Moorhead Center Mall (Moorhead, MN) - a 1970s brick beauty

[@Maxvolume123]

I renewed my license here last year. Best DMV I've ever been to. I'd also recommend checking out the Columbia Mall in Grand Forks ND!

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

It's on my list. :) I plan to get there next July. (Unless I hear bad news, then I'll zoom up there soon.)

[@mollyheffernen]

Hi! I enjoyed this video! I think the Herberger's would have been a great place for a smaller town.

[@ret5343]

great video of this mall! very chill

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you!

[@CSXfan618]

The Herberger's had its rose logo removed, but still had the classic font until when the company closed in 2018.

[@imorca1994]

In 1995 I bought my wedding dress at a store in Moorhead Center Mall. There was also a pizza place that I ate at with good friends. I never figured that in a harsh winter climate like MN that malls would die.

[@jlavande]

I live across the street from the mall, and I'm going to miss having Krepps, Vic's and Thai Orchid across the street from me, and also Moorhead Drug. It was always a fun space to walk around in the dead of winter, I'm really going to miss the mall.

[@penbucket]

Another really wonderful tour. I think it was the blend of the winter atmosphere, the perfect music, it all got me a bit emotional. Loved it.

[@sjag1938]

Best Buy was there also.

[@brooksrownd2275]

Woah, I haven't thought of Coast To Coast Hardware in a long long while! I can see those yellow signs in my head right now...

[@thelessthanperfectvocalist]

I grew up in Moorhead, but didn't visit the Center Mall much; however, it was always just sort of there as part of the city. When we were recently over in Moorhead, I looked where it had been and it wasn't there and I was weirded out.

[@pamelaaverrett5848]

Always enjoy your videos and a brown tile floor makes me so nostalgic ❤

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you! I love brown brick malls the most, because they remind me of my early childhood.

[@Letsbedeluxe]

Thank you for memorializing our mall

[@lifeofdolly5206]

I will mainly miss Thai Orchid, as it was a personal favorite. While I have memories at the mall, overall it is better to have an actual working downtown area.

[@kar460]

They moved to west fargo!. On main. They took over the old taco John's

[@sl3580]

I’d check out Columbia Mall in Grand Forks, ND.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I filmed it in July. I loved it and Grand Cities!

[@sl3580]

@@YodelingLoonRetail Oh man! I’ll have to look. Thanks! 👌🏼

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I should clarify I filmed it, but no video yet. Maybe 2025.

[@Aztec73]

I wish tah Malls would have stayed looking like that one and I hope that someday more will be built like it ,,,,,,you take take as well #Aztec73

[@sydneyulrich9969]

My mom managed this mall for 10 years. It was such a unique place. I have so many memories there growing up- being so excited to see the newest webkinz at the hallmark store, or the “fancy butt jeans” at glicks, I was even in a couple mall fashion shows! I would always beg my mom any time I visited her office to get pretzel maker, I was so sad when they closed. My family would spend a weekend each year cleaning and waxing the brick floors. Judging by the condition of them in the video, I am guessing it hadn’t been done since we did it last in literally 2012?! I have so many more memories here, this mall will be missed #mcm4L

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thanks for sharing your memories! It was such a peaceful mall.

[@HithereJimHerald]

Spent a lot of time there last summer with treatment center patients taking them to the DMV, 5 years ago in college we used to come in and look at all the whole lots of nothing Was able to get a couple pictures through the windows of closed storefronts (they were covered with paper that had started falling off the windows)

[@nodak1999]

Thai Orchid is in West Fargo, which is a different city than Fargo

[@PederLindbergMN]

I actually live close to the new location but I can't help but think it isn't a good location. I'll continue to eat there since their food is delicious but it is kind of a detour to get there for most of the city.

[@beatboxthanos1845]

I’ll miss the Moorhead center mall

[@BoratWanksta]

Great video, and tour of this mall. It sucks it is closing, since it looks like a nice little mall. And I like its slogan, "another great place to shop".

[@Gary_Le_Strange]

I lived/grew up just blocks away and the mall popped up when I was in my teens. When it was first opened it was a happening place. It had a full blown electronics/stereo store plus a Radio Shack, hardware store, a snack bar called Bandstand, 2 drug stores, numerous clothing stores and much more. The highlight of my memories comes from the mid 70's fad called Streaking. Two friends and I ran naked through the main corridor from the city hall entrance down to the exit near His N Hers. We were laughing so hard I thought I was going to pass out.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I LOVE IT!!!

[@shauneredfield2086]

Great video, I spent time here as a kid as my mom worked at an insurance company located in one of those back hallways you got lost in! I dropped many quarters in the arcade and still have memories of the Christmas season

[@brianmiller1077]

5:02 Cass county ND Holiday Mall was on the other side of town by the Interstate I still get my hair cut at His styling, he's leasing space on the other end. He owned the old location. The heyday of MCM was in the 70s and early 80s when North Dakota stores were closed on Sundays due to the Blue Laws. The K Mart on the east side of town was packed on Sundays.

[@beyondmeawesome]

i went here when i was a kid ill miss it

[@ztl2505]

I miss it. I know it’s crazy to say a mall is “too busy” these days but compared to West Acres I enjoyed how chill and local Moorhead Center felt.

[@emilu8214]

I remember going here with my mom, we'd shop at the Maurice's and Herbergers and then get a pretzel. The side by Scheels used to have an in ground water fountain too.

[@mazy9379]

one of the most melancholic places i remember from my childhood in the fm area. the dark floors and reverbs in the hallways and bigger chambers, especially as it dwindled in visitors and voices/footsteps would be less and less but still showcase that strange reverb

[@AnnihiIator]

yea always loved the low key vibe of the moorhead mall

[@KaIIenie]

Wasn't it demolished? Or something like that, I do live near here but I don't remember

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

The mall was still 1/2 standing back in July.

[@Nomed38]

Now it's closed and being demolished. If it wasn't for video archivist like Yodeling Loon Retail the once loved centers of commerce and community would only be fading memories.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you for your comment! I visited a week ago. Half of the mall is still standing and open, but it’s really sad now. Some of the open hallways are really dark.

[@BoratWanksta]

​@@YodelingLoonRetailSo a few hallways still are open, as of October 2024? I thought all of Moorhead Center Mall was now closed, except for the city hall portion of it.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

⁠@@BoratWankstaI don’t know about October, but half of it was still open in July. There was nowhere to eat, but locals brought in bagged lunches and ate in the big section by the city hall.

[@plmn93]

@@BoratWanksta The east section is still open. HIs Styling Salon moved there, and Moorhead Vision is still there until the end of the year I believe. Though they are pretty hard to get to.

[@fisitron7256]

So very 70s (aside from the hanging lights inside)… it will be missed.

[@WarlockSpell]

Sometimes the empty shops were used for senior or art events, which added to the sense of community.

[@AwktheAngel]

The DMV is now in this place. I had to walk through a portion of the mall and ngl it felt like a place out of a horror movie.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I agree! I visited in July and it was both creepy and sad.

[@xlerb2286]

FYI: It's torn down now, to make room for yet another downtown revitalization boondoggle. It was a busy place back in the 80's but as you mentioned it's been on a long slow decline for years. Lots of good businesses there through the years though. I had my first legal alcoholic drink at Vic's in the early 80's. (Sorry if this is a duplicate, KZbin appears to have eaten my first comment)

[@jenniferburchill3658]

KZbin has eaten tons of my comments as well...

[@plmn93]

Yes, it is a boondoggle. Let's spend tens of millions on a new library a mile away from Fargo's new library. Because paper books are the future. And develop residential units sandwiched between railroad tracks. Because people love living next to trains.

[@BTSChickenNuggets]

@@plmn93 Trains are a normal thing to live by up here it seems actually. When you've lived close to a train track your whole life you end up just being super used to it running all the time and if you don't then you can move somewhere not near train tracks. Also, we have libraries for the sole purpose of people who love to read and looking for a new book or a student in college or high school needing a quiet area to study in.

[@plmn93]

@@BTSChickenNuggets Yes, the fact that people don't mind the trains is why downtown Moorhead has been so vibrant for so long. And spending tens of millions of dollars on a place for a select few to visit will surely help it even more. Everybody loves taxes!

[@BTSChickenNuggets]

@@plmn93 Just say that you don't want to have anything nice in your life without saying it dude. If a place is losing people and not that many people are wanting to go, then they will have to do something about it. If they want to make something that interests people of course it's going to cost peoples tax money.

[@danbreyer5962]

The writing was on the wall for that mall over 30 years ago.

[@JasonHalversonjaydog]

Spent alot of time there, it's mostly torn down now, just the middle area around and including city hall left

[@mistermcgainz5692]

I spent a lot of time there with my brother and mother when I was very young. I remember 4 stores very clearly. A candy store (we called it the Jellybean Store) where there was toy cars racing and a store with lots of comics. Lastly there was Herbergers which was probably why our mom took us there so much now that I think about it. This was probably around 2003-2005 I also remember revisiting the mall in 2019 and seeing how desolate it had become

[@mgunde]

The Mall that destroyed downtown Moorhead.

[@BTSChickenNuggets]

how did it destroy Moorhead? Things can't stay the same forever because I know the places that were in its place many years ago may not be that popular today,

[@trevour]

While it never equally rivaled West Acres across the river in Fargo, Moorhead Center Mall was still a nice mall, once upon a time. Its Herberger's definitely had that 0% clothing sales tax advantage! I do miss that. There's still the Moorhead Scheels across the street to buy tax-free clothes, but it's a smaller classic Scheels and not like the modern megastore Scheels you see nowadays, so clothing selection is more limited. Not that department stores are thriving, but now Moorhead has nothing for traditional department stores. Ironically, the former West Acres Herberger's (originally DeLendrecie's) will be a brand new Von Maur in 2025! That'll be cool, aside from that ND sales tax! 😎

[@plmn93]

You would think that department stores would thrive in Moorhead because of having no sales tax, but they don't because of Moorhead's perpetual incompetence in city planning (like this mall AND its replacement) and the fact that North Dakota is a much better business environment. As malls die nationwide, West Acres continues to succeed.

[@trevour]

@@plmn93 VERY true about Moorhead - and, dare I say, MN in general 😂. Funny how Grand Forks, Fargo, and Wahpeton each thrive over East Grand Forks, Moorhead, and Breckenridge (my hometown) up and down the state border!

[@Rusty_Nickle]

It's cass county North Dakota. Cass and Clay county border each other across the red river. Moorhead being in Clay county where the warheads said her ball resides. Fargo being in Cass county where West acres nall resides. interesting fun fact. Fargo didn't want to have anything to do with West acres. So the city of West Fargo actually is the one that agreed to supply it with sewer and water. So even though West acres is in the middle of what is now Fargo West Fargo is the one that gets all the tax money from it.

[@alextwfsk8er]

And the West Fargo School District collects all those tax dollars in addition to a few students.

[@thegeneral5901]

Wow thanks for this video! I grew up in Moorhead from '74 to '88. I remember Moorhead Host diner, Foss Drug, Rexall Drug and an arcade. Walked miles up and down those brown brick floors lol. Sad to hear its going to be demolished but old school shops dont survive anymore. Got to be new blood brought in.😢 Memory lane cruised down

[@NatalieThress]

I'm not really gonna miss the mall to be honest, it's served its purpose and is long overdue for a replacement. I'm excited to see what they put in its place, all the stuff I've seen about it looks exciting

[@mtgAzim]

That 4:3 footage looks really good though. Seems like higher fidelity. I don't mind the occasional switch between ratios. I should try to either get some footage or ask my buddy to get some of the SouthRidge mall in Wisconsin. Many of the shops there are closed and I don't expect the mall to survive many more years. Used to be a grand place though. When I was a kid, the network of fountains and water displays ran through the entire mall. But in the late 90's or early 00's it was reduced quite a bit, and I think it might be gone entirely now. It's sad. Malls were so cool, and the newer generations will never know them as we did.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you the positive feedback on the aspect ratios! I should get to SouthRidge. I thought it was doing better, but I haven’t visited the place myself.

[@marccayson]

It's managed by goldmark there's the first red flag and it's in moorhead so not really good all the way around.

[@pontiac99999999]

Backrooms IRL ....

[@LaidBackGolf]

sad, is the city setting up the business owners with new store fronts?

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I know that Moorhead Vision Associates is getting a property tax break. Many others are left to fend for themselves. I do not know if the few that moved to Fargo did it because it was cheaper or out of spite for what the city did.

[@jennyknopps1291]

​@@YodelingLoonRetailprobably a mix of both.

[@KathyAnn1978]

​@@YodelingLoonRetailFargo and the surrounding ND communities have the upper hand in getting businesses because of the taxes. It's sad because I would like to see Moorhead have more choices.

[@DragonActual]

Song used in the video?

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

The main song I played at the beginning and end of the video is "In the Bleak Midwinter (Jazz Trio Version)" performed by Starry Bay Trio. www.epidemicsound.com/track/jidqzN3dER/

[@chrissasandlin8344]

Interesting and compassionate video. I was left wondering who a mall is ultimately for--why aren't local businesses and community offices enough, especially for smaller malls or those within more distributed communities? This looked like a lovely place for strolling around.

[@dannyarchives]

that sucks that they're destroying it and that there's so many nice old buildings that just get destroyed

[@BTSChickenNuggets]

There are a couple of building here in Moorhead that I know of that haven't been demolished but instead used as like a museum or whatever. One is called the Rourke Museum which originally was a federal post office then turned into a city office building and now a museum and it's kind of in the downtown area of Moorhead and there's the Comstock house which does tours.

[@CJ-ln8qq]

What the hell? You were in my town? Or are you a local? Also, I do miss that mall.....Even though no one even goes there because everyone goes to West Archers Mall. Lol

[@LaidBackGolf]

i wonder if jeff bezos ever feels bad for basically destroying malls but honestly they are a huge waste of resources.. the parking lots alone waste tons and tons of land

[@BTSChickenNuggets]

malls can make a butt load of money if they stay popular with the people of the community over the years so it makes sense why they would need such big parking lots

[@gremlinjr2]

Ha yep as many have said already ... all torn down now ... gonna waste a buttlod of money on sone dumb shit .... 😅 ... There was a GREAT ARCADE there back in the 80's .... spent a lotta time there .... became a total shithole .... T&T cafe was there for years ... friends of mine ... Hope MHD doesnt suck as much as it has for yrs now .....

[@kar460]

I think ( at least the way the sign looks) it'll be a library