Military Circle - Norfolk, VA | a dead mall, malodorous with clandestine mold | ExLog 48

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In this episode of the Expedition Log Series, we travel to Norfolk, Virginia - the city with the largest Naval Station in the world! The USS Wisconsin looms over the city, and it also has a dead mall. The Military Circle Mall has fallen over the years, and sits with no current retail anchors, losing quality merchants each day. There is mold throughout, but it goes unseen. Come take a walk with me!
#exlog #salguido #dmodfam

[@sal]

Hey everyone! Thanks for watching my tour of Military Circle Mall! Please consider subscribing to Jack Thomas at Retailpocalypse: kzbin.info/door/1HckdE9vjaY3nVJGWWNTew Jack used to run deadmalls.com, but has recently split ways, and all of his past and future content will be posted to Retailpocalypse. Give him a like and a sub, and tell him Uncle Sal sent you :) Also, consider becoming a patron to Quite Studios! Every cent goes into producing the Expedition Log Series, and with your support, I can get to many more places, even outside the country...thanks to all of my Patrons! www.patreon.com/salvatoreamadeo

[@Chocolatchips]

Sal, did you get a chance to stop at the not-at-all-dead MacArthur Center while you were down there??? The architectural features in that place, while represented in other malls, are so over the top beautiful at MacArthur Center. The place is, as they say, "aesthetic AF", complete with operating, choreographed laminar flow fountains, working escalators and glass elevators. When I last visited, I noticed some dated-looking wooden features in the ceiling of the food court that appeared to suggest the place had been re-modeled at some point. When I first visited around 2007 (when even Military Circle was still packed with shoppers), I thought Mac. Center was relatively new, but I suppose there might be pre-renovation photos out there to find.

[@coferryan90]

Hey sal I am one of your biggest fans and I'm so happy that you had found this in my hometown Norfolk Virginia and it's very educational so keep up the good job and I will be looking forward on more of your videos so thank you so much with love ❤️💕

[@mersea.714]

Sal, please come back to this area ASAP because historic Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach is being emptied within a few weeks from now. (December 2021) The tenants will be moving out very soon & mixed use housing & retail put in. The tenants got little notice & will vacate within the next few weeks. It was one of the first malls here. Please document it or reach out to someone who can. Thank you.

[@purebloodheretic4682]

You're a Great Narrator mate! Reminds me of the Hypernormalisation Doco!👍

[@bluemoguldom]

Wow. All I can is Military Circle once had the crown as "The Mall" at one point. Lot of great memories there growing up. Celebrities used to walk through and everything

[@joshapples88]

Hell yeah , my father & mother when they were young met a couple while my father was stationed in Norfolk on the navy

[@keithsmalls]

Absolutely...great memories there...I live right down the street from Military Circle...so sad it's gone!!

[@blesspicasso]

I was at this mall in October... They built a wall that blocks where the fountain is at. More stores have left that side since this was filmed too... I clearly remember the better days here in the late 80, 90's & early 00's. Nice work, Sal.

[@game_master_rukia]

it all has to do with the 2015 shooting. store owners are scared to put stores in there

[@mannyrichtofen4354]

Your videos actually have a therapeutic effect and an escape from life's pressures.

[@skooliemom]

My friends and I used to hang out here on Friday nights in the '80s and early '90s. We played video games across the street at Putt-Putt and Flipper McCoy's, and got food at McDonald's and sat outside on the old playsets there. I remember when that hotel first opened..it's crazy to think about it all going downhill. Lynnhaven Mall was really the place to be, we just could never travel that far at 13. *I forgot, my favorite place to eat as a kid and preteen was Picadilly Cafeteria in the mall.

[@pslay9324]

my boyfriend took my to Picadilly on a Friday night, thinking it was a older people's diner, however I loved it, it was quiet and the staff were very friendly ...30 years ago ..I do miss those days.

[@firearmsandfreespeechtv2025]

757 💯💪🏻

[@TRAINDRIVERNC]

So true and exact,really classic,fun times..

[@oliveb.]

I have the best memories of this mall as a kid,teen and early 20s. Picadilly's was great and had the best rolls. I remember working at Leggett's and going to the movies at Circle 6 and Circle 4 outside. I remember Putt-Putt Golf and Flipper McCoy's across the street too. It's all gone now and the mall permanently closed on 1/31/23. It will be demolished in a few months.

[@gnarkiil]

As a Virginia Beach resident, I’ve been watching your vids for a few days now thinking “I wonder when they’ll do Military Circle...” here it is!

[@sal]

Yay!!! Virginia Center Commons is next!!!

[@gnarkiil]

Sal, Pembroke isn’t too far behind Military Circle either. You’ll be back in 3-5 years to video that one next. Lynnhaven is decent, MacArthur is on the decline as well.

[@seekinghimdaily92]

Sal: YES, I figured this would make the cut. That mall is on life support. I went on a brief shopping trip there a few weeks ago. In and out quickly as usual 😂

[@dickmiles1]

@@gnarkiil Can't believe Pembrooke Mall is still there. I can remember going there 40 years ago. Wow--- Independence Blvd--- old memories.

[@sammiewatson6957]

I know I am going to sound sappy, but this video made me cry, it was my childhood, Movies, my grandmother, and Piccadilly

[@RETROGEMS]

My childhood too...I remember eating at the Piccadilly cafeteria SO well! It was a real treat for me to act like a grownup and pick out all the things I wanted and sit down and have lunch with my mother after an afternoon of shopping. I remember the interior and design of the restaurant, like it was dipped in amber and preserved sometime in the early 1970s...forever 1971, LOL. A few years later, I loved shopped at the old Suncoast video store and discovering my love of movies. When the movie theater opened up, I was in seventh heaven! It was the best theater I'd ever been in, so elegant. Hurts all the more to see this mall in pretty near shambles. I made some sweet memories there.

[@RETROGEMS]

@Fuert Neigt Naw, she's not. Everybody has happy childhood memories they like to remember.

[@JimberWumby]

They got a smaller mall in Manassas that's in terrible shape and it was my whole childhood. I took my little brothers there not too long ago to show him all that changed and he couldn't believe at one point people willingly hung out there

[@royrodgers757]

I remember catching the city bus with my friends to go hang out at Military and then go play video games at Flipper McCoys! Man I miss those days ☹️

[@auroraboobiealice6352]

I loved Piccadilly, I worked there on the serving line in the 80s when the mall was in it's heyday.

[@SynchroSk8]

I'm getting a mold ad on my side bar 😂

[@sal]

Lol wait are you serious

[@bastardferret869]

installation or repair?

[@SynchroSk8]

Sal it was like a mold removal company. I was cracking up.

[@Karmy.]

Lmao

[@Decade8Media]

I love the double negative from the Blart. " We don't allow no picture taking " lmao.

[@Avenue72nd]

The security guard lady that kicked you out is the same one that I saw walking in Dan Bell's Military Circle Mall video lol. She's still there... Love this video, my mom grew up in Norfolk and loved watching this.

[@game_master_rukia]

that security guard follows everyone around the mall and will kick anyone out that she thinks is suspicious

[@inthezone4123]

Sounds like she's doing a good job!

[@oliverjones1845]

She also saw someone get shot

[@MrSheckstr]

Lived in Churchland from 79 to to 86... I think I saw Space Camp here before getting sent away to my grandparents in the Midwest while my fathers ship transferred to Bremerton WA

[@skooliemom]

@@MrSheckstr I grew up in Norfolk, left when I was 28. I now live in Union Wa. I saw many movies in that mall.

[@jfrch67]

I used to work at Mother's Records & Tapes at Military Circle back in the 80's. We were directly across from the AMC 6. I saw lots of free movies. We would give the theater employees our discounts for tapes and cds. Many happy memories. The Sheraton was always busy. The flight crews from many airlines would stay there. Norfolk International airport was just a few minutes away. Thanks for posting.

[@jamesmeyers8277]

You had a cool job, I remember how popular Mother's records was and I miss that store. My first job was as a movie usher at AMC 6 back in 1985. The mall was so busy on the weekends.

[@Trey45S]

I used to go to Mothers all the time. I bought so many cassettes there. Y'all even had import Duran Duran cassettes!

[@oliveb.]

@@Trey45S OMG I loved the import Duran Duran 12" records! Mother's was great!

[@cas226]

I worked at the AMC inside in the early and mid 80s and it was always crazy busy and was one of the theatres that literally built that company. I remember Chick Fil A was here and the only place you could get it. Eventually moved to Circle 4 outside and recall exclusives like Platoon playing there. Always busy. Best times of my life. Lining up outside for concert tickets by the hotel before being allowed inside..... my youth..... all changed and gone.

[@reenanewby4568]

Welp it’s called Killitary Circle Mall now...no one when I say no one goes here... this mall is the mall you drive pass and go to MacArthur Mall in downtown Norfolk...

[@sal]

Truth.

[@chrisjoyner3376]

I worked at Military Circle mall in the food court back in college (around '06) . Had a guy pull a gun on us because we didn't give him enough ketchup packets. I quit the next week.

[@pslay9324]

Holey Chit! If that same guy did that today in the society in which we live ...people would take out their cell phones and record it instead of dialing 911 for help.

[@dickmiles1]

Holy Cow--- I grew up going to this mall some 30-35 years ago when it was in its heyday. Come Xmas the traffic down Military Hwy and I 264 would be backed up for miles. I remember the old AMC theater--- it was ironically right dab in the middle of the mall-- Chick-Fil-A across from it and next door was an Orange Julius. There used to be a Picadilly cafeteria there as well. There was a McCroys, Thalheimers, Doctor pet store with the puppies in the window, Spencer's gifts, and what seemed like countless jewelry stores as well. The Sheraton hotel was there forever although I never knew of anyone ever staying there. It always looked somewhat of a dump even in it's heyday. On the back of the mall was a Flipper McCoys arcade which was the bomb back then. Over time the surrounding neighborhood became worse and riff raff moved in and killed it. I can't believe it's still standing but as I said in it's day it was by far the busiest shopping complex in the area. Great video.

[@bob59pa]

When Military Circle opened that furthered the end of major retail in downtown Norfolk. The surrounding area had many retail shopping centers constructed in the late 70's & 80's however JANAF shopping center across the street from Military Circle had been there since the 1960's if not sooner. An interesting note about Janaf's name is that it stood for Joint Army, Navy, Air Force.

[@LM01234]

Thanks, neat fact. I didn't know that what JANAF stands for

[@oengusfearghas9608]

It is called janaf because it originally was a joint armed forces air strip. In fact one or two of the old buildings from that era still exist on the property

[@RETROGEMS]

I remember the old movie theater at JANAF too--the old General Cinema that looked like it had been built in the 60s or early 70s. I saw my first movie there, "All Dogs Go To Heaven" in 1989! Good memories of JANAF, I used to shop there all the time with family, we used to constantly go to the Montgomery Ward's department store that was there until it closed down sometime around the late 90s, early 2000s.

[@Trey45S]

This is the mall from my childhood. I remember what a treat it was to go to the Piccadilly Cafeteria after church on Sunday. This was the era of Virginia's Blue Laws, the whole mall was closed except for the Cafeteria. They used to stretch out a real velvet rope to cordon off the rest of the mall from the Cafeteria. I also remember when JC Pennys was finished and opened, my mother took me there to buy school clothes and "Hush Puppies"" shoes with the gum soles. Thanks for bringing back some good memories from my childhood.

[@pslay9324]

I remember Virginia's Blue Laws, Peoples at Pembroke Mall ..you could only buy certain items on Sundays. Woolworths, same thing, I used to go to Military Mall about every Friday night and some of the best times as a kid and young adult.

[@nobodycares7233]

Same!!! Grew up here- Picadillys is all gone except for Hampton.

[@MrsSusieL]

I spent a lot of time in that mall in the 80’s. How times have changed.

[@Xanaxdu-si3ch]

I like your mall series BEST, Sal. I've quit following the others. You do a great job documenting the stories of these places! Your approach is very matter-of-fact, not sensationalistic. You value design and building skills. You factor in the sentiment people have towards spaces like these. Malls have been cultural reservoirs for decades and you give them their due respect. You're a good person, Sal. You tell good stories. Thank you for that.

[@winterburden]

I was a midnight security guard at Macomb Mall for about a year. Little known fact, we called each other Blarts even way before that Paul Blart movie came out.

[@robd5695]

I remember going to that mall in mid to late 80’s...especially to go movies. It used to be a very busy, “cool” mall. However I thought it was closed now. I haven’t been in probably 20 years.

[@GeorgeWashingtonX]

Yeah, that was something Military Circle had going for it back then.. their movie theaters. Virginia Beach didn't have as many screens back then (especially before Lynnhaven Mall was built). But honestly, I don't ever remember Military Circle being 'cool'.

[@edwinwise6751]

As a teenager I remember military circle as the future of malls , did all my Christmas shopping there one year..

[@x1plus1x]

Because of this video, I went here last week for the first time, after living in the area for 41 years. The muzak echoing through the empty corridors is creepy.

[@happyorganist]

Wow. We used go there every summer while my deceased grandparents lived in Norfolk. We were kids my sisters and I used to eat in a a restaurant there before my parents would have dropped of us off for the summer. Wow

[@lisamarieva3514]

Correct pronunciation of Norfolk is "Nawfuk" if you're a local. Watching the drive in from the tunnel, over the Berkeley Bridge and through Nawfuk was very nostalgic for me. I was born and raised in Portsmouth (locals say that "Pawsmiff") and Chesapeake and the tunnels are the quickest routes to get most anywhere in the Tidewater Area. Sad to see all our old hangouts gone. Newport News is pronounced "Newpanoos" LMAO. We talk funny.

[@sal]

Thanks a bunch for the comment! Born in NY, raised in NJ, displaced to MD...my accent is all over the place...

[@GeorgeWashingtonX]

Very true.. Norfolk should be pronounced 'Nawfuk', as it traditionally was.. But good luck finding anyone under 60 who still pronounces it like that. For some reason, Gen Xers (& down) have been raised to pronounce it: NOR-fuk.

[@Will-ek6mk]

Im 34 and I don’t know anybody local that pronounces anyway except Nah-fuk

[@montbrink4700]

@@GeorgeWashingtonX it's still pronounced Nawfuk

[@michaelraum3393]

Berkley*

[@tolget4684]

I called the "Be a Star" hotline. I danced my little heart out but didn't win.... 🙄🤣

[@abigailchipman8732]

maybe they would have been impressed with ventriloquism? LOL

[@AGhostintheHouse]

I remember this mall while being home ported here in 1990(my last year in the U.S. Navy) on the U.S.S. Enterprise and it was a pretty lively place with a carousel in the middle of it. There was a Two Pesos Mexican restaurant next to a movie theatre on the northern edge of the property that made it a nice place to hang out.

[@persnunoun]

This was my go to mall only because of the movie theater, but covid killed all that. RIP Cinemark at Military Circle.

[@Xcessive]

Growing up, this mall was always kinda weird to me. You could drive ten-twenty minutes down the road to Greenbrier Mall, Chesapeake Square, McArthur Mall, or even Lynnhaven. Chesapeake Square is sorta dying now, but we'd always go out of our way to go to literally any other mall.

[@GeorgeWashingtonX]

The flocks of aggressive seagulls didn't help Military Circle's aesthetic either. Anytime you were out in the parking lot, it was like something from a horror movie..

[@randomguy2809]

Now McArthur mall is dying too. Hell even Lynhaven has a few empty stores.

[@nleavenworth3064]

The city is considering redevelopment there including a much needed arena to replace the aging Scope downtown. All of the area malls are losing business in various amounts

[@TrueRetroflection]

There’s something about an old Virginian accent I find really calming

[@rebelwithacause3574]

I have a deep Virginia accent. They're getting harder to find because northerners have moved in droves and are successfully destroying the state's culture.

[@TrueRetroflection]

William White Shame. Carpetbaggers are doing the same to my home state....

[@rebelwithacause3574]

@@TrueRetroflection Yeah, I've been all over the southeast and absolutely love the culture and landscape of the old Confederacy. I have found that most carpetbaggers taking place in Virginia,Carolinas and ofcourse Florida the most. Tennessee seems to have the least amount of carpetbaggers, though I could be wrong.

[@Brian-gh7fj]

Same but it really irks me for some reason when they pronounce Norfolk like Nore*Feck instead or Nore*Folke

[@BigKahuna0275]

"Malodorous" such a great and prestigious sounding word for such a very BAD thing :D

[@071787sarah]

This was the mall of my childhood in the 90s. There was a great restaurant as part of the hotel, I got my hair done in a salon at the mall, and spent a ton of time in a bookstore there. All of my school wardrobes were purchased from JCPenneys. Lots of great memories ❤ The mall just closed for good a couple of weeks ago

[@patchesmalonescolorfulthin9313]

This is how I like to end my week..perfection again sal

[@johnnyc4717]

“178 dalluh suit for 54 dalluhs”

[@fairfaxcat1312]

Johnny C Lol Hampton Roads people are known for chopping off their “R’s not unlike New Englanders but slower.

[@trollsthatlol1]

@@fairfaxcat1312 As someone from that area, now you have me wondering if I do that lol!

[@theneonexplorer]

The floors in this place are gorgeous

[@cocean158]

I live across the street from this mall. I spent my entire teen years in this mall. When Double Tree took over and let the property slide..management started removing " undesirable" tenants (urban) to compete with MacArthur Mall downtown. We locals (urban) said ok and stopped shopping there. Sad to see it everyday withering away.

[@fmcevoy1]

When I was in Norfolk when I was in the Navy in 1975-1976, Military Circle was the only place that had a bookstore.

[@MrDan708]

It's always interesting to try to guess what some of those empty store spaces used to be.

[@JerryJunior26]

Macy’s used to be there, so was Sears.

[@pslay9324]

I grew up in Norfolk, VA Beach back in the early 90's late 80"s wow. Great footage. Sad all the malls are disappearing fast.

[@troypol343]

I remember seeing Star Wars inside this Mall in 1977-78. It had long carpeted ramps that led to the area where pop corn sales and theaters were. I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark in a theater that was outside the mall.

[@stevedow5842]

So sad to hear what happened to MCM. I have many fond memories as a 20-year-old Navy sailor in 1979 taking a TRT bus to the mall on a Saturday afternoon just to walk around and then have dinner at the Piccadilly cafeteria and later see a movie before taking the TRT bus back to the ship.

[@lemapp]

There were numerous phone booths throughout Military Circle because of the sailors from the Naval Base. There were shuttles from the Naval Base to Military Circle and they would hang out for long periods. The Naval Base now has its own mall which is partially open to the public. A military ID is required to make purchases in most of that mall. The movie theater is the cheapest in the region, it sits next to a jet runway.

[@joshlawill]

"Jet runway " 🤣

[@Dvorak567]

Your titles have the best adjectives.

[@sal]

It’s my favorite part

[@Karmy.]

Agreed!

[@marcusponce]

I loved your video and the way you made your comments. Honestly, I cried watching this video... an adorable place like this abandoned due clandestine mold... I felt a pain in my heart.

[@jptang1701]

Sal, I've always held you in high regard. But that comment about the "3" Indiana Jones movies has put you on a new, higher level with me. Agreed good sir.

[@sal]

There are only three, including the one in development right now lol

[@utharkruna1116]

4 actually, but i don't count the 4th.

[@usselpasoable]

while in the Navy in 80-82 , this is where I came to feel like a civilian and catch a movie, and the nearby putt-putt and steak and Ale

[@deeisme1369]

There was a shootout in there a few years back. I get eyes all over when in there

[@robertobrien7102]

Dee Wall I’ve read that in the comments for a lot of these dead mall videos

[@robertobrien7102]

Blank Stare I hear you. It is pretty common. Forest fair mall is like that. Check it out there’s videos about it. That’s near me. You’re totally right about people getting so soft about the truth too lol

[@rebelwithacause3574]

@ The truth is a revolutionary act. I'm certainly not scared of the truth.

[@iworkout6912]

Nothing hurts business than shootings...A local mall closed after several women were assaulted in the parking lot over a years time. Word gets around, and increased police present didn't erase what had happened. Sears lasted longer than expected, but it was the most quiet store that size I had ever seen. Sometimes felt like I was the only customer.

[@AcesnEights698]

Definitely a factor in malls dying, the preference of not being robbed/murdered...

[@RETROGEMS]

This was a major part of my childhood. Military Circle and the surrounding JANAF shopping area. I remember going there as a tiny tot starting in the early 90s until I was a teenager in the 2000s. Piccadilly's cafeteria was a restaurant that used to be inside the mall, and I'd have lunch there with my mother after an afternoon of shopping and browsing. Suncoast video store (all 80s babies, 90s kids remember this chain!) was one of my favorite places to go to there, alongside the beautiful Cinemark movie theater that was built in the late 90s. Saw some great flicks there! I remember when Military Circle Mall was renovated in the mid-90s. I remember it very well, actually. My family commented on how the mall was being transformed and it seemed like it was on the road to a whole new era for the place. I remember pre-Cinemark a tiny movie theater that was totally unimpressive, saw a flick there "A Stranger Amongst Us" in '92, but for the most part when me and my family were in the area, we'd go to the old General Cinemas theater in JANAF that eventually shut down in 2000 or 2001, I believe. That's why when the renovation happened and the Cinemark, I was so happy. Loved that theater! The interior was designed kinda like an old-school movie palace, reminiscent of it. They really tried to improve this mall, I believe. But ultimately, it slid downhill anyway, which is sad. That old Doubletree hotel was a fixture of my childhood as well. I remember always staring up at it and thinking how cool it would be to sleep in a hotel in a mall. Also saddened me when I heard, some time after I moved away from the region, that the hotel fell apart and had to be shut down. Jeez. I've always considered this a good piece of property, the mall/hotel. It doesn't HAVE to be a waste, it can be utilized, but the crime in the area I think is the major reason this mall ultimately ran out of chances. A lot of the local punks helped make this place dismal and give it a bad reputation, it was already getting one in the 90s when I was a kid. I figure that this mall doesn't have much time left, I can definitely see it closing down completely or being razed in the next few years.

[@oengusfearghas9608]

I haven't been in military circle mall in quite some time, with the exception of going to the theater. Last time I wandered through there really weren't any shops that held my attention, so I just never went back despite driving past on a semi-regular basis. It's interesting to see you coming to my current stomping grounds.

[@Rjack5150]

Great memories in military circle mall.. very sad to see it go.. we lived there in the 80's.

[@oliverjones1845]

I live in this area. I was there when there was a shooting on Valentine’s Day. Sad cause this mall used to be amazing in the 80s and 90s

[@RETROGEMS]

I was there at its height in the 1990s. It really used to be fun--I can't believe it's been allowed to crumble and deteriorate like this!

[@XeCuTioNR]

What up OJ 😎

[@oliverjones1845]

Sup lol

[@daveshrum1749]

Oh my God that commercial from the 90s! LOL where do you find this stuff Sal ?! Love the vid as always sir.

[@kgrubb9398]

Never saw that video. But it kind of creeped me out.

[@SacredFire777]

I started laughing when I saw it.

[@marykay8587]

But one of the kids sang My heart Will go on by Celine Dion which didn't come out until '97

[@sal]

I dubbed it

[@StephiePpn]

As someone who moved to the area 7 years ago and will never get over how nice people are compared to where I'm from, its cool you caught those kids saying "thank you" for holding the door. accurate

[@LM01234]

In that same Sears court, I met and got an autograph from Sable from WWE Edit: in like 2000

[@eth39232]

We lived in Tidewater VA from 1967 to 1972 and from 1981 to 1983. This and Pembroke Mall were our primary malls. We went to the JC Penney here. There was once was a Sheraton Hotel in the mall. I saw S.O.B. with Julie Andrews at the theater in 1981 when I was 17.

[@ncavefan]

ok for anyone who reads this and used to go here during the 80's who remembers that store the music man i loved that store and so therefore loved going to this mall

[@jakerez4666]

I saw this mall when Dan went there it seemed busier now for some reason I figured it shuttered by now ! Great work as always Sal Merry Christmas !

[@toritant5080]

I worked for top guard last year and one of our duties were to patrol the double tree hotel at that location. It’s scary being in there because homeless will break in and squat. You don’t know what you’ll find in there, feces, needles, broken glass, abandoned weapons, all kinds of stuff. Not worth being in there if your not being paid for it. The restaurant just below it was condemned because they found bed bugs. And just recently they finally closed the mall and auctioned off everything inside. Not sure what’ll happen to it now.

[@YachtLife]

Crazy enough, I just moved from the Hampton Roads area a few months back bafter living there for 7 years ..... Don't miss it . Lol... This mall was dying long ago.

[@dorothymurray7244]

Lived in Norfolk for about 22 to 23 yrs. on South Military Hwy. My daughters n l use to love going to that mall.Its really sad to see it so empty now.

[@neildennis7294]

6:39 Since you mentioned movies, I remember standing in a long line for almost two hours for the July 4th promotion of free screenings that Columbia did for Karate Kid Part 2 at this mall.

[@keithsmalls]

Great memories there...I live right down the street from Military Circle...so sad it's gone!!

[@NEONPARADlSE]

I live in Hampton Roads where this is. I've been here for like 10 years and have never been in that mall. Its had a bad reputation forever and nearby MacAurthur Mall blows it out of the water.

[@thrillington2008]

I used to live near Military Circle and it had a bad reputation then when I lived in Norfolk.

[@Danerboots]

When I was going there to take pictures, I was told to be extra careful.

[@game_master_rukia]

lynnhaven mall blows them all out of the water

[@HumanSnatcher]

Only reason I ever go there is because the theater is the cheapest.

[@FricknA]

When I was stationed at Norfolk, I loved MacArthur Mall, especially the movie theater on the top floor. I miss that mall. Sigh.

[@laurenoneil]

Sal, your work is truly inspiring. Thanks man.

[@NEONPARADlSE]

This was an awesome video and I really liked the period news clips that you placed in it!

[@Danerboots]

It's always so cool to see a mall you go to on the channel.

[@tendraftsdeep]

I did some environmental contracting work there back in the 90's. Best part was grabbing an oceanfront room over in VA Beach at night. Great Video Sal!

[@ceeezup3701]

The official last day was today sad day had so many great memories there 😢. Went there a couple days back almost looked like a graveyard its so sad to see a place that used to be filled with so much life dull like that .

[@oliveb.]

Same😢 I went there in December and January to walk through and film a little while trying to remember how it used to look. Sad indeed.

[@potstab2875]

Security: "We don't allow no picture taking in the mall." High standards for recruitment, as always....

[@samueljoyce5867]

Pete S. LOL that’s my exact reaction to double negatives! Also want to add that I grew up in Va Beach, but would visit this mall in addition to Pembroke and Lynnhaven. It was scary in the 80’s and 90’s, not surprised to see the state of it now. Thanks for visiting this mall, Sal! I live in CT now, have become obsessed with dead mall videos, and recently subscribed to you.

[@ironroad18]

This place use to be wild. Drug dealers from NYC and DC would come through to hang out and along with drunk saliors and marines. I watched a group of girls fight in this mall one night, one girl got slammed through a trash can.

[@dawsoncrump8484]

Thats Norfolk for you

[@darthvaderoftheredpill5196]

Lighten up dude, she clearly does her job reather you like her speach pattern or not. She does a lot better than someone like you who wouldnt have the guts to look the average person in the eye.

[@darthvaderoftheredpill5196]

@@dawsoncrump8484 Do us a favor and stay out.

[@michaelashcraft8569]

I frequented this mall while stationed in Norfolk in the Navy, it was the first one I ever saw, I loved it, kind of figured it would be gone by now.

[@pdxwatcher]

I worked on the conversions of two JB Hunter stores to Thalhimers - the first was at Coliseum Mall in Hampton, with Military Circle following.

[@sal]

Oh wow! Thanks so much for watching!

[@MrJamieBattle]

Flipping miss coliseum mall

[@Karmy.]

Would be dope af if you had pics of it How hard is it to convert stores?

[@DoomieGruntVentures]

Tidewater Virginia. Home to some of the worst traffic I've had the displeasure of sitting through. But it was oh so worth it for the malls there. About time you've started getting your perspective out on this place. I'm finishing edits on my own take of Military Circle as I type.

[@DarkMachineNation]

Excellent video and research, I'm always impressed by the amount of information in your videos. I'm a sucker for fountains too... I miss those.

[@Marni-mz6cx]

Excellent job Sal!

[@YiFangShen]

Still awesome video! Thanks for making!

[@mazzycollins9856]

​Another fantastic job, Sal! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[@sal]

Thanks so much for watching!!

[@howardg2435]

I remember this mall very well from when I was on active Navy duty 1990-1994. I was actually stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana, in Virginia Beach. This was a gang ridden place after dark to certainly be avoided. People in the early nineties, no one really had good things to say about this place. Pembroke and Lynnhaven malls were the places to be by comparison. Norfolk was a rather dismal city then, but has made some improvements since. This is just my observation, but I think this mall was in a bad area for business in Norfolk. People could go to Virginia Beach for a much better experience. The beachfront along Virginia Beach was, and is still, a big attraction to the area. Again, Norfolk is just not very glamorous. But I do remember crime around the Military Circle Mall during the early nineties, when I was there. Seeing this video of the mall now show me a place that is seriously a shell of its former self. Very sad to see here. Keep the awesome videos coming Sal! You rock!!

[@tiffytatortots1278]

Howard G we were stationed in Norfolk for about 8 years- just left a year ago but still have ties there since we own a home in Chesapeake and I can tell you first hand Norfolk is still a giant piece of shit. The crime in Hampton roads hasn’t changed at all if anything it has gotten worse. At least back in the day the thugs would wait until the sun went down and kept their BS in the crap areas but now you can get robbed in the middle of the day in a populated nice area. The criminals are brazen now. Felt like I was back in Baltimore. Well maybe not that bad lol but I still had to watch my back non-stop. It’s ridiculous

[@redskinmark]

I worked there from '92 - '95. I agree it was crazy on the weekends, but during the week it was ok. Met a lot of celebrities! They always stayed at the Sheraton (Doubletree) and would shop in the mall. It was a very busy mall back in the day and it's a shame that it has gone down but I blame 3 things. The food court and remodeling didn't bring people back. MacArthur Center took folks away. And when light rail came to downtown Norfolk, it was easier to go downtown and shop. That was the end of this mall. Unfortunately it's not coming back!

[@takenitlight]

Never after dark in the 80's! I went there or Lynnhaven in the late 80's to go to the "Record Bar" & get concert tickets until Farm Fresh started selling them. I can't believe they spent the money to renovate MCM!!! What a waste! I had no idea they did until this video. Lynnhaven & MaC 10 malls are riddled with gang crime and shootings. Mac already fell. Nordstrom left a year ago. Parking garage was death trap. Nice mall, but too close to the hood. It was a matter of time. Of course ORF leaders keep trying to bring in anything/ everything. Outlet mall @ old Lake Wright Hotel/ North Hampton Blvd, racing Portsmouth for casino. etc. Thanks Again Sal!!

[@takenitlight]

4got: Got tickets at those 2 malls & FF until I realized I could get them on base & NEX ORF was brand new! Nicer & Much safer!

[@RETROGEMS]

I used to go there sometimes with family from the early 90s until the early 2000s and I actually have a lot of fond memories of the mall, despite it all. For the longest time, the shoppers were primarily families. I used to love eating at the old Picadilly's restaurant, getting movies at Suncoast. In the daytime we really never had any issues and we loved going to the beautiful movie theater that was built there in the mid-late 90s, I believe. But it definitely eventually went downhill despite the new theater and other renovations, and we shopped primarily at Pembroke. It was definitely the location and certain punks who screwed up the place. If it hadn't been for the trouble-makers, I think it would've lasted a lot longer.

[@Karmy.]

3:54 god I am so glad that color died

[@shavonnestacia2865]

Oh my God! We had that same washing machine in our house when i was growing up.....hated that color....

[@txri9677]

Lmao low key that's my favorite color 🤣🤣

[@nasirb3914]

I like it

[@PinkAgaricus]

I think we had that washing machine at first too...then it broke (with it's dryer)...and we got a new one.

[@GarlandPollard]

Excellent work sal. Spent lots of time there as a kid.

[@PaNativ]

I visited this mall back in the early 1990s (1991 to be exact) when I was in the Navy. Crazy to see it now...

[@elbateador]

What a beautiful and silent mall ...

[@ItsaRomethingeveryday]

Very Well, liked this expedition log Sal

[@elizabethortiz7740]

I use to shop there. I remember how bussy it used to be. I recently went there again to see a movie . it's so sad how empty it is at this point. I remember delivering a wedding cake at the double tree hotel afew years back . thank you for telling us the story .i always wondered what brought it down.

[@MrJohnnyPappis]

Wow I remember those phone booths in my mall growing up! Man that really ages me lol

[@a3rdrightwing972]

This mall has really good bones to it. It shouldn't be abandoned. I guess there are better malls that squashed this one, it looks relatively moden and clean at least on video. Just clean the mildew.

[@gregorytimmons4777]

Kind of funny at 1:25 passing a Toys Are Us store on your right. Seems you can't swing a dead cat without it hitting a defunct franchise chain these days. Locally Janzen Beach Center on the Oregon/ Washington border along Interstate 5. Built in the 80's on the site of a defunct amusement park, Janzen Beach. In the early to mid 2000's it was refurbished-translation, thinned out with 2/3rds of the structures vanishing, and that was before Toys Are Us vacated their stand alone store near the back of the mall property.

[@Starphot]

I remember this mall when I was stationed nearby at Oceania in 1972-1975. Back then malls was a big thing. I went there to shop or to look around. There was a travel agency I went to get plane tickets home for Christmas and summer leaves. Denver had 2 big malls then so this was just another mall to me. Those 2 Denver area malls are long gone and scraped off for the big box stores.

[@bernardschmitt6389]

as always another amazing episode

[@sal]

Thanks James!!

[@bernardschmitt6389]

@@sal of course! oh and my name is not james hes a guy from the grand tour he used to be on top gear oh never mind

[@jorgearnoldson3107]

I used to live five minutes from this mall when I was a little kid, and would go mainly for whatever new movie was out.

[@daninraleigh]

Had to check this out. I stood in line to see Star Wars at this mall when it first came out! The most memorable thing about this area was that there is nothing military on Military Highway.

[@Tornado1994]

During Memorial Weekend 1991, My Mom and her GF(Girlfriend to a Woman in the 80s meant BFF) took me and her son my Chum to Military Circle in Norfolk. It was a Blast. We played Castle of Illusion on Sega Genesis at Electronic Boutique and saw Sonic 1's Demo for the very first time. We also had lunch at LJS there. Im beyond saddened that this great tourist mall is nearly dead.

[@charlenesteward195]

Love the music at the end.

[@exploringwithkevin607]

Great Video Sal. 😊👍❤

[@joshdenton611]

"not so clandestine anymore, are we mold" ROTFLMAO!

[@frankbullitt4556]

In 1970 it was the place to go. It would be packed at Christmas time. Prior to this,Janaf shopping center directly across Va Beach blvd was a great place to shop. Sad to see it go down hill.

[@frankbullitt4556]

@Tessie wow, sorry to hear that

[@darkestvortex]

Holy shit never thought I'd see a video from you about my hometown! I remember always going past this mall and never seeing any people or cars near. It always gave off weird vibes

[@sal]

Man this mall is amazing...I was actually going to go straight to Virginia Center Commons (which is ExLog 49), but I decided to steer towards Norfolk to see the place at the last minute. SO GLAD I DID

[@darkestvortex]

@@sal I just realized you did a video about Chesapeake Square Mall as well! It's so weird to these locations that I know appear and be analyzed. Never would have given a second thought to them before lol

[@game_master_rukia]

@@darkestvortex i'll go to chesapeake square any day over military circle

[@seekinghimdaily92]

I’ve lived in VA since 2002... the entire state is nothing but “weird vibes” 💯 👀

[@seekinghimdaily92]

POSTLOADER CUISINE: 👀

[@doloresromo199]

Thanks Sal. Lots of Sunlight with that high ceiling full of windows and the plants are still thriving . But that smell and Mold that is not so Clandestine after all..is the part where you know it won't be long before..those thriving plants start dying soon for the Closure of yet another Mall. Quite sad..but I could listen to you for Hours with your great narrative voice ..the added far away echoing of voices and old commercials in the background make for a very melancholy mood in your videos. take care

[@jewelhaines8842]

Hi Sal! I just subbed. I like your tour of the mall. I live in Norfolk. Great video! 🙂

[@hyperspaceoddity7805]

I think even hearing about the mold made my sinuses hurt 😂