CLOSED - A Visit to Regency Square Mall (VA)

Regency Square Mall. One of the odder dead malls I've been to. And one of Richmond VA's very own dead malls. Let's step inside to see what the owners might have in store.
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[@nickersonw10]

I live really close to Regency and was just there today for a charity consignment sale that was going on in the old Forever 21 store. As you mentioned that Forever 21 is gone now, but so is the Chick-Fil-A and the Sephora. I don’t know if the Regal Cinemas is still going in, but a trampoline park is going into one of the old Macy’s spots (where the parking deck was demolished) and an aquatics center (NOVA Aquatics) is being built in the other former Macy’s location.

[@maxwellthepig4419]

I was 15 when they broke ground on the Regency Square property. We used to shoot model rockets there! Once this mall opened we were told it was the "Largest Mall East of the Mississippi River"! Thank you for the video and the memories. Sad to see how empty it has become. It was a very vibrant place. I particularly remember O'Brienstein's Restaurant having great food.

[@jeee1074]

The situation at this mall is unusual. 3 lost anchors, yet they still have a decent vacancy rate. It is good that the owners are working to bring the property back to life. Maybe you can update this mall in a couple of years to see how the state of the mall.

[@hattree]

What really killed it was not Virginia Center Commons, it was Stony Point and Short Pump.

[@rh2618]

Fond memories of this mall. Many hours hanging out with my best friend in the 80s. I remember shops like Up Against the Wall (buttons for denim jacket!), Britches, Sea Dream Leather, the Limited (they had Swatch watches!), LaVogue, and eating pretzels with cheese sauce. The place was dark and full of chunky furniture and plants. There was a fountain on the first floor by the elevator across from the food court (this was added much later).

[@kate4508]

OH btw Thank you for this Vid and also for a time Regency had a Toy Store on BOTH floors!

[@someguy23475]

Was Leonard Bearnstein there?

[@cuentaparadeciridioteces3648]

You mean God?

[@brutalictesku]

This place looks fresh and nice, unlike many other dead malls.

[@mike91mdk45]

Loved this mall as a kid. If we weren't at VA center commons, then we were here. I remember the place that sold those big cake sized cookies. I miss the sounds of a busy mall

[@alisadm]

I grew up with this mall, and I'm almost positive Spencer's is the ONLY store that has lasted it's entire life.

[@tylerrip11]

Lived by the mall all my life. I'm sad to see the mall be so empty but I'm excited for the new additions. The new outer stores like the starbucks and paneras are doing great! But the inside of the mall is just sad now. Ever since the shootings at the mall several years ago the mall straight up died. They bricked over the CFA Flamers left the fake sabbaro and great cheese steak are gone too. Lots of neat local stores that shuffle in and out. Hell my friend's grandparents have had a store in the mall since 2005.

[@mikethebike2456]

🏍️ shootings ?

[@jessleia9092]

Thank you for doing this episode about Regency square, I used to go to this mall so many times when I grew up in Richmond (I moved down to Florida since 1999). It's so sad to see how much it has declined throughout the years, my cousin who lives near the mall told me she heard that the mall is going to get demolished and become either a outlet center or a outdoor mall like Short Pump and Stoneypoint.

[@WhittyPics]

I visited that mall when I lived in Richmond in 2009.. Sears still empty I see. It seem empty Sears space stay empty. You must have made this a while back. Payless is still open. This mall is doing better than I expected

[@JohnCassity]

Great video man! I love these open concept two story malls.

[@CJ-fh5xq]

You should revisit the mall again. They tore down the parking deck and got rid some parking lot. Now there is a 320 unit apartment complex attached to the building. They are also planning to create outdoor dining, adult education center, healthcare facility, etc. It is crazy how they are reviving the place.

[@sayhitosteve2785]

Exactly. The stores with exterior access are thriving at Regency, but not so much for the ones on the interior. They should slate the interior for multi-use (offices, private and government) and exterior for retail and they will do fine.

[@13musicgl13]

all the malls in the Richmond Area are mostly empty. The virus might put them in the red unfortunately.

[@drkRoss89]

There's no Bath and Body Works and GNC. Yep, that mall is screwed.

[@tylerrip11]

They both closed in the last 2 years :D

[@johnfoltz8183]

What about a GameStop?

[@gretchenquoss9258]

The location of the property keeps it valuable. It will most certainly be de-malled, but remain a retail destination.

[@nickhill8612]

My friends and I would drive from Chesterfield to Regency and then to the midnight movie down the street.

[@Tannerle04]

I live right next to the mall and I saw every day how less people came in

[@DoomieGruntVentures]

Like watching an old friend down the street slip into the pits of despair, isn't it?

[@Tannerle04]

@@DoomieGruntVentures yes is really was one time a great mall I used to go almost every day but it slowing in my eyes started to turn to a dead mall

[@FallicIdol]

In high school we brought a juke box and had a dance party in the elevator

[@DoomieGruntVentures]

Sounds a lot like fun if that's true.

[@FallicIdol]

It was a dumb skit that was probably 3 minutes tops before we fled or security would have noticed. It was the 90s so still a flourishing mall

[@nickhill8612]

@@FallicIdol That's what malls are for, to hangout with your friends and meet girls lol. Security didn't see it that way.

[@thebobbyparkway1398]

There is also a Regency Square Mall in Jacksonville, FL. It is also a dead mall.

[@jessleia9092]

Yep! I have been there a few times and it is huge! The first time I went there was back in 2011 when it was still thriving. I went there last year and was so sad to see that Belk was gone and most of the stores there are dead and the food court only had two vendors.

[@AngelPandaEarth]

JCPenney is gone now...

[@markstrouse3101]

Why the heck do they call Dan Bell the Dead Mall King, you should be the Dead Mall King.

[@DoomieGruntVentures]

I appreciate your enthusiasm.

[@thebobbyparkway1398]

Mark is right, Dan Bell puts out 2 dead mall videos a year, Doomie puts out 1 a week!

[@dondavis5633]

@@DoomieGruntVentures - Dan is an exceptional documentarian, and there's no doubt that his mall episodes are among the best. The "problem" with Dan is that, right about now, he's really focused in on his highly-successful 'Another Dirty Room' series, and it's not easy to try and concentrate on more than one thing at a time. His latest mall vids reflect this, I think, as they just don't seem to have that usual je ne sais quoi that his earlier mall films possess. But IS he "the Dead Mall King?' No, I don't think there IS such a thing, but if there WERE, then my friend, Doomie, AKA, The Doomster, AKA Dooms, would be a PRINCE at the very least! Go get 'em, Doom-meister!! LOVE YA, bro!!

[@pilotgrrl1]

Honestly, I prefer Doomie's and Sal's styles over Dan Bell's.

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

@@pilotgrrl1 Same here.

[@Alan13448]

I spent a lot of time there in the early to mid 80's.

[@HenhousetheRed]

I went here as a kid in the 90s. I remember it was always packed. I've been back recently, it's very very empty now.

[@okballer15]

This mall was a great place in the early 80s. I remember buying some new wave 80s clothes here. I was pretty cool after that. lol

[@nickhill8612]

Cool cool. I remember my friends and I driving from Chesterfield to Regency and then going to the midnight movie down the street.

[@mikethebike2456]

@@nickhill8612 🏍️ at the Ridge Cinema.

[@sayhitosteve2785]

Up Against the Wall

[@davetech1269]

My neighbor says her church actually moved to a space in there that's been really nice. Kinda interesting to think of church located inside a mall!

[@noahduarte1180]

It has been a few years... Food courts gone maceys gone most of the things are gone.

[@nancydarling4918]

Good video. Thanks!

[@shawnwhite3662]

The Chick-fil-A is gone now and I knew that was going to happen.

[@Bascately]

The last time I went to this mall was dead that there wasnt any stores all of the empty stores were use for displays

[@HeteronormativityHurts]

I love that entrance corridor shown at 6:25 - 7:06 very much. Of course I like the whole mall, but there's something very interesting about that corridor.

[@ppp-zt6fq]

Richmonder here- Penney's just closed or is about to close- was announced about 6 months ago. All the old anchors are gone, but they just put in a new trampoline park. NOVA aquatics is a local swim team that is putting in a brand new pool in the old Macy's south building. At one point there were planning to put in apartments, but I believe that fell through. I have memories of 2008-2009 going to the chick-fil-a and sbarro when I was in elementary school. i went to the play place as a little kid. Side Note: There is a MASSIVE abandoned toys-r-us across the street that is right in front of some ghetto-ass apartments called the Cloysters. Love your channel

[@DAVIDSRETAILADVENTURES]

Nice video

[@griffinartandairbrushing3174]

Loved going there in the 1980s with my friends. :0)

[@MatthewLavan]

I just visited there for old time sake Friday and a lot more has been gone lol 😕 they redid a corner area on the second floor where Sears used to be with some nice windows overlooking the new apartments 🤷🏻‍♂️ cool that the mall is still in business, but it definitely needs some love like new retailers coming in… like a Target at the old JCPenney would be cool, but highly doubt it lol 🫤

[@deadchannel7616]

there is another dead mall called regency square mall that is in jacksonville, fl. you should go check that out too. neat video though! 👍

[@korodwyer1270]

I love this mall... and stony point.

[@kate4508]

Walden Books was my hangout I met my first girlfriend there she was 38 I was 17! God the great memories I worked at a Resturant called Mr. Dunderbacks

[@nickhill8612]

Wow details please

[@mikethebike2456]

🏍️ I ate there a bunch of times.🧀🥖🥯🥨

[@ERA_Productions]

Nice video

[@mikethebike2456]

🏍️ There was a time when this mall's decline and death would have been an incomprehensible concept. A laughable notion. I used to avoid the area after Thanksgiving for fear of traffic hangups.

[@FallicIdol]

Around the holidays, you used to have to park in the nearby neighborhoods to get into that mall. Their parking lot would be completely full.

[@mikethebike2456]

@@FallicIdol 🏍️ True dat.

[@MarksKicksOnRoute66]

Nice job brother!

[@kdrama7115]

I worked there at sears back in 93

[@derpydashdjblazekin]

can't think of this mall anymore without thinking of chris chan sonichu

[@robertyoung264]

now they have condos there were the food court was

[@cameltoeinspector6015]

so is this footage current or from another time because you passed a Forever 21

[@DoomieGruntVentures]

April 2019. I do mention this as well as Forever 21's closure.

[@cameltoeinspector6015]

@@DoomieGruntVentures yeah I missed that ...my bad

[@DyingRetail]

Not closed.

[@RangerRickTV]

Sup Doom ☝️

[@blahblahyepyep]

Love your channel. You should check out Rotterdam Square Mall and Amsterdam Mall in New York. Amsterdam's is a unique time-capsule.

[@SearsCool]

looks better than my local mall

[@17z483]

Koki: Richmond, Virginia 2/21/16

[@rileyshaw9863]

That Mall Is Closing It’s Last Anchor In That Store The JCPenney When Liquidation Starts Do You Think You Can Travel To Richmond VA And Film The JCPenney There Closing Film The Whole Store Closing All Around And There Elevators And Restrooms In That Store?

[@LethaWolfStudios]

Mall seemed a bit bland to me but I liked the light fixtures in the Sears and Penney’s court and the Penney’s building had some interesting architecture

[@HeteronormativityHurts]

I love the long entrance corridors in the Penney's building.

[@williamrandolphjr6807]

MOST of those stores that closed way back when was cause of the RENT they had to pay in leasing it & some couldn't afford it and this would happen @ least every 3-4 years like clock work. I'm thinking that due to Covid-19 a lot of stores that ARE opened will have alot of issues in staying opened.I use to work for Sears and as far as WE were concerned,we wasn't going to close LIKE EVERY OTHER Sears cause we owned OUR BUILDING, this was the surpised I found out once WE left back in 2017,the building WAS SOLD and they had NO PLANS to keep Sears in the mall. That's why it closed,just like THE OLD SEARS AUTO CENTERS[TIRE AMERICA] is STILL EMPLY and herd that someone HAS BROUGHT it, but have NO plans in what o do with it

[@dondavis5633]

That poor juggler iron sculpture looked soooo sad and forlorn, didn't he? That one shot of him at the end is almost symbolic of how far our malls have fallen in America, as they're getting to be as lonely as mausoleums...WAIT a second...Malls...Mausoleums...Hmmm. I've GOT it! How 'bout we take these big, dying structures and make them into vast, hallowed necropoli, where people could place their deceased loved ones! They could purchase niches, just like they're doing in conventional mausoleums, only these would be called -- ready for it? -- MALLSOLEUMS!! If your mom loved shopping at Learner Fashions, why not BURY her where they used to do business? If your grandfather loved to tinker with old radio sets, put HIM in the former Radio Shack store! The potential is LIMITLESS!! Just IMAGINE: The Rolling Acres MALLSOLEUM! Owings Mills MALLSOLEUM! Horton Plaza MALLSOLEUM! Hmmm...I gotta find me a rich guy somewhere, one who has more money than sense, and see if HE'LL sponsor one of these; it could REALLY start something, Dooms!