I also grew up going to this mall among others that you tour. The last time I was at Oxford Valley it still had the circular ramp and the brownish colors.....that's how long ago it was. Thanks so much for doing this - it's the only way I get to see what these malls look like now and how much they've changed over the years.
Hi! I worked at OVM for several years. I managed a store in the “dead area”. Mall mgmt was horrendous. The escalator was CONSTANTLY broken. People were aware & didn’t come down hall because it was too far to turn around. Also, smells from hair salon & incessant backed up plumbing in my store kept folks away.
Practically grew. Up in that mall l, late 70s through the 80s and on leave from the Army in the early 90s. Big time Saturday hangout, not buying anything but as teens, just wandering. I recall all the fountains ( actually waded in them collecting quarters) used to race up and down the ramp, recall the eagle and stores long gone. Lots of brown. Always entered through Penny's. Actually ate at the diner inside Penny's. Got some clothes at the sears for my newborn in 98. Haven't been home since 08. No reason to. But this and similar videos bring back memories.
That sounds an awful lot like my experience growing up going to this mall only maybe a few years earlier. All 8 fountains, the suspended ramp that would sway when you ran up and down, I too collected change in some of the fountains as a teen in the mid 90s. The area outside Penneys on both sides were the place to be. Good memories, my man.
@@RawRealRetail I also wandered though not as often the, I may be getting the name wrong, Lincoln Mall not too far from Oxford, this was when it was and indoor mall before conversion to a strip style. Used to go to the drive in in the area as well where I believe a toys are us was built. Funny, the mall to go to when my mother was growing up was the Levittown Shopping Center. I recall going there with my grandparents who would take a bus from Philly, I'd later ride my bike there from the Holly Hill section where I lived. I saw one of the last movies played at the Towne Theater there, Supergirl I think. There was a record store I'd get my tapes from. I vaguely remember it changing to Discount World but no real shops. Oxford Valley Mall took the thunder out of the shopping center. Last time I was home, it was all gone minus the parking lot , foundations and a Home Depot, and a new mountain I had never seen before (trash dump got a little bit big). At one time and as a kid, remnants were still there in some places, you could walk out your backyard and on to/along the sidewalk that went along the Levittown Parkway to the shopping center Fairless Hills Shopping Center was another hang out. Would go to the bowling alley and hang at the Eric theater, took my first date while on leave from the army there (Pelican Brief I believe), someone I graduated High School with. Also shopped at the A&P with my mother from time to time. Not long after renovations and updates were made, it got bought and half of the old center was gone, the Eric and Bowling Alley gone. Only half the original remained, replaced by Walmart and a parking lot. Heck at Queen Ann Plaza across the street the Army Recruiting Station I went to is now walled off. How things change. Side note, if you are ever in Fairless Hills and are hungry, check out Julio's in the Queen Ann plaza. My go to meal, Gina Cada (Basically a deep fried folded in pizza, different than a calzone and stromboli). Lastly the roads man, in my old neighborhood (Holly Hill) I remember when they had just replaced the road in 88 , in 08, it's all potholes.
I guess it's thanks to this video I knew about the dangers of possibly falling into that fountain at night before I got there so if it wasn't for videos that you guys film I mean all mall explorers I would never have known about that danger before I got there and it might have happened.
I went to this mall 2 weeks ago and I got there when it was dark so I didn't want to go in through the mall entrance that's by the outdoor fountain because that fountain isn't lighted at night and has no gate around it for protection as seen in this video and I didn't want to take the chance of falling into it if I don't see it so I tried to enter through PCPenny but they were closed so I had no choice but to enter where the fountain is by walking along the sides. So was it possible that I could've fallen into that fountain or no because you can walk along the sides instead where all those stores are?
From the way people talk about this mall, I was expecting something as bad as Lycoming Mall. It's not doing that terribly. Definitely doing better than Dover Mall in Dover, which doesn't have any nearby competition yet is still dying a slow, painful death.
I have no idea why people talk about OVM like that. I counted the stores and it is 70% occupied, which might have been bad pre-pandemic, but it's doing pretty okay by today's standards.
I also grew up going to this mall among others that you tour. The last time I was at Oxford Valley it still had the circular ramp and the brownish colors.....that's how long ago it was. Thanks so much for doing this - it's the only way I get to see what these malls look like now and how much they've changed over the years.
Excellent video!
Cool mall with the ceiling structure it has. Very nice, thanks. Wow, those Dinosaurs look awesome. Thanks!
Hi! I worked at OVM for several years. I managed a store in the “dead area”. Mall mgmt was horrendous. The escalator was CONSTANTLY broken. People were aware & didn’t come down hall because it was too far to turn around. Also, smells from hair salon & incessant backed up plumbing in my store kept folks away.
Practically grew. Up in that mall l, late 70s through the 80s and on leave from the Army in the early 90s.
Big time Saturday hangout, not buying anything but as teens, just wandering. I recall all the fountains ( actually waded in them collecting quarters) used to race up and down the ramp, recall the eagle and stores long gone. Lots of brown. Always entered through Penny's. Actually ate at the diner inside Penny's. Got some clothes at the sears for my newborn in 98.
Haven't been home since 08. No reason to. But this and similar videos bring back memories.
That sounds an awful lot like my experience growing up going to this mall only maybe a few years earlier. All 8 fountains, the suspended ramp that would sway when you ran up and down, I too collected change in some of the fountains as a teen in the mid 90s. The area outside Penneys on both sides were the place to be. Good memories, my man.
@@RawRealRetail I also wandered though not as often the, I may be getting the name wrong, Lincoln Mall not too far from Oxford, this was when it was and indoor mall before conversion to a strip style. Used to go to the drive in in the area as well where I believe a toys are us was built.
Funny, the mall to go to when my mother was growing up was the Levittown Shopping Center. I recall going there with my grandparents who would take a bus from Philly, I'd later ride my bike there from the Holly Hill section where I lived.
I saw one of the last movies played at the Towne Theater there, Supergirl I think. There was a record store I'd get my tapes from. I vaguely remember it changing to Discount World but no real shops. Oxford Valley Mall took the thunder out of the shopping center.
Last time I was home, it was all gone minus the parking lot , foundations and a Home Depot, and a new mountain I had never seen before (trash dump got a little bit big). At one time and as a kid, remnants were still there in some places, you could walk out your backyard and on to/along the sidewalk that went along the Levittown Parkway to the shopping center
Fairless Hills Shopping Center was another hang out. Would go to the bowling alley and hang at the Eric theater, took my first date while on leave from the army there (Pelican Brief I believe), someone I graduated High School with. Also shopped at the A&P with my mother from time to time. Not long after renovations and updates were made, it got bought and half of the old center was gone, the Eric and Bowling Alley gone. Only half the original remained, replaced by Walmart and a parking lot. Heck at Queen Ann Plaza across the street the Army Recruiting Station I went to is now walled off.
How things change.
Side note, if you are ever in Fairless Hills and are hungry, check out Julio's in the Queen Ann plaza. My go to meal, Gina Cada (Basically a deep fried folded in pizza, different than a calzone and stromboli).
Lastly the roads man, in my old neighborhood (Holly Hill) I remember when they had just replaced the road in 88 , in 08, it's all potholes.
Thanks for the long video. It's minus 42 degrees below zero and just hibernating while watching this video.
That's insane. It got pretty cold here too tonight, 9 with heavy sustained winds, but -42 is nuts. Stay safe.
I guess it's thanks to this video I knew about the dangers of possibly falling into that fountain at night before I got there so if it wasn't for videos that you guys film I mean all mall explorers I would never have known about that danger before I got there and it might have happened.
I went to this mall 2 weeks ago and I got there when it was dark so I didn't want to go in through the mall entrance that's by the outdoor fountain because that fountain isn't lighted at night and has no gate around it for protection as seen in this video and I didn't want to take the chance of falling into it if I don't see it so I tried to enter through PCPenny but they were closed so I had no choice but to enter where the fountain is by walking along the sides. So was it possible that I could've fallen into that fountain or no because you can walk along the sides instead where all those stores are?
From the way people talk about this mall, I was expecting something as bad as Lycoming Mall. It's not doing that terribly. Definitely doing better than Dover Mall in Dover, which doesn't have any nearby competition yet is still dying a slow, painful death.
I have no idea why people talk about OVM like that. I counted the stores and it is 70% occupied, which might have been bad pre-pandemic, but it's doing pretty okay by today's standards.