A Visit to Orlando Fashion Square

Orlando Fashion Square is a dead mall within inner city Orlando FL. Although decently maintained, it's an empty husk of its former self, and may not exist for much longer as redevelopment lays in its future.
Minds - www.minds.com/...
Ko-fi - ko-fi.com/doom...
Utreon\Playeur Alternative - utreon.com/c/d...
Rumble Alternative - rumble.com/c/c...

[@validationboy]

I'm 46, grew up in this mall. The 2nd floor came along years after it's inception. This mall used to be absolutely packed with ppl every day, up until the mid 2000s. I have endless memories of this mall's glory days. So sad.

[@esta8651]

I used to love this Mall. So sad

[@tammyboykin5285]

😢😢😢😢

[@tammyboykin5285]

​@@esta8651heartbreaking love malls

[@graphicsgod]

Same! I purchased my first console with money I earned from working at age 15. At a Kaybee Toys. A friend had a car and we sat outside till midnight to buy it in the 90's.. good times!! Then ten years later, I purchased lingerie at Victoria's Secret for my ex-wife.

[@EnkinduGamer]

I've probably seen you in the Tilt once or many times. I was there during the same time!

[@meghanstockham7258]

This mall was already pretty dead by the time I moved to Orlando in 2013, but I still have fond memories of walking to the theater with my friends, seeing a movie, and checking out Colosseum of Comics afterward. That was a weekend staple for us. It's a beautiful building, I wish I could have seen it in its glory days.

[@Neo-Anderson-11]

It was doing good at the start of the 2000s when I moved here but got hit hard by the recession and never recovered.

[@jamesxiaolong2199]

Luckily Coliseum of Comics isn’t gone, they just relocated about mile down the road.

[@jeffreyriley8742]

I remember the comic book store!! It was on second floor. The empty store is at 5:44.

[@Free_Beers]

Fashion Square was always "my" mall. I moved to Orlando in 1997 and quickly got a job working at a video store called Saturday Matinee upstairs where the movie theater now is. In 2004, when hurricane Charley hit, the mall was our savior, offering an air conditioned space to retreat to during the 2 weeks we spent without electricity in the brutal Floridian August heat. I remember when the bowling alley/ arcade was added. It was fun for awhile. To be honest, I will be sad to see this mall finally close, as it has played a significant role throughout my adult life. My daughter has a number of photos with Santa, who used to be stationed on the small platform directly across from the escalator. I will always remember this mall as the bustling and busy place that it once was. It's hard to let it go. P.S. The Premiere cinemas movies theater still has the best popcorn in Orlando, and is also the most reasonably priced theater around.

[@hiker64]

Oh yeah I remember Saturday Matinee and buying my VHS tapes there, lol. Wow, so much time has gone.

[@mason96575]

It closed?!

[@florida57]

Born in Orlando, I remember seeing the Navy guys walking around in the 80's. I was in high-school in the low 90s and would hang out at the mall all the time. I'm glad I was around during that time. All the people that have come to Orlando starting in the 2000's missed a lot of how great this area was. The internet and Amazon will never be able to duplicate this environment. This was how shopping is supposed to be. Take me back the 80s.😊

[@markprad]

When I moved to Orlando in 1995, Fashion Square was THE mall to go to.

[@js-pu6nj]

I used to drive far just to go there

[@jamesleiter4222]

The open space (wall next to Macy's) was supposed to be a multi-story hotel. About ten or so years ago, about a dozen stars were demolished, but the mall owner went bankrupt. Empty space ever since,

[@TBHJR]

“I’m surprised it’s still opened” Been saying that for like 15 years lol. I still love it though, especially when it was more full and busier.

[@Stellerex]

All throughout the 90s/2000s I remember this place being jammed packed so much you couldn't get a seat to eat lunch or barely walk around. Up top where the food court was there use to be this awesome ice cream booth that would sell massive cones of all kinds for dirt cheap. The arcade up top was so full of life. It was located on the opposite side of the food court. First purchased my Sonic The Hedgehog 2 for Sega here as a kid. Think it was my 11th birthday. Also next to the mall was Best Buy and Toys R US (demolished). Got my OG Xbox from Best Buy. It's depressing walking through Malls that once you couldn't barely even move around in. So weird how times change but now I understand what our grandparents and parents meant by "You wont understand until it happens to you too" when the era switches up. Thanks for sharing. I try to avoid Orlando much as I can even though Im only 40mins away from it 🤣

[@jakstarzin]

So many high school memories of going to the this mall, the GameStop, the hot topic, the spencers…. We watched endgame here too💚

[@GonzoShitcock]

Hot Topic & Spencers are still there believe or not

[@jeffreyriley8742]

I watched several movies here, including Batman Begins.

[@ms.zelman3032]

I love the fountain and those flowers in front of the fountain are absolutely beautiful. I also like those pillars with the palm tree shape where Macy's is.

[@BoratWanksta]

The faux palm trees decroations you saw there, indicates this is a former Burdine's store. Which was one of the regional department store chains Macy's gobbled up, as they expanded to be a nationwide chain. Btw that word was pronounced as Bur-DINES, as if you're saying the word dine.

[@harrisonlopez5400]

Agree

[@Steinbacker4001]

Back in the 70's it was glorious - as good as a mall could get. Then when Star Wars opened - those times - still golden. I was 14 in 1977, and cannot drive down Hwy 50 past this site without severe pangs of nostalgia. OMG what it was - what has been lost. Remembered forever - magical forever.

[@redpanda5566]

By the way, the reason for the demolished tenants in between the Floor & Decor and Macy's was because they were going to build a Westin hotel there.

[@roccosophie6498]

I remember hearing about that. But I also remember thinking, whose going to stay there???

[@jamesleiter4222]

I remember that too. The Mall owner went bankrupt soon after the hotel was announced.

[@NiccRicc]

Came here to say this. It was going to be a hotel and they tore that part down and never did anything with it. I worked at the Bank right there from 2012 - 2017.

[@tighe01]

If I remember right the hotel owner and mall got locked in a dispute over who would pay the 1 million in taxes, which kept them from actually starting and then the mall owner went bankrupt.

[@EnkinduGamer]

There used to be a sportswear store, and a Sabarro's there, before food went upstairs. A hotel there would've been a pretty awesome investment. It's probably better suited for apartments now however.

[@ziggywonka50]

I grew up coming to this mall with my mom. The food court was amazing, we would always hit sbarros and get a slice and a meat ball. they had a whole train track loop for kids. It was always SLAMMED in there. The arcade was also awesome. I moved to that side of town in middle school and would hang out there on weekends causing trouble to the security guards. It’s crazy seeing it absolutely abandoned and empty. Why people will opt to walk around hot ass outdoor shopping plazas blows my mind. Rip

[@shellv4094]

My husband worked at that arcade while he was in school. It is unreal seeing it so empty now.

[@chris8576a]

There was a meme going around “If Fashion Square Mall hasn’t given up yet, neither should you”

[@patiencefullerton6250]

That's beautiful ❤

[@watermelonlover745]

Millennial Mall is thriving .

[@fredleggett923]

This is my home mall. I sat on one of the benches recently and my memories almost overtook me. In its heyday, FS was full of life and soul. You couldn't pry me away from it during my formative years. It was packed, almost like going to Disney or Universal. People from all walks of life made FS their home. It was a nexus for the neighborhood and much more than a simple hangout. I hate the way society has shunned places like FS in favor of "villages" that cannot begin to replicate the feel of a classic, hometown mall. Perhaps my brain can no longer reconcile my nostalgia versus inexorable consumer trends, but FS could be resurrected if enough tenants could be lured back into residency. It's a beautiful space with wonderful air conditioning and a solid roof. Plus, a new apartment block is being constructed literally across the street. It's a shame. I sometimes wonder if my memories are a burden or a blessing.

[@stormsigma]

I'm right there with you, the melancholy this video brought up was something else. I have similar memories. To see it so empty now is really sad.

[@ccinthehouse]

Your nostalgic stories and memories are a blessing in my ears. We need more of that.

[@jtu2434]

I have never heard anyone in my life living here call it the square. It's always just called fashion square.

[@validationboy]

@@jtu2434 yes

[@Randomcharacters_]

It’s always been Fashion Square for me, I was born in 1985 in Orlando and spent a decent portion of my childhood in this mall.

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Very nice mall! Another waste of a beautiful solid concrete and steel structure in good shape.

[@MichaelTischers]

lived here all my life never called it or heard it referred to as "the square"

[@milkflavored]

Seconding this

[@hiker64]

Yeah, we never called it "the square"

[@LiddlestLady]

@@MichaelTischers i was also going to comment this lol it’s always been Fashion Square Mall? did they do a rebrand or something to make this dead mall more “hip”? lol

[@jasoncarroll2650]

Right? Late 90s through the early 2000s that was not a name we ever called it. It was either “the mall” because it was the closest to my house or “fashion square”. Many memories in this place. Maybe the square was an older term or something.

[@TheLittleWitchYouTube]

Me neither!!! Lol

[@STFD-STFU-MEDIA]

I grew up in Orlando and went to this mall almost every weekend. It was always packed, and I remember the squids, too. They were always in the mall. They had a head shop called The Barefoot Mailman. We kids didn't really get it, but somehow our parents managed to overlook the roach clips with leather straps and feathers that we bought to put in our hair. Good times!

[@Wowitzkay]

I remember this mall used to be so packed as a kid in the early 2000’s… it’s so sad how empty it is now

[@heathernewman5272]

Guys used to skateboard on the Burdines walls.

[@wjcolclasure]

i was looking for someone who remembered this. i ran up those ramps as a little kid.

[@jbischof71]

I first went to this mall about 4 years ago and was immediately so depressed that I could see that indoor malls are truly a dying breed. In Chicago I grew up almost exclusively on bustling indoor malls. It’s insane walking through such a massive structure with next to nothing happening inside, it’s haunting, and depressing. Wish there was a way to bring it back to a non vacant state. Living 5 min down the road and actively going to their movie theater, I would be willing to visit all the time. Wish I could have seen it in its former glory and at the very least buy a soft pretzel and go to a KB toys and video store

[@LethaWolf30]

I love coming to this mall. I bought some shorts from Champs a month ago, the employee I talked to claimed they out-sell the location at “The Florida Mall”, I don’t know if I believe that but the West Oaks Mall location closed while this one is still operating, so I suppose it’s possible. The theater is great, they went retro when they decorated the auditoriums. When I went to see “Fall Guy” my ticket was only seven bucks.

[@BoratWanksta]

Oh wow! That is interesting the Champs at Orlando Fashion Square, outsold a recently closed location at West Oaks.

[@grayrabbit2211]

I believe it... "demographics".

[@hiker64]

There is absolutely no way that the Champs at Fashion Square outsells Florida Mall - Florida Mall is an extremely busy and fully-populated tourist mall packed with customers daily. Fashion Square has mostly mall walkers with occasional shoppers with only a few clothing stores left.

[@Redline767]

Champs is gone now.

[@EmilyAdams-q1h]

It's 100 degrees in Orlando today, and has been for the past week. No one in his right mind is going to park in the open sun and walk around an 'open-air power retail center' -- like the ones that replaced so many indoor malls like Fashion Square. I cannot for the life of me figure out why retailers do not flood back to these air-conditioned, comfortable indoor malls that are standing vacant.

[@validationboy]

@@EmilyAdams-q1h great point

[@Wilkins325]

Its not swelteringly hot all year long. Although your point is still somewhat valid; these indoor shopping malls should see higher attendance in the summer months.

[@jbischof71]

@@Wilkins325wait… are you from the area? I live down the street and it’s pretty much sweltering 8 or more months out of the year

[@jamesxiaolong2199]

Fashion Square’s AC doesn’t feel like it works very well.

[@jbischof71]

@@jamesxiaolong2199 I would argue to speculate they don’t run the ac. I mean they have like 5% occupancy if that. Hard to justify air conditioning essentially 3 stories of open building with no one inside of it

[@phonewithoutquestion80]

How unfortunate this mall is dead, it's one of the most beautiful I've seen in your series.

[@EmilyAdams-q1h]

I frequented this mall as a child in the 80s. The Orange Bowl, Barefoot Mailman, Wunderbar, Circus World, Swiss Pretzel. Every few years, I will stop in and walk around this post-apocalyptic 'dead mall' hellscape in its current state and it's like a Stephen King nightmare. I can still close my eyes and hear the parakeets chirping at the pet store near the Sears wing entrance, the happy families pushing strollers past the bubbling fountains. All things run to ruin. Time is relentless.

[@Flippy_808]

😢

[@joho0]

I used to go to Wunderbar in the Altamonte Mall, along with Ferrells Ice Cream Parlor. So many good memories.

[@michaelcjgreenway4788]

I visited here in 2022 when I lived in Orlando. Really surprised it hasn't been demolished or turned into a movie set. Very sad, since it was doing decently well from my visits in 2010 - 2014. There were even food truck rallies out in front of it. Like many places, Covid hit this place hard.

[@TerryB751]

Yeah it's pretty sad, although Dillard's Clearance does have a good selection of items. You could spend some time in there. The ice cream shop on the left at 13:02 is trying to survive. They charge I think about 4 bucks for a cone. Kind of expensive but they got to survive like anyone else in that place.

[@EnkinduGamer]

I grew up in this mall back in the mid to late 90's. Way before online shopping was a concept. If I recall correctly, that space next to Macy's, which used to be Burdines (I don't like how you pronounced that or Majon Blance, digressing), it used to be a sportswear store, like Footlocker, and Finish Line. Sabarro's used to be next to it as well, before food was moved to the 2nd level. This mall was really crowded, especially during the holiday season. It was elbow to elbow walking to your favorite stores. I would hang out in the Tilt arcade a lot. When it was on the first floor, and when it was moved up to the 2nd floor I was there. People watching was so much fun growing up in the mall. I really don't know what they could use this space for anymore. It'd be great for city parties I bet. Your comment about this mall reminding you of the USSR times hits home. This time does seem like a pretty Capitalist society in retrospect. It's a shame we, American's, don't know what to do with these beautiful structures any more. Thanks for the vid.

[@djbille4283]

While in high school, and a few years after, I worked at Robinson’s (1975-1981) before moving to Denver Colorado. Because of Covid and other unfortunate circumstances, I’m back in Florida and have visited the mall a few times since. IMO, Dillard’s Clearance Center was the only place worth going to and that’s been declining lately. So sad to see the rest of the mall vacant while remembering the good old days when it was a really happening mall.

[@skinnyshoes11halfAA]

The closure of the nearby Naval Training Center Orlando spelled the doom for Fashion Square. The loss of those sailors with money burning a hole in their pockets was too much to overcome.

[@MsGail61]

At least we still have Altamonte and Florida Mall.

[@yahirpuga3513]

Don’t forget the Mall at Millenia.

[@changkwangoh]

@@yahirpuga3513nah that don’t exist to me, lol. It’s not “real.”

[@jimthar17]

@@changkwangoh And way too expensive.

[@benm1414]

The mall that, once you exit you cannot leave without sitting in traffic for 30+ minutes to go 1/2 mile? That one ​?

[@simpleman5688]

@@benm1414yep. Conroy rd. Is a nightmare.

[@Wuanchitonararndomrvide4893]

Fashion Square back in the late 2000s and early 2010s used to be the place, popping! Now it's dead. :/

[@BoratWanksta]

For a dead mall, this place looks pretty clean inside. Nice mall design, and that fountain is a plus! And that theater even seems to have a little neon inside, too. I wish there was a way, to reinvigorate this mall with a lot of new shops coming back. Since at least the interior here hasn't fallen apart badly, like is the case with Regency Square in Jacksonville.

[@neverxnice3577]

It's a little yucky, and may have a bad mold/ atleast water damage problem, everything in there smells AWFULLLL

[@BoratWanksta]

​@@neverxnice3577That is sad to hear! I guess no surprise since this mall has lost a lot of stores, that the mall owner hasn't fixed mold issues that might be developing inside. :(

[@eric-mouse]

for being decades-dated, the general aesthetic is fairly current

[@Darkuni]

Damn, I think I saw Tiffany perform there in the late 80s....

[@validationboy]

@@Darkuni You very much did. My sister went to that same show

[@Darkuni]

@@validationboy I noticed that she wasn't nearly attractive in person ... oh and I liked her hair LOL

[@catcox8716]

Enjoyed the walk through and commentary.

[@BlueJay6441]

Cool video. It's a shame to see a beautiful mall like that sitting empty.

[@breakingmywallet7971]

I remember Fasion Square back in the 80s with black curved tile exterior walls, was thriving back then

[@coolcat8867]

Beautiful mall- why is there not more effort being made to draw in more stores & restaurants to fill the space?

[@LiddlestLady]

mostly bc we have 3 other malls within a 10 mile radius that are way better. Altamonte, Florida, and esp Mall of Millenia are all jamming…leaving little room for piddly Fashion Square. This was the mall of my teenage years in the 90s. I have tons of memories here!!!

[@hiker64]

They're just holding on the land until the right offer comes along then it will be razed.

[@coolcat8867]

@@hiker64 well that just kinda sucks..

[@oscardelta1257]

​@hiker64 The land that the mall sits on is owned by the Maguire family. The mall leases the land from them, it's a 99yr lease. I know this because I was the OPS manager of OFS from 2005-2012.

[@coolcat8867]

@@oscardelta1257 Interesting...

[@jeffreyriley8742]

5:44 I used to hang at this mall. The empty store with the black windows here used to be a comic book store.

[@funwithdavid6183]

Crazy. The Florida Mall is always so busy and this one so empty.

[@jamesxiaolong2199]

Florida Mall is closer to International Drive, Disney and Universal without being expensive like the Mall at Millenia.

[@yearsoffear]

They were supposed to put a hotel in that empty space but they didn't have funding or did research to figure out they wouldn't do much business. Supposed to have 100 plus rooms

[@krhimself]

12:35 iirc that's where the owners at the time were planning to build some sort of a hotel. They cleared the space for it... and we never heard about those hotel plans again.

[@mikekelly5422]

I worked there in the mid 90s and seeing it like this is sad. Just tear it down already.

[@StripedLlama]

I remember coming here all the time as a kid. Even spent the night here in middle school when I was in Girl Scouts. I have so many fond memories here, hard to believe I’m 27 now. It feels like just last week I was here exploring the hot topic then going to the Chinese food place that was there. Weird to see the mall of my childhood so barren now but it was hound to happen🥲 The Claire’s, GameStop, anime store, Beya, and a few others I can’t quite think of now. There used to be a Colosseum of Comics there too

[@magiccheeseball]

Where did you guys sleep? I never knew anyone camped in the mall that must have been fun it's sad how it's so slow now it seems like it should get a lot of business from all the people in Baldwin Park next to it

[@hiker64]

@@magiccheeseball Baldwin Park people buy from Amazon or Target. There aren't enough stores left to attract shoppers; only people who go specifically to a certain store.

[@akaoni7946]

12:45 I remember when that wall came up it had posters for a tgi fridays, I guess the plans fell through only after they demolished the shops on the side

[@basic_r]

I used to work at a Verizon cart there where the gumball machine stand is at 4:54. Spent many night leaning on that rail next to the escalator. There was a restaurant right there in the food court called Cajun Kitchen that had awesome bourbon chicken with cajun potatoes and rice.

[@FruitygazetteD2GA]

Yes!!! Must have had that bourbon chicken a hundred times working in the mall.

[@Chipndales]

WHO SKATED THE QUARTERS BEFORE THEY FILLED THEM IN???? I hear stories of riding the whole wall. Tell me more

[@milkflavored]

I wonder why Altamonte Mall is still thriving compared to FS and Oviedo…

[@EmilyAdams-q1h]

Altamonte Mall is currently in Stage 2 of Terminal Mall Death. It's not yet *dead*, like Fashion Square is dead, but it is in irreversible terminal decline. The rot has set in. They lost 1 anchor store, Sears, whose space has remained vacant for 7 years. The other 3 anchors are hanging by a thread. And 90% of the national chain specialty stores -- The GAP, Banana Republic, etc -- have all left and been replaced by weird no-name 'boutiques' with hand-painted storefront signage. More and more vacancies every year as well. Altamonte Mall is in roughly the position of Fashion Square Mall circa 2004. Fashion Square was still fairly active in the early to mid-2000s, but most of the major brand-name stores had left, there were many vacancies, and things were clearly on the downhill slide. Altamonte itself has changed a lot, as well. Which is a factor.

[@milkflavored]

@@EmilyAdams-q1h That’s very true, thank you for elaborating. I’ve witnessed the decline first hand and personally feel it’s currently being held afloat by housing the Apple Store and Barnes and Noble, in particular. If those stores (along with maybe Sephora and Hot Topic) were to go, I have no doubt the mall’s fate would have been sealed years ago.

[@chrisose]

Lots of memories for me in Fashion Square. As well as Colonial Plaza Mall and Winter Park Mall. These were the haunts for me and my friends in the late 70's and early 80's. Colonial Plaza and Winter Park, being older properties, fell to the "town center" format which seems to be working for those properties. Much of Fashion Square's early success was largely down to being within walking distance of the NTC (Navel Training Center) which gave sailors on leave a place to go without needing a car or taking taxis. The closing of NTC in '95 meant a massive drop off in traffic for the mall and it has been a pretty steady decline since.

[@redpanda5566]

I went to this mall in January of last year. The movie theater was beautiful and full of neon.

[@DavidMajorz]

Movie theatre is dirty and needs updating

[@neilengel3715]

I went to college in orlando in 1977. Fashion Square was L shaped and one floor. We went to Altamonte Mall not too much further to go. It was central Floridas only 2 story mall. Shopping there was more fun

[@validationboy]

@@neilengel3715 You must remember the giant bronze Olympian statues, as well. I miss those sculptures

[@amyv.2130]

I was a teenager and got my first job working in this mall around 2000-2001. It was during the Christmas season and very lively. This mall has changed a lot. I also grew up hanging out at the Oviedo mall (Marketingplace) and I remember when Gap, Aeropostale, and A&F were still there.

[@richardmchugh5269]

When I was younger my family would come to the Orlando Fashion Square and walk around. My mom would buy things occasionally. I do remember going to the Suncoast Motion Picture store there and get movies.

[@danielmaxshaw]

Local Law Firm Kaufman and Linde often still rents out the movie theater every time there is a big Blockbuster film and gives free tickets to its clients with Raffles and it's usually a pretty fun event but it is sad to see the rest of the mall around you pretty empty when you're there for the movie

[@duncan343]

Is it my imagination or is Simon properties like the one property manager that knows how to take care of and deal with malls properly?

[@iteaire]

I really like your camera work!

[@brianmurphy2695]

Nice looking place! Way too many empty stores. Is it even worth it to heat and cool this huge empty monster? Nice job!

[@hiker64]

The ultra-mega rich people who own these malls save them for tax write offs. I don't think they really care about tenants. It's all about the land and Orlando is in a building boom at the moment. Some super-ultra-mega rich conglomerate will come in soon, buy the property, tear down the mall and build more of the high-density condos/businesses that Orlando is putting everywhere.

[@cybereagle19]

Whenever the navy base closed that’s what killed fashion square

[@dhughes1392]

Started going to Fashion Square in 2004 as an East Orlandian. I am 32 now. I spent the best parts of my life coming to this mall, hanging with my friends as a teen. Got to experience the arcade, Colussium of comics, Japan HQ. The mall was always busy then. Started dying around 2010. Depressing that it's all over. Some of the best memories.

[@TheDirtydeak]

This place used to be packed back in the 1990's and early 2000's. Used to meet my parents here for random spur of the moment day trips from Springhill if they wanted to come over and see the grandkids. Because this was 'thee' mall to go to over here. The girls could ride the train upstairs in the food court, go window shopping, go to a movie, and we could literally just hangout all day. Even go to a restaurant before my parents left. It was fun. Just to put it out there, I worked on the renovations for the 'new' movie theater and alos gutted the stores that were removed.

[@canbencheco]

This was such a great place when I was a kid. Nowadays I can't even drive past it on Colonial without wanting to cry. Btw, DON'T come to the Oviedo Mall.

[@DoomieGruntVentures]

What if I already have?

[@homi7760]

i mean the mall off obt is usually pretty packed but idk i have not been there in a long time probably a year.

[@j.s.friedman9649]

Hey you should do one on the Seminole Towne Center-- Their even more dead, they lost their Spencer's recently. And have only 3 restaurants there in the food court, and the pizza at the pizza place there is so bad it's ridiculous-

[@affectiveobserver]

I always go to take walks, I live nearby. They actually fixed the downgoing escalator. Very recently both escalators were blocked off. Weird they would even put resources toward it, they'd been using just the elevator for so long.

[@ChatGPT1111]

It's not Burd-eens. It was pronounced Bird-Eye-ns

[@Kbtoy789]

I recently went to see a movie there. The AC wasn’t working, the elevator was leaking water, and the credit card machines were all “offline.”

[@yosoywilson78]

This was never “my” mall. I grew up in the Florida Mall which shows no signs of slowing down. My first job and many subsequent jobs were there. But I spent some time at FS and have some fond memelries of it. I just went to Fashion Square a couple weeks ago to see a movie and it was depressing. Seeing these places that used to be thriving and be where all of us would hang out together is depressing. But times they are a changing.

[@DavidMajorz]

There are roaches in the movie theater

[@bunberrier]

" And of course she had studied the civilization that immediately preceded her own --- The civilization that had mistaken the function of the system and used it for bringing people to things, instead of bringing things to people. Those funny old days" - The Machine Stops E.M. Forster

[@mkprox10112]

I used to work at that Macy’s back in like 2016. The whole place felt removed from time.

[@BrownsBacker]

When I moved to Orlando in 1979, this was the "new" mall on the east side of town, just a mile or so from the old Colonial Square Mall...which was later demolished and became Colonial Plaza, an open air shopping area that still exists. Just behind Fashion Square was the Orlando Naval Training Center, which also handled the training center for the nuclear submarine program. The mall had white suited navy personnel all the time. When they closed the ONTC, they turned that property into a housing development eventually...but by that time Florida Mall and later Millenia Mall became the upscale malls in town, and this mall was doomed to decline. The last time I was in this mall was in 2010, before I moved to South Fla. It was still in good shape at this time, but the writing was on the wall. This was my favorite mall in the late 80's to late 90's, with Sears, Penny's, Dillard's, and Burdines as the main anchors. It is sad to see it's condition today.

[@kaleidoscopacetic]

pretty depressing seeing my childhood mall like this. its a cool spot for totally different reasons now though, so it feels like it grew up with me

[@lesmokealotesquair8288]

Omg I've just recently starting working in this area and pass this all the time I was amazed at all the abandoned places over there it's crazy

[@KYREEELEISON-mw4vr]

Sad. How can they afford to keep the lights on?

[@The_MightyReptar]

Funny thing is that the movie theatre wasnt added until somewehere around 2007ish, well after it was already dead. I used to skip school in high school and we would hang out here in the already DEAD mall in 2008-09

[@medicbbt]

Wow I didn’t realize there’s an actual mall in there! I live right down the road from this and pass by it every time I go to Best Buy! lol

[@stormsigma]

Man, this is both depressing, and it makes me feel old. I remember when I'd visit this mall often with my wife and all of those stores were present, open, and the place would be packed on the weekend. We'd eat, do some shopping, maybe see a movie, and we wasted endless hours at the Coliseum of Comics that was upstairs right across from the movie theater ticket office, all of that is long gone now. The internet kind of made a lot of those stores superfluous, and of course, a mall isn't truly a good "third space" since the draw to spend money was around every corner. In fact, almost every mall in Orlando is doing poorly except the Mall at Millenia, and the Florida Mall, both of which are jampacked with tourist shoppers, and the Mall at Millennia being home to so many high end brand stores.

[@kaleidoscopacetic]

at least the coliseum is still around, they moved a bit down 50 towards hot dog heaven

[@Foxwarrior88]

There was so much promise for the renovation plans for this mall, and it just all fell through for some reason. The only thing keeping that place afloat is the theater. It's sad to say, too, as I've been going to this mall since I first moved to Florida over 25 years ago. I still remember Tilt, Babbage's, when Coliseum of Comics first arrived there. Does anybody else remember Biz Kids? I do, and to this day, I still have no idea what that place was about. Hell, we had two game stores in Fashion Square, TWO! If they didn't have what you wanted at Babbage's, you would just walk on over to the other side of the mall to visit EB Games. I even did Halloween trick r' treating with my siblings in this place when it was still bustling. It's a shell of what it used to be, and I hope somebody eventually breathes new life into this place.

[@FruitygazetteD2GA]

Worked across from Biz Kids for awhile…it was basically a small retail store run by school kids with mostly general use items on offer. A neat idea.

[@magiccheeseball]

Seems like it would be busier with Baldwin Park right next door

[@markhayden1]

I guess you were there really, really early? Otherwise I can't fathom why it exists (as you said)!

[@GODHOOD1]

Yeah I'm surprised Fashion Square is still open. I've been going there for the past 30 years and seeing it's decline gradually is truly sad. I see a movie now and then but walking around it's virtually a ghost town.

[@user-fk7fh5ek9n]

The free standing cinema did not close in 1988. I worked for the mall in 1997 & the cinema was open

[@brettoblaster]

Doomie, it's weird that you covered two malls that I worked in; Enfield Square in CT and this one. I worked at Barnie's Coffee & Tea (before it became a Starbucks), right across from Hot Topic. What are the odds these two videos came up today??

[@neverxnice3577]

You're officially the mall killer!!

[@autofocus4556]

I remember watching mortal kombat tournaments in the arcade. Fun times.

[@Jakob-zs1qu]

The outlet plaza in Orlando is where it's at

[@milkflavored]

It’s so surreal to watch this video as a way to know what’s still open in a mall I used to visit every other weekend and now barely venture on that side of town…

[@frankkoolosko4255]

Do you know what mall is still going strong? the Altamonte mall.

[@KarbonElement]

@dommieGruntVentures @12:50 I have the tea you are missing... So, both me and my mom used to work security for this mall. At the Macy's wall you are talking about was to become a hotel, similar to Florida Mall. Except that the owner at the time wanted more than 2-3 floors, and he was told no because of the municipal airport across it. To close that part of the mall was costly because the mall owner had to pay the stores to move into another spot of the mall. Eventually, the owner was not paying his mortgage of the mall and the bank repossessed it, and it was in the talks that they want to transform it similar to what they did to downtown Winter Park. After repossession they closed the bowling alley because they were not making much money. I left shorty after starting working there. My mom has since retired, about 3 years, so I don't have anything further as far a redevelopment. The problem with the electric stairs is that they are old, just like the rest of the mall, and they can no longer buy the repair parts because they do not make them. They would have to replace them with new electric stairs and they simply don't want to spend the money on a mall that is basically on it's last breath. That goes for anything broken, and hence the signs so they don't get a lawsuit if it's posted in case someone gets hurt. Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret (same company) left because the owner of the store got into an argument over something dumb that I cant remember, with the owner of the mall at that time, so they left. The owner felt like he won the battle, but in reality he lost the war by loosing a huge anker store like Victoria's Secret.

[@Lopez.Media.]

Both elevators are dead and the mall struggles to survive. But a new gym is open there and you can have some wine and a painting class.

[@erolon17]

Fond memories of that mall in the 90's and 2000's! Shout out Coliseum of Comics and Japan HQ! The brief time I worked there in the 2010's lots of stores were closing up in the now walled area. It was supposed to be a hotel entrance area with fancy shops but it never happened. The grassy area was to be a hotel.

[@biblegirl]

I come here almost every week during the summer for the free children's movie. It is so crazy how dead it is. It's kind of funny that they have forgotten to unlock the door by the theater or turn on the elevator, which is an issue since the escalator doesn't work and the only other internal option is a service elevator (a nice janitor let us and other kids sure it). My daughter loves the little kiddie rides by the fountain post movies because there's never any line. Bonus fact, Santa was there this year. No line. I have come across something interesting about this mall. The tenants it does have can be unique. For a little while a small theater company used an old shoe store for performances, it actually worked really cool for an in the round show). Then during last month my daughter and I did run into a church renting space.

[@JuneGeno04]

Wow, just came across this today. Back in 1998 I used to go to this mall when I first started working at the FedEx station not too far from there. I used to go there for my lunch break and to hang out in the mall do some shopping and used to be so packed. I still work at that FedEx station 26 years later and I drive through there and it’s really sad to see. It’s so terrible how these malls have become obsolete. It’s really crazy to see it so empty and abandoned.

[@stellijer]

Oh, one more thing; I really thought the cinema was connected to the mall in the 90s? It's hard to be sure, but I don't recall a time when the cinema first opened.

[@sandraj7196]

West Oaks Mall keeps adding local business everything is in that mall now. Need to save the mall.

[@Orlando_Steve]

Went there to see a movie a few months ago. Very spooky. Place is deader than dead. Put it out of its misery! How is it a place like Sawgrass Mills in South Florida which is much bigger than this mall, can be thriving with no closed stores?

[@juicebirdmedia1406]

I moved to Orlando in 1998. This mall used to be awesome. The food court was packed (including a Taco Bell!) the mall had KB Toys, Waldenbooks, and a big CD Music Store! Outside the mall was a Toys R Us and a second movie theater.

[@madi7178]

This mall is holding up some SERIOUS real estate on Colonial. Everyone would be looking to buy this land. I can understand holding strong honestly. Baldwin park just down the road and the new apartments on the backside could really pull this place up by its bootstraps. It’s just that it was all commercial nearby for so long. You have to cross under 408 just to get to some real residential areas. It’s a bad location but a fantastic one at the same time. They must be working to really redevelop. (Glad you enjoyed all our roads)

[@krhimself]

This must have been filmed around this time last year because the escalators to the 2nd floor have been closed for some time, stores like Champs Sports and Detour are closed, and there are zero open standalone stalls in any of the walkways. To say it's a shell of its former self is way underselling how sharp and terminal its decline has been through the years.

[@roccosophie6498]

It's "Bur-DINES," as in dine, not deen.😁

[@BoratWanksta]

I've heard locals often say it was pronounced bur-dines, as if(for the 2nd syllable) you're going to dine somewhere. So I'll say you are right.

[@itubeutubewealltube1]

lol...yeah..for most of the video I was like.. what is a burdeen?... lol