Dead Malls Season 6 Episode 23 - Ridgmar Mall

[@amandaevans3958]

I knew one day Ridgmar would appear on a channel like this, and now that it has I feel so sad. This was the mall I grew up going to, I remember when you had to wait for tables to open up at the food court just to sit down. Seeing all the closed store fronts of the places I would go with friends just hurts. Thank you for covering this mall!

[@ericbingham-kumpfcomposer5293]

I remember when this mall was being built and when it opened up in the 70's. I went there about 5 years ago and things have not changed that much, so sad that this mall is on its last leg.

[@NorthCdogg22]

Hey everyone!! I know I said that the next episode would come in 2 weeks, but upon reviewing the VERY short footage of the next mall. I’ve decided the next episode will come NEXT Saturday, see y’all then!!

[@seabee73]

@@NorthCdogg22 awesome

[@BrennanSawyer-o3v]

Great news!!!!!! Been re watching videos recently, on my dead mall kick for sure

[@JameeSkidmore]

I moved to Fort Worth in 1985. Ridgmar Mall was always my favorite. I can't imagine how it ended up like this. When I think about it even today, I only remember it as a bustling, packed, beautiful place to hang out. I moved to Arlington and just didn't go to that side of Fort Worth much. A couple of years ago I was driving by and decided to go visit. I was shocked to find it mostly empty. It was always way better than Hulen or NE Mall. So sad to see it like this.

[@sandraq25]

So excited to watch this video! This was my childhood mall ❤ I also worked at the Bath and Body Works that closed down in 2023.

[@jessej6187]

Same I still remember the old fountain

[@traindude70]

Growing up with ridgemar mall, the first sign of rott was the chillies restaurant closing in the food court. The turtles used to all have water fountains in their mouths including the one on the I beam.

[@KelpShake98]

27:20 Those turtles actually used to have water coming out of their mouths! Was my favorite thing to go to as a little kid in the mid 2000s 😭

[@NorthCdogg22]

@@KelpShake98 that’s amazing!! Why would they ever remove that amazing feature I wonder😭

[@KelpShake98]

@@NorthCdogg22 My head canon is that they stopped working and didn’t bother going through the hassle of making them work again lmaooo

[@lynnestamey7272]

Oh gosh I used to go to this mall all the time. I used to live in the Ridgemar Square Behind the Wall in 1975 when I was in the Air Force. Those were the days! Thanks for the blast from the past!

[@karinwade]

My local mall 💜I worked at JCPenney and Payless ShoeSource here in the '90s. The Military Museum is worth a visit. Mostly I visit when I want to walk around indoors (Texas heat is no joke) because they play '80s/'90s music. The Rave movie theater is my go to place for movies...Thanks for posting!

[@sweetbeagaming]

Thank you so much for taking us on a tour. I adore this mall, it physically hurts me to see it this way. Next to the Neiman Marcus in 2000 there was a really cool marionette theater. I had my 5th birthday there. The Neiman’s used to do that entire atrium for the holidays and it was beyond magical.

[@gustavoayala7176]

👋, Thank you so much for making a video of ridgmar mall, It was the mall to go to when I was a teenager in the 2000s. At one point ridgmar mall was a lot more popular than Hulen mall. I watched ridgmar mall die throughout the 2010s. It's dying a slow and painful death. I believe what started killing ridgmar mall was when they started building stores outside the mall during the mid 00s to 2010s and the clearfork shopping center an (outdoor mall) built by the chislom parkway toll road in 2017 which of course caused Neman Marcus to relocate to clearfork. Then 2020 came and the pandemic made things worse for ridgmar even tho it was on it's ass by the end of the 2010s. Westside Fort worth's crime went up too which caused ridgmar's decline too.

[@Seven_Sinzz]

I currently live in Fort Worth like 10 minutes from Ridgemar. But growing up, this mall was always popping. Especially the movie theater, and the food court was always bustling. Much of my movies were at that mall, or going to gamestop for the latest vidoe game prior to my town nearby getting its own gamestop. Whats crazy is Hulen Mall is still consistently very busy. Times change, and things slowly fade away. So crazy. Thanks for doing this video, so freaking cool brings back a lot of memories.

[@ptarrow6817]

Lived nearby and was a frequent shopper. Neiman Marcus, Dillards (still there as a clearance center), Sears, JC Penny plus all the usual mall stores. Lost during one of the renovations was the El Fenix restaurant featuring multiple levels, waterfalls and ornate Mexican tiles.

[@McKellerHome]

This was the highlight when my family traveled from west Texas. Lunch at El Fenix and then we got turned loose to go to the toy stores and music stores before hitting the road again. I always loved hearing the F-4's roaring over the top of the mall from the AFB nearby.

[@absolutetruthgirl]

I love the warm sunlight spaces. It has a happy vibe. Would be a great place to mall walk.

[@CapableBara]

oh man, i used to go to this mall (awesome how the turtles are still there) and Hulen Mall since they were close to each other, I went to Ridgemar more though since it was a bit closer(not by much actually) I think the last time I went to either mall was in 2009 or 2011...? I only ever went to the mall for Electronics Boutique or Gamestop, ever since EB got bought by Gamestop and the fact that my city finally got a gamestop afterwards I stopped going to any mall... so many memories, i've never actually been to the SeaQuest thing but I know its one of the things that kept the mall going... sad to see the state its in, kinda want to visit it one more time before something happens...

[@mannyd.576]

Lived across the street at one point in my childhood. I Remember going to the huge arcade back in the day. Good times. My have times have changed.

[@jessej6187]

Good to see footage of the old fountain spiral stairway that used to be there. Lots of memories

[@henryd1981]

While Carswell AFB closed, the base was immediately recommissioned as Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, which is still there today.

[@Tekma]

i was already impressed by the skylights, columns, and lighting. i wasn't ready for the awesome turtle pond.

[@mikeevans1038]

My mall. In the late ‘80s at Christmas those concourses were so crowded you could barely walk them. It was a great place to shop.

[@jimmyginseng]

love the videos, makes me feel like a kid again. this is my second favorite video. first is still Stratford, that one just hit a special spot for me.

[@garbagebanditdayz819]

They’ve got a train at my all time favorite mall. Triangle Town Center, if I remember correctly it’s called “Triangle Town Express”. It has to be one of most fun things to see, is the little kids riding it around on the mall’s Lower Level.

[@craigsavarese8631]

Seeing all these “dead” malls really gets to me. I worked in several malls during the entire 90’s - including a few shifts at the EB Games in Ridgmar Mall. I remember the massive renovation and how beautiful it was afterwards. Just going around to a couple malls in a day to kill time was a pleasant experience.

[@chrispearson8779]

Back in the mid 80's we lived on the west side of Fort Worth. Myself and friends would walk there and hangout. Totally different back then.

[@JeremysRetailExploration]

Great video as always man! This mall looks spectacular, I need to get down to Texas! Speaking of mall trains, when I was at the Valley View Mall in Roanoke, VA they had an operating train going around.

[@NorthCdogg22]

Oh neat! Well it may be time to start planning my trip to Virginia! Haha, thanks for watching!

[@DrTopGun]

Good day. Hey, bud, I agree. This soon to be a DeadMall was a magnificent Vaporwave style architecture or that crazy 80s art with Greek style pillars and so on. I believe the Vaporwave artists need to make cool videos in this DeadMall. Anyways, as always, an excellent choice of music that brings nostalgia back to my young malling days. With this in mind, I have been in the Dallas/Forth Worth area mostly for business and my agency's interviews- which they keep telling me that I am overqualified- Whatever that BS means... Anyhow, man, I am glad you are enjoying Texas, because everything- well- some things are big and backwards. Repeat- SOME things are Big and Backwards- not everything... Also abandoned... Already then, I am just rambling about, thank you for the awesome Soon To Be DeadMall mini documentary. 😁🤜🤛🤙👍💪🖖

[@rockersrobloxandmore]

one of my favorite malls in texas! the aquarium over there got shut down and a lot of it is because of PETA

[@JoshYT1]

I was scared for a moment that Hull Property group bought the place at 5:25, from that drywall and those lamps lmao. Thankfully, the dreamcore lives on. ☁

[@RedisRed92]

Damn, this one hits crazy close to home considering I'm right up the road. Used to go there with my dad all the time. I watched its downfall and stopped going many years ago. Crazy to see it here.

[@DanT271]

My kids used to love going to Rodgmar in the early 2000s Sad to see it like this

[@BRFilmStudios]

Just finished, man, that was incredible! I either missed, don’t, or barely remember the days of fruitger aero, and I suppose that’s why I find it so appealing and intriguing. Definitely need to put Ridgmar on my list of malls I can hopefully visit someday! Happy New Year North!

[@Rielle212]

This is THE BEST intro ever. Windows XP. LET'S GOOOOOO. You 100% understand my vibe, dude. (Which is probably the vibe of most subscribers.) :) ❤ HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[@NorthCdogg22]

thank you!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU TOO!!🥳🥳

[@fastinmycar]

My mom and I always used to visit this mall back when we went to a nearby church at the time, always kind of hoped you’d check it out! Love your videos, always entertaining to watch. ☺️

[@phillipchea5867]

Thanks so much NorthCdogg22!!

[@mollyheffernen]

Great quality video! Still reading the news to see if there is any news on anything Iowa that would be great for a live stream. I will continue to think of places that are inside that might be interesting.

[@phillipchea5867]

Just hope the place doesn't get demlished

[@Radagast49230]

yeah this definitely looks like stepping into a vaporwave album. Very nostalgic and comforting

[@PeterMullens]

When Carlswell closed, the mall as well as a lot of the other neighborhood stores suffered greatly. As less customers were shopping more undesirable things and people began to show up. It was a vicious cycle that could not be stopped.

[@Tekma]

crazy spot for that bungee trampoline place to remain open with everything else closed around it. just googled them and it's apparently open at 10am to close every day of the week.

[@NORMIES_GET_OUT]

Man, I miss the Bourbon Chicken place at the food court. I always got lunch there when hanging out at the mall because they always gave you huge portions and the food was great. I moved away from Texas for many years due to my time in the military and when I finally moved back, everything was so much different I was blown away. There were also so many things exactly how I remembered them, but so many more that were just unrecognisable and seeing them both together at the same time was surreal. Getting old feels really weird sometimes. EDIT: Also, the outbuilding with the smashed out window I'm pretty sure was a Sears service center, not JC Penney.

[@russhanson8478]

Awesome video! You should come to NC and check out the Triangle Town Center mall in Raleigh. They always have the train going. With the exception of Sears closing in 2021, it still has all its anchor stores.

[@NorthCdogg22]

Hell yeah!! If it has a train, sign me up!

[@poohoo4495]

I LOVE DEAD MALLS!!! Live in NYx2 so we don’t have many here if any at all in the city cuz real estate so I have to live vicariously through you lol. 😅

[@MisterNineEleven]

Youre missing out, if youre ever in dfw you gotta check out the Vista mall in Lewisville!

[@sandraq25]

The food court is so sad now! So many memories there eating with family members in the late 90s/early 2000s. 💔

[@hypermarketed]

Wow. Thanks for the explore.

[@NorthCdogg22]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@BRFilmStudios]

That intro was AMAZING, and you used one of my favorite desert sands tracks! This is going to be a good one!

[@NorthCdogg22]

Thank you!!

[@absolutetruthgirl]

4:43 ahhh...that lavender hazy linear skylight.

[@theprophetessnastacia]

I used to shop and hang around this particular mall for over 9 years. I haven’t been there since 2021 😮 It’s so cool to see my go-to mall being shown on KZbin ❤ -The Prophetess Nastacia #fortworthtxresident

[@MoK86]

AHAHAHA most unique intro ive seen in years. ahhh yes the ridgemar mall. yup that place has been dead for years and ever since that story of girls being abducted the mall lost soo many people and now the seaquest being shut down was the final nail to the coffin.

[@kittyannamanx1206]

Wow! I’d go to that mall when I was in college in the 90s. So very different now yet not so different.

[@janie5311]

My childhood mall to go with my family they used to have a circle ramp that would take you downstairs or up that was cool .and i miss the el fenix they had there it had a waterfall inside it was a beautiful restaurant.

[@YuumiTrash]

I used to go on dates with my now husband in this mall. I still shop in that Dillards for clothes. It's so wild, so bittersweet. I take my child here and hope the turtles are on.

[@DJPreK]

I grew up goin to this mall, it used to be POPPIN’. So many fun memories in this mall from buying Pokémon cards at the Wizards of the Coast shop to getting arrested in Spencer’s for drunkenly shoplifting. I grew up in this mall. I walked through it the other month and it’s so trippy with it being so empty

[@rockersrobloxandmore]

I dunno if irving mall could be a considered dead mall, but it’s definitely struggling as of 25’

[@KelpShake98]

Oh man, Irving Mall feels like I’m stepping into the 90s every time I walk in there lol

[@happygoluckyme6926]

Howdy from Fort Worth!

[@seabee73]

Love the intro with the windows xp. They should have left the original paint in there. I love the pillars and skylights. The food court was depressing. Thanks for the content. Hope you have a good New Year!

[@DarrenFain]

My first time to Ridgmar Mall was 99 or 2000 and even back then the mall had vacancies, although it was still very vibrant and full of people. When the new shopping center lured Nieman Marcus away that was the writing on the wall...

[@MisterNineEleven]

I walk around this mall all the time with my wife! We love how empty it is and always talk about how we wish theyd turn it into aparments!

[@DarrenFain]

I should have finished the video before commenting. LOL you mentioned the vacancies I saw! It was definitely 2000 for my first visit because I've only ever known the current iteration. Also, fun fact Foley's bought out Stripling and Cox, I believe, so them coming here ten years after Stripling and Cox closed there is hilarious.

[@salbitre]

The RC track is still there and has actually moved to a larger location in the mall. It, along with the theatre, are doing very well. Aside from that, the mall looks the same as you are seeing in this video.

[@KB0101]

Thank you for expanding my vocabulary. I can now add "blandification" to the list. 😄

[@fdholley]

So wild seeing majority empty malls 👀

[@Gendo3s2k]

There's a pretty cool Anime Store there now. Over by Dillard's. But i guess it wasn't there yet when you did this video

[@PurplePuppy2006]

When’s season 7 I’m so hyped for more mall videos dude and thanks for shouting me out!!! This mall has been my favorite dead mall you covered so far You should make a top 10 list video of malls of season 6 💜🐶💜

[@jessr8564]

Grapevine Mills Mall still has an active Mall Train next to the Rainforest Cafe. Just road it with my kids a couple weeks ago!

[@anaines6515]

Me da paz, hermoso

[@nomobobby]

@23:20 Honestly sounds like a great excuse to return just to get that ride. IDK any in my area that's got a running mall train.

[@amydaisy933]

Thanks for another great episode! 👍 Loved your intro too, very cool!!😍 Are those your dogs we saw, btw? 😂 Theres a seaquest here in Nv and its the same thing... abusive to its animals. It was on the news. Hope they close down here too. Thanks again for another fun episode and happy new year!🥳

[@QuartiyoPasdevHerjiKreuz]

When you enter the mall, the floor looks similar to ford city mall but without the turquoise blue on the side.

[@coreycoyle9548]

Wonderful Video!!! I love the Fountains!!! F+L, Corey

[@nick_stuff]

13:08 Bath and Body Works? (Lower level) also 22:06 and 27:17

[@thorned10]

Hello from Fort Worth :-)

[@Art32-e4s]

Cool video north! I’ve never been to this mall, but it seems interesting, the stars and pillars and plants give it some personality, also I gave you a shout out in my KZbin channel.

[@kennypalermo9071]

Awesome Mall!

[@tinapalermo3768]

Thanks! Doomie Grunt had it here kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6eXY6WQeJKUd5I

[@vcvcf1896]

6:10 I would've dropped everything and started jamming while not gaf if anyone is watching if I heard that song blaring through a dead mall 😂

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Yaasss!!!! 😂😂😂

[@djphlegm]

This mall has been on it's last leg for a while. I believe SeaQuest was the only reason this mall was still open. We'll see where it heads towards since SeaQuest closed.

[@hmistry]

Dead malls need to be added to the Backrooms. Great video!

[@kittyannamanx1206]

Katy Mills Mall in Katy TX has a train.

[@bryanb55]

GK Development changed everything.

[@BRFilmStudios]

22:25 KOHAN 😭😂

[@phillipchea5867]

We need more stuff like this XD

[@UmbreonFan76]

love the video at the mall of farifield commons it has a train mall

[@JamesLemony]

Is it Richland Mall in Waco, Texas? Or Heartland Mall in Brownwood?

[@NorthCdogg22]

It is Heartland Mall you got it!

[@zamoragera13]

I haven't gone to s mall in like 10 years. I do most of my shopping online.

[@Scotter1971]

Kind of prophetic that the song that begins to play at 8:48 is called, "The Last Waltz."

[@helenr991]

Hi👍✌️

[@gravitykat714]

You know we are lucky dfw malls have held on pretty well. Parks mall,Hulen Mall (might be the next victim tho) North East mall, grapevine mills, town center (now gran plaza. those being the ones I frequent the most.

[@Gendo3s2k]

Weekends, it's a little better. Nothing's open during the week

[@jnethe17]

What killed malls is the loitering thugs and other trash that would hang out there all day and make everyone else feel uncomfortable. It’s the same reason towns will eventually die when the bad people begin moving in.

[@StONed-yx5qq]

I can just sense holiday shoppers…..

[@jendai8607]

Northeast mall in Hurst has the train you seek. Lol. Not too far from ridgemar. Not a dead mall tho

[@Pushing_Daisies]

I’m surprised they let you record. When I went January second I got fussed at by a security guard for taking video

[@iteagle03]

I wonder if you made it to Hulen Mall (and if it is in the same sad shape as Ridgmar Mall).

[@AquaRoxas17]

Hulen is still fairly lively compared to Ridgmar but it’s already showing some dead parts near where the Sears was. I wouldn’t be surprised if it looked similar in 10 years

[@museluvr]

Make these dang places housing for low-income to medium incomers, and put in food courts, schooling... . a dental and health area.

[@WhittyPics]

It is a wonder JCP is still there

[@wulfbak]

This is one of the deadest malls I've ever seen. How do the mall owners even keep the lights on? Surely this place loses tons of money monthly just on electricity costs alone.

[@NorthCdogg22]

That’s a great question I would think the exact same thing, with so many more stores closed now I can’t see it lasting much longer in 2025

[@wulfbak]

@@NorthCdogg22 I went to the mall's website and there are 30 stores listed. Most are highly specialized shops, like the RC race club, not stores that will bring a lot of foot traffic and impulse purchases.

[@TheDalhuck]

They lease a few of the parking lots to Motorcycle Training companies. That's where I got my license.

[@phillipchea5867]

Irving mall in Irving TX next?

[@phillipchea5867]

also hulen mall has very historical macys that was a sanger harris building you should see it its buetiful.

[@rockersrobloxandmore]

YeS

[@amberrundus5540]

is it richland mall? 👀

[@amberrundus5540]

another thing about ridgmar… when we went it was at night and it was a totally different mall. definitely unsettling but amazing all the same!

[@Revanchist-l2k]

Best mall in the Fort Worth area is The Parks Mall Hulen sucks too

[@DarrenFain]

LOL Hulen has only won for now, unfortunately. It's still on borrowed time as the crime that ran people off from Ridgmar has moved over to Hulen... :(

[@traindude70]

Como kids kill malls for sure.

[@Emet.V]

It was my least favorite mall, Parks, Hulen, were better, you had more things to do at the parks mall.