Dead Malls Season 6 Episode 11 - Keosippi Mall

words cannot describe the hypnotic experience of walking through Keosippi, showered only in a glow of gold.
everything in the mall is original to 1969.. While walking thru, Alan Parson Projects ‘Time’ echoed up and down the corridors, reverbed. an experience I will never forget…
when I first walked in, I encountered the only other soul in the otherwise barren mall (there’s no stores), an older janitor who was mopping the beautiful tile floors. I said, “hey man, how’re you doin?” and he chuckled and replied, “well id rather be out there.” (It was a beautiful day out). He then scooted his little mop cart down one of the back corridors, and I never saw him again..
the locals of Keokuk have a lot of great memories of this place, but a lot of them also share concern over seeing it in its current state. As it’s a sad, and bitter reminder of nostalgia for them all. And a show of just how far the once great town has fallen.. I was completely intertwined with the stories in the architecture while here, so much, and so many reminders of the past still dot the halls, even 20+ years after the malls death.. Join me today as we head into, explore, tell the story of, and SEE the remains of Keosippi Mall..
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[@kellal01]

I grew up in Keokuk in the 90s when the mall was still a place to go! A few fond memories are getting my ears pierced at Claire's in 1st grade, buying my first 'grown- up' dress at Maurices for a middle school band concert, buying Beanie Babies at Kirlin's Hallmark, and getting food at First Wok (operated at the time by my friend's parents) after a high school movie night with friends at Plaza Cinema. We did have K-Mart and Walmart, but the mall for most of my childhood was the place to get nicer, name-brand things that those stores didn't offer.

[@NorthCdogg22]

Those are great memories, thanks for sharing!! It seems like it was a really really nice place back in the day

[@patrickmartinez1998]

I remember when my mom took me and my sisters to see the mall Santa Claus ,they had it decked all out in Christmas decor

[@Nevermore13082]

My first real job at 16, JCPenney‘s menswear department. Was hired for Christmas season but kept on until it closed. Old school click clack machines or knuckle busters for imprinting carbon copy credit cards. I loved that job. Worked in stock room unboxing new things and pricing with old school Garvey fasteners & price tag gun, put on racks to wheel to floor. Learned how to print the signs JCPenney‘s used to have. Brown ink, single letter printing press. I loved the sound of the scissors when people bought fabric. Dang, I’m old😂 and about half nuts. Nice to walk down memory lane♥️

[@waylonrhoads1897]

When this mall was full, it was really awesome! I grew up three blocks from here and I was there almost every day from the time I was 6 until I was 19.

[@NorthCdogg22]

I wish I could’ve seen it back then, from all the photos and stories I’ve heard, it sounds like it was a really beautiful place!

[@CubeAtlantic]

That is a legit relaxed lookin' & wonderful mall ime.

[@stevestonehouse6945]

I remember when this place was always packed with people, and the mall was full of open stores like Woolworth and Osco Drug.

[@waylonrhoads1897]

I grew up in the mall. KHS class of 2000. My mom worked at the arcades for much of the mid 80s to early 90s. The place was once a thriving ecosystem of stores and community. Capital left the town and went overseas. Super sad.

[@alexlim1275]

what was capital who left?

[@waylonrhoads1897]

@@alexlim1275capital is the means of production and the wealth that used to be here, but left. All the empty factories in Keokuk are examples of capital flight out of Keokuk.

[@rodgerdresden8793]

I basically grew up in that mall. It was always the "place to be". I can still remember clearly what stores were in what part of that mall. Just sad....😢

[@waylonrhoads1897]

I also worked in that mall when I was in high school. I met my wife there at Diamond Dave's. We are still together.

[@harryayness133]

Thanks for showing the old Radio Shack.

[@mcbauswell91]

When I was a kid in the 90's I remember most of the stores being full and the mall always full of people, and by the time I was a teen in the mid 2000's it was sadly just a little better than it is now. One of the back rooms by that long hallway used to house weekly concerts- mostly metal/alternative/punk shows, to this day in my 30's I'm so fond of my memories of Music at the Mall! Such bittersweet nostalgia seeing how empty it is now.

[@chrisboyd3442]

The arcade was awesome right when you walked in and the movie theater.

[@toddurick9674]

That narrow hall is pretty amazing

[@brucebaur7749]

The arcade was about halfway down that hall on the left side.

[@slackingpacking]

Next mall is the East Hills Mall… the one with the terrible commercial 😂. Now this mall is awesome! I LOVE the vintage aesthetic 😍 so beautiful.

[@NorthCdogg22]

You know it! Thanks for watching man I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@coolcat365]

"Backpacks, backpacks, come get your backpacks"😆😆😆😆

[@cosmicminun59]

Ah yes, the mall with a commercial so bad, it ended up in the important videos playlist

[@cosmicminun59]

​@@NorthCdogg22The terrible mall commercial needs to be the intro for the East Hills episode

[@patrickmartinez1998]

This mall is in my hometown of Keokuk iowa,it was a good place to go until the late 2000's ,the person that owns it is using it as a tax write off ,he won't fix it ,part of the store is completely unusable .there is still a few people that walk around in the mall

[@Mikeshik]

Watched this video at 2am and it gave me gallery at market east vibes back in the day in Philly

[@MandyHieatt1]

Having grown up in Keokuk, it makes me sad to see the mall dead. I have so many good memories of the mall.

[@patrickmartinez1998]

I'm from there as well the whole city is becoming a ghost town ,I'm moving to Virginia in October,but Keokuk will always be my home ,sweet home

[@MandyHieatt1]

@patrickmartinez1998 I left southeast Iowa in 2013. Everytime I go back to visit it seems like more and more of Keokuk is gone. Kind of makes me sad.

[@sarahwynn2005]

I remember many fond trips to Keosippi mall. FYE for music and Diamond Dave's for the taco salad. Many memories, it's sad that it has fallen into such disrepair. I've moved away from the area and always find malls fascinating because of all of the memories from Keosippi.

[@rodgerdresden8793]

I think you mean Disc Jockey for music stuff...

[@sarahwynn2005]

@rodgerdresden8793 there was an FYE in later years, I thought.

[@eiguajardo]

another beautiful building abandoned and forgotten, actually the whole city looks pretty lonely, just a few cars, is sad. the store open in an abandoned mall gives me the vibe of like an error in the matrix, like if you say some secret password they gonna take you to a basement with a portal lol, too many movies. another great episode !! 😃

[@NorthCdogg22]

That’s what I was thinking! It definitely felt like I had glitched into some “early” level of the matrix..

[@Bigzeebear]

Love that 80s golden hue combined with the 80s brown brick floors. Takes me back to my childhood mall the Meadowvale Town Centre in Mississauga Canada before it was torn down 😭

[@mbatz75]

Btw that was Claires. Spent ALOT of tine in that store. I remember going to a movie and then Pizza Hut. After they left then Diamond Daves. Still miss those frozen magaritas...

[@mikethorn70]

If I ever won a huge lottery or came into large amount of money, I'd restore it to it glory

[@patrickmartinez1998]

That is if the owner sells ,he bought it for a tax write off

[@TheMallFox]

These malls get me excited. That tiny narrow corridor reminded me of the ones at Signal Hill Mall. I really miss that place :(, a shame i never filmed it Great video, your story telling and narrative crafting are top notch.

[@NorthCdogg22]

Same here signal hill is one I wish I could’ve see😅 thanks for watching tho!!

[@JeremysRetailExploration]

Beautiful mall and great video! Thank you for the dedication at the end of the video!

[@NorthCdogg22]

No problem, thanks for helping me find the photos! Thanks for watching!

[@jacoballen1380]

Oh man, memory lane! I wish you could have gotten someone who remembers it from the 80's to have walked you through what occupied the different spaces. No mention of Surgeon's as the "Montgomery Ward" space, the restaurant that was briefly across from the Pizza Space, Caramel Corn, Royce, etc. Much less the various other community uses like the Pinewood Derby that brought several scout troops together. I still really enjoyed your video.

[@jacoballen1380]

Sorry, Spurgeon's not surgeons.

[@yjofficialverified]

Love your videos bro. Me & my family enjoy the history

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thanks man!

[@TheCubeTube]

Congrats on 15k north! Amazing video as always! :)

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thank you!

[@steveorino78]

Born July 1969 the only mall I know about that's the same age has me. Clean mall no vandalism.

[@nole8923]

So, the hey day of this mall was back when those little furry troll dolls were popular. Would be interesting to find out why the town went into decline. Usually it’s because of factories closing like in Akron, Ohio. Very good video despite this mall being unimpressive. As always your showing old pics of what it once looked like is much appreciated.

[@waylonrhoads1897]

The story is the same all across the Midwest, capital left to go overseas. Small towns like Keokuk collapsed. When I first moved to Keokuk in 1986, there was nearly 14,000 people there. Now there is under 10,000. Factories shut down, people left, and most people in my generation left town after high school.

[@chrisboyd3442]

It went in decline because of people moving away and factories closing I was born there in 88. It used to be so busy and full of live now not so much as most building are rundown in part because of mismanagement of fund as well as crummy city planning.

[@tnbspotter5360]

Midwest and rustbelt malls = the town died and the mall died with it. It must be depressing living in those places.

[@JAGtheGEOLOGIST]

I remember redeeming Book It pizzas at the Pizza hut there, and getting family pictures there (at JC Penny's?). I also remember the theater there, both seeing movies and the birds 8n the theater at eagle days. Thanks for sharing!

[@Tullysplaytime]

Wait a minute youre telling me that the last store open is actually not a bath and body works, wow, this has to be a first. 😂😂

[@ERA_Productions]

Great birthday gift for me to see a new NorthCdogg vid! This mall is gorgeous! Great video!

[@NorthCdogg22]

happy birthday man! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@R1ch4rd74]

we used to go to this mall all the time. diamond daves used to be a pizza hut. when you went in the front doors pizza hut was to your left. just after that was the arcade. there was a woolworths with a cafe in it straight ahead. my cousins used to work at the cinema. lots of day old popcorn. i got tired of popcorn, the only thing keeping the proverbial lights on is the dollar general store, i assume as soon as it is gone the mall may be torn down. if i had the millions of dollars needed i would buy the property and have it torn down to make way for a smaller mall with tenants that would better serve the community. but on the other side of that coin it sounds like a massive headache. so i am glad i am poor. thank you for the video. very well made and scripted. liked and subbed. looking forward to your next video.

[@NorthCdogg22]

Hey thanks man! I’m glad you enjoyed it! From all of the stories, I’ve heard, it sounds like it was a really really nice mall back in the day. Hopefully something good comes of the site one day!

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

I want to see more of these single level dark corridor malls in person, but the travel is such a waste of time and money. Thanks for continuing to post malls of this specific style!

[@KB0101]

Another great video! I am glad that you have slowed down a little and taken the time that you need to create exactly the video that you want. 👏 Well done.

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thank you KB! Slowing down was definitely the right move, it has been SO much better on my mental health and has allowed me to make episodes I genuinely LOVE, thanks for watching!🙌

[@brandondiericks]

Interesting that they built the mall downtown, the lights definitely are the best part of the mall aesthetic. Your story going back in time was awesome too !

[@kwempy90]

Seeing Family Video always crazy

[@user-up3ux9jx7c]

One common “feature” to all the malls I used to visit, and preceding their closure by 10+/- years is the increasing crime and violence in the area. It was just unsafe to go to them, especially towards evening, with gun shots, car break ins, etc. I just subscribed, excellent channel and very unique, will definitely share.

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thanks for the share! And yes i definitely see that being a problem a lot of suburban malls shared 10+ years after their opening. I watched a fascinating little mini-documentary about a successful mall in the 1980s. And at the end it describes how it’s really only successful and clean because it completely lacks any diversity..

[@PeteTheChopp]

Very interesting mall!. I loved the shots you got of the town as you drove in. Really gave us a sense of place. And that last clip of the Mississippi River was great too. Nice work!

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thanks Pete!

[@patrickmartinez1998]

I used to live in Keokuk its becomeing a ghost town ,but it will always be home

[@Tyler-Potato]

Cascade mall in Burlington, Wa would be really cool to see!!

[@sunsetrecords2548]

This is an amazing and beautiful mall. Great Video!

[@seabee73]

This mall was really neat. The lighting and floors reminded me of the old days. The music was perfect. That is weird that it's still open with no stores. Thanks again

[@NorthCdogg22]

It really was a neat place! Glad you enjoyed, thanks for watching sea bee!

[@patrickmartinez1998]

There is 4 ,I used to live in Keokuk iowa

[@jakesawesomevids7908]

Ahhhh love and old vintage gem :)

[@NorthCdogg22]

Same here!

[@jakesawesomevids7908]

@@NorthCdogg22 yayyy

[@TheLoonlady]

I was in there a couple of years ago & the only person I saw was a man sleeping on the floor in front of the old Gordmans Store

[@jongaff]

1:33 WAIT OMG THATS MY BROTHER WHATTTTTT

[@robomatt101]

Love the music at around 10:00 soo eerie!

[@museluvr]

I miss the stores now gone; over the corporate crap we now have. I'd still be shopping ShopKo, had they left some stores open, but I guess my own purchases couldn't keep 'em afloat. I'd say due to the outer state of the building, a tear down at some point to bring in something newer, fresh and safe looking. Was odd to see houses across the street from that narrow bricked hallway. Eerie this one.

[@QuartiyoPasdevHerjiKreuz]

I'm gonna assume that the next mall has a Herberger's as the anchor.

[@kwempy90]

That lighting perfect

[@coolcat365]

Amazing video North, next mall is definitely independence center

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thanks Cat!

[@user-pi9my3lt9p]

That is one freaky mall ....irs like you stepped into anither "mall" dimension ...its looks very clean and well taken care of ...i imagine it was like being stuck in a time wstp

[@Evans_explores]

You do great work! Independence Center?

[@Thomas-yr9ln]

People don't shop the same way they used to. It forever changed.

[@RandomIowanGuy]

Its cool to see my hime town featured in a yt video, its sad that our mall is dead, but still cool to see the inside again

[@wapartist]

That was interesting to see a Dollar General in a mall. Normally those are in cheap steel buildings atleast in the rural South where I am

[@funecheeseofficial3576]

18:07 i believe this was a fanny farmer my good sir

[@docteur0meca]

Nice job Big Up from France!! Keep it up 🎉

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thank you!!🙌🙌

[@johndelorean2284]

Notice how most of the light bulbs have been maintained. Hell, most active malls don’t maintain the bulbs properly. 😂

[@user-tp6fo7im3d]

The only constant in life is change.

[@StephanieG1]

Hmm what if that one employee you saw and talked to was actually an employee from another era: a ghost? Mopping the floors until Judgement Day!

[@NorthCdogg22]

I’ve had the same thought myself🫣🫣

[@nickto21]

Long live Hummus!

[@NorthCdogg22]

Here here!

[@sarahsmull5069]

great video never knew keokuk had a mall hopefully the east hills mall is a gem as well

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thanks Sarah! It very much is a gem!

[@chrisboyd3442]

That mall hasn't been closed 55 years lol my grandpa Carroll Boyd was the janitor there for 15 years about 20 years ago

[@patrickmartinez1998]

The pharmacy side did close ,(huge water leak in the roof

[@PusheenIsCute452]

This kinda looks like County Fair Mall In Woodland, CA.

[@Alex.Culkin]

Request visit the abandoned hicks restaurant in Gilman IL off I 57 it's right near Fred's fuel and the Amtrak station it's condemned inside

[@alex42884]

Pretty sure they've told us via media that there's secret underground operationss of some sort under these malls. Bridesmaids, Stranger Things, etc. Could be.

[@NorthCdogg22]

One day stumbling upon some forgotten underground operation in some abandoned mall, would be WILD. Keeping my tinfoil hat on and my fingers crossed🤞

[@WilliamBrown-qx1fx]

Wellnorth dog if you're ever in Hebron Southlake Mall at sorry about that but it moved a couple times it used to be in Merrillville I thought I moved away for 25 years into the mall the last guy was went in but did not say anything about the fountains so if you go and what happened to the house and get yourself a cup of guardians coffee if she's still around

[@benb8407]

Surprised this mall is still open no stores in the mall and the power bill got to be costly. Take a leaf from the plant.

[@vsgfilmgroup]

...I don't know what hits harder, the abandoned mall or the abandoned Family Video.

[@nopawsbutton]

If you are ever on the east coast you should look at monmouth mall in monmouth new jersey before its demolished

[@spyrothedragon1319]

How is this place still open with no stores?🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@PR21121]

Jamestown mall cine 14 não era para ter demolido e esse predio velho não destruíram. 🤦‍♂️

[@NorthCdogg22]

That is a good question

[@Cashmoney098]

i wish i lived closer to this mall. its completely abandoned and quiet. there is a janitor whom just mopped the floors. (perfect for the sock test) (wear white socks and walk throughout the mall. if you don’t see the soles on your socks. you know they did a good job) if you do see your soles on the bottom of your socks. you know they need to work a little harder. since the weather is getting nice. perfect mall to walk barefoot.

[@PizzaMan-ItsaRomethingeveryday]

Now that Century three mall is being demolished will you consider uploading your unreleased video tour of it? This is something ive been wanting to ask you about, Loved this vid, ❤ Fullview always

[@ecaillette]

Danke!

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thank you!

[@ladytexan]

great vid

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thank you!

[@brandondiericks]

I didn’t know keokuk had a mall.

[@flawed1]

I’ve watched a lot of dead mall videos. This mall seems especially unfriendly even hostile like you’re not supposed to be there. Did you get that vibe in person at all?

[@NorthCdogg22]

I definitely understand that vibe, and it’s one I’ve felt at plenty of malls before.. Thankfully tho, Kepsippi was rather warm and inviting. Unlike other malls where I have looked them up in the past to understand them more before actually seeing them in person, Keosippi I went into completely blind. Yet it was still super welcoming! Perhaps it was the janitor I encountered at the start gave off the good vibes lol

[@flawed1]

@NorthCdogg22 It’s so interesting how things can come off completely different on camera after editing. That’s exactly why I asked.

[@leewood729]

I'm assuming that either those plants are fakes or someone is still caring for them. I've seen malls like this elsewhere turned into interesting residential apartments... just an idea...

[@curtisnewton895]

you know you got no life when you end up watching these sort of ytp videos

[@NorthCdogg22]

huh

[@TheGloriousLeader]

Holup with his guess of Jordan Creek Mall(Town Center), does that mean Jordan Creek been struggling super bad too?

[@tommythomas5299]

Awesome video as always! What is the name of the song that starts at 17:33?

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thanks man! I actually don’t know the name of that song file😅 it appears in my files simply as ‘unnamed’

[@tommythomas5299]

@@NorthCdogg22 I love it whatever it is! This mall gives me vibes of my all-time favorite mall... Hillcrest Mall, which was in my hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The mall was around from 1982-1998, but it was my favorite place ever. Like this mall, it was a small mall, but bigger than this one. Close to 15 years ago, I wanted to pay tribute to Hillcrest Mall, so it wouldn't be forgotten. I created a Facebook group called Hillcrest Mall: Bringing Good Things Together. In all of that time, we've amassed nearly 2,500 members! I never would have dreamed that many people still remembered the mall. I don't run the group anymore because I had some personal things happen in my life, so I eventually turned it over to someone who loves the mall as much as I do, Will Hawkins. The mall in your video really gives me the same vibe as Hillcrest Mall did. Here's a link if you or anyone else wants to join the group: facebook.com/groups/115265328396/members Thank you again for these videos! It's a shame so many malls are going by the waste-side now.

[@malgus1177]

Where do you get all your calming music from? I've been making a playlist of idle background music and can't find "No more worries - Horizon Sunset" anywhere. Thx in advance!

[@NorthCdogg22]

I’ll have to look thru the playlists where I found the music, as it is a Bandcamp song so it doesn’t appear on traditional music platforms.. I’ll let you know if I can find the link to it!

[@malgus1177]

Plz do! ❤​@@NorthCdogg22

[@JoshYT1]

Just some cinema food for thought here, is that old Plaza Cinema anyhow related to the Muscatine mall Plaza Theaters? They sound like some small chain but I'm not sure. Great weekend watch, as always!

[@NorthCdogg22]

They very well could’ve been built and run by the same company! The designs are strikingly similar!

[@JoshYT1]

@@NorthCdogg22 Glad you agree, its an interesting thought if they were related!

[@kellal01]

@@NorthCdogg22 the Keokuk Palaza Cinema was opened and operated by Kerasotes Theatres until nearly the end. Not sure if that helps with the Muscatine question.

[@WhittyPics]

Looks like the only thing operating in there is a Dollar General?

[@patrickmartinez1998]

There is dollar general,first wok,cash advance and a thrift store (I used to live in Keokuk ) that's it ,

[@channingcarter2748]

Woolworth had a diner with the BEST burgers, Paddock was the best arcade, Disc Jockey is where you got music then On Cue(I was the Asst Mgr) Pennys Montgomery Ward Super Spud Osco Drug Stevenson, Pizza Hut Plaza cinema Cookies n Cream it was jus a great place in the late 70s 80s 90s and very limited time early in the 2000s

[@user-jl2le7tl9j]

Where was cookies n cream at//?

[@nvateach1]

The movie playing there was released in 2020!

[@carlousrichard8637]

That was when the theatre closed. They never reopened it after the Covid shutdown.

[@AbcDef-iq4no]

How convenient that the area for this mall was accidentally on purpose set ablaze to make way for it. The exact same thing happened in 1995 in Tucson, AZ when Old Tucson Studios was accidentally on purpose set ablaze and then razed for the purpose of buiding a sizeable housing development.

[@swakv]

i love liminal 😊spaces

[@NorthCdogg22]

Me too!

[@Teraforce88]

What the the song that starts at 17:36?

[@stlac24]

Was the store with the barn possibly a Hickory Farms at one time? Oh, and the old man mopping was totally a ghost. 👻

[@NorthCdogg22]

It’s very possible! Hopefully some locals will watch this and can provide some insight..

[@DragonsofDay]

If I remember right the barn and fireplace were props used around the holidays/Easter for displays. They weren't actually to that storefront

[@lithi42]

@@DragonsofDay Yes and Santa's chair was stored in there as well

[@kingofrapture]

What is the name of the music track playing at 14:09?

[@NorthCdogg22]

It’s the song that plays at 21:30 as a part of the Mall Muzak of 1974 album, I’m not sure exactly what the song is called but here’s the album in which I found it, hope this helps! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGnJnqKZnLdggsUsi=oaTAsb6lEjTxDZYU

[@sleepyzeesp]

Anyone have a link to the song? I cannot find it anything about Horizon Sunset.

[@NorthCdogg22]

I was finally able to find the original playlist most of this videos music originates, hope this helps! The song your look for is at 9:00 ~ kzbin.info/www/bejne/joeTeoCMebeaiLssi=_a49tzt3jyGOlqmK

[@sleepyzeesp]

@@NorthCdogg22 yes, thank you!

[@mikeschmidt3382]

How many times can you show the same plants in one vid?

[@mikeschmidt3382]

🥱

[@NorthCdogg22]

Infinitely

[@swakv]

do wonderland mall satx

[@helenr991]

Hi