Northwoods Mall - North Charleston, SC

[@SCICU2]

Interesting fact. The mall originally stopped at the Bath & Body Works store. There was a mall entrance there. Bath & Body Works was originally Burger King, the first tenant you’d see on the left when you entered through that mall entrance. Just across from BK was Tiffany’s Bakeries (which always smelled heavenly) and next door to Tiffany’s was Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream. The wing extending from Bath & Body Works to Dillard’s was added when the mall was acquired by Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs and Thalhimers was added (pronounced “Tall-hi-murs”)

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Thank you for all of this information! It makes sense now, seeing how the ceiling design in this wing is different than the others. There's also a ramp in this wing. It's the only ramp in the entire mall, and it's also the only wing with a large open court area.

[@jadenova]

I somewhat remember Tiffany's. They custom made a cake for either my fourth or fifth birthday.

[@FilbinCreekPhil]

I remember when northwoods was just a drawing in the news and courier paper. we thought it looked so space-age. You can just walk from one store to the other and never get rained on? cool...

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Double feature today!!!! You got Northwoods, I got Citadel 🎉🎉🎉

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

What?! Sounds like a great day! 🙌🏽

[@SCICU2]

Excellent commentary and videography. Your timeline and narrative was spot on! Great job!

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Thank you very much! I really wanted to highlight my local mall and give a detailed history about it. I’m glad you enjoyed!

[@coolcat8867]

I grew up with this mall & Citadel- Im pleased to see this one is doing well. I think the opening of nearby Tanger Outlet Mall has had an effect on BOTH malls. As a sidenote I am SO GLAD they updated those drab looking red brick floor tiles with these white ones and gave the mall a brighter look!

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Wow, I bet it was nice growing up with both malls when they were equally busy. I wish I could've seen them both in their heyday. Tanger probably did have an effect on these malls. It has more name brand offerings than either of the malls, but especially Citadel, so it would make sense why people wouldn't visit the mall as much. I honestly think that the red tiles would have been SO cool to see! Lol. Maybe it's because I've only ever seen it with the white and brown ones. I really love malls, though. I wish that they got more love like they used to. The idea of a mall is such a nice and cool concept. I hate that it's a dying trend. Thank you for supporting!

[@francisphillips53]

Not dead.. looks great! Lots of cool stores, plenty of foot traffic, nice job.. keep up the great work. 😊😊❤❤

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Yes, all of the above! Northwoods is far from being dead and has a pretty nice design. The store lineup has changed a bit over the years, but there's plenty of options and a lot of foot traffic indeed. Thank you very much!

[@Foxtail529withluck]

Around January 2023, videos started going around of that Chic Fil La having rats. And not just rats in the kitchen, the rats were running around the dinning area and literally chasing customers away LOL. I think that's a big reason why it closed.

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Oh wow! Chick-Fil-A and rats isn't a combination I would have bet on. Lol. Geez. That's pretty nasty. At this point, though, the mall gates are down, but that doesn't necessarily prevent the rats from getting through. I hope they were all removed. Thanks for the information!

[@jenniferburchill3658]

EEEEEWWWWWW!!!

[@dinosbaby2654]

Thank you so much for this video. I have been waiting for this video for YEARS. This was my childhood mall. I grew up on the navy base there in the 70's and 80's. My mom worked at Sears and we ate at that Chic FIL A - alot

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Thank you for your support! I'm glad my video was able to bring back some memories! I haven't shopped at Northwoods as much as I have wished, but I've wanted to do a quality video of it for a while. I'm sure the mall has changed a lot compared to how it was back then. I'm curious as to how the Chick-Fil-A and Sears experiences were back then? Did your mom think Sears was a nice place to work?

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Good commentary and voiceover! Chick Fil A moving out of this mall sucks…

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Thank you! Oh really? I never had any problems with it. It was always dependable when I ate there.

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

@@ZeeMann_Retail oh, I was meaning it not being there anymore sucks… ha

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Ohh I totally misread that! Yeah it’s a pretty significant loss. I wonder what could make up for that loss.

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

@@ZeeMann_Retail insomnia cookie… doubt it but let’s see

[@SCICU2]

That was the very first Chick-fil-A in the entire region. 😢

[@Mom2my4blessings]

I live in Goose Creek. Northwoods is definitely a lively mall. I went once during back to school shopping and it was crazy busy! I have been going to the Citadel Mall for several years. My children have been attending a homeschool co-op in West Ashley for about 4-5 years. There’s actually a co-op in the mall. I too was surprised that Chick Fil A closed recently. Great video! It’s crazy the stark contrast between this mall and the Citadel Mall. I have many good memories in this mall. I now drive past it every week to take my children to ice skating lessons at the ice palace.

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Thank you for your support! Yes, I was at this mall around the back to school time as well, and it was indeed packed. It makes me glad to see this mall still doing well after so many years. From what I understand, the Chick-Fil-A closed due to a rat infestation, but I cannot confirm whether that is true or not. I'm glad you have been to both malls recently and still support both. Citadel is essentially a shell of what it used to be. It has 3 solid anchors, a movie theater, and a Dick's Sporting Goods on its land, but I think the actual mall itself has been struggling for several years. The busiest I have seen Citadel is on a Saturday when kids are out of school. During the week, that place is pretty dead, sadly. Stay tuned, as my next mall video is on Citadel Mall! Thank you for watching!

[@jacobsuggs3537]

This was my mall back in the day...

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Oh wow! I’d love to see what it looked like many moons ago. I’m glad my video could contribute to your memories of this mall! Thanks for your support!

[@jacobsuggs3537]

@@ZeeMann_Retail yep I remember it way before books a million, I remember the early days it had a pet store next to belks, and the arcade was the first store in the food court. I remember when they added that entire wing for JC Penny's, we would joke about it cuz that was my sister's name.

[@ERA_Productions]

Great job man!!

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Thank you so much!

[@SCICU2]

Dillard’s expanded by pushing their store forward into the mall. I believe that they incorporated 2 of the mainline tenant spaces just outside of their front entrance. Prior to this expansion the store had no housewares department. When I worked there in 1994 they were planning the expansion and had considered adding on a second level. They ultimately ditched this idea because it would have required the store to be closed for an extended period of time as additional structural support beams would have been needed on the first level requiring the store to close while that took place. Dillard’s decided that the least disruptive option (and least costly) was to expand by pushing forward into the mall.

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

So, they basically removed two of the in-line mall tenants to use the space as their own? That's pretty cool. I would've liked to see the process. They were also considering adding a second level?! Wow. I'm not surprised that they canned that idea. It sounds like it would've cost a lot of money. Especially since Northwoods is only a ground-level property. I wonder if they'd consider an expansion process in today's market. Lol. Times have definitely changed. I liked learning about these kinds of things, so thank you for this!

[@francisphillips53]

Berlington coat factory is pretty cool. 😊😊😊

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

I haven't been inside of Burlington much, but from when I was, it wasn't a bad looking store. Thank you for watching!

[@jeffcockerill18]

Nice video. I grew up in this mall. I remember Barrel of Fun, one of the arcades the mall had over the years. Also there was a Babbages back in the day as well as a few other video game stores. Lots of fond memories at this mall.

[@johndersham1]

You did a great job. I will watch more as you produce them.

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Thank you very much! I appreciate your support. Unfortunately, I don't have many malls in my log yet, but I have a few that I will release in the future. I'm aiming for as soon as December, but we'll see.

[@richardlahan7068]

I spent SO much time there as a teenager!

[@drifter0365]

That area where the theater and hooters are used to be a drive in theater a very long time ago

[@kentworch]

Holy shit that place has changed since the last time I was there. I remember when the kids play area had the long tongue connected to the dragonfly and mushrooms nearby. When I was a kid I used to love going up and down the escalators in the JC Penney store. Me and my family ate at that Chick fil a many times back in the day, and I remember the dairy Queen as well as the sabarros pizza place. Those were there when I was growing up. I've actually put a little bit of thought into working there as a security guard, but definitely didn't know how much things have changed. I remember that mall being so crowded that it was shoulder to shoulder just about, and you couldn't walk fast. Seeing it so empty is kinda sad.

[@jadenova]

Fun Facts: The mall used to have a tobacco store which smelled good. Spencer's used to be in the Belk wing in that diamond like area where GNC is. The cinema used to be across from the mall office near the Chick-Fil-A when you walked in. Saw many a movies there when I was a kid.

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Wow, thank you for the history! I can only wish for some photos from what the mall looked like back then. For some reason, I feel that it simply felt more smaller and cozy back then. I'm glad it still appears to do good business though.

[@jadenova]

@@ZeeMann_Retail The mall might have seemed smaller and cozier back then. I know it had a bigger variety of stores than it does now.

[@giantrobot9000]

Nice video! I just discovered your channel searching for Charleston-area footage. I lived in North Chas/Summerville from 86-97 and it’s interesting to see how it has changed in the past 25 years. My mom worked at the Sears selling credit cards. I remember at that end there was an arcade, a comic/toy shop, another comic book shop called Swampfox and then a toy store that had entrances on either side of the Chick-Fil-A….the name Condon’s comes to mind for some reason.

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Thank you very much for supporting! It was interesting to dive into the history of this mall specifically because I worked there and spent a lot of time there as a result. I'd love to see what Northwoods Mall looked like before the 2000s.

[@vinewood8295]

I'm grew up a short drive & or walk from this mall in North Charleston. Growing up, my mother was a hardcore gamer & used to drag me & my older sister along with her to the arcade we had called Barrel Of Fun which used to be right by Sears if I remember correctly. It used to open like an hour before the rest of the mall did & closed a couple hours after the regular stores did. I hated it cause I was too small to reach any of the game controls so I spent my days running around the mall, now and then I would get free food from Burger King & Orange Julius. This was prior to the wing where Thalhimers was added, I think it's called Dillards now. Back then I think there was only Sears & Belk's as well as a Woolworths. Other stores I remember from back then were Merry Go Round, Fines, DJ's, Kaybee Toys, Eckerd Drug's, Lerner's, Tape World & R&M Sports. My cousin worked at the Footlocker in the newer part of the mall back in the early 90's when we were all in High School...

[@Oddball5.0]

There was a great toy store here when I was a kid, mid to late 1970s. Bought a ton of Star Wars action figures there! I’m talking the original Star Wars. Don’t remember the name of the store.

[@hollyrose2418]

Me and my brother used to work at this mall. ❤

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

That's great! Was it recently or not? Hopefully it was a good experience for you all.

[@hollyrose2418]

@@ZeeMann_Retail it was recently. I used to work at H&M and he worked at Rue 21. I left in 2022 and he left earlier this year. He would always come back home from work with chick fil a. So sad it closed down but other than that it was a good experience.

[@michaelstinson9756]

Can you do citadel mall? Please

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

Yes! I've already filmed there, I just have to edit the video based on my mall video standards. I'm looking to have it published within the next few months.

[@michaelstinson9756]

Ok I live on James Island so that’s the mall I shop at so I can’t wait

[@michaelstinson9756]

Can you film the bi-lo that’s on James Island please

[@SCICU2]

What many people don’t know is that Citadel Mall’s former owner CBL & Associates took out a $68 million loan on Citadel but didn’t use a penny of the money for much needed upgrades at Citadel. They instead funneled the money into improvements at Northwoods and others of their malls and then walked away from the Citadel Mall mortgage. You can thank CBL for effectively killing Citadel because they never invested a dime in the mall towards upgrades & improvements.

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

I'm glad I was able to cover Citadel, and am eager to release it for you all to watch and enjoy. As for the BI-LO, I'm not sure when I can get out to James Island. Once I manage to get my own transportation, it will become a lot easier to get around to places. I will let you know if I can get out to that area.

[@pistolpetereal]

Why is KZbin recommending me videos based on where I live again 😂

[@markchristian3249]

Why in the world did chick fila close?

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

I learned that this Chick-Fil-A had a rat problem, and it was closed for that reason. I cannot directly confirm this, and I'm not sure if this is the actual reason. I hope this helps answer your question.

[@jadenova]

What did happen to Chick-Fil-A? I can't find anything about it closing. It was in the mall since probably the beginning.

[@ZeeMann_Retail]

From what I have read and heard, the Chick-Fil-A in Northwoods Mall had a rat infestation. I cannot confirm nor deny that, though. Maybe another factor in the decision to close that location was due to the standalone restaurant they have across the street in front of the Best Buy plaza. It is literally right down the road from the mall.

[@jadenova]

@@ZeeMann_Retail I heard that one in the mall and on Rivers Avenue are both owned by the same person and he decided to close the mall one instead of having two right near each other.

[@RodgerGraham-q2l]

This mall is a dump

[@RodgerGraham-q2l]

This mall is a dump