A Visit to Staunton Mall

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  • Опубликовано: 28 фев 2019
  • Today, a little more serious take on the Staunton Mall. A mall trying to survive in a quiet desperation.
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    #Staunton #DeadMalls #Virginia
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Комментарии • 115

  • @DoomieGruntVentures
    @DoomieGruntVentures  5 лет назад

    For best results, wear headphones. Pardon the bag rustling heard throughout.
    Discord - Link Removed due to terminated affiliation

  • @mbargerr
    @mbargerr 5 лет назад +30

    In Virginia we don’t say Staunton like you did

    • @addisoncash4367
      @addisoncash4367 4 года назад +1

      True

    • @Agape1992
      @Agape1992 4 года назад +1

      Same thing with McLean and Norfolk

    • @nickhill8612
      @nickhill8612 4 года назад

      Haha you know hes not local.

    • @mbargerr
      @mbargerr 4 года назад +1

      clawless92 also buena vista

    • @nickhill8612
      @nickhill8612 4 года назад

      @@mbargerr
      Yes your right.

  • @VeRTiGo9191
    @VeRTiGo9191 5 лет назад +15

    And some of us refer to it as STANT-on mall. But yeah, it's pretty dead.

    • @SchuminWeb
      @SchuminWeb 4 года назад

      Yep - the "U" is silent. It's pronounced "Stanton".

  • @Wglass90
    @Wglass90 4 года назад +7

    As someone who grew up in Staunton, it's really depressing to see how much the Staunton Mall has diminished in the last 10+ years. Back in the '90s, it used to be so full of life and an exciting place to go to as a kid. I still remember when Country Cookin' was on the left side in the entranceway (0:33/8:38) where my mother and I would commonly get lunch or dinner before proceeding to shop, and of course, you can't forget the now-defunct KB Toys which was near 'Bath and Body Works' (1:19). I had so many childhood memories and experiences there to where I could write two chapters in a book on.

  • @margeauxreall2402
    @margeauxreall2402 5 лет назад +16

    its pronounced STANTON

  • @ThresholdDreamer111
    @ThresholdDreamer111 5 лет назад +11

    My Lord, this place hasn't changed AT ALL visually speaking since I was a very young teen. Far less open storefronts, obviously, but it looks largely unchanged otherwise. Thank you for bringing this place back to me, as it's quite far for me to try and see it for myself. This was one of my childhood malls, one which I visited every time my family went on vacation in the Shenandoah Valley a few times a summer. I spent many hours roaming the halls of this mall. I remember the Wootworths and Wards vividly, and there was a small independent record store in there at one point where I spent WAY too much money! Great job covering this place. I can't wait for your River Ridge Mall video, as that was TOTALLY my childhood mall, a place I visited literally at least once a month throughout my childhood, teens, and much of my early adulthood. THAT place has changed so infuriatingly I just can't even. :(

    • @SchuminWeb
      @SchuminWeb 4 года назад

      Wasn't that record store, which existed in the late nineties, called "Waves"?

  • @dondavis5633
    @dondavis5633 5 лет назад +7

    There's something so eerie and off-putting about buildings like that Peebles from the outside; it's like a big corpse, and it makes me want to stay away. Sal calls it megalophobia, and he's right, even though there shouldn't be anything to be antsy about. And the inside? Definitely creepy as all get-out, and I thought the exact same thing you did, when that laughter came seemingly out of nowhere. It's so easy to see why so many malls try to hide these dead areas by walling them off and letting them rot, as that first part might make quite a few people turn around, thinking the whole mall is that bare. Anyhow, it's certainly another excellent video visit by way of the Doomed Gruntster...thanks for posting it!

    • @SchuminWeb
      @SchuminWeb 4 года назад

      I assume that because the anchor stores are at the ends of the mall and not on one side of it, if they attempted to close off access to any part of the mall, the anchors would cry foul, and be right.

    • @clarkeconner5178
      @clarkeconner5178 3 года назад

      Funny enough the pebbles was literally falling apart last I was there to the point where they had like buckets and crates on the ground to catch stray bits of ceiling and ceiling water.

  • @maurostrachwitz747
    @maurostrachwitz747 5 лет назад +5

    Great narrative style, I feel like this is a museum, that show the sad state of the optimistic capitalism, and the destiny of doomed and poorly done investment. Keep at this, it's fascinating content.

  • @ThePodCastDojo
    @ThePodCastDojo 5 лет назад +5

    I found you through the Dead Mall Enthusiast group on Facebook. Great job with your narration. I've been meaning to check this place out. This mall had more life in it than I thought but that's not saying much

  • @MEXICANMOOSE1976
    @MEXICANMOOSE1976 5 лет назад +4

    Doomie...you and Sal have the BEST narrations in the genre!! Stay awesome bud!!

    • @cvrator
      @cvrator 4 года назад

      Too bad they don't do enough research to pronounce the city name correctly.

  • @0SuicideBoy0
    @0SuicideBoy0 5 лет назад +3

    My main thought is that if the JC Penney goes (as it very well might this year, since sales continue to decline and creditors have come sniffing), this mall is probably toast.
    The musty smell and leaky ceilings are evidence of a classic negative feedback loop in property ownership: You're not making much money from the property, so you stop putting enough money into it. The property then continues to worsen, which makes it even less profitable, so you put even less money back into it. This is different from some struggling malls that still manage to stay mostly clean and fixed up.

    • @SchuminWeb
      @SchuminWeb 4 года назад

      Considering that Staunton Mall is going up for auction next month, can you blame anyone for not making any repairs to the place?

  • @plushblueep
    @plushblueep 5 лет назад +6

    I frequently visit there for these reasons:
    Haircuts
    Dropping my brother off at Trains (what we call the railroad museum)
    Movies

  • @jeffwilliam4367
    @jeffwilliam4367 4 года назад +15

    It’s pronounced “Stanton”. No one from VA knows where “ stonton” is.

    • @DoomieGruntVentures
      @DoomieGruntVentures  4 года назад +2

      Then get rid of the U in Staunton. Its throwing off all the out-of-towners like myself.

    • @jeffwilliam4367
      @jeffwilliam4367 4 года назад +4

      Doomie Grunt - Dead Malls & Derelict Digs You have no responsibility to research as the reporter / publisher?

    • @jeffwilliam4367
      @jeffwilliam4367 4 года назад

      Doomie Grunt - Dead Malls & Derelict Digs ruclips.net/video/V7VA1-cjuk4/видео.html. Go to 30 seconds. Posted 1.5 years before your video.

    • @SchuminWeb
      @SchuminWeb 4 года назад +3

      Yeah, that falls under doing due diligence as the producer, to ensure that you pronounce names correctly, especially when you're doing the narration in post-production.

    • @StephenRLucas
      @StephenRLucas 8 месяцев назад

      @@DoomieGruntVenturesHow about learning the pronunciation out of respect.

  • @nancydarling4918
    @nancydarling4918 5 лет назад +2

    Good video. Viewing this mall was kind of a haunting experience. Thanks for filming.

  • @AriffaRaff
    @AriffaRaff 4 года назад +2

    Everyone I know only goes into the mall now for Hot Wok.
    The parking lot is such a disaster, it's crazy how much it was let go.

  • @chris1har
    @chris1har 4 года назад +1

    I remember this mall being full of great stores when I was kid. I remember actually enjoying being there and having a good time shopping, eating, and watching a movie.

  • @USMagazine1002
    @USMagazine1002 5 лет назад +3

    I remember when the mall was full and full of life now it’s nothing

  • @thelibrariansupermanny
    @thelibrariansupermanny 5 лет назад +3

    The last time I was at this Mall was around the time I moved away from Staunton to SW VA in the early 2000s. This mall was in dire straights then! And as others have mentioned, the city, mall, river, and etc, are pronounced "Stan-Ton."

  • @flywrightdrones
    @flywrightdrones 5 лет назад +1

    Great video, great content. You have really carved out a niche for yourself. Bravo

  • @cmlsx1016
    @cmlsx1016 3 года назад +2

    I go to school in Staunton and honestly I hate this mall there’s nothing to do and I hope it shuts down soon so I can go in there when it’s abandoned and just mess around tbh

  • @greenlove1979
    @greenlove1979 4 года назад +4

    I live in Staunton and you are pronouncing it wrong.

  • @matto8o9
    @matto8o9 4 года назад +2

    My mom took me to this mall many times, Staunton is only 20 miles away from us. It seemed never to be a very popular mall although it had things that were better than the Valley Mall in Harrisonburg (It had a very good arcade and a nice theater!) In the early 80's it was an outdoor mall/plaza that's was set up like a mall but outside with lots of plants and a covered main path to walk through. It seemed to me that once it was fully enclosed and made similar to most other malls in the area it was less appealing, badly implemented and boring compared to the previous configuration. I liked this place, still do, but now I think it will be tore down within the next ten years or so! It is sad to see the culture of America change soo much in the last twenty years, I loved the days of malls as they were!!

    • @nickhill8612
      @nickhill8612 4 года назад

      Yes I remember the outdoor plaza.
      That was the place to shop we would drive from Lexington.

  • @royquitter
    @royquitter 5 лет назад +2

    I remember walking this mall back in late 2015. There was a Santa Claus, but he was up walking around and he was visibly bored. Not sure if they brought him back in subsequent years. Also, the restaurant on the right at 7:18 used to be a really good pizza place. I was passing through Staunton and specifically stopped by the mall to pick up dinner from there.

  • @StephenRLucas
    @StephenRLucas 8 месяцев назад

    One of my favorite places. I miss it. So many fond memories with family and friends.

  • @evemondenge571
    @evemondenge571 3 года назад +3

    I was there just today, definitely had a lot of closures since the video :Kay jewelers,jcp, and all the food places except the Chinese one. I went to the bath and body works there as well and it was the best I’ve ever been to !!!

  • @jeee1074
    @jeee1074 5 лет назад +2

    Stained ceiling tiles, I knew with a ceiling like that you would quickly find them. I like the feeling of malls like this one with narrow hallways, and low ceilings with the occasional skylight. Too bad the time is limited on this place, not many malls look like this one anymore.

    • @SchuminWeb
      @SchuminWeb 4 года назад

      Considering the stained tiles, I wonder if someone ever regretted when they changed the ceiling tiles from the original black to white. That's why the ceiling has that black grid pattern on it - because they changed the tiles, but never repainted the rails.

  • @aceproffitt8315
    @aceproffitt8315 4 года назад +2

    Oh my. This place used to be full. It's much emptier than it aas 6 or 7 years ago.

    • @nickhill8612
      @nickhill8612 4 года назад

      I was there a few months ago and there was at least 3 churches I think.

  • @slicedbeans4811
    @slicedbeans4811 4 года назад +2

    Insert 6 year old me thinking it was called "Pebbles" here.

  • @campermike8879
    @campermike8879 5 лет назад +1

    Already have a trip planned up that way to check out some old steel road bridges. Will make a stop here to

  • @Balsley1105
    @Balsley1105 3 года назад +3

    Staunton- "STAN TON" The U is silent.

  • @SchuminWeb
    @SchuminWeb 4 года назад +2

    I've been familiar with Staunton Mall since 1992, and I feel the need to call you out on some of your history, because it doesn't necessarily jive, unintentionally presenting things in a misleading light as it relates to Stage stores.
    First, regarding Goody's and Peebles, Goody's arrived first, and lasted until 2006, when Goody's closed in the mall to make way for Gold's Gym. This was the legacy Goody's company, which would dissolve in 2008 following a bankruptcy. Stage ownership of Goody's is a new company, unrelated to the Goody's that operated in Staunton. The closing of Goody's had nothing to do with Peebles, as the brand was not owned by Stage at that time.
    Regarding the former Woolworth space, your timeline for Stone and Thomas was correct, however, it's not really a turnover issue there. When Stone and Thomas was acquired by Elder-Beerman, certain locations, including this location and the Charlottesville location, were sold to other companies. The Charlottesville location became the Belk men's store, and the Staunton location became Peebles. The location did close briefly for setup as Peebles, but Peebles made very few modifications to the former Stone and Thomas space. This was well before Stage acquired Peebles.

  • @lohlunat
    @lohlunat 4 года назад +1

    Having worked there at the Family Christian bookstore (a chain now out of business, and the storefront is empty) I can say that the mall management does not care about the maintenance issues. At all. The heat/air frequently breaks and they refuse to fix it, the roof leaks horrendously in all the stores and they won't send anyone in to fix it or replace the ceiling tiles, the sewage system clogs frequently (probably due to the grease from Hot Wok) and stinks up the whole place, the potholes in the parking lot remain unpatched, and even the lights in the parking lot have started going out one by one and remain unfixed. A lady was mugged outside of Belk recently because it's so dark and unsafe out there. The only positive thing that's happened there recently was the revival of the old movie theater, which now shows second-run movies for $3 a ticket.

  • @theneonexplorer
    @theneonexplorer 5 лет назад

    HEY! You said Leggett again lol. I wish I'd have been able to visit this mall last year, but my trip to Staunton was 36 hours long and I had other things to do.

  • @truelyyourz
    @truelyyourz 5 лет назад +1

    Checking this mall out this weekend

  • @WhittyPics
    @WhittyPics 5 лет назад +1

    First thing I see when you went in are barrels, probably to catch water from a leaky roof? NOT a good sign.

  • @mst3kanita
    @mst3kanita 5 лет назад +3

    Went to Mary Baldwin College from 2008-2010 down the street from here. Spent way too much money at Bath & Body Works back in the day.
    /edit/
    dang bath & body works is still there!

    • @cvrator
      @cvrator 4 года назад

      He's mispronouncing the first syllable, not the second.

  • @NatJac-gg3mv
    @NatJac-gg3mv 4 года назад +1

    Most of these suffering malls have that same musty smells.

  • @scottuncfan
    @scottuncfan 5 лет назад +1

    I've been here a lot when visiting a friend. It's so dead

  • @SchuminWeb
    @SchuminWeb 4 года назад

    Also - route 262 for many years only ran between I-81 and route 11. The expansion to Middlebrook Road opened in 2000, and the rest, connecting 262 to Woodrow Wilson Parkway (which already existed prior and was renumbered) opened in 2006. I discuss this in some detail at the time on my website: www.schuminweb.com/2006/08/11/staunton-now-has-a-beltway/

  • @mollyfinch3471
    @mollyfinch3471 3 года назад

    bruhh i used to visit santa claus there every christmas 😭 the place is even more run-down now

  • @BudBonkerson
    @BudBonkerson 5 лет назад +2

    I just found this channel on Reddit. You're making great content! Subscribed.

  • @lmoore3rd
    @lmoore3rd 3 года назад

    I heard from my father today that this mall will be closed by Dec-24th 2020 and bulldozed to build a truck stop. No more hot wok. 😥

  • @catfish7716
    @catfish7716 4 года назад

    i go there a lot to the mall only thing I really do is play the arcade games that and get some food that's pretty much all you can do since most of all the stores has been shut down shame they did that

  • @krzy3288
    @krzy3288 3 года назад +2

    It is so much worse now.. completely desolate

    • @DoomieGruntVentures
      @DoomieGruntVentures  3 года назад

      I've been getting word that all inline tenants have been given a 30 day eviction notice. Can you verify?

    • @krzy3288
      @krzy3288 3 года назад

      @@DoomieGruntVentures yeah you're right, I've heard from local people that their either redoing the mall, or building a truckstop... hoping it's the former

  • @callmeKyleLee
    @callmeKyleLee 3 года назад +2

    I went to this mall

  • @virginiaorganbuilder
    @virginiaorganbuilder 5 лет назад +8

    It's pronounced STANTON.

  • @elysiaduke
    @elysiaduke 4 года назад +1

    A lot of Stage stores are being converted to Gordman's, lobby for them to come to the Staunton Mall

    • @elysiaduke
      @elysiaduke 4 года назад

      Gordman's is one of those "treasure hunt" stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, Burkes Outlet, etc. Tuesday Morning is also a growing treasure hunt chain although it's more focused at home decor than clothing.

    • @elysiaduke
      @elysiaduke 4 года назад

      I think that a lot of stores are situated in Waynesboro to bring competition against Staunton Mall. Go visit a Gordman’s in Waynesboro and decide if a treasure hunt store would suit Staunton Mall in an empty anchor store space.

    • @elysiaduke
      @elysiaduke 4 года назад

      I listened in the video about the Safeway store closing in 1982 because it wouldn’t compete with Food Lion. There is a Wegman’s in Charlottesville and giant supermarket chain would conquer more than 25% of the mall space as a new grocery competitor for Staunton.

    • @elysiaduke
      @elysiaduke 4 года назад

      Supermarket size is pretty giant

  • @virginiaorganbuilder
    @virginiaorganbuilder 3 года назад +1

    JC Penny shutting down...

  • @frankieturner630
    @frankieturner630 3 года назад

    I used to go to that mall all the time when Steven berries was in there it has poor management that's the problem they don't try to get nothing in it

    • @josecontreras2997
      @josecontreras2997 3 года назад +1

      They let that spot rot for over a dozen years.

  • @Saymeow_Kay
    @Saymeow_Kay 2 года назад

    This mall closed.

  • @8ntnoneyabusiness646
    @8ntnoneyabusiness646 4 года назад +5

    We don't say the u in Staunton. . . 🙄

  • @SouthernBelleReviews
    @SouthernBelleReviews 3 года назад +2

    STAN ton. Omg !!!! Its pronounced STAN ton!!!!

    • @DoomieGruntVentures
      @DoomieGruntVentures  3 года назад +1

      Congratulations. You're the one thousandth commentor to bring that up.

  • @adelaineantoine394
    @adelaineantoine394 5 лет назад +1

    my mom was a manager here! :0

    • @DoomieGruntVentures
      @DoomieGruntVentures  5 лет назад

      How was business?

    • @adelaineantoine394
      @adelaineantoine394 5 лет назад

      Doomie Grunt - Dead Malls & Derelict Digs well, she actually quit about a year ago because the other manager was racist. anyways, my mom helped bring the movies to staunton mall! i hope they don’t stick around long because that place is pretty dead now.

  • @youngboisam_yt6384
    @youngboisam_yt6384 4 года назад +1

    I live in Staunton and this mall sucks

  • @addisoncash4367
    @addisoncash4367 4 года назад

    I go to the mall it smells like a bacteria yrap

  • @niferanne53
    @niferanne53 3 года назад

    The city’s name is pronounced Stān-ton. The u is silent

  • @17z483
    @17z483 3 года назад

    Koki: Staunton, Virginia 3/1/15

  • @havenmadison2656
    @havenmadison2656 3 года назад

    i live in staunton lol

    • @rebeccalara6574
      @rebeccalara6574 9 месяцев назад

      My parents used to live there & I’d visit, remember that mall always bustling with shoppers. That narrator needs to learn how Staunton is actually pronounced! Idiot