Miami Valley Centre Mall - Piqua, OH | dead mall with grey neon and stale pizza | ExLog 122

[@sal]

I can't believe the mouth on Marna, that animal. She's out of control, and she's now grounded. So in the mean time, come chat with me on Discord: discord.gg/dmod Or, if you don't want to hang out with me there or my other social media, end me a letter to my new VA PO Box, and I'll write back! Salvatore Amadeo P.O. Box 231111 5003 Westfields Blvd. Centreville, VA 20120 United States I'll be working on getting my merch up and running over the next couple weeks now that I have the return address all set. Stay tuned on all my social media!

[@sandymetz8527]

This was my mall. Movies and Chinese food and to have that hotel attached seemed to give it a step up vs other malls. Oh the memories

[@michaelaurban4120]

I was a teenager in 1993, and ended up living in Greenville temporarily. The Piqua Mall was the place to go! My dad’s girlfriend took me there and bought me makeup, and we watched the Beverly Hillbillies together! She was more of a mom to me than my own mom back then, and the mall made those memories especially special! I almost hate to go back! Buts it’s a neat place! Thanks for all that you do! It’s very much appreciated Sal!

[@AlidarJarok1]

I used to live not to far from Greenville. I love this mall back in like 88-92. Was a fun little mall back then.

[@invisiblewounds]

Your ability to provide so much information on each show and tell the story so smoothly flawlessly!!! Thanks !

[@sal]

Thank you for the kind words!! Next episode is already in production!

[@10baileyb]

I'm so glad you made it in before they really started renovations!!!❤️❤️

[@sal]

Such a great place!

[@rachelrivera91]

I was so excited to see this debut. Thank you Sal for all your dedication on keeping us updated and continuing to document these retail relics of the past. My heart was in palpitations when I saw this video on my feed.That’s how much I was excited to see a new video from you. And Sal I’m ok with you taking time to release videos because I know it will be worth watching. I’ve been binge watching your videos to help me relax from a stressful workload at work. It’s so great to unwind and just watch your Exlog series and other DMOD vids. Thank you again for all your hard work in producing these videos for the world to see and especially for us dedicated fans/subscribers. Peace be with you Sal. I hope you’ll get more time to relax soon.

[@9trf690]

Bro I love your editing!! The amount of effort you put into your videos is amazing 👏🏽

[@QuietJ0Y]

I always enjoy how the thumbnails on your films tell a story. Thanks for what you do 😎

[@sal]

The dark clouds of Mike Kohan slowly taking hold of the mall concourse…

[@Piper2112]

Leaving this comment before I dive into the video, but thank you so much for making this. I have a special relationship with this mall. Every summer my grandmother would take me here for a few days as a mini vacation during the hottest days of summer. A tradition we kept up until I graduated high school in 2010. We would stay in the Comfort Inn attached to the mall, go swimming, shopping, see movies and eat junk food. Every kids dream. Most importantly to me there was a Namco Pocket Change Arcade on the food court opposite the restaurants. I live only an hour away in Lima but hadn't gotten to go back in before they closed it for good. Looks very different from what I remember. The big light thing over the food court used to be gold (fake I'm sure), and none of the multicolored stripes were there. I believe it was much more standard late 90s/early 2000s mall colors. I still have vivid memories of those trips and I'll cherish them forever. Thank you again for giving me something to look back at and remember.

[@seabee73]

Good to see another great video. The old commercials at the beginning are always my favorite. Your music choice is always nice too. Thanks

[@sal]

Hey thanks for watching!

[@LisaBarnes-y3f]

Hey Sal! I was so pleased when I woke this morning and saw that you had dropped another ex log, I hope you have settled in to your new home and all is well and now I’m off to watch your video-thanks for a great start to my day 😊👍🏻

[@sal]

Good morning! I’m all settled and ready to produce tons more episodes! Cheers!

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Neo Sal! The guard and janitor coming through that hallway exactly at that moment proves they must have put a microscopic tracking device in your pizza! Too bad the phone booth didn’t have a working phone, Morpheus could have saved you! 😂😂😂

[@sal]

I need an exit, fast! There’s Agents!

[@ericd1084]

That Sears has been closed forever, but they still have all that stuff in there. Its like a time capsule.

[@10baileyb]

They just recently took the Sears sign down😭😭

[@jerrysanders9101]

We had a Sears Express here in San Diego and it was my fave store in all San Diego. I’d buy clothes, tools, electronics, automotive, everything there😢Every time I was there up till the end it seemed like a healthy clientele but nope.. all sudden it’s gone, and the sister store 15 miles inland also shut down around same time. What’a shame.

[@Decade8Media]

ExLog 122....Hard to believe. So many great old malls. But, a steakhouse dinner and then a dead mall enjoyed alongside a rye and coke. A Sunday evening well spent.

[@TheCubeTube]

Incredible to hear of a dead mall actually coming back! Amazing work Sal, you’ve done it again!

[@sal]

It was such a pleasant surprise!

[@RideWithGerben]

There are not many dead malls where I live, Holland, but these series of ex-log videos are utterly fascinating. I've worked in a toy store in a shopping mall built in the late 70's and the architecture of that tiny mall was incredibly simililar to the malls in your videos. 'My' mall has been torn down and replaced, the toy store is also no longer, but the design cues live on here. Thx Sal!

[@sal]

Oh I would love to see the malls in your part of the world! You should snap some pictures and join the Discord to share!

[@ericd1084]

Wow. I was at this mall about about 10 months ago. It looks even more dead now. It used to be a big hangout for teenagers in high school back around 1997 or so. They had a big cruising square downtown in Piqua. All the kids would drive in a square over and over, round and round. Lol

[@floridaguy2023]

Out of all the mall videos on KZbin yours are hands-down the best! OMG Marna I about fell out of my chair lol.

[@rplife]

Another quality piece of art, Sal! I really appreciate your narration style and inclusion of your immersive personal experience combined with all the interesting history and facts.

[@sal]

Thank you so much! I really do appreciate that :)

[@JenniferinIllinois]

Oooo, first minute or so and Mike Kohan is mentioned. Oh boy. I just love Marna. 🤣🤣🤣

[@eyewetoddid]

I must say Sir that you are, in my opinion, the best at what you do. I love your vids and enjoy your commentary on the history of the malls you cover very much.If you are ever in the North East part of Florida, there is a mall in Jacksonville...Regency Square Mall ...that I would love for you to do a feature on as there is talks of demolition in its future...or lack there of. This was once a great mall...the mall of my teenage and young adult life that has fallen into disrepair. Anyhow, I just thought I would let you know how much this old man appreciates your work in bringing back the memories of these great retail wonderlands.....Thank You very much.

[@TheCubeTube]

He’s back! Thumbnail looks awesome, this one’s gonna be great!

[@AussieAF]

Still blows my mind how expensive computers were back in the 90s (adding on inflation). I don't think I ever appreciated the sacrifice my parents went through to afford one.

[@mariebelladonna437]

Ahh hell yeah, Sal's back!! Exlog and dinner, my idea of a perfect night!! Great video!! Side note, when you said the word "Kohan"-and I KNEW that's what you were gonna say-I literally growled at my computer screen lol! Also, the computer report was a trip!

[@BlueJay6441]

Thanks for this awesome video. You started with footage from the parking lot of my hometown mall, the Upper Valley Mall in Springfield. I have a lot of fond memories coming out to "the Piqua Mall" as we called it, back in the late 80's, though it was 40 minutes or so away. My grandparents used to take me out there, so I get the warm and fuzzies. It was a good mall back in those days. It had one of the first dollar stores in a mall in our area and the pizza place was actually pretty good back then. Great tour, thank you for taking us along!

[@lowbar77]

The gold standard of dead mall videos, once again such a pleasure. Hope you and your family are doing well. Thanks for a great video.

[@nrnoble]

The quality of this channel rises in part because of the influx YT channels that use AI script and cloned voices which are horribly bad. Having a real person provide narration of human written script makes a video come to life that AI cannot achieve. 👍

[@sal]

I appreciate your comment wholeheartedly. Thank you, kindly.

[@DispholidusTypus]

I hate AI narrator's 😡

[@ChaseTerrier]

@@DispholidusTypus I am glad that I am not the only one who hates AI. Unless a KZbinr have a medical condition that effects their speech, I hate it when they use it instead of using their own voices.

[@sal]

@ChaseTerrier I’ll never use AI for any part of the filming, editing, research, writing or narration. Ever.

[@joshsherwin337]

Great video Sal! Love seeing a good turnaround story.

[@weareorigin]

Have mercy on the Rust Belt. Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona were growing in population. Piqua Ohio managed to hold it's same population for 40 years. And there's a Walmart near the mall.

[@steves_retail]

Awesome job, man! Hopefully, this malls future is bright as Piqua Center, but we will just have to wait and see.

[@stephied83]

Growing up in the 90s and spending as much time as we did in malls.. I've been fascinated by all content creators who capture them... but yours are by far my favorite. The way every video is so interesting with its mix of history and current view. They're my favorite. Thank you for capturing them so eloquently. Glad to see you back ❤

[@allent7118]

Had to leave the premiere early cause I was on a forklift at work and had to get moving. Just finished watching the episode. Great job, Sal! Glad to hear that positive things are happening for the mall

[@speedingatheist]

Great video. Great coffee. Happy camper.

[@ForestTekkenVideos]

I searched for Sal abandoned, and this wasn't even in the results. I clicked on a video from half a year ago, clicked on the channel under that video, clicked on videos, and lo and behold, you'd uploaded this video 5 days ago. Excited to watch! Big fan! 👍

[@Motorsportqueen]

Good to see you back again Sal have missed you. Look forward to more updates

[@hattree]

The stripes around the ceiling of that place make me think of calling this the Playskool mall.

[@robertmiller2104]

Good way to end weekend with new video from Sal😊

[@JayYoung-ro3vu]

Heh heh, the MVCM helped 'kill' the Piqua East Mall, and it too was redeveloped. A hotel attached to a mall was a unique option in our area. I'm glad to see the mall has a next chapter! I 'binged' n all the Unicomm presentations. Love her! I'm glad that you're back, Sal.

[@TheRedDevil_NC]

really enjoy these videos. Sal makes a real effort to keep the viewer interested while giving well researched info. I went by the local Triangle Town Center Mall in Raleigh the other day for some nostalgia. Depressing actually. Its dead. 20 years ago, it will overflowing with life at all times of the day. Technology has put us in a stay at home lifestyle. Even these dead mall videos will soon be nostalgic themselves. All the best to everyone.

[@LawrenceOlberding]

I used to go to this mall as a kid, thanks for the memories!

[@taygetean]

Love your exlog series Sal, and Marna 😂

[@CaptWirg]

the Amazing Place you can tell was an EB Games, still sporting the ole Purple and Green trim.

[@skylinegtr4045]

Wow this is great stuff! I miss mall exploration channels like this

[@jonathanseipel5062]

My mom had a kiosk from the late 1980's through about 2000. She unfortunately met Tom Schaefer (mentioned at 14:55) when she opened her store, and they were together for about 18 years. FYI: that corridor you went down off of the food court is the only public restroom in the mall. The anchor stores had some but the actual mall only has those public restrooms. You're free to go down there. That's where the business mailboxes are and I think there is a boardroom down there too.

[@lisafreeman4222]

Awesome video

[@mjc8248]

This mall was where I spent all my time. I grew up in piqua, and I was still in school when it opened. Before this mall opened, we had the piqua east mall. If you went right off the freeway, it would've been on the left just down the road. With nothing to do in Piqua, I spent most of the 90s wandering around the mall and drinking in the bar. The bar was across the hallway where the finish line sign was hanging. It was a sports bar named Bully's. I met my ex-wife at that mall, and it was probably the last place I ever saw the friends I grew up with. It used to have that typical 80s mall style. I wouldn't recognize it now, lol.

[@Shoxpyre]

Been to this mall many times! Love that the algorithm is always showing me all the malls still open or explorable in ohio haha

[@Abigail_Wyatt]

Missed you dude!! Yours, Dan’s and Aces vids keep my nightmares away😊 You guys are the best!🫶🏻 Can’t wait for what’s coming up and wishing you the best in your everyday life (like some rest too😊🫶🏻)

[@sal]

Tons more videos on the way!!

[@Nick-ue7iw]

Oh that arcade bring back memories of the malls I went to. I love that classic hydro thunder cabinet.

[@treyevers]

Hey, thanks for visiting the dead malls in my home state! I went out to check em out before and its so interesting to see what once was and what time does to things, but also what condition its left behind in as well as what people who come after leave behind. I appreciate this kind of cataloging that preserves its existence.

[@flygirl6048]

Marna's little speech made me howl. Another beautiful work of art from you, Sal! Thank you!

[@marcossolorio7954]

CONGRATS MY FRIEND SAL for YOUR INTERESTING DEAD MALL VIDEOS, LIKE DAN. BELL, NORTHCOG, ACE!! I am FROM PUERTO RICO, UNTIL NOW ALL THE MALLS ARE SURVIVING SO FAR, THE BEST IN PR: PLAZA LAS AMERICAS!

[@renardfranse]

Sal, Sal, Sal, YA MADE MY DAY. And once again I feel like I am walking along side of you. Your narration couples with your excellent video capture are, as always perfection. Anthony is right behind you. But Sal will ALWAYS be the king. And regarding Mike Kohan, one of three of the devil's disciples, Namdar, Moonbeam and Kohan, it is the trifecta of a death sentence for ANY mall they "manage". While all 3 of these companies are horrible, Namdar and Moonbeam are the worst in my opinion. While Mike Kohan has some really dead malls, his aren’t as dead as Namdar or Moonbeam. KUDOS, BRAVO, and once again THANX for making my day complete!!!!!

[@sal]

Thank you so much for the kind words!!! Really made my day! And yes. Kohan is absolutely part of the retail devils trifecta!

[@tommyv8777]

Welcome back Sal!

[@sal]

Thanks Tommy!! Time to get back to the grind!

[@alyxgraff9121]

I had to run out at the end of the stream to do a last minute chore but I enjoyed the dinner theater that was this ExLogm. Take care Sal & if you havw a link to the Dead Malls of Discord server, I'd love to know about it.

[@sunsetrecords2548]

Amazing Video as always sal

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

The JAMZ always set the mood! 🎶🎶🎶

[@Hollar4aDollar]

It's such a shame so many Malls are closed or closing, It Wasn't just about shopping it was about socialising, a lot people say amazon and online retail is to blame but it's also a lot of the stores having to pay overpriced rent, people not having as much disposable income, increased crime, the crash of 2008, the lockdowns of 2020, also there are a lot of areas which built too many malls in close proximity which caused over saturation, bit like Starbucks. I just hope they find good uses for Malls that are closing as so much time, effort, and money went into building these Malls.

[@halojill4937]

YES! New Sal video!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

[@theonlyegg]

Wow. This was the closest mall to me growing up and I can remember when this was the "new" mall across the road from old Piqua Mall. Now that place had character.

[@aandrinoramirez]

My ex gf used to work at the cosmetics counter at elder beerman while she was going to college. I used to come in towards the end of shift but all the ladies were older that worked there they were all nice. I even jumpstarted her co workers car when it wouldn't start in the middle of winter. Those small memories just rush back. Sad fate.

[@stargazer3424]

The stripes near the ceiling give Toys R Us vibes

[@stache1954]

Dan Rather in a bad rug!

[@nova_beam]

I worked in the Sears in that mall a very long time ago.

[@synth5091]

The opening music sounds like the Unsolved Mysteries Update music!

[@thomascarberry434]

Hey Sal i love your content. Have you ever made a dedicated video about your ideology/ philosophy of what you do and what you love about dying and dead retail spaces. I have always found these topics so interesting myself but could never put my finger on why. Keep up the great work.

[@ReallifeBambiDeerattheFarm1]

11:25 Sorry, but The Young and the Restless airs on CBS, not CBC. The Young and the Restless stills airs over CBS as of 2024.

[@Cheesyonmytoasty]

Fantastic and so sad.

[@renardfranse]

and yeah that pizza looked inedible.

[@sal]

Complete garbage. But it enabled my surveillance mission!

[@herroausw]

Your vidros are a view into the apokalyptic afterworld we all will hopefully never experiance. That's real arts.

[@sal]

I hope we can pull out of the retail nosedive so future generations can experience the wonder of gigantic malls…

[@rathorclemenger6125]

The ceiling windows at 11:55 REALLY need a good cleaning.

[@alliedsandblasting9211]

Lol 😂 you were one of my very first guys I followed but now you should be more prevalent as more commercial property fail

[@matthewdropco]

It's funny I saw that mid-90's Jamie Gold computer exeperience a few months back watching an archive of and old PBS docuseries from the 80's and 90's. I'll find the name of it if you are interested.

[@robertmartinez4174]

this soundtrack reminds me of the film Carnival of Souls.

[@sal]

Amazing movie.

[@doctortimetv1577]

as dj alligator would say, "bring the beat back" well they have got to bring the malls back😀

[@barron204]

love your videos.

[@fwingebritson]

If they saw your camera, you probably just spooked them. Security at most malls get touchy if not outright paranoid because they deal with, and put up with a lot. From fights to thefts to pissy management. Seeing the camera, they probably thought you were scoping the place. They are reminded all the time that malls are considered a "soft target." So, malls being wide open makes them subject to issues like terrorism, mass shootings, and other crap that they have to be aware of. And, unlike most other places, they. the security gaurd, is often working by themselves often with police backup five ten minutes away. Can you imagine working black friday at a mall as a security by yourself? Not me man, because I been there and done that, and it sucks. For the record, try talking to security, if they know what you are up to they are pretty casual, unless you run across a real dick, then that is another issue. Thanks for the video.

[@patbrown463]

I disagree...those security guards have a comfy post.

[@fwingebritson]

@@patbrown463 I used to think so too. Nope, especially "dying malls" where the budget is near zero and you get back to back 12 to 20 hour shifts six-seven (mostly because people quit fast), dealing with people who do things just because they see one guard and can get away with it. Try it, it's far from what most people see.

[@DanT271]

You've got to go through hell to get to heaven -Steve Miller I love your videos! Lots of background history

[@johnburke1317]

Nice video

[@SashaKreider]

Going to Best Buy to pick up a new Pain and Confusion

[@adamleinss]

A hotel connected to a mall? That's a first!

[@oliverstephens6191]

Missed ya sal

[@alliedsandblasting9211]

They are building a 4 story apartment complex that will be attached to Brea Mall

[@ericd1084]

What is Brea Mall?

[@alliedsandblasting9211]

@@ericd1084 a mall in Brea California built in late 70s . It was dying slowly

[@ExSpoonman]

I got my first REDACTED in that 6 screen movie theater...

[@LounoirRecords]

hi sal, not sure if you mentioned it before, but what do you think is the exact reason that malls especially in the US just keep on vanishing?

[@flygirl6048]

He actually talks about it at length in one of his older videos

[@CHANCEINTUITIVE]

Not watching his soap Oprah’s 😂

[@sal]

What’s a soap oprah

[@scarpfish]

I used to watch these dead mall videos with a curiosity of what specifically led that particular mall to decline. Now that I've seen so many of them with the same corridor, same decor, same skylights, same amenities, same anchor stores, I've begun to conclude these places were destined for this fate in due time as the only thing unique about any of them was their specific location.

[@superray21]

You gotta check out the MacArthur Center, since you're in Virginia!

[@sal]

What city is it in?? Virginia is huge!

[@chibikim77]

Payless Shoes? I thought they were gone like 8 years go? Well at least the one where I lived were gone at the time. Thats fascinating.

[@sal]

It’s always fun to see old storefronts for businesses that have gone defunct

[@BabyRt420]

They blocked off most of the mall now. Hopefully construction or remodel soon

[@gohanangered9650]

I actually like sweet sauce on a pizza. XD

[@strangersound]

16:57 - "The Amazing Space" - A room filled with rigged "games". The saddest game room I've ever seen. o_O

[@sal]

It’s so sad…typical in most rural dead malls, too..

[@toddgelineau6536]

Ames was tragic. Management thought it was a good idea to overextend themselves buying Hills, Zayre and others. They only ended up buying the problems of their former competitors.

[@EvanMartin-sq3ek]

You mean Pee-Qua? The Kmart and in McDonald’s in Pee-Qua is DEPLORABLE!

[@sal]

No, I mean exactly as I pronounced it, just like locals and news anchors from Piqua pronounce it. Thanks for the comment.

[@JL-vk1rs]

isnt this just "closed mall"?

[@sal]

No. If you watch the entire episode you’ll find out what is going on with it now

[@michaelwood9866]

don't know where piqua is relative to where i am....i am in fairview park, ohio and the closest mall is one town over called north olmsted and the mall is great northern mall.

[@cgimovieman]

I don’t take your meaning in “legion” or calling something “mid”. A legion is a military unit, and so far as I know, mid is an adjective or preposition only used attached to other words. Such as “mid-century modern”.

[@domadapollo3740]

These days, "mid" can also mean "middling", as in "of middling quality".

[@Toastandtea682]

😢🎉

[@PhilipMarcYT]

Interesting mall, thanks. Didn't like the GTA V "meme" thing, just felt awkward. Oh well.

[@ExSpoonman]

Hope you took a shower after visiting Piqua