Exploring the Harrisburg Mall - Dead Mall Filled with Retro Retail Relics!

[@eSh..]

@7:25 - Very apt that they're playing Jon Bon Jovi "Living on a Prayer"

[@irongeek7933]

Not sure how we are supposed to survive during a zombie apocalypse without malls.

[@RayOutThere]

Wait for my Dawn of the Dead mall tour

[@Baldmaxx]

Now that's funny! Especially to an old guy like me.

[@AAV29]

Loved the music playing in the background. Vibes 🎶🎵

[@batphink2655]

Yeah I heard Mister Mr did you?

[@user-iamRobinV68]

I want malls to be back😢. It’s sooooo sad!! Had great times at malls. And food court. Ugh. Great explore Ray. 🥰🥰🥰

[@RayOutThere]

It's sad to see. But it's fun to look for pieces of the past

[@GeeEm1313]

I want them back as well, but without the crime.

[@sew_gal7340]

You have to be willing to invest in them and not buy from amazon...i have to force myself to go out and buy stuff so i dont support amazon

[@stgenerations]

West end girls at the beginning via pet shop boys

[@tony-ms5sf]

the song in the backround played on the 1st floor is (Somebody's Baby Song by Jackson Browne)

[@michaelmackenzie4644]

Hi Ray That was great! That was a nice looking mall and huge very sad indeed to see it in that state I loved the fountains and the fish aquariums some great tunes being played in the background

[@RayOutThere]

Yeah this mall had good music in it!

[@Melissa2087]

Wow I love all the animals inside that Bass Pro Shop

[@RayOutThere]

This mall was kinda wild with all the taxidermy all over it

[@BadKarma173]

Fun fact: in the Bass Pro, there is an elevator behind the gifts department. Go into the elevator, lift the center ceiling panel, look to the left and you’ll see an impact from a bullet. Many years ago that Bass Pro was a Lord & Taylor and a man committed suicide in there. That elevator also goes up to the third floor, which is now just a storage area, but still has some of the remanence of the Lord & Taylor fixtures.

[@RayOutThere]

Yikes!

[@faithfulfilo7994]

OH MY GOD MY BOI I WAS NEARLY LIKE 10 YEARS OLD WHEN MY FAMILY WOULD KEEP BRINGING ME HERE... THE MEMORIESSSSSSS. This was my first introduction to escalators and elevators, and what a ride that was 😂everything was so tall back then and I grew a fear of heights here from the balcony [second floor] areas.. MAN I SAT ON THOSE EXACT LITTLE KIDDIE RIDES BEFORE. I remember the food court being absolutely packed with lines everywhere. And those damn bathrooms being so out of pocket especially at closing time... And all throughout the eeriness there's 7:28 playin in the background almost like a sendoff to a wonderful memory. I had no idea this place had an arcade. Oh my, calling the old Macy's a Greek temple is wild 🤣 I do wonder if the Bass Pro Shop will stay? Thank you for visiting this place one last time for all of us, what a ride indeed!

[@TheRetroManRandySavage]

I like watching some of the old foot locker vids up on KZbin. Like the old ads they did for Reebok pumps.

[@chrissasandlin8344]

Love those retro giant columns -- several of the old malls around here had similar anchor design.

[@MichaelAStanhope]

Its sad, 10 years ago that place was packed with stores, now its dead. Its been announced, they are tearing it down in 2024, except for Bass Pro Shops, that will stay.

[@annerose497]

This was a good one- I agree with you about the fountain and retro stonework, they are very nice. That whole mall looked well-kept up with, it's such a shame that it will be torn down. The Toys R Us building nearest to where I live also still looks the same with the colorful tiles, but has been turned into a large liquor outlet that seems to be doing very well, ha ha. Cheers!

[@RayOutThere]

Thank you glad you enjoyed it!

[@stephaniesmirnov9830]

This was one of my childhood malls, mid-seventies era. It was a gorgeous mall. R.I.P. 😢

[@RayOutThere]

I bet it was beautiful back then!

[@NaomisAdventures]

Looks like a nice mall

[@CoolCatProductions-365]

That fountain with the fish pond instantaneously made me fall in love with this mall!! I have to see this place before it is gone. Great vid Ray!

[@RayOutThere]

Thank you! Its definitely one to check out if you can make it.

[@R32R38]

I would sell my soul to have a nearby Bass Pro Shops.

[@eSh..]

Imagine being a kid today and seeing all this stuff from 40 years prior just abandoned. It'd be like us in the 80's seeing abandoned stuff from the 40s & 50s. Imagine how creepy that would be? Now for the younger crowd, imagine all the stuff you like or have grown accustomed to going abandoned or getting "improved" (read messed-up). This is why a bunch of grown-ups like us will walk around looking for abandoned stuff like this - it's like being half-way through a time portal. You can literally SEE the BETTER days just a few feet in front of you, but no touchies. The biggest sad is they never got the chance to LIVE in this environment, just the shit-pie of today. In a way it's like trying to describe the taste of actual chocolate (again a rarity these days) to someone who's never actually had chocolate. "It's brown and looks like pooh." ... "Well, yes...and NO!" lol

[@tedbrogan1]

This mall used to be so great back in the 90s. It was my favorite one to go to in the area whenever I visited. Such memories...

[@sew_gal7340]

Thank you for the decent camera work, i cant stand all these videos with awful headache inducing shaking cams....i really enjoyed your content!

[@RayOutThere]

Thank you so much! I try to get clear shots the best I can!

[@TheRetroManRandySavage]

That bass pro shop is amazing. I've never seen anything like that. I wonder if they will be moving to a new location. I can't imagine to hassle it will be to pack all that up. Cheers, Ray. Great video.👍

[@RayOutThere]

Thank you Macho Man!!!! The Bass Pro Shops is going to be the only part of the mall they keep.

[@TheRetroManRandySavage]

@@RayOutThere that's good news. Sigh of relief for those that work there.😂👍

[@forevercoke22]

One of my favorite stores was also Suncoast. I loved it so much I got a part time job there. It was a fun store and I still miss it a lot.

[@TheRetroManRandySavage]

It's like a ghost mall, lol. Oh wow, a former suncoast video store. I've seen them in movie's before. Unfortunately, I don't think the company had stores here in the uk.

[@ryanspishock9915]

I bought a copy of Mallrats on VHS at that Suncoast when I lived in Harrisburg back in 2000. Strange to see that mall so empty.

[@MadRespectTV]

Looks pretty good despite being dead

[@angelacosta1465]

If I had the money I'd buy the whole thing and just make it my home. 😅

[@ToddDCLT4]

04:40 We used to hang out at that collum on the deep far left when I was a teenager in the early 1990's 09:18 judging by the angle of the video, me and brother would play air hockey on the air hockey table on the right side 09:29 I remember looking at the pinball machines cause they made cool sounds, I think they were actually spread out more back then also the Family Guy one I don't believe existed when I was around there. 12:06 EVERY kid loved the taxidermy animals, those are the exact ones and I remember trying to climb on one, but I do remember trying to pull one of the lions mouths open more. I guess it was the one on the left cause I really on like 9 years old then 13:21 I remember that bear on the right being much bigger lol 13:48 I remember standing at those upper railings and still remember the smell of the fountain 17:42 I remember standing in the corner with my mother one time, waiting for my father to bring the car around to pick us up 18:11 Its so crazy seeing it empty and how small it was, I remember as being bigger than New York City in my head I think the last time I was there was 1995 cause we moved to Maine the following summer

[@Baldmaxx]

Excellent video and mall walk through. I noticed that the malls background music was exclusively nothing but 1980's hits. Too bad shes sinking fast, just like all American retail. Subscribed.

[@RayOutThere]

Thank you so much, I love 80's music and I'm glad when I can leave it in the video

[@CagedSUPERMAN]

Suncoast was awesome

[@coreycoyle9548]

I really like the fountain!!!! F+L, Corey

[@Joe.M]

I remember when that mall opened. Spent a lot of time there when I was a kid. There were a lot of great stores there back in the day. One of the last of the original stores to close was RadioShack. Need to stop over before they demolish it.

[@sew_gal7340]

I met my husband here in 2014 when i was living in Harrisburg, back then it was already starting to show signs of closure. I remember it having a Macy's or some kind of department store...and i was walking around in it feeling really sad and pathetic. The clothes were very sparse and almost all of them felt like they were meant for elderly or obese women...nothing felt new or modern. I remember watching movies in the theater, the seats were always sticky and really small...they had that vintage smell to them and the wood always creaks when you lean back...the rooms themselves also felt very small, like maybe 5 rows with 10 seats max per row. The food court leads into the movie theater and they never had any real brands, just obscure foods that seemed very sketchy. The mall itself wasnt very large, but it looked super clean and very well maintained; this was when the bass pro shops kept both the upper and bottom levels open for customers.

[@cherylweaver5129]

Sad to see. I remember shopping at this mall in it's prime. It had so many nice stores.

[@jeee1074]

Yet another perfectly good mall bites the dust. Bass Pro is an excellent shop but a little pricey. I wonder what factors killed off this mall.

[@rmarketgame]

Several factors played into it. There are a ton of strip malls and another mall fairly close (which is probably worse off). A couple of missteps with incoming stores and remodeling also hurt it. Covid was the latest blow to it. It is truly a shame as the mall is in good shape in a great location and has so much potential.

[@jeee1074]

@@rmarketgame I appreciate the comment. This does look like a perfectly good mall going to waste.

[@RayOutThere]

This mall has been struggling for a long time. Apparently they tried to update it in the 2000's and they had some half built structures outside the mall for a while.

[@rmarketgame]

@@RayOutThere Rumor is that Sega was building a Round one there along with another major anchor but the money dried up part way through the project and it eventually became the 2nd and Charles. Round 1 eventually got built at the Park City Mall in Lancaster

[@RayOutThere]

@@rmarketgame Yes, Sega was building an arcade/bar and they even had the building built

[@cuddlesthetiger-mallsnmore]

This mall was actually next in line for my next episode, because it's been a while since my last episode. And I was just checking up on how it's doing. I'm surprised that it's being planned for demolition already when Colonial Park is doing even worse. I really thought this mall would outlive Colonial Park Mall. But who knows. We'll just have to keep an ear out for that mall's closure as well. Really loved your video. It was surreal seeing the demolished Macy's.

[@RayOutThere]

Thank you! Both malls are very dead but also very interesting to explore

[@amzifickingertheamazingyoutube]

I was there last year in 2022 it was a nice mall the bass pro shop I hope they save the whole building

[@penguin4booz]

If you ever get a chance to go for the drive, go down to the Rockvale outlets in Lancaster they’re planning on tearing down a lot of that and speaking of this mall from what I understand they’re going to tear down this mall and add apartments around the Bass pro shop

[@batphink2655]

Though not from USA I have a friend who lived in Delta PA ,I should ask her if she knows this Mall? It's sad to see malls closing it reminds me of coming change I don't really want! Working in those few food places or the Bass Pro shop must be surreal on lunchbreak as you go strolling round?

[@craigkenney4706]

How is an Ollie’s an odd place? It’s one of the most successful retail stores out there and continues to grow. Mostly closeout items to buy yes but there’s nothing wrong with that especially in this economy. My kids basically furnished college apartments from Ollie’s

[@RayOutThere]

I'm not saying its a bad place to shop by any means, I mainly find the decor and vibe to be kinda strange.

[@ChopSkullNYC]

I really enjoyed this tour so much. What a unique mall. I can’t get over that pond. Also I’ve never seen taxidermy animals in the middle of a mall. Leave it to PA. 😹 It really looked like they had all the classic unpretentious stores that we miss. That Bass store was something too. It’s too bad they’re going to knock it down. I wonder what they’ll build? I say either leave the mall or if they have to demolish it, just let it be rural.

[@RayOutThere]

This was such a strange mall with all the different stuff in it. I think demolishing the whole building is too drastic, its not in that bad of shape

[@ChopSkullNYC]

@@RayOutThere It is very drastic. It's a shame.

[@DanKuhn]

1. The "Bass store" is Bass Pro Shops, it's a national chain. 2. The taxidermy animals are a Bass Pro Shops thing, not a PA thing.

[@nathanbrady8529]

The trout are palominos/golden rainbows.

[@bradye21playsIndieHorror]

They should put some items in the stores and open it as a museum and charge admission! I'd go for sure.

[@bharlan2002]

I miss that movie theater, it was really quite nice. My wife and I had a lot of dates there before we got married and moved away. There’s and interesting story on why the movie theater closed and it’s not because the mall was a dead mall, they owed the county hundreds of thousands of $ in back taxes.

[@maries.1741]

I feel so bad for the fish😢 I hope they find them a good home.

[@S.J.C._Entertainment]

They were gone when I went today, the Bass pro owned them so they probably got sent to another location.

[@AAV29]

Now i want a Soft Pretzel 🥨

[@jwsibelievehikeandfly2272]

In the mall in Syracuse they put a small Toys R Us in the corner of the Maceys store. Don’t know if it is trying to make a come back or what?

[@RayOutThere]

Yeah they're trying to bring it back as a brand

[@GeeEm1313]

A slight comeback, yes.

[@Tyler-hs9eu]

Is that great northern mall? I grew up near there and it looks pretty much like this now. I actually think thats being demolished/repurposed as well

[@amzifickingertheamazingyoutube]

The arcade is on the top floor by the exit of bass pro shop or cabelas

[@7mikegamer204]

My friends and I went there not long ago and i guess it must have opened up not that long ago but there was a second n Charles in that mall

[@rovhalt6650]

Honestly I'd just convert that whole mall into either an office building or a living space.

[@HoneyMa31]

@11:28 probably Cingular

[@chm9935]

The star was foot action

[@RayOutThere]

I thought so!

[@amzifickingertheamazingyoutube]

Also there is a sports store

[@pmcpmc8005]

Now closed. Gimbles became a Hess's witch then became Hects then became Macy's.

[@ericeckman9470]

So they gutted the Macy's movie 🎬 and boscovs

[@RayOutThere]

It certainly looks that way

[@ericeckman9470]

I'm still trying to figure out why but it.might be a head start for demo

[@rmarketgame]

@@ericeckman9470 A few years back they started to tear them down. They had the permits. The holes in the walls are from that. They suddenly stopped mid process.

[@ericeckman9470]

The permits were for the inside for pennlive said

[@axilmar254]

How come the arcades were operational? who pays for their electricity if they have no customers? and all these arcade machines suck up a lot of electricity...

[@rmarketgame]

A little late but I can answer these questions. The arcade was open and successful till it closed in Jan 2024 . It had been in the mall for close to 40 years, so it had a large customer base in the area. There were frequently more people in the arcade than were in the rest of the mall. Weekends are when the people came to the arcade but being in a mall it had to be open when the mall was even if it made no sense to be open. And yes, the games do suck up a lot of electricity. The electric bill was always more than rent was.

[@adamswartz6625]

macys, not boscovs

[@YolandaPlayne]

You know who killed malls?

[@GayleBright-lo5eb]

More old fashioned way of selling of objects to give to second hand sales not good needs money back to up date and give job related to gardening and health council tax bill 💸 lowered 📭 in working wages and salaries in working wages over time at getting back on track save it you need money volunteer and security updates of second hand sale in departments over take in business Environment in new Economic policy.