Abandoned & Mobbed Up: DeBartolo’s Upper Valley Mall and La Cosa Nostra | ExLog 124, Phase 7 Finale

[@sal]

Welcome to the finale for ExLog Phase vii at the abandoned Upper Valley Mall! There's so much to unpack in this episode, but I'm just glad Marna decided against moving back in with her mom. MERCH IS HERE! ---> www.salvatoreamadeo.com (It will be up by the LATEST on Monday) Make sure to head over to @unicommproductions to give my good friend Kristin a sub and to check out all of her incredible videos. Her piece on the Upper Valley Mall is phenomenal, tell her I sent you. Also, tell Ace that I need written proof that his grandfather worked on the Chautauqua Mall, I'm still waiting for it. Here’s Kristin’s video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4O8dJ2CgNipha8si=By39cvYHXGklnMi8 See you all soon with the Premiere to ExLog Phase VIII !!!

[@jasonkindred8513]

Came here to say how big of a heart you have in regards to the bird on the roof. So that bird was a Kildeer and they fake being injured when a perceived predator is close to its nest. It was perfectly healthy and just playing with your emotions.

[@sal]

I’m actually so thankful for this comment. You really did put my heart at ease a bit, and I appreciate you. I wasn’t sure if I should even include that footage of what I thought was a hurt innocent creature, but when I imagined it being all alone up there for what could’ve been its final moments, I knew that I had to memorialize its existence somehow. Thanks again for reassuring me…I hope that bird is soaring somewhere!

[@jasonkindred8513]

@@sal see that's what I'm saying. Even your comment almost made me emotional. You have the best energy and super rad videos! Glad I could help!

[@michaelimbesi2314]

Huh, the more you know…

[@eternalblue8]

Yes, can confirm as for years I had kildeer nest on the side of my rock driveway (where their eggs blend in with the rocks). The adults will feign injury trying to lure predators away from their eggs.

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

The Muzak orchestra is strong with this one! 💪🎶🎺🎷🪈 Sal walking around talking to himself is pure entertainment gold! 😂

[@hatetomate599]

This was a masterpiece of an exlog

[@sal]

You just made my night with this comment

[@sunsetrecords2548]

I got to say that after watching every minute of this video it was really worth it. Super in depth and loved how you explored every inch of Upper Valley. Great video as always!

[@sal]

Hey thank you so much!!

[@belyndaejoh]

It's amazing how the history can bring a dead mall back to its vibrancy. Thank you, Sal, for doing a fantastic presentation. You are incredible

[@KellyAnn2390]

Thank you so so SO much for your exceptional research and obvious passion for retail history. It's truly a gift to have this sort of entertainment.

[@BrentB-c5p]

I miss malls. Thank you for these videos

[@Trainy2]

There are still thriving malls. I don't think they'll ever fully go away.

[@seabee73]

There is still a Debartolo mall here in Tampa. It's called the University Mall. They tore down 3 of the 4 anchors, but kept the center section. It's still open with a few stores. Thanks for another great video. Take Care Sal!

[@lowbar77]

Came here to watch the full video because quality video doesn’t have a time limit! You do a great job with these and it wouldn’t matter how long it is, as long as it is done really well. Which you always do. Such a pleasure to watch these. So excited to see the final one in this series. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@sal]

Thank you so much for the kind words!!

[@rlw2011]

As a local who misses this place, thank you. The amount of time spent in that macys and hot topic as a teenager is ridiculous. I asked my mom and she doesn’t recall a public restaurant in Rikes/Macys. (She grew up around here too so she is very familiar.) Silly side note: Chakres has a ch like church. I admit, it took a minute to understand that one.

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Brunswick Square was my childhood mall. Amazing DeBartolo mall! McCrory, York Steakhouse, Bambergers, Farrells Ice Cream, Hot Sam Pretzels, Fun-N-Games arcade, Roy Rogers, KB Toys, movie theater, Orange Julius, Sam goody, musicland, merry go round, Florsheim shoes, Spencer’s …. The mall had it all!

[@dondavis5633]

Sal, I've been a subscriber of yours ever since your fourth or fifth mall exploration, and it's time I make a long-withheld confession to you after all these many ExLogs since: I cannot now -- nor have I EVER! -- been able to understand one single WORD that Marna-the-PA-Lady utters in ANY of your much-loved mall videos. Forgive me, Sal, for I have sinned against both you AND the Legion. Do as thou wilt, sir.

[@sal]

Hey Don, I’m with you. She’s a blur. Let’s do this, I’ll make you a deal. How about in the next episode I’ll put some subtitles down there for her?? That should make it more entertaining :)

[@dondavis5633]

@@sal That would be absolutely AMAZING...and it would greatly help me with the load of guilt that only 12 years of Cat'lick Skool can give you. You're a mensch!

[@mjc8248]

This is another mall from my youth. I spent a lot of time here in the ’80s and early ’90s. It was a smallish mall compared to others in the area. Salem and Dayton malls were much larger, but Springfield was a good side quest. We used to spend the day wandering around the mall and then head across the street to play video games and eat “pizza” at Showbiz Pizza.

[@NicholasShade-eq1ts]

Thanks for the story.🤎

[@christiend]

I loved showbiz back then, and service merchandise

[@appalachianwoman561]

Marna is the last employee at all these closing malls. When Marna has been sent to your mall you know it's closing up shop, the final Marna message echos thru the halls of history. I wonder if Marna has ever gotten into the wines/booze left behind at any old shuttered for over a decade TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesday's or Garfields? I remember getting to try my first mixed drink at a Garfields that closed up while I was still in college.

[@sal]

I never thought about Marna like this, but it’s so perfect.

[@DOCDOCFLAMINGOS]

Ohhhhh No... Any of those old restaurants get out all the alcohol and any food that is still usable first thing!! And take it to other locations to be used per usual!!

[@Motorsportqueen]

Sal thanks for an amazing exlog. You described the history so well. Thanks for the closing shots Mona. Looking forward to seeing your next one.

[@elevenkninteen]

Seeing you go so into detail about these dead malls in this area makes me pretty happy, i’m a young dead mall enthusiast in the Cincy-Dayton area and a lot of these malls were shuddered and abandoned before I ever visited my first dead mall (which happened to be the forest fair mall in Cincy back in 2021) and being able to see these after they closed is definitely interesting.

[@pamelaaverrett5848]

This was a great explore! Love all the back story and the vintage aesthetics.

[@TheGhostOfQsLeftEyebrow]

Just gonna say I really love the extra long episodes! I have literally spent entire days watching exlogs from before I subscribed, the longer the better!!

[@sal]

I make them just for you

[@toddcohick8970]

Thanks Sal for another great video,. I look forward to the next one.

[@JustaGuy_101]

Such a beautiful tribute to that poor bird. I hope the little guy was able to heal up and fly again.

[@BRFilmStudios]

Well Sal, I finally had the time to sit down and finish the video, and I want to say you really outdid yourself! This episode was longer than many movies, and it was awesome! The JCPenney and Macy’s are by FAR the most liminal real life locations I’ve ever seen! Have a great day, can’t wait to see what’s ahead in Phase VIII!

[@201sunstarz]

Great video which brought back memories. The Sycamore Store was a clothing store that had a unique wooden floor in there. Seeing that JC Penney had a complete upper floor was a shock as it was never open to the public. Macy's/Lazarus/Rikes once had a restaurant on the 2nd floor - one area had a small counter eating area and the other side was a nice sit down restaurant called The Blue Fox which had wonderful speciality type of food and you could buy a cookbook with their recipes. They ended up closing up the restaurant and boarded that area off from the public. There was once a Wendy's fast food restaurant near the security office with a glass enclosure for eating in that was torn down. Today the mall has been turned into a warehouse and the interior has been gutted. They tore down the cinema area and CVS built their own building next to the main mall entrance. The Sears store and auto center still remain with the Sears sign posted outside since Sears owned their own store. Sometimes there would be small carnivals in the parking lot during the summer. During the holiday season the mall and the stores would decorate so nicely as most malls probably all did. Times sure have changed - thanks for making a great video!

[@ericthompson7468]

Good video of the upper valley Mall spent a lot of my teenage years there I lived outside of Dayton Ohio that was a place to go during my teenage years had a really good time shopping there it's kind of weird to see it all empty now Good video

[@nicolaa55]

One of the things I really loved about this ExLog is that besides your usual classical playlist and slightly creepy wavecore, you had so much of what I'd consider peak 60s-70s-80s mall/elevator music--what used to be on FM radio as the "beautiful music" genre. I used to loathe this genre--my mom thought it was classical music when I started playing violin myself in the 70s--but now it's just pure nostalgia.

[@davidkamaunu8734]

I agree. I played viola briefly as a child in the 70s but I sucked because no one wants to hear you practice in an apartment so you dont. 😔 But yeah the music nostalgic 😢😢

[@ij7479]

Thank you for this one Sal! Amazing work, so very interesting. The effort you put into these videos does not go unnoticed, this is a really special channel and you have a gift with this work for sure 🙂

[@sal]

Thank you so much for the kind words, Laverne!

[@shortythenut1]

Awesome videio, fascinating! Thank you for all your time and work!

[@JohnCassity]

Your videos are the best! I had to watch this in two part, but only because it was so good. Debartlo is legendary! You definitely did him justice in this video. Keep the content rolling!

[@neohistoryfan1014]

Akron's Summit mall was originally a DeBartolo property, I recognize that ceiling pattern as being associated with his company.

[@notnow7995]

Another awesome video!

[@JonathanKine]

VCR Rabbit available at Crazy Eddie as the sponsor !! Love it! Classic !!

[@Mom2my4blessings]

Wow thank you for going into such detail especially on the DeBartelo company. It’s extremely sad that malls are closing 😢. That cannoli looked amazing! I grew up going to the Ocean County Mall myself my entire childhood. It’s actually doing very well. I was there last month visiting family. Thank you Sal so much!

[@sal]

Hi Mel! We may have passed each other at Ocean County Mall…I was there filming it, and can co-sign how well it’s doing. Can’t wait to tell that story!

[@Mom2my4blessings]

@@salI’m looking forward to it!

[@UniCommProductions]

Thank you so much for the kind words! (Sorry I had to drop from the premiere early!) this was a great video that you should be proud of. Here’s to future explorations!

[@sal]

Cheers, VP!

[@jeslowe72401]

Another great video. Unicomm is another great creator. I always make sure to check out anything that comes across from either of you.

[@sal]

Hey thanks! Unicomm rocks, I’m grateful for the opportunity to film here because of them!

[@christiend]

My mom used to work at the Lazarus back in the day, I was probably around 12 or so. Used to just roam around the store while she was in the offices where she worked. I remember all those office spaces and employee spaces well.

[@danielkolp2121]

Amazing Story!! Well done!!

[@sal]

Thanks Daniel!

[@TheCubeTube]

Never been to Home Plate, but I’ve been to similar places! Go Atlanta Braves!

[@josh95263]

Walking through these must feel like a dream

[@PizzaMan-ItsaRomethingeveryday]

Excellent ❤very detailed Log of this mall,

[@Pu46373]

Good night all

[@Samurai-Germ]

As always. Amazing episode and a Time Machine to going back to a simpler time.

[@map3384]

Love the opening. Reminds me of those educational video we watched in school in the early 80s. That mall style is right out of my early childhood, early 1970s. Elegant and classy. People of that time would turn their noses up at today’s Walmarts and Targets. That generation loved stores like Lord and Taylor and the service that went with it. They expected it.

[@rachelrivera91]

Another great video!! Very in-depth and well worth my time. I love the history of the developer of the mall, DeBartolo. Most of his malls have great aesthetics. I just love learning about the malls he and his company have developed. Thank you Sal for another fabulous Exlog. Look forward to more! 😊👍

[@Liberaltrash447]

This is my hometown mall. I got lots of stories.

[@nancydarling4918]

Great video. Thanks.

[@sal]

Hey Nancy! Thanks for coming!

[@evileyeball]

Anchors are my jam. My local mall has no remaing anchors that were open at its grand opening. Hudsons Bay opened 2 months (IIRC) after grand opening. The one anchor present at grand opening (Simpson-Sears) is now a mixture of Mall Concourse, Leons Furnature, and Marks Work Wearhouse hahahaha Later addon Ancors include Woolco -> Walmart -> Tommy Hillfiger -> Old Navy, Sport Check, TIm Hortons Eatons -> Sears Home -> Empty space -> Gym, Structube, and Canadian Blood Services Plasma Donation Best Buy and Chapters -> Indigo

[@codythekitsune3154]

This stuff is awesome

[@ccohenhifromohio45]

Thanks for sharing.

[@elvisowens7137]

It kills me I never went up to that mall.. I lived about an hour from it my hole life.. But in the day I was always at Forest Fair Mall or Tri County mall... I lived 15 Minn from both.. But this is the second mall u have shown me I wish I would have went to the other was Carew tower Mall Cincinnati OH.. Got to say Really wish I would have visited this one.. Its got that old 80s look... thanks fer the Exlogs man it really takes me back.. I was a mall king lol Loved going to the mall to walk around an check out the stores an really the Chicks.. Thanks Sal fer the Memories. Best place to be in the mall Great Steak An Potato an the amazing Cinnabon OOOO hell YEA..

[@michaelimbesi2314]

I love your use of classical music as the background music.

[@sal]

We can all thank 25 years of playing violin for that!!

[@Delicroix]

Those blank walls between Shoe Dept. Encore and Sears used to house a KB Toys. Opposite of that (corner left of Sears,) was a Radio Shack. Two of my favorites as a kid.

[@Vanhellmont]

RIP Bird. You'll now live forever in this vid.

[@eternalblue8]

Good news is that the bird is a kildeer and it was only feigning injury to lead predators away from its eggs.

[@brentirwin10]

I'm coming over for a cannoli!

[@NicholasShade-eq1ts]

Thanks for the upload. I'm very appreciative. I'll probably have to watch it again. ⌚ I'm very distracted right now. I don't mean to be. I just can't help it. Thanks again. I'll probably share it with my cousin.🤎

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Frozen head ice cream for everyone! 🎉🎉🎉

[@animeshock2006]

That top floor could have been employee/ backroom stock

[@nickyoung630]

I remember going to the back of Spencer's in middle school with my friends. We did the usual giggling at the silicone merchandise not at all knowing what they were used for at the time just laughing at the funny and rude names on the packaging and the Justin Bieber.....umm inflatables because every middle school boy in the 2010s hated him. You could tell the store employees were used to it at that point and just kinda watched to make sure nobody stole or broke anything but they didn't seem to mind us being there.

[@alyxgraff9121]

Goodnight & thanks for this amazing 2 hour documentary!

[@BGNOLA]

the mannequin head in the fridge made me jump

[@sal]

Gotcha!!

[@NicholasShade-eq1ts]

😂 Ha 😂! Ha 😂! Ha 😂! 😂😂😂

[@zacherz13]

Really, REALLY great work man. Beautiful video. I know that older department stores usually had a cafe, both for the staff and for the customers. I know the downtown Kaufmann's in Pittsburgh had both.

[@crazy680195]

Sal you love baseball, so do I

[@_Denisa_H]

This is the lady from Ohio on X. I live on the far west side of Columbus Ohio. I am about an hour away from Springfield. I have memories of this mall. So sad. I spent my early childhood in Chicago. I'm not a big baseball but if I had to pick a baseball team it would be the White Sox. I am a football fan and a die-hard Bears fan. Ohio State is my favorite college team.

[@sabres6481]

This a fantastic video. I like the design at 1:20:36. I don't think we will see this type of interior space ever again.

[@sal]

Thank you so much!

[@evileyeball]

Kiosk is one of my favorite words, Just the way it rolls off the tongue.

[@ncbooth]

That second floor of the JC Penney seems similar to the one at East Towne Mall in Madison, WI. At that location they finished off the storage areas up there and added escalators in the 90's. It's still open! This one they didn't. The rest of it looks exactly like the East Towne one before renovation.

[@Sarahlynn1304]

I know you said the home plate place used to be a wrens, but it was clearly an old navy in between - even more confirmed when you went thru the dressing room :)

[@sirekumasutra7022]

Braves fan here and I've been to 10/30 team's stadiums. Hoping to do Camden soon.

[@JenniferinIllinois]

Loved the story about Edward Sr. not being mobbed up (maybe). 😉 That JC Penny's definitely was originally two floors. Guessing as JCP started going downhill, the second floor retail space was eventually turned into backroom storage. The escalators and stairs would have also been removed, leaving just the elevators and emergency/backroom stairs. Goodbye shakewave footage. We will miss you.

[@bob59pa]

The area that you thought was a restaurant was indeed just that. Before you were born most department stores had a restaurant of some type. Those started to disappear in the early 1980's . An example would be the Crystal tea room at Wannamaker's in center city. Also some of the older suburban mall stores also had them along with Gimbels, Strawbridge and Clothier, Thalheimers, Hess's, Dayton's, Bloomingdales, Woodward and Lothrop etc.

[@crapmalls]

Marna's mum is now canon

[@sal]

She legit appeared on film in this episode

[@neverendingatsuko5006]

The inside reminds me of the Shawnee Mall

[@elenahoverter9020]

Looking through those files had to be so interesting!! Would love to see the footage you cut out!

[@sal]

Was just so much stuff in there. So much fascinating history, I couldn’t look away

[@elenahoverter9020]

@sal When I worked for a judge, old files were stored in cells at the former prison. I always volunteered to do file destruction! What could be better than reading old criminal affidavits in a cell of the previous county prison?!?!

[@sal]

@elenahoverter9020 oh my god I would be stuck there for hours reading that stuff!!

[@tendraftsdeep]

Rest in peace Fridge!!!!

[@evileyeball]

Damn, Free BCW Card boxes Sweet I could use those to organize my bulk haha

[@evileyeball]

I've never seen a 2 floor Anchor on a 1 floor mall like that Macy's..... I've only seen 2 floor Anchors on 2 floor malls.. My favorite 2 floor mall I've ever been to had 2, 2 floor Anchors and now only has one... Facing west looking to the right was Hudsons Bay, and To the left *Whistles $1.49 day tune* was a Woodwards.(Later Sears, then Now a mix of inline stuff across both floors with no connection between the floors) If you can guess the mall :)

[@brasscog8890]

Don't worry Shodan is here ro protect us all. Long live Babbage.

[@craiggillett5985]

Wow this place is truly creepy

[@sal]

Isn’t it?? So much liminal space.

[@craiggillett5985]

@@sal you’re braver than me

[@matthewdropco]

I think the bird is Kildare, whey feign being wounded, and limp away from the nest to the predator will follow, then they fly away once they get to a spot far enough away from the nest, which is on the ground, or rooftop.

[@evileyeball]

Looks to the right to see my Lava Brand International Custom Program (Base B3 [stainmess steel colour], Globe G3 [Teal wax clear liquid]) Lava Lamp acquired from Spencers Gifts back in the day sitting now proudly on my office desk as mild late night entertainment. It's cap dinged from a fall it took from a night stand during the first relationship I had that involved a woman spending the night at my house when I was 26 years old.

[@mongekokenshi217]

Hello Sal, I am curious if you would ever consider visiting Rochester Mall, which is located near the Rochester Institute of Technology. The mall is currently quite empty, as I have observed firsthand.

[@sal]

Absolutely

[@Clearsky753]

I don't think the bird was injured. Probably it had eggs hidden between the pebbles and was trying to lur you away from them. A lot of birds that used to breed on riverbanks now use this type of flat roofs as breeding ground. Less predators and annoying humans. ;)

[@MrTabenham]

To answer your question about JCPenney I live here in Decatur Georgia at South DeKalb mall where JCPenney was formally at just before they close originally all JCPenney was two floors, but they condensed her. They shut it down to one and pretty much dismantled the escalator that came up there they’ve always had an employee that was in the back and they did. The public did have access to the second floor, which contain the beauty department furniture, JCPenney used to stay. I’m just recently brought back at some of the store and some electronics on the upper floor but eventually when JCPenney was shutting down a star, they condensed everything down to the main floor and eliminated the furniture and beauty department beauty, including you, get your hair fixed or hair cut up there on the upper floor again, you won’t see remnants that there was a second floor that the public access to

[@theemagicalgurl]

31:45 Guess you could say those kiosks had a LIMITED lifespan...

[@DanielDavis1973]

22:10 Be careful about telling viewers to go harass someone even if you know them well. It could blow back on you if they get pissed off.

[@tommyboy9998]

Interesting how the SEARS sign now reads SARS.. I guess a pun at the Covid Jab gig?

[@HannahMartin-x7b]

Watch out bro someone is going to be jealous

[@sal]

Such as?

[@Vanhellmont]

Don't step on to the abandoned escalator, Don't step on to the abandoned escalator, HE STEPPED ON THE ABANDONED ESCALATOR!

[@stephenallen5163]

Not sure if you've been there yet, but the Midway Mall in Elyria is wonderfully dead, and has an abandoned hotel next door. A twofer!

[@urbanexplorer260]

Is the hotel worth exploring?

[@stephenallen5163]

@urbanexplorer260 I haven't been there in about a year, and I had my kids with me, so I didn't go in. I really wanted to. Very retro building.

[@evileyeball]

Corporate Chain theatres always get me because I come from the town that has Canada's only Not for Profit Multiplex Theatre in the 4 Screen Salmar Grand Cinemas. They donate all profits from their operation back to community causes. My grandfather owned shares in the Salmar Community Association and was invited to the grand opening of the Multiplex which took over from the (1949) Salmar Theatre (Renamed Salmar Classic at this point) But he elected not to go to the grand opening and not to give his tickets to any of us either. I went to the public opening for a friends birtday party in 1996, to see Volcano with Tommy Lee Jones in it. I Now live in a bigger city who only has corporate Landmark Cinemas and Cinniplex locations but I always try to go see a movie whenever I go home to visit my mom.because the Price is good, the popcorn is good, and the causes they support are good.

[@gregggates3178]

Killdeer. GEEP! GEEP! GEEP! GEEP!

[@Pu46373]

Dan bell has a podcast?

[@rhiannonrising]

That JC Penney isnt original. It probably had one update, around the early 90s. Still, thats ages ago and Im so glad i cant smell those carpets.

[@arnoroorda3201]

29:15 Snoopy sure looks happy dancing on that big pile of blow!....😊

[@azmax623]

I would think that the JCP was two stories and that they removed the escalators and stairs sometime along the way. It's far too cavernous to be a single floor store with 3x the backroom storage.

[@BlueJay6441]

It was always one story for shoppers but it had a second floor with offices, employees only.

[@Liberaltrash447]

It was one story. My aunt worked there over 30 years.

[@theonlyegg]

42:19 You breezed past it without saying anything about a very important topic: Shrinkage Awareness! Women need to be made aware of shrinkage, they even made a little information window for it!

[@sal]

Lmao

[@moochiecuncher1]

Please look into Cortana mall in Baton Rouge La

[@sal]

I already did an episode on this amazing mall! You’ll find it in my ExLog playlist

[@jezebelley]

Don't tell my mama!!! 😂

[@genegjr]

is this mall still open or is it closed for good and who now owns this mall and its property?

[@limoman4125]

We're is the other video from kristin I think u said??

[@sal]

Hi! Sorry, I edited my pinned comment and put a link in there. Thanks for watching!

[@Sor3e]

Hey Mazza Gallerie has Ben demolished in 2023 and they have already been building the apartments there is supposed to be concourse retail it will be done in 2025