This is from 2019. Today the mall is nearly empty. There are only two restaurants in the food court, one Japanese one Chinese. An entire wing of the mall is closed off. The only anchor store is a Marshall's at the far end. The thriving business is a nail place and the theater (which is not accessed from the Mall but from outside). It is now so bad that the restrooms are closed and there are Port-a-Poddies outside of the entrance!
I did a brief follow up to this video in the second episode of “Overmalled” in early 2020, but I haven’t been back recently. I was told that there are big sections that are blocked off? (I’m probably due to do a follow up on both these malls!)
Northgate Mall opened when I was 13. I spent much of my teenage years “cruising the mall.” It was the place to be in Colerain Township. It is sad to watch the decline of something that was a big part of my life.
I worked maintenance at the Northgate JC Penny back in the early 2000s. That building was awesome! All the old unused infrastructure from when it was Pogue's. Vents and stove hookups for the former kitchen. Huge filter rooms for the antiquated AC units. There was this one area on the roof that looked like the oubliette from The Labyrinth. It was always full of dead birds and their leavings. It had a cage around it, but the birds always found a way to get in and not get back out. I'm not sure what the damned thing was for, but I had to clean it out more often than I like to recall. lol
WOW. I always kind of wondered what working in one of those really old department stores was like--I worked at a Sears when I was in high school that opened in 1980 but it always felt SO much older than that, and there were always critters sneaking in.
When was the last time you've been to Tri County--it's even worse now. Both the malls in this video are due for an update, this video was shot in July 2018. I didn't really do either of them justice.
Mall St Matthews had those money funnels when I was a kid! Regular chickens should be perfectly ok there, but you might have to bring fancy show chickens for Oxmoor down the road. 🐔🐓
I just subscribed to you a couple of days ago, and I've got to say I'm a fan already. Great footage. Don't know if you've been there, but I'll recommend River Valley Mall in Lancaster, OH. The last time I visited it, it seemed like more stores were disappearing, and the food court is down to almost nothing. Aside of that, great video here, and great memory.
Wow, thank you, Daniel! I haven’t been to River Valley yet; a few of our friends went there not long ago (Raw and Real Retail) so I was considering heading there soon to check it out because the drive would be pretty reasonable for an afternoon trip. Keep an eye out for the video!
I second River Valley. Holy hell that mall is dead. I only go there for Super Game Team. I didn't know Eastgate was dying. I was last there two years ago.
Thank you for this lol. I spent my early teenage years at Eastgate then moved to Colerain in 9th grade to spend the rest of my years at Northgate. Many good memories of Eastgate and the movie theatre behind it 😉😉
I saw my first movie at that Showcase Cinemas! I'd love to go back and do an update on these--this was our third video and we have learned a lot since then, and a few things have changed at both malls.
UniComm Productions Please do! We were just at Eastgate about 2 weeks ago (I too showed my husband the best mall entrance lol) So awesome you did my 2 malls in one show 😁
Kristin, I was visiting cincy this weekend and was just at this mall (eastgate) today and hooo boy what a difference. I helped open the fye in this mall in 2004 and now it’s totally gone- totally sad to witness. (Apparently the gift shop in the old chick fil a across the way is opening a Christmas shop expansion in its space?) I think this may be worth it’s own episode in 2021. Love your content!
Eastgate is in rough shape and I definitely plan to head back up there soon to do a “complete” episode. With the way the area is growing that land the mall sits on is only becoming more valuable so I’m not sure how long it’ll last if they can’t turn things around unfortunately
I absolutely love your videos. Love how you guys talk in the beginning while driving and again at the end. It gives the viewers a chance to get to know you plus you guys are hilarious!!! As for these malls...they look decent. Especially the 2nd one. Love the touches that make that mall happier such as that sculpture in kids area. Loved the floor at the first mall although carpet basically sucks. At a distance it looked cool. Thanks for all the time you put into making your videos. Very professional looking. 💗
13:34 that fragrance kiosk on the left - I stopped there in June 2017 and tried a bunch of fragrances. Didn't buy any. Then watched Dunkirk at the Xscape Theater there in Northgate Mall.
Greetings from Australia 🇦🇺 I can’t get enough of your videos- thanks for producing such enjoyable and informative content. This is my new favorite channel (after Sal’s of course!). Looking forward to seeing more of your work 💜😃
I spent much of my teenage years in Northgate Mall in the 80's. There was a game room a lot of us hung out at and a tall thin security guard we called Gilligan. One note...Johnny Bench's Home Plate was not in the mall. It was a separate structure at the edge of the parking lot near the corner at Colerain Ave.
Good to know-which honestly makes more sense. I found several photos of it that referred to it being “at the mall” and I never really came across any old maps or directories so that’s where I got my that info. Thank you for watching!
@@UniCommProductions Thank you for doing these. I've been away almost 20 years and these bring back so many memories even though I hardly recognize them any more.
@@UniCommProductions Yea. When you were in Tri County I was like....I think that's where Petland used to be....Cinnabon should be right over there. lol. I don't recognize much in Northgate now. I think there was one part where the old upstairs restaraunt at...Pogues? was and in front there should have been a round either fountain or seating planter as I recall. It been a very long time but I'm leaning towards a fountain.
Steve Hester I seem to remember a fountain in the center also. It would have been in front of where the movie theater is now. (My memories of Northgate go back to the early-mid 90s.)
UniComm Productions went there on Black Friday and being from the chapel hill mall area it felt eerily similar. Hoping it stays alive along with chapel hill
Genuinely thank you for this video. It’s a fantastic look into the past and future of mall culture around Cincinnati. It’s also a blast from the past especially after the pandemic in 2020. The eastgate mall is now finally foreclosed but some things still survive.
I remember the BIG arcade at Eastgate Mall where we spent LOTS of quarters before the PC was made affordable for home use. Northgate does have the nice theatre but we hope that it doesn't GO SOUTH like Forest Fair theaters did! They still have the Cincinnati Bell store and the Lens Crafters where I get my glasses at Northgate!
@@UniCommProductions Ahhhh ... I'm older enough to remember getting my arcade fix on at the Aladdin's Castle in Beechmont Mall! (Just found your channel this weekend, and I am LOVING the memories! I grew up on the east side of Cincinnati (Mt. Washington, and Mt. Carmel), spent some time in Pittsburgh in the early 80's, then Columbus, then back to Cincinnati in the 90's, and for the last 20 years have lived in the Dayton area. So you have covered a LOT of malls that I've spent time in! Looking forward to more!)
there about to move the krogers in eastgate into the mall hopefully its gonna be revived again, ive seen so many shops come in and come out these past 5 years and im excited to see where the mall will be in 10 years
I just found your channel and two videos in, I'm loving it. Your commentary has me cracking up. 80s mall girl here. 😁 I've been to the Cincinnati area many times in the past (early 2000s) and visited some of the malls. Definitely will be enjoying your visits to more of them.
I missed this one somehow and I'm so glad I found it. Question: if a person walking thru a mall carrying a chicken (with a camera strapped to its head) is not noticed in West Virginia... Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Oh it breaks my heart that Northgate is turning into Forest Fair Mall so fast. I still remember the old days fondly. To me when I go into potbelly’s it’s like dining in a movie theater room. Even when I go to Noodles and Company I feel like I’m dining in Prime N’ Wine. I even remember where Kroger Marketplace is that used to be quite a few stores and Putt-Putt.
I am watching this video & I always like to check the date it was uploaded this video on August 7th, 2018. I'm watching it (and it recommended to me) on August 7th 2020. I wonder if that's part of the You Tube algorithm thingy - to sometimes recommend videos to us that were uploaded on the same date it is now.
That's a really intriguing theory and honestly, I don't know! I should watch the analytics and see if it has an uptick in views! (and yeah, this mall has taken a bit of a turn since this video was released, however they now have a Discovery Zone!)
@@UniCommProductions Not only Also, due to consistent crime, the area around Northgate Mall earned a bad reputation. Fast Eddie closed chunks of Sears store last year due to the stores are not good and the company was bankruptcy in 2018and Macy's decided to closed unperformance stores in 2020 due to low sale on Christmas sales of 2019.
@@CulinaryJoey I don't know what their plans are but this recent mention of converting it into a "lifestyle center" doesnt seem like the ticket. Seems to be an awful lot of bored teenagers around there, maybe some kind of community center would be a good idea.
I'm certainly late to the game on this video, but the Eastgate video really tore my heart out. I grew up in nearby Batavia during the 80's and spent WAY too much time in Eastgate Mall and the movie theatre that used to be in the parking lot there near the I275/SR32 interchange. I recognized it a bit from the outside, but sadly nothing looks familiar on the inside. I used to loved the recessed seating areas they had. We did all our back to school shopping each year at that Sears. I got my first home computer, an Atari 400 (which should tell you how long ago it was), at that Sears. I haven't been back in that mall since I graduated high school in 1991 and moved away. I also have the dubious distinction of having worked in security in the early 90s at the Kenwood Towne Center and Forest Fair malls. I'm guessing they've all seen better days... Great video, thanks for the memories.
We may have crossed paths at one point! I worked in Eastgate Mall at a few different places between 1998 and 2003 during high school and college. I hate the “new” look of it-this was done during the same era all the Mills malls were built and they were trying to imitate that “whimsical” design. If you’re ever in the area and want a look at the old Eastgate design, Towne Mall in Middletown was Eastgate’s “twin” and it’s never been remodeled.
UniComm Productions...By 1998 I was long gone, out of college and working in my career that this year marks 25 years of service. I'm getting old. All my family are gone so there hasn't been much of a reason to return to the area except nostalgia. I hear the Eastgate area is heavily over built now; I'm sure traffic is worse than ever. I have so many memories and emotions tied up in that mall. I went there on a first date with my first real Girlfriend.. Our parents dropped us off and picked us up. LOL. I used to love the arcade and the Orange Julius. As one of the few "punk rock" kids in Clermont County at the time, the mall was always interesting. Most people there didn't know what to make of a bunch of kids with Mohawks and Sex Pistols t shirts. Simpler times I guess. I'm on the downhill slide to 50 now, so it seems like a lifetime ago. I worked at Forest Fair mall when they had the bars/club section. The stories from that place would surprise you. :)
There is a company that bought 3 adjoining properties in downtown York, PA and ALL THEY DO is pop-up restaurants. Right now, its like a bar, a Mexican place, and a Cambodian place, but my friend's favorite Indian restaurant was the first tenant of the pop-up and now has a permanent store elsewhere.
Does anyone remember tiffany's bakery being in the tri county & northgate mall in the seventies & when they closed, I worked at both locations this sure brings back fond memories
The whole mall used to be a lot of brick and dark terazzo (if you look at Towne Mall Galleria, it looked like that...but with fountains). I guess it's what they chose to leave that corridor looking like even after they remodeled. That wall is the other side of one that is part of Dillard's. Really interesting because that is the mall I grew up going to and worked at for many years and I never thought there was anything out of the ordinary about it...but now that you mention it it's a little weird. :)
So I gather this footage of the Northgate Mall was filmed in 2019. In 2023 Northgate Mall has zero anchor stores and only a handful of name brand retailers remain. It is insane that the mall is this abandoned in just four short years. To see 2019 footage such as on here to what it now looks like in person is insane.
I haven’t made it back out there in a while (I moved out of state in 2020), but that’s what I’m hearing. The last time I was there was in May 2020 right after malls reopened (there’s some clips in Episode 2 of a series I produced called Overmalled about all the malls in Cincinnati). I’ve gotten better at making videos since this was shot so I probably am due for a return visit
@@UniCommProductions I have watched and enjoyed all the your mall tours. With a special attention to the malls in the Cincinatti area. I appreciate the history you share about each mall in your productions. Unfortunately, as quickly as Northgate Mall is going down hill and the lack of upkeep that is obvious at the property I can't see it lasting much longer.
@@UniCommProductions Every Sunday after church in the 70's til early 80's all my family would meet and eat at "The Forum" at North gate Mall very upscale cafeteria type restaurant! Good Times!
Northgate used to be the place I'd go back in the 90's up until the mid 2000's. I used to get all kinds of good buys on games and clothes there but I'd say around 2005 - 2006 things started going downhill and really hasn't got much better. The theatre is nice but I can't see how it stays open...the last movie I seen there I pretty much had the one I was in to myself. It kind of reminds me when Cincinnati Mills had that Showcase Cinemas 10 several years ago...nice theatre but hardly anyone in it. I wouldn't be surprised to see that suffer the same fate and shut down real soon. It's a shame to see this place in the state it is now.
They were busy the day we were there...but it was the Friday of the "Tax Free Weekend" (which may have been a mistake to try to film during)...time will tell. They seem to be doing better than Tri County is, for whatever it's worth. It's unfortunate they're about to lose Sears. That can only make things worse.
I know. Tri-county has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. That mall will be the next Cincinnati Mall within 2 years. This what happens when everybody gets their stuff from sites like Amazon etc...all that does is take away jobs and leaves dying retail stores in the process. It may not be the sole cause we see dying malls but it's definitely one of them.
Wilson Vasquez it absolutely does, and that was added after a long period of frustrating back and forth between the mall and a few different theater chains (it was originally supposed to be a RAVE cinemas before they backed out).
doing better than forest fair northgate security vehicles run and tires not flat lol. back in the 90s biggs eastgate was unreal large. is biggs still around, i dont live in cincinnati.
Interestingly, Northgate doesnt actually have a security guard--they have allowed their local police department to open a substation in the mall, and that is their Mall Security. Bigg's was sold to Remke (a Northern Kentucky grocery store) in 2010, and they operated as "Remke Bigg's" for a few years before they converted the remaining stores to Remke only...they're a grocery-only store now that has been de-"hypermarketed". The former Bigg's Place Mall that was near where Eastgate Mall is (the first location they opened) was purchased by Jungle Jim's International Market in the early 20-teens. It's a bit of a tourist attraction.
The original big building out near Eastgate mall is now a Jungle Jim’s which is an experience in and of it self! This is the second Jungle the original is in Fairfield Ohio. Here is the website for them a Biggs has been gone for several years ☹️ junglejims.com if you’re ever get near there, I think it’s worth the trip!
Northgate Mall is doing a great job of bringing in non traditional tenets to fill space and then they can focus on the smaller spaces.Maybe they should raid strip malls and steal tenants to fill in those spaces.
I used to work at Eastgate at a video game store when I was in high school in the 90's. Loved that fountain with all the sunken seating in the middle.
This is from 2019. Today the mall is nearly empty. There are only two restaurants in the food court, one Japanese one Chinese. An entire wing of the mall is closed off. The only anchor store is a Marshall's at the far end. The thriving business is a nail place and the theater (which is not accessed from the Mall but from outside). It is now so bad that the restrooms are closed and there are Port-a-Poddies outside of the entrance!
I did a brief follow up to this video in the second episode of “Overmalled” in early 2020, but I haven’t been back recently. I was told that there are big sections that are blocked off? (I’m probably due to do a follow up on both these malls!)
Northgate Mall opened when I was 13. I spent much of my teenage years “cruising the mall.” It was the place to be in Colerain Township. It is sad to watch the decline of something that was a big part of my life.
I worked maintenance at the Northgate JC Penny back in the early 2000s. That building was awesome! All the old unused infrastructure from when it was Pogue's. Vents and stove hookups for the former kitchen. Huge filter rooms for the antiquated AC units. There was this one area on the roof that looked like the oubliette from The Labyrinth. It was always full of dead birds and their leavings. It had a cage around it, but the birds always found a way to get in and not get back out. I'm not sure what the damned thing was for, but I had to clean it out more often than I like to recall. lol
WOW. I always kind of wondered what working in one of those really old department stores was like--I worked at a Sears when I was in high school that opened in 1980 but it always felt SO much older than that, and there were always critters sneaking in.
If you go to Northgate Mall now, you'd really see a dead mall. It borders on creepy
When was the last time you've been to Tri County--it's even worse now. Both the malls in this video are due for an update, this video was shot in July 2018. I didn't really do either of them justice.
Thank you for making this video. I grew up next to this mall, my first job was a cashier for Arby's in the food court. So many good teenage memories.
I’m being told both of these malls aren’t doing nearly as well these days...it might be time for an update
Mall St Matthews had those money funnels when I was a kid! Regular chickens should be perfectly ok there, but you might have to bring fancy show chickens for Oxmoor down the road. 🐔🐓
I just subscribed to you a couple of days ago, and I've got to say I'm a fan already. Great footage. Don't know if you've been there, but I'll recommend River Valley Mall in Lancaster, OH. The last time I visited it, it seemed like more stores were disappearing, and the food court is down to almost nothing. Aside of that, great video here, and great memory.
Wow, thank you, Daniel! I haven’t been to River Valley yet; a few of our friends went there not long ago (Raw and Real Retail) so I was considering heading there soon to check it out because the drive would be pretty reasonable for an afternoon trip. Keep an eye out for the video!
I second River Valley. Holy hell that mall is dead. I only go there for Super Game Team.
I didn't know Eastgate was dying. I was last there two years ago.
Thank you for this lol. I spent my early teenage years at Eastgate then moved to Colerain in 9th grade to spend the rest of my years at Northgate. Many good memories of Eastgate and the movie theatre behind it 😉😉
I saw my first movie at that Showcase Cinemas! I'd love to go back and do an update on these--this was our third video and we have learned a lot since then, and a few things have changed at both malls.
UniComm Productions Please do! We were just at Eastgate about 2 weeks ago (I too showed my husband the best mall entrance lol) So awesome you did my 2 malls in one show 😁
Kristin, I was visiting cincy this weekend and was just at this mall (eastgate) today and hooo boy what a difference. I helped open the fye in this mall in 2004 and now it’s totally gone- totally sad to witness. (Apparently the gift shop in the old chick fil a across the way is opening a Christmas shop expansion in its space?) I think this may be worth it’s own episode in 2021. Love your content!
Eastgate is in rough shape and I definitely plan to head back up there soon to do a “complete” episode. With the way the area is growing that land the mall sits on is only becoming more valuable so I’m not sure how long it’ll last if they can’t turn things around unfortunately
I absolutely love your videos. Love how you guys talk in the beginning while driving and again at the end. It gives the viewers a chance to get to know you plus you guys are hilarious!!! As for these malls...they look decent. Especially the 2nd one. Love the touches that make that mall happier such as that sculpture in kids area. Loved the floor at the first mall although carpet basically sucks. At a distance it looked cool. Thanks for all the time you put into making your videos. Very professional looking. 💗
Thank you so much! I like the look of the second one much better too-the first one was pretty Mills-lite in its decor and...meh
13:34 that fragrance kiosk on the left - I stopped there in June 2017 and tried a bunch of fragrances. Didn't buy any. Then watched Dunkirk at the Xscape Theater there in Northgate Mall.
Greetings from Australia 🇦🇺 I can’t get enough of your videos- thanks for producing such enjoyable and informative content. This is my new favorite channel (after Sal’s of course!). Looking forward to seeing more of your work 💜😃
Thank you Lyna! What a nice thing to say. We’re glad you found us!
I spent much of my teenage years in Northgate Mall in the 80's. There was a game room a lot of us hung out at and a tall thin security guard we called Gilligan. One note...Johnny Bench's Home Plate was not in the mall. It was a separate structure at the edge of the parking lot near the corner at Colerain Ave.
Good to know-which honestly makes more sense. I found several photos of it that referred to it being “at the mall” and I never really came across any old maps or directories so that’s where I got my that info. Thank you for watching!
@@UniCommProductions Thank you for doing these. I've been away almost 20 years and these bring back so many memories even though I hardly recognize them any more.
@@carmech001 You're very welcome--I really miss the way these malls looked when I was a kid sometimes. The "modern" look is very boring.
@@UniCommProductions Yea. When you were in Tri County I was like....I think that's where Petland used to be....Cinnabon should be right over there. lol. I don't recognize much in Northgate now. I think there was one part where the old upstairs restaraunt at...Pogues? was and in front there should have been a round either fountain or seating planter as I recall. It been a very long time but I'm leaning towards a fountain.
Steve Hester I seem to remember a fountain in the center also. It would have been in front of where the movie theater is now. (My memories of Northgate go back to the early-mid 90s.)
I'm so glad that they are making an effort to save northgate
It seems to be doing much better since the time I'd been there before that...but with Sears gone, I hope that continues.
UniComm Productions went there on Black Friday and being from the chapel hill mall area it felt eerily similar. Hoping it stays alive along with chapel hill
Genuinely thank you for this video. It’s a fantastic look into the past and future of mall culture around Cincinnati. It’s also a blast from the past especially after the pandemic in 2020. The eastgate mall is now finally foreclosed but some things still survive.
I started amateur urban exploring. Highly appreciate ur videos. We scour the internet looking for suggestions
Lol, "...if your clothes came from Kohl's, you were one of the cool kids...", I don't think I ever remember clothes from Kohl's being "cool".
It's a pretty rural-suburban environment, they were hipper than JC Penney at the time at least!
I remember the BIG arcade at Eastgate Mall where we spent LOTS of quarters before the PC was made affordable for home use. Northgate does have the nice theatre but we hope that it doesn't GO SOUTH like Forest Fair theaters did! They still have the Cincinnati Bell store and the Lens Crafters where I get my glasses at Northgate!
I spent many quarters in that arcade as well!
@@UniCommProductions Ahhhh ... I'm older enough to remember getting my arcade fix on at the Aladdin's Castle in Beechmont Mall!
(Just found your channel this weekend, and I am LOVING the memories! I grew up on the east side of Cincinnati (Mt. Washington, and Mt. Carmel), spent some time in Pittsburgh in the early 80's, then Columbus, then back to Cincinnati in the 90's, and for the last 20 years have lived in the Dayton area. So you have covered a LOT of malls that I've spent time in! Looking forward to more!)
I remember the Aladdins Castle at Eastgate a lot more! I’m glad you found us!
there about to move the krogers in eastgate into the mall hopefully its gonna be revived again, ive seen so many shops come in and come out these past 5 years and im excited to see where the mall will be in 10 years
I am way overdue to check in there-It was definitely the mall I spent the most time at when I was growing up.
Another awesome video! I have many memories of Northgate and eating that food court when it was full.
That food court is a 90's wonderland of neon. I absolutely love it and hope it sticks around.
UniComm Productions me to it will be a sad day if it goes
I just found your channel and two videos in, I'm loving it. Your commentary has me cracking up. 80s mall girl here. 😁
I've been to the Cincinnati area many times in the past (early 2000s) and visited some of the malls. Definitely will be enjoying your visits to more of them.
Welcome! If you’re looking for Cincinnati malls there is plenty to see on my little channel. Thanks for your kind comment!
I missed this one somehow and I'm so glad I found it.
Question: if a person walking thru a mall carrying a chicken (with a camera strapped to its head) is not noticed in West Virginia... Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Full disclosure I go to malls in West Virginia all the time now and have yet to see someone with a chicken, and I am disappointed!
Oh it breaks my heart that Northgate is turning into Forest Fair Mall so fast. I still remember the old days fondly. To me when I go into potbelly’s it’s like dining in a movie theater room. Even when I go to Noodles and Company I feel like I’m dining in Prime N’ Wine. I even remember where Kroger Marketplace is that used to be quite a few stores and Putt-Putt.
Prime and Wine! That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time! I used to love going to Northgate back in the late 90s.
UniComm Productions my father used to work there. He got me hooked on the candy they’d offer for dessert. ‘Reception Sticks”
The little hard candies dipped in dark chocolate?
UniComm Productions yeah. I’m sure you remember these flavors. Mint and cinnamon and orange and lemon.
Good video. Thanks.
Thank you for watching!
I am watching this video & I always like to check the date it was uploaded this video on August 7th, 2018. I'm watching it (and it recommended to me) on August 7th 2020.
I wonder if that's part of the You Tube algorithm thingy - to sometimes recommend videos to us that were uploaded on the same date it is now.
That's a really intriguing theory and honestly, I don't know! I should watch the analytics and see if it has an uptick in views! (and yeah, this mall has taken a bit of a turn since this video was released, however they now have a Discovery Zone!)
It's just been announced that the Macy's at Northhate will close.
I saw that. I hate to say this but the one two punch of Sears and Macy’s along with the recent publicized rowdy kids may do this place in.
@@UniCommProductions Not only Also, due to consistent crime, the area around Northgate Mall earned a bad reputation. Fast Eddie closed chunks of Sears store last year due to the stores are not good and the company was bankruptcy in 2018and Macy's decided to closed unperformance stores in 2020 due to low sale on Christmas sales of 2019.
@@CulinaryJoey I don't know what their plans are but this recent mention of converting it into a "lifestyle center" doesnt seem like the ticket. Seems to be an awful lot of bored teenagers around there, maybe some kind of community center would be a good idea.
I'm certainly late to the game on this video, but the Eastgate video really tore my heart out. I grew up in nearby Batavia during the 80's and spent WAY too much time in Eastgate Mall and the movie theatre that used to be in the parking lot there near the I275/SR32 interchange. I recognized it a bit from the outside, but sadly nothing looks familiar on the inside. I used to loved the recessed seating areas they had. We did all our back to school shopping each year at that Sears. I got my first home computer, an Atari 400 (which should tell you how long ago it was), at that Sears. I haven't been back in that mall since I graduated high school in 1991 and moved away. I also have the dubious distinction of having worked in security in the early 90s at the Kenwood Towne Center and Forest Fair malls. I'm guessing they've all seen better days... Great video, thanks for the memories.
We may have crossed paths at one point! I worked in Eastgate Mall at a few different places between 1998 and 2003 during high school and college. I hate the “new” look of it-this was done during the same era all the Mills malls were built and they were trying to imitate that “whimsical” design. If you’re ever in the area and want a look at the old Eastgate design, Towne Mall in Middletown was Eastgate’s “twin” and it’s never been remodeled.
UniComm Productions...By 1998 I was long gone, out of college and working in my career that this year marks 25 years of service. I'm getting old. All my family are gone so there hasn't been much of a reason to return to the area except nostalgia. I hear the Eastgate area is heavily over built now; I'm sure traffic is worse than ever. I have so many memories and emotions tied up in that mall. I went there on a first date with my first real Girlfriend.. Our parents dropped us off and picked us up. LOL. I used to love the arcade and the Orange Julius. As one of the few "punk rock" kids in Clermont County at the time, the mall was always interesting. Most people there didn't know what to make of a bunch of kids with Mohawks and Sex Pistols t shirts. Simpler times I guess. I'm on the downhill slide to 50 now, so it seems like a lifetime ago. I worked at Forest Fair mall when they had the bars/club section. The stories from that place would surprise you. :)
Y'all are doing great, have watched numerous videos of yours n liked em all!!
Just found you! Love the old malls.
Awesome! thanks for the video
There is a company that bought 3 adjoining properties in downtown York, PA and ALL THEY DO is pop-up restaurants. Right now, its like a bar, a Mexican place, and a Cambodian place, but my friend's favorite Indian restaurant was the first tenant of the pop-up and now has a permanent store elsewhere.
That's really cool. I'm hoping this works for malls in general to bring in some interesting retailers.
Does anyone remember tiffany's bakery being in the tri county & northgate mall in the seventies & when they closed, I worked at both locations this sure brings back fond memories
Really hoping they can pull it together n get Eastgate back in action. Thanks for the video!
I am not a big fan of its “remodeled” state and wish it still looked like it did in the 90s.
I was at northgate yesterday, that mall is dead and empty compared to the one in Lexington
Oh yeah the mall in Lexington is doing incredibly well.
I grew up in Colerain Township and my friends and I would ride our bikes there every summer.Northgate is not the way it use to look like.
No, and I liked the old look better!
Why was the corridor where you entered all bricked up on the one side?
The whole mall used to be a lot of brick and dark terazzo (if you look at Towne Mall Galleria, it looked like that...but with fountains). I guess it's what they chose to leave that corridor looking like even after they remodeled. That wall is the other side of one that is part of Dillard's. Really interesting because that is the mall I grew up going to and worked at for many years and I never thought there was anything out of the ordinary about it...but now that you mention it it's a little weird. :)
This is also the mall where I got ligma. :(
So I gather this footage of the Northgate Mall was filmed in 2019. In 2023 Northgate Mall has zero anchor stores and only a handful of name brand retailers remain. It is insane that the mall is this abandoned in just four short years. To see 2019 footage such as on here to what it now looks like in person is insane.
I haven’t made it back out there in a while (I moved out of state in 2020), but that’s what I’m hearing. The last time I was there was in May 2020 right after malls reopened (there’s some clips in Episode 2 of a series I produced called Overmalled about all the malls in Cincinnati). I’ve gotten better at making videos since this was shot so I probably am due for a return visit
@@UniCommProductions I have watched and enjoyed all the your mall tours. With a special attention to the malls in the Cincinatti area. I appreciate the history you share about each mall in your productions. Unfortunately, as quickly as Northgate Mall is going down hill and the lack of upkeep that is obvious at the property I can't see it lasting much longer.
I unfortunately don’t either, the same for Eastgate Mall, which despite all the growth in the area is falling fast.
Good to see a food court still in business
It's a really lovely food court. I hope whatever redevelopment plans there are dont include completely destroying the look of it.
@@UniCommProductions Every Sunday after church in the 70's til early 80's all my family would meet and eat at "The Forum" at North gate Mall very upscale cafeteria type restaurant! Good Times!
@@bruno8241 isn't The Forum still in business and just in another part of town?
@@UniCommProductions it could be.
Great Video love the BOGO idea!!
Thanks! We wanted to come up with something fun to tie the two together
Was there any music playing in the malls?
There is usually in both; however we have to dub over it because RUclips’s content ID system will give us strikes for background music.
Our sad mall literally had Chers song " if you bring back time" playing..or what ever that song was..lol. iowa
Literally stuck in the early 2000s.
cool video boi. thank you!
Northgate used to be the place I'd go back in the 90's up until the mid 2000's. I used to get all kinds of good buys on games and clothes there but I'd say around 2005 - 2006 things started going downhill and really hasn't got much better. The theatre is nice but I can't see how it stays open...the last movie I seen there I pretty much had the one I was in to myself. It kind of reminds me when Cincinnati Mills had that Showcase Cinemas 10 several years ago...nice theatre but hardly anyone in it. I wouldn't be surprised to see that suffer the same fate and shut down real soon. It's a shame to see this place in the state it is now.
They were busy the day we were there...but it was the Friday of the "Tax Free Weekend" (which may have been a mistake to try to film during)...time will tell. They seem to be doing better than Tri County is, for whatever it's worth. It's unfortunate they're about to lose Sears. That can only make things worse.
I know. Tri-county has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. That mall will be the next Cincinnati Mall within 2 years. This what happens when everybody gets their stuff from sites like Amazon etc...all that does is take away jobs and leaves dying retail stores in the process. It may not be the sole cause we see dying malls but it's definitely one of them.
UNI COMM...UR GITTIN CLOSE 2... 400 SUBSCRIBERS!!!
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Did you ever get your chicken cam?
Something better...that we don't have to feed and doesn't have to be cleaned up after! :)
@@UniCommProductions Catching up on your older videos, love your work.
@@mike_mcgregor Thank you for your support! We've grown a lot since those first few videos.
It is sad that malls are dying.
It really is, especially for all of us 80s and 90s kids who remember when our whole weekend social life revolved around them.
Northgate upgraded
Really? What did they upgrade? I haven’t been out there in quite a while.
It has a movie theater
Wilson Vasquez it absolutely does, and that was added after a long period of frustrating back and forth between the mall and a few different theater chains (it was originally supposed to be a RAVE cinemas before they backed out).
18:55 chickens can be real assholes. Don't use chickens as tripods.
They are also extremely conspicuous. :)
doing better than forest fair northgate security vehicles run and tires not flat lol. back in the 90s biggs eastgate was unreal large. is biggs still around, i dont live in cincinnati.
Interestingly, Northgate doesnt actually have a security guard--they have allowed their local police department to open a substation in the mall, and that is their Mall Security.
Bigg's was sold to Remke (a Northern Kentucky grocery store) in 2010, and they operated as "Remke Bigg's" for a few years before they converted the remaining stores to Remke only...they're a grocery-only store now that has been de-"hypermarketed". The former Bigg's Place Mall that was near where Eastgate Mall is (the first location they opened) was purchased by Jungle Jim's International Market in the early 20-teens. It's a bit of a tourist attraction.
The original big building out near Eastgate mall is now a Jungle Jim’s which is an experience in and of it self! This is the second Jungle the original is in Fairfield Ohio. Here is the website for them a Biggs has been gone for several years ☹️ junglejims.com if you’re ever get near there, I think it’s worth the trip!
I love Jungle Jim's!
Northgate Mall is doing a great job of bringing in non traditional tenets to fill space and then they can focus on the smaller spaces.Maybe they should raid strip malls and steal tenants to fill in those spaces.
It seems fair is fair--strip malls have been poaching tenants from the mall for years! (I'm looking at you Liberty Centre and Bridgewater Falls!)