I could see the 90s right away. It has so much of that specific orange/brown I loved from that era. Had a pair of pants in that color. Loved em. Great tour and the music for sure showed your affection for the place👍😎👍
Ya it's definitely not like it was when it opened but to be fair either is MOA. I miss stores like Sharper imagine etc. it was so cool to have stores you could only get to if you traveled but they really don't have that anymore either.
I lived in West Des Moines my whole life until College, walking distance to valley west. I've watched this place backslide to it's current state all my life. I walked through this place many times, holiday shopping and such, through the 2000s, and still thought it to be a pretty good place thru 2014. I recently mall walked once a week for almost a year here in 2023, and it's still an oddly relaxing place to be.
This was THE spot to shop for many years. Many other big stores nearby. When younkers filed bankruptcy, that was the beginning of the end. Jordan creek opening put a big dent in traffic and stores one by one began moving out. Van maur moved out and that has left only J.C. Penney as a big store in the mall proper. Merle hay has struggled as well, but flix moving in has helped it out quite a bit. Sadly valley west mall is only 25% occupied right now so it’s running on fumes. Covid sent many people online as well. I will always fondly remember babbages computer store as my go to place for many years. Thanks for sharing.
I’ll miss the magical feeling of going to the mall to show my mom what i wanted for xmas or to tell santa what i wanted. I feel so bad for the kids who will never know that feeling. 💔
I'm going to age myself here but from the summer before highschool until I graduated I modeled for Barbizon International and my favorite place to do Mannequin modeling was in the 5,7,9 store in valley West. I also modeled for several other stores but being only 5'3 it was usually "just petites" or 5,7,9. We had a huge show at valley West the only one we have on video (you know the kind of video that was like tape lol and I'm not talking VHS I'm talking projector 😂. I lived very close to South ridge (my first job at 14 was at South ridge 3 theaters) but now live by Valley west 😅. Lots of memories so thanks for sharing this before the mall disappears. Oh and I started working at Mercy Valley west before they moved out of Valley west into the 114th location I loved that move and job!
Born n raised in Des moines age 46. Valley West was my favorite also the younkers had the best Polo selection in the midwest in my opinion. They had a actual polo rep working in the store. The malls are dying but Jordan creek is thriving like the Valley West of old. A bit off topic but i would say Toys R Us is the most missed store in Des Moines. It was down the street from valley west. Awesome video i loved it and awesome narrative !!!!
My earliest childhood memories I can recall are at Valley West Mall in the late 1980’s. The old fountains and koi fish were my favorite. Most people dont remember the old fountains and water features, Ive tried finding old pictures of them in newspaper archives but was not successful. McDonalds with the original play area for kids, Stride Rite, Mr Bulky, Dunhams Sporting Goods, Valley West Theatre, the original pet store that closed in 1992…..Musicland, Natural Wonders, Great American Cookie, Von Maur, Younkers, JCPenney, Remington, Disney Store (early 90’s), KB Toys, Babbages, The Arcade….thats just off the top of my head. So much nostalgia it breaks my heart seeing it empty
Thank you for sharing all your memories! Some photos from the 1970s have recently been shared on the Internet. The mall looks so different now. I think it’s such a cozy place and am sad it keeps getting worse.
Also, Fun Factory, So Fro Fabrics, Clock Store, Josephs Jewelry, Landmark Luggage, The Disney Store, Chu's Salon, Spencers, Babbages, Dunhams Sports, YORK STEAK HOUSE, Hallmark, Radio Shack (for my first phone HTC EVO), The Gap, Limited, Cookie Factory, Christopher Banks, CJ Banks, Natural Wonders, Bachrach (shiny suits), Lane Bryant...Waldenbooks... Valley 3 theaters. So much time hanging out. It was the rich west siders mall until Jordan Creek.
Appreciate your love of what was my mall growing up! I was born in 1993 in West Des Moines. Went to high school down the street from this mall. Lived my whole childhood basically between it and Jordan Creektown Center. I got to watch toy story 1 and go to the old Disney store at Valley West in the 90s. Eat in the food court when it was busy, and had Orange Julius. Get Cookie cake from whatever place sells that. Part of my family would come for the train( probably the very same you saw) for Easter, Christmas. Yugioh cards and Gears of war 3 prerelease at the GameStop. There used to be a pay to play computer lobby. That had all the games you could ever wanna play. Just rent a computer. Even had its own entrance so it closed later then the mall! Your not kidding about the nostalgia man. Too bad it's struggling like it is. And likely to be torn down at this rate.
This and merle hay were the malls of my childhood. I learned how to walk in Valley West; but that was 26 years ago. I used to shop there all the time with my family back when it was busy. It used to look so exquisite when it was all decorated for Christmas. Now it’s practically become a shell of itself and it breaks my heart. I feel melancholic whenever I go in anymore because I remember how things used to be.
I'll always remember the Christmas shopping me and my parents did here when I was little. All the decorations, walking around Von Muir, all of it. The ideal mall I'd say
I frequented Merle hay, Southridge, and valley west. I can't wrap my head around the fact that people would rather shop a place like outlets of altoona, rather than an INDOOR mall?? Don't make sense to me!🤷♀️
There was so much smoke in air from wildfires in 2022 and 2023, so I was very happy to have climate controlled malls in which I could walk around for exercise.
I was the Manager of the Shoe Fixers repair shop from 1989 to 2006 until they wen't out of business. I remember this mall well. I was there during the remodel when the elevator was added and esclators at each end. I was there at it's peak of existence. It was Crazy busy in the 90's.
This was a mall I hit up a lot back in the day. Really good arcade for a long time, and a really weird pizza place that was really long and narrow and always seemed dark.
I loved going to the Disney Store in this mall growing up. I've lived across the street from this mall for the past 6.5 years. Outside of the two months I worked at the Noodles & Company that used to be at this mall, I can count on one hand the amount of times I've ventured here since moving across the street from it.
Its still nice place. They did a nice job updating it to try and keep business but jordan creek was just took too much of their business. We used to get shoes for my son at stride rite. Hes 21 now. Memories for sure.
@@MononokeLynn Yup! Back in the 90's. And Merle Hay Mall used to have a McDonald's in the basement. McDonald's at MHM closed after they built one down the steet on Merle Hay Road. I think this was before the turn of the millenium, but it's been too long and I can't remember.
My parents and I went shopping at the Von Maur at the Valley West Mall over Memorial Day weekend in 2021. I found exactly what I wanted. We ate supper at the Mac Shack. My dad and I went back to the mall in August of that year just to look around inside. We were surprised when we drove past over Memorial Day weekend this year that Von Maur had closed.
I grew up in the adjacent neighborhoods and would often bike over here to hang around the GameStop and other stores. This was probably around 2007/2008. My dad and I would drive up the parking structure to watch storms roll in. It was a fun and lively place during the Christmas season. :) Whatever happens to it, that space will always have a place in my heart.
I remember back in the day they used to have monthly family nights. As a minor, I worked the inflatable games/rides for some extra spending money that was totally W-2 exempt. It was the "out of town" "fancy" mall for my family before the Jordan Creek Towncenter. We'd go to Younkers with my grandmother because she had a lifetime discount from her years of employment there. 🤣
Thank you for filming this one. Have you seen any pictures from the 1990s? Valley West used to be very much a marble mall. They did the carpet in the 2000s. Wondering what the future holds for this one.
Fond memories of this old Mall ; I used to spend all day delivering for UPS here ….. you new everyone there . My first stop was getting breakfast at McDonald’s on the south end across from Walgreens and next to RCC western clothing store 👍 The mall had a good run and a lot of great stores like Remington‘s men’s shaving etc down on lower level by JCPenneys 👍 Thanks for posting!!!
My friend and I were just looking at some of your videos to find a cool mall to visit. Crazy to see that you just posted a video of the mall we both grew up going to!
I love this mall- went there all the time growing up. however over the summer of 2022, valley west hosted a carnival in the parking lot by the old yonkers and there was a shooting. it was a big group of kids that had gotten into a fight and one of them fired five shots into the air. i didn't realize at first because i was in line for a ride next to a balloon dart game and i thought it was that, but then i saw everyone running and my heart sank. thankfully i was parked close but i was 16 at the time and so freaked out. the kids who had the gun ran to target across the street and were caught within hourse. i have not been back since simply because lack of stores, but i have very fond memories there reguardless.
Nothing left at the food court. And I would say 25% of stores are open as of a recent Friday afternoon. It’s dead. Nothing interesting left there except for Blaze Pizza and Chipotle.
Please visit again soon, as of two weeks ago the only thing open when I went in was chipotle and the blaze pizza, I fear that valley west has its days numbered
This used to be such a beautiful Mall! The Von Maur store was so beautiful, classy and the interior was something out of a storybook. So nostalgic and great ambiance. Now they have moved to Jordan Creek and it looks so cheap compared to this one. It is smaller and no ambience, cheap looking and very contemporary and not ina good way. This mall had everything and was beautiful, oh what time has done and what were people thinking to let this Mall go to you know where.
I grew up in WDM over by the raccoon river in a “new” development. Our mall choices were Merle Hey and of course Valley West Southridge we never went to. I remember both fondly. Then we moved…. And then Jordan Creek opened 😭
It IS a very cozy and relaxed mall, even in decades past when it was at it'sheight. Heck it's one of the few that still has Santa photos and whatnot come winter. The lounge areas are every where and they are slightly out of the way but close vs newer malls that put them in the center path w benches. Great central location. I was ther in late 80s and in 90s when it had everything - theater, game stop, Disney store... Sadly it seems shops of malls always move to the newest mall in town and then it's an uphill battle to keep the old mall going. Very nice place to walk these days when weather is poor or hot.
If you think this is depressing, go visit South Ridge Mall in Ankeny, or the Marshalltown Center in Marshalltown. Jordan Creek and Coral Ridge are still going strong (for the moment), but they're both insane in terms of traffic.
Valley West Mall is nearly identical with what was West Dale Mall on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids. They must have had the same developer. Mirrored fates as well.
i remember a while back valley west was dead. you'd walk in to a ton of stores being closed. my main memories came from southridge, which they now converted to a giant strip mall basically.
I grew up in the nw side of des moines. Crossing windsor heights into west des moines to come to valley west was like a little vacation. Back then west des moines was a more affulent, cleaner, safer cousin to des moines. I felt so fancy coming with my mom or dad and throwing a coin into the well. My first full time job was at valley west mall when i turned 17. I would walk down from my moms house on hickman and beaver to catch the number 3 bus up to the mall. I discovered my passion for cooking working at this mall. Maybe it was just my own experience, but i fell in love with west des moines. The streets were cleaner, the girls were prettier, the jobs paid a couple dollars more. By the time i was able to move into the area, my second apartment near ashworth, the rose colored tints had worn off. The mall had started to die, and the population in west des moines had condensed, with more young people and wage workers like myself moving there, and the more successful residents having moved further west. Maybe it was always like this, but before i moved to the valley west area i never saw the type of addiction, crime and general disrespect for the environment that i was trying to get away from in the first place by leaving des moines proper. I guese thats just a part of living in a city. People move in, children grow up, and culture changes. Living by valley west, i continued to seek jobs out west by jordan creek and waukee, for the same reasons. A quieter culture, higher wages, and prettier girls. Its funny how i always had an idealized version of west des moines in my imagination before i spent a few years living there. Its my same attitude i have now towards waukee, currently im working hard in urbandale so i can soon move out to waukee. I wonder if in 5-10 years my opinion of waukee will sour as it has of west des moines. All that being said, i love my home state of Iowa. I love the des moines metro. I wouldnt want to live anywhre else, despite our problems. That drive you take at the end up westowns parkway made me cry out of nostalgia and grief for the life i lived down there, the relationships I've ended and the friends ive lost. Very beautiful video, thank you so much for sharing ❤
It'll be interesting to see what happens with this mall, with the recent news of the foreclosure, but still a while away from getting new owners. The location is still pretty desirable, with it's easy interstate access and the busy University Ave corridor. But I can't see it staying the same.
I thought Southridge would be the first metro area mall to get torn down, but now I think it will be Valley West. It's a good area and the property is too valuable to let it waste away.
The two malls are five minutes apart. There was never a scenario where Valley West survived Jordan Creek. It will be demolished in the next five to ten years.
In the 80s and early 90s I worked for the Norkittus McDonald's franchise and the Valley West Mall McDonalds was one of the four stores I mostly worked at.
bittersweet, but I can only hope it gets turned into a residential complex, similar in concept to Victor Gruen's ideas. It would be such a novel residency for us, and I think it would attract a lot of people, especially with all of the "third space" potential. One can dream ☺️
It blows my mind that Merle Hay mall is healthier than Valley West, years ago I would've laughed in your face if you had told me this mall would be dead as it is today. Jordan Creek seems to still have healthy traffic.
I went there this year. The occupancy is about 25-30%. It was a ghost town. There was a homeless guy emptying 2 huge suitcases in the middle of the mall, throwing his clothes every which way. Jordan creek absolutely obliterated valley west. JC is at max capacity now and has expanded several times.
Don't know how this suddenly showed up in my recommendations, but I use to work at Sbarro's pizza over 20 years ago for a few months. Don't know when or why it turned into a US Cellular, as I thought pizza would still be a good food option. I moved out of the metro area about 8 years ago to a small town and haven't been to that mall since.
First off love the fact you mentioned the former cinema saw ET 3 times there as a kid! Too bad they removed the original cental atrium high rise water feature fountain pipes and pools with koi and all.
@@YodelingLoonRetail ahhhh I’m in Wisconsin so idk if I’ll make it there :( I do have my favorite mall aka Southridge, why I like the aesthetics, also it looks like Northridge (the mall the demolishing at the moment) and I love vintage :)
The last I heard (about a month or 2 ago), Valley West was in bankruptcy and a court appoimted third party was managing it but will probably sell it in a year or so. WDM has been approached by a few contractors looking to replace it with apartments/condos and sniffing around for tax incentives since WDM is trying to revive that area.
I really miss Valley West Mall. Still has a good food court for a quick lunch. Southridge is nothing more then outdoor strip mall now. ( Which I live by )
Unfortunately I believe Valley West closes this month; we can only hope that the JCP will be able to continue operation by becoming a stand alone facility similar to how the one in Cedar Rapids operates. And Jordan Creek has some seedy stores on it’s ground floor by Dick’s Sporting Goods where the guys who stand in front of the store verbally accost women; horribly uncomfortable, especially if you are by yourself.
the owners of Valley West Mall did far more damage than any outside group or mall did to them. When they were deciding to update the mall they forced out many long time mall shops for smaller ones and even forced most food places to relocate to the food court which killed off many of them The mall owners wouldn't allow the movie theater to show any move above a PG rating and only allowed PG-13 movies after a certain time of day. They forced out places like the arcades as the games they deemed to be to "violent" they required all tenets to participate in their promotional items and would overcharge them on the promotional items. They also raised rents so that many of the smaller tenets they were seeking couldn't make any money they tried to demand that retailers pay for parking passes for their employees but were quickly shot down by the stores right now the mall is in receivership
Valley West Mall is a depressing place…They need to turn Valley West,South Ridge and Meral Hey into affordable housing or something useful…But l do remember when Valley West was the Jordan Creek before Jordan Creek…
dude i have no idea why anyone would want to spend one second in that depressing dusty old mall. half the stores are closed. theres absolutely nobody in there. the surrounding area is fugly dusty stroads. that mall needs to be burned down and made into a parking lot. there must be dark carpet in a mall that actually has customers and activity, economic viability. the existence of this mall is pointless in light of jordan creek. jordan creek is nice and you actually feel good being in there. jordan creek is the only mall that the des moines metro needs... but its really interesting about this weird tendency of people in des moines allowing developers to massively overbuild. theres thousands of brand new apartment units in south des moines... meanwhile the restaurant scene is dead by the standards of most people and declining. everything is overbuilt and built in really stupid ways. poor city planning. but that has changed in the past few years because of the new city code. it will be a long ass time before that actually translates into progress for the city though. still a great place to live but you have to have a strong forehead... for all the times you will slap your forehead at stupid shit like this.
@@LuigiGodzillaGirlthe driving is so awful, I chose to ride my bike the 15 miles from Grimes into JCreek rather than drive. It only takes 10 extra minutes both ways on an ebike the traffic is so insufferable.
I could see the 90s right away. It has so much of that specific orange/brown I loved from that era. Had a pair of pants in that color. Loved em. Great tour and the music for sure showed your affection for the place👍😎👍
I worked in Jordan Creek for 7 years. It is a beast. Too bad for Jordan Creek that it has shoddy build and the foundation will crumble one day.
Ya it's definitely not like it was when it opened but to be fair either is MOA. I miss stores like Sharper imagine etc. it was so cool to have stores you could only get to if you traveled but they really don't have that anymore either.
I lived in West Des Moines my whole life until College, walking distance to valley west. I've watched this place backslide to it's current state all my life.
I walked through this place many times, holiday shopping and such, through the 2000s, and still thought it to be a pretty good place thru 2014.
I recently mall walked once a week for almost a year here in 2023, and it's still an oddly relaxing place to be.
my local mall! i visit almost every day, and it hurts seeing it in the state its in today.
This was THE spot to shop for many years. Many other big stores nearby. When younkers filed bankruptcy, that was the beginning of the end. Jordan creek opening put a big dent in traffic and stores one by one began moving out. Van maur moved out and that has left only J.C. Penney as a big store in the mall proper. Merle hay has struggled as well, but flix moving in has helped it out quite a bit. Sadly valley west mall is only 25% occupied right now so it’s running on fumes. Covid sent many people online as well. I will always fondly remember babbages computer store as my go to place for many years. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent job Brandon with a very low voice 👍 great @unicomproductions cameo!
Really digging the Tchaikovsky. Great video, sir!
Thank you so much, Sal!
I’ll miss the magical feeling of going to the mall to show my mom what i wanted for xmas or to tell santa what i wanted. I feel so bad for the kids who will never know that feeling. 💔
This place used to be awesome. I wasn't around prior to the 2003 remodel, but I have some fond memories here
I'm going to age myself here but from the summer before highschool until I graduated I modeled for Barbizon International and my favorite place to do Mannequin modeling was in the 5,7,9 store in valley West. I also modeled for several other stores but being only 5'3 it was usually "just petites" or 5,7,9.
We had a huge show at valley West the only one we have on video (you know the kind of video that was like tape lol and I'm not talking VHS I'm talking projector 😂.
I lived very close to South ridge (my first job at 14 was at South ridge 3 theaters) but now live by Valley west 😅.
Lots of memories so thanks for sharing this before the mall disappears.
Oh and I started working at Mercy Valley west before they moved out of Valley west into the 114th location I loved that move and job!
Born n raised in Des moines age 46. Valley West was my favorite also the younkers had the best Polo selection in the midwest in my opinion. They had a actual polo rep working in the store. The malls are dying but Jordan creek is thriving like the Valley West of old. A bit off topic but i would say Toys R Us is the most missed store in Des Moines. It was down the street from valley west. Awesome video i loved it and awesome narrative !!!!
Thank you so much!
My earliest childhood memories I can recall are at Valley West Mall in the late 1980’s. The old fountains and koi fish were my favorite. Most people dont remember the old fountains and water features, Ive tried finding old pictures of them in newspaper archives but was not successful.
McDonalds with the original play area for kids, Stride Rite, Mr Bulky, Dunhams Sporting Goods, Valley West Theatre, the original pet store that closed in 1992…..Musicland, Natural Wonders, Great American Cookie, Von Maur, Younkers, JCPenney, Remington, Disney Store (early 90’s), KB Toys, Babbages, The Arcade….thats just off the top of my head. So much nostalgia it breaks my heart seeing it empty
Thank you for sharing all your memories! Some photos from the 1970s have recently been shared on the Internet. The mall looks so different now. I think it’s such a cozy place and am sad it keeps getting worse.
Also, Fun Factory, So Fro Fabrics, Clock Store, Josephs Jewelry, Landmark Luggage, The Disney Store, Chu's Salon, Spencers, Babbages, Dunhams Sports, YORK STEAK HOUSE, Hallmark, Radio Shack (for my first phone HTC EVO), The Gap, Limited, Cookie Factory, Christopher Banks, CJ Banks, Natural Wonders, Bachrach (shiny suits), Lane Bryant...Waldenbooks... Valley 3 theaters. So much time hanging out. It was the rich west siders mall until Jordan Creek.
Appreciate your love of what was my mall growing up! I was born in 1993 in West Des Moines. Went to high school down the street from this mall. Lived my whole childhood basically between it and Jordan Creektown Center.
I got to watch toy story 1 and go to the old Disney store at Valley West in the 90s. Eat in the food court when it was busy, and had Orange Julius. Get Cookie cake from whatever place sells that.
Part of my family would come for the train( probably the very same you saw) for Easter, Christmas. Yugioh cards and Gears of war 3 prerelease at the GameStop. There used to be a pay to play computer lobby. That had all the games you could ever wanna play. Just rent a computer. Even had its own entrance so it closed later then the mall!
Your not kidding about the nostalgia man. Too bad it's struggling like it is. And likely to be torn down at this rate.
The Computer lobby was called Clickz!
Thank you sharing your memories! It’s sad this nice old mall is worse than my video.
This and merle hay were the malls of my childhood. I learned how to walk in Valley West; but that was 26 years ago. I used to shop there all the time with my family back when it was busy. It used to look so exquisite when it was all decorated for Christmas. Now it’s practically become a shell of itself and it breaks my heart. I feel melancholic whenever I go in anymore because I remember how things used to be.
I'll always remember the Christmas shopping me and my parents did here when I was little. All the decorations, walking around Von Muir, all of it. The ideal mall I'd say
I frequented Merle hay, Southridge, and valley west. I can't wrap my head around the fact that people would rather shop a place like outlets of altoona, rather than an INDOOR mall?? Don't make sense to me!🤷♀️
There was so much smoke in air from wildfires in 2022 and 2023, so I was very happy to have climate controlled malls in which I could walk around for exercise.
This video brings back so many memories. My mom and I would go there all the time. It’s such a shame. Use to be the nicest mall in Iowa.
I remember back in 80’s going there and it was always packed on the weekends
Thanks! Really like your content and that added voice of reason was great!
Thank you so much! This means a lot.
I was the Manager of the Shoe Fixers repair shop from 1989 to 2006 until they wen't out of business. I remember this mall well. I was there during the remodel when the elevator was added and esclators at each end. I was there at it's peak of existence. It was Crazy busy in the 90's.
This was a mall I hit up a lot back in the day. Really good arcade for a long time, and a really weird pizza place that was really long and narrow and always seemed dark.
I loved going to the Disney Store in this mall growing up. I've lived across the street from this mall for the past 6.5 years. Outside of the two months I worked at the Noodles & Company that used to be at this mall, I can count on one hand the amount of times I've ventured here since moving across the street from it.
Its still nice place. They did a nice job updating it to try and keep business but jordan creek was just took too much of their business.
We used to get shoes for my son at stride rite. Hes 21 now.
Memories for sure.
It had a Disney Store!? 😩
@@MononokeLynn Yup! Back in the 90's. And Merle Hay Mall used to have a McDonald's in the basement. McDonald's at MHM closed after they built one down the steet on Merle Hay Road. I think this was before the turn of the millenium, but it's been too long and I can't remember.
My parents and I went shopping at the Von Maur at the Valley West Mall over Memorial Day weekend in 2021. I found exactly what I wanted. We ate supper at the Mac Shack. My dad and I went back to the mall in August of that year just to look around inside. We were surprised when we drove past over Memorial Day weekend this year that Von Maur had closed.
I grew up in the adjacent neighborhoods and would often bike over here to hang around the GameStop and other stores. This was probably around 2007/2008. My dad and I would drive up the parking structure to watch storms roll in. It was a fun and lively place during the Christmas season. :)
Whatever happens to it, that space will always have a place in my heart.
I remember back in the day they used to have monthly family nights. As a minor, I worked the inflatable games/rides for some extra spending money that was totally W-2 exempt.
It was the "out of town" "fancy" mall for my family before the Jordan Creek Towncenter. We'd go to Younkers with my grandmother because she had a lifetime discount from her years of employment there. 🤣
I remember stopping there when I was visiting Iowa in 1985
Thank you for filming this one. Have you seen any pictures from the 1990s? Valley West used to be very much a marble mall. They did the carpet in the 2000s. Wondering what the future holds for this one.
I’ve recently seen some 90s and 70s photos. The mall had some fun sculptures in the center court. I still love the fountain.
Fond memories of this old Mall ; I used to spend all day delivering for UPS here ….. you new everyone there . My first stop was getting breakfast at McDonald’s on the south end across from Walgreens and next to RCC western clothing store 👍 The mall had a good run and a lot of great stores like Remington‘s men’s shaving etc down on lower level by JCPenneys 👍 Thanks for posting!!!
My friend and I were just looking at some of your videos to find a cool mall to visit. Crazy to see that you just posted a video of the mall we both grew up going to!
That’s cool to hear!
I love this mall- went there all the time growing up. however over the summer of 2022, valley west hosted a carnival in the parking lot by the old yonkers and there was a shooting. it was a big group of kids that had gotten into a fight and one of them fired five shots into the air. i didn't realize at first because i was in line for a ride next to a balloon dart game and i thought it was that, but then i saw everyone running and my heart sank. thankfully i was parked close but i was 16 at the time and so freaked out. the kids who had the gun ran to target across the street and were caught within hourse. i have not been back since simply because lack of stores, but i have very fond memories there reguardless.
Nothing left at the food court. And I would say 25% of stores are open as of a recent Friday afternoon.
It’s dead. Nothing interesting left there except for Blaze Pizza and Chipotle.
Really good video. I wonder if they ever steam clean the carpets. Imaging that water.
god this video really dates me! i remember going here as a kid and spending so many hours in suncoast .... best store
Please visit again soon, as of two weeks ago the only thing open when I went in was chipotle and the blaze pizza, I fear that valley west has its days numbered
I saw the European bakery is still there. I need to go back there! It was so good.
jordan creek was my mall growing up, and I still go there. for sure my favorite mall.
Wow this is a beautiful mall! I’d kill to see it in person someday.
You probably won’t be able too unless you go soon, it’s going away any year now lol
Wonderful Video!!!!!! I Love the Waterfall/ Fountain!!!! F+L, Corey
This used to be such a beautiful Mall! The Von Maur store was so beautiful, classy and the interior was something out of a storybook. So nostalgic and great ambiance. Now they have moved to Jordan Creek and it looks so cheap compared to this one. It is smaller and no ambience, cheap looking and very contemporary and not ina good way. This mall had everything and was beautiful, oh what time has done and what were people thinking to let this Mall go to you know where.
I was looking for shoes for my wedding in 2018 and went to Von Maur…I felt so out of place in my sweat pants and hoodie. That place oozed classiness.
Ah Fo Gatta lotta things from my youth, but my memories come back with these videos! 😂
I grew up in WDM over by the raccoon river in a “new” development. Our mall choices were Merle Hey and of course Valley West Southridge we never went to.
I remember both fondly. Then we moved…. And then Jordan Creek opened 😭
It IS a very cozy and relaxed mall, even in decades past when it was at it'sheight. Heck it's one of the few that still has Santa photos and whatnot come winter. The lounge areas are every where and they are slightly out of the way but close vs newer malls that put them in the center path w benches. Great central location. I was ther in late 80s and in 90s when it had everything - theater, game stop, Disney store... Sadly it seems shops of malls always move to the newest mall in town and then it's an uphill battle to keep the old mall going. Very nice place to walk these days when weather is poor or hot.
If you think this is depressing, go visit South Ridge Mall in Ankeny, or the Marshalltown Center in Marshalltown. Jordan Creek and Coral Ridge are still going strong (for the moment), but they're both insane in terms of traffic.
I made a video about Marshalltown Center, but it's still "temporarily" closed.
Valley West Mall is nearly identical with what was West Dale Mall on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids. They must have had the same developer. Mirrored fates as well.
I didn’t make it to West Dale, but I loved the 1970s sections of Lindale Mall.
My favorite mall back in the day was Northtown in Blaine. (in 1980) Good stores, earthy tile, the nautical theme, and the aquarium.
I wish I had visited Northtown in the 80s. It looks like it had so much fun things to see.
i remember a while back valley west was dead. you'd walk in to a ton of stores being closed. my main memories came from southridge, which they now converted to a giant strip mall basically.
I used to go to ValleyWest for their aqua-massage beds. Remember those?
Jordan Creek truly is a poorly-designed oaf. Even their parking lot is a fuster-cluck!
I grew up in the nw side of des moines. Crossing windsor heights into west des moines to come to valley west was like a little vacation. Back then west des moines was a more affulent, cleaner, safer cousin to des moines. I felt so fancy coming with my mom or dad and throwing a coin into the well. My first full time job was at valley west mall when i turned 17. I would walk down from my moms house on hickman and beaver to catch the number 3 bus up to the mall. I discovered my passion for cooking working at this mall. Maybe it was just my own experience, but i fell in love with west des moines. The streets were cleaner, the girls were prettier, the jobs paid a couple dollars more. By the time i was able to move into the area, my second apartment near ashworth, the rose colored tints had worn off. The mall had started to die, and the population in west des moines had condensed, with more young people and wage workers like myself moving there, and the more successful residents having moved further west. Maybe it was always like this, but before i moved to the valley west area i never saw the type of addiction, crime and general disrespect for the environment that i was trying to get away from in the first place by leaving des moines proper. I guese thats just a part of living in a city. People move in, children grow up, and culture changes. Living by valley west, i continued to seek jobs out west by jordan creek and waukee, for the same reasons. A quieter culture, higher wages, and prettier girls. Its funny how i always had an idealized version of west des moines in my imagination before i spent a few years living there. Its my same attitude i have now towards waukee, currently im working hard in urbandale so i can soon move out to waukee. I wonder if in 5-10 years my opinion of waukee will sour as it has of west des moines.
All that being said, i love my home state of Iowa. I love the des moines metro. I wouldnt want to live anywhre else, despite our problems. That drive you take at the end up westowns parkway made me cry out of nostalgia and grief for the life i lived down there, the relationships I've ended and the friends ive lost. Very beautiful video, thank you so much for sharing ❤
It'll be interesting to see what happens with this mall, with the recent news of the foreclosure, but still a while away from getting new owners. The location is still pretty desirable, with it's easy interstate access and the busy University Ave corridor. But I can't see it staying the same.
I thought Southridge would be the first metro area mall to get torn down, but now I think it will be Valley West. It's a good area and the property is too valuable to let it waste away.
The two malls are five minutes apart. There was never a scenario where Valley West survived Jordan Creek. It will be demolished in the next five to ten years.
Kristin voiceovers are 1000% pure mall gold!!! 🎉
In the 80s and early 90s I worked for the Norkittus McDonald's franchise and the Valley West Mall McDonalds was one of the four stores I mostly worked at.
Another fellow Minnesotan! Love yr videos! Subbed
Thank you!
This mall was just recently re-zoned. It's days are certainly numbered.
bittersweet, but I can only hope it gets turned into a residential complex, similar in concept to Victor Gruen's ideas. It would be such a novel residency for us, and I think it would attract a lot of people, especially with all of the "third space" potential. One can dream ☺️
OMG SAME WHEN I WAS 6 IT WAS A TRADITION TO GO THERE DURING CHRISTMAS BUT THEN IT CLOSED :(
Valley West is almost totally abandoned now.
Very little left operating in the Mall.
Also that Parking Garage was added sometime in the early 00s late 90s
It blows my mind that Merle Hay mall is healthier than Valley West, years ago I would've laughed in your face if you had told me this mall would be dead as it is today. Jordan Creek seems to still have healthy traffic.
Great video!
Gotta be my favorite mall also. Sad to see it go.
I went there this year. The occupancy is about 25-30%. It was a ghost town. There was a homeless guy emptying 2 huge suitcases in the middle of the mall, throwing his clothes every which way. Jordan creek absolutely obliterated valley west. JC is at max capacity now and has expanded several times.
Don't know how this suddenly showed up in my recommendations, but I use to work at Sbarro's pizza over 20 years ago for a few months. Don't know when or why it turned into a US Cellular, as I thought pizza would still be a good food option. I moved out of the metro area about 8 years ago to a small town and haven't been to that mall since.
First off love the fact you mentioned the former cinema saw ET 3 times there as a kid! Too bad they removed the original cental atrium high rise water feature fountain pipes and pools with koi and all.
Wow! I would have loved to have seen the fountain.
I guess the algorithm saw all of us watching the news and sent us here too. Thanks again for preserving her memory.
Now I need to go there lol
It’s even sadder now that the food court is empty, but there are places to eat upstairs
@@YodelingLoonRetail ahhhh I’m in Wisconsin so idk if I’ll make it there :( I do have my favorite mall aka Southridge, why I like the aesthetics, also it looks like Northridge (the mall the demolishing at the moment) and I love vintage :)
The last I heard (about a month or 2 ago), Valley West was in bankruptcy and a court appoimted third party was managing it but will probably sell it in a year or so. WDM has been approached by a few contractors looking to replace it with apartments/condos and sniffing around for tax incentives since WDM is trying to revive that area.
Let’s hear more about the carpet! 😂
Jordan creek straight murdered this mall lol
Sad to see all the stores leaving it's a sad shell of itself
I really miss Valley West Mall. Still has a good food court for a quick lunch. Southridge is nothing more then outdoor strip mall now. ( Which I live by )
The food court is 100% shut down. I was there a few months ago...
@@jeffb321 - That stinks. I saw on the news it's up for a zoning hearing.
Love the fountain
Unfortunately I believe Valley West closes this month; we can only hope that the JCP will be able to continue operation by becoming a stand alone facility similar to how the one in Cedar Rapids operates.
And Jordan Creek has some seedy stores on it’s ground floor by Dick’s Sporting Goods where the guys who stand in front of the store verbally accost women; horribly uncomfortable, especially if you are by yourself.
I drive by Valley West Mall every day. I haven’t been inside since I was like 15 years old, some 26 years ago
This was the rich people mall until Jordan creek opened up
2:51 I ate lunch on those couches a few years ago and a roach crawled over my leg out from under the cushion 🤮
Having gone here at least once a year from 2007 to 2024 I can confirm this place is dying a VERY slow death.
Update DQ was no longer there
Nice decor - pity it's so empty. edit: Oh dang - it has a Maid Rite!
How did it smell while you were there?
It wasn’t bad. I was there again last weekend and don’t remember any odd smells.
the owners of Valley West Mall did far more damage than any outside group or mall did to them.
When they were deciding to update the mall they forced out many long time mall shops for smaller ones and even forced most food places to relocate to the food court which killed off many of them
The mall owners wouldn't allow the movie theater to show any move above a PG rating and only allowed PG-13 movies after a certain time of day. They forced out places like the arcades as the games they deemed to be to "violent"
they required all tenets to participate in their promotional items and would overcharge them on the promotional items. They also raised rents so that many of the smaller tenets they were seeking couldn't make any money
they tried to demand that retailers pay for parking passes for their employees but were quickly shot down by the stores
right now the mall is in receivership
ayy iowa mentioned
EDIT: why am i emotional
That’s in my town!!😊
I've never liked malls (even Jordan Creek) but learning about Des Moines history is fun.
I'm sad that Mac Shack and Candy Club House closed. There really is no reason for me to do there at all.
Valley West Mall is a depressing place…They need to turn Valley West,South Ridge and Meral Hey into affordable housing or something useful…But l do remember when Valley West was the Jordan Creek before Jordan Creek…
Kind of looks like Eden Prairie Center.
Yes! I’ve had the same thought.
My childhood mall dead in waterloo ia crossroads mall
Rip it all down and convert it to a heavily forested park! That parking lot is atrocious!!!! Damn!!!!!!!
You? A nerd? I refuse to believe it...
It also seems to be doing worse since this video. Like really bad
Its very true!
No fricking way….
I w
ent with mom
i am a native. this mall is dead. utterly lifeless.
This mall is abandoned
the saddest mall in iowa
I think Jordan creeks better. Valley west is just empty
dude i have no idea why anyone would want to spend one second in that depressing dusty old mall. half the stores are closed. theres absolutely nobody in there. the surrounding area is fugly dusty stroads. that mall needs to be burned down and made into a parking lot. there must be dark carpet in a mall that actually has customers and activity, economic viability. the existence of this mall is pointless in light of jordan creek. jordan creek is nice and you actually feel good being in there. jordan creek is the only mall that the des moines metro needs... but its really interesting about this weird tendency of people in des moines allowing developers to massively overbuild. theres thousands of brand new apartment units in south des moines... meanwhile the restaurant scene is dead by the standards of most people and declining. everything is overbuilt and built in really stupid ways. poor city planning. but that has changed in the past few years because of the new city code. it will be a long ass time before that actually translates into progress for the city though. still a great place to live but you have to have a strong forehead... for all the times you will slap your forehead at stupid shit like this.
You need to come to N E Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, what you stated is an all too common mentality.
I’ve lived in the Des Moines metro for over a decade, and I HATE driving in the Jordan Creek area. The roads are nice but the traffic is awful!
It sounds like you're one of those people that thinks everybody else has to like the exact same things that you like
@@LuigiGodzillaGirlthe driving is so awful, I chose to ride my bike the 15 miles from Grimes into JCreek rather than drive. It only takes 10 extra minutes both ways on an ebike the traffic is so insufferable.
Bruh whack is still nice u just a hater smh 😒. But the car infrastructure is ass here in iowa tru.