Southridge Mall (Des Moines, IA) - feels abandoned but open to the public

[@SuperBuickregal]

Thanks! For your troubles. I have watched all of your videos.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you so much! This will help with my next Iowa trip. I have so much more to explore and share. 😃

[@sal]

This place is amazing, really well done sir.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thanks, Sal!

[@SuperBuickregal]

I have watched all of your videos from when you first started all way up to this one. Keep em rolling!

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thanks again! It makes me happy to know you’ve been following me this long. In addition to Iowa, I hope to share some Thunder Bay malls later this year.

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

The hallways to the bathroom in all these malls are always great for a horror scene in any movie, or real life! 😂😮😮

[@idontwantyoutoseeme2087]

It's just a shell of its former glory. Miss hanging out here. Was the place to be in middle and early high school.

[@NorthCdogg22]

I love this place! Glad you got to see it for yourself, nice video!!

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you! While I found the place creepy, I hope to stop in again.

[@Speed.Racer.5]

I worked there in the early 90's. It wasn't great then. I remember the Montgomery Ward space being vacant for years before it was torn down. I remember returning at some point. There were a ton of vacancies and they had a pool supply store in the mall. Weird. I'm surprised it's still standing. Seems like Valley West might actually be the first one to get demolished.

[@penbucket]

It looks really spooky without the ubiquitous candy machines and massage chairs, let alone stores. Love your tours. Thanks for your great work👍😎👍

[@xnihilo64]

Mall closings are another sign of fewer interactions among people. Truly sad.

[@ele5838]

I had the best childhood memories at this mall! I was so sad when all the demolition was happening. Thank you for making a video about it!

[@TonyK1]

the toys r us next to it was something else…

[@mikelarson7905]

I grew up in Des Moines but barely ever went to Southridge (wasn't on my side of town). Except when they had a waterslide inside the mall for a short 6 months, which was awesome.

[@johncherry1870]

Used to go to the theater’s there when I was in high school.

[@proctylnpals]

To many memories of this old mall. My entire childhood really. I remember being a little kid terrified of the carousel... in middle school i remember playing a giant game of hide and seek.

[@pogmaster6961]

10:10 I used to wait there with a former gf in highschool and wait for the dart bus to pick us up, we’d get a monster from a vending machine and waited. Weird times to think about since even then (2019) it was abandoned

[@isaaclee1964]

Crazy....i gotta go visit now lol

[@curtvote1099]

Bought a nice pair of Pioneer speakers at World Radio in the mall in 1983.

[@ranson2002]

god this legitimately made me teary-eyed. malls are dying, and passenger trains are dying too, I feel bad that future generations will only experience videos of our childhood

[@huckstout2685]

Native bid rare gem of south ridge

[@nole8923]

Hi. Watched your video on Oakwood mall you released about 8 months ago. The soundtrack you put on at about 12:05 on that video was absolutely awesome! Could you please tell me what the name of that tune is and who made it or provide a link please?

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's "I Won't Stop Now!" by Nikki Gee. www.epidemicsound.com/track/J3opx7L7Bn/ There is also a version with vocals: www.epidemicsound.com/track/23dvBxpWlO/

[@nole8923]

@@YodelingLoonRetail Excellent! Thanks.

[@justimagine2403]

First dollar store I saw was the 99 cent store. Fashion Bug, Arcade, Carousel, A place sold fur coats, that weird water slide, saw Indiana Jones Temple 3 times in 1 day in the Southridge 3 theaters, it was tough to see how it DE MALLED. Toys R Us in the outlot. Pier 1. But hey, there was a Target. tucked in the back a Richman Gordman, then Penneys.

[@tammytruckenbrod1006]

I used to work at Sears optical in both southridge and Merle Hay. Death of several great malls.

[@ScanMan79]

Spent a lot of time here in my teens. Was sad to see it die. Now it's more of a carcass of a mall than anything. I love the convenience of modern online shopping, dropped at your door, but nothing can match shopping during the holidays in a flourishing mall.

[@jeffb321]

Shopping in a flourishing mall during the holidays is my personal nightmare 😂😂

[@fdterritory]

This was my childhood mall! I have about a billion memories of this place that would be too much to share here. But yes, I rode that waterslide. It was surreal to have a mall that had wet footprints in the hallway on the daily.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I can’t imagine it feeling nice to walk through an air conditioned mall with wet feet.

[@fdterritory]

@@YodelingLoonRetail It was less nice to see wet >bare< footprints in the mall. :D

[@jonr3671]

I watched first hand as Southridge went from good to awful. 😞 They should have just ended it when they torn down the food court and sold off the marry-go-around.

[@Mycatsmeow2]

The didn't sell off the carousel! The original owners are still the owners of it, and it is still in operation to this day. You can ride this carousel just down the street during the warmer months of the year at Blank Park Zoo. I'm one of the current operators of it, and have been for the past eight years.

[@jonr3671]

@@Mycatsmeow2 - That's cool! I didn't know that! The guy I used to know that ran it, Chuck I think was his name, said that it was sold to a person in MN somewhere! Thanks for the Info!

[@cteckerman]

Southridge was the mall I mainly grew up with, worked several jobs there over the years. Spent untold hours over the years there. So sad to see it stripped that bare. I would love to see video or even just pictures of the mall before it was remodeled and Target and the carousel entrance was added, like in the 80's or possibly early 90's I can't recall.

[@Mycatsmeow2]

In the food court of this mall used to stand an old classic Chance Rides carousel. I used to ride this carousel all the time when I was a kid. This carousel is still in operation to this day. It is located just down the street at Blank Park Zoo. I am one of the current operators of this carousel, and have been for the past eight years. There are so many guests that come to the zoo and recognize this carousel. I always have to chat with zoo guests about the carousel's history and how sad it is to see a once thriving mall become the complete opposite.

[@toadskywalker6417]

I've had a deep seeded hatred towards this place since my sophomore year of highschool so I'm kinda glad it's closing down. If you're wondering why I hated this mall was because I was caught shoplifting one time and I've had to pay the fine. It's been a while since then and I've been very cautious towards the place but I've had no problem with the other malls though. Kinda of a bummer they were shown signs closing despite them still open

[@copwatcheria-il6299]

I grew up in this area and this mall was the furthest from me but I still have fond memories even though this mall is dead.. it had been on the decline for a LONG time. But I will say, I REALLY enjoyed the water ride, it was kind of expensive but a good time. I do miss that..

[@pamelaaverrett5848]

Always love your perspective on the malls. The old ones do bring you back to childhood…my kids are still hate loud toilets 😂

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you! After releasing this video, a friend told me his kids hate automatic flush toilet the most.

[@GManGucci]

Very depressing to see a place where you grew up at every weekend where you had your first date went school shopping at and now just an empty shell…

[@dmuldoon22]

I miss that mall in Iowa.

[@GTI_Man]

Knollwood still has indoor tenants?? Now that I've got to see. I remember seeing it at the end of its life. My first dead mall experience.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I plan to have a short video out before the end of the year. 😀 I’m kicking myself to not visiting 15 years ago after reading about it on The Dumpy Strip Malls blog.

[@TheMallFox]

Great video Brandon! Sometimes these larger empty malls can be spooky

[@TheDfin25]

God i miss the Dill Burger and Suncoast.

[@mollyheffernen]

Thank you for filming! Macerich has let a few properties go between this and the Quad City malls (Davenport, IA and Moline, IL). Not a lot has been done with either of those. It's quite sad really. This mall was nice when it was the 1990s era.

[@ne2448]

What about the Ardans store?

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

👍👍👍

[@ReallyBruh1]

Wait so as of now is the mall still open to the public or no?

[@AnimeJSaysBah]

I was in Southridge way back in the early nineties, but don't remember much about it. The way it stands now it reminds me of Southroads in Bellevue, Nebraska. It's open, but it always feels like you shouldn't be in there. Very Dawn of the Dead vibes. Sad to see this mall come to this.

[@MisterMcKinney]

Where’s all the tenants?