BILL ARTHUR FRANKLIN MILLS COMMERCIAL 1991

ELECTRIC SLIDE COMMERCIAL

[@TralfazConstruction]

Love the styles in these vintage spots. When Franklin Mills opened in May of '89 it really _was_ the best which this area/region had to offer. One time my wife, daughter and I did an entire circuit of the sprawling Mills complex and it took six hours; it didn't even feel as though that much time had elapsed. We didn't even stop in each store on our stroll. Fast forward thirty-one years and the sad consensus is that malls have had it. Malls, like Neshaminy, Oxford Valley _and_ Franklin/Philadelphia Mills were once the area's de facto town squares where some of us would end up seeing more of our neighbors than right in our own neighborhoods. Times change but not always for the best.

[@ln5321]

I used to run around those circles with the TV towers in the middle while my parents shopped. I didn't realize until looking back how 90's that setup was.

[@notapplicable9207]

Man I kind of thought those were at another mall and then thought that they did not even exist. Do you have any images? They're only a vague memory for me now unfortunately.

[@ln5321]

@@notapplicable9207 I actually looked for images back when I posted that comment and couldn't find any

[@notapplicable9207]

L N Yeah me neither. I do think I saw one tower in the mall lit up for a split second in this very video tho so I’ll always have that haha. To me Franklin Mills will never be the same again unfortunately

[@ln5321]

@@notapplicable9207 Yeah, it's lost a lot of its character

[@Tornado1994]

Early 90s actually.

[@andypritchard9644]

Ben Minnotte and Oddity Archive brought me here.

[@MysteryAGMLegend]

Franklin Mills Mall was a great place, now that it’s become Philadelphia Mills Mall it’s nothing a shell of it once was. Use two big food courts with McDonalds in one, and Burger King in the other with a variety of other eateries. I remember it first opened when I was a kid, me and brother use to the gallery which was arcade entertainment area with like 2 or 3 restaurants. Outside the mall you had one of the best burger stores before McDonalds or Burger King, it was Roy Rogers which had burgers and at one time had gumbi toys for kids meals. Sometimes I wish I could close my eyes, and end up back at when this mall was great in the late 80’s or early 90’s. This place was so poplar at Christmas time they tour buses filled with people were brought in for holiday shopping. Toys r us was eventually built across the street, but before it was KB Toy Store. I still miss this place, not the bland shell it is now.

[@FreedomIsEverything1776]

I agree

[@brendan555]

Hey i least know that Roy Roger's is still a thing it's sad it declined but its alive and it has a lot of locations in pa,nj,de,va,wv, man there food is good.

[@hxbrid.sxldier]

Our mall used to be so damn cool.. but now..

[@frankwhite3942]

They had a mini amusement park and bowling at one point

[@Buckystar58]

Frank White do you remember the name?

[@spclanghorne4494]

Joseph 49th Street Galeria. It’s where Burlington Coat Factory is now. Only lasted 2 years.

[@adrianabenitez8664]

0:31 the music sounds like it's from a 90's children's cartoon theme song

[@tee-ye8mf]

Always gonna be Franklin Mills to me. Fancy new bathrooms and a cleaner image, will never change that.

[@frankfinegan9868]

Worked at Bugle Boy from the grand opening till 1992. I recall doing terrific business... for a while. Also got robbed in Sept 89; that was a shock.

[@Animatronicbear]

Where are the Mice, Bill? How were we left out of this?? Hmmmm....

[@mlarsen864]

Flour? Lol. I don’t remember ever being able to get that there.

[@aquasparx4015]

I was around this place since 2006

[@keepitstraightfrrr]

Do you remember what those things at 0:45 are?

[@keepitstraightfrrr]

@@kdg.04 Did they have like stadium things around them that you could descend into? I vaguely remember those

[@ScottParisi]

Hard to believe what it once was.

[@Philly125]

Now it's Philadelphia Mills it's a lot different from when I was a kid

[@garbo8962]

Dump is catching up to old downtown Gallery garbage mall. Owner spent a lot of money 4 years ago with nice remodeled bathrooms. At one time wad the largest tourist trap mean largest visited site in entire city. Used to have at least 10 buses parked in rear of mall. Hard to believe people paid to ride a charter bus there.

[@kintsugiforty2520]

It is not Philadelphia Mills...

[@ianpavelko3827]

Oddity Archive fans: 0:30 is what you came for.

[@Klutzo41]

I feel so nostalgic now!

[@jeffreyr5548]

They are trying to create a cleaner image, I think that's what they are going for, I still miss Ben Franklin head it used to have smoke coming out of his mouth.

[@jayo1212]

Quite frankly, I do not miss that head one bit! I never wanted to go to the mall as a kid because of it!

[@jsmaverick20]

I’m brave!

[@MysteryAGMLegend]

That head was awesome, I don’t remember smoke, but it did talk. It would tell the time, or welcome to Franklin Mills, or special going on one of the big chain stores like jc penny, or Sears.

[@zetametallic]

Sounded like it had issues with smoke coming out of it. Half expecting you to say it span round or something!😆

[@brianhebert6152]

Franklin Mills must have been much cooler back in this era

[@jeffreyr5548]

I miss the Franklin Mills version. I believe Simon's corporation owns the Mills as well as Oxford valley and Concord Mills in North Carolina.

[@tomv5988]

I think they own Neshaminy Mall which was the mall I used to go to when I was a kid. I worked there to in the early 90's for a couple of years.

[@michaelfleming8490]

And Quakerbridge Mall in Lawrenceville, NJ. THey whitewashed all these malls from their cool 90s image.

[@plawson8577]

Simon owns the Houston Galleria Mall!

[@brendan555]

Franklin mills was the mall of are generation but Philadelphia mills is not are generation.

[@donnamczesty921]

Used to have the best Santa Clause and his wife Mrs.Clause . Decorated like the downtown stores . Walking for the people who wanted to excise before store opened . Try video games for free before they went on to the markets to sell . Roller skating , bowling , so much to do . The 9ne thing that was important they didn't have , a way to communicate from one guard to another nor a loud speaker if someone was lost .

[@anthonysobieski4385]

Sad to see this old commercial. Place is a cesspool now commonly referred to as 'Filthy Mills'. Needs to be bulldozed.

[@nocturnalfolf6097]

Ah the nostalgia. I do vaguely remember those record displays in the food court.

[@MrLyosea]

I remember when I was 5 to 7 years old always wanting to get fudge and popcorn here! There was also a section with large tvs where one of the tvs was always darker and the sound was off from the rest. It's a shame this place has gotten mediocre.

[@Tornado1994]

I resided in Chesapeake,VA in '91. We had Military Circle Mall in Norfolk. This Reminds of it.

[@keepitstraightfrrr]

Are those TVs 0:45 ?

[@RonBiggans]

Was never a need for that place unless you wanted your car stolen. Grew up a few blocks from there. Just became a hangout when the buses let out. Not a bag in anyone's hand.

[@demich11]

I lived down a few streets from there .What a mess that mall became.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

Part of that mall's jingle tells us what stores are/were located there at the time (like JCPenney and Phar-Mor) in the style of some verses heard in the song "Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)."

[@PhilMante]

Who else is here from Oddity Archive?

[@keepitstraightfrrr]

What video

[@Tornado1994]

Local Commercials Vol .8

[@LemonExtras]

I love that the wife has a Philly accent

[@robynryan7473]

"The Mills, Sure(pronounced shore), your(pronounced yure) yup I heard it

[@noelleelizabeth9991]

0:44 what if we kissed in the Franklin Mills conversation pit 😳

[@nocturnalfolf6097]

Does anyone remember this one cool store that used to be in the red area of the mall back in the 90s? I thought it was The Entertainment Spot or something, it was where the Polo Ralph store is now if my memory serves me correctly.

[@CastroCartel]

Does anyone remember the baseball field in the food court?

[@michaelfleming8490]

Can you elaborate? I’m 32 years old and have this memory. I think it was in the food court and it was almost like a sunken area with steps leading down to it. It was a huge area. And there were TVs hanging all around from the ceiling of the food court area. Is that what you’re referring to? I’ve been so hell bent on figuring out this child hood memory for so long lol

[@CastroCartel]

@@michaelfleming8490 Good Sir you are absolutely right. It was a sunken area in the shape of a baseball field and the TV's were displayed on the posts. Either I'm hungry or my mind is working rather well this evening I believe it was a Chick-fil-A in that area.

[@michaelfleming8490]

CastroCartel thanks so much for confirming. I tried finding pictures of the mall from back in the mid-90s where maybe they might show this area but could never find any. I was starting to wonder if I was making it up or combining several childhood memories into one. Lol Surely this area is gone with all the other cool stuff that has been removed and turned into and un-original, whitewashed, boring, modern-day design. Lol sad really.

[@madamhummingbird]

🤣Omg this commercial is 80’s corny is the most pot of gold kind of way. Gosh I miss the 80’s ☹️

[@michaelfleming8490]

lol. Actually it’s the early 90s...and it screams it. 1990-1995 was its own little unique stretch of time and culture in America. Very nostalgic.

[@Tornado1994]

@@michaelfleming8490 You mean 1989-1993.

[@konpeitosama]

@@michaelfleming8490 It looks more like the 80s. I mean it just came out the 80s, so fashions aren’t going to be that different.

[@Darrnell10]

i grew up to this

[@Jayesway]

OMG I never thought I would find this

[@hasdbroadcast3819]

Great artwork

[@SJCMARK]

The good old days. Sad what it has become.

[@tntamusements]

is it still just like this??

[@michaelfleming16]

Are you telling me the Ben Franklin clock that talked and played music is gone? Say it ain't so!

[@LemonExtras]

What did they do with the giant head! I want answers

[@jayo1212]

Michael Fleming, yes, the hideous Ben Franklin clock is gone! And good riddance, I say! LemonExtras: Hopefully it went to a scrapyard and got crushed, mangled, and melted down beyond recognition! Damn thing could scare a horse!

[@notapplicable9207]

@@jayo1212 It may have been hideous. It may deserve to be demolished beyond recognition. It may even deserve to have no traces of it every existing. but be damned if it will not always reside in our hearts as a staple of when Franklin Mills was actually a decent, nostalgic place. I hope that it's still out there in one piece, safe, somewhere on this Earth.

[@Klutzo41]

@@jayo1212 noooo i actually liked it lol

[@netherfield2000]

This is amazing!

[@Jzs20]

Wow

[@brandadavis2958]

This commercial is hilarious!

[@xrhydraulicshydraulics3430]

Man i miss thos days back home beautiful white people good old days

[@keepitstraightfrrr]

Does anyone have info on the TV towers at 0:45 ? They hold nostalgia for me but I can’t find anything about them; I don’t even know what their purpose was.

[@salmasantos7308]

It used to be located where Skechers and Express is now. I remember I use to sit there with my mom eating ice cream.

[@keepitstraightfrrr]

@@salmasantos7308 Wow that’s brilliant. One of my oldest memories is being a small dude climbing down and looking up at the giant purple/green tower inside the mall. Do you recall if they were just for entertainment? If so, how did the sound work if there were so many screens playing at once?

[@philadelphiadashcam8596]

@@keepitstraightfrrr I remember (at least some of them) played music videos. This is going back to 2001-2002, because I distinctly remember the video for Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” playing on them often. Not too long after that, they turned them all off and then they just sat.

[@keepitstraightfrrr]

@@philadelphiadashcam8596 That’s amazing. I wish people had pictures; they just seem huge for a mall today. Having these giant structures and a hollow inside like that inside the mall.

[@zetametallic]

Who sang this song? Really excellent voice. I'd gladly buy her album if she released any.

[@anwarphilip7460]

2 LL's UPP '91 Frank MiLL$...👆🏿👆🏿

[@Eko34tj]

based

[@wyattmanhabel644]

0:31 OH

[@mst3kanita]

😹💚

[@emanuscriptgraphics]

DEAD!!!! LOLLLLLLLLLLL