Non Dead Mall Tour | Woodfield Mall - Schaumburg, IL

[@keithk1559]

Anyone remember Johns garage? Also the fish tanks you walked down a few stairs and it was like a cave, you looked thru a round enclosure. Just a few things I remember that aren't there anymore.

[@0rangebicycles864]

Yessir, only ate there once. I remember the Michelin Man statue the most out of that place lol

[@miles4948]

I have fond memories of eating there as a kid. I still remember what I ordered, Split pea soup.

[@adamchapman3358]

I enjoyed those old woodfield commercials very much. It made my day. The relaxing Charlie brown esque piano and saxophone music was fun to listen to as well.

[@galechicago325]

I learned to drive at Woodfield in 1971,when the mall was still under construction. My high school drivers ed class. Five giggly girls and one phys ed teacher in a red 71 Ford Torino blasting WLS and Super ‘CFL. Our teacher set up orange cones in the vast, empty parking lots. We practiced how to parallel park. My most vivid, happy memory from high school. Later whenever I came home from college on holidays, I shopped here seriously. It was like a miracle to be able to shop at Marshall Fields without taking the train to downtown Chicago. I bought all the linens for my first apartment at the Woodfield JC Pennys, and I still have the towels, 50 years later. They’re car wash towels now, but still. Quality! So glad to see that Woodfield is vital and sparkling today. It looks even better, brighter than when it was new. Simon has done an excellent job of guiding Woodfield successfully into the 21st century.

[@whatsamattayu3257]

My wife and I are probably the same age as you. Being Chicago kids, Harlem-Irving Plaza was where we shopped or the Grand and Harlem area. This was the late 1960's to 1971.

[@galechicago325]

@@whatsamattayu3257 Hey, Chicago! I miss those giant curvy Goldblatts on city corners. Harlem-Irving was a fun, lively shopping area in the mid-70s when I got out of college and moved to the city. Lincoln Avenue was great shopping, too. Seemingly the entire length of it!

[@jeromewysocki8809]

Thanks for the video, both the historical one, and the live footage you've added. I haven't been to Woodfield in decades, but all my visits there were pleasurably memorable. I loved the food aromas, the relaxing "white noise" you could hear at times, and the pleasant smells of places like Marshal Fields. Yes, those were very pleasant days in the very early 1970s. I wish I could relive them.

[@Niugrad]

One of the best mall videos I’ve seen. I love the classic footage with the Children’s Place circle! I haven’t been able to see pics or video of the big play area in the middle of the store.

[@QuietExp]

Thanks so much!

[@mikegarippo7815]

One of the best you've seen? How many of these mall videos have you seen?

[@Niugrad]

@@mikegarippo7815 I do not have an exact count of how many mall videos that I’ve seen.

[@Dan_KM8DAD]

Nice to see a video of a mall doing well!

[@thorpower1015]

Yes nice area thats why, usually malls like this do well, crappy areas even the locals don’t wanna go there they go to nice areas to shop

[@ExitSignAficionado]

I was just at the mall to see HVasquez circus. I used to love the rainforest cafe when I was a kid. It is funny what has been upgraded and changed and what has not from the original design, and how the additions have different interior styles, and the 3 types of incandecent exit signs match the year of the additions: modcast, prescolite, and Lithonia.

[@mattt198654321]

Crazy to think that the kids in the child-care area are now nearing retirement. Where does the time go!

[@ahfcross]

Oh man! I remember the aquariums! I live 10 mins from here now!

[@humanshrek1836]

Man I love how well Simon takes care of their malls

[@istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398]

I heard complaints about Simon, hopefully they have been good with this mall.

[@MECHOWL]

@@istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 While some stores do close at Woodfield, it’s usually (but not always) due to the end or serious decline of that store nationally - and those empty spots are typically snapped up rather quickly. That’s why I’m quite surprised that the old Lord and Taylor hasn’t been taken yet - even the old Sears has new stores in the old spot (2 of them!)

[@MECHOWL]

I wish A&W was still open though, likely got taken out due to the Dining Pavilion near the now-former Sears - was likely necessary as Sears was imploding at the time (and still is) but it was bad news for non-court restaurants

[@awefawn7793]

@@MECHOWLthe lord and taylor wing of the mall is generally a LOT more dead than the rest of it, even on a busy saturday for my whole life i can’t remember most people wandering past victoria secret/pink, which probably has a lot to do with it. this mall has never been dead but oddly enough that wing has been quiet for as long as i can remember

[@GemSurge95]

I honestly had no idea Woodfield is the largest mall in IL. I grew up close to it so that's the only mall I knew.

[@bettersteps]

I grew up going to this mall. I forgot all about the walk-under waterfall. They had a good Pretzel and Gyro place in the mall. Good times. I always loved the sculptures throughout the mall.

[@mikegarippo7815]

Where did you learn to capitalize "pretzel" and "gyro"?

[@mariovsquez]

Check out HIP mall in Norridge

[@CamdenBloke]

I used to work there in 2001. Before working there I wasn't that familiar with it and it had only been there maybe once or twice that I know of. My family lived closer to Stratford so it's mostly Stratford and Charlestown, and occasionally Fox Valley. I moved out of Illinois in 2015, and I think the last time I would have been shortly before I left when I was spending a few days going around and saying goodbye to places that had served some role in my life (places where I hung out growing up, place where I had my first kiss, places where I worked, and so on).

[@mrlookin4mr]

I lived in the burbs for over 50 years, but moved to another part of the state 8 years ago. I haven't been to Woodfield Mall in probably 12-15 years. There are still a lot of stores it looks like, but it seemed a little sparse with customers. Maybe it was just the time of day.

[@valorantkeys4709]

Not sure when you went, but it was going through a remodeling phase and moving some stores around so that could have been it, They are still in the process for some stores. But besides that Woodfield Mall is still thriving and doing well.

[@QuietExp]

Could’ve been the time of day, it was a Thursday around 11am

[@TheAngryFishh]

omg I forgot about the waterfall you could walk under! I used to love going under there as a kid.

[@ruthmarland835]

I’m from Rhode Island/Massachusetts and this is a beautiful mall (it seemed to hold up decades longer than our once beautiful Providence Place Mall, RI went up in “99-00 around this time. Although I have been watching all the “dead malls on KZbin, g TV his isn’t dead however it’s so sad to see all the people opt to order everything this is the end of another era. Wonderful video, thank you!

[@QuietExp]

Thanks so much!

[@mattt198654321]

I've been to Providence Place mall, it seemed to be a really nice place in the 2010-2011 timeframe. Great food court. What's it like today?

[@TheCoolOwen]

Woodfield was developed by Taubman Group. The same architect that designed Woodfield Mall designed the now defunct Northridge Mall in Milwaukee, WI and Southridge Mall in Greendale, WI.

[@miles4948]

I used to work at the Rainforest Cafe and i kinda miss working at a mall. There used to be so many cool stores back in the day like Sony Style, Diesel, Discovery Channel, Sharper image. Last time i went i was sad to see Fossil gone. I was going to take in one of my old watches i got in the early 2000's for a battery replacement.

[@TheOfficialFivervex]

Hometown Mall Baby - 40+ years later Still Standing Strong !!!

[@codyvon.]

I've been to that mall, alot. Good memories though.

[@RayRaySoShy]

Yes woodfield Mall in Schaumburg Illinois is still thriving. I've been going here for a long time. There have been a lot of changes but this mall is doing very well. They just removed one of my favorite places to eat and that was Panda Express. But the mall does have other restaurants that are good. If you're ever nearby Schaumburg Illinois don't forget to stop by woodfield Mall and enjoy your stay

[@mikegarippo7815]

The removal of Panda Express is no loss at all.

[@sychavez7269]

​@mikegarippo7815 lol right that's like saying sbarro has the best pizza lol

[@nikolt2000]

SO where did they have these two theaters

[@newtoncooper4085]

Since 1961, the Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey thrives to this day.

[@AsoftDolphinn]

only thing i miss about living in chicagoland is the malls, the Lasalle-peru Mall is very small and not it chief.

[@Jp14_24]

Our school went there for chour class and sang christmas songs. Took my kids to meet santa when they were babies. Our parents would drop us off at the mall puck us up later. No worries about who was there or getting into trouble. It was a social media before social media.

[@bestericaviationandspirts6219]

You should go check out Spring Hill mall again I saw some new stores were there

[@QuietExp]

That’s awesome, I hope I can go again soon!

[@mikegarippo7815]

Now defunct.

[@mattt198654321]

Unfortunately the Sears at Woodfield is a blight. It needs to be torn down ASAP.

[@grtinfulleffect8349]

Amazon will put them out of business soon. Amazon is slowly gobbling all competition.

[@istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398]

That will only happen if people _let it_ and opt to shop online vs coming to the mall. Maybe people in the area want the experience of going, exploring, stopping for some refreshments while they shop. Also, retailers who tell their customers that the need to go online to get something particular opposed to offering to special order it will go a long way in keeping the customer coming back. Whether the retailer special orders it from Amazon, or the customer goes there, it will take time for the item to get delivered. May as well offer to special order it and then let the customer know to come pick it up or have it shipped to their home so they can keep the customer coming back vs going online. I get annoyed when stores tell me to go online. I may as well order everything from the online store because then the shipping is consolidated. In the end the retailer loses out.

[@sdsmt99]

​@@istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398lighten up Francis

[@jeromewysocki8809]

You make a good point.

[@awefawn7793]

woodfield is still consistently slammed on a weekend… i worked there for several years (around 2016-2020) and it is notoriously hard to find parking the entire month of december. trust me, woodfield isn’t going anywhere lmfao

[@beau4532]

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