Last Day at the 54 Year old Eastland Mall in Columbus, Ohio….

[@Tvjunkie145]

What gets me is the news footage saying how upsetting and shocking it is that the mall is closing. The whole area has been bad for 15-20 years. At least in the early 2000s the area still had kohls, Olive Garden, toys r us, things that attracted people to come out to this area. But since 2008ish on, most of those things all went out and nobody of value stepped in to keep to keep the area up. Hard to justify going there without a need for shoes.. very few reasons to be in that area. Im surprised they got it to stay open for so long.

[@altoidsours]

As a kid in the 90s it always used to be a treat for me to go over to that area. Like you said, it had Kohls, it had Toys R Us, it had Media Play and of course it had the mall! It was such a nice place. Sad to see what happened to the whole area.

[@UCeddWhat]

Perfectly said

[@xtremity2361]

Polaris, easton and Tuttle are next. The bad areas are creeping in around these malls now

[@sassygsand]

Thank you for this video!! So we always have a digital visual memory of the mall.

[@ColsUnderground]

Thanks for documenting this important building!

[@mikerippel677]

Before Easton, Polaris, and Tuttle mall you had Eastland, Westland, and Northland malls. These were the places to go. So many memories of Eastland Mall. On Sundays my parents and I would eat at MCL cafeteria which was across the street and then we would go to Eastland. When I would go with my mom we would eat at the Terrace restaurant in Lazarus and watch the people down below. Sad to see it close but thats what happens when the neighborhood gets bad and online shopping takes over.

[@CarieEvans]

Some of my best earliest memories are at that Lazarus, and the restaurant. My aunt used to work there in the early 80s. I absolutely loved that place. Sitting there watching everyone in the mall below. Coloring in the awesome coloring books/pack of crayons the restaurant used to hand out to kids eating there. Talking to the talking tree in Lazarus, putting our arms in its mouth while it talked lol. Aaaaah, the memories......

[@keepingitreal71]

This makes me SAD... My mom worked at the Lazarus all over that store... I came there some days after Pre School and then we would head to Bill Knapp's and The movie theater...3 of her co workers were still there at Macy's before it closed... They did not know she passed on the 18 of Jan 2013.... A lot of memories and now a lot of tears......

[@CarieEvans]

The memories are so cherished but so heartbreaking at the same time arent they? I spent so much of my very young years in the early 80s at that Lazarus. My aunt worked at the restaurant overlooking the mall. I used to love the talking tree they had there, I think it was cloth and really big. Very very nostalgic memories. Also, I'm sorry about your mom. :(

[@slackingpacking]

This place was such a time capsule, it’s ashamed how run down the mall became.

[@stevetcbjxl1]

Lived here all my life. Got my music, clothes, movie tickets, dates, family get togethers, all right here. This mall has sat like this for a lot of years. What I can't figure out is why in the world did they upgrade the Eastland mall signs recently, just to close the building permanently? Weird shit.

[@Dystopiancircus]

I used to love this mall as a kid. I spent so many hours in Aladdin’s Castle in the 80’s.

[@willowmoon3775]

Thank you for the footage. I was out of town, but was planning on going and seeing the mall before it closed but because of the water damage I didn’t have clothes on while I was gone I remember being a teenager and hanging out at the mall on the weekends as well as working at some of the places in the mall. It is very sad and emotional to not only see how not only Eastland mall but how the whole Hamilton Road area has declined. 😢

[@ytzpilot]

Sad to see malls close I used to work in a few of them, I loved the hustle and bustle and you meet so many friends. End of an era

[@cifrancgx]

I lived near and worked at Eastland Mall during the mid to late 80’s. I worked at “Software Etc.” which was a computer software store within a store at the B. Dalton Bookstore. (Software Etc. would eventually become GameStop.) I remember seeing movies at the mall theater like ALIENS and Highlander. It was a nice mall back in the day as was the area. Lots of malls have suffered the same fate sadly.

[@6Kids1Tank]

Bought my first copy of wolfeinstein from software etc!!! It was a trial copy for 5 bucks because well, I was poor lol

[@OutlawNix]

I live in Ohio and about 18 miles away from where I live in a single floor type Mall that is now 59 years old. Even though the mall lost most of it's anchor stores the mall is still going otherwise. In Ohio, the oldest mall in the state is "Arcade of Cleveland" which was built in 1890. Which will never be able to be torn down as it's National Historic Landmark.

[@80sladybug28]

This is sad, I don't live in the area; but sad just the same.

[@Talendale]

Side note: The water splatter you hear at the end was cracked water mains pouring water into the food court seating area. By the next day, it was about as soaked as the puddling by Sears was.

[@ec6933]

Thank you sir. Thank you.

[@Selectrolux]

My local mall has suffered the same fate, here on Long Island in New York. All the stores are gone, except for the first anchor store (Macy's) which opened in 1973, and a Dick's Sporting Goods. I did so much shopping in that mall over the years that it gets me in my feelings to see the state it's in now. It's like walking around an abandoned town.

[@isleman9473]

Sounds like Sunrise Mall. I was there the day it opened in 1973. Truly sad.

[@jimk640]

I remember the snack counter in the Sears store there, was stationed at Lockbourne AFB and visited that mall a few times. Time rolls on and waits for no one.

[@zinstone7286]

Can hardly bear the smell of Bath&Body and Victoria's Secret separately. Can't imagine what its like in the same hallway.

[@kimberlyminard6103]

I wonder if the light fixtures from the food court are still up. I would've loved to have gotten my hands on one of those. My parents used to take my brother and I there every Christmas so we could eat at the Lazarus restaurant on the second floor. We would always try to get a table right next the window so we could overlook the mall while we had dinner. Good memories ❤

[@6Kids1Tank]

They auctioned all of it off a couple of months ago

[@MET3279]

All of the comments. Such nostalgia malls have for our generation. I love that people are documenting.

[@jilltaulbee3160]

I remember woolworths and the fountain in front of it. When did the fountain go out. It was so big and I loved it

[@Checkmate07351]

God, it's a horror show in their sad to see what's become of it in just the past seven years of moving up here.

[@jla87]

Still can't believe they let it get like this SMH so many childhood memories and memories as an adult rip Eastland mall 💪😰💯💯💯

[@deborahchesser7375]

It’s sad, like you, I have many memories of Eastland, Frenchys, Charlie’s downstairs at Lazarus, upstairs restaurant at Lazarus overlooking the mall, I got to eat there once at least. It will be missed.

[@specklesandlocs604]

I remember passing out in the Harvest House cafeteria. My husband panicked. I didn't know at that time that I was pregnant.

[@johnfloyd7278]

I remember all the places I would shop, but management of the mall contributed to the the end as I contracted there.

[@paposwing2925]

Many factors for this happening in my opinion. Online shopping and Mall landlords greed. They're the ones that dug their own grave. The last nail in the coffin was the pandemic, that made a lot of people realized they don't need malls anymore.

[@TuNnL]

Rarely do you see grocery stores in shopping malls. Maybe grocery stores understood that paying ridiculous amounts of leasehold rent to malls just isn't worth it. Drug stores are starting to realize it, too. Going forward both drug and grocery stores openings are strictly standalone or in "strip malls" where they would have the prestige of being an 'anchor tenant.' Not sure what kind of retailer can anchor a traditional shopping mall in 2023. No Sears, No J.C. Penney's, Macy's is down and out. 25% of all shopping malls in the U.S. shut down permanently in 2022. Will be interesting to see if that helps the remaining 75% survive, or if the retail apocalypse continues in 2023. 🤷

[@TuNnL]

@@Safwaan821 Sad, but true. They need to think about what is a more viable use for these structures, 'cause with Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, etc. dominating the scene, shopping malls in 2023 'aint it. Mixed use commercial/residential seemed like a good plan until the Fed raised interest rates. Unfortunately, that drives up the price of mortgage rates, so nobody wants to buy a house/condo/apartment until the rates go back down. 🤷

[@Talendale]

You know they hadn't been updating things for ages when you passed by that Akiba Arcade sign around 4:28 . It'd been closed down since May 2019.

[@TheRedDevil_NC]

alternative ways to buy the same things cheaper combined with urban violence and culture killed the malls.

[@sutterpark]

I am ex W Worthington Franklin Ohio, I do remember Northern Mall, Eastland and Westland Mall! ALL the malls change hands over the years all enclosed the mall! You have see ALL Major Department store either move to newer locations or went out of business in which it very sad! All the malls was a hit in the 1950’sh to 2000 some had major facelift others not! Some had Very poor MGN or supper greedy owners

[@jabfit24]

And pretty soon, a year maybe 2, we will see videos of Eastland that look just like Westland is now.

[@jd-no7rw]

And Westland should be gone by summer.

[@djm5k]

This just goes to prove nothing lasts forever. US malls have been dying for years. However, there are still many malls out there that are thriving. I would say the thriving malls are still there because the mall’s owners keep them well maintained, periodic renovations, and make an effort to keep all the spaces leased. Many malls have been incorporating other types of activities in malls like high end dining and entertainment. Maybe this mall will be demolished and replaced with some new venue where new memories will be made until such time when it too, will lose its novelty and shutter.

[@BTBGaming_]

Used to get school clothes here, see Santa when I was real little, go to the food court to get some sbarro or Chick Fil A, go to the Lids and check out if they had anything new, get ice cream from the Hershey’s Ice Cream place. Lots of memories. It got closed down for 3 main reasons: 1. The area was full of crime within the past 10-15 years and there were many crimes happening inside the mall. 2. The opening of Easton and Polaris. 3. The rise of online shopping. Quite unfortunate. Hope they can repurpose it to something useful.

[@newarktower1787]

Surprisingly the security contractor stayed until the mall and the contractor had a contract dispute with how the security company was being paid.Zelma Security Inc was the contractor that was based out of Lancaster that supported the mall.Zelma Inc. did this mall and was a contractor for the Detention center in Lancaster.He now does real estate for Realtree properties.And makes more than the mall was paying him.Zelma Security Inc. was employed from 1997 to 2021 .And was a one man show.

[@sunaeyes2609]

I use to go to that mall before I moved I went and visited some family and went to the mall and saw that most of the store were gone I was so upset

[@JayTyrus]

pretty soon....Tuttle Crossing Mall will join Eastland, Southland, Northland, Westland, Brice Outlet Mall, and City Center. Oh the days when Hamilton Road was worth making trips to, especially for music. Media Play, Record Connection, Karma, Camelot, then Record Town in the mall.

[@puddincup9879]

Definitely not Tuttle

[@jd-no7rw]

@@puddincup9879 Tuttle is definitely not what it was. I worked there in the late-90s and it was mostly higher-end stores and a lot of those are gone, replaced by nail salons. The owners are currently selling it, so the future is uncertain now.

[@virginiaconnor8350]

Savannah Mall-in Ga.-the newer Mall is going out of business, yet Oglethorpe Mall-the older mall-will get to live longer. They're even both on Abercorn Street. Even Lenox Square Mall has lasted longer than the younger Gwinnette Place Mall. The age of a mall doesn't always cause them to die. We have a Canton, Columbus, Cleveland, Lebanon, and Marietta too in Ga. where I live. What will they do to this mall? Too bad they could turn it into a homeless shelter with individual little apts,, a food court, small shops, a food area, maybe a small auditorium, library, job centre, and mini park, security, plus a bus that could take people to jobs and back.Just an idea.

[@anonymouslight4772]

Used to go here as a kid

[@tomsimpson5317]

The internet has killed the mall depressing

[@willman9567]

It used to be so pretty there at Christmas.

[@spreadlovenothate5017]

This mall use to be so beautiful. 😩

[@jonathancreveling8699]

If the mall closed early, how'd you get in there?

[@charlesallen8368]

It reminds me of Rolling Acres in Akron. 👍

[@diegoterneus2250]

Malls are the modern day ghost towns.

[@WhittyPics]

All that water on the floor will be a moldly mess in a couple of years. Do us Mac users a favor on future videos. Don't record in HDR. Chrome based browsers on the Mac don't support it and there is no reason for it indoors.

[@That_kid_los]

Yes, I've noticed this after I uploaded it with the lagging.

[@TuNnL]

@@That_kid_los I had zero lag, and the video quality was excellent. Using KZbin App on a Motorola smartphone. 👍

[@puddincup9879]

Make your own video 💩

[@cumulus1234]

This is happening all over the country with enclosed malls. Just name the city.

[@Danny-jb6pg]

> liked going to Spencer's

[@barrymuskus67]

A REALLY SAD place to see go by the wayside

[@ULTRAMAGADEPLORABLEcultmember]

Where is the kid that lost his nose?🤣

[@TechnoMinded-qp5in]

We shouldn't allow the digital age to win mainly malls are being put out of service by affordable online shops like Temu, Amazon, Ebay, etc imagine if malls sliced prices instead of supporting price hikes then people would start getting out more the future will be all digital shops what's worse is there's gonna be virtual reality stores in the future this is bad very bad.

[@spreadlovenothate5017]

You forgot about the City Center.

[@UCeddWhat]

FYI Maycy’s is Lazuars lol

[@marapeters9144]

It had a good run

[@rayinpau.s.a.6351]

Grocery stores will be next . Think about it - Door Dash .

[@puddincup9879]

Bro what?

[@jd-no7rw]

I doubt that. I know a lot of people who want to pick out their own foods and wouldn't trust someone to pick it for them. Every time I go into any of the grocery stores around here, they usually pretty busy.

[@johhnmorgan8329]

Get some safety boots in there water proof steal caps boots it can be dangerous in there

[@UCeddWhat]

Nobody cared about this mall for the past 15+ years it’s been on the decline for a long time & nobody batted an eye lol it was just a matter of when it was going to close it’s doors for good

[@Religious_man]

"It's sad really." "It's sad really." No, not really. It's sad only because your memory is talking to you. Malls are built on greed and other vices.