DEAD MALL SERIES : Granite Run Mall : Media, Pennsylvania (DEMOLISHED)

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  • Опубликовано: 29 апр 2015
  • Dead Mall Series Playlist : • Dead Mall Series
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Комментарии • 1,3 тыс.

  • @ThisisDanBell
    @ThisisDanBell  2 года назад +8

    Attention! Completely remastered episodes of the Dead Mall Series are now being archived in 4K at ruclips.net/channel/UCfCM_TfrSDMkkMpKuLNWuXA. The remasters have gone through an extensive AI Enhancement process as well as proper sound mixing and colorization. This Dead Mall Series Remastered project has been made possible through viewer support on Patreon. Go over now and watch in glorious 4K. ENJOY!

  • @Ultracity6060
    @Ultracity6060 9 лет назад +428

    I think the plants trapped in these places strikes me as one of the saddest parts.

    • @92ASC
      @92ASC 8 лет назад +54

      +Ultracity6060 #plantlivesmatter

    • @yomamastacos2123
      @yomamastacos2123 8 лет назад +10

      +92ASC all lives matter

    • @nancyhicksgribble9799
      @nancyhicksgribble9799 7 лет назад +10

      Ultracity6060 I know! me too. it makes me so sad

    • @gokusondbz
      @gokusondbz 7 лет назад +25

      #greenlivesmatter

    • @Sean-ll5cm
      @Sean-ll5cm 6 лет назад +8

      #PlantLivesMatterMoreThanHumanLivesMatterInMyHonestOpinion

  • @owenrichards1418
    @owenrichards1418 8 лет назад +144

    I used to shop at this mall. I got my first pair of glasses in this mall. I remember I was in the elevator once and it broke down. We were stuck in there for about 30 minutes. The Fire Department came to get us out and there were hundreds of people cheering us when we finally got sprung.

    • @ElevatorsOfTennessee
      @ElevatorsOfTennessee 2 года назад

      I was in the springfield mall when I got stuck in an elevator for the first time, but i also have a deep stuck memory, idk if it was a dream or not, but I got stuck in the JCPenney elevator at this mall.

  • @YarbrayL
    @YarbrayL 7 лет назад +197

    I used to work at the Chick-fil-A in this mall back in high school. This place was always packed on the weekends.

    • @quillbin4065
      @quillbin4065 7 лет назад +10

      L Yarbray As a Delco student I ate there all the time when it was open. Quite a shame because there's not really that many good food options around the area. ( the Chick-fil-A being the only thing that I ever went to in there.)

    • @StarTrooper
      @StarTrooper 7 лет назад +6

      They opened another one up the street.

    • @machinegaming3412
      @machinegaming3412 6 лет назад +7

      L Yarbray I agree. I worked the game stop and auntie Anne's and man would the weekends be crazy.

    • @philliprollman2999
      @philliprollman2999 6 лет назад +1

      You probably bumped into me for sure

    • @daddysenpai408
      @daddysenpai408 5 лет назад +9

      @@Fireglo you can't talk to a chicken about your problems. Take your stupid vegan propaganda elsewhere you peice of shit

  • @kpbaltimore
    @kpbaltimore 3 года назад +25

    This mall was PACKED back in the 80's. So crazy to see how it looked in the end.

  • @EekZombies
    @EekZombies 8 лет назад +319

    Dan this is gonna sound really weird but ur dead mall series is very relaxing. I put it on in the background when I'm working. Helps me focus. LOL!!! I love the music.

    • @ThisisDanBell
      @ThisisDanBell  8 лет назад +20

      +NerdFight That’s awesome! Thank you!

    • @askquestionsplz
      @askquestionsplz 8 лет назад +9

      +NerdFight me too!! lol i love abandoned spaces.

    • @toyota420xp
      @toyota420xp 8 лет назад +1

      +NerdFight not me this abandoned video realy stresses me out

    • @luissdstuff6381
      @luissdstuff6381 8 лет назад +4

      +NerdFight I feel the same way, too. It's so relaxing for me to watch episodes even the ones I've seen before. I also watch the videos at work though I might get into trouble if I get caught. ;)

    • @twizz420
      @twizz420 8 лет назад

      They're being replaced with newer malls and standalone stores. They demolished Centre Mall in Hamilton where I live which was dead for about 10 years and built a bunch of stores in it's place which are now doing really well.

  • @michaelgeleff4991
    @michaelgeleff4991 4 года назад +8

    Oh Man! I remember the Granite Run. It was the coolest place to be growing up. Here was the level of coolness for the area: 1) Granite Run 2) Springfield Mall 3)MacDade Mall.
    Thank you for the memories!

  • @nicoledevine85
    @nicoledevine85 8 лет назад +81

    It's crazy because back in high school (2000-2004) this was the mall to go to, I was in there right before jcp closed

    • @nicoledevine85
      @nicoledevine85 8 лет назад +12

      Btw that elevator was the coolest thing when I was a kid

    • @joeblack363
      @joeblack363 7 лет назад +8

      Nicole Devine was great as a kid, this place use to be packed so sad.

  • @bapa6396
    @bapa6396 7 лет назад +282

    Dan always talks about mall walkers, yet technically he's a mall walker himself

    • @777jones
      @777jones 7 лет назад +79

      Correct the old lady is just a youtuber herself, covertly filming Dan Bell, going "my journey to silently stalk Dan Bell, episode 37.."

    • @ischeele7203
      @ischeele7203 5 лет назад +6

      The abyss returns even the boldest gaze

    • @yesieatedbutnosoap6927
      @yesieatedbutnosoap6927 5 лет назад +1

      Lollll

    • @TheBeardsleyThree
      @TheBeardsleyThree 3 года назад +3

      More like a mall STALKER amirite?

    • @ianrjm969
      @ianrjm969 Год назад

      🤯🤯🤯

  • @monchiemonchum
    @monchiemonchum 7 лет назад +44

    What a depressing, slow death. I was present at Granite Run Mall's birth, having been hired 1974 as one of the original clerks at Listening Booth, selling records, 8 tracks (!) and cassettes. I later became the assistant manager of the store. That job kindled my love for classical music, so I'll play Mozart's Requiem in honor of the now departed Granite Run Mall.

    • @laurabenge
      @laurabenge 3 года назад +1

      I remember the listening booth! I bought my first cassette tapes there. :)

    • @rdlykryk4384
      @rdlykryk4384 2 года назад +2

      I'll add 1/3 like to the already 33. The old album heads know what 33 1/3 means.

    • @61RdlyKryk79
      @61RdlyKryk79 6 месяцев назад

      @@laurabenge Graduated OLC in '75 with a classmate named Alice Benge.

  • @louischristopher7116
    @louischristopher7116 7 лет назад +60

    I remember when this mall opened in 1974, when I was 14. One of the first things I remember is the G.N.C. selling peanut butter made from a peanut grinding machine. Also bought one of my first 45's there (Don' t Rock the Boat by the Hughs Corporation) from Listening Booth.

    • @rdlykryk4384
      @rdlykryk4384 5 лет назад +6

      Louis , I'm in N.W. Mt. and still have an 8 track tape and several vinyl albums with the Record Bar sticker still in place. Also found an old belt buckle box with buckle still in it from Jekyll's Hide. I was 13 in '74 we were probably in Aladdins Castle at the same time - Haah

    • @bernlin2000
      @bernlin2000 4 года назад +2

      For a moment, I thought they were selling 45 caliber pistols at GNC 🤣 "bought my first 45" means something different in the age of Trump

    • @61RdlyKryk79
      @61RdlyKryk79 6 месяцев назад

      @@bernlin2000 Hah. yepp. I do have several of both still living in Mt. 45's were singles released by a group as apposed to 33's which were albums and there were also 78's for the old timey music. Turn tables had 3 speed settings.

  • @chrisgentry9255
    @chrisgentry9255 2 года назад +10

    I grew up in this mall in the 90s and all through highschool. My first crush worked at the ritas water ice. So many good memories. I was just telling a friend the other day, its a curse to be the generation to watch malls and toy stores die off.

  • @JohnCFSS
    @JohnCFSS 8 лет назад +73

    The store that you were figuring was a Pac-Sun, was indeed a Pac-Sun.

    • @MrMcWeaksauce1
      @MrMcWeaksauce1 6 лет назад +4

      John Corigliano it became a leather jacket/mens store after that i think too

  • @martaaguilar1460
    @martaaguilar1460 3 года назад +5

    I loved this mall so much. I couldn't believe it went from a packed mall to a dead place to not existing anymore

  • @Rompler_Rocco
    @Rompler_Rocco 7 лет назад +12

    Dan, thank you for capturing this one in your powerful series. Granite Run is the structural embodiment of my entire youth, from it's bustling days of 80's pre-remodel brown to it's grand openings & final incarnation where I worked for years as a young man. I still dream of it often & had hoped to revisit before learning it became rubble.. but here you allow me that therapeutic final walkthrough. Thank you.

  • @juliaclifford7013
    @juliaclifford7013 3 года назад +4

    I got all my Phillies gear at that Modell’s in ‘08 when we won the series. That mall is my childhood. I’ll be back in another few years to reminisce. Miss g run a lot 💔

  • @MegiddoTheImmaculate
    @MegiddoTheImmaculate 8 лет назад +74

    The interiors of this mall look beautiful. Such a shame. At least it's documented so people can look back on what once was.

    • @shaynewhite4545
      @shaynewhite4545 5 лет назад +1

      I hope they don't demolish it what part of Pennsylvania is it in

    • @ltmundy1164
      @ltmundy1164 4 года назад +2

      @@shaynewhite4545: Media PA suburban south Philadelphia, heading towards the Brandywine Valley region on Baltimore Pike (US 1.)

    • @elle-vt1xt
      @elle-vt1xt 4 года назад

      It was a very beautiful mall but then some company bought it and wanted to change the whole thing

    • @91myroc
      @91myroc 3 года назад

      Elle Egrie the company who bought it are a bunch of greedy ass people.

    • @maxphilmd
      @maxphilmd 3 года назад

      @@shaynewhite4545 Deleware county

  • @ThisisDanBell
    @ThisisDanBell  8 лет назад +226

    *Update* Mallrats 2 hit a snag. Granite Run is off the table. Demolition to begin in the next few months. What a shame.

    • @DVincentW
      @DVincentW 8 лет назад +3

      +This is Dan Bell. Oh Shite.

    • @BoratWanksta
      @BoratWanksta 8 лет назад +12

      +This is Dan Bell. Aw, that really sucks. Would've been an awesome sendoff, for Granite Run Mall!

    • @HappyQuailsFarm
      @HappyQuailsFarm 8 лет назад +18

      +This is Dan Bell. I really hope that involves reuse of a lot of those materials and fixtures. Those stainless steel kitchen facilities are extremely expensive, very durable and able to be fully disinfected, making them ideal for reuse. I am afraid that people will take one look at them in a disgusting state and think that they are ruined when they are not. In fact they can be reused in animal breeding facilities and chemical labs not even involving food consumption.

    • @nudist0885
      @nudist0885 8 лет назад +14

      +This is Dan Bell.
      We'll have to get a few people together to go running through the mall NAKED before it closes for good.

    • @JamesForret
      @JamesForret 8 лет назад +7

      That one store with the curved wood colored entry near the end was a Pacsun

  • @homieowl1999
    @homieowl1999 7 лет назад +24

    I lived in Media, still do and I will forever miss Granite Run mall. If you look today, all that's there is a pile of ruble, and Boscovs.

  • @DasVERMiT
    @DasVERMiT 8 лет назад +71

    Showcase Comics was a fantastic store. They had the usual selection of comics, strange games, card games, and Warhammer stuff. The owner was always in there and was very nice. I grew up going there so believe they must have been there for at least 15-20 years.
    As others have said, yes the wood entryway was for a Pac Sun.
    Also, Sandro Pizza used to be a Sbarro Pizza until the last few years.

    • @deniseellis7982
      @deniseellis7982 8 лет назад +4

      +DasVERMiT Brought my son there every week to play warhammer with a group the owner set up. Ohhh and the pokemon cards... will miss that mall.

    • @partytom4184
      @partytom4184 8 лет назад +3

      +DasVERMiT I was about to say pretty much all of this lol. I loved Showcase. New Showcase is nice, but I miss this place so much. 15-20 years sounds about right. I'm 23 and have been going there since I was 5 or so.
      Also, to add to this, the metal doors were absolutely a Hot Topic.

    • @owenrichards1418
      @owenrichards1418 8 лет назад +3

      +DasVERMiT It is a shame about the comic store. I remember when I was a kid despairing over the constant stream of clothing, 'gift' and fashion stores opening up. "Why can't we have a cool comic store?" I always asked. So they wait till I move away to open one. Typical!!!

    • @RCAvhstape
      @RCAvhstape 8 лет назад +2

      +DasVERMiT BattleTech!

    • @EphemeralProductions
      @EphemeralProductions 8 лет назад +3

      love the pic of kitty in your profile pic. :)

  • @robertwarf3316
    @robertwarf3316 9 лет назад +55

    So I actually checked out their twitter account and someone still posts regularly. Haha.

  • @niccilomachiaveli
    @niccilomachiaveli 7 лет назад +219

    If I ever get rich, I wanna set up a foundation that deliberately sets up really cynical and useless stores in dead malls. Just for funzies. Like a tiny, crappy store with 2 employees that sells only decade old computers.

    • @frankstein497
      @frankstein497 7 лет назад +42

      You aren't going to get rich. You are going to die drunk in a gutter.

    • @niccilomachiaveli
      @niccilomachiaveli 7 лет назад +60

      Probably. No reason not to fantasize.

    • @Camquarters
      @Camquarters 7 лет назад +12

      John Doe I'd go

    • @mizmiz80
      @mizmiz80 7 лет назад +17

      John Doe reminds me of
      Tim and Eric billion dollar movie where they do almost the exact thing

    • @nola1439
      @nola1439 7 лет назад +7

      John Doe you won't be rich for long if you set up stores in places that are about to be demolished. I also don't know how you'll ever get rich w your business tactics... lol ;)

  • @LordPoppy
    @LordPoppy 8 лет назад +66

    Those poor books. No home....

  • @iaminside1
    @iaminside1 8 лет назад +59

    I heard about you on Reddit. I saw that some of your videos were local. I immediately searched for Granite Run. Use to be my main mall.

  • @Baldmaxx
    @Baldmaxx 8 лет назад +16

    With the fountains still running, this old beauty was defiant to the last...... Fitting and sad. Looks like most malls that were not upgraded in the last three years or had the bad luck of being in a declining city will suffer a similar fate. Amazing work as always Dan!

  • @queenhoneybee.7772
    @queenhoneybee.7772 8 лет назад +96

    Someone must go in and rescue those poor plants!

    • @vector6977
      @vector6977 8 лет назад +10

      +Susan Evalyn. They're gone Jim.

    • @queenhoneybee.7772
      @queenhoneybee.7772 8 лет назад +10

      +vector6977 - Thank you for letting me know! I was worried about them.

    • @queenhoneybee.7772
      @queenhoneybee.7772 8 лет назад +8

      +Mike Haspe - Thank you very much for your reply! I am so glad that some good people went in and rescued the poor plants. Thank you for your kindness. They must have been so thirsty! God Bless and best of luck with the new development!

  • @happo_navy
    @happo_navy 6 лет назад +18

    My dad managed the CVS in this mall when I was around 11 and I was here frequently. Sad to see what became of it.

    • @laurenboardman15
      @laurenboardman15 Год назад +2

      I remember going in that CVS with my
      mom frequently

  • @goldenmightyena2479
    @goldenmightyena2479 6 лет назад +24

    Wow, does this bring back memories. I'm from Delco/South Philly myself and used to come here a lot. Rest in Peace, Granite Run. Hope you like being an apartment complex.
    Great video by the way! I'll be sure to check out the other videos in this series.

  • @Lazarus1095
    @Lazarus1095 3 года назад +8

    It never fails to amaze me how sheer momentum can keep a store open long after it becomes obvious to anyone working in it that it cannot possibly be worth operating or maintaining. It is must be like listening to the heartbeat of a dying empire, or a giant clock unspooling its gears in slow-motion.
    Beautiful and sad.

    • @rdlykryk4384
      @rdlykryk4384 Год назад +1

      Seems that way to the working class Lazarus but when studying the taxation system, it reveals that the very wealthy do not pay anything.
      In short there is always a loss submitted for the "write offs" Here is a fine example.

  • @joebaumgart1146
    @joebaumgart1146 8 лет назад +101

    Im from The Area, and though it doesn't look like much now there was a time when it was the place to be. The gardens were flourishing, yhere were tv's mounted all over, lots of shops big and small, and every Christmas season the whole mall was decoratec with lights and a big ol christmas tree! Those were the days. 😖😔😢

    • @joeblack363
      @joeblack363 7 лет назад +5

      Joe Baumgart yep I remember it as a child, this place was packed!.

    • @Aio-aio
      @Aio-aio 6 лет назад +8

      Yeah, this was a REALLY active mall in the late 90's, early 00's. They went all out for Christmas. That shot of the empty center area of the mall (which was totally decked out during the holidays) was one of the more depressing things I've seen in a while.

    • @patrickmahoney6442
      @patrickmahoney6442 6 лет назад +5

      the Granite Run Mall was a very hip place in the 70s and 80s but was in decline long before the 2000s. The KOP mall expanded and improved in the 80s and 90s... but the killing blow was the opening of the Blue Rt in the early '90s which made the KOP mall much easier to get to. It would take an hour or more from my house in Delaware County during the holidays to KOP - with the Blue Rt it takes about 15-20 minutes. The only thing keeping it alive for the last 20 years was Sears. I went to that Sears in 2001 to buy appliances and was shocked that it was 50% empty and the stores it did have were really bad, almost like a flea market, and that was 15 years before it closed.

    • @philliprollman2999
      @philliprollman2999 6 лет назад +4

      Yes..... I’m from the area as well I remember those good old days.... the place to be when I was a teenager

    • @MrMcWeaksauce1
      @MrMcWeaksauce1 6 лет назад +1

      Yeah man. That mall was cool. If you know you know

  • @ThisisDanBell
    @ThisisDanBell  9 лет назад +121

    **Update** Filmmaker Kevin Smith may be filming “Mallrats 2” inside GRM this October. What a nice send off it would be for such an amazing mall. Fingers crossed!!

    • @jonblank5849
      @jonblank5849 9 лет назад +3

      This is Dan Bell. Not far from me was also the MacDade Mall which also had a movie send off. It wasn't a comedy, but it did have Mark Wahlberg (if that means something) it was called "The Lovely Bones"

    • @shaneferris8486
      @shaneferris8486 9 лет назад

      +This is Dan Bell. On Google Maps it says that Granite Run Mall is still open for business. If you don't believe me, you can look this mall up on Google Maps if you want to.

    • @Wingnutcaseman
      @Wingnutcaseman 9 лет назад +2

      Shane Ferris Not surprising. The store lineup showing is from at least a couple years ago too. Other closed malls are still shown as well. Crestwood Court in the St. Louis area closed two years ago but their info still appears as well.

    • @shaneferris8486
      @shaneferris8486 9 лет назад

      Wingnutcaseman ok thanks I was just curious and I understand that! :)

    • @cee128d
      @cee128d 9 лет назад +1

      ***** Except that really wasn't the sendoff. It wasn't torn down till over 30 years later.

  • @familyjewelz4113
    @familyjewelz4113 4 года назад +7

    Omg I could cry. I moved from PA to Delaware and didn’t know this place was gone until this past year from a friend! When I was a kid I went to this mall often. Thanks Dan for the flash backs! By the way Destinys Child performed here back in the late 90’s:/ early 2000’s

  • @Flynn01979
    @Flynn01979 4 года назад +3

    That mall use to be so popular. I would shop at Granite Run all the time back in the late 90's early 2000's, I loved the comic book store that was there.

  • @MrSpiderman1321
    @MrSpiderman1321 8 лет назад +46

    SEARS seem to be alive in every dead mall

    • @HappyQuailsFarm
      @HappyQuailsFarm 8 лет назад +15

      +MrSpiderman1321 Ironically though, because they have been fighting bankruptcy for years now.

    • @Rompler_Rocco
      @Rompler_Rocco 7 лет назад +6

      Funnily enough, to my knowledge this particular mall was leveled around the Sears which still stands & plans to remain in operation indefinitely.

    • @LburgVAGuy
      @LburgVAGuy 7 лет назад +2

      There was a Sears ad at the beginning of this video lol

    • @ltmundy1164
      @ltmundy1164 4 года назад +1

      @@Rompler_Rocco: Sears Holdings Corp owns the footprint of many their stores, open or closed. Suburban Mall in Upper Darby is a prime example. When a major developer desired to renovate the property, Sears HC leveraged their anchor store position to gain advantageous terms, solely benefitting ESL Investment, the primary stakeholder in Sears. The building was reopened as a multi tenant facility. Transform Holdco, Sears newest owner, is determined to maximize real estate values on all properties, dead or alive. Eddie Lambert has consistently found a way to profit from zombie properties.

    • @61RdlyKryk79
      @61RdlyKryk79 6 месяцев назад

      @@ltmundy1164 I believe that you are over-qualified for this thread but thank you for your input. - Haa

  • @sideshowbob1544
    @sideshowbob1544 8 лет назад +13

    Thanks Dan for giving me this lasting momento of a once great mall and an old friend.

  • @sarahjones7954
    @sarahjones7954 2 года назад +2

    One of my earliest memories was in this mall. I remember being in that elevator (the sound brought me back). I sat on Santa's lap at the fountain. I used to look up at the mirror ceiling in Boscoves when in my stroller. An era long gone.

  • @MrLolo-xs6ob
    @MrLolo-xs6ob 8 лет назад +48

    Dead malls...a reflection of how times change and not necessarily for the best.

    • @kilogmatt
      @kilogmatt 5 лет назад +5

      Nah malls suck, let them die. Bill Hicks would be loving this shit.

    • @bernlin2000
      @bernlin2000 4 года назад

      We like to stay home more and order online directly to our houses. It's certainly less social, but who's to say it's better or worse? Malls were an idea whose time has largely passed: people don't want to wander large buildings for miles on end, buying junk they don't need 😛

    • @marks6663
      @marks6663 4 года назад +3

      @@bernlin2000 no, instead they wonder the internet malls for miles on end buying junk they don't need. The same spending without the exercise.

  • @agreengalaxy9566
    @agreengalaxy9566 2 года назад +4

    Thank you for making this. I used to love going to this mall. So sad to see it go.

  • @EndlessFunctionality
    @EndlessFunctionality 9 лет назад +7

    4:55
    The guy conked out on the bench :)

  • @vr43000gtkid
    @vr43000gtkid 7 лет назад +27

    What a damn shame to see granite run like this. I grew up in upper Darby only a stones throw from this place. And I have a lot of child hood memories coming here to have pics taken with Santa and the Easter bunny etc. 😢

    • @chrisSVT
      @chrisSVT 5 лет назад

      What year 3000 GT VR4 do you have?

  • @josiedishon2635
    @josiedishon2635 4 года назад +6

    5:15 were definitely some Hot Topic doors. Makes me sad because I have so many fond memories of going to Hot Topic in malls and everything is slowly fizzling out. At the Tri County mall in Ohio they had one go under recently as well. What a shame.

  • @Lisa-di1wi
    @Lisa-di1wi 9 лет назад +17

    I used to go there periodically. It's a shame that it closed. But let's face it; nobody goes to malls anymore. The stores are just too expensive. And besides, people are doing their shopping online or at Target or Walmart.
    Rest in peace Granite Run Mall.

    • @brenthaymon280
      @brenthaymon280 6 лет назад +3

      Nan Fagan - Agree. A lot more people shop at Target and Wal-Mart than they do at mall stores.

  • @seanh7200
    @seanh7200 9 лет назад +25

    I remember hanging out here as a kid real sad to see it go. A lot of memories there.
    Your are correct the first was a hot topic and the second was a pac sun and the books for less used to be FYE

  • @christopherpatriarca9416
    @christopherpatriarca9416 4 года назад +4

    So depressingly sad. Malls were the hub of much of my social life as a child of the '70s

  • @Wingnutcaseman
    @Wingnutcaseman 9 лет назад +9

    Dan, thank you so much for preserving the most memorable images inside GRM. You covered the Pac-Sun facade (briefly brought back to life as a Toys R Us Express), the Hot Topic gates, the Chick Fil A, the fountain, the elevator, and that curious food place I can't identify at 5:55. About the only thing you didn't get was a close up of that Shelter Pet ad with the cat jumping up. You can see it in the background at 3:30. I always thought that was cute, heh.

    • @ThisisDanBell
      @ThisisDanBell  9 лет назад +3

      Wingnutcaseman Thanks! I knew that place was a goner so I drove up and got it. Digital archiving.

  • @bernlin2000
    @bernlin2000 4 года назад +5

    2:36 God damn...that's so creepy to go inside an elevator made of glass and look out and see...nobody. There must be a phenomenon at some point with dead malls where the foot traffic drops and people get spooked being in such a large retail space largely alone.

  • @Sulli228
    @Sulli228 4 года назад +2

    I grew up going to this mall. Worked at the Babbages next to the Bains deli, then a couple more places. Literally watched the mall die from the inside and it was both surreal and very sad.

  • @dionysus122
    @dionysus122 8 лет назад +3

    When I was a pre-teen/early teenager, I would have killed to find an empty mall like this and ride my bike through it. That was my dream.

  • @MzDeAndraJhene
    @MzDeAndraJhene 4 года назад +4

    The closure of this mall made me so sad because it literally was apart of my childhood because I lived in Delco. Now the JCPenney closed and the Boscov’s is there but then there’s a TJMaxx there too. Only real great thing is that the AMC is still there and the movies are $6 all the time now.

  • @emilyrobinson3439
    @emilyrobinson3439 8 лет назад +21

    this mall was my childhood :/

    • @MaxXD326
      @MaxXD326 8 лет назад +2

      Mine too 😞

  • @SpacemonkeyDurden
    @SpacemonkeyDurden 8 лет назад +8

    This mall kind of went downhill surprisingly fast. Just three-four years ago, it was the place to be. It had some nice restaurants, FYE, Suncoast, and Spencer's, as well as many other good stores. It even had a nice little comic shop. It's a shame to see it go.

  • @StarryNight0072
    @StarryNight0072 3 года назад +2

    I realize this is really old, but I just now stumbled on this video. I grew up spending every waking moment at this mall. It was THE place to hang out in the 80's, before cell phones and social media. We would literally be dropped off there in the morning and not picked up for hours and hours. Every little kid had their birthday at Farrell's, which was also where everyone went after every middle school dance. I worked there all through high school, as did many, many of my friends. The high school is right across the street from the back of the mall, so everyone used to cut school and walk over there. Good memories. Sad that it's gone.

  • @alaniwun9825
    @alaniwun9825 4 года назад +3

    It’s crazy that from 2005 till 2019, that Pittsburg malls have died or been completely demolished!!! I remember that new mall experience, as if I was walking into a 2000s hip movie. The metal doors half way into the video, it’s the OG “HOT TOPIC” doors 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 thank you Dan bell your amazing

  • @johncoktostone
    @johncoktostone 8 лет назад +37

    I am a big fan of your videos, which I only discovered quite recently. Keep up the great work!

  • @ZedAlfa.
    @ZedAlfa. 8 лет назад +10

    I used to hangout in this mall. Rode in that elevator a million times.

  • @teelanky2175
    @teelanky2175 8 лет назад +2

    I live so close to this mall and used to go there all the time as a kid!!! It's creepy to see how empty it is now! So happy you did a video of it! ^_^

  • @mascara1777
    @mascara1777 7 лет назад +5

    I love watching Dan's videos and imagining what memories are trapped inside these empty malls. Did someone meet their first crush here? Buy their wedding dress here? And I wonder when a place holds such great memories does it ever really die?

    • @laurabenge
      @laurabenge 3 года назад +1

      This mall holds both those memories and so many more.

  • @JarottM
    @JarottM 3 года назад +3

    Showcase comics is still very much in business. They're in Swarthmore now. 15 - 20 minutes from the mall. Strangely the SEARS is still there.

  • @robb758
    @robb758 9 лет назад +1

    Thanks for posting this. This is an absolute tragedy. I remember going to this mall in the 1980s and 1990s as a teenager. The place would always be packed on a Saturday afternoon, especially in the winter. I didn't realize this mall was dying. Everyone must be going to West Chester to shop now.

    • @ThisisDanBell
      @ThisisDanBell  9 лет назад +1

      rtonogb It is a tragedy. So strange how it happens.

  • @kenwolfe6093
    @kenwolfe6093 8 лет назад +5

    As a contractor worked at the American cafe and the Ruby Tuesday. The Ruby Tuesday was on your left as you exited the mall. They had a large exterior facade. Shame to see it closed up.

  • @BeingAwakeisPainful
    @BeingAwakeisPainful 3 года назад +3

    I worked at Bains Deli for 6-7 years. I was there for the beginning of the downfall. I left in ‘03 just as it was starting it’s decent. I knew when the fake purse and jeans stores were coming in I knew it wasn’t long. All the major stores pulled out. Not to mention Simon owned it at the time and the rent was ridiculous. Over 12 grand a month to have your store towards center court and 5-6 grand a month for the stores leading towards the anchor stores, Boscovs, Sears & Pennies. The rent was too high and nobody was coming to the mall. Like I said the start of her downfall. Memories with family and friends. This place holds a special part of my heart.

  • @Spacemutiny
    @Spacemutiny 7 лет назад +6

    This one made me sad for some reason...so many broken dreams :(

  • @crazykyle131
    @crazykyle131 8 лет назад +1

    I use to go there as a kid but moved away in 2010 and it's sad to see it go. Many great memories there but like everything, things change and the work goes on

  • @noelmiller9907
    @noelmiller9907 4 года назад +1

    I can't believe this mall was demolished. We used to go there all the time. This is so depressing

  • @dannypoole6113
    @dannypoole6113 7 лет назад +48

    Make. the dead alive again these malls can be turned into homeless centers for familys having a bad time of it help them get back on there feet we must take care of your fellow man

    • @Arielrosemusic
      @Arielrosemusic 7 лет назад +10

      It's so true! Honestly the greed, hubris and only looking out for number one is a big reason we're seeing this massive economic collapse in the first place - we should help each other and turn things around as much as possible.

    • @ruffus910
      @ruffus910 7 лет назад +20

      Danny Poole This was tried with a mall near my parents property in Texas. The homeless ended up slowly tearing apart the mall for scrap until it began crumbling and had to be condemned. I understand you have a desire to see the better nature in everyone, but that's not reality. Nobody is going to pay for the upkeep of these massive structures to house homeless people, especially when theyd end up slowly tearing it apart.

    • @mizmiz80
      @mizmiz80 7 лет назад +1

      StickyChr0nicBuds way she goes...

    • @nola1439
      @nola1439 7 лет назад +4

      Danny Poole you do realize you can't just "turn" a mall into a homeless shelter. Someone still owns the place. They'd have to sell it to someone who will make it a homeless shelter. And no one can afford to pay for a mall (cost millions) to turn it into a homeless shelter (zero profit, typically charity or gov run). This isn't how the world works, kid.

    • @joeblack363
      @joeblack363 7 лет назад +2

      Danny Poole would never happen around here. it's a pretty nice area and people would flip if they allowed that to happen, sorry but it's the truth

  • @topanga26
    @topanga26 7 лет назад +17

    I owned this shit in the 90s fyi. That is my childhood and adolescence right there. I now work at the hospital across the street and see the rubble and construction of whatever they're putting in there now. Sad.

    • @jimmyfaustjr7373
      @jimmyfaustjr7373 7 лет назад +1

      Melanie Flynn breaks my heart. 20+ years of memories. gone

    • @jimmyfaustjr7373
      @jimmyfaustjr7373 7 лет назад +1

      Melanie Flynn no thanks to Scamazon

    • @harley8728
      @harley8728 6 лет назад

      I think they are going to make it like The Shoppes at Brinton Lake in Glen Mills PA.

  • @truther9215
    @truther9215 5 лет назад +2

    I use to go to this mall every day for a visit with my dad. We would go to the arcade and eat at panda express, usually, and walk around. I started to know the mall was going down when they got rid of the arcade we would go to. Then they just slowly started getting rid of more and more stores. Eventually, we would go there and pretty much be the only ones. It was awful :(
    You are correct about that spooky looking door. It was Hot Topic. It had bugs in the little bubbles lol. There was no Spencer's at that mall that I can remember.

    • @61RdlyKryk79
      @61RdlyKryk79 6 месяцев назад

      Not sure when they left but there was a Spencer's gifts on the lower level into the late 70's.

  • @iaminside1
    @iaminside1 3 года назад +3

    I use to go to this mall all the time when I was a kid. The Exton Mall in Exton PA is also on it's way out. It's only like an hour from Granite Run. It has the anchor, and a few smaller stores. It's kinda funny. Some of the stores are still getting mail, and the letters are visible on the other side of the glass doors. Piles of mail.

  • @BitByADeadBeePt1
    @BitByADeadBeePt1 8 лет назад +23

    This place had a very nice layout and look. What a shame.

  • @classynoginilr7891
    @classynoginilr7891 8 лет назад +3

    I actually cried watching this. So many childhood memories as you walked the mall. My 1st Chick Fil A, shop lift, the Peking restaurant was where my mom told us our dad was leaving!

  • @kathleenmuscella6948
    @kathleenmuscella6948 4 года назад +1

    It's so weird to see that both escalators were running in center court...at any given time when I worked or shopped there one of them would be out of order. It was nice to see this, brought back so many great memories being in that mall....its completely changed w the exception of boscov's and sears still there. Thanks for documenting this mall.

  • @randomfandom3343
    @randomfandom3343 8 лет назад +2

    I went there when there was only a few stores left open as well. I was quite happy to find one was a comic book shop.

  • @Nicecatholicgirl
    @Nicecatholicgirl 7 лет назад +8

    I went to college near there--it was beautiful during the '70's and '80's but by the time I moved back in 1990 it was going downhill. I stopped going there because it was so depressing--nothing to buy.

    • @gwendiffenbacher1695
      @gwendiffenbacher1695 5 лет назад +1

      Wow: definitely like your name. Taking a big risk aren't you.

  • @jackbarnett4486
    @jackbarnett4486 8 лет назад +3

    OK,you floored me on this one Dan!I used to hang out here back in high school...the 1980s!Wow it makes me sad to see this,the place was always jammed with people.

  • @quicklikefox69
    @quicklikefox69 8 лет назад +1

    Thanks for this video in particular! I grew up in the area and used to go to The Granite Run Mall all the time. Kind of a neat blast from the past...and kind of sad at the the same time...

  • @ieattofu68
    @ieattofu68 2 года назад +1

    The mid 1970's was the great mall uprising for sure and malls were the highlight of my teen years in the 1980's...thanks for sharing...this just brings back so many memories of my awe and obsession and fascination with the mall.

  • @urbaneye4491
    @urbaneye4491 7 лет назад +3

    Used to go to that mall a lot when I was a little kid. Just looking at this video, it's pretty crazy to remember a once flourishing space is now empty. Depressing if you ask me.

  • @russ117044
    @russ117044 7 лет назад +13

    So sad in a way. In the 70, 80 (the "heyday" of malls), they were once happy, vibrant places for people to meet and go shopping.
    Makes me sad to know they are all gone. "Thank you internet"...

  • @johnbacon1854
    @johnbacon1854 9 лет назад +19

    writing on the wall, J C Penney closed up, you know the mall is dead

  • @kristinehammar1312
    @kristinehammar1312 9 лет назад +1

    Thank you for this video. I loved this mall back in 1990 - 1994 when I was in college in the Philadelphia area. So hard to believe it is empty now. It was thriving I used to go there all the time for collectible shows.
    Good to see it one more time in your video before it is gone forever.

    • @ThisisDanBell
      @ThisisDanBell  9 лет назад +2

      Kristine Hammar Thanks Kristine. This is one of the sadder malls I visited. It’s so big and empty. It’ll be gone before we know it.

  • @wantingoneangel8976
    @wantingoneangel8976 6 лет назад +7

    This is Dan Bell+ This is profoundly sad:(. When I was a Kid in the1980s, I went to the Granite Run Mall with my now Late Grandparents and my Brother. My Late Grandparents would be APPALLED to see that Cockroach in the Mall!!! Frankly that also sickened me!!! Also, It is a shame that they did not try to save the plants by watering them and donating them to Longwood Gardens. They could have also watered the plants and auctioned them off to give proceeds to Charity. I was wondering, In 2018, What was built in the Granite Mall's place?

    • @laurabenge
      @laurabenge 3 года назад +1

      My first job was working as a hostess at the Peking Restaurant in 1984, just after I turned 15. The food was and still is amazing, but we had roaches even then. I love your idea of saving all those plants and sending them to Longwood. I hope some of them survived.

  • @jonv9138
    @jonv9138 8 лет назад +3

    I do miss this mall it was my whole child hood

  • @ForgetTheCookies
    @ForgetTheCookies 8 лет назад +2

    This mall used to be everything when I was growing up. My best friend got her first job there at an F.Y.E actually one of the last stores to close. ShowCase comics actually moved to King of Prussia mall. Certainly sad to see this mall go if anyone remembers Suncoast they used to be there if I remember correctly was the metal doors it also might have been Spencer's. Believe it or not this mall used to have a lot makes me sad

  • @GaryHardin
    @GaryHardin 8 лет назад +2

    Dan Bell, this video truly made me sad. This is or was an incredibly beautiful mall. What a shame to see something so architecturally stunningly built to go the way of the wrecking ball.

  • @grego7345
    @grego7345 7 лет назад +13

    Looked a nice mall at one time...what a shame.

    • @billkittleman9631
      @billkittleman9631 3 года назад +2

      It absolutely was .. Granite Run was one of THE places to be in the entire Philadelphia metropolitan area .. such a shame, as you mentioned

  • @MizzFronce
    @MizzFronce 7 лет назад +3

    i use to go here when I was a kid. Memories

  • @mikewilliam5315
    @mikewilliam5315 8 лет назад +4

    This is an Simon Property disaster- The Granite Run Mall opened in 1974 In 1986, the Gimbels store was converted to Sterns after Allied Stores purchased seven Gimbels locations in the Philadelphia area. In 1989, Stern's closed; it was replaced with Boscov's in 1993. In 1998, Simon Property Group and Macerich purchased the mall, with Simon responsible for managing the mall. The Granite Run Mall had a total of 125 stores at its peak. In recent times, the Granite Run Mall has seen an increase in vacancies and interest was shown in selling the mall. In February 2011, Simon and Macerich were over 30 days delinquent on the mall's $115 million mortgage, leading to the possibility of a sale or forfeiture of the mall.
    On April 1, 2011, Simon Property Group gave the mall back to its lender and the lender appointed Madison Marquette as the leasing and management agent.

  • @saf2127
    @saf2127 4 года назад +1

    “I would say that’s clever, but a little delusional.” -my new go-to phrase when someone says something dumb in a meeting at work

  • @jimfaust6342
    @jimfaust6342 9 лет назад +9

    I used to work at the chick fil a in 1999 it was my first job ever. Lol so sad to see the mall like this. If started going downhill when Borders left imo rip granite run mall you had a good run buddy

  • @RealToolReviews
    @RealToolReviews 4 года назад +8

    The background music around 7:45 is the same as the theme song from “Man in the High Castle”....haha nice

    • @mortifera123
      @mortifera123 3 года назад +4

      It's Edelweiss from The Sound of Music originally!

  • @ECWnWWF
    @ECWnWWF 2 года назад +1

    The one fountain is disappointing, I remember when Granite Run had four fountains - one near the entrance of the major department stores and one in the center.
    There was one fountain that formed a "dandylion" and the center fountain used to have these giant pipes shaped kind of like hooks with a silver ball at the end that the water sprayed from.

  • @williamvice5091
    @williamvice5091 8 лет назад +2

    This mall used to be the shit back in the day. It's sad seeing it all deserted now! At least there's Springfield and KOP malls!

  • @SwingMan1938
    @SwingMan1938 9 лет назад +14

    Just finding out that this mall will be used for filming in the Kevin Smith flick "Mallbrats" (or "Mallrats 2" - known by both titles at present), the sequel to his 1995 flick "Mallrats".
    Apparently, Smith was supposed to be in pre-production of "Clerks 3" by now, but it's been shelved until 2016 in favor of "Mallbrats" due to this mall's impending demolition.

    • @LburgVAGuy
      @LburgVAGuy 7 лет назад

      I'm a big Kevin Smith fan.I kinda want to see the 2 films combined.Clerks 3:Mallbrats lol

  • @katmarie7102
    @katmarie7102 7 лет назад +3

    So sad to see it in that state. Granite Run was a magical place when I was little!

  • @evrine
    @evrine 7 лет назад +2

    I remember shopping at this mall growing up. A much different place then. I was past in a few weeks ago and it is weird to see it torn down and only two of it's anchor stores remaining

  • @mustlovepretzels
    @mustlovepretzels Год назад +3

    David Gilmour, guitarist/vocalist for Pink Floyd appeared at the record store in this mall in the early 80's to promote his solo album "About Face". I used to work at the Chick Fil A there as a teenager after school. Shame. Thanks for sharing Dan.

    • @rdlykryk4384
      @rdlykryk4384 Год назад +2

      I would've traveled from the west coast back to DelCo to meet David Gilmour.

  • @rokujones
    @rokujones 8 лет назад +7

    Malls might be dying and irrelevant now, but they still make great locations for horror films. Just creepy looking at this video without any weirdos or zombies in it.

  • @JPWindsor1
    @JPWindsor1 7 лет назад +1

    I worked there. I helped shut down the Toys R Us Express. It's the store just before you show the $1 Books For Less. The Toys R Us Express still had the entrance of the old Pac Sun, and they made me Assistant Manager, just before they sprung the news that it was closing. So, while it was cool to be assistant manager, I think they just needed someone to help clean up at the end. They cut my hours to once a week, and then I was done. It's starting to look cool now. Now it's like an outdoor mall/plaza. Or going to be very soon at least. You should revisit!

  • @djdonovan26
    @djdonovan26 8 лет назад +1

    I love the atmosphere and environment of the Mall. This one looks great inside. Very sorry to see it go... :(

  • @Dogonatree
    @Dogonatree 9 лет назад +15

    The mall looks fairly modern on the inside. That's strange

    • @DasVERMiT
      @DasVERMiT 8 лет назад +4

      +Jeff Stout Yeah, it was a pretty well kept mall until the last few years. It only died out recently and it was a quick death.

    • @LikaLaruku
      @LikaLaruku 8 лет назад +1

      Except the store at 7:57, which looks like the oldest thing in the entire mall.

    • @rdlykryk3229
      @rdlykryk3229 7 лет назад +3

      I visited Media back in '07. Talked with some black chicks that worked at a sportswear place on the lower floor to buy some Flyers gear. They said down in Chester it was referred to as "Grab-an-Run" mall

    • @jameslightsey1761
      @jameslightsey1761 7 лет назад

      Wow smh

    • @ischeele7203
      @ischeele7203 5 лет назад +1

      @@LikaLaruku It was actually one of the newer storefronts if I remember right. Guess they wanted that retro look