Dead Mall: Northfield Square - Bourbonnais, Il

[@BuildAQuilt]

This mall is actually in Bradley, Illinois. We are often confused with our neighbor, Bourbonnais. If you go across the street you are in Bourbonnais, and at least part of the mall is now Village of Bradley property as it is in Bradley village limits. Although, I grew-up in the general area, I did not move back to the are until 2009.However, when my husband and I use to come back for visits with my family, roughly 2001-2005, this mall was bursting at the seams. There was always a long line to get into my mother's favorite coffee shop and other stores, regardless of time of year. Since my husband and I moved to the area we have seen this mall die a very slow death. It's sad as it is the only place in the area for a variety of shopping. It is kind of heart breaking. Our tri-town area has suffered significantly since 2008. We've been forced to shop outside our area again. I would love to see it transformed into artist studios, good housing and a smaller shopping area. I would love to shop locally again. We have a thriving university and a major pharmaceutical manufacturer, two top medical centers, three thriving community and regional theater organizations as well as some of the best farm land in the country. Kankakee County is worth the effort and this mall property is worth saving.

[@jc2123jc]

Moved to Bourbonnais in August 1990 and was there opening day. Was there with friends every Friday or Saturday. Remember Venture, Original Cookie Co, Suncoast, Claire’s, Afterthoughts, Buckle, Express, Carson’s, Sears, JCP, Maurice’s, Things Remembered, Barrels & Bins, Champps Sports, Casual Corner, County Seat, Ruby Tuesday’s, Fanny May, the food court (free tacos from Taco John’s for A’s on report card). Those little (bronze?) statues of kids throughout the mall. Hidden Cove before the new facility was built behind the mall. Great memories.

[@capri14.]

Today I visited the mall 4 days ago and it really dead it like only 10 or 9 stores left inside. Idr

[@capri14.]

Seeing this today makes me remember how it used to be so many people but now it just dead.

[@Shellyann59]

I lived there for six years in the 1990s. What happened to this fun place! The food court was worth going to in its self. Loved the coffee shop to.

[@shaun6288]

Best mall channel. I hope you return

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

Hopefully soon i've been so busy with work and everything.

[@TimOConnor-eh1qe]

Actually the mall is in Bradley; their mail is delivered by the Bourbonnais post office as it is a much bigger facility. You note near the end of the video that the Village of Bradley spent $15,000 on consulting for redevelopment. Bradley has actually purchased two of the empty anchor store buildings.

[@josephcastillo4754]

This is my hometown/childhood mall. I remember going to this mall with my parents from a young age when this mall was booming and the food court was at max capacity. This mall was obviously never given a major renovation either. I used to love to grab a slice of pizza from Sbarro. What a shame the internet is. More and more malls are struggling.

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

Totally agree. It was sad going through the empty food court because it's just a reflection of the hurt the mall is going through.

[@chrisle2674]

I remember when the Mall was built I grew up there. I left in 1992 for the Army and never returned. I use to like the pizza place. the rest of the food court even back then I did not care for. I went to BBCHS

[@moltenplays5028]

Same

[@Luna_nasar]

Yeah

[@mr.incredible1119]

Same, I have lived through kankakee my whole life and the mall has gotten lonely though my time.

[@TaylorJohnson1]

My mother had a boutique in this mall in 2010-2012. Times have changed.

[@almacortes8249]

i grew up at this mall, going with my mom to get my nails painted is one of my core memories

[@thegardenmuse2398]

Just moved to Kankakee from Chicago. Stratford Mall in Bloomingdale is starting to look the same way. I think Woodfield and the Harlem Irving Plaza are the only one's hanging in there.

[@DolenzFan5]

It's so depressing to look at. I remember going in this mall a lot when I was younger. I remember the Hidden Cove if anyone remembers that place. The mall was dead a lot but seeing it like this is just sad. And I can't believe they got rid of the arcade.

[@bellaalmaraz1569]

It closed in 2021 I believe

[@hunterkrovac]

It's still open.

[@glaexurmelts]

sadly it's even emptier now and the only actually popular place is the movie theater and maybe the pretzel shop or Off the Wall. I remember playing with my school band there ages ago too when it was actually busy it was fun

[@icethechampion]

I used to go here all the time during my childhood seeing all the stores I used to go to all the time just gone is so depressing man

[@chrisle2674]

I went to BBCHS I graduated in 92 left for the Army and never returned. That Mall looks the same. just empty. no wander it did bad

[@johnkennedy9327]

A really great video. You only forgot to mention the movie theatre which I think is still operating. I grew up in Kankakee County. Northfield Mall was beautifully designed.

[@bellaalmaraz1569]

This is so cool knowing o just came back from there

[@venexiis]

Its so sad. Im going there again today as of 1/4/23 it doesn't have many stores anymore most of them closed in 2019 its really pretty and stuff people are nice but there's really nothing there anymore yea there's been like 5 stores opened since you uploaded this but man ..

[@DarrellMayhem74]

Looks like something out of a zombie movie ‼️‼️‼️

[@regananan6135]

I’m only 14, but as a kid this mall was always busy. Sure the food court wasn’t full of people, but places were packed here, especially on Christmas when my dad would take me and my sister to see Santa Claus or that terrifying moment of meeting the Easter bunny when I was 2. Even though this is still a frequent hangout spot with me and my friends, whenever I go I can’t help but feel a sense of dread and nostalgia when I walk around and look at all of the empty stores of which I would always beg my mom to take me in. Now they’re planning to put a laser tag arena into the mall, hopefully that can somehow revive it even just a little bit

[@73honda350]

I grew up about 17 miles west of this mall and moved from the area before the mall began. Ironic that this mall is now dying after it was largely responsible for killing off the retail environment of downtown Kankakee and another long term shopping center in town.

[@7701nsvalentin]

I remember this place being filled with people it was a fun memory

[@alexandracasey7903]

I remember being younger & always hanging out at this mall with friends. They got rid of so many stores that we wouldn’t go anymore.

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

Def. There are a few stores there that have been there for decades. Ma and Pa stores. Wonder how long they will last.

[@Justin.pena97]

Yup same here

[@chrisle2674]

@@UrbexAPeakInside is the suit store still there? I can't remember the name of it but it use to be in Kankakee but moved there. last time I was in that mall was probably 2006 or so when I was on leave from Iraq. it was there than.

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

@@chrisle2674 Yeah the suit store is still there. I talk to the owner a little bit and he seems to be a little nutty. He talked about the moon landing and believes that we never landed on the moon and he also believes the Earth is flat.

[@chrisle2674]

@@UrbexAPeakInside wow thats the guy, when I was a child his father was the owner and the store was down town Kankakee. The mall was completed I wanna say my sophomore year around 1990 or so and they moved in than. to the mall

[@porshawalker5298]

We Have THE Most Biggest Malls in CHICAGO ILLINOIS Like Down.

[@juniorandrade6038]

Miss being a 90’s kid hanging out with a lot of friends at this mall sad to see it dying like this!!

[@BigBobster86]

This looks almost EXACTLY like it's counterpart down south in Marion. That mall met the same fate as well.

[@GETn2UNED]

Holy shit you are right. I never knew of the one in Marion until now.

[@dv9856]

That mall was dead as soon as Amazon took off. Most people their was using it to exercise. Just walking around it in headphones

[@AndrewMorganSmith]

This is so sad! It hits different when you are so familiar with the place

[@jennasmarketfinds9471]

Sad.So many memories 💔

[@ronnieam33]

The Riff Raff moves in and the paying customers move out!

[@JamesCook-u9h]

In reality i think anyone who grew up in the area probably would prefer pur downtown shopping area and meadowview shopping center were still around

[@erickitty5546]

Used to be the place to be for kids when I was growing up in the 90’s. Place was booming ! So sad to see.

[@Micropops]

This was a nice mall. I used to eat at the Ruby Tuesdays all the time. The mall was never properly managed. I worked at the T-Mobile here for five years till they moved outside.

[@nalla320]

Heartbreaking. I remember when this was a popular place to shop and spend time. So sad.

[@oracle6848]

I live here in Kankakee county this was a pretty good video that you did on the mall I actually worked at the mall also as a housekeeper quite a few years ago. My stepfather was the security guard when Northfield square Mall opened up in 1990 it was booming back in the early 90s from its opening day and throughout the 90s. But as the 2000s came on and I noticed when I would also Mall walk before I got hired on there that stores were closing or moving out. When I had hired food court was pretty much in full force to look at it now it's terrible who knows what namdar's going to go to do.

[@JD-dq8zn]

Amazing production quality in the video! Great work.

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

Thanks for watching..

[@JD-dq8zn]

@@UrbexAPeakInside Thank you also for understanding how valuable and enjoyable it is to walk through the mall without narration or sound at some points. Few channels really respect that.

[@adealesoo]

I agree ☺️👍🏼

[@mallaholicretailadventures]

Good to see a different perspective on this mall. I did this about a month back. So sad to see this in this shape. The fountains are off. There is a similar looking mall in Marion, but that mall is closed now. Great video.

[@AlexA-tj5dx]

I saw gru

[@Dranfusion]

Gru Shop

[@AlexA-tj5dx]

I agree till me about it man

[@Money7737]

i was just there bout a hour ago it was sooo dead i had to look a video up on youtube 1/14/23

[@28gs28gs]

used to o there in highschool, bourbonnais is a nice little town tho

[@brazillady5119]

Spent a great deal of time there, and a lot of money. Worked at two of the shops there. Both are long gone. I miss it.

[@janemclin3404]

Sad to see my hometown mall in this condition. I remember when it opened, and my joy having a local mall. Times have certainly changed.

[@SynchroSk8]

Beautiful Mall, I had never been to this one. I also wonder what it looks like at night. Thank you for coving this!

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

Good morning. Agreed. A lot of Illinois malls have those types of ceilings that let a large amount of light in. Charlestowne mall is one of them. One day will get out to Arizona to do some mall filming. Want to see Scottsdale Fashion Square.

[@SynchroSk8]

Urbex- A Peak Inside We just had two really great dead malls close here in the Valley, MetroCenter and Fiesta Mall. Scottsdale Fashion Square, Biltmore and Arrowhead Malls are thriving, it’s funny to see malls when they are busy like that. The tiny mall near MetroCenter, Christown Spectrum (great photos online) was the first indoor mall with Air Conditioning. It made a huge comeback this last decade. But it’s about to lose Costco AND the Penney’s. The Costco is a strange one. Their food stand is part of the food court and you must enter the mall to get to the Costco. Hopefully you can get out to Phoenix at some point. I’m thankful Retail Archaeology has covered some that we’ve already lost.

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

@@SynchroSk8 You intrigued me. Totally want to get out there. That's interesting that a Costco is so integrated in a mall property.

[@themoon5182]

my cousins parents work at that auntie Anne's and they've been working there for 9 years

[@amandaerlandson7177]

Just went there yesterday... It's so much worse now than at the time of this video 😅

[@josephgarman213]

Jimmy holmes that guy weird af

[@Dranfusion]

You mean Gru Holmes lol

[@blakewhittington4336]

You should have seen him when he used to wear a curly wig I also know a girl who works at a gas station by his house and he rides his bike there everyday to poop

[@Ang_XPLR_FriskyKittyGamer]

I had 3 previous jobs there. I worked at the Piercing Pagoda kiesk thats no longer there that was across from Bath and Body works. I worked in what was called Label Shopper that closed after about 8 months of bu6 because lack of sales/customers, it was in the big center store in the center of the mall next to what was Victoria Secret that is also no longer there. And I worked in Christopher Banks which is surprisingly still there, don know how tho. I always said when I worked there that the mall was so dead I would be sitting there in one of those jobs waiting for customers but only ever saw tumbleweeds pass by instead. The only busier days were the weekends.

[@danielblaylock5566]

I remember it being packed shoulder to shoulder during christmas time. Sad that its dead now.........

[@ambk2010]

WOW this mall went downhill, I remember going to this mall a lot when I was younger

[@heluvvvsmary]

Whenever I go there all I do is walk around seeing absolutely no one besides a few people and it's kind of sad because I'm still growing up and never experiencing a full mall like that..

[@Ang_XPLR_FriskyKittyGamer]

I will say, the mall is really creepy at night after is closes. I remember one night when I worked Piercing Pagoda, I had a last minute customer who was taking their sweet time picking items, but I really needed that sales to have some kinda sales quote for that night. So of course I didn't wanna make them feel like they were rushed. But I still had to take all the jewel displays out of the cases and put them down in the under storeage cabinets and count my drawer/deposit, and clean and make sure everything was locked up. I was literally one of the last mall employees to leave that night. I had some of my security friends who were of course doing their rounds so I would chat as they walked by, but once they were out of sight it was quite again. I was even there long enough to witness the main lights go off so it got pretty creepy being so quite and now darker in there.

[@chrisle2674]

malls are creapy at night.

[@rin-lv5tn]

Damn that’s so cool

[@WhittyPics]

Quite a few people walking around considering what little is left open. Looks like it is in good shape

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

There was. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people hanging out and not shopping.

[@rin-lv5tn]

I still go there to watch movies or try to Win in claw machines

[@MrSgm111]

I bet the neon around the centre courts looks great at night... wonder what colour the neon is ? Sadly , that is one dead mall ... without anchors it is on a downward slide...

[@rileykyrouac4674]

The neon is pastel pink and teal (very 90’s)...unfortunately hasn’t been turned on in years though.

[@rileykyrouac4674]

@@ErikBecause I don’t know for sure but I would imagine most of the neon still works. Last time I remember they had the neon lit parts of it starting making the buzzing noise that neon typically makes when it needs to be replaced. Since neon can be costly to repair/replace they just decided to keep it off.

[@gloriajslaton8385]

Dilating doctor's coming in from rent the space a doctor's office the doctor's office would be going up with no spaces when the stores are out

[@gloriajslaton8385]

Along with lawyers

[@gloriajslaton8385]

Also you could have couple like I said lawyers doctors and looking for space with a law office or medical

[@brendafaithlanelane7914]

So sad. I spent many Saturdays in this place.

[@Dremedekespell]

I grew up in Bourbonnais. I used to go to hang at this mall a lot with friends growing up. Sad to say it’s dead now

[@SynchroSk8]

At 1:40 - Was that a “win a car contest” with no car on display?

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

Yup. They should put the picture of the car on a milk carton.

[@Miyavisgirl1540]

I worked at the candy store, Barrels N' Bins for a few years, with the original owner. One of the coolest places to work. Too bad it was in this mall. :(

[@TheKingOfToast]

When did you work there? I used to go there all the time because I spent most of my time in the arcade playing DDR

[@haileyjade]

my childhood mall:(

[@1mike60915]

I miss Cindy's Cinnamon Rolls from the mid to late 90's

[@aps125]

You haven’t cover all the malls in Chicago area yet. Orland Square in Orland Park. Yorktown Mall in Lombard. North Bridge and Water Tower Place on the Mag Mile, just to name a few.

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

I have a lot left. My next Chicago one is Joliet Square.

[@retailadventures6]

Urbex- A Peak Inside What about Louis Joliet? And I think maybe a revisit on hawthorn since it has changed a lot since your last visit.

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

Nice plan on going there this weekend

[@retailadventures6]

Urbex- A Peak Inside I was not sure if you were talking about a different place when you said Joliet square or if you meant Louis Joliet which is why I said that.

[@retailadventures6]

Urbex- A Peak Inside And the woodfield lord and Taylor is closing.

[@graceternberg3739]

Urbex a Peak Inside I love getting a pizza slice 🍕 at Sbarro can you send pictures of it

[@kristenbellomy3317]

Yeah that’s pretty much right. I don’t like being there by myself at all..

[@ProspectElevators]

Probably the next one to close sadly judging by the state of this mall

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

Yes. Unfortunately.

[@coffeekills5174]

the directory is outdated there was over 40 stores open when it was last updated

[@coffeekills5174]

on the website

[@nancydarling4918]

Nice mall. Good video. Thanks.

[@jakehigh8334]

I had my first job here at Scottos pizza in high school. Good times.

[@D2503T]

Have u ever found any original pictures of the venture that was there?

[@kaiserduchene680]

Hey if you guys live there you know that there is in adventure Commons and I go there I love that mall now it’s all down

[@ItsaRomethingeveryday]

From what I've seen of numerous malls, it appears 90% of all malls will fail within the next decade as it seems to be the norm these days, only the well established thriving malls will survive the mallpocalypse

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

It's hard to know and predict lot of things can happen. 90% is what a lot of experts are saying but I disagree to a certain extent. I think it's more closer to 35 to 40%.

[@coffeekills5174]

King of Prussia or MOA will be the last man or men standing

[@retailadventures6]

This is a place I have wanted to film but it is to far for me to get to. This mall used to be owned by Simon and is owned by namdar.

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

Good to know.

[@pilotgrrl1]

I despise Namdar and Moonbeam.

[@BoratWanksta]

Northfield Square was originally built by DeBartolo, before Simon bought out DeBartolo. Also, this mall in its design, is a clone of the design of Illinois Star Centre(now closed, except for a few anchors like Target and Dillard's), in Marion, IL. And yes if you are wondering, DeBartolo also did design Illinois Star Centre, using the same exact design as Northfield. I recommend watching Mall Aholic's video on Illinois Star Centre, in case you hadn't seen it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3O3c4COarmCl68

[@markmeier7119]

There are several parties that what to by it . The mall my die the structure will stay.

[@johngalt6929]

1990 was riding the end of the mall boom. Plus not enough population to sustain it. Poor location.

[@73honda350]

You're right. This is just about the last mall that I can remember starting from scratch. Others in the area ( south and west sided of Chicago area) had been around for decades before this one even began.

[@ratoneJR]

2 miles from home. So sad.

[@artbell6017]

Once teens stopped hanging out at the mall it was the beginning of the end. That was the whole point of a mall. Now kids just look at their phone all day like zombie dorks.

[@lame4543]

Nah they in the streets now ain’t no more shopping

[@chrisle2674]

teens hanging out don't decide nothing. you have to attract money. That mall looks the same as it did in the 90's. I left that town in 92 and that mall had 0 renovations

[@rin-lv5tn]

Nah they just kept closing down so fewer people went, who would want to go to the same 4 stores over and over again?

[@izzizz2425]

BRUH I LIVE HERE 💀

[@Money7737]

i’m near

[@georges5169]

Reminds me of the O'Hare terminals

[@ninjasancho6711]

Haha yes!

[@loriabarker5099]

Ever since covid alot of nice places been looking empty asf

[@lame4543]

This mall been dead before covid

[@TheRiptideXD]

Yeah it’s been like this for a good 5 or 6 years at least lol

[@trevorjones5209]

I want to college near by in 2005 and most of the kids at school at that went to other malls not this one that be part of the reason it failed

[@UrbexAPeakInside]

It's definitely not the most attractive place now with a lack of stores so it kind of is a cycle that's hard to stop.

[@carsovideos3904]

POV-your here after a shooting happened at it

[@rin-lv5tn]

Tf when???

[@noahvoris3637]

The thing is the Kankakee area isn’t that large... The retail in the vicinity is over saturated anyway so seeing this mall going the way it is just wasn’t surprising to me. SAD yes but expected! 🙃

[@chrisle2674]

I left Bradley in 92, I went there in 2012 for my uncles funeral could not believe all the food places. That area has way too many businesses and is very oversaturated for the size

[@KnockOffMagicalGirl]

i remeber begging my mom to take my to paint my nails

[@rin-lv5tn]

SAME but I never got them done cause they closed