Warwick Mall: Is It a Dead Mall? I Say No. Prove Me Wrong! Warwick, Rhode Island, Spring 2023.
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- Join me as I take a look at the Warwick Mall in Warwick, Rhode Island.
Is it a dead mall? I say no, but what do you think? Let me know in the comments!
This video was filmed in April 2023 on a Thursday around 1:00pm.
If you liked this video, please give me a thumbs up, leave a comment and subscribe to my channel! Thanks!
Source of information and historical photos:
www.upi.com/Ar...
en.wikipedia.o...
RUclips Channel: WPRI
#deadmall #deadmalls #mall #rhodeisland #shoppingmall #shoppingmalls #retail
My first job was at this mall, from roughly 1991-1994. I worked at Record Town / Saturday Matinee, which was at the far end of the Food Court where the COX store is now. We sold cassette tapes, CD's, VHS videotapes, Laserdiscs, and video games. Employees wore pleated shirts with a clip-on bow tie. Directly across the hallway from us was Ground Round (now BWW), and Aladdin's Castle was in the Toy Vault spot. Other former Food Court residents included Sbarro and Au Bon Pain. I also remember seeing Santa at Jordan Marsh and a talking ChristmasTtree in Caldor as a kid.
i loved the record town neon lights, i have them in old pictures of me as a kid but i remember it mostly as fye and the ground round, was aladdin's castle an arcade? i remember that being what was there
@@cbjcaps567 so when did Tilt come in? and wasnt where you worked where Electronic Boutique was?
For a 55 year old mall it is in great shape. Buffalo Wild Wings used to be a Ground Round and there was a big murder case around 2000 where a customer got thrown out for harassing a waitress and killed a worker.
This mall is always packed and doing great thankfully
No it's not a dead mall. Not even close.
I been 3 different time one as kid in 79 or 80 only remember toysrus then 2015 2013 target then and gamestop
Prior to the flooding in 2010. It was really on its way to being dead. But it saw a huge revival after that. I haven’t been there in a couple years but last time, there were no vacancies.
@@Luigitime2015 you were not at the right mall then lol the toys r us were at the midland mall.....which is a dead mall. the warwick mall is not a dead mall
@@daesong1378 no it wasn't lol it's literally always busy and was prior to the floor and after?
@@cbjcaps567 my experience is that it was dead prior and came back after, there were anchor spots open which is a sign of a dying mall.
I frequented this mall countless times. Born and raised in warwick and kent county. I can recall back to the early 2000s. Off the top of my head and before i forget. Buffalo Wild Wings was chelos, and the Toy Vault was Tilt Arcade. That hallway around the 5 minute mark was there and i believe the nordstrom rack was old navy. Across from Buffalo Wild Wings whereThe Fix store is was notorious for changing business. Last I remmeber it was something like the "Bamboo exchange" where they would sell incense and sculptures and mystical stuff. Johny Rockets was burger king.
Old Navy now used to be CVS and prior to that i think it was a book store borders or walldens maybe? I believe the aeropostale was The Disney Store . The hallway around the 12:15 mark used to host a Newport Creamery next the GMC i dated a girl who worked there around 2004&2005. There was also a Dunkin Donuts on the corner across from the Auntie Annies pop up in the food court. And the CBD store used to be a Swarovskis Crystal.
Prior to the flood, the mall was known for riff raff and gangs of kids causing trouble. There were signs posted that stated something like "groups of 4 or less". A fruitless attempt to keep the kids from causing trouble lol.
If i recall anything else ill edit
cheers
nick
I visited this mall in the early-mid 2010s, and I recall burger King, Papaer Trading (which moved), Splash at Jordan's Furniture, Newport Creamery, Sports Authority, Target, and a store in between Kay Jewelers & Jordan's Furniture, but I don't remember what it was, as well as a GameStop (which I DO remember quite well)! Lots of kids go to Providence Place for Dave & Busters, but I've always been going to Warwick Mall more.
There was a Magic Menu and a York Steak House and Alladins Castle arcade. An rotating disco/restaurant Chateau Deville where the medical building is now.
I enjoy all your videos! I always wanted to see the inside of this one, thank you!😊❤
I remember Waldenbooks at Warwick Mall!
In the 70's & 80's there was a York Steakhouse there is was on the outside of Filene's where Macy's current resides.
I have always enjoyed stopping at this mall when I have had occasion to be in the area (from CT). I have not been up there since pre-covid and it looks mostly the same as I remember. The one thing I noticed is gone is the Newport Creamery restaurant. That's where I used to grab a bite to eat. It was along the hallway leading to JC Penney. I liked it mostly as a throwback to my youth when we had one at the Crystal Mall here in CT.
There’s always flooding in that area these days. I’m surprised the mall hasn’t flooded again in recent years. RI in general has had more consistent flooding in the past 5 years.
I was amazed when I went after the flood. The flooring in the mall looked way better than the original flooring. I wish Providence place would have put tile instead of carpet but I believe Providence place was supposed to be more high end.
Thank you for a great video! Another good looking mall! Very nice!
Thanks!
There used to be a Johnny Rockets about 5 years ago. I believe it is where I see the Buffalo Wild Wings now. Back in the 80's there used to be a Bally's Aladdin's Castle. I guess they are all gone now though. The strong point of this mall seems to be the Food Court. They seem to be doing decent business. However many of the stores in the mall have 50 percent discount signs up. Not a dead mall, but probably struggling a bit like most other malls in this country.
There still is a Johnny rockets but it’s in the food court. It used to be a small sit down near jc penny next to gmc
I’m a DoorDash driver and I get a ton of orders from this mall. Their food court gets a ton of business. The Chinese place drums up a decent line
Buffalo Wild Wings was Chelo's, Toy Vault was Tilt Arcade, and Johnny Rockets was Burger King! Burger King closed in early 2015, whereas Chelo's & Tilt both closed after the flood. Toy Vault opened with the mall s inauguration in August 2010, and Buffalo Wild Wings opened in March 2014.
I live about 10 minutes away from the Warwick Mall. I don't go mall shopping all that often, but when I do, I go there and it's usually pretty busy. I will have to stop in sometime soon and see how it's doing. To my understanding it's quite busy on the weekends.
thats a nice mall
I see the video come up as a relax, and that shot of the flooding is worse because THAT WAS MY CAR in the picture of the flooded parking lot. (I live close by and was told by management to park my car at the mall because it was a guarantee our parking lot would flood then.)
That's unbelievable! I remember seeing all this go down and feel bad for that person, probably thinking they were saving their car from a flood near their normal spot when this ended up happening at the mall as well hahaha
@@Camaro.737 Yeah- that was basically the full story- about a couple weeks earlier my apartment's parking lot flooded so it was a guarantee it would here- and there was nowhere else to take it that'd work otherwise.
Looks like it is doing well. A lot of places have left but been replaced which is super rare. The hallways have a lot of character.
From rhode Island the warwick mall is doing just fine always a good flow of people
YORK Steakhouse was the left corner just before the current Macy's in the 70's and 80's
Looks pretty good traffic wise especially for a midweek afternoon. I also like the reuse of the old Jordan Marsh.
Heh, always surreal watching a RUclips video exploring a place that's only 15 minutes from my house. I mean, I think I have visited the Target there more times then I have gone into Warwick Mall in the past 20 years.
Same!! 😂
The malls seems to be doing well unlike the sister dead mall down the road. I think that dead mall (now Midland Commons) absorbed all the bad juju. Warwick malls also has a lot of good national chain restaurants in it's huge parking lot in addition to the food court in the mall. Warwick Mall did a good job keeping the mall fresh and the flood seemed to have helped. It's an enigma off an old mall considering how big the retail strip is on Route 2.
The mall has a Wikipedia page with all the past retailers and it did at one point had a Waldenbooks.
That mall down the road is booming now
Rhode Island Mall (formerly Midland Mall) right up the street from here is the dead mall in that area. It's a two story mall with a big escalator in the middle but an entire half of the mall has been completely walled off since around 2011 and now part of it is just used as an entrance for Walmart and Kohl's.
That mall has always done relatively well. Even when malls like Emerald Square and especially Providence Place opened. Warwick has always stayed steady while Emarald and Prov Place are pretty much dead. Way to hold out Warwick!
There was a Walden Books where Old Navy is now, as well as a Disney store where Aeropostale is. I'm pretty sure there was a K.B. Toys somewhere in the mall as well as a Radio Shack. Can't remember where though. There was a FuncoLand / GameStop up until a couple years ago. FYE used to be where the Cox store / phone repair place are now. Across from that used to be an arcade where Toy Vault is now, and Toy Vault used to be in the now dead RI Mall (Midland Commons). Buffalo Wild Wings used to be Ground Round back in the day. I spent a lot of time at Warwick Mall growing up. Still go every now and then, usually when I'm seeing a movie at the nearby Apple Cinema.
I can't remember if Warwick had KB Toys. I do remember the RI mall having one. Right when you walk in from Sears to the mall, it would be on the left. Man do I miss that place :'(
@@UpFromTheDepthsthey did have a kb toys I remember going there. Most kids remember toys r us but kb was more memorable to me
I grew up in Warwick and worked at the York Steakhouse until 1989 (where Old Navy is now) and also worked at Ground Round in the mid 90s during grad school (where BWW is now).
I think I still have a Ground Round cup from when I was a kid.
Ha Ha, who knows. Maybe I was the waiter who served that to you! @@dirt410
Great video well made yeah mall pretty busy for a Thursday at 1pm. Wouldn't consider this a dead mall few vacancies but always a few these days mininum
Inline vacancies look to be within reasonable limits, most of them are national brands, the food court looks full and so are the anchor spots. A healthy mall.
I was a decorator at the original Macys and later at JC Penney. I started there on 9/11! worked there for 5 years, but had been going there for years since the mall first opened. It was constantly changing. Glad to see it's still somewhat vibrant.
There used to be a store in between Kay Jewelers & Jordan's Furniture before it closed in 2014 and Kay Jewelers expanded in 2015! There was another Candy Store at the Mall for 2 years. When the 2010 Flood happened, a lot of the old stores left, and security became more strict. A good amount of the food court places are just new names on old businesses, Pizza Bella was Sabaro, Sajo's Tacos was Taco Bell, Honey Dew was a Dunkin Donuts, etc. I more remember Jordan's Furniture, but the Mall was struggling in 2021 when around 21 stores were vacated, and among those big losses was GameStop & Newport Creamery! They changed the logo in late 2023, so it's NOTHING like when I was a kid.
Been to this mall last year. It kind of seems like a mall I went to when I was very young, but still my first time at the Warwick Mall.
IM COMMING THERE!!!!! i'm going to spend all my money!!!
I see a decent amount of people so it’s definitely not dead! Sure it has some vacancies but …I wouldn’t classify this as a dead mall. Solid B mall sure. But not dead.
I tend to agree, but it feels like it is on the verge of a downturn. Who knows. I might check back in a couple of years.
In early 2021 there were 21 Vacancies, and I was stunned upon returning the following year to see almost all of them filled! It's also been common for stores to move to other parts of the mall in recent years.
I’m there often, not dead at all. Can’t say the same for Emerald Mall a half hour away.
I liked this mall, always have, although i dont go there too often, being from Massachusetts. Did you ever go to the "Wampanoag Mall' in East Providence in the 80s? Its now a plaza and has been a plaza since the late 80s or maybe early 90s
I work at the Target in this mall and I’ve been shopping there since I was a kid in the early 2000’s. There used to be a Radio Shack near the Auntie Anne’s location, there was a Disney Store where Aeropostale is now, and I know the Rhode Island Mall next door had a KB Toys, and I remember Warwick Mall having another toy store on the end near where Macy’s used to be but I’m not sure if it was KB Toys.
You ever saw orvheard of Splash? The laser water show thingy they had for a few yrs?
@@Laserashton Yes, it was at Jordan's Furniture when it first opened. I went to see it twice before it closed. I guess they didn't account for mold issues when they built the show.
@@hathawaynoa2953 that smell is still there, I was a toddler when it opened and am now a sophomore in high school
Messed up thing about Splash was that they blocked the elementary kids chorus concerts because of it. My mom was a music teacher in Warwick. I guess they had a non compete clause. Very odd.
@@christinetassone3156 Jordan's Furniture did end up using Splash for events, such as a Fashion Show & Real Estate. The space in front of Jordan's was the only spot they could fit Bleachers in for Kid Choruses from my knowledge. Once the Phone Stand moved in 2014 or 15 (can't remember), they stopped doing the kids choruses at the mall. Other parts of the Mall would've been too narrow for bleachers.
I wonder if wicks & sticks is still there. That store smelled amazing!
excellent coverage.
That carrousel looks a lot like the one that they had in the Eastfield Mall when they first built their foot court around the same time. Yet, they took it out after a couple of years for some strange reason.
The last time I was there was New Year's Day 2020. I didn't realize there was a whole upper tier at one end of the mall.
has some good anchor stores that should keep it going
there was a Waldenbooks where the Old Navy is now near Macys.
this and providence place will probably last forever same with natick and burlington ma
Its because of how small Rhode island is I think. We are very densely populated so more foot/car traffic in the surrounding areas.
I still appreciate the Warwick Mall. I wish there was a regular bus stop at the Food Court . Does nobody see the need for more PUBLIC PHONE SERVICE ? When I was attending CCRI in Warwick circa 1975-1977 I became more familiar with the Rhode Island Mall. Why did the Rhode Island Mall seem to fail ?
I live maybe 2 to 4 minutes from the mall still suprisingly busy especially after the flood and everything years ago. Lived in Warwick basically all my life ya dont see many things on rhode island lol.
That neon food court sign is pretty sweet
I was there with my mother a couple of months ago, we ended up needing something at that Target that the TJMaxx one didn't have and it's definately not what it was when I was a child but it still has a good pulse. Not sure what they need to bring in to make it more universally welcome but it's more a less down to the stores than it is the mall itself. Although, I miss the Disney Store and Walden Books along with the water fountains.
I miss Splash & GameStop, and Target rarely makes their popcorn anymore
A carousel with ONE kid riding, LOL
Yeah, it's not as popular as you would imagine.
You were so close to RI Mall, I'm surprised you didn't film there. Originally known as Midland Mall.
I don’t think there’s an inside part anymore. It’s a strip mall now
The RI mall is not that great anymore but Warwick Mall is building back up again. New stores that'll be opening soon or have already opened.
I used to take my daughter on the carousel alot!! Great mall!
❤😁
I havent been inside this mall since 2004. What a blast from the past
Real Rhode Islanders can’t look at that carousel without thinking “this… land is YOUR LAND….”
Trying to find out in the 70s what the small restaurant next to woolworths. Been trying to find the name. Like your content.
I found a web site that has info on all the stores that used to be in the city of Warwick. Warwick Mall Store no. "197a - This used to be Harvest House Jr Restaurant. It then became Thom McAn Shoes about the mid 80's" and "197b - This used to be Harvest House Coffee Shop. It then became Kay-Bee Toys about the mid 80's."
I always liked Midland Mall better
Tweeter Etc. used to be in this mall, I bought one of the very first Sony Discman there.1984
It IS a dead mall. Count the people in any given frame of this video. No more than 5 to 10 people, huge empty spaces and boarded up stores. In the mall's heyday, the 1970s and 80s, things were jumping. Even at non-peak hours the mall was filled with considerably more people than that, shopping and teens hanging out. People who say that it is packed and not dead are probably too young to remember how it was in its heyday, and consider this the norm. The concept of "the Mall" is something whose time has come, evolving into a retail dinosaur. And partially, online shopping, big box, and societal changes contributed. Except for JC Penney, Jordans, and Macy's, the smaller interior stores are outdated, overpriced and boring. Although, Sports Authority was worthwhile, but gone. They can either evolve into what their neighbor, the RI mall, did: eliminate the interior part of the mall. Or end up really dead like Emerald Square or Lincoln Mall. Because of the large footprint they leave, it's not immediately or economically feasible to just close it.
Interestingly, there is another Target a mile away from this one.
I got yelled at that Target for no reason, and was escorted out of the store, so I'm sticking with the Warwick Mall's Target
I would say it has definitely slowed down somewhat, but definitely not dead.
It had a CVS, WALDEN BOOKS, LAND AHHS AND CARDS, DISNEY.
I remember there being a candor and a Nathan’s in the food court
Warwick mall I think will be a abnormality when it comes to the "dying" mall culture being how small our state is and how Warwick is one of if not the most densely populated areas in RI I think the mall could actually survive into the future and even thrive...around Christmas time it still looks and feels like mall times during the 80s and 90s and into the 00s. Its a really great mall in all honestly and is clearly managed really well.
It's literally right off both major highways in the state. There's no reason it doesn't do well.
I used to live in Providence and visited this mall many, many times. There was another mall within a mile from this one called the Midland Mall. I being absent from Rhode Island for many years and do not know if the Midland Mall still exists. A question what caused the Flood of 4 feet of water at that time. Was it a result of a storm or a Hurricane?
I'm pretty sure it was the aftermath of Hurricane Irene in mid-late August 2011. I was moving from Mass to South Carolina and was out of my place about Aug. 8th or so and stayed with friends in Warwick for about 10 days till my birthday on the 19th then headed south from there. It was about the 20th by then and the entire drive down I-81S and I-77S you could see the gray skies over the mountains on the left as Irene came ashore somewhere in the Carolinas and was working its way up the coast. I was in SC about 2 days and all there was all over the national news down there was film of West Warwick and everywhere along the Pawtuxet River flooded. Luckily my friends I had stayed with lived way over on the other side of 95 near the coast in Apponaug basically between the airport and Warwick Neck and they didn't get the flooding but everywhere over on Rt. 2 beyond I-95 near the malls really got slammed.
There was a weeks worth of heavy rain in March 2010, and the sewage backed up.
The Midland Mall doesn't exist anymore; it was changed to a bunch of big box stores.
The flood was just the result of loads of snow in the winter of 2009 all melting by spring 2010 and hitting the river.
The flood was from extreme amount of rain in a short time
This Mall and the Cape Cod Mall is always busy.
arched ceiling giving airport interior vibes.
Looks like this one is a survivor!
I prefer this mall then Providence place
2024 and still it’s alive wow
It was better when Aladdin's Castle was there. I would get my paper route money and I would go to Aladdin's Castle and play Pac Man and get a sundae at Newport Creamery! Aladdin's Castle was right next door. Things were cheaper back then. Now every Aladdin's Castle arcades is closed forever.
Pretty sure that arcade was in RI Mall. Warwick Mall had Tilt arcade in the food court by the carousel
I go to this mall
Not even close. Now Emerald...
Garden city is a much better place to shop.
Put on popular musical events
People in 2024
👇
Typical suburban mall. Sounds like you did your research thou
At least 2 stores are having 30 or 50% sales off on the entire store. Looks like they are closing to me.
They are still open
“Never been there before” ?!? It’s a busier mall than providence place. You must not be a native to New England.
Edit*** a native to RI I should say.
Correct. I live in Connecticut.
Do one on Midland Mall next door.
prob just walk around the building tho cause it's now a power outlet center 😢
Is that an indoors mall? I didn't see it on the map. I'm currently mainly doing indoor malls. Once I run out of those though, I'll probably move onto strip malls and outdoor shopping centers. Thanks for watching!
@@fleabittenadventures It's called Midland Commons now. It opened in the late 60's, you probably did it already.
I would love to see a picture of the fountain that was there. I think there may have even been two fountains in the 80’s. They are just memories in my head now but I loved those penny fountains. Also, Caldor was the greatest!
@@fleabittenadventures I don't think you can get in the middle of the mall anymore. I've seen pictures people took of it and it was like the episode of South Park when the boys go to the mall and people ask if they wanted puppies.