The darkness in the one area of the store is because the lights are LED downlights with very little sideways throw and they're over black carpet, there's little to no reflected light getting back up to the ceiling. There are so many retail design no-nos in this store that it's likely reflective of similar design issues in other stores. Even the dark side walls go a long way to making the store feel sad. Department stores like this cater largely to women as they're more likely to spend a lot of time shopping inside, and this store design is entirely unappealing to the target demographic. Additionally, it's clear KMart stopped giving a damn about this store long ago. The absolutely atrocious floor patching and abysmal condition of the shelving and ceilings is indicative of bare-minimum investment. The worst part? KMart stores looked like this 20 years ago. Good riddance.

Bath & Body Works moved to the Plaza across the street where 5 below is at. Also I remember when I moved to Ct.. they were remodeling Crystal Mall... I remember the red carpet (i think) they had before. I hope it makes a turn around.. but sadly it's not the mall, it's the ppl! Everyone complains but still dont go out and support! I go every week to the food court, Victoria Secrets for things for my adopted kids and nieces and Aerie for panties!

I think that "lock that would've gone on a door" at 10:16 is actually a cigarette roller.

This and Trumbull were the malls I went to when I lived in Connecticut I’m glad it’s we’ll

❤❤😊

You can't go to a mall on a Tuesday at 1pm and call it a dead mall. Most people are at work. That mall is shoulder to shoulder full of people most afternoons and weekends Also Primark was the 3rd level of Sears

I hear Avicii’s song! 🥹🥹🥹 0:56

The spot with the palm trees were so full of greenery when the malll opened that you couldn’t see that lower terrace. It was like a jungle and you looked down into a massive pool that took up the entire square of the atrium on the first floor. Fountains would shoot water in and the sound of water falls were everywhere.

The Fashion Center in Hollywood Florida became a home for thousands of bats after it finally closed

I'll take the T2

I worked at this mall in 2000-2001. It was always busy and packed on the weekend. Parking was impossible at Christmas time. It's sad that it is another dying mall 😢

The wing you’re walking in the beginning was the wing they added in 1978. Also this was a MAJOR tropical Mall in 1971. They removed so many fountains and there were terraces on the second floor overlooking the main fountain. Palm trees were every where. It looked like a jungle. This was a major flashback - sadly it’s been stripped of its character back in the 80’s. The architecture was so interesting back in the day with spiral staircases made of marble, surrounded by an art gallery. It was really cool in the 70’s.

I notice there isn’t an official food court, but that area near target, I call it a makeshift food court, since a clusters of storefronts are eateries, like Charlie’s, an ice cream shop, and a pretzel shop are next to each other

This and That is an interesting store. FYE still survives! Sad to see the mall so empty. It was such a bustling place 20-30 yrs ago.

Well I saw Crystals Mall it made me think of the high end mall in Las Vegas. That’s also dead

The only way for stores & shopping malls to be saved is to do away with the internet and I know that's not going to happen. I remember when I was a child/teenager and very young adult those stores where packed with clothing racks.

The no escalators or elevators makes no sense. Close it down.

How do they deal with ADA laws?

Turn it into an AI data center. Do not build new.

When I lived in East Orange, I would go to Short Hills maybe once a year, go to Bloomies and in a far far away corner there were discontinued items that I could afford.

@9:30 you mention “someone in the back room must be using the information kiosk to go onto the Verizon website.” Then you caution them from doing so. I was just curious what you were thinking here lol?

Were all here to mourn and remember what was.

Not a dead mall. Unlike some of the other malls in your videos, the management keeps it in pretty good shape.

I used to work at papa Gino's part time in a post high school program from 2016-2018 and between that tj maxx near it, that was miserable.

I thought Orbach's was in Menlo Park? I remember Sears, Stern Brothers and Fortunov's.

So I was born in 2003 so I don’t nearly have a complete history experience with the mall but I loved this place as a kid. If I remember right their were 2 fountains. 1 at each end. Then in the middle their was this gazebo sorta thing that had a small jewelry sorta thing that did ear piercings. I forget where the arcade was located during my time but I definitely remember the layout being different and it being darker. However I swear that is the same pattern carpet or at least very similar. It was rather that or just sorta neon confetti

Too bad. I used to get my Levi's there and my hubby's Chippewa boots too. I hate buying clothes on Amazon and can't stand Walmart choices.

Escalators can never be out of order, they just become stairs

i got my haircut here, i dont regret a thing.

Looked online and as far as I know, the Mall is still there but doing worse. More tenants have left, maybe you could do an update now it’s like even deader now. Reminds me of Mt. Wayte Plaza when that place decayed and the only thing left was a Dunkin’ and a thrift store before that got demolished. Now the Stop and Shop Plaza I work at is in decay now, with a leaky roof at one of the empty storefronts which half the plaza is now dead, thanks to RK centers which is jacking up rent.

You can just imagine the mall full of people and on that stage during the holidays maybe Santa with lines of kids waiting to see him... This mall looks like so many I went to growing up, and its really quite sad that kids now a days wont have the experience of going to a mall like this and having fun. Kudos to the people keeping it up and running, its quite full of stores which is nice to see.

It used to be a nice mall.

Do you know anything about malls ? Or do you just pick up info and make a video.

This mall looks like the perfect setting for a “I work night shift on a dying mall. They have strange rules to follow if I want to survive” type creepy pastas.

The mall near me is booming. Always lots of people. Natick Mall 15 miles west of Boston.

Its gone 😭

I went to the Holyoke Mall today in Massachusetts, it looked completely void of people! These malls should be crowded!

Thanks to Amazon killed many jobs So many malls mom&pops stores in America

Yazz! Pretzels are still there lol. But yeah this is really sad. Those arent toys at the Toy Vault to me they are collectable figures. Im sad that That Toys R Us is gone

Please do an update if you can! This is the mall I grew up going to. So sad to see it going.

Go to Natick Mall or South Shore Plaza for a better shopping experience.

How can any store still be paying rent in those conditions?

I thought they turned it into a pickleball center

Kind of an ugly mall with brown carpeting and rough lookingceilings overall. The glass guardrail panels rrally stick out and dont match the minimal decor

You pronounced Porteous correctly

It’s like those creepy Backrooms videos

Just for fun can you do a mall that isn't dead? I know they are out there and have been to one. Just thought it would be a neat video.

I always remember a fountain like that in Short Hills. It's different one now, but the old one was bigger. We used to toss coins from the upper level into the opening in the top. Even though I didn't live that far from it, it was way out of our price range growing up. None of my crowd ever hung out there, instead going to Livingston, Willowbrook, or Rockaway. Later, I had a summer job down the street and spent my lunches there. Loved the A&W - perhaps a little too much.

Waldenbooks and CVS were where Old Navy is now. Kay-B-Toys was where FYE is now, then Game Stop moved in. Limted used to be there, Newport Creamery. I've spent my whole life in this mall.

Willowbrook was my second go to mall growing up after closer by Livingston. Willowbrook was pretty legendary for it's fights and "gang" activity back in the 80s and 90s. Drugs being sold in the F&G arcade. Like Danbury, also legendary for flooding, the parking area floods when the Passaic River floods. I haven't been back there for at least 10 or 15 years. Looks good. Did you do Rockaway?