🐿️Pinecone Attack

c/dead-mall-adventures

2

grayt46•1d ago

The great food court dilemma: Sbarro or the Chinese place that's been there since 92

Went to the Crystal Mall in Waterford last weekend and had to pick between a Sbarro that looked like the cheese melted in 2005 or a Chinese spot with one light working. Chose the Chinese place and got a combo that tasted like they forgot to wash the rice cooker. Anybody else face impossible food choices in these ghost malls?

17

grayt46•1d ago

Drove 2 hours to the Granite Run Mall and the food court was just a Sbarro and a pretzel stand

Got there around noon last Saturday excited to grab lunch and walk around. The whole upper level was blocked off with those plastic barriers. The pretzel guy told me the Sbarro's been running off a generator for 3 months because the landlord won't fix the electric. Has anyone else had a dead mall trip where even the basic stuff like a bathroom or a working escalator was just gone?

4

lee.cole•2d ago

Walked through an old Montgomery Ward last week, felt like 1995

It's in the Spartanburg mall that's been dying for 10 years, but the tile floor and old signage are still there. Anyone else got a specific anchor store they miss seeing around?

0

abby_martin28•3d ago

I'm sick of people calling any empty mall a 'dead mall'

Went to the Westgate Mall in Visalia last weekend and there were still 12 stores open and people eating at the food court. That's not a dead mall. A dead mall is like the old Northridge Mall in Salinas where the floors are literally peeling up and you can hear your own footsteps echo. Why does everyone have to exaggerate just for a photo? Have you actually been to a mall that's truly gone under or are you just posting for likes?

24

ryan_stone•3d ago

The arcade carpet is always wrong in photos

Everybody posts pics of dead mall arcades but nobody gets the carpet right. The key detail is the speckle pattern - it was always gray with tiny red and blue flecks, not the plain dark color people show. I worked at an Aladdin's Castle in 1998 and I still remember that floor better than my own kitchen tile. Has anyone else noticed this or am I just weirdly obsessed?

8

butler.shane•8d ago

Overheard a guy at the mall saying his family ran a Toys R Us in 1995

I was checking out an old Macy's that's been empty for years at the Franklin Mills Mall in Philly. There was this older guy sitting on a bench near the food court telling his grandson about working at the mall back in its prime. He said his family ran the Toys R Us when it opened in 1995 and they had lines out the door for Tickle Me Elmo. I never thought about how those stores were someone's whole life before they got abandoned. Made me wonder how many broken hearts are tied up in these empty hallways. Has anyone else ever talked to an old employee at a dead mall? What stories did they share?

9

lee.cole•9d ago

Found a working arcade machine in an abandoned mall in Ohio and it changed how I fix things

I was poking around the old food court at the Mid-Ohio Mall last Saturday when I found a Ms. Pac-Man cabinet still humming in the dark, and watching the attract mode loop for 15 minutes made me realize I've been overcomplicating my repair work back home by trying to match factory specs instead of just listening to what the machine is telling me does anyone else find that vintage stuff runs better when you stop overthinking it?

11

casey943•9d ago

That fancy gumball machine cost me $12 before I learned my lesson

Found an old gumball machine in a dead mall near Toledo and dropped $12 thinking the vintage gumballs were still edible. Turns out they were just hard candy shells from 1998, totally stale. Has anyone else fallen for old vending machine traps in these places?

22

grayt46•11d ago

48 dead stores in 2 years - the slide I watched happen

I first visited Valley View Mall in 2022 and counted 22 working stores. Walked through it again last weekend and only 7 are left. That food court with the fake palm trees is completely dark now.

5

eva_lewis•11d ago

Stumbled on a dead mall with 47 original neon signs still lit

Was driving through suburban Ohio last month and decided to check out the old Westbrook Mall. Walking in felt like stepping into 1987. Counted 47 original neon signs still buzzing above empty storefronts. Most dead malls I've hit have maybe a dozen working signs max. This place had the whole food court signage lit up like it was noon on a Saturday. Anyone else found a mall with that many original fixtures still running?

15

anthony_lane55•12d ago

Vent: Found my old mall job photos from 2004 and got depressed

I dug up a folder of pictures from the Westgate Mall in San Jose last week, shots of the arcade and the food court where I worked for $6.75 an hour, and now that place is just a empty shell with a single nail salon hanging on. Anybody else ever stumble across old photos of a mall you used to love and just feel this weird hollow pit in your stomach?

5

tarak17•14d ago

Took photos at the Crystal Mall in Waterford last weekend and the food court was a whole different vibe

I compared eating at the old Sbarro vs the random hot dog cart that's still running near the escalator. The Sbarro pizza was basically a display prop at this point, but that hot dog cart guy had a full setup with grilled onions and everything. Has anyone else found one random vendor in a dead mall that's still trying way harder than everyone else?

30

anthony989•16d ago

Brought my camera to Granite Run Mall last Saturday and ended up putting it away

I always take tons of photos at dead malls, but at Granite Run in Pennsylvania I saw a old lady crying in the food court by the dried up fountain. She told me she met her husband there in 1987 before it went under. So I just sat with her for 20 minutes instead of snapping pics. Has anyone else had a moment at a mall that made you forget about the photos?

20

calebrivera•17d ago

Hit 50 dead malls visited this year, didn't plan it

I was counting up my photos from 2024 and realized I've been to 50 different dead malls since January. Most are in Ohio and Pennsylvania where I do my cleaning jobs on weekdays. The weirdest one was a mall in Youngstown where every store was still open but there were zero customers. Has anyone else accidentally hit a big number like that without trying?

29

jason_fisher4•17d ago

A camera store guy told me my mall photos were too dark

I used to shoot dead malls with the available light and thought it looked moody. The guy at the local shop in Akron said my shots were muddy and I needed a flash. I picked up a used speedlight for 40 bucks and started bouncing it off the ceiling. Now the photos pop way more and show the actual colors of the old tile floors. Anyone else get harsh feedback that actually improved their pictures?

10

matthew_baker•20d ago

Warning: Do not visit the old Fox Run Mall in New Hampshire after dark

I stopped by the Fox Run Mall in Newington last Tuesday around 8 PM to grab some photos of the empty food court, and the place had no working lights in the back hallway near the old movie theater. I heard footsteps behind me for about 5 minutes but never saw a single person, just weird echoes and a flickering exit sign. Has anyone else gotten a creepy feeling walking through the dark parts of a dead mall after hours?

5

emeryn83•23d ago

Finally figured out why the food court fountain at my local dead mall smells like old pennies

I spent three visits over a month trying to figure out why the fountain near the old Orange Julius smells weird. Turns out the filter hasn't been changed since 2019, and there's a dead fish stuck in the pump. Anyone else ever find something gross lurking in a mall fountain?

27

richard_mason•24d ago

Talked with an old guy at the Lincoln Mall food court for an hour

Was wandering around the Lincoln Mall in Rhode Island last Saturday taking pics of the empty storefronts. Sat down to rest on a bench near the old food court and this older dude just sits next to me. He asks if I'm a photographer or just sad lol. Turns out he worked at the arcade there back in the early 90s. He pointed at a spot where the carpet was a different color and said the fountain used to be right there. Kids would throw pennies in and he'd fish them out after hours. He had this look like he was still seeing the place how it used to be. Made me feel weird taking photos of a dying mall when someone actually lived parts of it. Has anyone else had a random conversation like that totally change how you see a dead mall?

11

eric_carr•26d ago

Can we talk about hitting 50 dead malls without even noticing?

I was going through my photos last night and realized I've visited 50 different dead or dying malls over the past 3 years. That number surprised me because I never set out to hit a specific count, it just kind of happened from road trips and weekend detours. Has anyone else tracked how many they've been to and been caught off guard by the total?

14

lindaw29•26d ago

The guy at the Orange Julius kiosk still shows up every Saturday to stand there

I found him leaning on the counter of a long-dead Orange Julius in the Cortana Mall food court, and he just said 'they never told me not to come back' before taking a sip from an empty cup, has anyone else run into a former employee who never clocked out?

5

the_miles•27d ago

Overheard a mom at the food court say she was glad the mall was dying so her kids would "go outside"

I was at the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne NJ last weekend getting some pics of the old arcade area. It's mostly dead now maybe 12 stores open. I'm sitting eating a pretzel and this mom at the next table tells her friend she's happy the mall is failing because it means her kids will "discover nature or something." Lady your kids are 8 and 10 they are just gonna sit on their iPads at home instead. The mall at least got them walking around and seeing other humans. Has anyone else heard people romanticizing malls dying like it's some kind of win for society?

12

the_sarah•29d ago

Tried to photograph the old fountain at Northgate Mall and got kicked out by security

I was just taking a few pics of that dry fountain with the weird tile work, nothing crazy. Some guard came running over like I was casing the place for a heist. I mean, has anyone else had security lose it on them for just taking pictures at a dead mall?

10

the_jesse•1mo ago

I finally gave up on fixing that dead mall fountain

Honestly thought I could get that old fountain in the Granite Run Mall working in an afternoon. Three weekends later I was standing in ankle deep murky water holding a pump that was full of rust and dead leaves. The thing sat dry for like 15 years so every seal was shot and the motor was seized solid. Took me about 20 hours total just to realize it was cheaper to buy a whole new fountain than fix that one. Has anyone else wasted way too much time trying to restore something that was beyond saving?

15

campbell.nora•1mo ago

PSA: Check the roof before you explore a dead mall, not just the floor

Hit up the old Tri-County Mall in Cincinnati last Saturday. Made it past the security gate fine, got some good shots of the empty food court. On my way out, I stepped on a rotted floor tile near the old escalator and my leg went straight through. Caught myself on the railing but dropped my camera down two stories. Smashed the lens, cost me $120 to replace. Mall security heard the crash and kicked me out anyway. Anyone else deal with hidden hazards in these places?

25

derekp70•1mo ago

PSA: The Franklin Mills Mall in Philly is way worse than I thought

I used to think the old Exton Square was the saddest mall around, but then I drove out to Franklin Mills last Saturday. The indoor skatepark and the completely empty food court with only a Sbarro left made me change my mind completely. Has anyone else been there lately and seen the escalators that just go to a closed second floor?