Calgary Newest Mall is a Ghost Town - New Horizon Mall!

#abandonedplaces #newhorizonmall #calgary #deadmalls
Calgary's New Horizon Mall offers more than 500 retail stores on two floors, New Horizon Mall offers twice as many stores as greater Calgary’s largest mall. The problem is that it is a Ghost Town as the mall opened and is virtually empty!
This would be the perfect place to make a film at this juncture. Would love to see Kevin Smith up here in Canada filming a new installment of Mallrats!
Music by DJ Quads! / aka-dj-quads

[@JDirom]

You can check out what happens when I returned to the mall one month later: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHuUqJV6f9Cha5o

[@tylerrottenfusser757]

I live in Calgary and I didn't even know this place existed

[@JDirom]

@@tylerrottenfusser757 if you have ever gone to Cross Iron Mills you have driven right past it.

[@commenterperson4481]

5:16 _"If I was smart..." -- J Dirom_ Eh...thank god you are not "smart", but sensible. :) (You wouldn't want to be banned from a ghost mall.)

[@JDirom]

Commenter Person I have never been accused of being smart or sensible...but have been banned from a shopping mall in the past, but that is a story for another day.

[@cameronplays9649]

I’ve been there and it’s empty

[@BennyLlama39]

I can see one problem right off the bat: the interior looks like a bus station or airport instead of a mall.

[@Thoroughly_Wet]

That's the cool part! It looks like a futuristic farmers market. You can see almost every vendor from one spot. Plus it's because theirs no signage any where

[@ashoka638]

Looks like pacific mall in Ontario.

[@justicewarrior9187]

@tysin hunter No one in Europe would enter that shit!!

[@KapitalP73]

Good point. It looks creepy and sterile.

[@LoneDruid48]

@@StephenAndersontheCanadian it's an Asian mall, predominantly Chinese.

[@eraturbo99999]

This is a very strange looking mall. Many of those little "cubicles" don't appear to have any storage areas for back stock. Very cold and antiseptic. Looks more like an empty lab complex than a mall.

[@JDirom]

For sure. Meant to be a market concept so not storage in units.

[@goldenretriever6261]

That's what Chinese malls look like in Toronto.

[@JDirom]

Golden Retriever probably because the development group is the same group that built Pacific Mall Toronto

[@goldenretriever6261]

Yes, I found that out after watching, It looks exactly like The Pacific Mall.

[@tinexi2677]

Looks like Pacific Mall in Toronto

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Would be a great set for a zombie movie

[@JDirom]

100%

[@schoolsout15]

As an aspiring story-teller, I wonder if I'd get in any trouble for using it as a set? Maybe if I asked permission?

[@moneyhands2339]

Yeah call it dead rising the movie

[@少川靖男]

Who needs another mall right across the CrossIron.

[@JDirom]

People who want a market shopping experience vs chain outlet stores?

[@少川靖男]

All malls need anchoring stores like the Bay, Canadian Tires,best buy etc....with traffics first.....Mall201...will it cross my mind this so called PACIFIC MALL this upcoming boxing day ??? Hell No.

[@lefyre1266]

@@少川靖男 true for actual malls. But this is more of an indoor market. Like an upscale "flea market". I don't know is why they called this a mall

[@williswang3672]

Maybe you can open a studio there lol

[@少川靖男]

@@williswang3672 thought crossed my mind actually....but retail only and only retail.

[@johnnyradchenko9474]

The people that built or invested in this probably knew what they were doing. This is probably just some way to avoid some kind of taxes or to launder money or something. I'm just saying that they probably knew what they were doing even if it doesn't look like.it

[@JDirom]

Developer sold all 500 units in the mall between $150,000 to $500,000, they made their money, and now collect operating costs for the mall from the "owners". Issue is is that most the owners appear to be property managers.

[@daisygirl1978]

The whole time watching this video the thought I had was, I think they're just laundering money 😂

[@MyDailyUpload]

Investor citizenship scheme.

[@turbojoe2]

It was an investment only to be dumped. But.. New property, supposedly not cheaply built. It will turn into something, but well see. Meh, I didn't pay for it.

[@imfraeglasgow]

Yeah probably Chinese money being washed.

[@lizrose1679]

This should be Calgary’s new homeless shelter

[@JDirom]

Will never happen, mall management would never allow that, especially seeing as all 500 units are sold to individual landlords.

[@pack13sheet]

Place a McDonalds and people will start coming 😅

[@lilmisstippytoes]

pack13sheet yeah coz Filipinos flock to McDonalds, right? Lol. fine dining to them

[@cinnamongirl4971]

lol the mall beside it is building a mcdonalds

[@FirstNameLastName-bv7st]

@@lilmisstippytoes cant enjoy a simple comment without some stupid racist comment like yours

[@glennwolfe6056]

You mean..tim hortons. .

[@onextoronto]

@@lilmisstippytoes Do you've to be a racist ass?

[@octaneartllc]

Looks like a new fancy prison...

[@brcage]

Could fucking use one with all the migrants pouring.

[@k.p.chaulk7599]

It does look like a prison, especially those big glaring ceiling lights. Such a waste of the planets resources to build this eyesore.

[@kennethsouth18]

It's the only place to contain those with mutant powers

[@rexeightyfour6001]

It might be a future reeducation prison/center for the big switch to SuperGov ???💪👼☝ Get right with Jesus..._QANON

[@marshalthompson8192]

@METATRON PRODUCTIONS YEAH AND TRUMP MADE MEXICO PAY FOR THE FEMA CAMP IN CALGARY CANADA

[@devoinc1]

I've got a solution: Paintball

[@Noodlepunk]

A survival zombie would be awesome.

[@MrAer85]

Starbucks

[@ThreeLetters3]

Awesome

[@FastCarsNoRules220]

We could turn the mall into a giant Splatoon turf war stage.

[@JDirom]

Paintball would be super fun in this mall!

[@seanlewis3381]

wtf I even live in Calgary and i didn't know this mall existed.

[@kaniva42]

Sometimes it's better not to know XD

[@biancaeranz]

It's in Balzac not Calgary... It's across cross iron mills

[@leyIand]

Funny thing is it's literally right next to crossiron so that was a dumb move on their part. Why build an unknown empty mall next to a pretty popular one. No one's gonna want to go 😂

[@threndor3743]

Due to one of the overpasses, it is very hard to see if you are driving south on QE2, not much easier to see driving north either. Crossiron draws your attention too well to even notice this place.

[@lauryannrodrigue7439]

Its beside cross iron

[@83Roboto]

With the decline of large indoor shopping malls it is insane to build one such as this without having tenants to fill the spaces beforehand.

[@Dularr]

Because speculators purchased the units from the developer. The developer made back their money. Property management is making money from fees to the speculators. The speculators now have their money stashed in real estate.

[@AmokCanuck]

@Rata 4U you obviously havent been inside Metrotown, it's still booming. The "Wrecker" it's getting is new condos over top and a bunch of new entrances, Brentwood is reopening soon from its redevelopment and creating a new downtown to rival Metrotown up north that they're selling the Burnaby town centre. Inside Van Oakridge is getting a redevelopment of its own to add condos and as far as Abbotsford got a sexy new modern take on a strip mall called highstreet that's doing really well. So no. Malls in metro vancouver are in fact alive and well

[@5tar5z]

Rata 4U must be in Vancouver only, because Toronto and the surrounding area is booming. There’s shops, malls, strip outlets packed all the time. I work in construction and our company has been building a lot of these places.

[@dnmitch]

Where else could to launder millions of illegal dollars ? 💁🏻‍♀️

[@miketheman4341]

83Roboto No! It’s it’s a function of location. Malls are doing record business as millions of people don’t shop online or don’t bye certain items online. Sorry by no one is buying a $3000 suit online without trying it on! No one is decorating their home from an online catalog. No one is buying new cologne from an online site. People need to see and try on certain things. Others they need to see as no video can show you the picture quality of a new TV on a computer screen. There are certain stores that are suffering but brick and mortar stores are not going anywhere. Walmart is doing a booming business as are high end retailers.

[@speedyskp]

Excellent mall! Tons of stores and a huge food court. I bought a pair of Shoes from Ghost Shoes. The shoes are imaginary because I purchased it from a store called empty. All units were filled with emptiness. I would highly recommend this mall for Boxing day, you'll save tons of money. You can buy absolutely nothing, and walk out with nothing! Great way to save money.

[@Danzelcarl]

speedyskp huge food court but so far there’s literally only one place you can buy food at lol

[@mydjmode]

Looks like a high tech Prison.

[@OM-hq1rx]

looks like Pacific mall, in less than a year you'll be buying knock off Gucci purses straight from China

[@JDirom]

Same developer

[@vallyboyz6138]

So true ahahaha Torontos Asian Mall

[@Diorhome]

and get some unbeatable prices on iphone screen replacements :)

[@melli7193]

The One in torronto I always get confused by it and the Calgary pasific thing

[@jamesprovost2602]

They don't sell knock off gucci at pacific place I would know lol.

[@daisygirl1978]

Kiosks are the most annoying part of the mall. They've built a mall of kiosks.

[@JDirom]

100%

[@menotyou1874]

Don't let this distract you from the fact that in 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire, The A-Team.

[@JDirom]

Best comment on this video!

[@johnneal7832]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@superstevey5]

Me not you 👍

[@j.lizbardo]

Best comment

[@Bahama3ay]

🎵Dern da derrrn, da nern nern, Dern na nerrrn, nern na na nern🎵

[@joestangowitz3609]

From 2 minutes and I can tell that that is a architectural design mistake. It's a warehouse Style with cubicles split among it. One would feel like a rat running around in a maze. There's no colors it's completely blase. When a company wants to sign on a lease they need to feel like they're getting value and I would not feel like I would put my business in one of those cubicles as it has no Style no feeling no soul.

[@terralovi3578]

Joe Stangowitz mmmmhmmm and with this place right beside corssiron it's gonna die pretty quickly

[@c.b.411]

Looks more like office space. Would probably function better as shared office space too.

[@terralovi3578]

CrossIron*

[@terralovi3578]

Caitlin Brown yeah

[@levijackson3797]

This mall isn't even open for buisness yet. Shopping malls never have a soul. Especially when they are empty and not decorated yet . Where do you get your pot?

[@truebluedeplorable7043]

I bet the toilets are clean!

[@JDirom]

I should have checked. Would have been hilarious if they were not!

[@jeepheat55]

Lol

[@writerconsidered]

You could be the laziest janitor and no one would know.

[@truebluedeplorable7043]

Sign me up!!

[@Danzelcarl]

yes they are

[@ommtodaybykwv9986]

That is just weird. Not only is it vacant, but the mall itself is also devoid of any defining look. It's just white ceilings, white supports and glass cubes. That's it. It offers shoppers the blandest shopping experience imaginable. There was likely very little thought given to the entire project as its backers must've thought the movie "Field of Dreams" was a real thing, but in this case they built it and **nobody** came. Didn't you feel like you were in the movie "Cube" for a while? Wow. So bright, yet so creepy. This is a very well done video!

[@JDirom]

Thank you. It is a very bizarre and creepy experience walking around.

[@greyowl750]

It reminds me of a GIANT Apple store just before stocking it.

[@cdpgbc-mw2kz]

Eccentric Entries : Good point. Is it just me or does this remind anyone of the movie The Matrix...it is like a never world .......

[@tomservo9254]

The concept behind it is that it's supposed to be some kind of modern reinvention of an ethnic bazaar where vendors are essentially selling out of a glorified market stall. Problem is that A) there's an obscene amount of stalls that stretches the plausibility of being able to fill them all and B) the system for actually owning/renting a stall is a convoluted quagmire where an interested investor can buy up or rent out as many plots as they care to buy and set whatever terms they want once they're owned. Way too convoluted and it's scaring a bunch of people away from setting up shop.

[@KyleTO7]

No wonder it's empty. This mall is a replica of Toronto's most notorious mall known for mostly counterfeit goods (Pacific mall).

[@gipro1]

Looks like a terribly awkward experience for both shoppers and store employees with all those glass qubicals.

[@TripleDDDD]

No annoying kids, no shoe shops where the lady hammers my creditcard. No ads, no consumerism. Perfect mall for me :-]

[@rahellseddek8540]

Triple D yes comrad

[@UncleBuckle50]

What a great place to save money!!

[@raid.leader]

Turns out it was empty cause he went there at night when all the stores were sleeping

[@windsonma8209]

Actually I've been there during the day and it was just as dead as that aside from a few small groups of family.

[@machina5]

Windson Ma You're pretty dense mate lmao

[@laurenfarahani1297]

Woah, Canada getting recognition, but my city too? Amazing :D Love you Calgary. Need them malls

[@jojo-xk8ri]

Yea calgarys not talked about much. It's mostly Toronto or Vancouver or Quebec

[@laurenfarahani1297]

sal ty exactlyy

[@maddis6821]

@@jojo-xk8ri ya I feel really left out all the time lol

[@grelley2067]

I have driven by the mall a few times very recently and have thought " When is this mall going to open? It looks built but the parking lot is always empty! " little did I relaize it has been open for while. I am not a business expert but with malls already struggling to compete with online shopping, this seems like financial suicide. Despite how the owners seem to be sugarcoating the success of this mall, I just don't see how a 'If you build it they will come' model is going to work in this case.

[@australisborealispolaris477]

It is also in the financially declining Alberta

[@borresron]

The should have given the mall an appealing design, not make it look like a warehouse haha

[@fatdoi003]

maybe it's funded by Chinese dark money... the owners don't care if the mall makes money as long as their money out of China

[@nikoforsyth514]

William Ng No it’s mostly Calgarian investors

[@Old_Ladies]

Not to mention they need stores already there to attract more stores which attracts more customers. So having no stores you will have a hard time getting anyone to start a store there as the number of customers is too limited. Kinda a chicken and the egg problem.

[@squatch545]

It's in Balzac, not Calgary. Anyway, I was there a few days ago, and bought an air guitar from Ghost Music.

[@JDirom]

lol...a whole 200m outside city limits. Enjoy the air guitar! :)

[@codered9576]

Its considered Calgary cause soon the city will grow and Balzac will just be an area of Calgary.

[@squatch545]

No it's not considered Calgary.

[@yourhandlehere1]

Awesome man! Did you get the hybrid acoustic/electric/rhythm/lead/bass?

[@peterq566]

Joe Smith hnn

[@francescarobert5914]

Okay, read this if you're ACTUALLY interested in knowing more about this place and its overall concept!! So about a month ago I visited the New Horizon Mall and got to talking to a few of these leasing business owners that are currently filling up the very empty mall. Most of them were very hopeful as this unique structure has been successful in other parts of Canada. But why hasn't this success been achieved here (at least not as of yet)? Well in this case, we have to look at the Northern Calgary and Southern Airdrie communities expanding at a very fast rate AND bringing in a large asian population. If you've ever been to a typical asian marketplace, you'll understand the similarities that New Horizon Mall offers; very small spaces offering overall a large variety of sellers. For those concerned, this new mall isn't going to be competing with Cross Iron Mills since its target market is much different. Cross Iron Mills provides brands established and familiar to Canada such as Forever 21, Nike, H&M, HomeSense, DHW, Victoria's Secret and so many more. As for New Horizon Mall, the goal is to invite startups or family owned businesses which is why the cost of leasing a spot is so low. Okay, so this doesn't answer the question of WHY is this mall so empty? Well to begin, its location is not currently convenient given the awkward distance to Calgary and Airdrie. Cross Iron Mills had the same problem a few years back but was able to attract more and more customers by adding new trendy malls that would invite a wider audience and make people want to go the extra mile to get to Balzac (most recently the addition of Victoria's Secret and the restaurants such as Boston Pizza and Milestones). Okay, now that I've established location it's time to address timing. So as I mentioned before, Calgary and Airdrie are both growing. When a city grows, land becomes scarce and its value increases significantly for the years ahead. In this case, New Horizon Mall has gotten prime time land that will be valued to twice or more in a decade according to my research. So to the investors, whether this mall fails or booms, their return on investment will be made back just by the ticking of time. A very noticeable issue is that since the mall is so empty, it is believed that nobody wants to bring their business there right now. But the current risk takers who have established their businesses here are the ones who are going to help and envy others to do so as well due to the low cost of leasing. It is so easy for a small business to lease one of these lots when compared to any other mall in Calgary that I have myself looked at leasing a small area for my business in the near future. I believe that as soon as the understanding of the layout/concept of this mall is made public, as well as a more evident advertising designated to their customer segment, New Horizon Mall will have a very high chance of success. Aside from any further predictions, there is always the chance that this mall does fail and that by next summer there are still only 10-20 business "flooding" New Horizon Mall.. Anyways, let me know what you think!!

[@jamesbainton]

Aura in Toronto is similar - it is basically an empty shopping concourse which has been open for years. It isn't location - it is 200meters from Yonge/Dundas Square. nationalpost.com/entertainment/a-world-class-address-nowhere-else-will-you-find-such-desolation-and-gloom-as-in-the-solitude-of-the-shops-at-aura

[@levijackson3797]

I think you need a hobby.

[@ohimleyesh4866]

That's pretty cool.

[@FasterThanSoup]

Whoa. Spaces for paragrapghs...please. You are correct, but in addition these malls are notorious for knock-off merchandise and a perfect tool for money laundering from China - the malls themselves and the businesses that populate them.

[@francescarobert5914]

I've got plenty of hoobies buddy, this just happens to be something I've been interested in as well!

[@Capcocr]

Money laundering perhaps.? Who would invest in a mall. Without any business opportunities lined up. It's too suspicious

[@JDirom]

Someone with a terrible business plan!

[@HiddenInPlainSight386]

J Dirom Islam or China parking money

[@JDirom]

Developers made their money. The Real Estate Speculators are the ones choking on the loses.

[@5aturnia]

Hidden in Plain Sight lmfao paranoid much? he muslims and Chinese are coming!!!

[@wyattarthur5275]

The store spots look unrealistically tiny for any kind of store and that's just the beginning of a million obvious problems

[@hyeri2429]

I still do not understand why they built it right across BassPro and CrossIron...

[@dnmitch]

Sniperkill3rftw To launder thousands and thousands of dollars.

[@683dxwww8]

Can you sing ENTER SANDMAN 😜

[@JDirom]

...can also play it on guitar ;)

[@683dxwww8]

Do the guitar in the mall it would sound great bouncing of the empty shops

[@MrBilld75]

He does look like Hetfield. Lol.

[@JDirom]

Maybe if James Hetfield liked burgers a little more...lol

[@lonewolf604]

damn guess i wasn't the only one who thought so

[@mtube620]

I'm not surprise if the same con artists who sold this mall to investors are now peddling the Calgary Olypmic 2026

[@JDirom]

#tinfoilhat

[@merlin3921]

Ha, so true.

[@dorian345]

oh damn thats shady af

[@justiceisnow3162]

The Olympics .. destroyer of cities finances for years to come of but great for your corrupt city council and their developer friends wanting to make a quick buck. Please please choose us so we can go bankrupt !

[@jeremygibbs7342]

@@justiceisnow3162 Canada and Vancouver Broke even last Olympics. And it provides a great opportunity to improve current public transit and tourism ge2ta a huge boost in the local area. Sounds like a win win

[@GirlWitWings]

Doesn’t look very appealing even if it had stores

[@multimang0steen]

Too much bright white light.. looks like an office or a factory

[@jelloollej8535]

This would be a great place for laser tag

[@RandomRandom-um1wi]

Paintball!

[@TexKimball]

What is it with Asian style malls? They're either overflowing with people, non-stop busy at all times. Or they're completely deserted. I swear there's no in between.

[@CaptureKing247]

They will offer free leases for a year and the units will fill-up. It will turn into a 7 day a week flea market. If not, put in a couple of ice rinks.

[@FastCarsNoRules220]

I can imagine Ken Block coming to Calgary to do a gymkhana through the mall's empty parking lots :P

[@JDirom]

That sir would be amazing!

[@DKomnicide]

Where's the indoor water park and roller coaster?

[@coltonensign7650]

Edmonton

[@StephenAndersontheCanadian]

Spoken like fellow Edmontonian... 😁

[@abdisaniini]

Capital life all the way

[@lauryannrodrigue7439]

Itss 3h away from here

[@vamp4rrz307]

Donkey Kong lol this isn’t west endmonton mall silly lol

[@josed3265]

Wait ti Oct 17 and there will be plenty of pot stores.

[@JDirom]

You might see a couple or none at all. Licensing for that business is rough

[@babaku8510]

Save your money and sell from your car in the parking lot. Plenty of room there

[@rezphilosophy]

pot shops, alcohol shops an brothel rooms, the escorts can display them selves them just close the blinds when a guy chooses her ,

[@JDirom]

Lol...with legalization coming that might not be that far off....lol

[@kevinfagel1927]

I called a couple numbers they aren't interested in renting to the marajuana industry or maybe its in their contract but no

[@rolloverriderpgr]

What a waste of electricity! Who is paying that bill? The owners that are making nothing in rent?

[@leonel2009ish]

They have money why you worry about them

[@GenuflectingRotation]

rolloverriderpgr Electricity is cheap.

[@bob733333]

Guarantee you can't afford their bill for 1 day.

[@abergethirty]

At the end of the video he said the Mall hasn't officially opened. I doubt he'll come back and film it then.

[@brunettesweetie21]

Electricty is not expensive..

[@commonsensegrandma7785]

Come on up to Parkland Mall in Red Deer. This mall was the first and only mall in Red Deer for many years. Now, I would guess that 50% of the stores are closed, including 2 food court kiosks. I've lived here most of my life and have never seen this before. Our economy is withering before our eyes.

[@marktang1983]

looks like Pacific mall in markham

[@kennyfontaine]

Was going to say its basically the same layout as p mall. Even with the stage near the escalator lol

[@StiffToshi]

Same thought here, even the entrance and the upstairs, very similar.

[@dominicdo2719]

Even the upstairs food court looks the same

[@mucknar]

The only other glass cube mall I've seen is Pacific mall. Which means when that mall does fill up, it'll be all bootleg movies, purses and cell phone accessories lol

[@DigiPixDOTinfo]

Or Improve Canada in Vaughn. Same concept of condo units and empty stores.

[@beardedgardener1107]

A sequel to 13 Ghosts in a glass mall would be stellar!

[@simonbrown285]

Terrible movie

[@ericverdone2845]

This could actually be a blessing in disguise, these empty storefronts could easily be converted to affordable housing living spaces. Just picture it, each "suite" would have full plumbing, microwave, and a hotplate, about the size of a studio apartment, just minutes away from the deerfoot. Underground heated parking too! What could be better! You'd really get to know your neighbours too.

[@UzumakiNaruto_]

The inside of this mall and its layout looks almost exactly like the Pacific Mall in Markham north of Toronto at least on the main floor. I wonder why asian malls can't come up with better designs and layouts than this?

[@JDirom]

The similarity is due to likely being built by the same developer.

[@peekstar]

Was thinking the same

[@InterAliaa]

Not all “asian malls” are the same so don’t generalize

[@philipjohn4149]

Yes. Exactly what I thought. It's more like a flea market. All about cell phones. This is giving night mares about the one and only time I was at pacific mall!

[@UzumakiNaruto_]

@Steven Actually if you go to many countries in Asia on many streets as well as a number of malls DO have this kind of similar design and concept. Namely small stalls that sell goods and services lining the streets or inside a mall. If you walk on the streets in Japan, China, Taiwan etc there's plenty of streets lined with stores like these. Newer malls with western stores have the more North American mall design, but there's still plenty of malls in Asia that have this small stall concept.

[@mikecmw8492]

Love the guy sweeping the floor. Never know what those spiders are doing with their webs

[@teresamiles5929]

Who is paying the Power bill?

[@jamest6819]

That's the question Teresa! 👍

[@rhysstanley7387]

The chinese.

[@nickpop7270]

The city most likely

[@vector6977]

Taxpayers

[@VezerloProductions]

Can't wait until there's just 1 store and that's the whole mall.

[@dash1dash2]

Yeah it's one of those weird chinese malls that serve no purpose other than park chinese money in Canada.

[@UsernameUnavailable.]

Yikes 😅

[@Catnibs]

yeah, there is a ridiculous amount of chinese investment here and its actually starting to drag us down

[@Catnibs]

@Jef Whitehead the chinese invest in hundreds of countries to increase foreign influence and they usually end up becoming a total drag to us or completely useless

[@Catnibs]

no Canadian person would have created this awful looking massive glass death trap

[@Jayden-tq6to]

@Jef Whitehead "hehe ok racist xdd"

[@toughmanrandysavage3077]

That place looks like a prison

[@Sourdoughgirl]

The layouts remind me of those shopping centers in Hong Kong. Very small, full glass display units with almost no storage space. Chinese investment, maybe?

[@JDirom]

Very much so same developers as Pacific Mall!

[@Sourdoughgirl]

@@JDirom Cool. I belong to an online consumer group where Pacific Mall is mentioned when people talk about cheap Chinese products. I wonder if this one will carry similar goods. This may just be my chance to shop Ontario style. 😁

[@JDirom]

Sourdough Girl honestly I had hoped for that. I am currently hanging out In Malaysia shopping, but would be cool to get some unique stuff a short drive away

[@Sourdoughgirl]

Brought up this topic at dinner time, hubby said that location might have something to do with the new Amazon fulfillment center/warehouse that will hire 1,000 employees in Balzac. Interesting theory, nonetheless.

[@JDirom]

Sourdough Girl location is not associated with Amazon. But having would at the very least be good for any food court close by!

[@roadsideturnout9287]

I guess this is what happens when you build a mall beside a mall..... brilliant idea!

[@genkikai9992]

Looks like a copy of pacific mall

[@flavourpunchh]

Exactly like copy and paste ! But Pacific is always packed 😅

[@jam3279]

I was gonna say that hahaag

[@babyboss9905]

It was the same owner to make Pacific mall

[@rosemarymartinez9491]

This is extremely poor planning on the part of the owner. I was in retail development and this is the biggest fail I have ever seen. Extremely poor planning and business model.

[@gordkevin962]

very very poor planning.

[@eddyvideostar]

I was under the impression that when one builds, he, or the builders know the purpose for its construction and have tenants/small business owners ready to become denizens. One doesn't just construct edifices devoid of a purpose or a plan. I believe there is more to this than meets the eye. Maybe the move in date has been moved further out in time.

[@gregorystell6858]

Perfect place to have film a zombie apocalypse in a mall

[@cakecrumb095]

They should just use this as a set piece XD

[@deletejunk7400]

Won't work, no supplies

[@jondickinson8962]

Yeah that’s what the Dawn of the dead is based around

[@gregorystell6858]

@@deletejunk7400 it can be a backdrop

[@theFordguy881]

That parking garage would be EPIC for a car meet.

[@JDirom]

It would make a nice place to do a meetup, place is well lit as far as parking garages go, and heated.

[@theFoggyonYT]

I wish they built this here in the Philippines. Here in our country Online Shopping is not too popular and malls here are still popular.

[@bindardundat454]

Its not an empty mall. Its an empty flee market

[@JDirom]

Empty regardless what you want to call it.

[@mark-dietz]

Wow, as a Calgarian I don't want to see anything fail, but what were they thinking? Why there? When I drive by on QE2 it looks like an airport hangar. No warm fuzzy, lets go hang out there feeling. Maybe its just bad timing and they thought the economy would turn around by now. As a guy, I think malls in general need to rethink themselves. There is nothing to attract me to a mall. Maybe they need to combine shopping with a fun experience? Bowling alleys? Arcades? Go Carts? Live musicians? Something...Anything! It looks more like a futuristic Psych ward than a mall. But good luck to them, maybe it will turn into something.

[@JDirom]

All very valid points. Worse is that this mall (unlike most others) each unit is individually owned (imagine a condo complex), currently these 500 units have their own respective landlords trying to rent them out. Unlike a big mall with a single landlord who could do some of the things you suggest, this will never happen at this particular mall, and likely why it has been a ghost town since opening 4 months ago! Thanks for watching!

[@mark-dietz]

Thanks for posting this J

[@JDirom]

Thank you for watching and sharing your perspective! Cheers!

[@l2hetoric]

The issue was that a bunch of Realtors and investors thought it would be in demand due to the demand that a mall like this in Toronto has. They bought all the units up and are trying to make profit on them but no one wants to buy them at inflated prices or rent them when they could have owned them.

[@JDirom]

100%. One of the major flaws in the business model.

[@julianhermanubis6800]

This could be used for the set of a dystopian science fiction film or a horror movie. It's just creepy, and not only because it looks abandoned.

[@talkinheads2728]

This is so dumb, there's a bigger mall right across the damn street! Who's idea was this!?

[@vamp4rrz307]

dr.clicky click word lol I live in Calgary and see this in my way to school and laugh

[@dnmitch]

I bet their plan is to slowly get people to go here so they can use the space where the other mall is ? 🤷🏻‍♀️ Seems like the only logical explanation besides it being a facility to launder money through. ... kind of like the Churches for Scientology.

[@TommyTom21]

Youre supposed to get some lease contracts before opening a fucking mall. Who ever built this is an idiot.

[@lindseyrjacoby]

I don't know much about Canada's visas, but I'm betting either an investment visa or money laundering.

[@kodiack12345]

It was mine, all I asked for was a 10 x 10 office with glass walls in a middle of a field but they build 100's of empty glass boxes instead. My bad..

[@theya332]

All its gonna be is tiny shops with the same junk over and over and over.

[@CambriaBold]

The folks who developed this also developed the Pacific Mall in Ontario, which is very similar in its approach (a shitload of small microstores crammed into a big building.) The difference is that PMall is pretty damn successful for what it is. That mall is located right in between Toronto and Markham where a large Asian population lives, and it mostly specializes in Asian products (and a smattering of funky bootleg stuff, because of course it would.) New Horizon just seems mismatched in every way. This style of store works best when a lot of people are living nearby, and this mall isn't near anything. Anything, except for a more traditional mall that makes better use of its space. I'm not sure what the Asian population is around Calgary's city limits, but I can't imagine it's as high as the Toronto-Markham border.

[@JDirom]

I think you have hit on some of the keys to why this mall thus far has been widely unsuccessful

[@lovemoviesful2]

That mall was built for spirits...in order to see all the stores you need to have a third eye or become a ghost.

[@dreamscape405]

Yes, or like in Valerian where they put on glasses to see everything, no glasses it looked like empty space.

[@akumu9x9]

Best ad for New Horizons so far.

[@JDirom]

Lol

[@BigHairyKev]

Wow, that's pretty crazy! Liked & Subscribed ⭐😃👍

[@JDirom]

Cheers!

[@sirsalmonater8734]

Those departments are soo small. No wonder no one wants to lease them.

[@benjaminisrael9391]

That's exactly what should happen to those greedy investors selling/leasing those lunch boxes of stores anticipating large gains.

[@AxelguysProductions]

Calgary currently has a huge problem with empty commercial buildings at the moment. With the amount of empty buildings matching the size of Winnipeg. However no serious attention seems to be paid to the spending and empty growth by the city or government as of yet.

[@JDirom]

An empty downtown core is not unusual for Calgary during its history. The government at least locally has taken note, as they will be losing out on the taxation of businesses in the core. In the case of this mall, as it is on the fringe of the city, nobody will take note, and no one will say anything as all the units in this mall are sold and owned by individuals.

[@andrewbrendan1579]

Dreary place; looks like something from a science-fiction movie but once/if there were some stores there would be some color and that would help...some. I REALLY like the idea of going to the mall and using it for a virtual office. If someone wanted to concentrate on their work or study for a class the mall could be a good place for that but I think it would be good not to go alone.---I live in a university town in Indiana here in the U.S. and there is a huge amount of new housing directed at students and more being built. Some have retail space in the lower level but who is going to fill all those spaces for residence and business? Sooner or later there has to be a saturation point. There can be only so many students with rich parents paying sky-high rents and only so many bars and coffee shops and boutiques.

[@alexdo8422]

It looks exactly like the pacific mall in Markham, Ontario, Canada except more modern. Search it up I swear its EXACTLY the same

[@randymurray934]

Actually your correct, it is the same exact concept as the pacific mall according to CBC news.

[@kevvymetal666]

wow this was incredible. the host really added a lot to the whole experience!

[@georgelin8498]

Looks like a Chinese style mall

[@JDirom]

That it is.

[@merricc5218]

looks like abstergo labs when desmond tryna escape from in assassins creed 2

[@YYCRCFabricationz]

As a Calgary resident this is shocking!! Haven't been out that way in about 6 months when it was still under construction. I haven't heard of anyone building on spec in years, trying to wrap my head around how the hell this happened...wow!! Great vid, TY for shating the story.

[@JDirom]

Cheers! Here is the followup kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHuUqJV6f9Cha5o

[@YYCRCFabricationz]

@@JDirom just watched your follow up video. Can't say I'm shoxked but still wondering why any firm would've built it without 1st securing at least anchors to keep it afloat. Great videos btw, wicked job Brother!

[@guitardogg8438]

Looks like the kinda place where weird illuminati shit might happen after hours.

[@JDirom]

Could happen during normal hour and nobody would notice!

[@kokojo2691]

I could save a lot of money buy shopping there. HA HA HA I made a funny.

[@JDirom]

At least it also won’t be crowded during Christmas shopping season...lol

[@Zyscheriah]

@@JDirom must be great during black friday too.

[@gordonbricker1670]

Hahaha!

[@gspaulsson]

My ex was a lease negotiator for a major developer. The developer had the power to play hardball with the big chains; an owner of one kiosk has no power at all. Some developer will buy up all these "condos" for practically nothing, then populate it and make a bundle.

[@lonewolf604]

Hey I didn't know James Hetfield had a vlog edit: damn i wasn't the only one who thought he looked like him LOL

[@JDirom]

I get that a lot. Thing is I work in the music industry, so I hear it at least once a day...lol

[@HelenWang_zf]

UPDATE: STILL EMPTY

[@JDirom]

I feel for all the small independent store owners that are there currently!

[@Papi_Churr0]

They should just turn it into an exposition center, where people can hold events and have booths set up in each store

[@ElvisVikic]

My friend was saying the mall was empty. I was thinking no it’s just not open yet. But now I see it’s actually real... hmmmmmm...

[@JDirom]

It has been open for 4 months

[@shabadoob]

This mall layout looks like the modern version of Pacific Mall (Largest Chinese Mall in Canada) in Markham, Ontario.

[@JDirom]

Same developer.

[@hailleyw5117]

But why build it, open it for people to come in, but have no one leasing the spaces?

[@shabadoob]

I'm from Ontario and have witnessed Pacific Mall's growth over 15 years. This layout is designed in a way for little unique shops similar to China with a variety of goods and services. I personally think the criticism on how the shops are built too small cannot be applied as I feel that the mall was built with different intentions for another demographic of consumers. In my opinion, if Calgary has a good portion of Asian residents that are interested in an Asian shopping mall, with proper advertisements, I could see the mall boom slowly. Pacific Mall is also next to Market Village which is another large Asian shopping center that was recently torn down for renovation. With half the attractions and shops available, Pacific Mall still attracts consumers. I am not aware of what this mall was built to be used for, but if it were to follow Pacific Mall's and chooses to attract East Asian consumers, I could see it eventually growing slowly. Keep in mind that, rising interest rates and consumer debt is slowly affecting real estate investment, entrepreneurs, and shopping. I'd love to see the update of this mall as I could see this mall being Pmall #2 but bigger, modern, and better.

[@PriorityDonk]

All that glass makes it look like that map off Goldeneye

[@jah.Camera]

Just checked this place out and vlogged it today! And just stumbled on your vlog as a local Calgary you tuber it’s great to see someone doing the same thing, keep it up!

[@JDirom]

Thanks! You should check out Calgary Video Creators on Facebook. That is where all the Calgary KZbinrs meet up.

[@Pakiza101]

why is your name Jesus

[@Lucas_Jeffrey]

It's pronounced "Hay-zues"

[@JDirom]

I went back, not so lucky the second time kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHuUqJV6f9Cha5o

[@Ianstuff2023]

I've seen plenty of places like this in China but not in Canada wow! That's got to be one of the ugliest malls I've ever seen it's built like a freaking prison

[@Happi-HD]

Ian Dumych the Pacific mall and another area in Markham, Canada, has many of these empty, ugly malls as well.

[@midcent73b]

You don't see a new mall fail so magnificently!

[@JDirom]

This video was filmed a month after the original kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHuUqJV6f9Cha5o

[@Phil-mt1ql]

Dude, you realize that you are now in position to take over.

[@nadz109]

Marlabro is 1/2 empty. Westbrook is 1/2 empty. Malls everywhere are dying.

[@JDirom]

Malls everywhere are dying, but at least most malls had a life before they died!

[@UzumakiNaruto_]

Malls are doing fine depending on where you live. In Toronto/GTA most big malls that have been recently been renovated are doing well to very well and the Eaton Center downtown is doing great and Yorkdale Mall is probably the premier mall in all of Ontario and its packed with people on a daily basis. Every year Yorkdale seems to be expanding and gaining more high end stores and its never not packed with people every day of the week. The only malls that are doing OK to poorly in the GTA are some older small neighborhood malls that haven't been upgraded much and old asian malls that use to be more busy but have now lost business to better bigger malls that opened later on. Malls in Canada will always be necessary and needed not only for shopping, but as a gathering place for people to hang out at especially with our long, cold winters.

[@jarjarbinx79]

Malls also doing ok in BC. They always stay up to date and then integrate with large residential complex.

[@Arylwren1]

the mall i work at is doing just fine, in fact, the company that owns it was recent listed as one of the best employers in Canada

[@bradleycarifelle8863]

west Edmonton mall looks to be doing great.. actually too busy for my liking

[@sfl3063]

They look like glass cells. A clothes shop changing room would b interesting lol

[@JDirom]

Likely no changing rooms in these small spaces.

[@hondaridgelineenduser5934]

Online shopping is king right now over malls

[@gp6536]

Layout is exactly like pacific mall, and that place is dying...

[@NA-kl8cn]

WAS ABOUT TO SAY

[@sbrazwell42]

Its a great place for apartments..parking slap a few stores in for convenience..absolutely fabulous.

[@SundayOmonyOfficial]

AWESOME VLOG JB! 😎 Please keep us posted in October for the Grand Opening. 💛 💛 💛 #Calgary #YYC

[@JDirom]

Will do! Cheers!

[@JDirom]

For all you people who have commented that I look like James Hetfield of Metallica....it is not the first time...lol kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJ6zqIunp6ucmsk

[@bluesharp59]

I agree , He does.

[@benoitlangevin7030]

Hahaha lol i was thinking that ...then i saw your comment lol you look like him for real man!!!!have a nice day!

[@eddyvideostar]

J. Dirom. Now you do.

[@GenelysKitchen]

Newest mall in Calgary wow huge mall beautiful. Really amazing huge. What are you saying is ghosts town the name of the place. Cool.

[@JDirom]

At the time it was nicknamed the Ghost Mall because it was open and had no stores, I toured and found no stores open at the time.

[@DKomnicide]

Airport simulator 2019 Edition

[@grantkeller8024]

Maybe it's not really a mall, looks more like observation cubes for human testing...Things are never what they seem or what we're told !!!

[@JDirom]

#tinfoilhat

[@shaunbrown85]

This is why when they say “build it and they will come”, I say “not necessarily”. But people never listen to me

[@JDirom]

This is one month later.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHuUqJV6f9Cha5o