Richmond Town Square, Ohio | an effulgent dead mall enfeebled by Kohan | ExLog 55 | Phase iii Finale

[@pilotgrrl1]

Kohan, Namdar, and Moonbeam: the 3 horsemen of the mallpocalypse

[@sal]

Truer words have never been spoken

[@leesanders6914]

To he$# with all 3 !!!

[@SamLefkowitz631]

@White Boy Former Kohan Employee They are vultures that gut the malls for any value they have left and sell them

[@sirekumasutra7022]

I was holding back tears at the end there Sal. I am a cashier at 2 essential stores, an ACE and a Kroger and I've been working a lot and it's taken it's toll on my mental health. Had chest pains due to stress and called off a day and relaxed. Thanks for the shoutout and been a fan since you had like 2K subs. I'm a mall fan myself and you helped inspire me to pursue that. I dub myself the Retail Excavator haha. Keep up the great work Sal and hope you and everyone else watching this is safe.

[@jrebecca0195]

My local mall, Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing, NJ, used to have the same three anchors as this mall: Sears, JCPenney, and Macy's. Now only Macy's remains. The former JCPenney location is now a discount store called Shopper's World.

[@drpc97]

that abomination was called "Laughing Sal" it was in a fun house at Euclid Beach Park till it closed in 1969. she would laugh hysterically and move back and forth while laughing.

[@jesseaharris]

There’s also one at Kennywood amusement park in Pittsburgh

[@bluelblock]

@@orokro_stuff And at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. She is indeed horrifying. My grandmother and her sisters remembered plugging their ears with their fingers and running past her!

[@annettevillain4352]

Laughing Sal, hah!

[@josephhart7933]

Also at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Its also in a Orson Wells film with Rita Hayworth

[@danielcain1118]

Had one at Meyers Lake amusement park in Canton Ohio, but they tore it down years ago. Seems to be the story line here.

[@dlamars]

The poster you passed is the one and only Laughing Sal. It was a vending both that would laugh at the drop of a coin. There were several made and I think one still exists in operation at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh. Laughing Sal was at Euclid Beach Park that closed in the late 1960's. The park was along Lake Erie in Cleveland.

[@TheAskTrixieChannel]

Yes! Unless it's been removed (which I doubt), Laughing Sal is still at the entrance of Kennywood's train. :)

[@dedorongolas4656]

I thought Laughing Sal was part of some awful half forgotten childhood fever dream, but alas no; last I checked Laughing Sal still lurks in Kennywood Park to horrify a whole new generation of children.

[@dedorongolas4656]

I thought Laughing Sal was part of some awful half forgotten childhood fever dream, but alas no; last I checked Laughing Sal still lurks in Kennywood Park to horrify a whole new generation of children.

[@traviscoates6878]

The two men were “Big Chuck” and “Little John”. They were big TV and radio personalities in the 80’s

[@Prettykittychimi]

Richmond mall was my childhood hangout. The empty halls and parking lots are so sad. There were a lot of good memories made in there.

[@DavidEMartin1955]

We loved going to Loews to watch movies like FANTASTIC VOYAGE and WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR DADDY?

[@HEYMANProductionsInc]

This mall has since been closed. The Macy's that had a sign to visit the Great Lakes Mall location: that Great Lakes Macy's has also closed.

[@MrButch-ls8vl]

Fantastic Expedition Log addition, Sal! Very well put together and most interesting. The thing that really impresses me is your intelligent and passionate commentary ... you hit the nail on the head when describing the scumbag vultures who are neglecting and degrading these once temples of retail shopping. Don't mince words. Tell it like it is.

[@Karmy.]

That fountain was insane!

[@sal]

Right?

[@madamhummingbird]

Yep, I agree. The fountain is key. Such a shame what happened to this mall. You did it justice, Sal. Thanks for sharing. Be well.

[@DavidEMartin1955]

The glycerin rain curtain was HYPNOTIC !

[@mazzycollins9856]

It's always sad to me that so many of the companies that bought malls all but destroyed their original style and character with renovations. Could they not have kept the original flavor while updating with more modern touches? I think about this way too much, I'm sure. Thanks again for another great production, Sal. It is very much appreciated and enjoyed here, and I have used a lot of your content to teach my kids about economics, architecture and business.

[@johnroot4886]

Had my first date at this mall when I was 13, I remember a magic shop or something similar to it on the mezzanine level, this was back in the early 80’s. I spent many weekends of my childhood here, sad to see what it has become, thanks for such great content Sal, I really enjoy all of your videos, thank you.

[@kasperbird26]

Went there in the late 70's before moving away. Been trying to remember what stores where on the mezzanine level. Been to many years and now the memories are faded.

[@TownieGirl1974]

"OMEGA MAN" is one of my favorite songs by The Police.

[@glennhavinoviski8128]

Grew up near here in the early 70s. I understand now the mall is being demolished. Thanks for sharing this. Flashbacks galore.

[@nancydarling4918]

Good video. Thanks.

[@sal]

Hi Nancy! Haven’t seen you around in a while! Hope all is well.

[@brentirwin10]

I remember this mall being an exciting place. My dad and I came over for model train shows in the 80s. It was amazing.

[@georger1952]

Thanks for the continuing effort Sal. You stay safe as well.

[@chadloveless3985]

Another great ex log. These never get old with each one uniquely different. laughing sal was quite a sight. Thanks for sharing

[@Kylergarcia123k]

Thank you for this video. Simple assurances like you gave at the beginning go a long way my friend.

[@the_zenba]

i'd love it if there were more footage available online of this mall pre-remodel. loved it as a kid, learned how to drive in the sears parking lot, and worked in the mall later on. other malls in the area were better... yet given the chance, current me would return to late 1980s richmond mall.

[@mayac3539]

I use to shop there often with my grandmother growing up. I liked the malls design in the 80s before they remodeled it. We use to eat lunch at the Harvest house cafeteria after we shopped. In the 90s we would go across the street to the Hometown Buffet for lunch. Miss you granny!!!

[@DavidEMartin1955]

I have watched dozens of your vids but this was the first one on a mall I knew and loved. Richmond Mall was the third indoor mall of my childhood years 1963-1967 in adjoining Euclid Ohio. It was also the closest, being a short drive up the hill and south past the airport. While my family favored Severance Mall with its Higbees and Halles, this new mall had its advantages-- ►The Loew's Cinema was spectacular and unlike the Severance Cinema, Loew's had their own external entrance, a distinct advantage in the days when malls mostly shut down on Sundays due to Blue Laws. ►It held the first Sears and Penney's I remember. Summer of 1967 we bought all our Back To School clothes. A neighbor of ours was the store security chief and got my older sister her first job, Women's dressing room attendant. ►Another neighbor was a cashier at Spenser's Gifts. What a wonderful collection of unusual and occasionally tacky items ! ►The fountain was a magical mix of water sprays and glycerin "rain curtain." I could spend ten minutes just hypnotized by the slowly descending drops. ►WALDEN BOOKS !!!!!! While I had already discovered the joy of book departments thanks to Higbees, Walden's was the first time I ever saw walls of PAPERBACKS. As most had cover prices of 45 to 60 cents I afford 2 to 6 books off my paper route earnings. ►The Mezzanine in 1967 was an odd place, a little-used walkway in the middle of the atrium. I liked to climb the stairs and make the circuit looking down at all the folks below. It was also a good way to spot my parents since, as a big boy of eleven I was allowed to roam on my own.

[@galechicago325]

Sal, I love your final peel-out in the parking lot. And the return! A thrill in the midst of crumbling ruins.

[@rickdeakins5628]

So weird to watch you drive through my city down Monticello Blvd in black and white

[@Mintman83]

This mall has more stores and business than most malls I’ve been to. It’s not a dead mall but one on life support I think

[@TheRedDevil_NC]

Its like looking through a time capsule and it all seems like yesterday. There is no bringing them back sadly. Thank you for what you do.

[@francisphillips53]

Sal my friend.. Helmet looking sharp! Glad ur wearing it. (Its more fun if you know you won't get hurt.) Keep your great reviews coming buddy.

[@jong2368]

Covid-19 might be the end for a lot of these dead malls.

[@ECsponger2]

I gotta point it out - the soundtrack absolutely SLAYED - always including just the right t e l e p a t h song

[@kimberlykovach6236]

Thanks for the great content of this Exlog! Such detail! Myself, I am a line cook out of work. Waiting patiently for my unemployment....*sigh* Stay safe everyone! You rock!

[@Lonrafael]

What?? Woo hoo!! So looking forward to it!! You got it out fast. 😁

[@sal]

This one per week production schedule is brutal...But you guys are worth the effort :)

[@Lonrafael]

Sal 🥰

[@RichieRouge206]

They well and truly ruined it by getting rid of the mezzanine. Its beyond disgusting how much money is wasted and frittered away.

[@nordicdraw]

Great job Sal. Charlton Heston always taking his damn shirt off. Moses, Moses, Moses. Unfortunately, Covid nay be the finale to brick and mortar. It was a pleasant way to shop. I always loved store displays and it made Christmas so much livelier. Sad times

[@sal]

I still have hope for physical retail...if the right steps are taken to prevent spreading germs, and social distancing persists into the future, it may hang around...

[@danielcain1118]

@@sal I don't think people are really getting what's going on. They're walking around with the, It won't happen to me, attitude. I have a 91yr old neighbor who has no family. So I go to the store for her when needed. Walking around there is unbelievable. 90% of the people aren't wearing masks. I watched two women hug, neither had masks. All of this after the governor announced we had 300 new cases in the state in one week. And now people are protesting against lockdowns? With that kind of attitude COVID-19 will never go away.

[@JoseHernandez-iq3fs]

You should be on Netflix doing dead mall documentaries!!!

[@sal]

Let’s make it happen!!!

[@discoron77]

Got to visit here in 2017, just as the Sears was getting ready to close. The third floor inside the Sears had long been closed and access blocked off. Stuff like that is always weird to me, and really fuels my exploration of these places even further. Looking in the comments here, the entire mall is closed now, but I'm glad I got to see it when I had the chance.

[@roselyncampisi822]

I used to go there when Woolworth was there and sears. When they renovated it as Richmond Town. I walked in and saw all these dark colors of wood. I was discussed. I walked out never to go in again! So I don't care if it closed. It used to have a second floor. It was so nice back then!

[@Zahnclassof95]

Thank you Sal for another great volg.I didn't know you are charging now for your channel

[@Karen_of_Kanada]

OMG, LOVE OMEGA MAN!!! Caught this late night on PBS and loved the campiness of it. Then, when this whole plague hit, it was my immediate thought- we're living Omega Man, just with 100% less bell bottoms. :) Great log as usual- thanks for letting us explore while confined to barracks.

[@knutini]

Just subscribed. You should have WAY more subscribers. Keep up the great content! 👍

[@airaero5473]

I think I'm suffering some kind of depression right now, and it has nothing to do with the virus. I don't know how to explain it, but my depression has been going on for over a year now and has seen little to no improvement since then. My depression sometimes becomes so bad that I can't really enjoy videos like these anymore. Back then in 2018/early 2019 I used to absolutely enjoy videos like thrift store videos, home videos from the 80s, old commercials, and ESPECIALLY dead mall videos. You get the idea. Nowadays, I watch most of those videos with a cloud over my head. At one point, I even stopped watching your Cleveland Arcade video abruptly, almost in tears because my depression got the better of me. However, after watching this video, I felt a glimmer of hope that I can get back to my obsession full swing. There was just something magical about this video that made me hopeful that I can be 100% happy again. Thanks Sal for being with me at home during these crazy times :)

[@galechicago325]

Air Aero, Sal’s videos ARE something magic. Stay well, my friend. This dark cloud will pass.

[@erinoldcoot3381]

It's dread, and the fear of getting old and nothing is like what it was back in the good old days.

[@scottlangdon9403]

Sal well done as always. God's blessings to you and your family. Stay safe.

[@kelly3014]

At first, Ifound it funny that you said the the Great Lakes Mall was the darling of Washington Prime. I grew up going to this mall, and there was a time when so few people were coming that I was nervous it might close. Then, in 2010, a large amount of money was invested into the mall for a huge renovation and then again in 2014 when they built another anchor, Dick’s. The investment is starting to pay off now because more people are coming, so now I can see why this mall would be it’s darling. The area around the Richmond Square Mall has at least four other malls within 15ish minutes away (Beachwood Place, Randall Park Mall, Euclid SquareMall, and the Great Lakes Mall) so that was a big factor to killing it. The nail in the coffin though was crime. That neighborhood is notorious for crime, and people stay away. A friend of mine is a police officer who works for the city, and he told us under no circumstance should we ever go there at night. That was a major factor in its slow death. I love your work!

[@Skottravels]

Yeah. I used to live nearby. Completely agree.

[@maxdawson2948]

And Severance!

[@Lonrafael]

Sal, another excellent one!

[@Plantsandtoyhorses]

Another great exploration, and one more mall memory well preserved for future generations! I saw that you listed the music credits but which one was the last piece of music as the video was ending? It was so nice. Thank you!

[@ItsaRomethingeveryday]

Outstanding content 👌

[@leejamestheliar2085]

Lived just down the road. Remember the 70s well. Too bad for the area. Haven't been there for many decades. Rock and Roll died when they built the r&r hall of shame. We didn't have much crime back then. After the riots of 68 it mellowed. I did see Euclid mall about a decade or so ago. Pity....... Metropolitan Cleveland area really went down hard. I remember when Stokes? Bankrupted Cleveland. Or was it Pinkney..? I used to play in bands around Cleveland and the erea. Live in the middle of nowhere now. I am a survivor. After the beach closed my dad bought a car from "Over the falls " and fixed it up and put it in our back yard. Memories, THANKS Sal....

[@mcherylyn]

Uh...no...KUCINICH bankrupted Cleveland, and Pinkney was never mayor

[@Crackrzz]

That is definitely a Stranger Things theme (vaporwave?) remix. I love it. I know the title card always is an homage to it as well.

[@TJEssary]

If you can get there before it is shutdown completely, you should checkout Midway Mall in Sherman, TX. Don't know the history, but do know that it was built just down the road from its present location, but within just a few years was completely demolished except for the entrance "gateway" and rebuilt at its current location. Now, it is about as dead as it can get and still stay in operation. I am friends with one of the former managers who worked really hard to revive the place but had to move on before some of her plans came to fruition.

[@gentlemanscholar2314]

Very nice work as always, Sal!

[@Decade8Media]

Never a minute wasted watching your content, Sal. And yes, that mezzanine was cool. Your points are well taken.

[@Mikeshik]

I needed this right now and I'm so glad we are getting weekly content Stay safe

[@ilikejumprope]

We used to sometimes go to this mall when I was younger. Mostly Great Lakes. My grandma worked there

[@mikez1701e]

By far the best dead mall creator!

[@zokwye4461]

Best video ever made on the channel

[@ffddbp11]

Radiant, shining brilliantly...anyone who needs to look 📖 up effulgent 😅

[@stevexray6253]

Good music and explore all the way to the old last ride in the parking lot. 😁👍

[@TopGunNT77]

Awesome content as always Sal.

[@dat1scorpiogirl]

Another great one, but sad to say currently this mall is dead and gone.

[@leesanders6914]

Another Great video, Sal. RE: Randall Park Anyone know if the anchors are still standing?(and leaseable). 2017 last updated. Thanks

[@thripsys61]

the only part of Randall Park Mall that remains is the part that used to be Sears. Everything else has been demolished and is a giant Amazon distribution center now.

[@davidjames666]

any mall that has a movie theatre inside it just lost a tenant

[@supermama4748]

The mall remained open throughout the rest of 2020 and until May 6th, 2021 when it finally closed for good. In June of 2021, an event was held in the parking lot of the former Sears showing locals the plans of Belle Oaks. The mall is planned to be demolished in the fall of 2021.The remaining portions of the mall were sold to DealPoint Merrill in July 2021.

[@snakeboren4814]

COOL VIDEO SAL!!!

[@sal]

Thanks sssSnake

[@snakeboren4814]

@@sal WELCOME sassSAL!

[@MrTim-ez2qd]

I love your videos

[@reddfoxxkeno]

Was there visiting weeks before the quarantine...went to the movies with my family and the first thing I said when I walked in is that I felt like I was in the dead mall series’s....

[@billytwee3674]

Sal, that figure is Laughing Sal...she was at Playland-at-the-Beach, a now demolished tourist attraction in San Francisco, near Golden Gate Park looking out to the Pacific...judging from other comments here, Laughing Sal go around, thanks for posting the video

[@caroldyer6144]

I don't know her name , but she was the animated laughing lady ar the entrance of the 'Fun House' at Euc lid Beach amusement park. She laughed at people as they were entering. The 'Fun House was like a rat's maze with all sorts of mirrors that would distort your body shape. Also had sections of moving floors that you had to navigate the get through. I loved Euclid Beach Amusement park as a kid. I cried when they tore it down for condos. My last remembrance, I was 8 years old. It was the Cedar Point of Cleveland, but it had been there since the 1920's 30's? My grandmother and her siblings used to go there as youth , hence the 'laughing lady's ( that's what I called her as a kid) was really old - of another era. Thanks for your video. The property upon which the mall sits was my grandfather's apple orchard and my first childhood home and that of my grandparents was moved to make way for the mall. ( Check out video : The Rise and Fall of a Mall)

[@Nuggs1980]

Bravo Sal! 👏

[@GalvanizedArt]

I'd love to see an episode on Eastland mall in Harper Woods, MI. It's one of the earliest covered malls in the state, and I used to go to the Macy's and Target there all the time growing up. It's fallen pretty far, and I'm surprised I've never seen a video on it before.

[@someguy23475]

Didn’t Eastland open as an open air center? I know Northland did- going there was a huge treat to my mom in the 60s. I never made it before it closed. Eastland, yes I have and it’s pretty sad.

[@MuneageDaydream]

If you ever visit Colorado, please consider The Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs. My childhood mall, it has a fabulous operating 1972 vintage fountain, some of the best mall plants anywhere and the original brutalist architecture JCPenny anchor. Not a dead mall before the virus anyway but definitely in trouble. I heard a clip on NPR this morning that predicted HALF of all malls left in the US would shutter by 2021. Many were on life support already and COVID-19 is the final nail in the coffin.

[@keepingitreal71]

Nice looking mall... Better then most of the places I have seen..

[@maxdawson2948]

Last I heard they’re going to tear it down and build condos. Can’t believe they’d tear down the relatively new storage facilities though.

[@RichieRouge206]

I have a hatred for developers in general. It’s all about money, i hate it when they demolish beautiful old homes to build shitty cheap boxes instead. All profit driven. Great tour Sal

[@leesanders6914]

You are so Right!

[@seabrook1976]

1:30 when they bring out a second squad car, someone's going to jail.

[@TheCubeTube]

The Proper People made a really cool video at this mall once it closed. It deteriorated rather quickly!

[@johnnym5564]

Sal, I look forward to your sponsor video, then the main attraction. Thanks

[@CodaGardner]

The music at the end is beautiful. “Ivory” by Infinity Ripple.

[@TownieGirl1974]

Sal's videos have the best titles on all of You Tube.

[@pavXX]

I'm dating myself here, but back in the late 70s I used to take the bus out to that mall. There was a coin shop in the upstairs mezzanine that I would frequent, along with the Woolworths & others. Also In the early 2010s I met Col Oliver North at a book signing in the Barnes and Noble. Nice guy. Wild how things change.

[@tony-ce7qp]

nice job!

[@Brobocop2]

Worked here when there was a GameStop for six years. Sad to see this mall dead but even back in 2008 when I left I knew it was dead.

[@rogeradam7391]

Nice work .

[@joesmith9330]

i use these malls for their computer counters to write ai programing ! the food courts make my life convienient ! slows me down if i cant get everything in one place . thanks for the vids so i know where not to go . i was told there was a nice mall in bradenton fl. so i moved there and it is a dead mall to my disapointment . i moved back to my mall where i was before !

[@gsanchez3902]

I don’t think malls will completely die out...I see your point of online shopping but there’s nothing quite like going to a store and looking at merchandise selections and picking what fits best and looks best or just being able to get out of the house and distract yourself by visiting your local retailer. While I may use online shopping during this epidemic I prefer to go to the store and make my purchases in person as I’m sure a lot of other people prefer it as well .

[@tolget4684]

The older I get, the more my heart breaks.

[@bskrilz]

I can't believe I used to work there 14 years ago it's a Ghost 👻Town now.

[@Batwing20293]

I might have a rough idea as to what that thing is at 13:02 there were these things at amusement parks that were called laughing Sal or something. I’m guessing this was a picture of one of those? There’s a theme park in the Pittsburgh area that has one of these. Friggin creepy.

[@frankj.artino2203]

The planned obsolescence is obvious. Clearly, it could have been saved.

[@maine1cb]

I use to love going here, FYE, KIDS FOOTLOCKER

[@johnnystall9683]

Omega Man, fantastic! What do you think about "Soylent Green"? Both films star Charlton Heston and are relevant during the Novel Covid -19 times. My favorite line from Soylent Green is when Heston goes to the apartment of the murder victim and asks the hot young woman, "furniture?" She responds, "Yes, I come with the apartment". Additionally, it was Edward G. Robinson's last roll before his death in 1973.

[@rayryan90]

man, Can anyone name one original Debartolo mall that’s still successful?

[@dindog22]

that's not a leaky ceiling and puddle. that's a fountain!

[@soccerkerrydan]

You go boy!

[@mr.h.4501]

From the late 70's to the late 80's Malls's traditionally sold other good's besides clothes. Real middle-class america would go to the mall and buy goods, from affordable school clothes for kids to home appliances and everything between. Somewhere during the 90's many malls in America began remodeling with an upscale look ushering out stores that favored middle-class home and family shopping for more premium stores selling apparel. This was the time when back to school shopping at the mall's changed. Stores like the Gap went from selling $16 jeans to $60 jeans in a space of a couple of years. This happened way before the internet and e-commerce was a thing. Malls began killing themselves in the 90's and stores like super Walmarts began opening up to take their place because they kept the price point of goods of what middleclass america was use to shopping at befor ethe Malls got rid of them. As the internet and ecommerce began to be more common, Malls didn't know how to stay relevant. I love the Mall concept and idea, but i love the idea of how they were in the early and mid 80s when you would go to one place to get all yous shopping done, not what they became in the 90's and beyond. Surprisingly in the day of on-line shopping such as Amazon, Walmart is still a relevent player for middleclass america shopping.

[@rhysphil9332]

You should have bought that elephant. It's fantastic!

[@leesanders6914]

Was nice ...and $3199

[@rhysphil9332]

@@leesanders6914 Yikes! I see why you left it lol

[@SnowmanTF2]

It is amazing how many developers who should know dam well they are building too close to an existing mall for both to exist but plow ahead anyway

[@DanKirchner5150]

the original theatre was ,as i recall unique ,movie posters surrounding the exterior,mall area. the "richmin mall"

[@ronniecardy]

Very 😎 wonder how many stores will close after the shutdown?

[@kingsford3657]

as soon as i saw the elephant at 9:15, i thought of Petal.

[@heraldo2881]

Let's do it sal, phase 4... dont keep us waiting... seems this episode was on the short side... so we need more dead malls

[@texasabbott]

If a mall is in danger of dying, why not add a big grocery store inside as a part of the formula to rescue it?

[@Willibef]

The intro music is great.

[@thripsys61]

video is also missing a key detail: that neighborhood was changing in the late 90's as the ghetto moved in and was driving business away. Then the mall was renovated in '99 and the customer base flipped from attracting old people to urban inner city (yes, I am saying what you, the reader, think I'm saying. I can't be more direct without being falsely labeled because its true). Weirdly the mall was attracting lots of traffic, but not doing great business and I remember hearing lots of rumors of theft and the sit down restaurants leaving because too many people were dine and dashing.

[@thripsys61]

watching this video makes the mall seem to have returned to its hang out place for old folks vibe in the 90's. I know Sears left the mall, but I had no idea JCP did too. Kind of makes me want to swing by once the quarantine is over, but according to the local news, it seems the mall might be closed for good due to code violations.