Crystal Mall: One of Connecticut's Deadest Dead Malls is Deader than Ever! It's Not Looking Good!

Join me once again as I take a look at Crystal Mall in Waterford, Connecticut. I last visited this mall on December 31, 2023 and it was pretty dead then, but, not surprisingly, it's worse now.
Plus, I do a walkthrough of the now closed Rue 21 Etc store!
Let me know what you think about this mall in the comments!
This was filmed on a Saturday at about noon.
If you liked this video, please don't forget to give me a thumbs up, leave a comment and subscribe to my channel. I plan to have more dead mall videos in the future. Thanks for watching!
Source of information:
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patch.com/conn...
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#deadmall #deadmalls #mall #connecticut #waterford #shoppingmall #shoppingmalls #retail #nostalgia #malls #mallshopping #fleabittenadventures #namdar

[@jeffchabotte]

Crystal Mall is my mall! I was there opening day as a kid and within 15 minutes I cut my head open on a lawn tractor mowing blades in Sears. I was the malls first injury!!

[@staceyberry1382]

That is Soooo crazy. How old were you when that happened??

[@jeffchabotte]

@@staceyberry1382 I was 8. I was sitting on the tractor and telling my parents we should get one and they told me to get down, my foot caught on the mower deck and I tripped and fell and slid into another mower. Everyone was in a panic!

[@dirt.mother]

😂 glad your ok!

[@ckbradley4026]

Thank god ur ok

[@norricdaoc8746]

Congrats !!

[@mvm3016]

It’s amazing how depressing an empty mall is

[@sunnysied713]

It's killing me. Lol. Smh :((((

[@underwaterlevelz1947]

Crystal Mall used to do great business because of the Navy Submarine base and the Coast Guard Academy nearby. Young sailors fresh out of boot camp would go in and buy new clothes, video games, etc.

[@ammosophobia]

I was one of them.

[@madmagyver9981]

I was in the Navy then, the post exchange was way better and cheaper than any mall. Grotton didn't have the best one but it was good 😊

[@underwaterlevelz1947]

@@madmagyver9981 they didnt have much in the way of clothes, but yeah they had some cheap clothes that you could buy if you were straight out of Great Lakes and just needed some street clothes.

[@madmagyver9981]

@@underwaterlevelz1947 that's for sure, the military didn't prioritize fashion

[@fireboltaz]

Now they’re too busy putting on makeup and celebrating LGBT drag queens

[@CTKix]

You're making me feel old! I'm from Hartford and I remember Crystal Mall opening when I was a teenager!

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

Remember how the color scheme was that awful brown!🤣🤣

[@bagingospringo4396]

Same. This is heart breaking. And the worst part? They'd rather let it rot and go to blight than convert it to oh idk....housing? An indoor greenhouse? Look at all those skylights it would work but ya know....corporate greed

[@Holden-McGroin]

Are you serious?

[@madmagyver9981]

I remember it opened up when I was in high school, used to skip there as it was far from home

[@dreadminion1284]

This is what happens when America stops going out to play only to stay home and live off Amazon.

[@missyann]

Love finding CT creators!!! ❤ sending love from the 860

[@AnimeGuy_84]

Right!! It's always great to find creators from CT😁

[@d_ward4871]

@@missyann 860 here 🤝

[@anthonyjulson8840]

I haven't been to the mall in forever!!

[@MirzaAhmed89]

@@statistical-anomaly I lived in New Canaan and Windham. I greatly preferred New Canaan.

[@YouTubenostalgia914]

​@@AnimeGuy_84CT creator here. Love seeing more!

[@Ray-i3c]

When I was a kid my mom always used to take me and my brother to this mall during the Christmas season. It was always so festive and decorated and packed with shoppers. We would spend hours shopping and looking at stuff we we're going to buy later. We'd usually get something to eat halfway through our time there at the food court or one of the walk-in restaurants. Over the years I tried going here during the Christmas season but every year there were less and less stores. Now it's almost totally empty. It's extremely sad to see it like this and it's such a reflection of the country in general.

[@definitelynotfbi119]

The other day my GF had an eye appointment there and it's just a full-on indoor flea market

[@joseph.wolf.]

Its not a reflection of the country, malls in general are dying in favor of online shopping. Many of the ones doing well are in dense urban areas or are full of premium higher end brands.

[@Ray-i3c]

@@joseph.wolf. "it's not a reflection of the country, malls in general are dying". You literally just proved what I said in one sentence. Malls are dying. Reading comprehension is important.

[@bsr6823]

To think there’s people out there who are going to vote for more of this by picking Harris is crazy to me.

[@Ray-i3c]

@@bsr6823 isn't it completely insane!? I don't agree with everything Trump says but it doesn't take a genius to see that he's a million times better for the country. This country and everything that was fought for could very much fall because women are allergic to responsibility and want their "right" to kill a baby cuz they can't keep their legs closed or be bothered to use a condom. Unbelievable.

[@GumdropsSaturdays-mk1zv]

FYI Most dying mall operators don't charge independent retailers for electric anymore. They have to keep it on for the fire system to work so they include it in the rent.

[@AC-xz6iv]

This brought back so many memories from when I was stationed in CT and lived there. I remember when you had to fight for parking, the food court was packed, and the escalators worked. To see it in this state is so sad. I'm just glad I got to enjoy it when it was the place to have fun and hang out at.

[@mariesmith3819]

I was there every weekend as a teen. I was actually there for the grand opening. this breaks my heart to see. Yes the chandiler is Waterford Crystal.

[@amendopublicaccess5742]

crystal mall use to be the hot spot!!!

[@ciaranallen4440]

Waterford crystal from ireland?

[@bullzeyez3236]

@@ciaranallen4440 Yes

[@thomaslavin3640]

YES. IT IS​@@ciaranallen4440

[@noxnyc23]

This has been happening all over. Thanks Amazon..

[@patmoore1036]

I'm yelling at the TV "Go in the Toy Vault, Go in the Toy Vault!". 😂

[@frauwolftherehorse]

😂❤👍

[@PunmasterSTP]

Yeah me too!

[@emocobra666]

best store in mall

[@Kingfisher-j9r]

That and FYE are the only reason I go there

[@raymondjones5909]

Unfortunately toyvaults store are in dead malls all over new England especially the one in Marlborough Massachusetts

[@valerielee9875]

Watching this ideo brought back some GOOD memories for me. To ME the Crystal Mall was EVERYTHING because it HAD a bit of EVERYTHING in it. So ty for post and good memories of this place. 👍✌

[@davidlafleche1142]

In 2,000 years, nobody will remember that Crystal Mall ever existed. "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind" (Isaiah 65:17, KJV).

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

The escalators are probably off due to power consumption or Namdar doesn’t want to pay the service company to keep them repaired, up to code and operational.

[@fleabittenadventures]

I'm think a combination of Namdar not wanting to pay the expense of fixing them, but there's got to be some parts issues too because it's like this at almost every mall I go to, but who knows.

[@DrTopGun]

Geeez, the elevator you used to climb to the second floor sounded like an old carnival ride that is about to deconstruct itself. 😅

[@runescythed]

Worked at the Holyoke Mall for a bit. The reason I've been told is that it would cost about ~1 million dollars to completely replace each escalator (unsure if that's one individual escalator or a set of two). It's simply not worth replacing it since it's unlikely any of this malls will still be open in a few years. It was just cheaper for them to call in a repair guy to come in once or twice a week to fix them when they broke

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

@@DrTopGunparts of that elevator came off of a wooden roller coaster 😂

[@sloppyy]

@@runescythed shoutout runescape shoutout western mass

[@davidstein9129]

Your mother is so cool...very chill. Thanks for talking her to this decaying old mall.

[@krangster4420]

Just 5 years ago / 2019, it was still pretty busy, used to go reasonably frequently for H&M, Macy's, Express, then of course everything changed.

[@Storywebs]

Oh man this totally bums me out! I grew up going to this mall and still can’t believe how dead it’s gotten. I actually was in the area yesterday and drove by and saw they’re now selling RVs out of the upper JCPenny parking lot. Thanks for capturing the progression - I’m curious to see what happens next

[@shinmiroku]

This one hurts, I went here every weekend for many years as a kid.

[@Mike-0201]

I live in CT and have not been to that mall since 1990. I live 10 minutes from Buckland mall in Manchester and at times it looks like this. I live 30 minutes from Westfarms Mall, and yet, it is always busy! Funny how Buckland and Westfarms are only 20 minutes apart, yet the difference in foot traffic is not even comparable!!!! Thanks for posting this! BTW, Meriden Mall is next. Nothing left in there!!!

[@Thomas-fk3cw]

I worked at the Athlete's Foot and then the Newsrack in the food court in Crystal Mall back in '90 - 92 before heading off to college. Used to be crazy busy back then. Ate a ton of Taco Bell and Sbarros on my work breaks back then. Hah.

[@SoundgardenFan001]

everyone goes to evergreen or the strip mall plaza where olive garden is now (in manchester).

[@skwerlz4us]

In the 80s we always went to the small Eastbrook Mall in Mansfield. Sometimes we'd drive up to Enfield Square. Buckland opened when I was 12, so that ended up being the main mall I went to as a teenager. The Crystal Mall was an hour away, so I don't think we ever went there.

[@MiniHenkou]

I know the owners of the This N' That Store, used to be next door neighbors! Had a large collection of arcade cabinets in their basement at one point which have likely sold at this store and at their older location next town over which I don't think is around anymore. If you ever do a video there I think that'd be neat. I do miss how this Mall used to be though, Walden books, Science store, Jester's Arcade, the old red/brown tile flooring, Suncost, KB Toys and so much more!

[@kylestraveljournal]

Sad seeing this mall like this, besides the dated exterior the inside still looks modern and nice. Usually most dead malls have trash cans and bad leaks all over, this place looks like it just needs to catch a break. I personally think the Tanger Outlet at Foxwoods was the final nail in the coffin for this property. It's a shame too because that Tanger is a massive failure, terrible layout, typical stores and that's not even at full capacity. I think they need to go the way of the Rhode Island Mall, add a bunch of big box store to fill the space out. Maybe a grocery store too? Only issue I can see is the area is already flooded with those types of stores.

[@antoniotrovato9188]

Plus... you have Best Buy and all those other places not even a 1/4 mile up the road.

[@bellemorelock4924]

best buy should start anchoring malls. they would fit perfectly. Tesla should grab a few Sears locations (with auto). I remember people with small businesses couldn't get into malls at the peak, or the rent was 3-4x anywhere else. Malls should offer 10 year low-rent leases with upfront buy-in cost, and clauses about minimum hours, cleanliness, and appropriate decor, so they could capitalize and stay open, since these properties are so cheap.

[@zachstanton6135]

I agree. I think they are selling RVs out of the parking lot now

[@thhunter]

@@zachstanton6135 They are. The guy renting the space said they were doing great business in a recent local article.

[@toast_busters]

You absolutely nailed the outlets at Foxwoods. When they first opened everyone raved about him, but I've gone a few times and it's really nothing to write home about. As far as what to put into the Crystal Mall to try and save it, I think having the plaza across the street really screws up some of those plans. I'm not even sure what big box anchor stores you would put in because so many of them are right around the area, like the Target literally next door or the handful of smaller budget stores like Marshalls that are just a few miles down the road in New London. Across the street already also has a furniture store, a bookstore, a sporting goods store, a party supply store, a tractor supply, a Best Buy, and a few other random things. Plus very close down the street you have BJ's, a sort of dying movie theater, and a Lowe's. So I guess maybe the issue is that when all of these places were being zoned out and planned, nobody really thought about a future where the mall was not going to be there? Because there are just too many little plazas all over that area each with their own handful of chains and maybe a restaurant, and now almost all of them are dying in different ways. All of those could have just been consolidated around the mall, but nobody thought to do that and everyone kind of suffers because of it.

[@Maryjane3115]

Wow, I used to work in that mall at the Spencer’s in 2009-2010. Haven’t been back since but I remember it being very busy. Have a lot of good memories from that time.

[@kenc.9067]

I'm surprised Spencer's still existed in 2010. I remember it as a mall store from the 70s and 80s.

[@statistical-anomaly]

Spencer's was awesome, I would much rather work there than a&f, that was hell lol

[@TheMahonj]

@@kenc.9067It was very popular with teenagers in the early 2000’s. That’s how I remember going to it with my friends. Didn’t know how old it was.

[@northernburner]

I worked in this mall in the 90s at multiple locations. To see it like this is rough. Not too far from here was the small but great New London Mall which had a Papa Gino's, Orange Julius and a Strawberries. The holy trinity. The New London Mall had it all! Is it possible they don't fix the escalators because they don't see the point of spending any money on this place?

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yeah, they probably don't want to put any money into the place.

[@JetScreamer_YT]

The New London mall is unrecognizable! They changed it from a go inside a mall thing to a strip mall thing.

[@Thomas-fk3cw]

Worked in this mall, too back in early '90s.

[@b0ngwat3rbrat]

so, the crystal mall is currently between buyers because the "new buyer" didnt realize it is legally only allowed to be a retail space so they backed out and the current owners are trying to find someone new to buy it. its just in a transitional period at the moment.

[@Kingfisher-j9r]

Pizza Hut was in that food court. Thanks for sharing. I also live in CT and when we go down to mystic we would stop by this mall. Was there probably 6 months before you filmed this. crazy how much has left since then.

[@NikkiRoesslerBFDIFan64]

Hello, I'm the girl that commented on your Auburn (Maine) Mall video from last night because I had fond memories of going into the Auburn (Maine) Mall like one time like I did say before, and so this video here... when my family and I visited Connecticut on (about a month before you came back around that mall to film this video), specifically to the Mystic area for well, a family-related reason even if the town really was so beautiful, when we were driving by at the state, we SAW this mall but didn't stop in. And I think now I know why ^_^; Also, yes I saw a news report on a Mystic inn's hotel room TV set talking about malls and how dead they were becoming and then one of the news stories was talking about this mall right here, and then I said "wait a minute, we passed by here!" mhm

[@jkinghorn]

Thank you for sharing, so sad to see, back in the 90s when I lived nearby in Lebanon my friends and I would go hang out there all year long, used to be one of the nicer malls in CT, not the biggest but one of the nicer ones.

[@fleabittenadventures]

I went to Crystal Mall sometime in 1994 and it was super busy and full of stores! It was a totally different place!

[@devinej8411]

Hell ya Lebanon good old Lyman memoria.l After high school, I moved to Columbia it's crazy I remember so much stuff was down that way. Kb toy stores was one I remember going to when I was young

[@YZEtc]

Wow, what a difference from back in the day. I remember talking with my friends and family when the Crystal Mall first opened and mentioning how it dwarfed some of the other malls we went to back then, like the Norwichtown Mall. Back in the 1980s and 1990s (my Crystal Mall days) there was a steady stream of considerable pedestrian traffic to navigate down those main corridors, on the escalators, at the food court, and in the stores, themselves. It resembled rush hour traffic in both directions. I walked through the areas shown in this video, like the entrances into Sears, many times and I highly doubt that back then anybody was thinking that one day in the future the place would look deserted by comparison. One time during the holiday season I drove around the place trying to find a parking spot but could not find one. What a stark contrast to what's seen in this video. The last time I was there was about five years ago and it was the first time I'd been there in maybe ten years. I was amazed at how empty the place seemed five years ago. Now, I wonder how long before either demolition or a major repurposing takes place. Thank you for the memories with this video footage.

[@EliteJCTV]

I went there few weeks back for the first time since before Covid. And shocked to see all the closed stores.

[@jessewynne8193]

Sad so many malls are like this now. Meriden square mall is pretty much empty now also with only a few stores left

[@LonSeidman]

So sad.. I've been going to this mall since it opened. It was a day one destination for my buddies and I when we got our drivers licenses! As someone else mentioned it does look like they just need to catch a break - the mall doesn't look as bad as some of the other dead ones around the country. Sadly it was placed into foreclosure and auctioned off in pieces. Likely going to be converted to mixed use residential and commercial.

[@salem7699]

This was my local mall! Used to hang out here all the time, sad to see it go but there hasn't been a reason to go here for years now.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yeah, it is pretty sad.

[@jeffspruance9388]

I'm from Ledyard and I thought the same thing. I haven't been in CT for a decade but it is sad to see the mall in this state...

[@bagingospringo4396]

They should convert it to living quarters or something

[@donhoffaregime]

Yes this is my hood actually was there not too long ago was packed glad to see it’s like this now I can take my kids to the arcade now supposedly was bought by a millionaire going to renovate nice vid man 👍

[@SupremeODMG]

The problem is people don't have money to do fun things anymore. It's crazy how much of a decline we are in as a country...

[@alienvampirebusterswhoyoug8257]

Planned decline and will be mass unrest soon all planned

[@Studebricker]

Exactly. Can't wait to see what Trump will do next year to help bring back the economy...

[@SupremeODMG]

@@Studebricker hopefully it's not too late. My fear is Trump can't do anything...

[@joniden2215]

It's not just that. Online shopping is the main issue.

[@Disciple_Of_Lerxst]

I think the damage done is irreparable. I believe we will never see the unity of America post 9/11​ and of course life before 9/11 is gone forever, but what we have to deal with now..... Will NEVER be repaired. We are doomed.

[@ReallifeBambiDeerattheFarm1]

Looks like a lot of stores are waiting out their leases. I think this mall has a date with the wrecking ball soon.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yeah, I think it's past the point of saving at this point. I give it 3 years.

[@BLINDCABBY]

@@fleabittenadventuresthree years? It will be dead by this winter and pretzel time will be the last one standing

[@WoodgemanX]

It sold for pennies on the dollar.

[@bobbywalsh5538]

It was bought out and their is a future just not sure what

[@toddgelineau6536]

Looks like Westfarms Mall is the only thriving one left in CT. Thank You For Being a Friend was a full length song released long before it was used as a theme for the Golden Girls.

[@bellemorelock4924]

most of the songs were "soft rock" from the '70s. a lot like "baby come back" had nostalgic overtones. its like the soundtrack was for all the people who are walking the mall for one last goodbye.

[@baelenkaufmann802]

Buckland in Manchester is still holding on, but you’re right, Westfarms reigns supreme

[@gill5643]

Danbury Fair Mall seems to be doing ok still. Not as busy as before COVID, but seems to be bouncing back (from what I noticed when I went this summer).

[@couchalmark675]

@@gill5643 Danbury Fair was quick to refill Sears with something new when it went under, which it split the space between floors to do, but that meant it didn't end up with an entire wing of the mall turning dead like somewhere like Connecticut Post where the decay has been gradually spreading from that side down towards the other end. They also absorbed the bookstore from the smaller strip mall down the road, added a very large arcade that seems to be quite bustling, and in general have been one of the few malls where leadership is actually proactive about dealing with the issues that they're facing.

[@gill5643]

@@couchalmark675 I haven't been back to Danbury Fair in a few months. While I didn't notice that Sears was replaced or an arcade was added, I did notice that the bookstore from the strip mall down the street did move in. I'm glad to hear they got a store to replace Sears, as well as put in an arcade. This is very pleasant news to hear while I'm away, so I guess I'll have to make a visit when I come back! Thanks!

[@SweatLaserXP]

In the 1980's and 90's this was a thriving mall. I noticed that you filmed the chandelier at 8 minutes in. Its story is no different from hundreds of other malls around the country. Chain stores that used to occupy a lot of its units either went out of business, or they went over to an online model. Anyone who is at least 30 years old needs to understand that malls need to be preserved because they are social spaces. They just need good security to prevent riffraff from ruining the experience for normies.

[@cairnmom3228]

This was a nice mall a few years ago. I would go there from RI. Sad to see this.

[@fleabittenadventures]

It was very nice when I was there in 1994. It's like a totally different mall now.

[@kenc.9067]

​@@fleabittenadventuresI would love to turn the clock back to 1994. Life was so much simpler, and better then.

[@capstone6045]

@@kenc.9067your not from westerly RI are ya?

[@AliusScitmelius]

The game at 02:10 is Flaming Finger. In the game, you need to follow the maze with your finger

[@fleabittenadventures]

Thanks for the info!

[@tazatom]

​​@@fleabittenadventures These were in chucky cheese and local go cart/mini golf/arcade

[@juniormushu]

Flaming finger is my favorite arcade game. I want one so bad

[@davidstepeck2644]

There’s an app for your phone called Finger Maze. Looks the same as the mall game, although I’ve never played either one.

[@swordguy8]

@@juniormushu Make an offer at this arcade. Maybe they'll sell it to you!

[@michaelseymour7211]

Aside from Online Retail, I never understood why humans prefer standing out in the elements (Strip Mall) rather than being inside out of the elements.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yes, especially in the winter and summer.

[@kilamajaro1085]

I noticed the trend here in New England is to demolish indoor malls and create outdoor strip malls with apartment housing above it and I never understood it yes it makes the area look more eye appealing but we only have like 4 months of decent weather here and during the Christmas season I am not running between stores in the elements...

[@TheWitchofCrows]

@@kilamajaro1085 In Swansea, Mass. They sold the mall because obviously it wasn’t doing well. Someone bought it and created a strip mall that goes around the building so far all there is is a storage facility a gym and a church/religious school that’s it!

[@christinehutchins123]

They made tiny apartments and I believe offices, and coffee shop etc. Out of the old mall in providence. Before providence place .

[@kilamajaro1085]

@christinehutchins123 I work for Tufts Health plan we had an office in there before we merged with Havard Pilgrim. I had to travel there from Boston once a month.

[@stphinkle]

A few things: * First of all, on the escalators being down, likely they are turned off to save on the mall's electric bill. With many stores vacant, the owners may choose to save power to reduce expenses, and with not a lot of people using them this can make sense. * As to the store closing signs, a lot of times what happens is the store merchandise gets sold to an outside liquidation company for the closing sale, which runs the sale. This may explain why the signs are similar. Common liquidators include Gordon Brothers Group, Great American Group, Tiger Capital, Hilco Merchant Resources, Abacus Capital, and others. If they do plan to demolish and redevelop a mall, often what they do is the following sequence: 1) Stop renewing leases for the tenants in the mall. 2) As leases expire, tenants move out. 3) As the mall gets emptier, more tenants start early moveout or terminating their leases 4) Sometimes the mall owner will give incentives or buy out leases to get tenants out early. 5) Once the mall is empty or near empty, they can begin prep for demolition (permits, environmental review, financing for what is coming next, etc). 6) Finally demolition starts and the mall gets redeveloped.

[@TuesdaysArt]

If they want to save on electricity, why not shut down the arcade?

[@stphinkle]

@@TuesdaysArt If there are still a few people in the mall, maybe some of the quarters or tokens in the games help pay the power bill.

[@Chrozi]

Man, I used to live in Norwich and I would make the trek here a couple times a month, there was a Funcoland nearby too. Really sad

[@heresyartcat]

Real sad to see the Cyrstal Mall in such a dire state. Every time me and my family went there as a kid it was always packed. I remember always looking forward to the video game shops when we were there.

[@morsecodereviews1553]

Saw the Hot Topic, nostalgia hit hard😂 Had to Google the location and I'm only 45 minutes away 👀

[@charmaylily]

I was. at that mall, all the time Hot Topic was one of my faves.

[@SkellaBella]

Same! 🙂🙃

[@Hypermarketed]

Amazing little arcade in there! Thanks for sharing.

[@forple8930]

As someone who actually has attended this mall in the past, the arcade used to be better. It's just really bad redemption games and outside of that pinball game, there's literally not much to do. If there was at least a "real" arcade game (you know, the Ms. Pac Man/Galaga machines that basically every other arcade under the sun has) I'd probably argue there'd be people messing around in there to some extent, because in the past there was, and people were messing around in there.

[@charmaylily]

Wow, well hello from the shoreline in CT! So sad to see the crystal mall in this condition, i used to go there all the time, I have so many happy memories coming bck it was the thing to do my bff's & i went there all the time either just to walk around or get a new outfit to go out that night, sometimes to even meet boys there lol And christmas was my favorite time To go xnas shopping there 😢 just so many memories... Sadly I don't even have enough $ to even shop at walmart now esp Being a single mom On top of it that maybe somebody could put something fun in there to do for the kids since they take everything FUN AWAY

[@genegjr]

Thanks!

[@fleabittenadventures]

Thank you very much! I appreciate it!

[@genegjr]

@@fleabittenadventures first 🥇 time watching your videos 😁 they are great you need to get down here to Just outside of Wilmington Delaware to another Namdar reality property called the Concord mall and do a video there 😁 it's going to be a dead mall soon

[@PaigeMelody-v6p]

I remember when the built this mall..they made a big deal when the huge crystal chandelier was delivered ...

[@nutnspecial5027]

Lot of memories at that mall, worked at a store called merry go round in the late 80s, thanks for the trip down memory lane, I’ve long since left the area and now what I consider my local mall is in King of Prussia Pa and they are always busy and expanding.

[@JJ2NEXUS]

The camera you use here makes it look much more new and beautiful for some reason than it does real life😭

[@byrnebbbyrne-zx3ot]

I remember not too long ago (2-3 years ago) I'd frequent this mall regularly with my family. I remember going down the Bed Bath & Beyond escalators down to the Christmas Tree Shoppe to buy cheap seasonal decor. I remember in the fall of 2023 frequenting their temporary Spirit Halloween store located where the old H&M used to be. Crystal Mall's FYE has got to be one of my favorite stores in the mall because of its' retro lighting, carpets, and decor. I'm a big physical media fan but lately they've been trying to market away from movies and moreso to collectible enthusiasts and KPOP fans so the DVD sections just get slimmer and slimmer. There's quite the contrast with this location because they have just aisle after aisle of interesting titles. I'm gonna miss them and the memories of shopping with my family at Crystal Mall. I may have only known Crystal Mall during its' twilight years but for some reason I feel like I've known this place longer than that. Great video as always!

[@fleabittenadventures]

Thanks! I may do a walk-through of the FYE the next time I'm there!

[@darth6129]

Ice Imports has been my favorite store as well as Toy Vault.

[@xprojected]

Just stopped in today to explore. I was surprised just how much in movies and music FYE still had. Quite a lot of used/clearance items too. I guess I'm just used to seeing DVDs, BDs, and CDs disappearing from retail. Like Newbury Comics in Buckland Hills, where Funko Pop has taken over, and used CDs and all DVDs/BDs are gone.

[@amandafisher6713]

That's wild - Cryatal Mall was the main local drop off / pickup spot for Coast Guard Academy cadets on liberty. We weren't allowed cars so you had to go where they would take you in the vans- so spending weekends mallratting in uniform at Crystal it was. Sad to see the State she's in but a fun nostalgia tour. Thanks for the video.

[@BenCossette]

One of my first jobs was at Radio Shack in Waterbury. And the Crystal Mall store was always number one in the district, a fact we heard often. Now Radio Shack is gone and looks like Crystal Mall isn't too far behind them.

[@levisguy53]

dang, we used to go there a lot back in 2001-2002 when i was a sailor at Subase NLON. got my first mobile there during this time. went to the radio shack lots too.

[@valerielee9875]

My favorite place to go was the food Court. They had the Bored walk fries place and it was AWSOME! Especially when I got cheese sause for my fries. The BEST cheese sause I EVER tried. 👍👍👍👍

[@seconddimension9764]

The namco game is called Flamin Finger. There used to also be one at the arcade in Foxwoods. Also, CT represent!

[@noosphericaltarzan]

I feel like the state could buy these malls and create a program to help people start small businesses such that they get the units as a kind of loaned space to seed the beginning of it, and then the state provides mentors and assistance getting them out into the commercial real estate markets when their businesses are up and running. The bigger department store spaces could be used for social services, especially after school programs. Put a police station in one of the units so there is always a presence in there.

[@Noreastermike1205]

The last time I was in this mall was around the late 2000's and The difference is night and day . since I was last here it seems to have been fully renovated but now is on its last legs. If you haven't yet you should check out the westbrook outlets which is about 20-30 min down I-95 from this mall as it is set to be closed and redeveloped over the next year or two. Thank you for the effort you put into these videos.

[@northernlight777]

I tend to judge malls by their food court. Sometimes a mall can be really dead but lots of people in the food court. I find that to be the case with the Maine Mall and also the mall in Manchester, NH.

[@AnthonyMorales71]

You have to wonder what they are going to do with this real estate once it closes down.. it makes me sad to see all of these beautiful malls dying.

[@NintendoComplete]

Oof. I spent so much time here as a teenager in the late 90s. It's changed a bit since then.

[@DJToneRI]

O snap look who's here. I just watched your 1943 NES playthrough last night. Didn't know you were a local!

[@NESAtlas]

Retro CT Peeps Unite

[@kennethsulzen7694]

I’m a trucker, I used to stop at Crystal Mall once or twice a week. Shopping at Sears tools, GameStop, holiday gifts. Since the pandemic, haven’t been there since. I’ve been past other malls they been torn down. Pretty sad.

[@madmerlot841]

I think the mall crossed into the creepy side with that many stores closed. I don't think it will be open much longer.

[@fleabittenadventures]

I agree.

[@Buc_Stops_Here]

Surprisingly, Danbury Fair Mall on the western part of the state has most of its anchor stores still and is operating at about 90% capacity. Target just moved in where Sears used to be on the downstairs floor, and upstairs is filled by another store so that anchor (Sears) is gone but the space is still being used.

[@normalpsychology]

Seeing a mall with many closed stores can evoke feelings of sadness and depression because it represents decline and loss. It can remind you of better times when the mall was vibrant and full of life, symbolizing community and economic health. The emptiness and disrepair highlight the impermanence of once-thriving places, reflecting broader anxieties about change and decay. This visual decay can also evoke personal feelings of nostalgia and a sense of helplessness in the face of inevitable change. -- and if you want even more depression, I didn't write that, AI did with my input. lol.

[@thephilosopher5799]

Hahaha the last line was funny. Malls are dying all across the U.S. The culture is changing, many people will online shop or go thrifting now.

[@HalfEatenMedia]

Yea it’s tough seeing things that used to give us joy no longer existing.

[@TuesdaysArt]

I could tell it was written with AI. Feels like an LLM's summarization of the emotions dead malls evoke.

[@qfurgie]

I grew up going here, went with my sister and family all the time. Saw it gradually decline until I left and went to college where I heard rumors it was being sold to Amazon for a warehouse

[@bruthamann5697]

An empty arcade is sad for me. ☹️

[@OPTIMUSPRIME-nj1qq]

25m22s used to be a Pizza Hut. It had opened only a few years ago. Not a full menu and I think another location with the same design/layout is still in the West Farms mall. I was 12 when this mall opened in 1984. I went to Cohanzie school behind the Best Buy plazas now which also closed. I got alot of my G1 Transformers at the Kaybee Toys on the bottom floor middle of this mall. Sears also had 80s toys along with the Toys R Us down the street. Tweeter was on the bottom floor down the escalator near Wild Wings. Record Town and Suncoast video I got a lot of my VHS, Laserdiscs, DVDs the other end. They were where FYE is now. Great videos!

[@STEVEWONDA1976]

Fun fact. I'm from CT. If you own a store that sells second hand / used stuff or goods acquired from say a third party you need a junk dealers license. So calling stores like that and flea market spots Junk stores is pretty spot om lol.

[@scbt2888]

I used to live in this area. So sad to see it in this shape now. I have fond memories of my dad and I making a weekly trip here. We’d go in through the food court and get supper. Then go and browse some of our favorite stores.

[@Dan_KM8DAD]

Anchors make a mall. They're visual destinations that stand out. Without them it's like a sidewalk to a dead end. The big retail stores also bring in most of the traffic that provides business to the smaller stores along the common walking area. When anchors are empty the visual energy of the mall decreases and it becomes less of an overall draw. A mall with empty anchor spaces is a mall in trouble.

[@4000angels]

Great video. Thank you

[@raccoon874]

you know who is NOT going out of business? the guy doing the "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS" signs

[@usoohot]

I lived about 1 hour away in Bridgeport CT. In the early 2000's we would travel to Crystal mall for weekly tournaments at the arcade for a video game Marvel vs Capcom 2. I was a teen and won one of those tournaments pot of roughly $120. :-)

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

The game you asked about is Flaming Finger. You follow the maze with your finger as fast as possible

[@joysticksnjukeboxes]

Wow, I'd never seen this one. Apparently it's from 2003 even though it looks like a product of the 70s.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Oh. I had no idea. It has a touch sensitive screen? I didn't even think of that. Thanks for the info!

[@fleabittenadventures]

Really? From 2003? I would have sworn late 70's or early 80's!

[@tazatom]

​@@fleabittenadventuresno touch screens in 70s or 80s😂

[@GD_MoonBlister]

Miss this mall. I use to live on the border of RI and CT and use to take my son here when he was a small and push him in the stroller all around there. Lots of stores at the time and not much online shopping like it is now. Thanks for sharing.

[@christinehutchins123]

I wonder how long the candy you ate had been in the machine? Not thinking they really put fresh candy in there unless its empty.🤦

[@charelevation]

The glass elevator is definitely a Westinghouse. Westinghouse’s in malls have a button on the side sometimes.

[@nolanbugg]

Crystal Mall is one of the few spots with a Dance Dance Revolution machine. I wish I didn't live so far away. When I am in the area I always stop in and play. All other arcades have a Korean dance machine.

[@b0ngwat3rbrat]

hi i work here, i can tell you business is poppin at my store. foot traffic is actually pretty decent. we made goal for the day before i even clocked in on my last shift.

[@BigRedSoxFan]

I went into the Rue 21 there on it's final day. There was actually one t Shirt in my size it was shirt of Alisha Silverstone from her film Clueless from the 1990s . 90% off of course $2.19. The only time I ever went into a Rue 21 Store.

[@fleabittenadventures]

It's looks like a great store for thin people in their teens and 20's.

[@BigRedSoxFan]

@@fleabittenadventures probably as I to am in my late 40s. Hey as for the candy machines. I get candy from them too sometimes. Know what you could do is bring some sanitizer and a paper towel or napkin and wipe down the dispenser area and also turn the crank with the paper towel instead of your bare hands. That Is what I do.

[@eddiebatter]

It’s so sad to see the Crystal mall like this. When I was there a few months back I could tell it was getting smaller with fewer clients.

[@jayclark5912]

Internet shopping finished the place out.

[@votaws]

I like your mall walk through video nice and stable and your information is very educational

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Some (not all) of those arcades pay almost nothing or split revenue to have the space because the management needs some type of arcade to fill space. Also, arcade vendors like that move games around on route from location to location. It’s better to have the machine collecting some money versus sitting in a warehouse. I have a friend that rents a full in line space at an indoor flea market to put his claw machines and other games. It’s actually less for him to pay for the space versus paying for storage of his games because his garage is small.

[@fleabittenadventures]

I'm all for them keeping the machines running and available to the public. It just seems like there must be more money going out the door in electricity and rent than what they are making from customers. Thanks for watching!

[@kilamajaro1085]

That's what I was going to say as I know some collectors do the same they sometimes come across games they don't truly want but will still by them and will make deals with bars and stuff to have games on location as it's cheaper than having them in storage and it can make some money in the process.

[@Eman-vp5wk]

@@kilamajaro1085 If it is worthwhile running arcade games today, the revenue must have been insane back in the 80s..

[@kilamajaro1085]

@Eman-vp5wk Yeah, it had to be crazy in the golden era, now you have to charge a cover have the games free to play and hope to make it back with food and beverage or do like a Dave and Busters method where you purchase cards at like 10 and 20 a pop and you really don't know how much the games are charging until the card needs to be reloaded.

[@bagingospringo4396]

​@Eman-vp5wk well you gotta think, kids didn't have the access to games like we do now so arcades were all we had unless kids were rich ir had a friend with a Nintendo lol

[@eliasge5482]

This was my childhood! I always thought it was thriving well into the early 2010s. We have moved since then but when I visited last year, I was told that the mall closed down because nobody wanted to go there anymore. I’m surprised it’s still open.

[@michaelquinones7677]

Enfield Mall was getting a lot of pressure from the town, one of the reason is they had an issue where the roof caved in and the owners didn't fix it. The town ended up footing the bill. This mall is most definitely nicer and in better condition than Enfield Mall.

[@HalfEatenMedia]

The parking lot is in rough shape tho. It won’t be long

[@Obsidainstorm]

My family used to go to this mall all the time growing up. Its sad to see it in such a state.

[@jong.7944]

"YOU'RE SO VAIN!!! You probably think this song is ABOUT YOU, DON'CHU?!!" Hmm, wonder how that song got stuck in my head??? :)

[@zaxxon25]

blame David Geffen!

[@aprilhebert8710]

I grew up in East Hartford this brought back memories. Thank you

[@Mike-0201]

Me to. Buckland is starting to look like this!!!

[@brianredban9393]

Times are changing and not for the better. I grew up in the 90s, and we were always outside exploring. Now, kids just play video games and go on their phones

[@bellemorelock4924]

I commented on another video about 80-90s mall life for kids/teens. Then realized each store had its clientele. The teens went to the music, games, arcades, movies, and teen apparel shops. But mostly we grabbed a friend or two, and went to the mall for something to do. We always ran into someone. Sometimes we rolled somewhere else then. It was like facebook and tictok but IRL for teens. It wouldn't have been so cool if it was just the 100 teens. There were all the old boomers, and even the older gens, all shopping away with their fat paychecks. I think, and not even joking, that malls supplanted the downtown shopping areas where you had to walk blocks to each store, with a centralized experience, so people could walk less and avoid the winter/summer weather. But then we got Big BOX (wally's/HomeDep/Bestbuy) where you get everything with even LESS walking. Now I see people when I'm out, in a small town, who look like they NEVER walk 20 yards. Its all NetFlix and FaceBook, Church and YardSales. A mall is just TOO MUCH walking now. It never bothered me a bit in the 80s, and they had to expand the parking area for our mall, too. You sometimes had to stop in those HUGE walkways when crowds would jam up crossways. Its hard to imagine 3000+ people in the same mall today. Also, I mowed lawns and had a Paper Route.. opportunities kids don't have now. I went to my city's mall around 2021, and started talking to the 20-something working at Spencers. We traded jokes for 5 minutes about the store merch, and what items people (kids) today bought most. Then some slob walked up behind me and interrupted like I wasn't there. She looked annoyed, and I turned around. It was a fat 30-ish mall cop. I had to be one of less than 12 people shopping in the whole mall. He had the tone of a bouncer at a bar near closing (it was maybe 2pm). I really couldn't believe the way he positioned himself, and can only guess how many shoppers he runs off. I don't know if he had a thing for the girl, but she wasn't into him, and wow was that bad business etiquette. I remember kids stealing in that mall, 30 years ago. No one could hope to catch you in those crowds. Now you have to avoid the creeps they hire for security. Kids wouldn't enjoy the mall, even if just the teen-centric stores came back. Teens never spent as much as adults. And adults are either broke or past retirement age. If they do spend, its on amazon. Lots of things society could do for kids, like more skate parks, but won't.. they even closed the public pools.. because now the only way to get semi-stable in life is to win a million dollar lawsuit. Every lawsuit closes something down. Tictok and social media on a phone has replaced the real life interactions we grew up with. Also its merged reality with "hollywood" idealized imagery, so all the kids feel inferior to the .00001% with the most money. And the ipad kids (gen Alpha?) are all going blind from the screens.

[@BG-sl9lv]

That's funny. I grew up in the 60s and 70s and used to say that exact same thing about 90s kids. We were free range kids and I actually did walk 12 blocks to school alone from kindergarten on. Of course I wasn't really alone because every other kid was walking to school too. These days, kids and parents both are daily bombarded with stranger-danger scaremongering starting at breakfast with the missing kid milk carton. We don't live in neighborhoods anymore, we live in our separate fortresses.

[@sunnysied713]

​@@BG-sl9lvThere is no longer a community. Just people who happen to live next to each other and don't want to see anyone.

[@TuesdaysArt]

​@@BG-sl9lvAgreed on the fear mongering. Between that and the increasingly car-centric infrastructure (try walking places when there's no safe way to cross because all the roads have to have at least four lanes for some ungodly reason), I don't blame kids for not going out. Even before the pandemic (which probably put the nail in the coffin), it felt like there was nowhere to go. If you don't have a license and can't find/afford someone to chauffeur you around, you're pretty much housebound in 99.9% of the country.

[@BG-sl9lv]

@@TuesdaysArt True. What do they expect by making city streets freeways I wonder? Luckily here in the Northeast, towns and cities streets were laid out before cars were invented so there's no way to turn them into highways.

[@cliffordmarusich4111]

I started working in Malls in 1972 to around 1998. My first Mall was Landover Mall in Landover Md. and my last one was the Natick Mall in Natick MA. Nearly all the Malls I worked in are now dead malls. So depressing.

[@CheesyGhostOnToast]

You should come to the Meriden mall. It used to be the place to be as a kid but now it's just a shell of it's old self. Sad to see. Online shopping is to blame but so is everyone's new instant gratification complex. Order online and have it next day most cases. Wish we could go back to no Internet. It's killing our species. We are making ourselves obsolete.

[@HalfEatenMedia]

I agree. As a species we are wired to hunt and gather. The online shopping experience, while nice, breaks our soul. Unfortunately Pandora’s box has been opened.

[@LBproductions666]

Im a ct native. The malls I used to always go to were meriden and west hartford mall. They are essentially ghost towns now its rlly sad. It used to be so fun to just go to hangout even.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Westfarms Mall is actually doing very well, for some unknown reason.

[@AnimeJSaysBah]

I wouldn't say that lack of parts is the problem with the escalators. I would say it's a lack of owners wanting to pay to have them repaired.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Maybe a combination of both. I see broken escalators at almost every mall I go to, but who knows.

[@PaigeMelody-v6p]

Broken? Or they don't wanna pay for for the big electric motors to drive up the electricity bill...NOT CHEAP..

[@bombfog1]

Wow, I haven’t been here since I was on pass from West Point so I could take my grandpa to watch “Saving Private Ryan” during its opening weekend. I enjoyed the Crystal Mall as young kid in the late 80’s to early 90’s.

[@iDGF999]

I was there last week and was shocked how empty it was. Even the Charley's steak place is gone. I always thought Charley's would survive the apocalypse

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yeah, it's pretty dead. I think it's a tie between Enfield Square Mall and Crystal Mall at this point for the deadest mall in Connecticut.

[@mikeyoungblood94]

@@fleabittenadventures Enfield Square Mall is only still open because of the Target anchor store…at least Crystal Mall has some actual corporate retail stores open that aren’t independent small stores

[@Lungshot420]

Worked in the Mall for 12 years. Loved it, was a blast and I’m sadden what happened to it.

[@David_lick_art]

Precisely why I still carry around a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer before eating

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yeah, I took a chance and lost.

[@soulvagabond9655]

Last thing I was expecting when I came home from wot tonight was the be recommended a vid of the local Mall. I remember how lively it used to be, coming after school with my friends every Tuesday, because that was the day we all had off from work.

[@sectCL]

It went Orange Julius, Charlie's, can't recall what it was before at the moment, where Taco Bell was Arby's was there before that, next Dunkin, before that was Sbarro's, I think Panda Express was next, then it was Burger King before Subway. I think before Rue21, in that area was Wicks ń Sticks. There was three music stores in there at one point, FYE, one mid way, somewhere near where the Pretzel place is. Originally where the WoW! is, was a pet store. AE was across the way from B&BW.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Thanks for the info!

[@georgealcoba3514]

So sad. I remember working at GameStop, Electronics Boutique and Record Town (FYE) it was always busy and on weekends. I remember Albys, Burger King and Panda Express. Even the Disney store. Great memories and now this. So sad 😢

[@georgef551]

It has got worse, Whitney Field has as well. The Kay's Jewelers moved to another strip mall, Yankee candle yanked their store, and as I mentioned before, the coincidence that your Whitney Field thumbnail as Rue21 front-and-center. Needless to say that's going/gone. On the plus side, a new candy store opened in the food court, not sure if it's still going. The Sears is supposed to become a Hobby Lobby. Work is being done in there, so I guess it's started. As for Crystal, the escalators being mostly all down means closure likely. The elevator appears to be a Westinghouse. The interlocks on the doors (as seen when you walked by it opposite side on the upper level) are right next to each other, which is their thing. Damn, that mall as Suicide Scooters? I guess it's dead enough.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Thanks for the info on Whitney Field. I may take another look at that place sometime. I should have taken one of those scooters for a ride.