DEAD MALL - Midway Mall - Elyria Ohio - Revisited | ERA_Productions

[@ERA_Productions]

What are your thoughts on Midway Mall? What do you think it's future holds? Share in the comments below!

[@dvferyance]

It has none I am surprised it hasn't closed yet.

[@suicidalbubblethecopyninja5984]

I go there for my glasses prescription

[@coltonkoepp655]

Its going to be converted into a distribution center for Amazon they recently bought the rights to the propery

[@kizzy3563]

I have vivid memories of the food court from the late 90s as a little kid.... haven't been back since then so it is so nostalgic to see this today!

[@michaelwhary7697]

The Japanese Teryaki grill is still there.

[@wildcatkm]

I wish there was a video of when it was busy and I could see all the stores that used to be there! Big part of my memories

[@ethanstinkyyeen]

It's really not even just midway that's dying. Everything around it is a shell of what it once was. Like this whole area is cursed or something haha. I'm too young (23) to really remember a time when this mall had much going on. It surprises me they even have enough money coming in to keep the lights on. My fondest memories are actually just snow drifting cars and trucks in the parking lots during the winter time. Anyone around here who actually wanted to go to a mall just took the drive up to Great Northern.

[@amanda1500]

I enjoyed working there in 1992-1994 @ Spencer Gifts. Started there, my senior year of high school. Sad to see it now.

[@jimpeppercorn6244]

Wow, I grew up at this mall. So many memories at the Disney store, the volunteer Christmas gift wrappers at the food court, the Best Buy. Crazy to see this happened after 2020

[@ProtoMan0451]

I worked security on 3rd shift here about 10 years back. Even at that time, the mall was starting to get real empty. It was always so eerie to walk around it with all the lights off, completely alone. Always felt like something could be hiding around the corner. Had a very strange feeling to it. Sad to see its declined even further since then... but honestly people have been wondering about if it's gonna die off for at least 20 years now. When I went through training the supervisor told us that if any customers asked if the mall was closing to tell them "Please direct all inquiries to the management office" and I am not making that up.

[@LorainPsycho]

I haven't been there in so long. I always loved going to Spencer's and Hot Topic

[@Steelebourne]

I went here so many times as a teen in the 80s & 90s, and it was always so much fun. I loved going here, and also to Great Northern as well. Nothing beat walking around a huge indoor area, and actually shopping in stores among other people, instead of behind the computer screen! Even just walking around doing nothing was enjoyable! :) I've never liked Crocker Park, it feels a little...I don't know, too busy? And when Menchi's left, I really had to reason to go there anymore.

[@dan1elhalas]

What a place to go in the 90’s especially not being able to find a parking spot anywhere close to the doors. Hope something is done that can rejuvenate the area. Best area to get on and off 2 main highways and a turnpike. If nothing else warehouse it and bring some jobs in.

[@DrMarten]

I was born in Elyria, Ohio in 1970 and grew up in Lorain, Ohio. Midway Mall......WOW! Oh the Memories!!! The Talking Christmas Tree! My Sisters worked at Woolworths in the Restaurant. The Arcade! The May Co at Sheffield Centre! I went to Clearview High School in Sheffield Township and graduated in 1988! I sometimes helped my Brother change the Movie titles at the Movie theater when it was in the stand alone building across from the Sears Tire Center!! WOW!! The Memories!!!! I've been back a few times over the years but never really drove by the Mall. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!!!!!!

[@flyer3455]

@@DrMarten Remember Higbees's? If I remember right, they had a restaurant inside. I remember Woolworth's being where what later became Best Buy.

[@caramelapplequeen]

This brought a tear to my eye! I remember being 12 and the “new part” opened. Food court was so busy! Rumor had it McDonald’s left because the rent was too high in the early 2000s. If you are ever in the area again, head over to Oh Boy on Lake Ave for a phenomenal burger 🍔 Thanks for the vlog!

[@boxsetplaybook]

Awesome ! 💯

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

The drone shots in the trailer! Amazing! I wanna be like you when I grow up lol😂

[@haroldwilbert4377]

Its' heart breaking what happened to this mall. I had to look at this and remember my whole life and see how lifeless this area has become. Damn shame

[@dorkultra]

I've been wanting to visit this mall, as it's somewhat nearby. thanks for covering it, great drone shots!

[@ERA_Productions]

You should! It’s a cool one.

[@Domanator316]

Being a kid of the early 90s this mall will forever be with me. Food court was 🔥and with Babbages around the corner I would play the gaming kiosks what a time that was!

[@zambrogue136]

Was Babbages a videogame store? Had one where I live too, oddly in a mall as-well lol........

[@Domanator316]

@@zambrogue136 Yep first place I experienced Halo: CE 🤩

[@TheMDAxDJK]

This is honestly depressing to see. So many memories of being a teenager in early 00s and hanging with all my friends at the arcade, pac-sun, journeys, hot topic, Spencer's, and buying moves at Suncoast. Geez my childhood is being buried.😢

[@Jeffrey19834]

So many memories 😢

[@Pitchithard]

I walk in this mall a few days a week in the winter. That’s about all that’s left. Dunham’s and a few other stores. Was really fun when we were younger. When Sears closed I went and bought some things before they closed.

[@lowellriggsiam]

With as dead as this mall is it's amazing there is still an open restaurant in the food court.

[@ERA_Productions]

Yeah, I’m shocked too

[@HickoryBritches]

Thanks for the history of the mall. very informative video.

[@ERA_Productions]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@rclesher]

Thanks for your work and for posting this. Great bit of history. So sad to see this once great mall in its death throws. Like many malls, Miday Mall used to be a mecca in the 80s and 90s. The unfortunate reality, malls are a dying thing. They had a good run, though, from the 60s well into the 90s but eventually they will be no more. I was born in Elyria Memoria Hospital in 1974 and lived in the city until I was 9. This mall was such a fixture in my little kid life. I grew up in this place and have so many memories about Midway Mall. I doubt many will want to hear the musings of an aging Gen Xer and a mall, but why the hell not. I watched this video with a mixture of nostalgia and sadness. It's barely recognizable to me, but I hadn't been there in decades. Some of my random memories of Midway Mall being a kid in the late 70s and 80s include: Getting my picture taken with Santa and the Easter Bunny They used to decorate the hell out of this place during the holidays. Animatronics and everything. There was a huge singing Christmas tree. The movie theater inside playing 80s blockbusters like Ghostbusters and Empire Strikes Back. Camelot Music (my dad was a cop and did security there on the side) Aladdin's Castle arcade and playing Gauntlet and Asteroid and their brass token machines. The Woolworth's lunch counter that opened out into the main mall. The smell of coffee and cigarettes (still smoking back then). Hough Bakery and getting fresh cookies with blue sugar sprinkles. Looking at all the "naughty" things in Spencer Gifts. Shopping for school clothes upstairs in Sears and hiding in the round hanging racks. Hobby Center and looking for model kits to build. There used to be a huge water feature that had floor to ceiling wires down which ran water or oil? The old anchor stores: Higbees JC Penny Sears The Mountain Jack's Restaurant just outside by Sears. Not really the mall, but still. There was a Friendly's restaurant in the mall at one point. A barbershop where my mad would get his hair cut. We moved away from Elyria back in the early 80s. I don't remember the last time I was inside Midway Mall. I'm guessing it was probably sometime back in the early to mid-90s. I will always have fond memories of this once-great retail giant. I think I got to experience it at just the right time in its life. I hope I didn't bore anyone with my (over)sharing.

[@Swordsmage]

I don't know how this channel found me but I used to go to that mall all the time as a kid, I have fond memories of it. Every time I have Taco Bell I think of that food court. Just a few weeks ago I drove past it for the first time in a long while and felt a sadness. Even long after we stopped going to the mall that was always our favorite movie theater and it was an actual shock that it closed down.

[@Al___]

Holy I remember getting my first pair of glasss and having fun here iirc, they also played a LittleBigPlanet song.

[@brandonrerun4763]

Used to work there a long time ago. Black Friday was always busy.

[@amandakimble5841]

I went here as a teen with friends. I remember before the renovation, with the fountain. And i worked in the food court at Tasty Basket in the late 90's... This saddens me beyond words. Midway Mall used to be where all the neighboring cities came to shop. Then we got abandoned for Great Northern, and South Park. Businesses and factories started closing here and moving over seas, or to Avon, which is beyond oversaturated and congested. Unfortunately, the Mayors that we've had, and our building commission, have done little to nothing, to entice new businesses and growth, for our community. Seems like people have given up on us. But there are still good people here. People who want to clean this area up, want to work, want to have something to believe in and get excited for. We just haven't had the leadership to really dig in and go above and beyond to get us back to where we once were... And that is sad. I was born and raised, and lived here my entire life, as well as raising my kids here, and it's disheartening, constantly having to defend our city, and see what needs to be done, but isn't getting done, because nobody seems to care enough, to put the work in to get us back on track.

[@AnonyMatt0]

Man even Great Northern is going down, went there recently and it was dead! It seemed to be doing well a few years back. South Park is still going pretty strong though, but I wish there was more variety.

[@Flea-Flicker]

Like Randall Park it will become a giant Amazon sweatshop warehouse.

[@reneesuggs2156]

Hi, Andrew, I worked at the Sears and used to eat dinner at Woolworth Cafe. I really enjoyed working at the Midway Mall.

[@scottscali]

I used to love going to this mall as a kid. They had the best arcade. An awesome toy store called KB toys I believe awesome food court were u could get big slices of pizza.

[@matthewdropco]

If I'm not mistaken, there is going to be some. sort of renovation coming. "ELYRIA, Ohio - After careful consideration, the Lorain County Port Authority has decided to redevelop Elyria’s Midway Mall into a health, wellness and industrial innovation park. “It was a very difficult decision, but we feel that’s probably the best decision,” said Lorain County Port Authority Director Jim Miller. News 5 has been reporting on the future of Midway Mall for years. In January 2023, the port authority agreed to buy and look into redevelopment to bring the property back to life."

[@Dawn2DuskAdventure]

The mall in the Mansfield, Ohio area is kept open because part of it was turned into a hospital. It is a nice hospital and drs offices, pharmacy, rehab, etc. The mall still has a few stores too and is pretty well maintained.

[@flyer3455]

That news is disappointing. The area badly needs higher paying jobs. With rumors of the Cleveland Clinic or Amazon acquiring the property, I was hoping for better.

[@lild2224]

Used to come here all the time as a kid and a teenager, it used to be great, so many different stores even a whole pet store with dogs and cats that you could play with. There used to be a huge merry go round and small arcade at the food court, so many fun memories here, this was the place to go with family and friends on the weekends or after school, it’s sad to see it go downhill. The mall is in talks of being sold to some corporation that will turn it into a buisness or industrial park or something along those lines💔

[@jonmichael4134]

Worked here thru early 2000s, and what a shame for those who didn’t get to experience this mall in its full vibrancy. Definitely retained that peak 90s “Mallrats” look, and vibe. It was so alive, and fun. (Also got to see it back in 70s, and it was thriving.) Had a visit circa 2018, and I left so depressed… the whole area is almost post-apocalyptic. Not just the mall, but the district is lifeless, and barren. Shame to see…

[@abbyhuston6720]

Amazing work ❤ I love your videos!!

[@SpeakingGiraffe]

I enjoyed the mall from the 70’s through the early 90’s. So many memories hanging out at the record store and eating Boardwalk fries. The closing of this mall marks the death of society. This was more than a place to shop. It was a meeting place for friends and family - and a place to discover new friends. Seeing the mall like this is like experiencing the death of an old friend.

[@tri_official]

Well, I'll be damned that this was in my recommended. Loved going here as a kid, but the condition it's in now is depressing. It's surreal to see it on yt lol

[@EpicWAAbUUf3tt]

I remember going here in my early childhood. I was only 5-7 maybe getting to visit at 8 years old. It was already dying a little when i was a child. I am 19 now. I remember going to the hot topic with my brother every time. I also remember the Spencer's and the food court well. Food court places would come and go so much but there were some places thst were a constant. I remember so many happy early childhood memories of this place. And it's kinda funny to see that the shoe store(?) never left but aunt annies snd other things did. Its sad. Its really sad. Because i know things can never be like this ever again.

[@Jeffrey19834]

My first job was at Wilson leather store Remember getting the hook up on food exchange for my 30% discount 😂

[@electronicsabuse]

There's a huge storm drain on the edge of the Midway Mall lot. The entrance was out in the open in 2001, but by the Street View, it looks overgrown now. There's a little stream going through it, and it opens up to 10+ feet tall a ways downstream. It was next to the TGI Friday's when we went.

[@tehrinny7031]

Oh sh*t. You know it's bad when the Hot Topic and Spencer's is closed. :x I spent my childhood and teenage years here in the 90's. My first job was a gift wrapper at JC Penny. I also worked at Sears as a cashier for a few years before I moved out of the area. So many memories here. I do have some really sweet peak early 90's photos of me at the Malley's store after winning an art contest that was on display in the mall.

[@billsmith2217]

Nice work Andrew

[@Chadsbrennan]

I work in Elyria and still go to the mall about once a week to get lunch at yehee. It's going to be demolished soon and the foundation will be used to build office buildings or something similar I believe.

[@sandmaneyes]

I was just there, it's so much worse now lol

[@gebbygebbers]

I have never seen or heard about this mall until today, weird dream I had about visiting the shops there and getting a steak 😂 In any case, it must have been a favorite spot for some of you, quite a shame that it's closed down...

[@metallife365]

I live like just over a mile from this mall I would hang out here before my shifts at the Giant eagle sometime in early 2023

[@billsmith8705]

Nice work andrew

[@ERA_Productions]

Thanks!

[@GhostHost1969]

Excellent video. Thank you so much. I was unable to continue my updates as I was banned from the mall for taking pictures. The Lorain Port Authority just announced four potential developers. Most of them are proposing light industrial (like what happened to Chapel Hill). They plan to either gut the existing space or demolish it and build something new. We'll just have to wait and see what happens...

[@ERA_Productions]

Of course! Glad to help you relive some memories of your childhood. You were a pretty big inspiration for me to start my own mall channel after watching your videos for a while! So I'm glad I could help you keep memories of your childhood mall! I've been caught here several times for filming and also got told last March not to return by some old Karen, but that didn't stop me to make this video. Even thought the end of the Midway Mall is near, I still hope that the property has a bright future.

[@GhostHost1969]

Thank you again. I am truly humbled.

[@grandamericantravelblog3421]

Mall ownership keeps changing as do the security guards. I’m sure they’d have a very hard time remembering you

[@TheYoungKing45]

Worked here in the dark days just after college during the housing market crash/recession. I don't think I've been back since I stopped working there (at those little kiosks you see in the video) in 2008.

[@NOABXD]

So wild seeing a video of my childhood mall. I recognise so much, but havent seen it since it was absolutely jampacked in there. Im surprised its even still open

[@roselyncampisi822]

Thank you

[@ERA_Productions]

You're welcome!

[@brandongarza342]

Once PacSun left it was all downhill from there, started shopping at Strongsville and Crocker Park they had better stores more amenities city by the time you looked up that side of Lorain County basically died off

[@biohazard2236]

Is the mall still open? I've never been there and my fiancé used to go all the time. We want to make our way out there to see it if it's still open. Watching this with her was fun because my only visual of the place is the state it was in during filming, yet she's able to vividly remember it being more robust.

[@richardkinkead7823]

Beaver Valley Mall in PA. Now it's basically dead. Exactly the same thing. Back in the 80's and 90's, used to be the best place to go for those that lived there.

[@ERA_Productions]

Here is my Beaver Valley Vid! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnfdpXRujMurg9Usi=Xf8eOudgbh-uKoo7

[@deejuschrist]

i used to work here like 8 years ago lol

[@tims4832]

I get there for the last time it about to get turned into a business park.

[@voltrainer]

I want to put a Fnaf Pizzaplex in that thing. Fill it with neon and games. Go-Karts and Lazertag. Minigolf and a splash park. Big ol daycare and birthday zone. I mean financially impossible but still.

[@AlphamagnusCreations]

The ridiculous part of this is the rent, the former owners refused to take less on rent, one of the little stands cost $1500 a month in 2000’s they only raised the rent from there. Sadly every “conservative” regime that takes over the state /country keeps making it more profitable to have an empty building than a thriving mall. Tax cuts because “no one will rent there” is the same as “no one wants to work anymore” . It’s only going to get worse folks.

[@ryandrake690]

In early May of 2024, the Lorain County Port Authority has decided to redevelop Midway Mall into a health, wellness, and industrial innovation park.

[@anthonyh2884]

What does that even mean?

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

Mam, I rember when this place really started going downhill. It was always poor management. I used to live within walking distance in the early 2000s. Them killing this mall is one of the main reasons for the town's further decline. The entire city has turned into a shithole.

[@flyer3455]

It was one before the mall closed 😅

[@nickv4847]

Very sad to see. I have been here myself and I hate seeing malls in ohio turn into this. Do you know if it is still open?

[@ERA_Productions]

I’m not 100% sure now. It was when I filmed here back in October, but I haven’t been over there since so I can’t confirm.

[@grandamericantravelblog3421]

It’s still open. Thought it’s got to be only like 5-10% occupancy of stores. I used to work at that mall. Went there all the time as a kid in the early 2000s. It got hit hard by the recession in 2008. And towns nearby capitalized where this mall failed. Sad to see. The ownership keeps changing, and the mall has an insane willpower to not close completely.

[@aloe_vera_414]

:)