Morrisville Outlet Mall, NC | a Dead Mall, Abandoned on a Dank Wasteland | ExLog 45

[@sal]

Hey guys! Thanks for watching! I'm so glad to have finally gotten the chance to investigate this mall, as there wasn't a single shred of information in existing videos for this place. The amount of research that goes into these videos is staggering, and to all of my Patrons who support me directly, you are the coal that keeps the ship moving...so thank you all so much! Lots more coming in the series, so please subscribe, ring the bell and follow my social media, and join the Dead Malls of Discord Server for a 24/7 discussion. Take care everyone!

[@Chocolatchips]

This place just needs a new name and it will bounce right back. Something like, "Extra Super Prime Premier Outlet of Morrisville" would be perfect! :)

[@sal]

Lol yes

[@gingerkat74]

It's obvious how much research you put into your videos, and it's much appreciated! It's truly fascinating to me....

[@lowbar77]

It is the combination of the video and narration that makes these videos so awesome! Great work, keep that great content coming! It is really appreciated.

[@sal]

Thank you!!! Lots more on the way!

[@jakerez4666]

I got into Dead malls through Dan Bell videos & with all due respect to Dan Sal has become my favorite he’s so in depth with his research & just love the chill ness in his voice I look forward to every video P.S. Sal stop going into jankey elevators though man my heart stops every time lol

[@sal]

Lmao I can’t help myself with the elevators. It’s like a secret adrenaline kink or something

[@sirekumasutra7022]

Agreed. Dan brought me in and Sal convinced me to stay.

[@sal]

Thank you :)

[@HamiltonMechanical]

@@sal have you ever watched the elevator hacking videos by i think its Deviant Ollam? Worth a watch! we need to get you some keys! ;)

[@melmckane2913]

@@HamiltonMechanical please don't. A guy I know working on elevators died. There are more elevator deaths then you think, and they are nasty.

[@tolget4684]

That is one heck of a wood floor. Had to cost a fortune. Such a shame...

[@Optopolis]

This mall has certain sense of luxury to it that many malls of today lack, but also a fair amount of old school / vapor wave vibes. I really dig the looks of this mall, and while it's too bad it's not in business now, it's good that something better is coming for it.

[@dementedpuppy]

I think this is the most beautiful dead mall I’ve seen yet.

[@gregorytimmons4777]

That's how i feel about the San Diego mall he featured.

[@historychick]

Sign: restricted area, keep out Sal: *nope*

[@jw7155]

I used to work in the original part of the mall. In 1983 it was only 4 hallways, concrete floors, and the bathrooms in the middle in a giant crate structure it truly was an outlet mall then. I worked at a women's store named captree near the food court. The store was owned by Vanderbilt fashions

[@taylorp535]

This mall is beautiful the way it is! I loved the Miller commercial you put in as background because my grandpa (who passed away 9 years ago 9 days from today) worked for Miller as a driver and as a delivery person. Miller meant so much to him and every time I see something or hear something having to do with Miller, I know it’s my grandpa trying to tell me he’s still here and he’s with me. I love your videos so much and am so thankful you take the time to make them. Thank you so much ❤️

[@taylorp535]

@GREATNESS NEVER DIES totally agree with you!!!! I would definitely make a trip down to this mall with my family if it were able to come back at least a little!!!! I mean, I would go to explore now, but if I wanted my family to join me, there would at least have to be a few stores to shop in to make it worthwhile for them!

[@tim2036]

The Edible Complex.....nearly spit out my drink at that one. Hilariously awesome name for a food court.

[@rplife]

That food court is absolutely stunning. And the neon sign is the cherry on top.

[@raymondcaple9543]

A wasteland of a vacant mall. Morrisville Outlet Mall during the 1980’s throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s was the Triangle’s most popular destination for shopping with a huge parking lot and was known as the Triangle Outlet Mall that opened in 1982 that made it easy to access off Interstate 40 and nearby RDU International Airport and just minutes from Raleigh and Durham. Anchors like Rolane Factory Outlet, J. Brennan, Rack Room Shoes, and more than 150 stores and services. It was later renamed Prime Outlets Mall. A Saks Off Fifth Avenue was later added as one of its largest anchors but it didn’t last long. It closed in 2010 as the mall had competition from The Streets Of Southpoint west of I-40 and Crabtree Valley Mall that was east of I-40 not to mention Tanger Outlets in Mebane and Smithfield Outlets in Smithfield. It’s still vacant. But well kept.

[@ginnywilliams8159]

Hey I was born and raised in Durham. I went to this mall a lot as a child in the 90’s. Our family called it “the airport mall” lol as it’s by RDU...and *YES! That red bridge walkway is ORIGINAL*! I remember it plain as day. This mall looks EXACTLY the same as I remember it, especially the shiny floors and the food court! This mall really is a gem in terms of unique aesthetic. It was and still is quite charming! Brings back so many memories.

[@mermanhellville]

What a beautiful place. Around 11:00 when he gets to the curtain thing it almost looks like an antique ballroom.

[@justinporterproductions]

Its all original. My mom LOVED this mall!

[@dondavis5633]

WOW! That food court looks amazingly like the one at the once & former Owings Mills Mall, in Maryland.

[@justinporterproductions]

The only new addition was hardwood floors. It originally had these tiny pebbles imbedded in concrete as the floor.

[@kurtreitema2979]

Great Ex Log! I love the character and architecture of this place. Such a shame retail doesn’t have a hold in malls like this anymore, but I get why this one died. Absolutely love the floors!

[@sal]

Hey thanks Kurt!! The floors were absolutely amazing.

[@thomasallen3818]

I’ve never seen hard wood floors in a mall, they’re beautiful. It’s a shame because the mall is really pretty.

[@Larose94]

Wow. The outside looks amazing

[@mrmiles1968]

Seeing this mall, I could so see converting it to an apartment style complex. It just has this look like it could be converted to a multi-user living complex. I am surprised that none of these dead malls ever go that way. This place has a beauty to it. Great video Sal, thanks!

[@kimsleep4111]

Marshy land, and a high decible noise would not make it desirable. as he mentioned

[@lemardiaz22]

I work at RDU airport and I discovered this mall in 2009. I remember the six stores they had and the five places that were open in the food court. That China star cafe had the best food ever. I knew the guy who ran the Philly stake place.

[@debbiekerr3989]

That looks like it was a really beautiful place! It's still quite lovely, and doesn't seem to have been left ruined. I hope that the new owners make good use of the space.

[@rippertaterchipper4117]

Those floors are beautiful

[@Lurker1979]

I love that wood floor.

[@Darkhelmett09]

I don't know why these videos are so damned satisfying. I have watched everyone you have put out since came across your channel. Love the content!

[@jimmystorey19]

I worked at this mall during its heyday in the mid-90s. There was quite a few outlet mall mainstays (Bass, Izod, Dress Barn, etc.). Food court had a Subway and a Taco Bell, along with a number of mom-and-pop operations. There was even an IBM PC Outlet store, since they were manufactured nearby in RTP if I recall correctly. Good times.

[@ricksadler797]

Beautiful inside and out , to bad malls are going out

[@hj471230]

Loved catching up on your videos after finding your channel!

[@sharichambers7333]

Wow what a gorgeous mall! So sad to see it empty! It is getting new life so that's a plus!

[@harrismi7]

I've driven by the Morrisville Outlet before but if you are in the area again you should check out the Northgate Mall in Durham. This mall is about 75% empty and all the anchor stores have closed. The most active part is the food court, but even the Ruby Tuesday recently closed. It's a strange mall because there are stores under the same roof but they are only accessible from the outside of the mall and there are offices down some stairs under one wing. From what I have read it used to be an outdoor shopping center but converted to an indoor mall. Plus parts of it on the outside have some old unfinished construction. On Wednesday evenings there is a bluegrass music group that plays in what was once a restaurant, I think it was a Chick-Fil-A.

[@katzfam1089]

I love watching these videos. Just imagining what it was like in the hay day, All the shoppers scrambling to do their Saturday shopping, Christmas shopping, and now its nothing more then a shell of its former self. I hope they do something with this mall, Its beautiful.

[@johnl.conrodjr9000]

I love the stained wooden floors along with the blue and white inlayed walls. Such a pity that it sits largely vacant.

[@LethaWolf30]

Another quality production from you Sal, your content is always gold.

[@BGNOLA]

Those gumball machine kiosks are the circling vultures of dead malls; I see them in almost every one of these videos.

[@historiclift27]

Ok very excited for this one. I visited this mall when visiting Raleigh Durham for a conference my dad attended. This mall was next door and I believe had just opened. It was so beautiful and made a long impact on my memory. My mom and I loved it and actually hoped a mall being built in our area would look this nice. It didn’t but thats another story. It did have wooden floors in spots and whenever I see those floors I think of this place. Ok edit here. I was here early to mid nineties and I do remember talking to a worker about a grand opening. Maybe it was just their store and I mis interpreted. But the mall looked so new at the time. I do believe the bridge shown was there when I was there. But thats not totally original.

[@exploringwithkevin607]

Great Video Sal. 😊👍❤

[@mattgillis329]

I remember this mall very well, Sal...I visited this area not long back, while Saks' Off 5th Outlet and an Apple Computer Outlet were still in the plaza. The place was a beautiful mall to visit, with a newsstand located to one side of the Food Court area. But, as you mentioned, the newer Streets of Southpoint plaza/mall in Durham and the older, but still active Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, among other places, had a big effect causing the downslide of the Outlets at Morrisville (as it was known when I visited). Even now, newer plazas in Raleigh (Triangle Towne Center) and Mebane (west of Raleigh/Durham, home to the new Tanger Outlet Center) have also been "the" new places for shoppers.

[@mickangel3945]

I like this mall. Love the floor and the design of the rest of the building is an understated ornate design.

[@Zahnclassof95]

Me to .I can tell that the hardwood floors are well cared for . beautiful ❤️

[@DanielAsato98]

I grew up in this area. I remember going to this mall as a child, it used to house a nice kitchen store and many other small shops I enjoyed going to with my family during the 2000’s but as the years went on they slowly closed and left, the place was already quiet during those times and you could tell it had potential but no matter what the mall slowly died. During the early 2010’s I do remember hearing rumors about a “Chinese business” buying it out in order to turn it into some kind of cultural “China town” kind of thing, and you confirmed that with the 2013 buyout segment. We were excited to hear the news about that back then but as time went on we lost faith in the idea of that beautiful place being revitalized, and it looks like nothing came of it. I moved from there in 2017, hadn’t been there in years before that. The memory of the mall laid dormant in my mind until seeing this video. Watching your video was very nostalgic and was interesting to hear what recent news there was about it.

[@chrisstoj5614]

Thank you for such an awesome video, I drive by this mall every day on the way to work and have been to this mall 100s of times back in its heyday. I'm happy to see it documented as construction crews have been on-site for the last few weeks and it looks like it is coming down. Thank you for the memories.

[@nataliekate2176]

Great Ex Log Sal! I love that food court, so aesthetically pleasing. Can’t wait for the next one 😊

[@audreyvangelder1940]

Wow ! this place is a beautiful mess of styles and time eras. I love it ! Great video as always! ❤️

[@kimberlykovach6236]

Outstanding! Love the in depth research. Thank you for doing these for us. Keep up the great work! Many blessings to you 🙏❤️

[@SentaiAce]

Excellent video once again Sal. Hells yeah to using Dan Mason too.

[@user-ho3dx3od9y]

Such a shame. The mall design is nice and it’s well kept. While it’s sad to see, it’s nice to see it being repurposed. Great filming, music and commentary. Thanks Sal.

[@stephenwhite546]

Can’t beat the hardwood floors .

[@TheRedDevil_NC]

Great Work Sal. Your love for nostalgia is off the charts and it shows in your work. Much appreciated.

[@ryonwalker5287]

15:20 I have not seen that style ice cream machine in forever. Last time I seen that style machine was in a hospital in the late 90's.

[@ryonwalker5287]

@@watershed44 Back then I would have easily put a dollar in the machine but today I would ask myself "how old is this ice cream in this machine?" lol.

[@onescentaway]

Nc welcomes you! The old Airport mall (Morrisville Mall) was a beautiful yet unique mall to say the least. From what I remembered everything was original. It was never really busy on the weekends or weekdays. Once the Tanger Outlets in Meban opened, Burlington Coat Factory, Off Saks 5th Ave left the mall, It was pretty much downhill from there. Also the RDU airport is only 3 miles away which was to capture that incoming/ outgoing airport traffic.

[@ShellsBells80]

Those floors......❤❤❤

[@an0therdimensi0n99]

love the aesthetics. instant sub

[@sal]

Thanks :)

[@jasoncarskadon6809]

Wow, that's crazy I can't believe they still had a payphone in that place. The funny thing about that kids now days would have no idea what one of those are. Lol

[@Alicia-ix9yp]

I never used one so I don't even know how they work to be honest and I'm a 2000s kid so I'm sure kids today have never even heard of a pay phone

[@jasoncarskadon6809]

@@Alicia-ix9yp that's ok, you have to be born in the 80s to really know how to use one. Lol well I guess I'm aging myself aren't I.

[@therealmikebrown]

That bridge was there in the early to mid 90's. All those facades were there too. It was nice for an outlet mall. The food court was awesome. Last time I was there it was almost empty and one store was opened to take in children's clothes and sell them on the cheap.

[@yoitsyume5538]

It’s so well taken care inside though..

[@matthewnelson3894]

We took our son here in the 2008-2010 period to the foodcourt on weekends where they had the local Pokemon club meetups. They took over most of the tables and there were still about four restaurants open at that time. At some point they stopped meeting there. We haven't been back since. The mall is now called the Stitch and is being converted into a life sciences campus for San Francisco-based Invitae Corp.

[@fisitron7256]

Morrisville Outlets definitely seems trapped in another era, but looks surprisingly well-kept. Somewhat reminds me of the now-demolished Greenville Mall, based on the decor. And if you're ever down in SC, I definitely recommend a visit to McAlister Square! The mall is still open to the public, but the majority of it has been repurposed into school/office space. It opened in 1968, and was expanded during the 70s with a Belk, the mall closed in the 2000s after all three anchors had closed or moved, but maintains its original layout.

[@M60gunner1971]

I live in East Tennessee and there are some good ones here (as there are everywhere). Another good video by the way. The history of these places is fascinating. We have a crappy little mall here in my town but it's still going. Keep traveling and filming.

[@TheHrb1234]

$100 mil + renovation "Hey I have some chinese lanterns"

[@sal]

Yep, basically lol

[@pjinok6878]

Once The Streets at Southpoint opened in 2002, Morrisville Outlet Mall had no shot. Crabtree Valley Mall had inner Raleigh business, and Southpoint captured that outer Raleigh business away from Morrisville. Southpoint actually took a lot of design ideas from Morrisville. It's sad really. Had Morrisville not been next to the airport, who knows how they would have fared. Great work Sal, your mall videos are very informative and well-narrated. *Come out to Oklahoma City sometime and check out Crossroads Mall on OKC's southside.

[@paytonchung]

A friend's parents opened a food-court stand there when the bridge and food court were added in the early 1990s. The original part was the + shaped portion on the south; the anchor tenant spaces were just carved out from the wings. Even when it was rechristened as an outlet mall, it had few name-brand factory outlets -- those are generally at the edge of cities and closer to residences, rather than in a workaday office park at the center of a metro area.

[@morriganwitch]

I love you videos way back when I was part of a kickstarter funding for a book ‘ Malls Across America ‘ and even tho I live in the UK I have been fascinated by Malls in America , even tho we have shopping centres / outlets here they are most definitely not the same . Thank you xxx

[@johaarup]

Beautiful mall.

[@NobodyelseNL]

I love this mall, great floor and architecture 😍. Thanks for the ex log 😊. Greetings from The Netherlands

[@josiptito9412]

the indoor chinatown idea was a fantastic idea! it's a shame that they weren't able to see it through to fruition.

[@yotelongwulf5979]

The crossroads mall in Kalamazoo Michigan is starting to die with the big company Sears closed down.

[@yates656]

Frozen in time, the 30+ year old commercials and music playing in the background only add to the experience lol. Reminds me of Carolina Place Mall in the 1990s when I was a kid.

[@MrButch-ls8vl]

I love your opening ... it has a Rod Serling/Twilight Zone vibe!

[@MEXICANMOOSE1976]

Yeah..i think I saw that Ice Cream machine in an Epi of 'Adam 12'!!! 😂🔥🔥🔥

[@tonygeinzer6034]

Sal, I feel what is the bad habit in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill is they'd always know how to attract people, but, the real issue is not keeping Good Management like preexisting Majors or Mid-Major Cities. I'd like to see replica of Classic Malls, but, the falloffs are always too heavy for the commoners to accept. It feels like there should be more about these places, because there is not ever enough info out there.

[@tonylayne5726]

You should check out signal Hill Mall in Statesville the next time you're in NC. I grew there and the last time I went there it looked like a flea market.

[@jimmytheyoutubewatcher8002]

All that space and not one supermarket. Ive noticed thats a recurring thing in malls in the USA, no supermarkets. Baffling why? Everybody needs food, it brings in a lot of foot traffic. Who ever isnt there to buy groceries is retail shopping, and chances are they'll stop in other stores on the way in or out. In Australia that mall Would have at least two different supermarket chains,the anchor stores and then all the smaller retail stores. I guess thats why our malls (Or shopping centers, as we call them) arent dying off.

[@mrblakesley]

i remember going here as a kid with my mother to go to some fancy cookware store and i also used to go to the cars and coffee events here all the time, and believe it or not the subway was open until like four years ago, with it being the only restaurant in there.

[@jooleepadoolie]

Gorgeous flooring!

[@mikeb8674]

I'm not familiar and now never will be, but while you were there I hope you got to eat at Los Tres Magueyes nearby. Really good place. PS - there's already a different place called "The Factory" not too far - drive up 540 to Route 1, wave at Triangle Town Center (a huge regional mall), turn north and drive maybe another five miles, and right down Alt 1, there you are. This one has two hockey rinks and a pro shop among its tenants.

[@ItsaRomethingeveryday]

Outstanding vid Sal, always enjoy these ExLogs!!!!

[@heathermichele67]

I've been there. I live in Raleigh. It's still open...kind of. I took a computer class there for the hospital. Everybody that works at UNC hospital has to go through computer training to know how to use the system. It was an entire class full, in an empty mall. It was strange and eerie.

[@YiFangShen]

another winner from Sal! thanks!

[@Alfonsodag]

Another great video by Sal with a fascinating story of people investing millions and even 10's of millions into the place without exactly knowing what to do with it. One would think that in order to get a business loan there would need to be a business plan. But apparently, the banks are only too happy to pass out free money printed by the Fed, co-signed involuntarily by the American taxpayers.

[@sal]

Nailed it.

[@goodbyejeffery]

I cracked up when I heard the Kazakhstan National Anthem, I haven't heard that in ages!

[@andreat4898]

It was by Borat.

[@sal]

Actually Sascha’s brother wrote and performed it.

[@ECsponger2]

t e l e p a t h is and always will be perfect for your videos, fits in so well

[@sal]

Telepath for life. You’ll never see me not include this music.

[@Methuselah5]

Do you know what the song was that started playing around 10:45? Dang that is beautiful

[@sp196o]

Excellent job as usual. Thank you.

[@stevenboswell220]

15:13 that Pepsi can is from like 2012 LOL

[@mikz86ta1]

Music even is depressing....however the Miller Beer commercial was fairly chipper. Lol Floors are beautiful wood. But I see carpet patches covering damage

[@jpmusik6969]

Loving the content. Keep up the great work :)

[@Pandabaire3540]

When I moved to Raleigh in 1994 it looked like this - it was beautiful in its heyday and I used to eat at the food court for lunch every so often as I worked at RDU airport. The multinational ownership was a scam imo. We had a similar purchase in Milwaukee for Northridge Mall in which nothing came of it. Seems to be a regular business dealing with other dead malls across America. I think it's used as a front for Chinese Citizens to get visas into America.

[@sweetwater88]

It's Morrisville. There's a lot of workers that live in overpriced, mass produced and cheaply made apartments in Briar Creek (a boring apartment and housing development full of franchised stored and restaurants) and work in Morrisville/RTP area (a boring corporate office complex). It's like Tyson's Corner but will less culture and more trees.

[@elizam2119]

Wow, I didn't realize my shoes were that old. I have on a pair I bought at the SAS outlet store. And I believe the outside landscaping is fairly original, or at least original to 1995, when I started getting shoes at SAS. ( It is -under- one of the flight paths for RDU!)

[@welcometotheinternet4215]

It’s Sunday night and loaded a big bowl and watching this awesome video!

[@Labraianna]

When I lived in Raleigh/Cary area from 1994 to 2006, I visited this outlet mall as a consumer. I worked at a nearby office building and we used to have lunch in the food court! It was super busy! The stores themselves were never too busy. The bridge to the food court was there in 1994. I don’t know if it was original. I remember when the Saks outlet opened. I thought it would bring more business to the mall but it didn’t. Like you said, other malls like Crabtree Valley Mall and the still living, Cary Towne Center had more to offer. I enjoyed shopping there!! Those wood floors were beautiful!! I’m in Ohio now and it’s so bizarre to see this Outlet Mall so dead.... but I never saw it really busy except at lunch! The outdoor spaces were really awesome and they had beautiful indoor trees & plants. The benches were a beautiful wood as well. I remember sitting in that food court with my friends. As we ate lunch, I told them I had plans to change careers (which I did successfully and retired). It was turning point for me. In that mall! Thnx for the memories. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@LawnJohn]

My wife was a manager at the Paper Factory outlet store 10+ years ago when it was still Prime. I thought it was a nice mall.

[@toro8star]

Excellent work!

[@KrazyKeith4]

Mall: *starts declining Moonbeam: Let's buy it and not do any improvements to it.

[@mannyrichtofen4354]

Outstanding.

[@BigKahuna0275]

"Ice Cream Bar" of all the things I choose to openly chuckle about, it's that one statement that I guffawed like a child :D

[@erinmotley7529]

This place is so gorgeous!!!

[@Zahnclassof95]

That would be cool if you an Dan Bell did a vlog together .I really enjoy watching you an Dan's vlogs .. exspecially the history

[@justinbond558]

Way better that the live stream! I like this one!

[@clairestephens4916]

What's really creepy is the old music playing. I don't know if you added that or was it actually still playing at the mall but that old Miller Time commercial is definitely carrying a cane by now. The music adds a creepy yet sad tone to the place and it's so sad to see places like this just sit there when there are so many poor & homeless people that need shelter. I love these videos on these old malls. It also makes me wonder if the government has some sort of "plan" for these places too because why would they let such nice buildings just sit there.

[@Martini_Mcfly]

I checked for the dial tone too... 🤷‍♂️ Glad you covered this one. It's been a fascination for me for some time.

[@Hopeguz3]

Martini Mcfly Would have been cool if it worked lol

[@onemanwolfpack08]

Have you done anything on Midway Mall in Elyria Ohio, the last of its 4 anchor stores closed earlier this year