North Grand Mall (Ames, IA) - lively mall with some retro 1970s areas

[@GregoryHager2011]

I grew up going to North Grand Mall. The place has seen better days. In my opinion it is holding it's own again.

[@Sheepy19801]

This mall was the place to be in the 80/90s. We had fountains inside the mall, we had a KB Toys, a Pet Store, A Book Chain Store. It lives in my memories of living in Ames at that time.

[@Tomovox_PAMS_Radio_JIngles]

You have the greatest voice on KZbin. For real. I watch your videos at the end of the day because there is a feeling of serenity there- even when you're talking about dead malls that have seen better days, it never sounds dire of tragic. Watching your videos is like taking a small trip where everything is just relaxed and not so rushed. Your voice is the best part of your videos because it fits perfectly with the mood of your productions, as well as the wonderful music that plays behind you.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you very much!

[@branhicks]

I use to live in Ames. This was my childhood mall. It's very small. I'd seen a lot of movies in those theaters. The Lion King was the most memorable

[@mollyheffernen]

This is a great mall for the Iowa State students. :) You did a nice job on the video.

[@jiehyichang5267]

I left Ames after graduating from ISU 30 years ago, and lived in Taiwan ever since so never had a chance to see North Grand Mall again until now. I did cooking myself and usually took CyRide, walked across the street to the Cub Food for groceries. Thank you for posting it remembers me of a lot of things.

[@TheRunningLeopard]

Hey, my hometown mall! It’s so nice to see a walkthrough of it and get some love. I have some photos and short videos of the nearby closed Crossroads Mall from Fort Dodge, and although I posted them on Twitter, would totally be willing to share them with you for greater exposure. I’m proud to say that myself and my mother were the lost two members of the public in there. The one security guy was nice and allowed us to finish taking our time. It was a sad goodbye, had a overnight stay through the scouts there in the late 00’s that I’ll always remember. Update after I finished the video: Although demolishment was occurring of Crossroads Mall up until the summer of 2023, everything stopped dead in its tracks and now there is a massive pile of dirt and stuff that now sits in its center. Parts still remain and the section that used to hold the Younkers is rumored to likely be refurbished and used to be the new home of Decker Sporting Goods (they used to have a store in the mall in the wing Younkers used to be in). At least that is what the local paper in the town said late last year, from what I heard from friends. It is believed that once again the company that acquired the site went bankrupt, something that has happened multiple times. After all, that and the buyers not wanting to put money into the complex alongside abusive practices towards tenants (including overcharging rent for spaces), is the main reason why it slowly closed/lost tenants. I know, as someone who spent a lot of time in the town growing up, that I wish it was turned into a park as a lot of the surrounding area is just sprawling big box stores. Even to put in a skatepark/pickleball court/etc alongside the green space would be a nice way to brighten up a dying town, but I doubt that will ever happen.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

That's cool that you got to spend the last day at Crossroads. Maybe someday I'll have to chance to drive up to see the remains, but it's a bit out of the way from my Twin Cities - Des Moines drive. I would love to chat more about your video and photos. Feel free to reach out to me on Discord discord.gg/dmod or my email at yodelingloonretail AT gmail DOT com.

[@TheRunningLeopard]

@@YodelingLoonRetail It’ll certainly be an interesting site if/when the Deckers moves back in, bc it is closely located to one of the remaining side entrances. (The county’s 4H headquarters were located on the side of the building as well.) So who knows if part of the mall will be refurbished and rebuilt? Idk, I’m hopeful. Of course, will certainly send you a message. It’s hard to find people in the IA/MN area that cover dead malls. Was able to walk around inside of the Bath and Body store, but nearly every other were shuddered.

[@ReallyRealColby]

Great video, as always.

[@jbjacobs9514]

Thanks so much for the video! Awesome video and commentary (and history). I lived in Ames in 2015. I can't believe I missed out on the movie theater. Maybe I would have stayed. hehe

[@jacinta6240]

I remember being here in 2009. It was nearly dead and needed a facelift. My family lived in Ames and Gilbert. My cousins and I had many fun times there in the 80s. I'm glad to see people are working to keep it nice for the people there in Ames. Go Cyclones!

[@aayushlamsal175]

Could you show where you saw the old green sign? I’m trying to find a picture online but cant

[@samiam289]

so, I actually work in this very mall at the jimmy's up front, I've always loved and adored mall culture as well as the malls themselves and am saddened to see the death of both. while I'm glade to learn more about my mall's history (I've only lived in ames for 4 years), I am also saddened to say that those claiming that the mall is on a "death watch" aren't that far from the truth. while the mall still holds unto it anchors and have even found itself new ones in recent years, several stores stand as a shuttered door into a vast empty lot with 4 or 5 stores that were once open and bright, now dark and barren its calling to attention just how much mall culture is dying. especially with a new shopping district booming around the second theater in town not as many stores find themselves wanting a store front within the mall, taking with them alot of foot traffic that could be vital to ensuring north grands stay. how long the mall will hold on is not insured, but i hope it holds on for as long as possible.

[@benjaminsmith3151]

I've lived in Ames for about 9 years, and try to go the mall once a week on Saturdays when the vinyl store is open. Overall, the main problem is that the large ~35,000 ISU student body doesn't get out much (Kids these days). That's more than half of the Ames population at this point. Honestly, the mall isn't the problem, as the Best Buy and Books A Million on the other side of Ames are a ghost town. People just don't buy things anymore.