Merle Hay Mall (Des Moines, IA) - part 1970s, part 2010s

Come check out a mall that looks like the 1970s at the entrances but has a modern 2010s middle. It's Merle Hay, the mall infamous for its spoooooky basement that has been closed to the public for over two decades!
Do you want more? Nathan Bush has over 800 photographs of Merle Hay dating back to the 2000s! www.flickr.com...
Check out Man Made Archeology's Merle Hay Marathon containing videos of the abandoned Younkers and THE BASEMENT! • The Merle Hay Mall Mar...
Would you like to read more? Check out the history of Merle Hay Mall by The Curator. I used this article as a guide for my video: mall-hall-of-f...
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[@NorthCdogg22]

Nice vid!! Merle Hay is always a fun mall to walk thru!😊

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I like Merle Hay, but I really love Valley West. I'm working on a video / love letter to the place. :D

[@TheRunningLeopard]

Due to more and more conventions coming to Merle Hey mall, I’ve come to honestly appreciate it a lot more then even Jordan Creek. I really enjoy being able to hit a Warhammer specific store, a general gaming store, alongside wherever else that catches my interest. Thank you so much for this video! It’s so rare that someone covers one of the malls in Iowa, you’ve earned a subscriber!!

[@Man-MadeArchaeology]

Awesome video! Much more informative than ours! 😂 We really appreciate you showcasing our video here! We spent an entire weekend, from open to close, figuring out how to gain access 😅 Keep up the great work! 👍

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I glad you enjoyed it! Thanks again for allowing me to show the basement for a few seconds.

[@charding4000]

I think this is kind of cool, it's probably just me though. I saw Jaws in the movie theatre in this mall in the summer of 1975. It was a defining moment for me as a person, I was 11, I'm glad the mall is still a thing and the theatre is still operating! Thank you for the video.

[@gavingrahampawpatrolyescai5761]

Hey that’s my mall!

[@LuigiGodzillaGirl]

I have family that’s lived in Des Moines since the late 90’s, and I’ll take Merle Hay over Jordan Creek any day. The location is more convenient, and traffic is a million times more manageable. I have childhood and teen memories of most of the majors malls in the city; the Disney Store that was in Valley West, seeing Revenge of the Sith on one of the giant screens at MH, wandering JC with my classmates during the state Jazz championships, and I have some very faint memories of the food court in the Kaleidoscope. MH is a shadow of its former self, but all things considered, it’s doing okay. Let’s hope the ice arena thing works out. The death of Younkers was huge blow to just about every mall that had one, and I don’t know what Kohls was thinking by having their new store location detatched. If they don’t want to offer customers the comfort and convenience of an anchor store, I might as well just go to one of their strip mall locations.

[@penbucket]

Another great video. I was floored to see an open music store in there. Looked like a nice one. A lot of the completely ubiquitous candy dispensers. And I liked the speaking selfie food review. Some cool music choices as well.

[@katiemcfarland6135]

I loved the basement in 90s! There was a music store (i think it was a Disc Jockey), a second entrance to the bowling alley, a DV8 store (a hippie shop), a McDonalds and a Mr Eggroll. Around the corner was an army recruitment center. The escalator down to the basement was where the playground is now. And there was a back stairway near where Ross is now.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thanks for sharing your memories! The old space is so well hidden today. I like learning about the old entrances.

[@DyingRetail]

Nice video! Your new microphone sounds awesome!

[@sal]

Legendary! Great work, brother.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thanks, Sal!

[@jasonmartinson7758]

Oh, you are right about the smoke It got so bad, one day it left an eerie western sky on a early Wednesday evening which looked so pretty I think I have a picture of it

[@GTI_Man]

Just recently discovered your channel. Because you’re local to the Twin Cities area, are you familiar with that strange little enclosed mini mall where the Edina Jerry’s is located? (Might be called Grandview, but they don’t brand it well). It’s two levels, with the bottom floor receiving a remodel in recent years.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Do you mean Preserve Village? I knew about the mall, but I thought it was only a mall way. If it has a second floor, then I’m more interested in checking it out! Thanks for the tip!

[@GTI_Man]

@@YodelingLoonRetail Maybe that’s what it’s called. There isn’t a ton on the second floor. Last time I was there (4 or 5 years ago), there was a yoga or Zumba gym, a travel or insurance agency, and the beauty salon that my grandmother worked at. The Jerry’s hardware used to be on the bottom floor, but I think they broke that up into smaller shops when it moved next door.

[@pamelaaverrett5848]

Very good video! 👍🏻

[@gavingrahampawpatrolyescai5761]

I live near that mall and it’s in Iowa

[@mollyheffernen]

Hi! I can't find my comment on here, but I enjoyed this video as well. Have watched it multiple times. I liked Merle Hay when it had Famous Barr. I am just glad that has local leadership. Namdar and Kohan have enough in Iowa as is.

[@SuperBuickregal]

What about the Kennedy Mall in Dubuque?

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

It’s on my list. If not this summer then 2015.

[@SuperBuickregal]

I forgot that I had asked you in another one of your videos I have been binge watching your videos.@@YodelingLoonRetail

[@globularsnowgaming450]

I live so coast to the mall

[@charding4000]

Thanks, shout out for Maid Rite (its pretty good) , agreed!

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I made this review for fun. My first Maid Rite meal was in Brainerd. I love that location, because they also sell pie!

[@charding4000]

👍@@YodelingLoonRetail

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

👍👍👍👍

[@jenniferburchill3658]

I watched one of the spooky Man Made Archaeology videos about the basement!!!

[@YooTubeSlave]

The Buccaneers backed out this month. MHM plans to go ahead with putting in an ice skating rink.

[@Mycatsmeow2]

"Future Home of the Buccaneers"...Not anymore! lol

[@seththomas9105]

35 years ago that place was packed with people, now most shopping malls are slowly dying dinosaurs. I remember going to see movies there, and eating at F&O's! Shopping at Sears for Xmas or if I needed Craftsman tools. Where did 30 years go?

[@jasonmartinson7758]

Holy crap, a true face reveal at the end! I hope I wasn’t only one who was curious what the man looked like!

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Ha, I've shown my fast in a couple of videos! :)

[@DaremoKamen]

My sister was working at Younkers during the time of the fire although she wasn't there when it happened. That lower level had a McDonalds I worked at. There was a video rental place across the hallway so counter workers (including myself) would get distracted by the movies playing.

[@2004jpepper]

This mall these days always seems in flux. Some years it has stores and some it feels empty. They do draw in people by having events in the wide hallways like art sales, mini comic or toy contentions and whstnot. It does have one of the only remaining movie theaters in town now that 2 or 3 more theaters closed.

[@RayOutThere]

Cool mall, I like how some old school design elements are still showing through