I grew up in WDM over by the raccoon river in a “new” development. Our mall choices were Merle Hey and of course Valley West Southridge we never went to. I remember both fondly. Then we moved…. And then Jordan Creek opened 😭

Very specific here but… Does anyone remember the Burnsville Center food court having a Big Al’s diner in the early ‘90s? It was a short-lived restaurant chain owned by Al Molinaro of Happy Days fame. I ask because I vividly remember seeing it there in 1993 but can’t for the life of me find any photos or branding/logos of the chain online. I feel like the logo included a face of Al, similar to Mean Gene’s Burgers (Gene Okerlund’s chain in the ‘90s). Unless I’m thinking of another mall but I’m pretty positive it was Burnsville Center because I remember the lower level food court. We were also staying at the nearby FantaSuite hotel (R.I.P.) and hit up the mall for a couple hours. I was 13 then and wow, I can’t believe that was over 31 years ago! 😅

They got rid of the old carpet and put in a beautiful new floor!

So many dead malls Many in Chicago suburbs People shop online a lot today Going to stores can be a hassle

I grew up in the nw side of des moines. Crossing windsor heights into west des moines to come to valley west was like a little vacation. Back then west des moines was a more affulent, cleaner, safer cousin to des moines. I felt so fancy coming with my mom or dad and throwing a coin into the well. My first full time job was at valley west mall when i turned 17. I would walk down from my moms house on hickman and beaver to catch the number 3 bus up to the mall. I discovered my passion for cooking working at this mall. Maybe it was just my own experience, but i fell in love with west des moines. The streets were cleaner, the girls were prettier, the jobs paid a couple dollars more. By the time i was able to move into the area, my second apartment near ashworth, the rose colored tints had worn off. The mall had started to die, and the population in west des moines had condensed, with more young people and wage workers like myself moving there, and the more successful residents having moved further west. Maybe it was always like this, but before i moved to the valley west area i never saw the type of addiction, crime and general disrespect for the environment that i was trying to get away from in the first place by leaving des moines proper. I guese thats just a part of living in a city. People move in, children grow up, and culture changes. Living by valley west, i continued to seek jobs out west by jordan creek and waukee, for the same reasons. A quieter culture, higher wages, and prettier girls. Its funny how i always had an idealized version of west des moines in my imagination before i spent a few years living there. Its my same attitude i have now towards waukee, currently im working hard in urbandale so i can soon move out to waukee. I wonder if in 5-10 years my opinion of waukee will sour as it has of west des moines. All that being said, i love my home state of Iowa. I love the des moines metro. I wouldnt want to live anywhre else, despite our problems. That drive you take at the end up westowns parkway made me cry out of nostalgia and grief for the life i lived down there, the relationships I've ended and the friends ive lost. Very beautiful video, thank you so much for sharing ❤

Nice video! I worked across from this building for a year and had no idea this enclosed space existed.

Ah yes, Eden Prairie: home of the red stop light, or lights changing on you for no oncoming traffic! Home of the big chains only, condos and carwashes! Oh something's new being built? Great, ANOTHER car wash! Everything is vanilla except for the parks and trails.

The mall was a clean, bustling, safe atmosphere back in the 80's. Now with the change of ownership to the hotel next door coupled with a liquor store right next door, the zombies hang around the old gas bar and harass the customers. I stay totally clear of that place now. A once beautiful area has gone to the dumps.

My first job was at Merle Hay in 1974. In the summer of '75 I started working at the new Brandeis in Valley West Mall when the south half of the mall opened. In summer 1976 the north half of Valley West opened along with JC Penneys and Petesen, Harned, Von Maur and I switched jobs to work at the oldest mall, Park Fair.

I remember stopping there when I was visiting Iowa in 1985

My earliest childhood memories I can recall are at Valley West Mall in the late 1980’s. The old fountains and koi fish were my favorite. Most people dont remember the old fountains and water features, Ive tried finding old pictures of them in newspaper archives but was not successful. McDonalds with the original play area for kids, Stride Rite, Mr Bulky, Dunhams Sporting Goods, Valley West Theatre, the original pet store that closed in 1992…..Musicland, Natural Wonders, Great American Cookie, Von Maur, Younkers, JCPenney, Remington, Disney Store (early 90’s), KB Toys, Babbages, The Arcade….thats just off the top of my head. So much nostalgia it breaks my heart seeing it empty

Mall closings are another sign of fewer interactions among people. Truly sad.

Talbots must like retro interior malls; they were also located in the delightfully unremodeled 1970s Cumberland Terrace in Toronto since the early 1990s and only closed about 2 years ago.

love going to merle hay mall in the 80's.

Loved the video! Great job

This mall feels like a cross between a japanese court/mall and a european old street, great video!

Hi! Great video! I don't know if you read Iowa news - Southridge in Des Moines is going to be under new management. It's on KCCI. I wonder if anything will change?

This place was absolutely hoppin' in the late 70's and early 80's. The movie theater was called the Forum 4 and showed all the iconic movies of the day like the early Rocky Movies, Caddyshack etc. Tuesday was cheap night there and could see all the latest movies for a buck. Nickelodeon was a video arcade that seemed to always be packed especially on weekends. On the east side was a record shop where you could check out the latest vinyl as well as pick up some weed paraphernalia which was the norm for such record shops back in the day. Of course lots of people would go to Felix and Oscars for some awesome deepdish before a show.

Unreal! I worked at the Lund's and Byerly's just down the block! Had no idea that place was right next to me the whole time! Edina Grill and that movie theater are awesome!

Fond memories of this old Mall ; I used to spend all day delivering for UPS here ….. you new everyone there . My first stop was getting breakfast at McDonald’s on the south end across from Walgreens and next to RCC western clothing store 👍 The mall had a good run and a lot of great stores like Remington‘s men’s shaving etc down on lower level by JCPenneys 👍 Thanks for posting!!!

This was the mall my grandma would take me and my cousins to go see movies. Was a little sad when I heard of the theater's closure.

I'm sad that Mac Shack and Candy Club House closed. There really is no reason for me to do there at all.

I remember Woolworth and Randall's when we were younger!

The Herberger's had its rose logo removed, but still had the classic font until when the company closed in 2018.

This Herberger's used the rose logo until the closure in 2018. Even after the Bon-Ton acquisition, some Herberger's stores continued to use the classic rose logo until the company's closure in 2018.

I think my parents bought their VCR at that Best Buy in 1987. Later, my sister & I had our paintings framed at that Hobby Lobby when we were both still in high school in 2001. It’s funny you mention the opera too. I first attended the DMMO on my 20th birthday in 2003. It was Falstaff in English. The last time I went was to see Candide in 2019.

Born n raised in Des moines age 46. Valley West was my favorite also the younkers had the best Polo selection in the midwest in my opinion. They had a actual polo rep working in the store. The malls are dying but Jordan creek is thriving like the Valley West of old. A bit off topic but i would say Toys R Us is the most missed store in Des Moines. It was down the street from valley west. Awesome video i loved it and awesome narrative !!!!

I just visited this mall this evening. It's shocking to see how dead it was especially this close to Christmas. Also shocking was how many empty store fronts there were. I worked at Crossroads for a few years in the 80s and 90s and it was always busy. One of the biggest problems with this mall is that most of the stores facing the main road (Division Street) are only accessible from the parking lot and don't have inner mall access. It's basically a strip mall with an enclosed mall behind it. Stupid design.

Des Moines could have been like Milwaukee having a Northridge and a Southridge. Although the Northridge in Milwaukee is long gone.

Put it back as years ago Victoria Avenue. Why is the city council taking it sweet time. Your clowns worried about North side fix up the south side look at Simpson Street a dump come on make Thunderbay a better place for visitors.

I've weirdly dreamt of a place like this.

so, I actually work in this very mall at the jimmy's up front, I've always loved and adored mall culture as well as the malls themselves and am saddened to see the death of both. while I'm glade to learn more about my mall's history (I've only lived in ames for 4 years), I am also saddened to say that those claiming that the mall is on a "death watch" aren't that far from the truth. while the mall still holds unto it anchors and have even found itself new ones in recent years, several stores stand as a shuttered door into a vast empty lot with 4 or 5 stores that were once open and bright, now dark and barren its calling to attention just how much mall culture is dying. especially with a new shopping district booming around the second theater in town not as many stores find themselves wanting a store front within the mall, taking with them alot of foot traffic that could be vital to ensuring north grands stay. how long the mall will hold on is not insured, but i hope it holds on for as long as possible.

When I was in 6th grade, I went on a blind date. My friend's date had a friend named Laura. Anyway, we went to the Galtier Plaza movie theater, and saw the movie, "Over the Top".

To think the effort, risk and skill that went into building those beautiful skylights. All for not many to see them and to be slowly forgotten about. It seems like a very nice place to live though with those views and natural light. I hope it does well with it's new life!

It genuinely breaks my heart to see what may be one of the most beautiful spaces in the Twin Cities completely wasted and unused. I was taken by surprise watching this since I've driven by this place countless times but had no idea what was inside. Thank you. And I can't begin to imagine how much money the owners burn keeping that place heated.

This Plaza is Cray! 🤪🤪🤪

I used to live and work in this building in the late 2000s; it still had some shops and a food court, but was marketing itself to tech firms which were filling in the former shops. It was still pretty active then and had many mall-like elements at that point, though had been remodeled from maroon and gold into the drab gray and white it is now. Occasionally throughout the 2000s the movie theaters would be used for special events and even opened up for film festival screenings on occasion. When I was a kid, we’d go here fairly often as my mom worked across the street at BNSF. I was always fascinated by the neon, popcorn lights, and glass elevators. I remember going to pool parties on the roof of the YMCA, which was a lot of fun. Very cool building.

Somehow I don't remember this place. I didn't live in the city, but did change busses about 2 blocks down the street for many years. On the other hand, my girlfriend was a store manager in Town Square around 1990, and we had high school prom there as well. One of her brothers worked for Cray.

Skyway sounds neet

😢 sad

Thank you for filming! Glad you documented history.

Do you know what the plans are for the building?

Remember seeing movies at the Galtier...Desperado in 1995

So many memories of this mall. I remember our local cub scouts held the pine wood derby in the lower area near food court, around 1983. I remember it being very brick-centric, tiny areas to sit and ramped walkways, tons of plants, it was such a nice place back then.

I went here a couple months ago and I’ve wanted to see what happened to it ever since.

I've lived in Ames for about 9 years, and try to go the mall once a week on Saturdays when the vinyl store is open. Overall, the main problem is that the large ~35,000 ISU student body doesn't get out much (Kids these days). That's more than half of the Ames population at this point. Honestly, the mall isn't the problem, as the Best Buy and Books A Million on the other side of Ames are a ghost town. People just don't buy things anymore.

Please go Back to valley west before it’s too late, when I went there two weeks ago (honest to god) only chipotle and blaze pizza were open… the malls days are severely numbered please visit before it’s too late!

Please visit again soon, as of two weeks ago the only thing open when I went in was chipotle and the blaze pizza, I fear that valley west has its days numbered

Wondering if RockStep Capital is ok? Hope it is not like Namdar or Kohan. It is official now Crossroads Center in Waterloo is being demolished - just made local news today.

I lived in West Des Moines my whole life until College, walking distance to valley west. I've watched this place backslide to it's current state all my life. I walked through this place many times, holiday shopping and such, through the 2000s, and still thought it to be a pretty good place thru 2014. I recently mall walked once a week for almost a year here in 2023, and it's still an oddly relaxing place to be.