I was fortunate to grow up during the mall age. You went out and socialized in real life. It was a glorious time compared to now. Younger adults and kids don’t know what they missed.
A friend of mine who lives in the area wasn't aware that they used the mall as a filming location for BTTF as he was away in the military. But he first saw the movie while overseas and recognized the mall in the background. It caught him by surprise, though I don't think he entirely believed that it was PHM.
Bunch of my classmates were talking the morning after watching them film there and being excited they got a glimpse of Spielberg! Good times we’re had a t that place, great memories
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMANwhich mall? My mall is the same, closed years ago. The Carousel Mall in San Bernardino. That was the only mall near us when my parents moved us into Fontana back in 1985.
I was working at the Puente Hills Mall during the filming of the parking lot scenes. I actually worked in the white building that you can see in the background. When I worked there it was Robinsons May company. The big equipment and some trailers were in a corner of the parking lot while they were filming the movie. They started setting up after 9:30 because the mall closed at 9 pm and you had about half an hour to finishing up closing. I was told they didn't start filming until after 11:00 or so. Yeah I am that old. I graduated HS in 83 and I had worked at the mall after I graduatrd.
Dang… I never thought it was low key abandoned. I usually hit AMC and Burlingtons and high tail out. That mall was always packed. Lots of people and stores. I frequent Brea Mall, off the 57 fwy And Imperial Hwy. I hope Puente Hills can come back. Hate to see businesses going down. Thanks for the walkthrough!!
When i use to live in Rowland heights, that was the mall to go in the 90's. I remember how crowded it was, the little river with fish that i was fascinated. I remember the smell of food, the loud chattering of people, my mother holding my hand to make sure i didnt get lost or separated. It so sad to see the state its in now. Online shopping really are mall killers.
Loved hearing 80s music playing throughout the mall, it felt nostalgic and sad at the same time, especially seeing the mall 95% shuttered. 80s music and mall culture go hand in hand. Great video. 😊
The Mall was anchored by Sears on the west side, JC Penny’s on the east side, Robinsons on the south side and The Broadway on the North side. Frequented Millers Outpost and JC Penny for clothes the Arcade by Sears and Hotdog on a stick for fun.
As a male teen in the 80s, malls is where you wanted to be to shop, hang out, meet chicks, and just have good ole fun all day long. This is so depressing to see something like this. At this day and age, people don't even go out. They just want to stay home with their noses buried in their cell phone. I am aware that changes happen, but this is sad to see.
Feels like it was intentional, "by design " as people say. Cell phones, internet, Tik Tok, etc. Plus Covid fear made people-young people in particular- afraid to go out, shop, socialize. Family Guy summed it up when Stewie said America is now about packages being shipped and returned. Or something along those lines! Sad
50 years ago I was an apprentice with Richard Moore Electric running conduit and pulling wire helping get that state of the art mall opened among other jobs. Then in the late '80's when I got back to Ca after working across the country doing installations for MCI Telecommunications, and Collins Radio, I used to drive by there going from Montclair to Whittier to Paragon Wilson. Thanks for the memories Jayman.
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN "Now state of emergency." 😂😂😂 It needs resuscitation. It's such a shame, because the mall is located in a prime area. The nearby residents are middle-class to wealthy and have money to spend. What they need to do is to dismantle the whole thing and bulid new residential housing with some retail spaces. With the economic slowdown, I doubt they can find investors willing to put up the money.
That was my mall growing up. Spent many a weekend in that mall. Stores I remember in there.. the Broadway, Sears, the Tilt, the Gap use to be one of the main stores bottom floor facing the big open space (big open space was a giant fountain I believe made of small brown tiles :) ), jeans west, there was a boot store second deck, Hickory Farms, Spencer’s, Old Time Ice Cream, Hot Dog on a Stick. Use to hangout at that mall and then walk to the movies which were out back near Sears Service center direction. There were eventually two or three movie theaters I think… the other two were on the way down the street to the Showboat and Malibu Gran Prix. Tragic seeing it how it is now. Christmas time in that mall just hit different than it does now going to individual stores. Thanks for sharing this video. Sad to see the state it is in.
I used to hang out at The Puente Hills Mall as a teenager in the 80's😀Other than the arcade I loved going to La Casa De Candles, Spencer Gifts and Whimsy Works😁The mall was thriving back then with every spot open for businessWho would have though 4 decades later it would be a Ghost TownVery Sad to say the leastI remember the movie theatre was across the parking lot back in the dayAll the stores remaining are different now😳Thank you for taking us along👍🏻ROCK ON!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻
I still remember coming back from Lion Country Safari in Irvine on a school bus and exiting Azusa Ave. The exit was on an incline, so you could see the area where the mall is slightly below from your vehicle. It was around 1971-1972 because the entire area in front of the exit was green with a lot of vegetation. Azusa Ave. exit was just one lane and it was very rural everywhere. There’s also a picture of me and my brother as kids in 1970 off Colima Rd. The background shows empty fields where the mall is now. Rowland Heights lost its charm after that mall was built. Most of Southern CA is ruined in many ways and it’s been like that for decades.
It's so sad, I used to go weekly with my girlfriend driving from Montebello in the '80s, the place was packed and jamming. There was even a Howard Johnson restaurant in front on Azusa Blvd to have dinner, the whole demographic has changed, and by the early 2000s it was dying and I haven't been back since. Back to the Future!
One of the initial massive blows to this mall was the expansion of the West Covina Mall in the 90s/00s. It's located about 6 miles north of here, and it ultimately replaced Puente Hills as the premier shopping destination of the east San Gabriel Valley. It's been a slow steady decline since then. Pair that up with the rapid changes in consumer trends/online commerce, and this place sadly didn't stand a chance. At this point, AMC and Round1 are pretty much the only places keeping it on life support.
The first blow was the recession in the early 90's after the Gulf War. Several stores went out of business or merged. That's when we began to see "sales" year round, not just at Christmas. Then the demographics in the area changed, and on-line shopping have been the final nails.
@@unitedwefalldividedwestand5040Asians absolutely love malls. Check out S.Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam. If you don’t believe it, then check out the Santa Anita mall. Puente just needs to cater to their new demographic. This is what happens when you don’t.
I loved that mall as a kid. I remember it had this big arcade and a movie theater. After the big arcade left, a small one took its place. Anyways, I later realized the parking lot looked familiar. Anyways, the other thing I liked about the mall was there were so many ways to escape the parking lot. Most people used the ones near Colima, but there were other open spots to get out.
My area, I grew up here in the 80’s and 90’s. I remember the clock suspended in the center of the mall in the early 80’s. As first generation immigrants my family had some of their earliest memories here. American mall culture in the 80’s/90’s, miss it so much. Who remembers Malibu arcade right down the street? Oh and of course Marty McFly time travel was the fun fact us locals were so proud to share. Someone get me a Time Machine, I wanna go back.
Throughout the 90s my wife and I when she was just only my girlfriend used to go there every Friday.. and Saturday to hang out and to go to the movies... We still remember when the movies were two parts one on each side of the 60 freeway and then they knocked down part of the La puente mall and built the AMC theater in the mall.... And that is when it became very packed..... When are the last movies that we saw before they tore down the old movies were twister and Terminator 2.... We had a lot of happy memories in that mall it is sad to see how it is.... Thank you for this video you brought back a lot of very happy memories for us
Dam what ever happened to people going out and shopping. Spending time with family. Hanging out at the malls watching people go by. So sad to see a place that use to thrive with people
Kool vid man i went to Nogales high school on weekends we would go to Puente hills mall then we would go the show boat down the street and then go skating across the street at skate country good memories.
I was a security guard there in 2001 when I was 19 years old. I used to know every inch of that place inside and out. I render taking so many insurance reports for people falling into the koi pond that used to surround the center elevator area.
Puente Hills Mall was THE place to be back in the day. Sad to see it now. About the only time I go there now is to see a movie at AMC from time to time. Depressing to go there anymore.
@@reedberry I just did a little research and in 1980 a 4-plex was added across the street from the Puente Hills mall with the 6-plex (to add to the original theater). One was east, the other west, that must be what I remember. Demolished in 2000.
@@LauraBzar-bk5sd Yes! I remember the detached movie theatre. It was in the outer parking lot by the Olive Garden restaurant. I saw Top Gun there in 1986. The whole area was jumpin! 😂
I went to Cal Poly University back in the 80's. I used to frequent this mall back in the days. Thank you for taking take me back to this place. Until today, I have not seen the inside of the mall since those days. Feeling very nostalgic.
Amazon and Wal Mart have destroyed these malls. Kind of sad but things change, the malls previously destroyed the downtown shopping strips of the 1950s.
Back when the mall was where you had to be seen at and shop at. A place where you can take a friend and make more friends while you there. A place where time did not matter because you were having so much fun. A place where you have vivid memories of the time and place. Where you wish you can go back for a day. Fun times. long live our youth. Peace.
I saw the Back to the Future movie being filmed with the DeLorean chase when worked at Sam Goody’s Music Land. First place I ever tried Chick Fil A. It was a beautiful and vibrant mall many years ago. So sad that it is not utilized especially during the hot weather. Loved that mall!! The Sam Goody MusicLand store was upstairs close to where Sears was. It was to your right when you walked in the Sears from the mall. Love the music playing in that mall. Was the music that was really popular when the mall was a happening place!! The Chick Fil La was upstairs and O believe there was a store called Red Eye near there too. Also Brooks Brothers on the second level by the escalator.
I’m 60 and this was such a happening mall in its heyday. Malibu Gran Prix was nearby and friends and I had blast in the 80s. Fast forward when I’m no longer here and I bet malls will make a comeback.
So sad, I grew up a couple miles from this mall and have great memories of hanging out there in the 80s when it was alive and vibrant. We'll never see days like that again. Great video, thanks for posting.
Are used to love this mall. We'd come from Diamond Bar, take the bus most weekends to the mall. I even reupholstered the movie theater seats at the AM theater , right outside of the mall. Been a long time.
Thank you for another great Dead Mall video! As a rep for a company whose products were carried in malls, I've seen many. What I recall about this one was they used to have a huge carousel for kids. What stood out was the artwork / paintings embedded in the carousel: some of the pictures were rather dark in theme - not the happy , jolly depictions you'd think would be on a kid's merry-go-round!! Very surprising.
I grew up in Hacienda Heights in the 60’s through the 80’s and this was my mall! So weird to see this! Crazy! I worked at the Wicks N Sticks candle store. Fun job 😊
My family use to live in diamond bar and we use to go to the puente hills Malls in the 80s and 90s it had everything you could possibly think of from movie theaters to restaurants. There was also batting cage , Grand Prix race track they called the cars road runner. There was a lot you can do there I'm sorry to see it all dwindle down.😢 I'm Gen x the mall was a weekend thing.
I used to go to that mall pretty frequently in the late 90's and early 2000's, mostly for the AMC. The Puente Hills mall already had a pretty bad reputation back then and were attempting to revamp then. Apparently there had been some shootings and other incidents and they just never really fully recovered. I havent set foot in there in maybe 20-22 years.
So sad , I remember when this mall was huge and popular we'd go there and to West Covina mall . There was Robinson's Sears , and everything else 😥Thanks for taking me there again
I remember when I arrived in 2003 as a legal immigrant and my very first job was at the Sears and Roebuck in Puente Hills Mall as a sales associate. Soooo many good memories at the mall. I miss the koi pond. Till now, I still go there once in a while since I live near the area, but how my heart breaks everytime I see how Puente Hills Mall has turned into a dead mall.❤😢
Damn. That mall was great in the 80s and 90s. It’s sad to see it in this state. I walked through it a few years ago, a few stalls were open selling random car stuff.
I used to work at Chess King in that mall. It was where I saw A Nightmare on Elm Street when it came out in the 80's. We went To Glen A. Wilson High School (Fergie graduated from there a couple of years after I did) in that area and we owned a house atop Azusa. I also worked at one of the first Chili's in a joining lot across from PHM after quitting Chess King. The parking lot was blocked off when they were filming Back to The Future. It was always late night/early morning when they did it mostly. Have some fun memories of that mall and that area back then. It was my high school years. And we're planning a High School reunion next year. That mall will be a subject of memory recall and stories.
Late 80's I worked part time at Licorice Pizza Records across the street (JC Penny side) on Albatross Rd. would walk over to the mall for Bob's Old Fashioned Ice Cream. Got a job in PHM at Onstage (women's apparel) located downstairs Robinson's side. Miller's Outpost was one of my faves. The weekends were spent here at PHM, Showboat, Skate Country and AMC 4 or AMC 6. These days I'm closer to Ontario Mills or Victoria Gardens.
We always called it “Mall with the balls” 😂😂😂 It had a koi pond that ran through it. A little bit after they remodeled it is when activity slowed down. The AMC there is still one of the bests in the area. I’m 27 but a good 17 of those years were spent bumming it there. Thanks for the memories 💕
I worked there in the 90s the department store was Called Robinsons before Macy’s. I used to bring up the cosmetics to the bay area for all the different fragrance lines. At Christmas time it was jumping and I was a very busy guy. 🏃♂️
This is a shame. I practically lived at this mall in the 80's during my teen years. A lot of great memories, before all the distractions of the Internet and social media.
What’s even more crazy is when the mall you went to as a child gets taken over by a whole other race of people! It happened to the Eagle Rock Plaza. I love Filipinos but when i go to this mall i feel like an outsider in my own country.
Good video. I've been there many times. The original four stores were Sears, The Broadway (where the movie theater is now located), Robinson's, which turned into Robinson's-May, which turned into Macy's, and JC Penney. A friend of mine used to live about a mile from there....and year's later, he's back and living about a mile from there again but in a different house. And not for long.
The Puente Hills Mall is my local mall and it is odd that they cannot get it going. The nearby Brea Mall (10 miles away) does not have this problem and quite busy. However, the Round 1 and AMC theater are pretty great here though. If I was in charge, I would try to make it an indoor Outlet Mall with alot of popular restaurants. Differentiate this mall from the others nearby.
Maybe that is why this mall is dead as there is another big mall close by. They are competing against each other. In my area, there is only one big mall so there are no malls to compete against.
My mom was one of the charter crew that opened the Jolly Roger restaurant adjacent to the Mall. Her regular gig was at Whitwood in Whittier, a mall that isn't dead, but that has changed radically since the old days.
My wife tells me she used to work at the Broadway which was one of the anchor stores that was open during mall construction. She watch the mall get built until its official opening.
so sad to see malls closed, i have a large one in the town about 20 minutes away from me in a car, and its always busy. new places openin all the time. teenagers hang out with their friends, sounds like we are stuck in the 90's lol
I'm La Puente, born and raised, used to take the foothill transit from Azusa and Amar to the Puente Hills mall in the 80's to hang out. Those were the days of Camelot. The decline of the Puente Hills mall started in the mid 90's. Rowland Heights and Hacienda Heights, two cities next to the mall, are mostly Chinese people now, and they frequent their own businesses, which has contributed to the decline of the mall.
I grew up in South El Monte in Los Angeles County. I used to go to Puente Hills Mall, Montebello Town Center, Santa Anita Fashion Plaza, and Cerritos Mall. I now live in La Puente. And I do work Part Time at Angels Stadium. I pass the Brea Mall to work in the OC and back home. Anyway, as a kid, Puente Hills was a great mall. It used to have 4 Department Stores. Excellent stores. It is a damn shame this Mall is even Operational. It breaks my heart.
I remember riding my skateboard here when I was a teenager, when I would go visit my dad in West Covina, you know those “ court ordered. Visits? Lol anyways yea this thing is dead dead now wow, I’m surprised it’s still even open can you imagine the space rent per store still open??? I can’t see how it’s even profitable? What’s sad is most malls are slowly declining if not have already, it’s all that online shopping, Amazon etc , nobody likes doing things that require energy and getting up and actually going out and about. I miss the days growing up when I did, no cellphones, no social media etc, believe that has ruined the world, I mean I’m all for technology etc, but it’s true, you look around , and pay attention 90% of people have there phone in the hand , or on it. Sad families do t talk anymore they text,, it’s crazy . Thanks for the vid down memory lane,
@@jasonfranks1096 the smart phone / technology has screwed up alot of things. Yeah EVERYONE seems to be on their phones now. I remember the old school days too. The mall scene was my era
Oh wow!! This is so sad. I use to go to this mall all the time in early 2000s. Didnt know this is where Back to the Future was filmed. Please do Brea mall!! Great video.
I was stocking the Leeds shoe store 3 weeks before the mall opened, worked at Leeds for about a year. That mall was jamming back in the 70’s & 80’s. I believe we make well over 50% of our purchases online now.
I remember in this mall there was a pizza place I think round table pizza and it was near an entrance. You'd order in the front then the dining area was in the back but it was like walking down a dingie dark walkway and the back area was dark and dingie too with only like lanterns illuminating it, like an old tavern it was so cool. That memory is burned in my mind forever. Ah the old malls, never again. Don't get me started on the old arcades, lol.
Didn’t the movie theater used to be in a separate building from the mall? I remember being dropped off and picked up by mom in 1977-1980, I thought we had to walk through the parking lot a little between the mall/movies? I do remember that there was a phone booth at the movies so we could collect call my mom for pick-up using an agreed-on fake name so it was free. We were there a lot because growing up in Montebello it was very exciting when the La Puente mall opened. It was a bit of a drive, but mom was so happy to have the day to herself she didn’t mind. “Here’s $20 for you and your sister, that’s enough for lunch, 2 movies each, popcorn, soda and candy, you know where mall security is and can call me collect any time, see you in 6 hours.” Once in a while we got the credit card with a permission note so we would stay away another few hours to shop. 🤯😬😂
Yes, it was closer to the freeway, but still in the same parking lot as the mall. I remember waiting in a line that wrapped around the AMC for the opening of Terminator 2. Just down the street there also was a MANN Theaters.
there were 2 separate buildings, one with 6 screens and the other with 4, I think they were both along Albatross but I was way too young to drive back then so I don't remember exactly
As soon as the video started, I had to think "hey, are you on the 57 freeway just leaving Fullerton?" haha. I definitely know that freeway. Could've sworn the exit behind you was Yorba Linda blvd, where my Alma Mater is, Cal State Fullerton.
That buffet use to be a Brazilian bbq joint like 15 years ago or a lil bit more… gosh I use to go to this mall a ton… but brea mall I drive by there on state college 3-4 times a month. That mall at least stays crowded….
More than 15 years ago. I've been living in the area since arou 2007 and I remember that buffet being a Todai for a while. I know that because I remember eating there with my family and a good friend of mine and my son made a huge mess around his seat. Plus, I remember that octopus sculpture too.
@@Riceball01 hmm, maybe it was on the other side… my now ex wife lived in La puente… we went to a Brazilian bbq joint that was located just inside the entrance to the mall. I haven’t been there in ages…I could be getting my entrances wrong 😂
I worked there in the early 90's downstairs, Sears side at a kiosk by the escalators. To my right was Sam Goody and to the left was Mrs. Fields. It's sad to see what has become of this mall when I now live by the Montclair, Ontario Mills, and Victoria Gardens which are thriving.
I still see great potential for these once great establishments. It's amazing how times have changed. I can see future housing/shopping establishments.
My daughter loves this place! Dead malls are apparently cool at her age. We go there all the time! I really wish we would have run into you! Great video man!
When I moved to sunny SoCal in 1980, I visited the Puente Hills Mall regularly, since it was so close to where a relative welcomed me for a few weeks, until I found my own place to live. I can recall them having a carousel or 'Merry-Go-Round'. And, also a unique walkway with koi under your feet. Now, it's a ghost town.
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I am glad Alex Jones is now doing abandoned mall content.
@@pokerchannel6991 yeah it's my new thing! @$&%*.....lol
I thought that was Alex Jones in the thumbnail too
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN Glad you're taking it in stride, Alex
"King Osirus" ->Keep That Under Your Hat!
@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN 😂😂😂 I really thought it was him.
This place was great in early 80s. Packed both levels and great fun.
Tilt at the hills baby
and 90s....early to mid....I spent my childhood there at the tilt, spencers, movies....first date...:)
OMG, LA Puente mall is dead now? I use to go there all the time as a kid.
The 1970s-1980s-1990s all rocked.
Its a gosh-darn shame what has happened....
It was a pretty big deal when it opened. 1976/77?
I was fortunate to grow up during the mall age. You went out and socialized in real life. It was a glorious time compared to now. Younger adults and kids don’t know what they missed.
I WAS THERE IN 1984 when they were filming "Back to the Future" film in the parking lot at night. Memories.
I didn't know they filmed that there. Thanks for that tidbit 👍
What was it like?
A friend of mine who lives in the area wasn't aware that they used the mall as a filming location for BTTF as he was away in the military. But he first saw the movie while overseas and recognized the mall in the background. It caught him by surprise, though I don't think he entirely believed that it was PHM.
Bunch of my classmates were talking the morning after watching them film there and being excited they got a glimpse of Spielberg! Good times we’re had a t that place, great memories
I was there the night they filmed as well. The actual filming took place after midnight when the streets went quiet.
Dead Malls are everywhere now kinda sad being a 80s kid hanging in malls in the 90s ...Great video Man
My Mall as a kid closed completely in January & they haven't done anything to it yet.
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMANwhich mall? My mall is the same, closed years ago. The Carousel Mall in San Bernardino. That was the only mall near us when my parents moved us into Fontana back in 1985.
Mall of Orange ( The Village at Orange ) closed in january. since 1971
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN it’s scary how everything is becoming digital. No need for stores anymore.
@@F30586 exactly....oh that technology! 👎lol
Wow, I can’t believe that I used to hang out at this mall in the 80s. It was the place to be.
@@DpC2024-i3g seems like that was a very popular mall back in the day.
I was working at the Puente Hills Mall during the filming of the parking lot scenes. I actually worked in the white building that you can see in the background. When I worked there it was Robinsons May company. The big equipment and some trailers were in a corner of the parking lot while they were filming the movie. They started setting up after 9:30 because the mall closed at 9 pm and you had about half an hour to finishing up closing. I was told they didn't start filming until after 11:00 or so. Yeah I am that old. I graduated HS in 83 and I had worked at the mall after I graduatrd.
Good memories of a classic movie filmed there in the 80's
I worked in that mall in the late '80's early '90's at Glamor Shot's. The mall was so busy and alive at that time.
Do you remember Millers Outpost?
My Aunt use to manage the JK Gill store.
Glamour Shots lol. Millers Outpost, Mervyns, Penney’s. Sam Goody, Circuit City, The Warehouse…I miss it all.
@@schoolsfan3719yea shes the one who fired me back in 89 from jk gill fun and sad 😢times
Oh yes, Millers Outpost stores!
Dang… I never thought it was low key abandoned. I usually hit AMC and Burlingtons and high tail out. That mall was always packed. Lots of people and stores. I frequent Brea Mall, off the 57 fwy And Imperial Hwy. I hope Puente Hills can come back. Hate to see businesses going down. Thanks for the walkthrough!!
THANKS FOR BUYING AMAZON.
When i use to live in Rowland heights, that was the mall to go in the 90's. I remember how crowded it was, the little river with fish that i was fascinated. I remember the smell of food, the loud chattering of people, my mother holding my hand to make sure i didnt get lost or separated.
It so sad to see the state its in now. Online shopping really are mall killers.
I went with my family back in 1974 to the grand opening. I was only 6 years old.
@@MsDee_777 that era seemed like the era of new mall openings
The year I was born, at West Covina Hospital
Wow I was 54 when it opened 😅
74?!
ABSOLUTELY FUCKING WOW! I AM AMAZED.
Loved hearing 80s music playing throughout the mall, it felt nostalgic and sad at the same time, especially seeing the mall 95% shuttered. 80s music and mall culture go hand in hand. Great video. 😊
The Mall was anchored by Sears on the west side, JC Penny’s on the east side, Robinsons on the south side and The Broadway on the North side. Frequented Millers Outpost and JC Penny for clothes the Arcade by Sears and Hotdog on a stick for fun.
@@Lil_Homie. Ahhh.... the good old days. Miller outpost, i remember mine in Orange
I totally remember Miller's Outpost & Ditto Jeans.
Gosh I remember those days. McDonald's was on the first floor on the JC Penney side. Thom McCann's was there too.
Wasn't the arcade a Sega Center?
Holy cow - Millers Outpost!!
Now that’s a blast from the past. I still remember shopping for new 7th grade clothes (OP anyone?) back around 1977 lol.
As a male teen in the 80s, malls is where you wanted to be to shop, hang out, meet chicks, and just have good ole fun all day long. This is so depressing to see something like this. At this day and age, people don't even go out. They just want to stay home with their noses buried in their cell phone. I am aware that changes happen, but this is sad to see.
Feels like it was intentional, "by design " as people say. Cell phones, internet, Tik Tok, etc. Plus Covid fear made people-young people in particular- afraid to go out, shop, socialize. Family Guy summed it up when Stewie said America is now about packages being shipped and returned. Or something along those lines! Sad
50 years ago I was an apprentice with Richard Moore Electric running conduit and pulling wire helping get that state of the art mall opened among other jobs. Then in the late '80's when I got back to Ca after working across the country doing installations for MCI Telecommunications, and Collins Radio, I used to drive by there going from Montclair to Whittier to Paragon Wilson. Thanks for the memories Jayman.
@@LarryWisda state of the art...lol. Now state of emergency. Bummer malls are a thing of the past for the most part.
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN "Now state of emergency." 😂😂😂 It needs resuscitation. It's such a shame, because the mall is located in a prime area. The nearby residents are middle-class to wealthy and have money to spend. What they need to do is to dismantle the whole thing and bulid new residential housing with some retail spaces. With the economic slowdown, I doubt they can find investors willing to put up the money.
2014 this mall , soup plantation and a toys r us and many stores were still alive! Wow in a span of 10 years they are all dead
I remember KB toys back in the days on the first floor
And the pet store rivalry to Doug's Animal House across outside the mall.
And?😅
Omg!!!! I grew up in Montebello 80’s 90’s and we used to go to the La Puente mall!!! How sad it’s closed.
It's not closed. He just did a walk through.
@@OscarGomez-wv9fd it’s definitely a shadow of what it used to be.
That was my mall growing up. Spent many a weekend in that mall. Stores I remember in there.. the Broadway, Sears, the Tilt, the Gap use to be one of the main stores bottom floor facing the big open space (big open space was a giant fountain I believe made of small brown tiles :) ), jeans west, there was a boot store second deck, Hickory Farms, Spencer’s, Old Time Ice Cream, Hot Dog on a Stick. Use to hangout at that mall and then walk to the movies which were out back near Sears Service center direction. There were eventually two or three movie theaters I think… the other two were on the way down the street to the Showboat and Malibu Gran Prix. Tragic seeing it how it is now. Christmas time in that mall just hit different than it does now going to individual stores. Thanks for sharing this video. Sad to see the state it is in.
Memories is all we have now
I used to hang out at The Puente Hills Mall as a teenager in the 80's😀Other than the arcade I loved going to La Casa De Candles, Spencer Gifts and Whimsy Works😁The mall was thriving back then with every spot open for businessWho would have though 4 decades later it would be a Ghost TownVery Sad to say the leastI remember the movie theatre was across the parking lot back in the dayAll the stores remaining are different now😳Thank you for taking us along👍🏻ROCK ON!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻
There were so so many different stores at that mall. They had anything and everything that u wanted.. I miss that mall and my childhood
Tilt arcade in the 90s , a giant firetruck that kids climbed on, a merry go round and pyro skate park. That mall used to be amazing
I grew up in La Puente and can remember when there was no mall. I can actually remember when it opened and when it was the place to hang out. So sad.
I still remember coming back from Lion Country Safari in Irvine on a school bus and exiting Azusa Ave. The exit was on an incline, so you could see the area where the mall is slightly below from your vehicle. It was around 1971-1972 because the entire area in front of the exit was green with a lot of vegetation. Azusa Ave. exit was just one lane and it was very rural everywhere. There’s also a picture of me and my brother as kids in 1970 off Colima Rd. The background shows empty fields where the mall is now. Rowland Heights lost its charm after that mall was built. Most of Southern CA is ruined in many ways and it’s been like that for decades.
Totally remember Lion Country Safari. Went there a couple times.
It's so sad, I used to go weekly with my girlfriend driving from Montebello in the '80s, the place was packed and jamming. There was even a Howard Johnson restaurant in front on Azusa Blvd to have dinner, the whole demographic has changed, and by the early 2000s it was dying and I haven't been back since.
Back to the Future!
@@yogoombah2356 the days of hanging out at a mall have pretty much faded away. Howard Johnson's resturants are all gone now too as 2022
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN visit the Brea Mall on the weekend. It's packed! Even packed during the week at noon... in the food court.
How the owner is keeping the lights on is beyond me.
Round 1 is really the only thing keeping them afloat. It's huge and is usually packed on weekends.
Round 1 and AMC
IT IS A TAX WRITE-OFF.
@@stvnnakamuraYes, malls need more fun attractions like that to keep it going. Just shopping stores only is not enough.
The mall was recently sold for $115 million. Probably won't be standing much longer.
Part of our first date was seeing the Harrison Ford movie Frantic at that mall. Married over 35 years now.
@@SurfCityBill bet that 80s era, that mall was bumpin'. It's a trip to see malls for the most part dead zones now
One of the initial massive blows to this mall was the expansion of the West Covina Mall in the 90s/00s. It's located about 6 miles north of here, and it ultimately replaced Puente Hills as the premier shopping destination of the east San Gabriel Valley. It's been a slow steady decline since then. Pair that up with the rapid changes in consumer trends/online commerce, and this place sadly didn't stand a chance. At this point, AMC and Round1 are pretty much the only places keeping it on life support.
And the change in demographics in Rowland Heights and Hacienda Heights
N9 in that area stores don't survive maybe because is mostly Asians living their but the best buy is also empty I went and it was even sad been their
The first blow was the recession in the early 90's after the Gulf War. Several stores went out of business or merged. That's when we began to see "sales" year round, not just at Christmas. Then the demographics in the area changed, and on-line shopping have been the final nails.
@@unitedwefalldividedwestand5040Asians absolutely love malls. Check out S.Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam. If you don’t believe it, then check out the Santa Anita mall. Puente just needs to cater to their new demographic. This is what happens when you don’t.
@@unitedwefalldividedwestand5040💯 💯 💯 #1 reason not the mall on the 10fwy
I loved that mall as a kid. I remember it had this big arcade and a movie theater. After the big arcade left, a small one took its place. Anyways, I later realized the parking lot looked familiar. Anyways, the other thing I liked about the mall was there were so many ways to escape the parking lot. Most people used the ones near Colima, but there were other open spots to get out.
Definitely an end of an era that I loved. Internet, cell phones and social media is killing this kind of retail. Real socializing is dying
My area, I grew up here in the 80’s and 90’s. I remember the clock suspended in the center of the mall in the early 80’s. As first generation immigrants my family had some of their earliest memories here. American mall culture in the 80’s/90’s, miss it so much. Who remembers Malibu arcade right down the street? Oh and of course Marty McFly time travel was the fun fact us locals were so proud to share. Someone get me a Time Machine, I wanna go back.
I used to live in La Puente in the early 80s and yes, i remember that they filmed Back to the Future in the parking lot.
Throughout the 90s my wife and I when she was just only my girlfriend used to go there every Friday.. and Saturday to hang out and to go to the movies... We still remember when the movies were two parts one on each side of the 60 freeway and then they knocked down part of the La puente mall and built the AMC theater in the mall.... And that is when it became very packed..... When are the last movies that we saw before they tore down the old movies were twister and Terminator 2.... We had a lot of happy memories in that mall it is sad to see how it is.... Thank you for this video you brought back a lot of very happy memories for us
Go watch twisters so that could be the last movie your watch here before they knock it down
Dam what ever happened to people going out and shopping. Spending time with family. Hanging out at the malls watching people go by. So sad to see a place that use to thrive with people
Too expensive
Amazon
Kool vid man i went to Nogales high school on weekends we would go to Puente hills mall then we would go the show boat down the street and then go skating across the street at skate country good memories.
@@ericbayze6854 yeah, sounds like good memories. Sucks that the old school days are gone.
I loved seeing the koy fish pond built in the floor...
The Showboat!!
Showboat!!!
same! I went to Nogales as well and hit up those same spots too!
I was a security guard there in 2001 when I was 19 years old. I used to know every inch of that place inside and out. I render taking so many insurance reports for people falling into the koi pond that used to surround the center elevator area.
@@hectorcastaneda1405 i keep hearing about the koi pond. Wish i seen it when it was up and going
Forgot about the kois
Puente Hills Mall was THE place to be back in the day. Sad to see it now. About the only time I go there now is to see a movie at AMC from time to time. Depressing to go there anymore.
@@reedberry way depressing looking now
Do you know if the movie theater was always attached to the mall? I could have sworn it was a separate building when it opened.
@@LauraBzar-bk5sd I don't remember it being anywhere other than where it is right now, attached to the mall.
@@reedberry I just did a little research and in 1980 a 4-plex was added across the street from the Puente Hills mall with the 6-plex (to add to the original theater). One was east, the other west, that must be what I remember. Demolished in 2000.
@@LauraBzar-bk5sd
Yes! I remember the detached movie theatre. It was in the outer parking lot by the Olive Garden restaurant. I saw Top Gun there in 1986. The whole area was jumpin! 😂
Literally have Back To The Future playing in the background while working from home! 😂
no one remembers that LOL
That part of the parking lot gave me a weird feeling and then I found out my favorite movie was shot in that lot..
The music makes it even creepier! 😮
@@weasel1btr I didn't even know about it until I was in high school. :/
I went to Cal Poly University back in the 80's. I used to frequent this mall back in the days. Thank you for taking take me back to this place. Until today, I have not seen the inside of the mall since those days. Feeling very nostalgic.
Amazon and Wal Mart have destroyed these malls. Kind of sad but things change, the malls previously destroyed the downtown shopping strips of the 1950s.
@@stevemccooleq exactly, it all goes in waves of change thru the years. Brick & mortar is kinda a thing of the past
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN I still prefer shopping in person to see, try, buy, return, etc. :(
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMANThe a/c bill to keep all that dead space cool must cost a ton of money
I have lived in this area for the last 40 years and the other thing that killed this mall was the change in demographics.
@@gary646340k a month
They had a beautiful carousel and some kind of coy pond for a while
The coy pond was removed in the late 2000’s when a remodel took place. After that it was just downward spiral and technology took over.
Koi, not coy. (btw, I remember it too.)
Back when the mall was where you had to be seen at and shop at. A place where you can take a friend and make more friends while you there. A place where time did not matter because you were having so much fun. A place where you have vivid memories of the time and place. Where you wish you can go back for a day. Fun times. long live our youth. Peace.
I saw the Back to the Future movie being filmed with the DeLorean chase when worked at Sam Goody’s Music Land. First place I ever tried Chick Fil A.
It was a beautiful and vibrant mall many years ago. So sad that it is not utilized especially during the hot weather. Loved that mall!!
The Sam Goody MusicLand store was upstairs close to where Sears was. It was to your right when you walked in the Sears from the mall.
Love the music playing in that mall. Was the music that was really popular when the mall was a happening place!!
The Chick Fil La was upstairs and O believe there was a store called Red Eye near there too. Also Brooks Brothers on the second level by the escalator.
Too bad we didn't fancy cameras to record this BTTF filming!
I was part of the first crew to work at the first U.S. Round One that opened at the PHM Rolled on E during cosmic bowling haha
I’m 60 and this was such a happening mall in its heyday. Malibu Gran Prix was nearby and friends and I had blast in the 80s. Fast forward when I’m no longer here and I bet malls will make a comeback.
I remember that Malibu Grand Prix & indoor malls will be no longer. Open air type might thrive?
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN
Lol 😂
Heck, we human creatures are notorious for being fickle. History may repeat itself with malls.
So sad, I grew up a couple miles from this mall and have great memories of hanging out there in the 80s when it was alive and vibrant. We'll never see days like that again. Great video, thanks for posting.
Are used to love this mall. We'd come from Diamond Bar, take the bus most weekends to the mall. I even reupholstered the movie theater seats at the AM theater , right outside of the mall. Been a long time.
Thank you for another great Dead Mall video! As a rep for a company whose products were carried in malls, I've seen many. What I recall about this one was they used to have a huge carousel for kids. What stood out was the artwork / paintings embedded in the carousel: some of the pictures were rather dark in theme - not the happy , jolly depictions you'd think would be on a kid's merry-go-round!! Very surprising.
@@xaviethecat sounds like an odder themed carousel for sure. New dead mall video later tonight. Uploading now
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN Buena Park! Watching now!
Use to meet friends from Chaffey College back in 1979 hang out so fun back in the days
The old school days are long gone now for malls
I grew up in Hacienda Heights in the 60’s through the 80’s and this was my mall! So weird to see this! Crazy! I worked at the Wicks N Sticks candle store. Fun job 😊
The good 'ol mall day are for the most part numbered. Boooooo
I remember going to this mall in '74. I was in total awe of it because until then there were only little strip malls!
@@TheBlackbelair early 70's seems like the era for new malls. My mall opened in 1971 and closed this year. Orange,Ca.
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN which mall in Orange? The main place?
@@951oct the Village at Orange formally the Mall of Orange in north Orange
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN The Glendale Galleria and the adjoining Americana at Brand are thriving!
My family use to live in diamond bar and we use to go to the puente hills Malls in the 80s and 90s it had everything you could possibly think of from movie theaters to restaurants. There was also batting cage , Grand Prix race track they called the cars road runner. There was a lot you can do there I'm sorry to see it all dwindle down.😢 I'm Gen x the mall was a weekend thing.
I used to go to that mall pretty frequently in the late 90's and early 2000's, mostly for the AMC. The Puente Hills mall already had a pretty bad reputation back then and were attempting to revamp then. Apparently there had been some shootings and other incidents and they just never really fully recovered. I havent set foot in there in maybe 20-22 years.
So sad , I remember when this mall was huge and popular we'd go there and to West Covina mall . There was Robinson's Sears , and everything else 😥Thanks for taking me there again
I worked at the movie theater 1999-2000. Best times to be there.
I remember when I arrived in 2003 as a legal immigrant and my very first job was at the Sears and Roebuck in Puente Hills Mall as a sales associate. Soooo many good memories at the mall. I miss the koi pond. Till now, I still go there once in a while since I live near the area, but how my heart breaks everytime I see how Puente Hills Mall has turned into a dead mall.❤😢
Omg I used to go shop at that mall. They used to have a koi pond inside all around the first floor. Last seen 2006.
Damn. That mall was great in the 80s and 90s. It’s sad to see it in this state. I walked through it a few years ago, a few stalls were open selling random car stuff.
I used to work at Chess King in that mall. It was where I saw A Nightmare on Elm Street when it came out in the 80's.
We went To Glen A. Wilson High School (Fergie graduated from there a couple of years after I did) in that area and we owned a house atop Azusa. I also worked at one of the first Chili's in a joining lot across from PHM after quitting Chess King.
The parking lot was blocked off when they were filming Back to The Future. It was always late night/early morning when they did it mostly.
Have some fun memories of that mall and that area back then. It was my high school years.
And we're planning a High School reunion next year. That mall will be a subject of memory recall and stories.
If you hit up the mall hopefully it will still be open to reminisce your time there
Late 80's I worked part time at Licorice Pizza Records across the street (JC Penny side) on Albatross Rd. would walk over to the mall for Bob's Old Fashioned Ice Cream. Got a job in PHM at Onstage (women's apparel) located downstairs Robinson's side. Miller's Outpost was one of my faves. The weekends were spent here at PHM, Showboat, Skate Country and AMC 4 or AMC 6. These days I'm closer to Ontario Mills or Victoria Gardens.
We always called it “Mall with the balls” 😂😂😂
It had a koi pond that ran through it. A little bit after they remodeled it is when activity slowed down. The AMC there is still one of the bests in the area. I’m 27 but a good 17 of those years were spent bumming it there. Thanks for the memories 💕
@@KrustySnax ahhh the good 'ol times. I do hear that AMC is the place to go
Yea everyone went to the amc back in the day
I grew up going to the Puente Hills Mall and loved it! I’m old enough to have gone there to visit La Casa de Candles
I loved La Casa de Candles!
October 25, at 1am, people are getting together at that mall for a back to the future celebration
We'll be there !
Nothing but a bunch Virgin Nerds playing with Legos and Star Trek figurines.
I’ll be in bed with my girl 😏
I already went to the reunion back in 1985
Again? Every year? I remember the one in 2015.
@@antdudewhy not? Who knows if the mall will get bought and torn down sometime in the future
I worked there in the 90s the department store was Called Robinsons before Macy’s. I used to bring up the cosmetics to the bay area for all the different fragrance lines. At Christmas time it was jumping and I was a very busy guy. 🏃♂️
Brea mall is absolutely packed constantly. It’s one of the best malls I’ve been too. Amazing food court.
@@gimli21 i need to pop in the Brea Mall soon
I saw the thumbnail and thought you weee Alex Jones 😂 I’m so sorry 😂
@@christaq3528 been getting that, your not the 1st. But im no Alex Jones 😁
@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN lol! I hope I didn't offend lol. Cool video by the way! New sub here
This mall is a pure example of liminal space! You captured the true essence of this place, great video 👌👏👌👏👌👏
This is where I had my first job and so many dates. Crazy how things change... This makes me sad.
Thank you for sharing with us ❤❤❤❤
This is a shame. I practically lived at this mall in the 80's during my teen years. A lot of great memories, before all the distractions of the Internet and social media.
Smart phones took over. We need to go back to dumb phones and see places in person
What’s even more crazy is when the mall you went to as a child gets taken over by a whole other race of people! It happened to the Eagle Rock Plaza. I love Filipinos but when i go to this mall i feel like an outsider in my own country.
@@SugiesCookies yeah things have changed
Well, I'm sure that's how the original American Indians felt as well hundreds of years ago.
Good video. I've been there many times. The original four stores were Sears, The Broadway (where the movie theater is now located), Robinson's, which turned into Robinson's-May, which turned into Macy's, and JC Penney. A friend of mine used to live about a mile from there....and year's later, he's back and living about a mile from there again but in a different house. And not for long.
The Puente Hills Mall is my local mall and it is odd that they cannot get it going. The nearby Brea Mall (10 miles away) does not have this problem and quite busy. However, the Round 1 and AMC theater are pretty great here though. If I was in charge, I would try to make it an indoor Outlet Mall with alot of popular restaurants. Differentiate this mall from the others nearby.
@@ItsameBS there is concept art all over inside so maybe that's what's next for the mall? I'll hit up Brea Mall soon
@@HEYMANWITHJAYMAN that artwork has been there for years.
Its a military base... ruclips.net/video/9kaoBeklaMo/видео.htmlsi=jjsxamrCDGyIrJZb
They should just make everything there all asian since the majority of the population in that area are of that ethnicity.
Maybe that is why this mall is dead as there is another big mall close by. They are competing against each other. In my area, there is only one big mall so there are no malls to compete against.
My mom was one of the charter crew that opened the Jolly Roger restaurant adjacent to the Mall. Her regular gig was at Whitwood in Whittier, a mall that isn't dead, but that has changed radically since the old days.
My wife tells me she used to work at the Broadway which was one of the anchor stores that was open during mall construction. She watch the mall get built until its official opening.
I use to take my kids there when they were little . Now they take me there to watch movies its really sad to see the mall empty
so sad to see malls closed, i have a large one in the town about 20 minutes away from me in a car, and its always busy. new places openin all the time. teenagers hang out with their friends, sounds like we are stuck in the 90's lol
@@disneymagiczack i live by 2 active malls but need to go see them in full now to re check
I'm La Puente, born and raised, used to take the foothill transit from Azusa and Amar to the Puente Hills mall in the 80's to hang out. Those were the days of Camelot. The decline of the Puente Hills mall started in the mid 90's. Rowland Heights and Hacienda Heights, two cities next to the mall, are mostly Chinese people now, and they frequent their own businesses, which has contributed to the decline of the mall.
That mall was so cool back in the day when they had the koi fish ponds and water flowing.
I keep hearing about that koi pond would of been cool to seen back then
That’s crazy, so empty one would think u are there during off hours
Wow, used to go to that mall quite a bit when I was young. They then built the Montebello mall and started going to that one.
I grew up in South El Monte in Los Angeles County. I used to go to Puente Hills Mall, Montebello Town Center, Santa Anita Fashion Plaza, and Cerritos Mall. I now live in La Puente. And I do work Part Time at Angels Stadium. I pass the Brea Mall to work in the OC and back home. Anyway, as a kid, Puente Hills was a great mall. It used to have 4 Department Stores. Excellent stores. It is a damn shame this Mall is even Operational. It breaks my heart.
I remember riding my skateboard here when I was a teenager, when I would go visit my dad in West Covina, you know those “ court ordered. Visits? Lol anyways yea this thing is dead dead now wow, I’m surprised it’s still even open can you imagine the space rent per store still open??? I can’t see how it’s even profitable? What’s sad is most malls are slowly declining if not have already, it’s all that online shopping, Amazon etc , nobody likes doing things that require energy and getting up and actually going out and about. I miss the days growing up when I did, no cellphones, no social media etc, believe that has ruined the world, I mean I’m all for technology etc, but it’s true, you look around , and pay attention 90% of people have there phone in the hand , or on it. Sad families do t talk anymore they text,, it’s crazy . Thanks for the vid down memory lane,
@@jasonfranks1096 the smart phone / technology has screwed up alot of things. Yeah EVERYONE seems to be on their phones now. I remember the old school days too. The mall scene was my era
Maybe we crossed paths back in the 80's😁Crazy how it went from thriving to a ghost town😳ROCK ON!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻
Oh wow!! This is so sad. I use to go to this mall all the time in early 2000s. Didnt know this is where Back to the Future was filmed. Please do Brea mall!! Great video.
I was stocking the Leeds shoe store 3 weeks before the mall opened, worked at Leeds for about a year. That mall was jamming back in the 70’s & 80’s. I believe we make well over 50% of our purchases online now.
we all used to go to the poonanny hills mall back in the day, along with the wescove mall
Just heard the news, the mall got sold for $115 million! Great Scott!
@@azn88guy yeah me too. I need to do an outer perimeter walk around and then in the mall 1 more time.
Glad to see Hello Kitty still sells.
Big resurgence for Hello Kitty now
oh wow... that Kahn food place is last standing in the food court. There were three open businesses in the food court when I visited last year.
@@Cassie00111 it was an eerie food court
I remember in this mall there was a pizza place I think round table pizza and it was near an entrance. You'd order in the front then the dining area was in the back but it was like walking down a dingie dark walkway and the back area was dark and dingie too with only like lanterns illuminating it, like an old tavern it was so cool. That memory is burned in my mind forever. Ah the old malls, never again. Don't get me started on the old arcades, lol.
I remember every little detail like you said. They had the best pizza! My mom would take me there after shopping and those were some good times.
That was at the West Covina mall. They did have a pizza place in puente hills mall though and they would cut the pizza slices in squares
It was called Ardella’s Pizza if I remember correctly.
@jasonh833 nice! The nostalgia lol 😆
@@changobango9001 taking me back! Lol 😃
Didn’t the movie theater used to be in a separate building from the mall? I remember being dropped off and picked up by mom in 1977-1980, I thought we had to walk through the parking lot a little between the mall/movies? I do remember that there was a phone booth at the movies so we could collect call my mom for pick-up using an agreed-on fake name so it was free. We were there a lot because growing up in Montebello it was very exciting when the La Puente mall opened. It was a bit of a drive, but mom was so happy to have the day to herself she didn’t mind. “Here’s $20 for you and your sister, that’s enough for lunch, 2 movies each, popcorn, soda and candy, you know where mall security is and can call me collect any time, see you in 6 hours.” Once in a while we got the credit card with a permission note so we would stay away another few hours to shop. 🤯😬😂
Yes behind the mall closer to car dealerships in between showboat ,as of 1990 .. I moved out of state so don’t know when it changed
Yes, it was closer to the freeway, but still in the same parking lot as the mall. I remember waiting in a line that wrapped around the AMC for the opening of Terminator 2. Just down the street there also was a MANN Theaters.
IIRC, across the 60 FWY.
@@bn5445 I was there. ;)
there were 2 separate buildings, one with 6 screens and the other with 4, I think they were both along Albatross but I was way too young to drive back then so I don't remember exactly
yup its pretty sad. i used to go to this mall all the time but now most stores are closed. That round 1 used to be the hang out spot
As soon as the video started, I had to think "hey, are you on the 57 freeway just leaving Fullerton?" haha. I definitely know that freeway. Could've sworn the exit behind you was Yorba Linda blvd, where my Alma Mater is, Cal State Fullerton.
This place has been like this for years now. The AMC there is my main theater.
This is so crazy. Ontario Mill Mall and Victoria Gardens are packed out. Even Inland Center Mall in San Bernardino is quite busy.
It just depends on the area and mall. Some are sadly dead while some are still packed thank goodness.
That buffet use to be a Brazilian bbq joint like 15 years ago or a lil bit more… gosh I use to go to this mall a ton… but brea mall I drive by there on state college 3-4 times a month. That mall at least stays crowded….
More than 15 years ago. I've been living in the area since arou 2007 and I remember that buffet being a Todai for a while. I know that because I remember eating there with my family and a good friend of mine and my son made a huge mess around his seat. Plus, I remember that octopus sculpture too.
@@Riceball01 hmm, maybe it was on the other side… my now ex wife lived in La puente… we went to a Brazilian bbq joint that was located just inside the entrance to the mall. I haven’t been there in ages…I could be getting my entrances wrong 😂
I worked there in the early 90's downstairs, Sears side at a kiosk by the escalators. To my right was Sam Goody and to the left was Mrs. Fields. It's sad to see what has become of this mall when I now live by the Montclair, Ontario Mills, and Victoria Gardens which are thriving.
I still see great potential for these once great establishments. It's amazing how times have changed. I can see future housing/shopping establishments.
My daughter loves this place! Dead malls are apparently cool at her age. We go there all the time! I really wish we would have run into you! Great video man!
When I moved to sunny SoCal in 1980, I visited the Puente Hills Mall regularly, since it was so close to where a relative welcomed me for a few weeks, until I found my own place to live. I can recall them having a carousel or 'Merry-Go-Round'. And, also a unique walkway with koi under your feet. Now, it's a ghost town.