Metrocenter Mall's Bogus Journey | Retail Archaeology Dead Mall Documentary

A video tour and mini documentary about Metrocenter Mall's bogus journey from a Phoenix landmark to a dead mall.
Metrocenter Mall 1988 Footage provided by Michael March:
• Metrocenter from 1988 ...
Help with historical info provided by Enrique Cortez:
Enrique's KZbin Channel: / koutesu
Enrique's Twitter & Instagram: @KoubuPilot
Video about Metrocenter Mall redevelopment plans:
• Metrocenter and Redeve...
Retail Archaeology Social Media Links:
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Instagram: @Retailarchaeology
Facebook: @RetailArchaeology
Patreon: / retailarchaeology
Check out my retro video game and toy channel!
/ hectoriguanavarga
Info on this episode's music:
-Download the music featured in this video from Jason Heine of Heine House Entertainment @ jasonheine.bandcamp.com/
-Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
-Intractable by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
#deadmall #deadmalls #mall #RetailArchaeology #RetailApocalypse #MetrocenterMall #Metrocenter

[@rwdplz1]

WHOA!!!

[@RetailArchaeology]

rwdplz1 Sick reference dude! Your comment should have more thumbs up 😀

[@watershed44]

+Retail Archaeology Simpler, and I think better times in the 80s and prior. The internet has damaged social activity and interaction, while malls were designed to make money they also provided a avenue for people to gather and engage each other too.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Sad, I sorta envied what I saw of this mall from that movie since none of the malls in Toledo looked half as good as that.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Seems rather sad it has gotten this way at all.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

It's certainly made us rather introverted.

[@KC-up7hf]

When the Sears is keeping your mall open... You're totally screwed...

[@aseeker2269]

Oh the irony!

[@PinkAgaricus]

Coming back one year later...oh how true the original comment's statement is. Since Sears really is dying this time.

[@Allthingshotels]

@@PinkAgaricus only major retailer keeping my mall alive is JC Penney's

[@rainbowgabberz]

Sears is closed down now too

[@DeanStrickson]

Sears has since closed, but they did sell the old JC Penney’s for 3 million and is being turned into a self-storage.

[@ThisisDanBell]

Oh, this is good!

[@ttimeshow6415]

This is Dan Bell. king on the dead mall, oh great one you have really started an awesome genre here.

[@jamesdeibler1423]

I would like to see Dan Bell to visit Dead Metrocenter Mall in Phoenix, AZ.

[@JJordisonMaster]

come make some videos in Phoenix!

[@darkdistiller]

@This is Dan Bell This needs to be on your needs to visit list.

[@Littlemsambitious]

I love you Dan bell!

[@reemak8500]

Metro Center was the place to be in the 70's and 80's. I worked at Sears from 88 to 92. I went by 7/30/17 and almost cried. It's sad to see a community go to shit.

[@mikethemechanic7395]

Dennis Scafide . That’s how I feel about superstitions mall in Mesa. I lived in East Mesa from 89-97. I visited last dec 19. I almost cried how run down my old house was and neighborhood. It used to be the burbs. I used to work at the superstitions mall in HS.

[@kfc28371ify]

That's awesome that someone recorded the mall when it was popular and when it was new. I always enjoy seeing "now and then" pictures/videos to compare what it used to be like.

[@iamalive.1255]

kfc28371ify I was there for all those times. Great memories. My friend had a birthday party one year and we had it at the ice skating rink.

[@celestevance6797]

The mall WAS recorded when it was still popular, but it had been open about 15 years at that point. Arrowhead wouldn't open for another 5 years after that was taken.

[@Fcreceptor]

Depressing. I used to visit this mall often. Bought clothes, lots of skateboards, and I actually skated at that awesome Ice Palace more times than I can count (hockey). Once they ripped out the skate rink I had grown older and the mall was in decline. It turned into gangland in the mid to late 90s and I really never went back. For that time, it was the riffraff that was this mall's ruination, not the Internet or anything else.

[@markbot4286]

The 90s was 25 years ago. Those "Gangsters" would be in their early to mid 40s dead or in prison. And too fat and diabetes ridden to cause you much trouble anymore.

[@pinkelefant4ever]

The damage was done...this looked like a great mall but scummy individuals took down a formerly nice area of Phx

[@josh65hend]

it wasn't gang land in the 90s, it was Goth, punks and skaters, that's when hot topics went in, and and precinct skate shop in the outer ring, lots of skate demos

[@williamhamilton8438]

Some of my earliest memories are from this mall. The skate rink, food court

[@SilverGemini]

I spent most my time here from around 2000-2005 at Metrocenter. Was certainly one of them mall rats. I don’t remember it being any sort of “gangland” there. It was pretty bustling back then but really seemed to slow around 2004 and 2005 when they started renovations. Metrocenter was my home away from home.

[@ydoomenaud]

In 1988 pretty much any American shopping mall was going to be prosperous compared to now. The only alternative to shopping there were mail order catalogs which didn't have the touch/feel/try/take home right now factor and delivery was nowhere near as rapid as internet sales are today. Leases used to be competitive to having your own freestanding properties which contributed to shopping malls' success. However in the last 10 years, many of these malls' management companies have not accepted the contracting market and continue to ask for exorbitant rates that retailers can't sustain. I live 2 hours north of Metrocenter. It's conveniently located right off of I-17 on what's still a viable strip of retail running through Phoenix. 10 years ago Metrocenter was a thriving hub with a layout that encircled the mall containing restaurants and similar specialty retail big-box stores: CompUSA, Dick's Sporting Goods, Whataburger, Barnes & Noble, etc. CompUSA died for reasons you can find on channels like these. For what it's worth the Dillard's parking lot has never once been full in part because it's inconvenient to get to the rest of the mall from there and it's where the least amount of surrounding retail is. It's also worth noting that Wal-Mart's planned occupancy has been advertised for over a year now but even the current website doesn't show them having moved in yet, as if corporate was still negotiating with MM management for a cheap lease with terms for terminating it that most retailers wouldn't get. PayLess has filed for bankruptcy nationwide and my local Flagstaff Mall seems to be one of the few with a still operational store. The dead anchor's history (Goldwaters, Robinsons/May, Macy's) is typical: small regional department chains progressively giving way to larger department store chains but overall a still contracting market thanks to superdepartment stores and online shopping. The Sears is one of the few remaining tier 1 Sears in Arizona, which means it's retained most of its departments and most smaller Sears in malls have shuttered altogether. The Dillards is now a clearance center but again, regional department chains are dead men walking. There are still successful malls in Arizona but most are in wealthier parts of Maricopa County like Scottsdale, where people have the luxury of not having to buy things online and can sustain novelty stores like Disney, Build-a-Bear, and specialty cosmetics. It's a self-feeding problem: the retail chains are themselves dying, kiosks (esp. self-service ones) cheapen the shopping experience, and eventually you're left with a giant building unable to pay its electrical expenses (closed off escalators) and it gets progressively dirtier as maintenance staff get laid off. It doesn't help that most of these megamall properties are no longer repurposable as other types of properties (e.g. office space) as fewer and fewer businesses now benefit from having a physical location. Another factor you came close to touching on is that families don't do as much together as they used to. Boredom and air conditioning were a large part of the momentum to go to a shopping mall and small portable internet devices have cut deeply into doing things together and the need to go anywhere to stop being bored. Thanks for the video and not being snarky towards the subject like some channels.

[@GaelissFelin]

never even thought of the boredom and doing things together issue.... you got it in one. as someone born in the late 90s it's completely crazy to have lived through this shift of technology. i remember my parents refusing to buy me a game boy advance when i was 7 (i got a DS when i was 13), getting my first phone at 15 (a nokia flip phone lmfao, well outdated at that time) which i had until i got a smartphone at 18.... my younger sister got her first smartphone at 12 years old! it's so important to be bored as a kid. boredom's when the magic happens! i think more and more people of my weird in-between-generations crowd are looking at gen z and thinking "not MY kids". technological literacy is important, but not at the cost of individuality and creativity. i don't think gen z is DOOMED or anything so dramatic. but i think life will be a lot harder for them, at least their teen years will. the balance between internet and real life is already so hard for me to navigate, and i had the advantage of only ever having a desktop or laptop to ground my internetting to one place. it's gonna be a lot harder for a generation raised with the internet in their pockets. i don't envy them.

[@filanfyretracker]

besides you probably picked your catalog orders up at the mall, We did that a lot with JC Penny and Sears. Could even place orders at the store and they call when it arrives.

[@Shenben2021]

I actually love the Vapor Wave music. It makes these videos nice to relax and watch for me personally. I enjoy having a cup of coffee and watching these vids. Sounds kinda strange but your voice is so soothing that adding video game music MIGHT not give the same relaxing feel.

[@sd02231]

Shenni I agree. Chiptunes would be too distracting.

[@tbb033]

It frankly sound like the music you might hear when you go shopping. Fits better than chiptunes ever could.

[@tnbspotter5360]

Needs more elevator music.

[@insomniac2233]

Shenni I agree! Vapor Wave has a weird calming aesthetic,that makes the videos more enjoyable. I only started watching these a few days ago,but yea-coffee too!!!

[@IWillSmurfYou]

Shenni v a p o r w a v e

[@TheRageaholic]

Fun fact: Those large, circular areas on the corners, where all those people are sitting back in recliners, when he remarks that it's 'really dead in here'? They used to have water jets in tiny holes on the floor. And every 30 minutes or so, they would fire off and do a little water show to mark the time. It's a shame you couldn't get into the guts/employee areas of the building. Metro Center has a really spooky network of tunnels behind, and even under, the store fronts, and a scary-ass incinerator for the garbage in the basement. (P.S. - That large store space where you asked 'I wonder what was in here, it looks pretty big'? I believe it used to be a Sam Goody.)

[@SilverGemini]

On the floor? I recall it being just a big slightly raised fountain. Also that big store with the yellow tile on the front was a Sam Goody for sure.

[@f15teenyears]

Wicked insight! :D

[@IMRROcom]

During the summer of 1984 and 85 you had to be dropped of at the mall, The odds of you getting a parking spot were next to Zero. Besides Goldwater's the massive awnings above the main entrances made you feel like you were someplace special and very modern. It had on section in side that was built like an old back Chicago Hollywood movie back alley with smaller one off stores Alley. Disneyland has a place like that but this was much darker more like harry potter. 85 Friday and Saturday nights we just cruzed around the outer circle for hours and this was a real traffic jam. On of the Top cruzin spots in the Valley before the city and Metro Center shut it down.

[@kurtmillard5904]

I went there in ‘84, and it was a great place for a 19 year old to go shop and meet girls. One Saturday night, we decided to hit up a movie. The police started putting up blockades. I got caught in a police sting where an alley turned into a corner unimproved lot. I was so pissed at getting the ticket, I went to court to fight the ticket, and was told there was nothing they could do. And..... we never went back to the Metrocenter.

[@danieldaniels7571]

Kurt Millard it was a great place to meet girls in 1984 for a 14 year old too 😎

[@bornyesterday21]

I used to hate going to the mall because, ironically, it was always too crowded .. Not anymore.

[@NJP76]

I used to kind of feel that way as well, but at the same time, I found some kind of an energizing yet relaxing feeling from being there. But yes, I tended to stay away during Holiday shopping seasons. Now I will sometimes go out of my way to go to Valley View mall (LaCrosse WI) just to try and do my part in saving it. Fortunately, it doesn't look like it is in too bad of shape...although it is noticeably less crowded than in years past.

[@jacquimayton2466]

The fun thing about having social anxiety is that you don't want to go to the crowded malls because they're crowded, but you don't want to go to the empty malls because then anyone there can notice you better. Good times!

[@callmemarc]

That dude falling on his face ice skating...

[@SnickasBah]

callmemarc no one cared!

[@Belstarwon]

They closed that after a lady jumped off the second floor and killed herself. Then it was an awesome arcade.

[@jaredfogle6612]

Belstarwon that lady is the reasons why we can't have fun.

[@Echolyris212]

@@jaredfogle6612 omg and youre the reason why I cant enjoy subway anymore. Lol

[@jaredfogle6612]

@@Echolyris212 oh well

[@Free_Samples]

back in the 90s and early 2000s this mall had really awesome geyser fountains that shot up way into the air

[@conanseibel4464]

Adam Hand man I forgot about that! Ahh memories...

[@Belstarwon]

I loved those fountains as a kid.

[@alberte.3059]

Mall bookstores were very popular in the 80's...B. Dalton, Waldenbooks, etc.

[@ydoomenaud]

Waldenbooks owned B.Dalton's, its more upscale version of same. The main difference was that B.Dalton's paid its employees at a higher rate so Waldenbooks had to gauge carefully what the benefit of having a B.Dalton's instead of a Waldenbooks in a given location was. Even now Barnes & Noble has had to scale back its physical presence esp. given some management companies' penchant for surprise lease costs doubling after the first lease expires (which is why B&N prefers to build and operate free-standing properties).

[@CJ-rf9jm]

Bookstores were 1 of the big draws to any mall for me. Still is that way especially now most of the other things I go to malls for aren't there anymore.

[@burnbabylonburn78]

People don’t read actual books anymore.

[@jailbird1133]

@@burnbabylonburn78 some of us do

[@martinbaxter2616]

I miss bookstores.

[@demodemo5146]

Congrats man you jumped to 15K subs in no time. These videos are strangely calming, keep up the good work.

[@Echolyris212]

I agree. His music and voice are very soothing.

[@MeMe-ry8ew]

Wow, a far cry from the way it was when I first visited there in late 89. Between the mall itself and Castle's and Coasters, it was really happening. I remember the ice skating rink and the large airplane fuselage embedded in one of the walls above it. That is where the food court is now.

[@PhantomOfManyTopics]

I even remember as late as 2009, there was still significant foot traffic.

[@NotTheAverageGamerz]

Been awhile since I have seen Bill and Ted's Excellent adventure , I should totally watch it again . I used to watch it a lot as a kid . Btw this video was most excellent :) !

[@DarkroomMedia007]

My fave was Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. :)

[@gusolive5522]

Because you are bogus lol

[@angiechapsx33]

NotTheAverageGamerz a

[@stephensmith3257]

they are making a bill and teds 3

[@Larry]

Love that tile design on the floor in the mall. would love to have a smaller version of that for my kitchen :D

[@SonyUSA]

Why do you keep popping up in so many random videos xD I miss this mall so much when it had the giant arcade downstairs ;_; It just closed its doors permanently this week!

[@GardenerEarthGuy]

Metro center was the sheet in the early 90's when large areas of Phoenix had dirt roads and people debated if the brown cloud would stay.

[@windogewizardly1170]

You should get in contact with Dan Bell and do a collaboration video.

[@seanriddle9796]

Windoge Wizardly I agree

[@alberte.3059]

NO!

[@nukfauxsho]

Oh crap. I totes thought this was dan bell for a minute. I'm subbed to both

[@sonnydacuse7622]

Windoge Wizardly I think Ace collabs better than Dan Bell.

[@davesmilingcoyote]

Ah, the old "split up and cover more ground".. BTW, please keep up the good work!

[@NannerMan]

Goddamn, 70s through 90s architecture is so cool.

[@RodCornholio]

It's possible for someone to see their grandparent as a teenager in that '80's video!

[@willemdeleeuw8094]

RodCornholio Hmmm, so, at most, 19 + 29 = a 48 year old grandparent. Probably not.

[@beckigreen]

Willem de Leeuw I'm 43. My granddaughter is 2 and my daughter will be 26 in September.

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

So at least one of you still poops ya pants eh? Dats gross, why you gotta talk about gross stuff on a sweet lil mall video homie?

[@jeffreymanier0]

Becki Green and I thought my parents had me and my sister young... jeez

[@iamalive.1255]

RodCornholio I'm almost 48 and I know lots of grandparents younger than me. Lol

[@manystar]

wow for a sec i felt like 8 y/o running around my local mall and playing in the arcade , thank u for this.

[@clink76]

Really too bad because Phoenix really needs malls so people can escape the high heat even temporarily. Very sad to see this.

[@EvilAnomaly]

@The Joy of Painting with Raven Williams folks that like low cost of living, don't want to deal with Los Angeles or New York level traffic, don't care for blizzards, icy roads, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. Folks who like it's strategic location to get to beaches, vegas, mountains, etc. all within 6 hours or less without having to fly. I choose heat yearly with nice winters over having to worry about my livelihood possibly being destroyed via those yearly natural disasters while still living in a big city and being within easy driving distance to nice locations. To each their own.

[@jordanhicks5131]

@The Joy of Painting with Raven Williams fuck you, ignorant pig. There are more racists in los angeles than in the whole state of Arizona.

[@jordanhicks5131]

We dont need malls, who hangs out at malls? We have lakes and mountains to go to when it's hot out.

[@EvilAnomaly]

@The Joy of Painting with Raven Williams LMAO...yeah AZ is just so filled with racist. I'm a black male and haven't had a racist incident yet....stop living in a media induced reality. Born and raised in L.A so I know damn well AZ doesn't have some exclusive hold on racist people in comparison.

[@MetaKnight964]

@The Joy of Painting with Raven Williams Racist jackass

[@MakThaNife]

Man, I find these videos so depressing. I grew up in the 80s back when the mall was the place to be. Sad to see them all dying.

[@KiloByte69]

"This is one of the safest malls in the Phoenix area now." That's not saying much.

[@shaaaznable]

didn't realize that the mall scene from excellent adventure was filmed there! that's my favourite film so this video was extra cool. what a shame to see it in its current state though, bill and ted would probably call it "most heinous."

[@conanseibel4464]

Wow, my whole childhood right there! Metro was the "good" mall in Phoenix back in the day.

[@mikehenry4743]

Growing up in Glendale, I remember how exited we were when they were building Metro and couldn't wait for it to open. It was the awesome hangout for a lot of years. Even cruising the "circle" around Metro was just a giant teen-age party. After you could no longer cruise Central Ave, Metro was the place. At least until they started to shut the cruisers down and passed the law that if you drove the circle more than three times it was illegal and by definition it was cruising. What a place it was in its hey-day, it was quite the monument to consumerism. What about doing a feature on Valley West Mall.

[@prodigaldawtr7907]

My husband's buddy was knifed getting into the mall. We call it the Ghettrocenter now.

[@jordanhicks5131]

It's not that bad, I live a mile south of the mall. Your husband's buddy obviously just has a mouth and needs to learn to mind his business. Theres only two ways someone random is gonna stab you there, if you think you're hot shit talking smack or are getting in someones business.

[@Xosidhe]

It’s not like that anymore. Now gangster kids hang out at Arizona Mills, and Metro is so dead they can’t even bother with it. 😂

[@Youser999]

@@jordanhicks5131 Wow. This comment is so ignorant. You've obviously never been mugged or carjacked before. Why do you think gang bangers and criminals are/were hanging out at the mall?

[@brbgal]

This makes me so sad to see everything is closing down in this once busy mall. I remember that in the early 90's, my friends and I would drive up from Casa Grande, AZ, go to Castles N' Coasters, then finish the night off by going shopping at Metrocenter.

[@k.chriscaldwell4141]

Those poor souls that did not experience malls in their heyday. They don't understand how tragic the demise of the local mall is. The mall was much less about shopping than is was about socializing and relaxing in a comfortable environment. Nothing I know of has replaced the mall as a key element of social interaction, and we're worse off for it.

[@lagginswag]

TRUTH

[@ImFastrnU]

This place was crazy busy every weekend when I lived there from 88-90. Teens would cruise the strip around the mall and hang out a golf and stuff. It was packed! Really weird to see it this way after so many years.

[@rich00273119]

Geez, couldn't drop $2 so we all could've seen a hurricane?😨Thanks for the tour!!!

[@refraggedbean]

just come out to florida, you might see one, but then again, where would you hide when it gets bad

[@lasafrog]

Dude, you're bringing amazing content here. I grew up in the 80's and these malls were a big deal. It's hard breaking but inevitable that this would happen. I can't believe you sited Liberty House!!!! I kind of lived in that store as a child because it was my moms favorite place to shop.

[@angelatlantis1522]

wonderful video with great camera work! I like that you are taking your time and not rushing through....gives a really good impression of the atmoshpere of this mall.

[@georgemartin1436]

The crime stigma....tough to break that. In northern Ohio, Randall Park...a one bustling, very nice mall....people just stopped going there due to the hoodlums that started going there....

[@truthfullybored]

These videos really help calming my anxiety. Great work!

[@faetherflye]

I'm late to the show; just discovered your channel recently. Binge watching - everything makes me so nostalgic! Best line of this episode, "Cosby sweater lookin' carpet".....😂

[@Playstationguy228]

Thanks for bringing back so many memories!!!

[@crowmigration8245]

They're removing air conditioning from one of the hottest places in the country? Makes no sense.

[@JaesadaSrisuk]

Crow Migration Yeah. I live in Phoenix and the air conditioning is one of the main reasons to choose an enclosed mall instead of an open air shopping center. It was 110 a few days ago, a lack of air conditioning would kill any business here.

[@hithereitsmarina9385]

Crow Migration it’s so visitors can see the haboobs lol!!

[@candybanks8717]

Bought U2 and Pink Floyd tickets at that Dillard's. Was hoping to see Golf-n-Stuff outside to the east in that old footage. Gangs and the misery of the I-17 corridor ended its heyday.

[@mart-pw4cu]

I'm really loving this channel . Keep up the great work man!!!!

[@battybethc]

Yet another amazing Video! Thankyou for sharing! This Mall is beautiful!

[@patcurrie7733]

The beginning of the end, was the removal of the ice rink with a mall remodel in the early 90s. The skylight and food court overlooked the ice rink. During the remodel they put a floor in the opening to expand the food court, basically cutting off most of the light below where the huge arcade was put. Gangs moved in, crime began & Metro was known as Car Theft Capitol in short order. While crime was ramping up a new mall in Glendale opened, Arrowhead Towne Center. The customers, like me, felt safer there, even though the mall was 1/2 filled. Taking down the large trees & adding exterior lighting in 1998....too late. A real shame, AZ's 1st air conditioned mall is no more.

[@Fcreceptor]

Pat Currie exactly. The removal of the ice skate rink totally signaled the end of this mall's life. Part of it was my age, but not long after that awful arcade replaced the ice rink, gangs moved in and made the place unsafe as hell. I never really went back after that.

[@iamalive.1255]

Very true. Sad to see it's decline when you were around for it's prime.

[@TroyWalrod]

Pat Currie Christown Mall On 19th Ave and Bethany Home Rd. Was Arizona’s first air conditioned mall back in 1961! 🇺🇸😜🇺🇸

[@josh65hend]

metro was safe in the 90s maybe want be ganstas no actual threat mostly skaters, Goth, and punks, the malls that you stayed away from was Christown and westridge, arrowhead was yuppie

[@halo12345678ful]

Having a Walmart in a mall is a horrible idea

[@andysorensen1737]

I really enjoy your videos because about 20 years ago we took a family vacation to Phoenix so it's interesting to see how things have changed since then both with malls and otherwise.

[@ClydeHoadley]

I use to go to the Metro in 1976 & 77 when I was going to one of the only two DeVry Tech.

[@lloydsetty]

Weird seeing a Walmart coming into a mall

[@CommodoreFan64]

I was thinking the same thing, as I use to work for a site preparation construction company back in the early 00's that built a Walmart shopping center aka strip mall, in the middle of what use to be a dense pine/swap forest area here in S. Carolina and, I've gone all over the south, and eastern part of the US, and I've only ever seen either Stand alone Walmart/Super center stores, or as part of a strip mall shopping center with smaller stores attached.

[@kgbeezr75]

One can never have enough Duck Dynasty branded deer urine and confederate flag coffee mugs.

[@ydoomenaud]

And it's still not there. This tenancy has been announced for at least 3 years now.

[@BiggMatt183]

Chris Town Mall also in Phoenix has had a Walmart in it since the 90’s

[@jordanhicks5131]

@@ydoomenaud it's there now, had been for quite a while

[@pulledofftheroad]

I love the old footage. It’s so surreal to see people walking around withoit being hunched over looking at cell phones.

[@thrasherx2k1]

Cell phone case guy at 16:15 looked like "HEY A CUSTOMER!"

[@AtomicAgePictures]

The tile work on the outside of the old Goldwater's building was designed to mimic the design of the Goldwater's package boxes from the sixties and seventies.

[@SaturdayNightSnackandaMovie]

man 6:54 such a good shot, and the music is perfect too!

[@sluzardo5879]

9 people walking around on a Saturday will never sustain or revitalize a Mall. Who would have ever thought we might be seeing a series on Dead Malls. It is unbelievable. Young people simply don't go to hang out or meet up or people watch with friends anymore. They simply text from whatever location they are at and that suffices. No more "Oh' Let's meet up Saturday at 2:00 at the Mall and hang out, shop". Or "Meet me after school, work at the Mall".

[@magicalmousers]

your voice is soothing to listen to , this mall has potential to start over refreshed , and love the unique skylights too

[@HRMProf]

Keep the Vaporwave music... it is part of your "brand' now

[@Echolyris212]

I agree!

[@radrcer]

Porn music now has a genre?

[@joemaas7924]

Its true... keep it like it is..

[@alexanderrodriguez565]

I grew up going to this mall in the 80s and it’s sad to see it the way it is today. I also had a job there, the store was called Millers Outpost - Later turned into Anchor Blue. The first vacant large store you peep inside of, the one with the yellow tile all around the outside, was called Sam Goody. It carried music tapes and CDs.

[@SynchroSk8]

This started to re-play tonight, I hadn’t watched this video since you posted it. Wow, to see it THIS busy... so wild.

[@SynchroSk8]

And to see some of the escalators working... its just been so long!

[@nancydarling4918]

I have watched this video before, decided to watch it again. Good video, its interesting. I love the interior design and architecture of this mall. I hope it lives on for a long time. Thanks for making this video.

[@dw1984dw]

That Sears store (and ALL Sears stores) will probably be out of business within the next year.

[@RetailArchaeology]

dw1984dw I think the liquidation sales will start at the beginning of 2018 right after the Christmas season.

[@Capybaraism]

Woah!

[@LindaFromSeaAtTull]

Retail Archaeology Makes perfect sense.

[@SpearM3064]

Ours won't even make it that long. It's closing in September.

[@iamalive.1255]

That Sears is a big part of my childhood. I remember going with my Dad over there in the late 70s/early 80s. 😢😢

[@candybanks8717]

Anybody remember the gigantic Christmas tree they used to put up?

[@jordanhicks5131]

Yep

[@wulfone5961]

But seriously though I love this footage from malls back when they were lively and I wish there was more of it.

[@seanriddle9796]

Great video man

[@billem3085]

why are malls failing across America? Online shopping? Big box stores? Nope. Greed. The owners of these malls are charging rent based on taxes. Their taxes go up, their rent goes up and stores close.

[@ydoomenaud]

Don't forget that some of these management companies are extorting minimal taxes from the municipalities on the grounds they're "creating jobs and revenue" while failing to mention bait and switch leases that jump 100% in cost after the first year and lose most tenant (I don't believe MM's management did that). This killed Prescott's mall (which most residents opposed) and now it's owned by the city which will never recoup the loans they made to the developer. That, and the fact Prescott is surrounded by desert for 90 miles around with few reasons to drive there (Cost Plus and Trader Joes aren't enough).

[@wlonsdale1]

So the owners are at fault for rising taxes?

[@MegaWayneD]

The interior layout and style is very similar to the Metrocentre (UK spelling!) we have here in North East England which opened in 1986. The main difference is the UK Metrocentre is always busy! At weekends it's often difficult to get parked, bear in mind they have four multi-storey car parks as well as the surrounding parking lots. It's very American, has a lot of American chain stores such as KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Toys R Us etc, so it's kinda weird to see the very malls that inspired UK shopping malls all dying a death.

[@WhizWoz]

MegaWayneD crazy that someone mentioned this - I was just thinking the same! Metro centre is always heaving!

[@wemixourtearswithblood6165]

Aww. I love the Metrocentre in Gateshead! It's massive and always super busy. I'd always try and either bus or train to it from Newcastle since parking was a nightmare lol.

[@iMadrid11]

Most of the USA is sparsely populated. So a huge mall like this isn’t likely to survive in suburban areas. Where there’s no convenient easy access to public transportation. Malls thrive on foot traffic to generate business. So any mall that’s outside large urban downtown cities will have trouble surviving today. When you’re competing against the likes of Amazon.

[@robjohnston61]

Dan Bell's Twitter sent me here, and I'm glad he did! your videos are highly enjoyable, putting your own spin on the whole "dead mall" thing!

[@DanH434]

I find your videos relaxing to watch.

[@ihearttoronto]

[ Thursday - 10/11/2018 ] : In March of 1982, I was 13 yrs. and 9 months old. That was the moth we first set foot in Metrocenter. We went to Sears. My family had lived in Phoenix since June of 1980. The first mall we saw here was Paradise Valley Mll (then only open almost 1 year & 1/2.) As mentioned in the video, Metro opened (broke ground really) in 1973. Today, PV Mall still has a great amount of shoppers, as does Scottsdale Fasion Square. Why? They're in Scottsdale, that's why. Even with the 1980s greed long gone, the main mall shoppers pf Phoenix are not in Phoenix at all but Scottsdale. True there's Arowhead Mall that opened in 1993 and stil has shoppers but crime is starting to seep in there now after 25 years (25 years this month may I add) . The trouble in Metrocenter, yes, is no longer the crime, but that people who would like to run a business in it, 9 out of 10 of them can't afford it. Also, in a great ironic twist, one of the very things killing the mall )all malls) is present there. WalMart. Even more than that, it's that Phoenix itself doesn't care. "No money being made there? ... we'll just build new places somewhere else!" If you look around your city ladies and gentlemen, all of the oldest neighborhoods and their businesses are eother defunct or someone's bought the buildings and torn them down or made them into a business that likely will fold in a matter of months (unless they're very lucky). [ On another note] : The days of when the mall was 'the place to be and hang out, shop with your family' are gone. People have gotten lazy and would rather shop online if it ean they don't have to leave their comfy couch. More importantly, department stores and many stores in malls, in areas that 'are not' Scottsdale, always kept their prices up, instead of considering where they were located and the people around them. Metro in the 1980s was right for the times abd the people whol ived there. The HAD money and the houses and cars to prove it. They could afford to shop. Anytime I went there as a teen, I kid you not, seemigly ALL of the parking spaces around were taken with Cadillacs and other costly cars. It was a fun lace and a safe place. I could ride my bike up there on a summer night if I wanted to and feel safe. See movies at Mann theatres (now Harkins) , the United Artists Cinema (a now 15 years empty dirt patch by Cholla library) and AMC (now a Petsmart and other stores.) Go to the record stores Musicland/Sam Goody , Wherehouse , Bill's Records. Go o Golf N Stuff (now Castle & Coasters). While this video we watched is well made, it was not new to me what's happened inside that building. Over the last 15 to 17 years, I've seen it slowly fade from the being the pride of Phoenix, to a place that's likely thought of as a relic and a reminder of the greed of people in the high end of business. When Sears closed just over a month ago and also, a few years ago, when the (de)construction machines ripped into the face of what was originally 'The Broadway' dept. store a few to make way for WalMart ....it really made me sad, both times. Now , I'm not some elderly geezer wanting the old days back nor am I someone who doesn;t accept that times change. I can say that when I walk through the main Metrocenter building, ot (just like this video) is nothing short of depressing. Again, not becasue of what it used to be but what a waste it is now to continue to leave it open like this. It's like asking a 90 year old singer to sound like they did at 20. It's insulting You cannot make the mall what is was before , that was the '70s , '80s and '90s . IT'S OVER. It started 45 years ago but...it's over. [To videomaker and others) : Those yellow pillars down from Sears were Sam Goody's, the blue & white place next door Wherehouse Records (yep cutthroat record company/store greed) , across from those by that Industrial [;ace was a Carl's Jr. . The stpre with the Grey and white Pillars the video maker pointed out, that was a ladies clothing store 'Judy's '. (I think later it was a Forever 21). The Broadway , I mentioned , became a Macy's for awjile, then moved farther back. Dillard's top & bottom floor was orignally called 'Diamonds' (dept. store). Lastly, yes, that salon outside the JC penny elevator was a psrt of the store. In fact, I rode that elevator back then to see the great view from the top floor. The sidewalk outside JC Penny's? That actually used to be where you would catch a bus out of Metro. the 35, 15, the 43 , 122 and 106 to be exact. Now....I just bus through the Metrocenter on my way home from work....it's a great short cut.

[@kersefew4797]

Having a family who’s been living in Phoenix since god knows when, my dad is always telling me stories about how this was the place to be. He used to show me old pictures, and being in a hockey family as well, his favorite part was always the ice skating rink. He has so many fond memories of it, and going to it with him to get something recently and seeing the state that it’s in now, it really is depressing. Now that the Walmart is there, hopefully this mall can get the same treatment that Christown got. It would really be a shame to see such a historic piece of Phoenix go to waste.

[@burgard2010]

When Metrocenter opened in 1973, it was the first two-level, five-anchor mall in the U.S. and Arizona's largest shopping center. It was considered one of the largest shopping centers in the United States. I think it should be preserved as a historical landmark.

[@sekiahot]

Thank you for pointing that out, because the music in your videos are awesome. Thank you for your awesome videos.

[@thrasherx2k1]

Why did they get rid of those awesome space looking balconies! The new glass ones are boring and at every mall!

[@DoubleMrE]

I was surprised when you mentioned that there was a 'Liberty House' store at that mall . . . I've lived in Hawaii all my life and Liberty House was a Hawaii-based chain. I didn't know they had one in Arizona. I knew they had one in San Francisco, but I thought it was California only besides Hawaii. Sad note . . . the Liberty House chain is now completely defunct. They sold out to Macy's a few years back. --Now Macy's has pulled out of Hawaii as well. Penney's, Cornet, Woolworth's, Kress . . . all gone from Hawaii now. I miss those stores . . . *sigh*

[@PinkAgaricus]

No they haven't. Ala Moana, Waikiki, Windward Mall, Pearlridge, Kahala Mall, and Kamakana Ali'i all have Macy's. On the other hand, it seems Sears is heading in that direction. (I don't care if it's sold off, the stores being sold doesn't mean the new owner is gonna keep it Sears [I think that's what Sears holdings themselves press released to us in Hawaii about our locations - selling off the stores themselves])

[@RomysRetro]

The tile on the Macy's/RobMay/Goldwaters building is gorgeous!! Always loved the grand entry with the retro feel. If it is torn down, I will be right beside you trying to pilfer pieces of it!!!!

[@Gljin40509]

Great video!I understand MetroCenter is scheduled for redevelopment including the removal of the roof....,Very sad to see Metrocenter as dead as it is...I lived in Phoenix in the 1980`s and every time I went to MetroCenter,it was packed full of shoppers.

[@itsbunessa]

17:34 They had those hurricane simulator machines in California malls too. I could never comprehend the genius it took to come up with it.

[@asatsumaorange9296]

I've seen them in Louisiana malls. We also have real hurricanes, but those aren't as fun.

[@johnoconnor6356]

They had those Hurricane simulation machines is some if the malls in my area for a time. If you tried if out, it would be quite the powerful wind, but no rain.

[@videomaniac108]

If the mall owners think that installing a Walmart as an anchor store at one end of the mall is going to drive foot traffic through the rest of the mall and increase sales in the other stores then they might be a little disappointed. I would venture a guess that many of the Walmart shoppers will enter the store through the parking lot entrance and leave through the same door. Walmart shoppers go to Walmart because it has everything they want at the lowest possible prices, they do not want to waste their time or money going through those other high-priced boutique shops in the mall.

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

Wal-Mart no have any Wetzel Pretzel homie. I go to the Wal-Marts and buys me some underwears, but if that shit in a mall homie den I would also get me teh Wetzel Pretzel and some Panda Express homie. I would drop in a fucking visit to one of those build a bear motherfuckers too. I'll probably build bears on my lunch break and shit if der was one in a Wal-Mart mall shop.

[@marisol90891]

yea people get hungry^^or just get of work..and u knw kids r going to drag their parents out to the mall part..cause i used to do tht alot at sears cause it was so boring

[@jc1979af]

Sears, JC Penny, Montgomery Wards and Service Merchandise were the Wal-Marts of their era and they still resulted in mall foot traffic. At a minimum Wal-Mart would produce paying customers for the food court and restaurants.

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

Intriging, but you must admit the Wetzel did to the Pretzel the same thing the Wal did to the Marts.

[@rchambers5488]

Nice work documenting..

[@DarkroomMedia007]

YAY!! Happy Friday to US!! Thank you!!!

[@fourtycents]

Under control. Abandoned places are often low crime rate when no cars or ppl to rob.

[@Fcreceptor]

david yen so true. The gangs killed that place in the 90s. How it has survived this long is beyond me.

[@relcluse]

Chip tunes would probably not work out tooooo well, if only because it doesn't come off as 'chill' to me, and thats a really good vibe for this sort of video.

[@CG-mj4vf]

Great video yet again :)

[@Naztalgic]

Amazing video Wow thank you!

[@theTORTUGAZUL]

What great architectural design. People that salvage old buildings need to get in the game of salvaging malls and buildings from a later time period. I'm sure that mosaic tile and such is just going to end up rubble. Sad. BTW, you can tell that it had been remodeled since it was first open in the 70s. Looks more like the 80s and 90s.

[@RetailArchaeology]

I'd love to snag a few of those tiles on the front of the old Goldwater's/RobMay/Macy's building from the rubble pile. They're super interesting. Thanks for watching!

[@pixelsandwich4104]

thank you for this. i love your videos and am so jealous of your amazing voice. i am also a phoenix area gamer and dead mall lover. keep up the great work

[@VlogJunk]

Btw they closed June 30th 2020 I've always wanted to see this mall in the 80s and 90s thank you for sharing that video.

[@Ryankelly1369]

Nice Vid

[@megacide84]

Welcome to the age of amazon.... The "Retail Apocalypse" marches on.

[@Littlemsambitious]

My god, I have been binge watching your videos for dayssss. 😂

[@mikemccuin2384]

I grew with this Mall in the 80s/90s Thanks for this Nostalgia

[@joenintendo]

Malls are dying all over the country for reasons beyond their control and some in their control. Having empty store spaces is something that can be fixed, even if it means lowering rent to get new tenants. There is no excuse for having that many open spaces.

[@charlesmurphy1510]

Player Uno there are malls that offer free rent for a year with a five year contract. No takers. Most malls require an extensive lease agreement, nobody is interested in renting in a dead mall with no foot traffic. Would you want to be first?

[@martinalanis9251]

in 12:35 of the video, there was a neon mini golf course and it was there for half a year

[@csquire667]

& a music store before that

[@jc1979af]

neon mini golf courses seem to be a staple is declining malls. Sorta like a dead canary in the mine.

[@freebird1292]

I remember that ☺

[@FightGet]

Another good one dude!

[@datBoibenitez8323]

Good Video and its Really Aesthetic in Phoenix

[@jgroenveld1268]

A Walmart part of the mall? Has anyone else seen a Walmart in a mall before?

[@michaeld.4228]

There was a Walmart in the mall in Harrisonburg VA, back in the 90's and early 2000's.

[@king0vitrial]

J Groenveld there is a mall near me where the Walmart is the only thing keeping it open.

[@PsychoGilgamesh]

J Groenveld Christown mall in Phoenix has a Walmart and Costco.

[@focusedfreebird]

William Finch Christown mall which is now spectrum mall was dying...until Wal-Mart and Costco came in and now it is a busy place...parking lot always full...ross...penneys..petsmart...dollar tree...also a super target right next to it....it is hopping

[@PsychoGilgamesh]

Blue Bird I hope Metrocenter makes the same bounce back that Christown and PVCC mall did. So sad seeing the place you hung out as a teenager fall apart.

[@VeXis101]

Residential?? How damn cool would it be to say I live in a mall!!

[@williamhamilton8438]

Just brought back so many memories

[@Xanderoos]

Love the music tags in the video, chiptunes + vaporwave sounds great! That Tetris soundtrack...

[@videomaniac108]

Your Retail Archaeology series on the decline of shopping malls is very interesting. Back to the 70s and through the mid-90s, your video of the activity of this mall in 1988 was fairly typical of what I would see in malls. I stopped going to malls in the mid to late 90s and so this transformation is quite a disappointment to see, although not surprising. Given the social and economic changes over the last couple of generations, and the probable future trends, it's likely that brick and mortar retail across this country will become what we see here now. The future of retail in America will be either Dollar General and Walmart for brick and mortar stores or Amazon for online retail. Some people attribute this change to the rise of e-commerce, but that isn't the core reason for it. People no longer have the purchasing power they once had and don't have the time or energy, as a luxury, to participate in a shopping excursion. They need to get what they need as cheaply as possible and in a way that wastes as little of the increasingly limited precious time that they have. The only people nowadays that have the kind of income that would allow them to shop in the ways that these shop owners would like them to are the

[@wlonsdale1]

Jim Nesta plenty of malls still exist and do well.Scottsdale Fashion Square comes to mind.