Notorious ABANDONED Mall Closed For 2 Years

[@BrightSunFilms]

If you want to support what I do, consider checking out my Patreon page! - www.patreon.com/BrightSunFilms

[@nickm7209]

You dont need to say oh my God every 2 minutes.

[@jzabady1]

Brilliantly photographed and edited.

[@leslyemorgan6893]

can you do a video on Gwinnett Place Mall in Georgia?

[@kthebrat5490]

This is so crazy that your in this town.

[@BrightSunFilms]

@@nickm7209 Probably not, but that's my authentic reaction

[@thefrogwizard]

Those black "cobwebs" you saw aren't actually cobwebs-those are soot tags!! No spiders involved, it's strings of carbon that appear in low circulation areas after a fire. They can develop from a fire as small as a candle, and they're extremely difficult to clean up.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Wooooah really??

[@SharkShampoo]

Thanks for answering the question in my head lol

[@rayspooner1982]

TY

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

The homes of soot sprites 😂

[@ferociousgumby]

Thank you for answering my question. It looks like something out of a horror movie! I wondered if it was meant to be a Halloween display. It couldn't have been cobwebs. So there was a fire in that place? Scary thought, with all the flammable stuff in there.

[@missribbon]

Just imagine the schools, shelters, community services that could have used those medical supplies & vitamins before they expired 😢 and those books! The good they could have done. It’s all very apocalyptic in there.

[@nickl5658]

You cannot donate expired vitamins or medical supplies. If anyone gets sick, they can sue and win easily. Legally it would be best to destroy them.

[@Markaylaa0]

Something about abandoned malls are super apocalyptic

[@SoulDevoured]

If you flood the market with free stuff then people won't buy stuff because they already have it. ... To be slightly more charitable you do need to pay something to remove that stuff and then ship it somewhere and that can be a big ask when you're already bankrupt. It's the economic system that is wrong in the end.

[@pandoro420]

I think if a store or mall is abandoned people should be able to take the stuff left behind its stupid they just leave it there

[@missribbon]

@@pandoro420 I fully concur

[@KevinFields777]

Sad to say, the scrappers are doing the community a bigger service than what the owners or government are going to end up doing.

[@MrTVintro]

This. Too many properties just completely rot away when if someone had come along early on a lot of materials could have been reused.

[@cagneybillingsley2165]

it always makes me feel a sense of waste when i see these abandoned locations with tons of left over merchandise just sitting there. at least get some people to auction those off or sell them on ebay or something. people could use those things

[@joenwc]

Scrapping without permission is stealing, and dangerous, they are doing no one a service other than themselves.

[@MDestron2282]

@joenwc Depends on your state, county, city, jurisdiction etc.... and they're stealing from who exactly? They're taking abandoned materials and having them recycled. Whatever their intentions may be for the money they make off the scrap doesn't matter to me. No one else is claiming the scrap. It would otherwise just turn into more trash and pollution. If they're not peeling catalytic converters then more power to them. There was a homeless guy that would come around my neighborhood every recycling day and dig through everyone's trash cans and I had no problem with him at all. He cleaned up after himself and he was probably getting enough empty beers from my bin that he could afford lunch. As far as I'm concerned he was doing the neighborhood a service and I was glad he found enough aluminum to get by.

[@joenwc]

They are stealing from whomever currently owns the building. If you take someones property without permission its stealing, period. A homeless man getting money for food from the recycling bins is a lot different, that is put out to the street, not locked up and unguarded.@@MDestron2282

[@NightFoxx]

I used to live near this mall. I grew up going here every year around Christmas. Haven’t been to the mall since the early 2000s and it was already showing signs of wear then. It’s sad to see how crazy it looks now. First time one of these videos hit home for me. It’s both highly fascinating and devastating at the same time.

[@Magicalblue6]

Nightfoxx no way

[@martypatric1101]

Hallo Night foxx, read your story about this nice shopping mall which is closed now and fall into decay.😆 What is the address of this big mall, city and USA State ? From the video I cant make out where this mall stands.😇 I am usually went into the Orlando , Miami and Fort lauderdale cities in the Florida state. 😄 Watching from Paramaribo in Suriname. mr. Marty 😃😍

[@dr9299]

where is this mall?

[@lg403]

This is very sad 😢 i am from europe (Germany) and we don‘t really this abundance of malls. How do demographics change so fast? It seems like america has a big problem with this. Do people move away because of the Job opportunities? I just can‘t understand where have all those people gone? 😅

[@lg403]

This wouldn‘t be legal at all in Germany, because of all those hazards. Government would tear it down immediately

[@FalseCast]

I am always surprised by how much these businesses leave behind. For example, the pizza ovens in the food court, those cost tens of thousands of dollars.

[@Revkor]

you figure that try to recoup some losses

[@victorkreig6089]

That's because they're too hard to sell. Do you know how often companies have to replace their pizza ovens? Once every 15-20 years IF THAT

[@arsenal-slr9552]

Dibs

[@SoulDevoured]

​@@victorkreig6089my work has pizza ovens from the 1990s. But they are in terrible condition due to a lack of skilled maintenance (funny enough kids just out of highschool making minimum wage don't have the skill or incentive to take care of things.) But considering that it's remarkable they're still running at all.

[@marcr1333]

⁠@@victorkreig6089Not the last few years. Can sell them for more than what they originally paid for them brand new. Source- family owns a few hundred restaurants.

[@Wnick1996]

The rate of decay on this mall is so unreal for only two years after it closed. And it's so surreal to be around scappers while exploring this mall. Just goes to show you the decline of American retail

[@JulieCaptivatedinFl]

So true about retail decline! With Amazon, Walmart, insta cart delivering, I haven't had to go "shopping" in 2 years. The days of browsing, impulse buying and brick/mortar stores are rapidly changing.

[@radar_the_fox]

wait until you see c3

[@Novusod]

The mall closed in June 2020 so that was closer three 3 years ago than two. Most of the mall had been abandoned long before the final close date. I hope the mall doesn't get demolished as it has good potential to become the next Rolling Acres or Dixie Square.

[@nickpatrick1636]

​@@Novusod it will get demolished

[@radar_the_fox]

@@Novusod same with c3, its already leaking in many places

[@NGMonocrom]

Honestly the worst part for me was seeing all of the abandoned books.

[@ReenyJW]

Yes. The books made me so sad too.

[@AliusScitmelius]

What will happen the books which are sold to customers - they read them and then throw to recycling. It might be better that those abandoned books send to recycling when they are still dry.

[@NGMonocrom]

@@AliusScitmelius Honestly, not completely true. I buy books, I keep them! Have a large, personal library covering a wide variety of topics. Likely thousands of books at this point. In the extremely rare event I don't like a book enough to get rid of it, I'll donate it to charity. Best way to recycle books.

[@mitkitty]

Yeah, i wish there was some way to get all the nondamaged books and distribute them to people. Its just depressing that nonprofit couldn't move them out

[@georginatoland]

As a former bookstore employee, seeing abandoned books HURTS.

[@EricLinstone]

Glad you guys were wearing your respirators. I always worry about all the toxic mold and junk you come in contact with in these abandoned buildings. Want you to keep making videos well into your old age!

[@jamescook9661]

I'd be sick with allergies for days if I even set foot in there

[@SerenitynPeace]

Exactly! Toxic mold

[@Americandragonrider333.]

Gods gift to people is better than any respirator or vaccinations or medications! That gift is our Natural immune system! God is better than anything we could make!

[@swumbles]

the sound design on this was phenomenal. the intro fading into an ominous, dark tone with a sudden cut to a shadowy corridor? chillingly perfect. 10/10

[@krisstopher8259]

i agree

[@gunnymaru2900]

It actually gave me some serious creative writing ideas. This video is top notch in all aspects

[@msgrl4254]

If anyone is interested in seeing this mall when it was open, Dan Bell has a video of it, The Pines Mall in Pine Bluff Arkansas.

[@JustAnkie]

Crazy how so much stuff got left behind. Clothes, medicines, books, toys and stuff just all gone to waste. Imagining how alive the place used to be while seeing it now is quite fascinating. Great filmwork, definitely really enjoyed this one. :)

[@BrightSunFilms]

I was so chocked. Thank so much though!

[@Keiji555]

Can you imagine just walking in there with several truckfulls of stuff, and then opening up a cheap pawn shop, just focused on selling all of that?

[@martinedwards4522]

fascinating yes but very sad and even depressing

[@wedo-products4656]

@@BrightSunFilmscheck out metro center mall in Jackson, MS. You won’t be disappointed with the story behind it lol

[@mrbob8618]

Man you should've been loading that s*** up in a f****** semi. You wanna rent one I got 1 for you?

[@fearisthemindkiller387]

This feels like peering into the world after mankind is gone.

[@TriumphantPenguin2]

Urbex does feel like the natural successor to History's Life After People....

[@bextar6365]

The Ebony plague is spreading like wild fire !

[@Amaleen6]

YES! That's a really good way to put it.

[@RussXDX]

@@bextar6365what’s that supposed to mean 😭

[@bextar6365]

@S.G. Former Black mold ..

[@sephirosu]

There is something hauntingly beautiful about this mall, as intact as it is. The abandoned plants reaching in vain towards distant sunlight is especially poignant.

[@Olsenator]

Me and my friends would skateboard in places like this. Not tagging or anything. Just doing flip tricks and whatnot through abandoned dilapidated buildings. So fun. They were always torn down within a few years. At least we got some enjoyment out of them before they were gone

[@mas5867]

​ @Flappajacka Thanks to you and people like you, you helped speed their demise. You don't think they are liability traps for the owners.

[@Olsenator]

@@mas5867 Using a dilapidated abandoned space helped it die? that’s actually hilarious. It’s been abandoned for 20 years. Holes in the ceilings all the windows gone lol. Drug addicts in the corners. And you blame someone….. exercising? There’s a good book called common sense. Been around for two hundred years. You should check it out.

[@michaelgrabianowski6567]

My first thought was why doesn't someone rescue those plants? Some of them still look viable. Even fake plants can fetch a nice price.

[@sew_gal7340]

Let's make a group to come out and clear this place

[@darrelsam419]

Seeing Shrek, Five Nights at Freddy merch, and Sonic the Hedgehog movie in a mall that looks like it's been abandoned for a long time feels so surreal. And agreed, all those books that are mostly still in good condition is such a waste. It's really sad to see everything decaying around them.

[@Negative--10-90]

To be fair, as of the time of this comment 412,000 people saw that sign that promised to be viewed every 10 seconds. That's a win in advertising!

[@KannikCat]

Wow, fascinating. Even the most recent sections of the mall look way worse than I would've thought for only 3-4 years of decay... lack of roof maintenance and holes in your building envelope will absolutely get you in the end. Also amazed at all that left behind storage/books/clothes/candy, and the box labelled "Baby Gripe Water." Gripe? :P Lots of great imagery in this one, thanks Jake!

[@MyFriendlyPup]

I grew up near this mall. Went all the time. Recently I'm staying at home in bed thanks to the cv19shot. Hard to live this way but youtube helps a lot. Seeing places I've been and all that

[@openohm]

Gripe is Spanish for A Cold, like you are sick with a cold (Gripe) pronounced greepeh...

[@wcares8062]

Mine too

[@Sierraomega1991]

Gripe water is used for coeliac

[@KannikCat]

@Jean Murray Well, now I feel silly for not Googling it... I was so sure it was a funny typo! (sharpie-o?) But if it stops babies from griping, then it's exactly as it says on the box. :D

[@lcr8962]

Like a lot of people have pointed out, this entire mall is just sad. For being abandoned for less than 3 years it looks way worse than I expected. Yet there also isnt a lot of graffiti, and clothes are still on racks, which I've never seen in a mall before. So much stuff gone to waste. I really wonder what will happen to this property as time goes on. Also, spectacular work on the actual video. This is probably the best edited exploration I've seen on the channel. The intro with the music transitioning to the empty mall and the close up shots all really set the tone. Amazing work

[@judgedrekk2981]

you shoulda been there when it was open, lots of clothes on racks LMAO!! sorry, couldn't resist.... the crime is premature closure, the penalty scrapping.....lolz 🤡🌍

[@kellychuang8373]

Yes along with other malls and businesses these days looking worse for ware and COVID-19 along with inflation, war and shortages hitting them hard too.

[@lorddrayvon1426]

I'd say they'll demolish it but the city's gone downhill so they've got bigger issues. Glad I don't live in America and never will. That country's economy is one of extremes. It's either at its peak or it's the Great Depression all over again. You're either doing well or you're living in a right shithole.

[@jupieterr]

I don't see many people talking about this, but your editing and general photography has gotten even better! Been watching you for almost 7 years now, great to see improvement!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much that means a lot.

[@cowboyhank456]

I agree, it sneakily creeps up you in these unassuming videos, but these edits are getting ever more professional

[@kimberlyphifer2391]

Came here to say that too!

[@kapatidtomas]

It's just so crazy on how much decay can happen in just a span of 3 years in the mall. 2020 was not long ago and I very much remember it yet it has been 3 years.

[@juliusfucik4011]

If you do not heat a building and keep out moisture, stuff gets broken, dusty, dirty and moldy real quick.

[@logsupermulti3921]

If all humans just disappeared tomorrow, in 200 years almost all the damage we've done to the climate would be undone, and in 1000 years almost nothing would be left to actually indicate we'd ever existed. Some piles of metal where cities once stood, plastics in the geological record, and some megastrcutures like the Great Wall, the Pyramids, and Hoover Dam.

[@Revkor]

@@juliusfucik4011 and the fact a fire was there compromised the building

[@andynieuwenhuis7833]

The Discovery Channel had some shows on Called Earth WITHOUT People. It was Very Interesting to watch. One the shows was EXACTLY like this video.

[@jannejohansson3383]

Logsupermulti If people's just left or gone, many nuclear plant's melt some point when pumps broke or something else happens. That mess cannot undone just like that.

[@gulfcoastsunset5879]

OKAY, can we all just take a moment to appreciate the absolute ingenious intro - the retro cheery song choice seamlessly drifting into a chilling dark sound effect at :35 seriously...INSANE editing skills!! 💯

[@Katreyn_]

Its always sad to see how much stuff just ends up left behind when a store is forced to close with little time to move products. I've worked in a couple defunct bookstores and even donating is hard with large amounts of stock. Always depressing to see tons of books go to waste though.

[@christi776]

Yes all those books sitting there not being read hurt my book loving heart 😔

[@williamharris8367]

I was partially responsible for disposing of my Grandfather's estate. There were many boxes of books, even after a local dealer bought what was salable. More than one local charity refused to take the remainder even as a donation. It is not easy to find a home for a very large quantity of books.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

​@@williamharris8367 This makes me a feel a little better about another comment I made about wanting to bring home a few of those books, lol. The ones in the boxes were in new condition (at least, they seemed to be). Something my library often does though is hold weekend-long sales for books at a discount, and bring out food trucks and have games and stuff. I've wanted to go but they always fall either on a week I don't get paid, or a week where my mom also works the weekend and I don't want to go alone 😅. But I think that's a cool way to make an event out of it and still get rid of the books...so long as getting the food trucks doesn't cost too much (I'm sure they're local trucks, just hired to be at the event). Maybe the owner of these books could do something similar.

[@grieferoncamera4600]

At least these are just copies of books, which you can find online anyway

[@AliusScitmelius]

@@christi776 The books are still paint on the paper. Why so many copies of the books are originally made - made direct to waste. It is normal that unsold books and magazines are shredded and recycled. Because it is not visible nobody can imagine how much of books and magazines are sent back to publishers for recycling after display short period in shops.

[@HawkbitAlpha]

Jake and I aren't the only ones who found the locked claw game at 16:05 utterly hilarious, are we? Like, out of all the chaos in the entire complex, *that's* the one thing the government decided they would crack down on?

[@judgedrekk2981]

corruption at it's finest eh? the crime is corruption, the penalty is 1 year in the iso cubes!

[@thetay24]

Fun fact: Claw machines (and similar games) are considered “games of chance” so they’re regulated by gambling laws. So naturally the government has to make sure there isn’t *any* illegal gambling going on. Anytime. Anywhere. Ever. Specifically in arcades. /s

[@colinklang]

I got a pretty good chuckle as well. There's just all kinds of oddities in this place.

[@Emira_75]

​@@judgedrekk2981 no, all I got from this is; DONT FCK WITH THE TAX MAN

[@josepherhardt164]

It's Arkansas. :( And, as far as claw machines go, most are algorithm-rigged for payout akin to slot machines and are NOT games of skill.

[@SolaireHighwind]

I appreciate that you specified that the other people in the mall meant no harm; I feel like a lot of videos of people urban exploring are like, "OoOoO spooky!!" when they notice other people present, when the people in there are most likely just people, often homeless people who are staying where they can find shelter, and even if it's not the intent, it can be rather dehumanizing.

[@t.h.337]

Thank you for this comment.

[@GigaSigmaChadOmega]

sometimes it’s just homeless people, but most of the time it’s demons and/or ghosts in abandoned buildings.

[@francoamerican4632]

Demons and ghosts have better things to do than hang out in abandoned shopping malls.

[@ibramblebush]

I always shed a little tear whenever I see a closed movie theater.

[@rickvaiBBB]

I wasn't expecting to feel sad watching this but at one point I realized that so many people lost their jobs and businesses and no doubt a part of themselves along with their hopes and dreams. What did surprise me was that there was so much merchandise still laying around that hadn't been taken by looters, kids etc. Seeing all of the books was also pretty sad. Super good video and you have a new fan.

[@UMAKEMESMILESWACKIN]

meanwile malls are booming in Asia

[@AquarianNomadic]

Seeing my 80s childhood in utter ruins is terrible. We had movies back then that portrayed these scenes as the end of the world. In 2023 those scenes are a reality!

[@Felale]

It is the end of the world 🔥

[@AquarianNomadic]

@@Felale I laughed at my wacked out new world order friends in 1993 that predicted this downfall. Haaaaahaha ha ha...ha....... 2023.

[@Felale]

@@AquarianNomadic And now we have banks collapsing like '08

[@AquarianNomadic]

@@Felale They'll return in digital currency format once they successfully eliminate physical currency. Watching cash vanish to the debit card was surreal. Either way paying with plastic is so normal now and the other purchases are digital, I'm not really missing wads of cash. I am missing anonymity.

[@MrJestyler]

What mall was this?

[@minmi7524]

I grew up in the state that this mall is located in and I wouldn't say that it's uncommon for such rapid decay to occur. The area the mall is located in is incredibly wet (they grow a huge amount rice in the southern portion of my state if that tells you anything) and the state itself is pretty humid almost year round. The southern half of my state is much more damp than the northern so you'll find more natural preservation the further north you go. Knowing where it is, I'm genuinely amazed that scrappers are only just now getting to this building two years later; I would have expected them to be there almost instantly and the place to have been stripped clean by the time you got there.

[@HawkbitAlpha]

Can confirm at least part of that as a Mississippian who's traveled Arkansas Highway 65 numerous times on family trips. From Lake Village to the Pine Bluff area, you better be prepared to see nothing but endless farm land!

[@aniseeubanks9686]

After the army facility and paper mill closed the town hasn't been same. Know the mall started declining about 5 years after opening. It was sold not long after, first of many sales. Know the town even downgraded from urban to rural status about 2000.

[@SandiByrd]

Why do abandoned malls make me so sad? I mean - it's not even OLD and I felt emotional seeing everything all broken on the floor.

[@ElimGarakSpoonHead]

Waste. Wasted potential. Wasted dreams. Wasted energy. Wasted products. Wasted food. It makes normal people feel shame and sadness. It’s sad to see such waste especially with so many going without.

[@SandiByrd]

@@ElimGarakSpoonHead I think you hit the nail on the head my friend.

[@shaggyduder]

Because for some of us, it reminds them of a country that is slowing disappearing. When I was in my teens, the mall was the place to be, we spent our weekends their, it was a meeting, gathering spot, for us, it's hard to watch your childhood memories just collapsing and fading away.

[@mfuji02]

BC IT'S SAD. MALLS WERE FUN TO HANG OUT SHOP EAT WATCH MOVIES PLAY ARCADE GAMES ECT....

[@ahfcross]

Did you grow up spending time in them? I know I did- it was such a fun time going with friends.

[@victoradriaenssens6955]

I don't know if anyone else ever gets this feeling but when I watch your video, I feel extremely tempted to go outside and start exploring new places. I seriously love what you do man!

[@MaskedViolinist07]

The books really struck me-words, plots, and characters written by authors who never knew their conjurings would lie abandoned in heaps, unread and spines unbent. Gives me chills.

[@blackbeltjones2903]

Cringe.

[@fruit4evr]

Reminds me of the Vorhees Town Center, the old Adventureland Store (nerd collectible place, it was nice) was long gone but they kept up some fan art some kid made of Hitmonchan the pokémon. rly sad

[@poppinc8145]

It was a damn charity book store. Those books were already destined for the dump before the charity rescued them but they still didn't move off the shelves nor did anyone offer to take it off their hands when they closed.

[@wokewokerman5280]

...I was thinking the exact same thing....

[@XHUIZU]

​@@blackbeltjones2903got nothing better macho?

[@RetroPC]

A dark reminder but just how wasteful our society is... Great video as always. Thank you!

[@BrightSunFilms]

So true

[@annother3350]

I'm not wasteful - they are

[@dillon1012]

there had to be 100k in stuff in there

[@DieselRamcharger]

lmao. you are society.

[@DieselRamcharger]

@@dillon1012 and it would have cost how much to move it, store it and try to sell it at a loss? the signs even said free, take it. and no one did. you liberals are so god damned stupid.

[@sumerlawrence]

I'm actually surprised there's so much stuff left in the mall. I'd figure people would have taken it. Its sad how much waste there is.

[@ivanrlynn]

Been the same way from before we could even think about it

[@JStorm13]

Especially that terminator game

[@arthurdurbin370]

other than the scrap most of the stuff left there is worthless junk that anyone breaking into a mall isnt going to waste their time with when metal(copper usually) is worth a good deal more and much easier to convert to cash.

[@AliusScitmelius]

In the normal operation shops send that unsold stock back to warehouse. Think how small amount of all the stuff those boxes are - only a few truck loads compared those truck loads which are driven daily to normal shopping center.

[@VegasInsight]

Yeah, I look at the books and clothing and figure that it's not easy to haul it out and away, it's free money for the many, many people who resell crap online. Not huge money, but man, lots of stuff could be hauled out of there in an hour and net hundreds of dollars after the fact. Not easy money, but decent money with a little time investment.

[@sebastiengiboulot7848]

I agree with the scrappers. Better to try and recycle what can be than to let it rot.

[@soundguydon]

Yup.. I've seen so many of these "Urban Exploration" type videos, and I always think the same thing: "What a damn waste!" If the property is utterly abandoned, I don't see any moral problem with taking things to reuse / recycle / sell. All those books, store furniture, etc etc will just rot and end up in a land fill.. I'm with the scrappers as well. The government really needs to start fining owners that leave all that perfectly usable stuff behind.

[@jadedheartsz]

@@soundguydon yeah if that were me I would've taken some of those books

[@m80116]

Actually the only sensible and environmental friendly "entity" in the entire lot. I think it's reasonable to use the logic first come first served.

[@colinklang]

Except that it doesn't belong to you. The mall is still owned by someone. Also, scrapping just accelerates the decay of the building. Really, it's just profitable vandalism.

[@roykale9141]

Im ok with scrappers but not the thrashers

[@ShadowGirlyz]

You always make me CRY watching these. Malls were so fun when I was little. I'm 28 now, I feel like we were the last generation where malls were the place to hang out.

[@JackieOlantern]

Abandoned malls really hit me hard because I spent my childhood in malls and even when I had my kids in the late 90s and early 2000s we still went to the mall. It makes me want to cry. 😩

[@UMAKEMESMILESWACKIN]

meanwile malls are booming in Asia

[@mickswagger6086]

Hi

[@stevesmith756]

We are all the problem ordering of Amazon day and night

[@marcussmith4913]

ya it is very sad. I am now coming to terms though that I will never be able to go back to the 80s. The futures so dark I have to take my shades off now.

[@jadencc22]

@@stevesmith756❤

[@jettozahoku]

I love the mood scores used in this. Really added to the atmosphere. Great work as always. Really makes you feel for the place.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much! So glad to hear it

[@jadedheartsz]

@@BrightSunFilms yeah I felt like I was watching a playthrough of The Last of Us in this vid.

[@JeremysRetailExploration]

You did an absolute fantastic job on this video! This mall is so crazy with all that unsold merchandise in the old mall concourses and in the abandoned storefronts, to the fire that occurred within the mall stores. That is so surreal that the Dillard's sign is still in working condition. If I didn't know I would think this mall has been closed for over a decade, but it's been only closed for 4 years! The hotel on the property is also very strange, imagine staying there and getting a room that just looks out onto a decaying mall.

[@timpritts1499]

That crazy Asian woman that owns the mall probably set the fire to collect on insurance!

[@brettkelly5671]

I’ve explored this mall a couple of times after the fire and it remains one of the best urban exploring sites out there! Very indicative of where Pine Bluff AR is heading as a whole.

[@Estellars]

Surreal to finally see an abandoned place in my state, in the most notorious town no less. It's astonishing to see how fast it has fallen into disrepair.

[@sarabara617]

I live in Arkansas & I never knew this existed. So crazy! So much left behind & wasted. You did an excellent job, Jake!

[@alisonbrewer8073]

What city is this mall located

[@Bubblun1]

@@alisonbrewer8073 Pine Bluff

[@RunningGeekGirl]

Same! I remember hearing about the lawsuits, but nothing about the property. Wow!

[@kstar365]

Same! I saw Fox 16 and said “wait a minute…that’s Arkansas”. Jake did a great job covering this.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

@@Bubblun1 What a surprise..

[@CnekYT]

I saw Dan Bell's video back in 2020, it's crazy how much this mall has been attacked by nature and vandals since then

[@kentreed2011]

I would definitely go there and scavenge some stuff, no point in letting things go to waste.

[@opo3628]

@@kentreed2011 - Fair warning: even though the products still in that place have been abandoned to collect dust and rot, taking them is still considered looting and theft in the eyes of the law.

[@francoamerican4632]

Don't get caught.

[@KGero478]

I can still imagine the laughter of children, the chatter of diners, and the judging remarks of movie-goers feeling like ghosts to those who worked and shopped there. It's haunting.

[@UMAKEMESMILESWACKIN]

meanwile malls are booming in Asia

[@rolfathan]

I was once lucky enough to find a theater abandoned in the 90s so they still had physical film instead of hard drives. The trailers were all still there. The Flintstones movie from 1994 was still there. They finally tore the place down in 2013 if I recall correctly.

[@kapatidtomas]

Not gonna lie, the song that started playing in the start in the opening (the new seekers' rendition of I'd like to teach the world to sing) got me hooked onto it until now. And it made me feel nostalgic and left me in awe lowkey. Thank you Bright Sun Films for having an amazing taste in music and for reintroducing me to that song again. And I'm really having fun with that song. I know that someone mentioned this already, but I gotta say, your editing has really improved since 8 years then and that song in the start proves it.

[@Yukendoit]

I use to be a projectionist and I was there for the transition from film to digital. One thing about those hard drives that you found is that yes that is the film. However the studio sends out digital keys about 2 or 3 days before the premiere of the movie to check that the "digital print" of the film is not corrupted but those digital keys have a time limit and every two weeks, depending on the popularity of the movie they send out new keys. Until the movie finishes its run and you send the hard drive back to the studio.

[@thomasbodoczy895]

so those hard drives he was holding in this video are basically paper weights? i was wondering why no one had stolen them and tried to sell them.

[@Boxing_JD]

I was a projectionist at that time as well. I lasted a week into full digital. I found it really sad so I moved on to a new job. I miss threading projectors!

[@terminalblue]

Some person who worked there back in the day has had their now-defunct email hammered by hundreds of emails from Deluxe asking for their CRU of Sonic 2020 back in the last few hours.

[@terminalblue]

@@thomasbodoczy895 I mean, they're just hard drives. You can always wipe the encrypted DCP film off of them and use them for whatever. They tend to be sub-terabyte drives but they're actually fairly well made for the most part and can take a beating. But yeah, the actual film on them needs a decryption key that is unique to the version of the DCP film combined with the serial number of the cinema's media server so it's useless without that.

[@MeiinUK]

That is so impressive, to be honest. Cos frankly, some studios in the UK probably still ran the old style of reels of films... I've seen that too. This is why the "old movies in the park" via a projector is kind of making its way back. But of course, nobody does that or goes there and do that any more. Why? Cos they can't find the people, and the internet has been filtered so much that, nobody gets their own local adverts any more. So nobody knows what is going on either. Nobody wins really.

[@deniseshephard3347]

What breaks my heart is all those things left behind could of gone to the less fortunate Thank you gentlemen for reminding us about what can happen to those things left

[@Uufda651]

Part of me hopes the scrappers grab the books and donate them

[@cameraboy07]

​@@Uufda651 agreed!

[@andynieuwenhuis7833]

Some one should go in to recycle All the paper.

[@GummyDinosaursify]

As a Librarian, it makes me sad to see all those new books, some of them by popular authors. They could have been donated to Libraries, Schools, Resale Shops, Prisons, etc. But now they're just going to sit and mold and eventually be tossed out.

[@SparklRebel]

That’s what I was thinking!!!

[@ranisrikumar5735]

Absolutely! No excuse sufficient for abandoning books , that too unused😢

[@Layingflat]

That’s just madness having more shopping malls than people to shop. Very enjoyable video, thank you 🙏

[@HappyHippieHolly]

The way nature is creeping in, slowly taking over the food court is awesome!

[@shaggyduder]

When structures loose their climate control permanently, it's only a matter of time before it starts to decay.

[@IaconDawnshire]

I love seeing derelict, abandoned malls. The spookiness

[@judgedrekk2981]

once you've been to Super duper mart on meds day well this is nothing....those scrappers weren't armed so they weren't raiders and there was no robot to reprogram....on the other hand I've played fallout way too much lol

[@jeffreyriley8742]

I've always loved malls. Seeing abandoned ones makes me kind of sad.

[@hugocohdavid]

Great videos. They just keep getting better for every year. Crazy to see how much merchandise is left behind. Incredible how little value just stuff has to us in today's consumerist society. Imagine that that stuff got produced, shipped, all for nothing

[@wandtpag]

It always amazes me how fast deterioration sets in... clearly those buildings weren't meant to be built to last... when I think of castles here in europe, a lot of them still stand seemingly unwithered (ofc they need maintenance as well)... several of them being hundreds of years old.

[@streamtrollmike5348]

They were built with the expectation that they be maintained and have owners that cared.

[@colinklang]

Think of the maintenance you do on your home and multiply it by 100. There's a reason why at least one full-time maintenance job exists for large facilities. Add in a fire and scrappers. It doesn't take long, especially when water starts to get in.

[@eily_b]

Most American structures are weak. Made of plywood and plaster. They only last with high maintenance.

[@hannahp1108]

This feels like astonishingly fast deterioration compared to a lot of other abandoned malls I've seen, wow. Also I just realized I've seen a lot of abandoned malls which is...an odd feeling

[@ShomarFindsFun]

I loved this mall. Grew up here...got a first kiss here...went to see movies with my friends here...wow. It's so sad to see it in this condition

[@solar_bionic115]

2:54 if I hear a piano playing in an abandoned mall I am immediately getting out of there, whatever in there is not worth getting stuck in a horror movie. On another note, hundreds of books, expired drugs, and a few projector fit movies just left there? With the crime rates in that area you'd think there'd be alot less in that place.

[@ph03nixflame]

You really freakin' sold this one. G DANG. And everything before was already so good. Top notch stuff.

[@faithsthompson]

Jake, I've been watching your videos since maybe 2016-2017. You never fail to amaze me with the amount of effort that go into your videos. It makes my day when I see that you posted. Keep up the incredible work

[@tiramika]

i hope people get in there and take all the still-salvageable stuff. the clothes, the books and toys, all of it. so much has just been left to rot, it pisses me off.

[@clintmatthews3500]

Probably already too late for pretty much all of it.

[@deanfaulkner2262]

See, this is what I love about abandoned/apocalyptic stuff. The first 30 seconds of this video of mall footage with jolly, happy music, then cuts to that dark image at 00:36 then the scary ominous music, that transition is amazing, the dark stores in the background that you can’t see in to but if something is lurking there, it can see you….just sends chills down my spine.

[@arri275555]

I was a projectionist in 02 and Christie projectors are still a staple. I am surprised they didn't take the speakers because you can't order them for home use and those ones are roughly around 15 to 20k each for that small auditorium. I also understand the working prints are now on a HDD/ SSD. When I was a projectionists we got are prints on 35mm. Miss those days. Good times

[@cowboyhank456]

I was going to say, anything in a theater is going to be of very high quality; from the audio equipment to the films themselves. I'd be all over that stuff even if I didn't know how it worked

[@MeiinUK]

Christie as in the auction house ??

[@arri275555]

@@MeiinUK No, a different company

[@MeiinUK]

@@arri275555 : Christies' is also a charity-cancer hospital as well...

[@kedroncreek1090]

I worked at the theatre shown in the video about a decade ago as a concessionist, and today work in another theatre thats MUCH bigger as a maintenance technician. I sometimes get to tinker with the projectors - these days our older projectors get films in on a USB drive, while the two that were replaced recently literally stream the film over WiFi. Nothing physical actually happens with some, and we're slated to get the last ten projectors upgraded to completely digital within the next two years.

[@michaelaurban4120]

It makes me sad, this used to be a thriving place . . . and then it died . . . I feel dirty watching this! I remember the early 00’s when malls started to seem more and more outdated, and theaters closed, and I wish I had appreciated it so much more than I did! I really took it all for granted, and just assumed it would always be there! So many of these places are gone, and so much died with them! Life is never going to be the same, will it?!?!

[@chaoscarl8414]

I guess many of us took it for granted. There's a mall where I grew up that's all but dead now. I've been thinking about going back there one last time to see the place I spend my childhood, but... Well... I just know I'm going to leave sad and depressed, so why bother? There's a mall close to where I live now that's heading in the same direction. Water leaking from the roof whenever it rains and a frightening turnover of stores. I sometimes wonder just how long it's going to survive? It's crazy to think about just how short a time span modern malls have been with us. And now they seem like a hopelessly outdated idea.

[@Montoya2005]

Grow up Michael, not every business survives and if you get emotional maybe the internet isn’t for you. Switch it off and go play outside.

[@michaelaurban4120]

@@Montoya2005 the name is Michaela and I’m allowed to be sentimental. If you don’t like it 👉🏻 go be a dick somewhere else.

[@Montoya2005]

@@michaelaurban4120 grow up

[@lacee7494]

@@Montoya2005 yes, businesses close and times change but it is perfectly NORMAL to miss the way things used to be. What are you 12 years old??? Just wait.

[@kathleenkennedy8015]

21:59 Top Gun: Maverick poster? Honestly thats the last thing I expected to see when watching this but that does fit the time !of closing in 2020. Another great video!

[@sarahpaynter3331]

I worked in retail for many years, and every time you folks explore a big anchor store and it only closed a few years prior but looks horrible, it really drives home the fact that these stores were in bad shape for many years even while they were open. The mall I worked at was opened in 1960 and is still miraculously extremely busy and modernized today, but MAN THE CEILINGS. Leaks EVERYWHERE. It’s honestly bonkers how bad it is and then the second it isn’t populated, it just goes to shit immediately.

[@wolfy1987]

Flat roofs. they build flat roofs in every climate now that everything is so standardized. However they're a bad choice for snowy and even just rainy humid climates. I worked at a grocery store for years, and in the entire time I worked there the roof always leaked. Same with a high school I attended and several other local stores. Often they would repeatedly repair the roof only for it to leak again soon after. Several houses were originally built with flat roofs, only to add a peaked roof later

[@Nannerchan]

It is so sad to see the state of malls, nowadays. I came from the generation of high schoolers that lived I the mall. My life was centered on it.

[@RetroGaming-gp2ef]

Such a shame shopping malls are starting to fade away. I loved shopping malls in the 90s

[@reneastle8447]

The Retro Decade Revival Project is gonna turn the tables around.

[@adis.g6569]

only in murica, Asian malls? thriving

[@mfuji02]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJ6xopx7hrede68

[@opo3628]

@@reneastle8447 - Sure it will. Sure. 🙄

[@reneastle8447]

@@opo3628 You might be rolling your eyes for now, but one day, your eyes will pop out with surprise when the retro malls have reopened to the public.

[@nonconnahordeath]

Having seen Dan's video and comparing it to what this mall looks like now is...really surreal.

[@ReadySethGo217]

my dad, who grew up around this area, purchased his wedding suit from the jcpenney's here in the early 2000s. i never visited it myself, but it's unfortunate to see what's become of this place. we watched this together recently and he rememebers pretty much everything.

[@arkdov]

It's incredible to come across such waste. There are tons of unused and unopened items all gone to waste for the sake of money. Thanks for sharing your videos! Keep up your great work! :)

[@jayhaapala6026]

The fact that you don't have a show on Netflix yet... another masterpiece.

[@WastdTrashPanda]

This is my hometown mall. My grandma used to take me there every day in the 90s when Walmart was still there (JCPenney's had pokemon on a Game Boy Pocket as a demo station), my grandpa would sit with his old timer friends and drink coffee at the Walmart cafe. Early in my kids lives I took them to play on that fish a few times. These days I drive by it several times a day while working. Last time I was in there was 2019 to get some discount stuff from JCPenney. It's sad to see it this way, but it was a slow progression after Walmart left. It's crazy how much has changed since the height of the place back around 2002 or so.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Do you happen to remember a firm date of when that Walmart closed?

[@WastdTrashPanda]

@@BrightSunFilms an actual firm date, no, however it was the first half of 2004 for sure. Both of the Walmarts in town closed at the same time when the current Supercenter opened. BUT that Walmart was used as some sort of town police station for several years afterwards, maybe even as late as 2010-2012.

[@fistfulofgoldwing]

The use of music and ambient effects is particularly good in this one!!! You really just get better and better.

[@awakemysoul1994]

I have a huge mold/mild allergy and omg my nose is running and my chest is getting tight just watching this! Thanks for doing what i could never lol

[@cason3547]

The fish slide play structure at 0:40 and 12:14 so been ingrained in my head since I first saw this video. Scratches a weird specific nostalgic itch

[@warpedplanks]

This is absolutely surreal, never before have I seen a mall in this condition so quickly, yet so untouched. All the old stock and no damage. Those movie hard drives are incredibly cool and it would have been hard not to take them as they are so rare and unique.

[@RevelationNone]

The pines mall has been in they shape for 20 yrs lol. It was bad before it was shut down

[@Chocolate_dragon]

I always find this so interesting. Looking at the movie theater. How many first dates, kids seeing their favorite movie. The plastic rides and play ground. Kids playing there and getting pictures taken. Lots of memories in a place like this.

[@dansrandomvideos2515]

I do often think this as well. I think about it escpecially when buildings that used to contain fun things like bowling alleys or cinemas get demolished and when cars or public transport vehicles get scrapped as well. How many stories and memories have occured with these things?

[@Chocolate_dragon]

@@dansrandomvideos2515 thought I was alone in this. I do it all the time with cars as well. Someone bought that car. Showed it off. Brought a kid home from the hospital. Went to their wedding. Loads of memories.

[@damienwhited87]

I have a lot of memories from being at a now demolished mall in Omaha, which closed a while ago. And is now a dirt lot in between a Target location & a Best Buy location. It stinks that so many malls have closed over the last 15 or so years. 😔😔 But it's a sign of how things change over time.

[@christel3742]

As an avid reader, seeing all of those abandoned books hurt my heart. Wow

[@L3vinesNL]

you dont have to be an avid reader to have the same feeling of waste.

[@mst3kanita]

I work at a library. I have the suspicion that these are books that just didn’t sell so thus junk shop bought just palettes and palettes of them.

[@wrathofatlantis2316]

​​​@@mst3kanita A lot of them seemed to be of the Young Adult category, which were all the rage in 2005-2018... The trend has seemingly tapered off a little. When I saw the proportion of Young Adult novels in bookstores in the the 2010s, I could sense these bookstores were all about to close... These books were mostly just derivative fantasy drivel, with not a hint of insight into the real world. The bookstores did close from the 2010s onwards (I made a video on the decline of actual book revenues, the first in history, which lasted about 18 straight years, 2000-2018, digital books now holding steady at around 20%), and the movies made from YA fiction have now tapered off as well. To be replaced by superhero movies that are even worse... Compared to the quality of content in bookstores in the 1970s-1980s (and the quality of movies), the cultural decline is astonishing.

[@leociresi4292]

The abandoned play area in the mall reminds me of Level Fun

[@marywatkins9438]

These documentaries you’re doing are excellent, btw. Thank you for sharing all this information with us.

[@threeminuteshate]

This used to be the premier mall in the state. It was considerably further from where I lived as a child than the ones in Little Rock, so we typically went to those. But when we’d make a special trip to go there near Christmas, it was mind-boggling for my 10 year old self. Bought my first The Far Side book there and laughed all the way back home. Good memories.

[@screwball69]

I would be way to enthralled with just opening all those boxes to do anything else

[@dasiamartinez5132]

Your videos have evolved so much, it’s incredible. One of my favorite channels to look forward to seeing every single time. Amazing work !!!🎉

[@BrightSunFilms]

Wow, thank you!

[@Bushwacker1089]

I will say I never get enough of these videos watch start to finish and just gaze at how times erodes places that once flourished and seeing the aftermath is eye opening and wish we could sometimes rewind the past

[@harriska]

10 seconds in and I just love the video already, love the rebrand too

[@Kimberlaina]

Malls represent an aspiration to a lifestyle that really doesn't exist anymore. I think videos like this bring out a sort of nostalgia for those aspirations because it was so simple and straightforward -- people wanting to dress like the mannequins at Sears, or win the prizes in the arcade, or look like the beautiful people in the print ads. It all seems quaint now, really.

[@dancingwiththedogsdj]

Bring back malls, Toy stores, silly music stores, a book store, an arcade and have a video store as the anchor! It needs a Spencer's too. ❤️ I want more human interaction again!

[@michaelglattli4819]

I definitely agree with you,DJ,I grew up with when the mall was the place to be,on the weekends,arcades,movies,etc,but unfortunately,the world moves forward,not backward,and with every passing year,we move more into the digital age.

[@dancingwiththedogsdj]

@@michaelglattli4819 I'll be at the arcade for an hour or two.... Wanna meet for lunch and then check out the Spencer's or see if we can find a couple new CDs? Cellphone in pocket for emergency only and you gotta bring a Polaroid so we can save a few goofy moments... See ya there bud! 😁 Why does it have to be one or the other? Digital vs old school? I like both! And isn't JWST TRYING to look back in time? And forward at the same time. It can be done! ❤️🍻 Now lemme fill up my fanny pack with quarters, a cassette tape or two and maybe an extra set of AAs...

[@SeaSong14]

Make the US 85+% white again and you'll get that.

[@justin5743]

This property is insane! You should definitely do a video on the now-closed Forest Fair Mall in Cincinnati, OH.

[@jonnylangs2651]

This was a fascinating watch for me because my grandparents used to live just a few miles from there, and I'd go here with them all the time growing up. They took me to see Three Ninjas in that movie theater. The restaurant you went in at the end of the food court used to be a Garfield's. I seriously have a ton of memories here.

[@bigcahuna42366]

Aside from the vandalism, this mall is showing an incredible amount of mold and mildew decay for a building that has been walked away from for only three years

[@Dr.JHamilton]

This is incredibly sad. Not only are malls and stores decaying, but our way of life is decaying.

[@augustcanyon3438]

That was the intention and part of a larger plan most rather not learn about.

[@UMAKEMESMILESWACKIN]

meanwile malls are booming in Asia

[@Scorpio1060-]

The beginning of the decay started 1/20/17

[@ragoff]

100%

[@YourWaywardDestiny]

Our way of life is not decaying. How could it? Our ways adapt with us, and we adapt as needed. To think it could decay to to think we can't adapt. How pathetic that reality would be.

[@skandarc2810]

Amazing footage and beautiful/haunting cinematography Jake. You’re right, this was a depressing video haha. Also the beginning happy music juxtaposed with the creepy images of the dead mall seemed like something out of a horror movie night hahaha. Love it! ❤. Cheers

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you as always!

[@carlstieren5437]

its amazing how you can find so many malls that were built in the 70s and 80's by the same company that all have the exact same decor to them....and nearly almost identical layouts. Specifically the main mall entrance and food court. I worked at Mall of The bluffs (council bluffs iowa) and once while on vacation stopped to shop at the Oakwood mall (eau claire wisconsin) and it was the exact same mall. Both had the exact same decor as this mall in this video.

[@cowprez]

There is a sadness in seeing this. So much waste left behind. Too bad some of that couldn't be donated to homeless or the like. A LOT of malls are closing in america. Thanks for sharing this with us. Good job.

[@KB-ke3fi]

Because of thugs and crime...people just walk in a steal stuff and don't get thrown in jail.

[@lacee7494]

@@KB-ke3fi that's not the whole story, online shopping has killed most retail.

[@lisahoshowsky4251]

I think the saddest part about this was all the waste. Even though you know places are probably throwing things out that they can’t liquidate before closing it’s just so much worse to just see it sitting there abandoned. The cases and cases of books were the saddest but all the merchandise left behind was sad. Yet people are going without when things can just be “trashed” like this.

[@tomservo56954]

People should get together and salvage whatever is useful to help others...

[@MariaThePotterNut]

The books break my heart. Think of all the schools and libraries that could have used those, especially all the unopened boxes. With the clothes and shoes, it'd be a much easier thing to gather and donate somewhere that can clean them up and get them to people in need. Goodwill is obvious, but especially those shoes would be great for charities that help people dress for interviews or for court, or the Cinderella's Closet type charities that help kids be able to go to things like dances or prom.

[@pgbrown12084]

I can't tell you how much I love your content! Just be careful out there in those abandoned buildings.

[@naturalresources4647]

This is one of the best abandoned mall video’s ever made. It’s got everything! Thanks for sharing🤘

[@jaysmith179]

I agree Dan Bell also has some good mall video's.

[@munanchoinc]

As much as i hate looting, a part of me wants to keep those abandoned books. Shame they're left to rot there.

[@wilsonrandolph540]

All of the business of our lives, the shuttling of people that makes life seem so alive - is all so fleeting. The eerie peace, silence and decay of these places really reminds me of that.

[@watsonneal8041]

It was very sad and interesting to see the Pines like that. Completely different back in the day, yet everything you shared was completely true.

[@annalisahartmann5661]

All of those abandoned books (especially the kids books) made me so sad. There are so many underprivileged people and small libraries who would have been so happy to get those.