, fountains at each end (albeit turned way down), and a general Bass Pro theme throughout, this mall felt wonderful to walk around.This tour was filmed on June 23, 2019 at around 11:30am.
Found Hallways, Vol. 2 - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-22 | This is volume 2 of our special on arcades and hallway malls we have stumbled upon, often by accident. It always pays to keep your eyes peeled when driving through an older historic town. These gems often are stuffed in the middle of a seemingly regular strip of older storefronts. You'll often spot older things like an original F.W. Woolworth facade being preserved or a short enclosed cut through between buildings known as a shopping arcade. In the modern era, many of these compact enclosed walkways have very little left in them in the way of retail, some preferring apartments, others entertainment or the arts, and still some sit very nearly dormant. But it is always an interesting look either into a bygone era or the remains of a once bigger and greater mall.Enjoy this second omnibus of found hallways. Properties visited: Main Street Marketplace, Doylestown, PARed Barn Mall, Hatboro, PAPenny Lane Mall, Rehoboth Beach, DEDelco Plaza, Winchester, VADowningtown Mini-Mall, Downingtown, PAShops at First Street Station, Rehoboth Beach, DE
THE RAW SERIES: #34 Valley Mall Plaza - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-18 | This is the 34th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!This is the Valley Mall Plaza, formerly known as Valley Fair Mall in Irvington, NJ. There doesn't seem to be too much information around about this place, so I'll just quote Josh Austin here from 5 years ago on Flickr:"One of a small chain of supermarket/ discount stores in north Jersey that was acquired by Value City in the late 70s, but kept the name. Closed along with the rest of the Value City chain in 2009; currently being redeveloped into the "Valley Mall Plaza"."Since this post was made they have attempted to turn the center part of the building into a outlet mall, which seems to have failed, as the property is quite dead and more than half is roped off to the public.This tour was recorded on May 9, 2021 at around 4:30pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #33 Baltimores Harborplace Malls - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-15 | This is the 33rd installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!This is not a re-release, but a brand new video done in the RAW style. Harborplace is a series of 3 malls and outdoor recreational areas located along Baltimore's inner harbor. The malls are The Gallery, Light Street Pavilion, and Pratt Street Pavilion. For some time, these 3 buildings languished with upwards of 70% vacancy rates, with the Pratt Street Pavilion nearly completely demalled on the first floor. The Gallery recently closed at the end of 2021 and is currently awaiting redevelopment. Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. owned the properties since 2013 and has let the condition of the properties languish. Very recently ownership has been transferred to a local developer for redevelopment, David Bramble, who has had success in other parts of town, most notably the redevelopment of Yard 56, a shopping center not far from Harborplace. This tour was recorded on December 16, 2021 between 2-4pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #32 East Brook Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-12 | This is the 32nd installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!The East Brook Mall is a small regional mall in Willimantic, CT that consists of mostly a single hallway with a small side section where the movie theater is. This tour was recorded on January 23, 2019 at around 2:30pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #31 Newport Centre Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-08 | This is the 31st installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!This is not a re-release, but a brand new video done in the RAW style. Newport Centre is a big thriving mall in Jersey City, NJ just across the river from Manhattan, NYC. Originally opened in 1987, it is managed by Simon Property Group and was constructed in the hopes of attracting shoppers from the new Newport waterfront development and also shoppers from Bergen County, whose archaic Blue Laws keeps their 5 malls closed on Sundays. This tour was recorded on October 8, 2021 at around 6:30pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #30 Swansea Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-06 | This is the 30th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!The Swansea Mall in Swansea MA was a cozy mall with cool skylights and lots of teal neon. This mall has been falling down for a good number of years, mostly due to its relationship with Walmart, a former anchor and current tenant on an outparcel. A non-competition contract stated that Swansea was not allowed to put any business that could pose a competition threat to Walmart. Anyone familiar with the number of products and services offered by Walmart will soon realize this completely cripples Swansea Mall's ability to run any sort of profitable business because it would infringe on an area Walmart services. This combined with other factors like bigger malls in the area and a poor economic landscape have led to the town and owners calling it quits. Swansea Mall closed for good on March 31, 2019 and is either currently awaiting demolition or partially demolished today.This tour was recorded on January 24, 2019 at around 3pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #29 Mountaineer Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-04 | This is the 29th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!The Mountaineer Mall in Morgantown, WV hasn't been a retail mall in a long time. It mostly exists as an enclosed business park, with a couple random things thrown in the middle, like a karate studio, a hotdog place, and a thrift store. The place is immaculate as far as cleanliness goes. I have never been to a place more clean than the Mountaineer Mall. The place reeks of old 1960s era cleaning products and the floors are so shiny I bet you could replace your contact lenses using the reflection from them.Aside from this, the property is quite striking in its design. Half the mall is minimalist 1960s aesthetics, while the other half is 1980s nostalgia fakery, with the faux skylights and mirrored lighting fixtures, not to mention the cool brick planters and wooden benches. Mountaineer Mall is a fly in amber. It is a well-preserved monument to a retail age long gone. Kudos to the owners for not bringing in the wrecking ball.This tour was recorded on August 2, 2019 at around 4:30pm.
THE REAL TOURS: #4 Coventry Mall - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-04-01 | This is the 4th tour of our new series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.The Coventry Mall in Pottstown, PA has seen its fair share of ups and downs. Originally brought to peoples' attention by Dan Bell 6 years ago, the mall has gone through an ownership change since, with lots of optimistic plans for revitalization attempted. The mall seemed to start to bounce back a few years ago, around 2019 or so. But unfortunately the pandemic seems to have put the kibosh on all those best laid plans. The mall sits mostly empty today, with maybe 25% occupancy. It's not confirmed as of yet, but a local who is cozy with management recently made an announcement that the mall owners have ordered the 2 remaining anchor stores, Kohl's and Boscov's, to close their interior access doors after April 2, which is the end of this week. With half the empty inline spaces' gates up, one can only infer that the mall will close by the end of this week. Much has been said about the owners' plans to close the interior of the mall and turn it into a mixed use area, with more parking, green spaces, and a self-storage facility. Several stories in the local newspaper have confirmed these plans, which the owners stated would begin in April. This tour was recorded on March 29, 2022 at around 5:30pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #28 Rotterdam Square Mall (VIA|Port Rotterdam) - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-03-30 | This is the 28th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!This is a wonderfully designed Wilmorite Mall, complete with oversized pool-style fountain and epic skylights. Unfortunately this property has seen a few very poor changes in ownership, either resulting from or contributing to the lack of tenants in the mall. All the anchors have left the mall, and the inline tenants are sparse and emptying out. The newest owners have tried to spruce up the place with a goofy new name and aquarium/entertainment center, but it is too little way too late.This tour was recorded on April 17, 2019 at around 4:30pm.
THE RAW SERIES: #27 Marketplace Mall (NY) - Raw & Real Retail Raw & Real Retail 2022-03-28 | This is the 27th installment of our RAW SERIES, where we pull back the musical soundtrack and let the mall sounds free, warts and all!The Marketplace Mall is a nice cozy Wilmorite property just outside Rochester, NY. The mall is decked out in pink and teal tiles and features a very cool fountain with a walking bridge that runs over it. I understand the fountain is no longer running, although I may be wrong. The mall seemed to be in a sort of limbo state when we visited 3 years ago, the owners intending to shift to a different format but I don't think that ever materialized. Despite being built long after the other 2 big malls in the Rochester area, it seems to be doing the worst of the bunch.This tour was recorded on June 23, 2019 at around 4:30pm.
