A Dead Mall Bequeathed to an Oblivious Society | Ballston Quarter, VA | ExLog 126, Phase VIII Debut

[@sal]

Welcome to Phase VIII ! Find merch here: salvatoreamadeo.com/merch

[@rollercoasterbee]

@ 31:32 - I really enjoy riding in elevators that travel very fast! LOL! You should go to Walt Disney World in Florida and ride the Tower of Terror!

[@PizzaMan-ItsaRomethingeveryday]

Fantastic job Sal! Your vids are TopShelf as always ❤

[@benb8407]

Ballston Quarter, should just be office space at this point along with food retail isn't working at The Quarter. Could just get a workout by walking the Quarter and the other offices in the different buildings than going to the gym LOL😂.

[@sal]

I completely agree. Right now it’s just a horrible configuration. Give it a couple years..

[@Joelsef]

Dude! First off, great video! I love your stuff so much. Second, @ElevatorJones is my account with my son. He’s going to be so excited to see your history tour! Thanks for the shout out. I’ve frequented this mall since I got a job in Virginia in 1998. I used to work at the National Science Foundation across the street and ate at the old food court Subway every day. I saw the mall go from thriving in the 90s to deader than dead in the mid 2010s. We live a few miles from this mall and frequent the other DC area malls a lot. As you can tell from the username, he loves elevators. Welcome to the area!

[@sal]

You guys have a great channel!! Thanks so much for getting out there to film this stuff for future generations!!

[@alomaalber6514]

I am such an ancient Washingtonian I remember the parking garage of Parkington it was circular and very exciting for 1950's big cars to traverse it. It went around and around! The mall itself had such lavish goods it was worth the thrill of getting there. Ah, the golden days of shopping! Later as a young adult I was offered a job at that mall when Hecht's had a Clinique counter it was the flagship store for Clinique in DC...that site morphed into Macy's and now that is gone The same week as the Clinique offers I was offered a corporate gig so I took that one. Suit and heels daily--that was my DC life at that point! I have enjoyed all four of your local Mall videos. Very filmic, but sad. Thank you for covering this issue. You have also provided an economic warming of sorts, as even the richest shopping does not seem to be getting much traffic. I live in the countryside now and our stores seem to be doing better than the big city. Cheers and wishing you prosperity in 2025.

[@lethargicAilurophile]

Dang i grew up in this area and this mall is really engrained into my psyche. From being a kid going there to see movies to being a preteen theres for my familys hockey practices, to being a teen in the highschool nearby and going there after school....i remember buying candy at the candy shop before seeing the very first spongebob movie in theaters... I ate pizza after soccer games here, got my ears pierced at this place, got many a friendship bracelet, shoplifted, had my first real date, got clothes at the Macy's, smoked in the parking lot, did other stuff in the elevators, and spent countless hours in the food court and other shops and restaurants with friends, walked along the skybridge to skip class, I've had this mall appear in my dreams.. I really grew up at this mall. I moved away before they closed it for renovations and i came back to it completely changed and it makes me feel such a strange sort of sad and mournful to see it so empty except for all these overpriced restaurants bars and whatnot. Original mall definitely has some unsavory stuff going on, someone threw a Molotov cocktail from the 4th floor to the food court once, another person attempted suicide in this mall, it was a big place for pickpockets too.... Thank you for the retrospective and for some local history! And If you made it to the end of this comment, thanks for reading :^)

[@beitodesstrafe]

Not sure how I stumbled across your video, but glad I did! I've lived 3 blocks north of the mall since 2009. Your video was accurate. I'm there fairly often, but it's only for the theater or the food court (which to be fair is LIGHT F'N YEARS better than the old one). 😂 I do appreciate the walkways running north, especially when its raining or snowing, they keep me dry most of my way home. Looking forward to your coming videos, especially about Crystal City! Cheers!

[@sal]

Hey thanks for watching! Stay tuned!

[@JosephSmith-ex7du]

I lived in Arlington at Buckingham Apartment complex which is not far from this mall (I lived there as far back as when the mall was called Parkington Shopping Center), and it was thriving retail outlet. Hecht's was the anchor with a five-dime store, but also a book store, and was always full of shoppers. Then in became Ballston Commons and was still full of shoppers.

[@nwdc-h5q]

Great video. In the early 90s, I lived on top of the Ballston Metro, in an apartment above the hotel (then a Renaissance, now a Hilton). You could take an elevator to the second floor and go via skywalk through the office building across the street directly to the Ballston Commons mall. I believe there was subsequently a major redevelopment in the mid-90s. That’s when the movie theater and an adjacent Rock Bottom brewery came to the upper level.

[@highglossluxury]

Hi Sal! That walkway used to be a way for employees of the National Science Foundation and other employees to walk back and forth between their offices and the mall and the metro for a long time when it was "Ballston Mall."

[@manoflego123]

I'd like to add one observation as someone who was there as a kid before the renno and then an adult afterwards: even though a lot of the structure of the mall hasn't changed, the *vibe* is unrecognizable. My core memory was the vast, open-air section in the middle, which has been reduced to a series of much smaller concourses and bridges. There no longer feels like a "center" to this place, making it feel more haphazard and sprawling than before. It feels easier to get lost in compared to before. Idk, hard to put into words exactly, but it's very much not the same, even if it is the same bones.

[@sal]

This is exactly what I was hoping to convey with my video, thank you for commenting!!

[@whynow_whynot1200]

Especially the Christmas tree

[@cbloom82]

Welcome to Virginia! I've lived in the Ballston area specifically since 2013. The original Commons Mall was also an odd space. There was a restaurant (the name escapes me) that had a smoking section grandfathered in so that the entire side of the mall always smelled like cigarettes. Even then, people mainly used the location to meet for the movies and/or dinner. The restaurants have changed and gotten both more fancy and more expensive since the rebuild and branding as the Quarter. You got it very right when you talked about the area being bougie. The high school a few blocks over has its own planetarium. There is so much wealth in this area. That informs a lot of what you saw. One last tidbit that you might find interesting: the Capitol One branch was a Commons tenant that the developer moved multiple times throughout the construction so it could stay open. That's no small thing when you consider they had to move the vault as part of that. If you are looking for another odd space to cover, might I suggest the Georgetown Park shops in DC? It's not dissimilar from the Quarter with its odd mix of tenants. There is also a lot of history there. Thank you again for such a wonderful, well-done video.

[@lethargicAilurophile]

I went to that highschool, planetarium is not associated, it's just next to the board of education building that was next to the HS. I took many a science and astronomy class and remember going more in elementary/middle school than in HS 🥲

[@cbloom82]

@@lethargicAilurophile Thank you for sharing. I didn't know that.

[@lethargicAilurophile]

@@cbloom82 sure! A decade ago or so the city was actually going to close it so there was a petition and fundraising effort to 'save the planetarium' and thankfully , it worked! They used to have public days but not sure if they do anymore

[@plaidchucks]

Ballston was my home mall as a kid. I always preferred Tysons, but when I was 12 my mom would let me go to Ballston by myself since it was close by. I spent so much money at the FYE and Claire’s on the second floor. And I loved that you could cut through the office buildings from the Metro in winter and not get cold. And hey, I would never forget Orlando the shoeshine guy who was by the front doors! He was so nice.

[@elsigwaldio]

In the 80's & 90's, I'd go here with my great-grandfather for lunch at the food court and hit the Tilt arcade. That place was a pretty upscale mall.

[@sabres6481]

The AOL ad is top tier work. Well done

[@IceQueen975]

Tysons and Fair Oaks have an iiiinteresting history. Before the new section of Tysons was built, it was actually *dying* and everyone was at Fair Oaks. Once the new section opened everyone switched over. The Silver line stop at Tysons brought people from Maryland (who have almost lost all their malls) and now Tysons is bursting. Meanwhile Fair Oaks is dying despite a great location. Apparently, there WERE talks to expand the metro to go to Fair Oaks but it got killed due to possible construction issues... yet they are making toll lanes in that area of 66.... =.= Ngl, I hope Fair Oaks somehow revives. Everyone at one mall is... a lot.

[@aaronwashington1496]

I hear Fair Oaks was adding a Dave 'n' Busters to the mall.

[@sal]

@aaronwashington1496 I’ll keep an eye out for that.

[@soullesshollow3799]

hi

[@sal]

@soullesshollow3799 👋

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

Interesting -- my work (National Science Foundation) moved to Arlington not too long after the Macy's conversion -- into a building connected to Ballston Common Mall via a skyway -- could walk from the subway through the mall and to my building all inside. NSF moved to Alexandrea about the same time that the mall became the Quarters mall -- after I had already moved on to other work. It does look a lot like the Commons mall still -- but a lot emptier!

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

It's not clear from the Google Maps satellite view, but the building that I worked in is still there, but I don't see the 'skyway' over Wilson Blvd that connected the Mall to the building....

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

Aha! Ballston Exchange is the building that was the National Science Foundation when I worked there -- I think that we had a few retail/bank tenants on the ground/street level, but the rest of the building was NSF.

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

OK -- thanks to you I remember a lot more clearly now -- the Metro was on the corner of one building with a skyway to my building (now the Ballston Exchange) and then the mall was across the street from that -- but I thought that we had a skyway to the mall also.... And while I worked there the area did not have quite so many mid-rise buildings, most were office space, so the folks just went to the mall to get lunch, not to shop....

[@christinepaluch7967]

Ballston Quarter has the curse of not being Pentagon City or Tysons Corner.

[@sal]

100% accurate

[@alimaleki217]

Well put!

[@silentowen]

Once Pentagon City opened Ballston Common Mall started to die. Same with Landmark.

[@sacratoy]

The contrast with Fashion Centre is extreme.

[@OnsceneDC]

My thoughts exactly!

[@barbstech7306]

Such a detailed analysis! It's cool to visit today and see how much has changed

[@sal]

I really hope they find a better use for this space! The area around the mall is so nice, I can't imagine this place dying...Thanks for watching!

[@IAmSladeKraven]

Sal, i absolutely love your stuff, as I've told you on Discord! I absolutely love your deep dives into the histories of each episode's mall. Please keep up your amazing work, broski!

[@meetmeinva]

The mall was thriving in the 80’s. I grew up in the area. What happened was 1) Pentagon City opened a few miles to the south in 1989 and 2) Tysons Corner Center underwent a massive renovation/expansion (few miles to the north/west) in 1988. That pretty much sealed the deal for Ballston. The most recent renovation, where the roof was removed, brought a nicer food hall (formerly food court). I’m very curious to see what happens with the former Macy’s. The mall could use a nicer movie theater also, vs. the one it has.

[@elizabetht308]

25:51 behind the drywall is actually a pretty good sized church, it’s pretty nice inside

[@nordicdraw]

Miss You Son, have a great premiere🎥

[@sal]

Hey ma, love you. See you at my concert this weekend ❤️

[@NeoNero83]

This is the first time I've come across any of your videos, but as Someone who lived in and around DC during the 80s and early 90s, I'm very interested to see your upcoming videos as that was the height of so-called "Mall culture", and you're certainly going to be exploring an area I am familiar with. The Hechts commercials definitely took me back! Can't wait to see a video on a place like PG Plaza. Subscribed.

[@MrDan708]

Very detailed report of a unique "mall". Good job, Salvatore!

[@daniellee566]

When I lived in Arlington, I remember going to Parkington as a kid with my mom. It was always an adventure! I mostly remember the huge parking deck, it was always chaotic fighting for parking. It really was a concrete jungle. Then came Ballston Commons when I was in High School. I went there almost every Friday night and weekends! Movies and the Food Court. It was the place to be. I remember it always being packed. Great times!

[@sunsetrecords2548]

A structure with a confusing layout that had a second chance on life but didn't seem to do enough for it. Great video as always!

[@alexg6367]

Great Documentary of the mall! If you ever want to see the back hallways I would Be happy to show you around

[@michaelimbesi2314]

I was at the food hall a few weeks ago and it was pretty good and pretty busy. Having only moved to the area in 2019, I didn’t really realize there was a mall above it until I got out of the metro and noticed the building that used to be Macy’s. Still, it could be worse. It could be the Crystal City Underground.

[@spiritmatter1553]

One of my first jobs was at the Hecht’s at Parkington in the late 70s. I remember the windows with the messages. Nice documentary and congratulations on your move to heavenly Virginia.

[@JenniferinIllinois]

Sal has the best sponsors. I'm sure America Online will be huge some day. 😉 ExLog Phase VIII has started.

[@sal]

Buckle up. Phase VIII is going to be epic.

[@cristalgeris9297]

So many memories of this mall. My dad worked at the MetroBus garage a few blocks over and remember it being a treat to get to eat at the food court when we had to pick up his check when he was on vacation in the 1980s and 90s. Then as a college student at Marymount hanging out there before class. So sad😢

[@alexg6367]

Metro’s old Arlington Division! Closed a while back and now just office buildings and restaurants

[@Saint0bi]

Yooooo! I always wondered why nobody knew about Hecht’s outside of the DC area! Thanks for this!

[@SomeStayDry]

hey! I used to go to this mall a lot as a teen in the early 2000's. it had an FYE, one of the only places that sold anime DVDs/merch at the time. still feels crazy that you can walk into walmart and buy a naruto tshirt...

[@jameswhipp3221]

Woodward & Lothrop was the original tenant of the JCP space I believe.

[@icedhibiscus]

i went here in my childhood (im 25 now haha) back when it was commons. it was fun! great arcade, a good amount of stores, i particularly remember tilt arcade, a comedy club, chevys for birthday parties, and FYE.

[@shortythenut1]

Great video! Today this place is like it has a split personality, it doesn't know wh at it is or wants to be.

[@callmeahh]

When ballston common closed in 2017, I eagerly awaited the various stores and restaurants inside to open back up when the mall reopened. I'm still waiting! its kinda insane that over half the mall is nothing but empty space. at least the food in the basement is pretty good

[@Grimlock-ry8fg]

Another great video, looking forward to many more!

[@joannebarber4845]

Back in the 80's Ballston was one of the best malls in the area. Besides a movie, there was a Sam Goody. It had posh stores and little niche ones too. It was treat to go. I missed the transition from commons to Quarter. I do agree, there is no pull to go to Ballston. The best Mall in the area is Tysons.

[@JohnCassity]

I’m so sad I missed the premiere, was out working, Absolutely stunning footage!! This mall is beautiful! Exquisite editing as always, amazing work uncle Sal!❤💯🔥

[@sal]

Thanks for watching, kid! Keep up the good work, yourself!

[@UncommonElevators]

This was one of my childhood malls in the 2000s and I still come here quite often. The dad of one of my fifth grade classmates rented a kiosk on the first floor (in the area that's now open-air) where he sold various Caribbean decorations and always had loud music playing. Some of the stores I remember from that time are GameStop, Radio Shack, and a comedy club. My all time favorite memory of the place was the Cub Scouts regional Pinewood Derby championship that was held in the food court every year. Where the outdoor steps down to the food hall are today, there used to be an open pit with a long fountain down the middle. They would cover the entire fountain in plywood and set up a track with a steep starting ramp on one end. Oh, and around 2012 some guy threw a molotov cocktail off the top floor into that same pit area. It didn't cause much damage but certainly scared some people away from the mall.

[@allent7118]

Enjoyed this video! Missed the premiere which made me sad. I enjoy time chatting during premieres. Loves the video as always, Sal!

[@scottspringer3625]

Differing opinion here… Ballston Quarter can still be a successful retail and dining area. Much of its success is going to depend on what they do with the old Macy’s facility. Depending on what they can do with that AND depending on if they can bring some meaningful retail into the location to attract foot traffic, it can still succeed. Despite its current state - much of which is related to the post-COVID realty blood-letting - it still has too many things going for it. The food court is solid and, due to Arlington Public Schools allowing Seniors to go off campus for lunch,it gets a lot of traffic. There’s a ton of residential property within easy walking distance of this facility. To top it off, the Washington Capitals have their practice facility on the top floor and it draws a ton of traffic from hockey and ice skating patrons. The biggest impediment may be the Arlington County board. They may make their decisions on the future of the facility based on partisan politics rather than pragmatism.

[@elizabetht308]

this is a great video!! always interested in learning more about the history of this area as i just moved here

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

Sal -- thanks for all of the backstory and history of the location and the mall specifically. And the details of how it is now -- it's much more than the typical 'Dead Mall' video. Since you're from Baltimore (I'm in Ellicott City) -- do you follow Dan Bell? He hangs out in some pretty sketchy places in this region!!!

[@sal]

Dan is a good friend of mine. I’m cohost on his podcast!

[@rachelrivera91]

Thanks Sal for another awesome ExLog! Your vid productions never disappoint. Love the history you unfolded here. This mall looks really nice and clean. Too bad it's not being occupied. It's a nice modern looking mall in my opinion. Honestly I would hang out there with my friends and have a pizza, watching your Exlog series on my iPad.😊

[@XPBInthenight]

I grew up in Arlington, and was there for the grand opening of Ballston Common (at the age of fourteen). Three years later when Pentagon City opened, I somehow knew that Ballston Common (with no “s” at the end of Common) would not be there forever. I’m really not surprised that this attempt to revitalize it didn’t work.

[@America2112YT]

I visited this place in January of 1989 when it was known as Ballston Commons and it was one of the most impressive malls I have ever seen. I think it had nearly 100 percent occupancy on all levels and the colors and the style of the inside were definitely high energy. The last change they made to the place have rendered it a shell of its former self. It's not even a real shopping mall anymore in this form.

[@BrianRoberson-k7g]

That land is so valuable that whoever owns it is going to come out golden no matter what happens.

[@sal]

It’s worth billions

[@elenahoverter9020]

Never disappointed with your content! LOVE that I learn so much! I know it's a long shot but if I don't ask I'll never know. I was perusing your merch and I am wondering if you have any more prints of Century III?

[@sal]

I might…can you shoot me a message on discord to remind me?

[@morganwolf]

I lived in Ballston from 2015 to 2021, and still occasionally went to the mall till last year. Ballston Quarter at its peak felt far more dead than when they kicked everyone out of Ballston Commons. Basically every ounce of personality was removed and squished into what feels like what an agency thought hipsters were in 2015 right as the movement fell off. They refused to let any of the chain mall staple tenants sign new leases, so it lost a Gamestop and one of the few remaining FYEs among others. The second floor stalls that are walled over were never opened post-renovation because they couldn’t fill their other available spots.

[@sal]

This is so sad. They never even tried..

[@alexg6318]

I briefly worked at the Ballston Macy's during the pandemic. I had just moved from Texas to Virginia, that job was my first time stepping foot in the Ballston Quarter, I grew up with an appreciation for malls as my hometown has 5 I immediately found the layout of Ballston Quarter odd, the retail space extremely limited, and the foot traffic was night and day from the busy outside streets of Arlington to the slow inside of the mall. The draws seemed to be Punch Bowl Social and Macy's which had street entrances, the Chick-fil-a on the first floor, and maybe the bottom floor dining area? It's a shame to see such a modern design while having nothing to show for it but glad to revisit digitally and relive memories through another great ExLog

[@simonjenkins5173]

So Ballston Quarter as they call it now, was struggling intensely back in the late 90s when my family was living in Arlington (we were on posting there from Australia). The old mall was very magical inside with its grand centre court etc. However even back then, the corridors had vast vacancies with smaller retailers not getting enough foot traffic to justify staying open. We were there when JC Penney was still there and about a year before coming home, Penney's closed down and the cinema moved into its place. I think a mall is needed in this location, I just think that expectations should be toned down towards offering basic services over a classy, ritzy style mall like Tysons or Pentagon City. They had the right approach in redeveloping and focusing on lifestyle type experiences, but perhaps cheaper alternatives (and even free ones) would help. Redeveloping Macy's would add to the population in the vicinity, however again without that drawcard of why people should go out of their way to go there and not Pentagon City or other malls like Tysons, it will continue to struggle. Options like an indoor water park or amusements are some of the ideas that come to mind for me.

[@simonjenkins5173]

Also, they should have removed some of the retail levels. It's waaaay too big for a mall in this location. Less is more. Quality over quantity.

[@sal]

@simonjenkins5173 totally agreed.

[@simonjenkins5173]

@@sal It's very sad! I really hope Ballston can be revived and a new offering can be made. Even Tysons I see has really reformed themselves into a community experiential type place rather than just a mall. They should take a look at what Macerich has done at Tyson's 1 to 'future proof' themselves..

[@simonjenkins5173]

@@sal Also some interesting info I found when watching the 2017 redevelopment from afar. Forest City was co developer along with Australian company QIC. QIC owns many high end Australian shopping centres including the one near my home, the Canberra Centre, which has a similar vibe to Ballston Quarter. But I think they went in not knowing how different the US retail environment is compared to Australia and this is the result. We aren't at the stage where we're closing malls here (yet). We also didn't go through the 2007-08 financial crisis like America did.

[@johnp1937]

A mile east of Parkington/Ballston, Clarendon was the original "downtown" shopping district of Northern Va. Wilson Blvd in Clarendon was more or less a traditional main street, and some historic commercial buildings still exist near the Clarendon Metro station. Your parade film footage was in fact of Clarendon in front of the Hahn's Shoes. Parkington formed the western boundary of that linear commercial district along Wilson Blvd. The new Ballston Quarter is simply not an attractive place for retail, especially with the newer "upscale lifestyle center" type outdoor retail in Clarendon. Clarendon made its interesting pivot back to retail in the late 90s and early 00s, after it mostly disappeared in the early 80s due to Metro construction in the 70s. (The old Clarendon Penney's department store moved into the new Ballston Common mall in 1986.)

[@alimaleki217]

Sal, Ballston Common Mall was the first mall I visited after moving to VA in the '90s; before I discovered Tysons! They used to have these cheesy commercials involving an English butler! I like what they did with the outside area but can't say I'm surprised the mall is mostly empty.

[@CarlSmith-p2c]

I had been in this mall several times during the late 1980s and early 1990s when it was known more commonly locally as Ballston Commons. It was doing a brisk business in the 1980s. But by the early 1990s, it seemed that business was starting to fall off a bit. My guess is that people were finding the other shopping options available in Northern Virginia. (Tysons Corner is not too far away for example.)

[@sal]

Tysons will most likely be my Christmas episode this year!

[@IceQueen975]

@@sal Be prepared for crowds. A lot of crowds. Tysons is burning hot and alive.

[@michaelg8663]

I’ve lived within a 5-10 minute drive of this property for several years. I drive to Tysons when I go to the mall. I came too late to see this mall in its glory years. By the early 2010s it was all but dead. The redevelopment was in my mind always going to fail. An outdoor area doesn’t get people back into a dead Macys (and its been all but dead for over a decade). Back in the 50s and 60s this was suburban, but now its urban apartment dweller land. Theres a ton of people with plenty of disposable income even in walking distance, but those people generally don’t go to malls. The clientele here will buy 20 things online for every one item they buy in a store. The suburban mall clientele still around lives further out and Tysons is just more practical for most. But theres also the simple reality that theres fewer people in this group. That drives consolidation. I only ever went to the Commons mall for the Regal because otherwise it never had any useful stores. That never changed. Only the biggest and glitziest malls in a region can still maintain the critical mass of tenants required to motivate shoppers to go there. Thats Tysons in the DC area. See also King of Prussia mall basically sucking the air out of the remaining suburban Philly retail sector. As for Ballston Quarter, I think its obvious that it will entirely give way to apartment buildings with gastronomy space at ground level…so it will be pretty much like everything else in central Arlington.

[@OnsceneDC]

I still remember Hecht's before Macy's bought them out. I'm glad that the original one still stands- albeit redeveloped.

[@jaymaxwell8645]

Grew up wandering those halls.

[@3Black.1Red]

There's just something _special_ about the way 13:45 flows from indoor to outdoor concourse whilst keeping the same style. Great architectural transition.

[@JhonnyBoi]

AOL is still headquartered down the street from Ballston Mall lol. This mall has so many memories for me. I remember when this mall had TWO Macys when they bought Hectchs

[@ForestTekkenVideos]

Kayaking friends? Kayaking friends! On my computer! lmao

[@sacratoy]

This video really captures how awkward this mall is to walk around. It isn't a comfortable space.

[@sal]

It’s *so* awkward!

[@elizabetht308]

i always wondered why there are no stores inside the mall, it’s weird bc the food court is always pretty busy. and the outside shops are nice. went to a movie at the regal there a few days ago, the theatres were surprisingly nice inside! nice seats

[@elizabetht308]

side-note, the way finding inside is horrific. even though i’ve been to the mall a dozen times, it took me so long to find the movie theatre 🤦

[@silentowen]

I used to work in the mall back in 88/89. At that time the Mall was lively, but with the opening on Pentagon City Mall that changed. I'm not sure if I'd call Ballston Quarter a dead mall. It was never a living mall after the redevelopment.

[@sal]

Fair enough…but until they formally rebrand and reinvent it to something non-retail, I firmly believe this is a dead mall.

[@thefxc]

Ballston Commons was a great mall. I’ve only been a few times since the redesign, but yeah I have no idea what they were going for. It seemed like they had less space for retail and the new layout made it difficult to find the stuff that was there. I suspect the aim was/is to be more selective and attract upscale shops. I’d guess the most profitable part these days is the garage…for out-of-towners it’s the best place to park for the day if you’re Metroing into DC..

[@sal]

Oh man I didn’t even think about people parking here to metro over to DC! Makes sense…

[@manoflego123]

I was there a few months ago, and it felt extremely surreal... I hadn't been since 2010, before the complete rebuild, so it was a huge shock to me what it was like now. I think the way I described it was that it did not feel like a mall, but an approximation of representation of one, like a TV film set of a mall.

[@Wscott97]

That sounds like a great place to open a GNC, Vitamin shop, Dicks, big 5's or sports Authority with all the Gyms and Sports centers in the mall.

[@lethargicAilurophile]

There used to be a few of those in the mall before the remodel... I specifically remember the GNC and vitamin shoppe

[@Marklin15]

I am familiar with the loading dock and adjacent food court area as it is one of the few places in that area where you can park a box truck in the area for your lunch break in the afternoon. Probably won't work in the mornings since that's when they do food deliveries but the dock area is usually empty in the afternoons. I feel for the poor drivers that had to take pup trailers to the Macy's dock down there.

[@jazzmodern]

Ballston mall had such a nostalgic feel of the 80s to it. They gutted it just before they could've used it to their advantage. I hope the movie theater is still neon 80s.

[@bigfoot3019]

The movie theater absolutely still has the neon 80s. Nothing has really changed with it.

[@jazzmodern]

@@bigfoot3019 looks like the upgraded the seating? Which is fine. But the concession areas etc are so nostalgic.

[@Hawthorneheights888]

I was just there 😂 the chik-fil-a is paying that while building’s rent at this point lol

[@Jabberwocky4k]

Great job on EL126, Sal. This mall looks great but you were correct on everything about it. I wonder what the count is on the word "Ballston" in this episode? Thanks again, man!

[@shannonyoast6906]

As always great video 👍

[@IK_4]

Man, I love these ❤

[@sal]

I’ve got so many more episodes coming, sit tight!!

[@Ulrich_dArth]

Darknet in AOL was a nice touch

[@PiplupJames]

You taped this on my 33rd bday when I was in Tampa riding the Scorpion coaster at Busch Gardens (which was its last day of operation) and seeing the Redskins Vs. Buccaneers game. I think i still have a mid-2000s directory map of Ballston Common and I used to frequent the property in 2021 during my brief time working for Amazon. I hate that Ballston Quarter has failed that quickly :(

[@miapia03]

You should add Manassas Mall to your list if it’s not already there. If you’d come a few years ago you would have seen amazing pink/teal interiors. But they’ve recently turned it all into a boring white, and removed the fountains and trees that were there in the 90s. I’m not sure how much longer it will be around. They are doing all they can to keep it around… adding a Wal-Mart, race track and bowling alley, larger stores are leaving. The Macy’s (formally Hechts and you can still see the Hechts name etched in the marble outside) is always a mess, and that’s really the only department store anchor. There is still an H&M, Bath and Body, and Hot Topic but that’s really it for widely known stores. Even the McDonald’s has left.

[@blicious187]

If you’re doing thriving malls as well please do one on Potomac Mills in Woodbridge. It’s one of the largest malls in the DC area and has constantly reinvented itself over the years and is still going strong.

[@sal]

It’s on my list!

[@flygirl6048]

Spectacular as always, Sal!

[@sal]

Thank you!!

[@JF_ARVA]

Moved to area in 2003 - this was the closest shopping center to me. My GF at the time bought Motorola Flip whatever at a Verizon Kiosk there. It was pretty ok populated with a GameStop and other stores open. The place always focused on entertainment over shopping - even back in 2003 there were several restaurants geared towards nightlife crowds, an Improv comedy venue, and the movie theater. I would frequently attend trainings at Global Knowledge across that sky walk that was locked - we could get buzzed in via that callbox. Ultimately, I ended up going to Pentagon City mall more often, for obvious reasons. That place is pretty thriving even to this day.

[@jsetennis9224]

I worked at that Hechts in 1991, then I transferred to the one in Landmark mall 😂.

[@safeinsound432]

29:05 that's the air compressor for the fire sprinkler system on that bridge lol looks like I have a leak to find

[@JimberWumby]

Frequented this mall as a teen from late 2000s-early 2010s. I was gone a few years and came back to it under construction for a minute then later it was completely renovated and I hated the new design. Every time I've been back it's had way less people than I remember it having before they remodeled

[@Joelsef]

BTW, I am pretty sure the current garage was built in the 1980s with the Ballston redevelopment.

[@sal]

You might be right about that, thank you!

[@Joelsef]

You are right about the ball being a weird space. The mall is mostly places to eat and a few shops. People do hang out in parts of the mall and terrace. The parking is used for the mall tenants but also for the office buildings nearby and the Metro. It’s super cheap to park there.

[@Joelsef]

Ballston Exchange used to be the National Science Foundation building before NSF moved to Alexandria.

[@Joelsef]

Lastly, the food court, ahem food hall, is a good one. And the restaurants around the area are always busy.

[@ocularpatdown]

lol, I keep hearing “Boston Common.”

[@sal]

I was driving myself nuts recording this script because of that. The pain is felt.

[@PatrishaArnold]

Awesome job Sal !!!. Heading to the discord 🎉

[@DWNicolo]

As a fan of your videos and a denizen of Northern Virginia. I await this series with bated breath.

[@Kursk3.]

I worked I this mall in the late 80 early 90,s, it was called Boston commons mall at that time I believe, funny hearing the 5cents parking for 3 hours becuase I remeber the parking being county owned and a major reason why people wouldn't go there becuase of how expensive it was to park becuase they liked to gauge the dc commuters

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Listen… I pay a lotta money for this free content… gotta get these videos up to 5 hour episodes!!! 😂😂😂 You can do it! 🎉🎉🎉

[@snoo333]

thanks

[@robertmiller2104]

My Monday into Tuesday was better when got notification Sal had posted new video 😊❤. Can’t believe on Season 8 now. Looks like got there just in time unfortunately probably not much life left of this place deadlier then dead

[@VeryBeby]

flabbergasted to see a place I went to so much as a kid on my recommended tab but it truly was the worst of the local malls

[@sal]

Well I do appreciate you taking a moment to click through! I’ll be covering lots of other local places in the next few months!

[@VeryBeby]

the most notable features of the mall when I went as it was known as Ballston Commons were definitely the ice rink and a comedy club. Every other store I remember feeling like an airport version of the same store you could find in Tysons or Fair Oaks. The food court WAS still pretty exciting if you liked mall food and really who didn't like Sbarros back in the day. The new food court has some really fun stuff now actually and I highly recommend Go Poke, Oh K Dog and Bartaco.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

Very excited for Crystal City Mall 2: Halloween ExLog Boogaloo

[@sal]

It’s full of shenanigans. Get stoked.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

I was just down in there today. It’s really crazy to see. So much of it is just abandoned and liminal

[@michaelimbesi2314]

P.S. Did you see Puppet Heaven while filming? I’m honestly surprised it still exists and I’m starting to think it’s a money laundering front for the CIA or something

[@elizabetht308]

29:30 contrary to what i would’ve thought, if you try to sit in this common area you will apparently get kicked out unless you work there (this happened to my friend literally yesterday 💀)

[@UncommonElevators]

Yeah, the exact same thing happened to me

[@JAYWASSERMAN]

I’ve seen it change over the last 20ish years, the Caps rink is the best draw I think, used to have a lot more bars at street level. Should have a DMV the old Springfield mall ones were great. For the middle they should do like the torpedo factory art center to draw people in. could have tons of galleries and workspaces instead of drywall

[@jbirzer]

I went to that Regal a decent amount with my best friend back when it was Ballston Common. Probably because at the time it was one of the better movie theaters in the area. (The Tyson's Cineplex Odeon and the Merrifield multiplex were probably closer, but not nearly as nice.) To be honest, I wasn't sure what they were going for with the renovation. As you say, the layout was basically the same. I have a feeling they were probably limited with the ice rink on the roof with how much they could change the building. The new food court was nice, tho it seemed like businesses went in and out of there a lot.

[@OrochiFlamez]

I used to love the arcade here.

[@ampdabeast34dc]

The food court at ballston is the only thing that is keeping it alive lol

[@ethanhunter1521]

Back in the '90s, I lived nearby and occasionally visited the Ballston Mall. It never felt like a place worth lingering in for long. It always had a creepy soulless, liminal, "backrooms" vibe-much like Ballston itself, which seemed more like a collection of offices and roads leading to cooler spots like Clarendon. The mall was lightly trafficked; I don’t recall ever seeing large crowds there-,even at Christmas. There were some cool restaurants and shops-Britches Great Outdoors was a favorite-but Hecht’s catered to older folks with money, and as a broke twenty-something, it wasn’t my scene. I don’t remember ever going to the theater there either. It didn’t exactly scream "date night destination," in my opinion. And to top it off, the parking fees were absurd, making the whole experience feel like a poor deal. Tbh, it looks like not much has changed in 30 years.

[@pj7342]

The developers really did a nice job on the decor, but were too late to execute and still need traffic. The mall had been dead since the early 2000s and in the 90s was already struggling with versions of store that were often better stocked at Pentagon City, Tyson's or Georgetown. The old vibe was never great. The Macys, however, had furniture and staff seemed to really try to present well (often better than Tyson's).

[@Mom2my4blessings]

I used to live by Richmond and I heard Short Pump and Stony Point outdoor malls are dying. I agree there’s nothing there to draw anyone there at all times. It’s just going to the gym and leaving, going to church then leaving. Especially if there are other malls in the area. I really enjoy your videos! I have never heard of this mall. It sounds like Boston instead of Ballston. Plus most of the escalators are broken which doesn’t make the mall look good. Where’s the upkeep?