Jasper Mall (Jasper, AL) Documentary : Dead Malls of America : What Happened To Mike McClelland?

In 2019, filmmakers Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb spent several weeks documenting the stores and people of Jasper Mall. Where are they now?
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I visited the mall to see how things had changed in the years between the documentary's release and now, including the pandemic. I was also able to catch up with Mike McClellan, long lost Australian cousin of the Tiger King.
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[@michaelwilson2340]

I saw the documentary last night on my local PBS station and when it ended I actually felt a lot of empathy for the people involved and in a strange way, the mall itself. Something that was once full of life. I hope everyone who was interviewed and told their stories are doing alright. The end in which it's revealed the one guy who played dominoes had died hit me.

[@brianlankard9948]

This is my home town . It’s great to see someone did a documentary on jasper mall - in the 80’’s when it open it was the place to go - thank you

[@abbieconnie2012]

January 17, 2023, the Jasper City Council approved an incentive package, which will allow a Rural King store to open in the former Kmart space in the Jasper Mall.

[@notmuch_23]

I think dying malls' best chance is to probably turn into a sort of modern-day bazar with smaller stalls with relatively low rent to lower the barrier to entry into commerce.

[@DeadMallWalking]

That’s certainly a model that seems to be working in some places, as is the mixed-use development, but there’s also the risk that low rents attracts mom and pop businesses that don’t have the draw from name alone that, say, a Victoria’s Secret or B&BW might 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@notmuch_23]

@@DeadMallWalking That's true, it has to be done in places with strong "shop local" movements, and coupled with stores that _do_ draw foot traffic.

[@NinjaBooKitty]

To keep buying and selling cheap garbage. Yeah, way to move forward.

[@jenniferburchill3658]

Very good point, to say the truth!

[@jenniferburchill3658]

@@NinjaBooKitty Not if it's done right, though.

[@Cassandra8586]

A lot of days spent at this mall during my childhood. Thanks for the memories!

[@DeadMallWalking]

My pleasure, thank you for watching!

[@erinthedemonhog2090]

Same here. Nowadays I only go there for Lin Garden or Bath & Body Works with my mom

[@FREESYNXLOL]

I miss our old mall

[@SamYoungRadio]

I spent a lot of my childhood there. Great memories.

[@erinthedemonhog2090]

Same here dude. I got my ears pierced there when Claire's was there & I was only 13

[@theretrobro]

I just got done watching this documentary. It was absolutely driving me crazy that he would randomly slip into an Australian accent. I'm glad you confirmed it. Oh and thanks for the update. This movie eas oddly interesting

[@DeadMallWalking]

Haha! As someone who has spent prolonged periods of time in other countries, I’ll confirm that it can really mess with your accent. Yup, I really liked the movie and figured there’d be others out there interested in the mall since.

[@theirishgirl6809]

I pretty much agree with everything you've said.. Mike and the Australian accent and an interesting in a bizarre way? Either way I thoroughly enjoyed it and wish there were more!

[@Opheiliac]

Hey just wanted to say I found your channel on some random Instagram account and this is the channel I’ve been waiting for forever. I’ve always said I wanna live in an abandoned mall and I love your mix of ambience videos (I’m gonna play them when I’m going to sleep) and info videos. Keep doing what you’re doing, it’s wonderful and unique and today you have one more very engaged and happy subscriber! Can’t wait to see more!!!

[@DeadMallWalking]

🥰🥰🥰

[@davidfarler5718]

Im glad that other people enjoyed the documentary just like me. Thanks for the update!

[@rainbowcrocs]

i remember when the mall actually had pretty much every store in it. I got my ears pierced at the claire’s that used to be there, shopped in the k-mart for halloween costumes and candy, and ate at subway. man do i miss the subway I think it’s really neat for someone who lives in the uk to have made a stop in my small hometown, I hope you enjoyed what little we have

[@suckka1244]

That subway burnt my meatball sub

[@creekwalker8178]

@@suckka1244 That's what you get for eating a meatball sub

[@hoobyonthebeat]

I grew up running these mall floors. My mom worked at JayMark Jewelers most of my childhood. It was thriving then and booming with energy!

[@charcasc7462]

Thanks for the update. I visited Alabama in March 2022 and took a day trip up to Jasper to see the mall, due to the documentary. I was there in the late morning. The mall is smaller than it seems to appear in the documentary. When I entered and saw that the US Armed Forces recruitment offices was no longer open and had moved, I realized that the mall had taken a hit even if Dunham's had taken an anchor spot (and I noticed as well that it was closed off to the rest of the mall). I found the place bleak, especially as there were no mall walkers and the old men who gathered there and were in the documentary were not there (health issues? died of COVID or something else?). Belk seemed to be keeping the place viable. I didn't see Mike.

[@DeadMallWalking]

Hope you enjoyed! Yup, I agree that the mall feels a little smaller than it seems in the doc, but I’ve been to smaller! I think how busy it is depends heavily on when you visit, though I remember the doc saying that the guys who gathered called off their meetings after one of them sadly passed away. Mike isn’t necessarily visible unless you seek him out, but I do think that he’s always around if you know where to look!

[@seeulatergaming385]

This looks almost identical to the mall I grew up going to in Rome, Ga. Need to make a trip here before its gone.

[@theirishgirl6809]

I just finished watching this documentary on Amazon Prime and found it to be very intriguing and hauntedly interesting.. all the empty store shops and the customers, so far and few in between.. Mike is a sweetie and I KNEW he was Australian! Broke my heart when I saw him pretty heartbroken talking about his Zoo and how some what I call "nosy people" came around and basically closed him down.. 😢sounds like Mike is doing well and yes, one of the Domino players passing away is sad, but like he said, "he died four times maybe five & he already saw what heaven looked like the first time and he's at peace and happy when that time ever comes" and of course I'm paraphrasing.. but anyway I love this show. I love programs and shows like this... just something about them that is so intriguing.. I hope everyone's doing better but have a feeling the way this country is going.. either way, good luck and God's blessings to everyone... xx 👍💜🌹🍀

[@johnjackson2932]

I remember before the mall was built. I remember the mall being very popular for us in surrounding towns on Friday nights.

[@RealmsofPixelation]

I used to go here with my dad, sister and brother in the 80s and early 90s. We'd get cherry ICEE's and just walk around for hours. As a little kid, this place was like Disney Land. We'd usually hit the Jasper Mall on weekends and a little place that was once called Skate Galaxy. It's called something else now. My dad passed away in 2000 at age 47. Miss him and miss those days. Edit: The blockade wall that you see around 2 minutes or so in must be new. The path kept going with many other shops. There was even a K Mart inside the mall.

[@StickerStopSG]

I grew up in Jasper and have so many memories at this mall, especially when I owned a business there. :D

[@juliewatson4314]

I was in the mall just yesterday. So incredibly dead.

[@Gu3ver]

thanks for taking me back to this iconic place 🌸

[@Steelflight773]

I grew up close to the mall and was there many times throughout my life. Two store I miss badly from there was KayBee Toys and The SoundShop. KayBee was next to the entrance to JcPenny and SoundShop was close to the entrance of the Belk. There was a Chick Filet there and was the only one I knew of at the time.

[@DeadMallWalking]

Damn, I always love hearing memories of Jasper Mall 🙂

[@Steelflight773]

Other notable stores that used to be there was RadioShack, GameStop, and Walden Books. I have been meaning to make one last trip there sometime and say goodbye to it.

[@creekwalker8178]

With so little else going on in Jasper and the immediate area I wager the mall will soldier on for years still.

[@TheDarkVoid16]

Where's the Selfie.

[@DeadMallWalking]

I don’t generally post myself on this account, and didn’t ask Mike if he’d be comfortable with me sharing it on a large scale, so it’s just in my archives for now 🙂

[@stickynorth]

"You are here and so am I!"-American Dad's parody of both the documentary and the mall with the only restaurant open being Sloatmeal where you must order 24 hours in advance... I completely forgot that this episode was based on Jasper Mall until I saw the film trailer again and here we are... Actually, "HERE AM I!" ;-)

[@Phillipmoreno1]

Really cool great vlog

[@DeadMallWalking]

Thank you! 🙂

[@Pugging]

I'm from Jasper. I grew up in the mid 2000s going to Jasper Mall. My favorite stores being the CD / DVD store and KMART. I remember as a kid there were kiosks in every direction with workers behind them and every space was occupied. There already isn't and wasn't a lot to do in this small town, leading everyone to go to the mall. One thing to point out, people in our town aren't very outgoing, so when the internet and redboxes (remember those?) started to take off in 2013-14, there was a massive decline in the mall as people had something to occupy their time now. I still go to the Jasper Mall frequently and take in the memories I've created there as I know one day soon, the place will cease to be there.

[@onespeedlite]

They should repurpose malls into living spaces. Think of it as a mini town. That way, businesses will be able to survive, such as restaurants, childcare service, clinics/Doctor's office, tutoring service, grocery store, post office/shipping, fitness center, laundromat/cleaner, etc.. Residents may also work there. Most of what they need is located in one convenient place. The focus should change from "retail-centeric" to "community/living-centric". With online shopping, it doesn't make sense for a business to pay $$$$$ thousands in annual lease to sell your products.

[@CoolCatProductions-365]

Great videos,

[@deletedwaffles]

I just knew Mike had an Aussie accent but the guy also has a southern twang so I was confused at first in the documentary as to what his accent was.

[@katal003]

he said he had a zoo (presumably in alabama) for 25 years so i assume he's just lived in the area so long he picked up a southern accent and has a weird mashup of both

[@elainerobinson988]

I worked at this mall about 10 years ago. Our store finally closed about a year after Obama took office. The store owners overhead got too high. The store spaces have consistently rented for way more than they should have. Before we had to close our rent was temporarily lowered, but it wasn't enough. The stores that I knew of that left said the rent was unrealistically high.

[@obi-wankedogi]

My first job was in that mall. Where I met and fell in love with my first 'adult relationship'. I met him when I was 18, he was 27. I still deal with consequences that are the unquestionable result of ever connecting with that person.

[@rbbaileyjrinternationalmedia]

The Subway used to be a Chic Fillet in the 80s. Did they build the BELC, where the back parking lot used to be? The place where the church is, used to be KB Toys.

[@earlwright9715]

I'm the back

[@michaelgrow8630]

Thanks

[@jonnycomics]

Omg Mike was there, that's so great.

[@DeadMallWalking]

Yes! He was awesome. Exactly like he was in the documentary too, from the great attitude to his signature camo cargo pants and New Balances.

[@coreycoyle9548]

Wonderful Video!!!! I love the Fountain!!!!! F+L, Corey

[@TheCattyKid]

Wyoming Valley Mall in Wilkes Barre PA is still around and there is half the amount of people there than what I saw in this Jasper Mall...I'd say Jasper has a while to go yet lol

[@DeadMallWalking]

Agreed! Jasper Mall seems to have at least some support from its local community, which really helps. The mall you mentioned looks pretty nice! A shame that it's struggling like you say :(

[@bryantperry5636]

I remember going to the chick-fil-a in the mall and eating there good memories

[@Victoreatsfood.]

That k-mart is where I got my copy American Idiot. It’s honestly depressing to see where it was to now.

[@fluxcapacitr121]

What? No picture of Mike? Regardless, great job. Thanks for the update, glad to hear Mike is still employed there.

[@DeadMallWalking]

Sadly not; I didn’t ask his permission to post the pic, so I just didn’t feel comfortable sharing it with a large audience! Thank you, appreciate the kind words. I have no doubt that Mike will be there until the end 🙂

[@Deki_Srpska]

This is my town man and the mall isn’t what it used to be

[@iworkout6912]

I had four malls near me, now its two. The two malls left are quite far apart, and seem okay counting the cars in the lots. Four was way to many malls for the area I live in. The two dead malls had the same stores pretty much, with Sears, JC Penny, and Macy's among other smaller stores. Once Sears left the malls, quickly other stores started to leave. Maybe Sears didn't draw the numbers to keep open, but for some reason maybe the big empty store, turned off the shoppers...... who knows.

[@DeadMallWalking]

Overnalling is definitely a big problem in the US, so it’s not surprising that many are failing to sustain themselves. Say what you will about department stores, but they were anchor stores for a reason - they brought foot traffic, and I believe that many (like Belk and Macy’s) still do!

[@lestergillis8171]

@@DeadMallWalking There is/was a small mall in my home town. It has been shut down, sold, re-sold and resuscitated a few times. K-Mart is long gone. There is now a Rural King where K- mart was. There has also been a Dunhams in there for several years prior to that. I don't bother much with Dunham's, they are way overpriced.

[@NinjaBooKitty]

@@DeadMallWalking Only old people shop at Belk's.

[@Mzgoldenhoney]

Is it true that Jasper,AL is where Hitmen lives?

[@DeadMallWalking]

Just Googled it and…apparently, maybe it is!

[@steviebaby59]

All malls are getting this way. The one in Saint Joseph Missouri is getting bad also.

[@TheCattyKid]

Amazon and Walmart are taking over...once all the brick and mortar in person places close then Walmart and Amazon will jack up the prices because they will then own the prices and have no lower costs to compare to.

[@cementfilled]

Inside malls are dying while outlet malls are thriving.

[@user-nc3we9gi5y]

I am saddened by this and many malls. Someone needs to think out of the box and liven these places back up. Do something creative to bring in businesses at affordable affordable rental costs.

[@zoeyelh]

of course there's a gnc

[@DeadMallWalking]

There’s always a GNC 😂

[@michaelscott1969]

The movie was cool

[@BethCrafts]

All you have to look at is the Belk store in this mall. I moved to Jasper in 2006, the carpet there was filthy. We moved away in 2019….same carpet, more stains.

[@DeadMallWalking]

I must admit, I didn't actually have time to go in the Belk. I think, in many cases here, it's case of doing the best they can with what they have. Can't do more than that!

[@Sadieclaire-u4f]

I mean it ain’t really dead but it’s still my favorite place

[@DeadMallWalking]

No argument here! I love this place.

[@jeremybrooks7637]

Shoot the town is as good as used to be sears no movie theater anymore

[@BigRedBK]

Watched this after seeing the documentary. Really unfortunate and dumb that the new anchor didn't get tied into the mall.

[@DeadMallWalking]

Thanks for watching! I agree that it’s strange the two entities didn’t get joined up, although I do wonder how much footfall it would actually have generated…

[@TheHrb1234]

TBH I had no idea about what documentary you were talking about during the mall walk so mentions of Mike etc didnt mean anything to me *shrugs*

[@DeadMallWalking]

Dude, you gotta check it out! I believe it's been on both Netflix and Amazon Prime at times, not sure if it still is. But it's very much worth watching.

[@chrisedwards3214]

All they gotta do is out some stores in there

[@jeremybrooks7637]

Yeah since Kmart and jcpenny closed it hasn't been great

[@chrisedwards3214]

Brookeood village os dead too

[@tomgcooktown5019]

I always hated malls .. I didn't mind walking for miles in WalMart because they had everything .. But the mall, which also had everything .. Was too spread out between stores rather than just around next aisle .. And all stores vied to look most snooty .. Now.. A bit older.. I don't even enter WalMart .. Buy everything on line or curbside pickup .. at WalMart .. TgT

[@nole8923]

Open some bbq restaurants and hunting shops in the mall. And country music stores and clothing stores that sell Alabama and Auburn apparel. Oh, and a taxidermy. It IS Alabama you know. They can skin a buck and run a trot line. 🤣

[@DeadMallWalking]

Haha! Honestly, I think Mike and the owners have probably tried to do just that…a couple of the remaining stores in there had that kinda vibe. I just don’t think enough people go there to buy stuff 😔

[@WhittyPics]

Looks pretty dead to me. GNC has closed many mall stores. I see this mall still has one

[@rainkinggw]

Owned by the same slum lords that owns our local mall

[@unclefester4626]

I think malls are dying because people are too lazy to walk. That's part of it anyways..

[@TheCattyKid]

they are dying because Walmart and Amazon are eventually taking over...slow and steady will win the race

[@NinjaBooKitty]

It really doesn't take a documentary to know that hick towns like this are populated with old people who don't shop at the mall anymore and young people who are shopping online instead of these old fashioned, outdated and obsolete stores. People who want or make tchotchke can buy at the dollar store and sell at the flea market. Those of us who make nice things sell online because those around us don't value our work. If we want a real mall, we travel 30 minutes away, and usually only for the restaurant attached to it. Anyone who lives in a place like this already knows the story.

[@deletedwaffles]

It doesn't even have to be hick towns. I live in a relatively big city and there's a mall near me that's being demolished soon so it can be replaced by a medical campus..

[@jackietatum2245]

you missed the point completely; I wouldn't expect you to understand

[@NinjaBooKitty]

@@jackietatum2245 I live in a place like this. I understand completely.

[@ashlynnmauldin5849]

The old people come here to walk in the ac. My grandparents go frequently. We recently got a dunhams beside it…it was packed for 3 days. They haven’t gotten anything new since December and won’t last long. Subway is gone now. 3 stores keep it alive and they are probably struggling to do so

[@TheCattyKid]

Amazon and Walmart will eventually take over completely and then jack up the price because they will essentially own the prices...if we do not fight for these places then once they are gone they are gone...and it will not be a good thing

[@TheJakeman789]

That mall is awful. Boring, dead, old. Shut it down already.