Unfortunately crime has plagued this mall. Fun fact, this mall has multiple lower levels that are unaccessable . Was once a military vehicle build facility thus the name Ford.
@gnieciag Yep, unfortunately there were 3 car break-ins and a car jacking while we were here. I’ve read the first lower level used to have a tunnel over to the adjacent shopping center. Hopefully this mall can rebound but doesn’t look likely. Thanks for watching!
Yea. They named it peacock alley and they had little business downstairs . One was the Alley from downtown Chicago. Use to be a great mall with Carson Pirie , Sears, and JCPenney.
@@gnieciagThe lower level hallway called Peacock Alley, used to connect between the lower level of this mall(which is now closed off), and up to where Sears used to operate. From 1st floor(ground level, the floor you see in this video), you have to walk across the parking lot to get over to where Sears used to operate.
I didn't realize since my last visit(2022 or 2023?), that the food court is down to just 1 place to eat left(Cajun Grill). When I last visited there were several places to eat, including Smokehouse and Subway.
Yes, I remember when "Peacock Alley" was thriving and featured a great variety of smaller stores. I used to go to Ford City mall from childhood into the early 1990's, and worked there briefly in the early 1980s. Back then, there were a few crimes, but not like more recent times.
A few years ago i went to the restroom at the food court. There was a guy shaving at one sink...there were about four sinks but none of them worked. I reported to a security guard that i wasn't able to wash my hands because there is only one sink working. I was shocked that i recently went in there and there is still only that one sink working, I read on Wikipedia that the company who bought the mall buys a lot of dead malls just for the real-estate to sell it for other uses in the future, Very sad that companies do this.
@willyjoerockhead That 1 sink was the only one working working when I was there too. The big corporations are doing the same thing with these malls as Eddie Lampert has done to Kmart and Sears unfortunately. Selling off the property to make a large profit. It’s definitely a sad situation.
Yep. Namdar killed Stratford Square in Bloomingdale, too, but the town government seized the property and is now tearing down most of the mall to build a new development.
@hueso5071 And this mall is still open. Many malls have closed yet this one is still going. I bet this mall was one if if not the best mall in Chicago back in the 90’s and 2000’s! Thanks for watching!
@aMuncieChannel not even close to Woodfield or Fox valley mall. this was the that mall by tootsie roll company lol this mall had to been the least visited
My brother and I used to go here back in the 90's and enjoy food at the food court, see a movie and shop. It was booming then, sad to see it like this.
@jessie7601 I bet this was one of the best if not best malls in Chicago at one point! It’s really sad what has happened. I’m surprised it’s still open. Thanks so much for watching!
This is so sad. I used to hang out here - with family and by myself - in the 90s and 2000s. The arcade, Tilt, was my favorite place to go to on weekends. I'd go school shopping with my mom and grandmother here at JCPenney. And I'd used the Connection to travel to the other side of the mall where Sears was. So sad to see it so empty.
@TheKelsmommy Sounds like this was a great mall at one time! So many memories! The Connection was a really cool feature they shouldn’t have done away with. It really is sad what has happened to this place. Thanks so much for watching and sharing your memories of this mall!
I grew up in Chrysler Village - Clearing neighborhood right by Midway Airport. This mall is rich with history and I pray management etc saves this mall
I lived in West Lawn from 1970 to 1979,then moved to Chicago Lawn. I went to school at Soutwest Community College,Now Daley and Ford City mall was a definite hang out between classes and drinks in Talley's Pub as well after school. I live near West in the Proviso area now and miss my old South Side. It used to be a safe community,not a gang filled turf. One could walk from Western Ave to Harlem on 63rd or anywhere South at 3 in the morning and be perfectly safe.That is not possible now.
@PC4USE1 Wow! Can’t believe what had happened to this area. It’s really sad. Surprised this mall is still open! Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!
Lived right across Cicero road from Ford City Mall. 7656 south Lavern. Back then it was hard working Italian,Irish, and Polish. I miss when the mall was vibrant. Till them gangs took it over. Haven’t been since the late 80’s.
@Sixstreetdisciples0420 That would be amazing living across the street from a thriving mall! There a few car break-ins and one carjacking while I was there on a Sunday morning. Luckily nothing happened to me or my car. Thanks so much for watching!
You know what's crazy? I live in Chicago and I forgot this mall existed and was still open! I remember my first time there as a kid. I went with my aunt, it was packed and busy! I remember, I got lost, was crying and went to the information desk. Eventually, my aunt came and found me. After that, I remember going countless times, spent my whole teenager years there. The last time I went to Ford City Mall was once again with my aunt and I was 26 at the time. I remember trying to get a job at the Kay Jewelers. I'm now 39 and seeing this footage saddens me and brings back memories. It's been a long time since I've been, like I said I forgot it existed! omg!
I used to to go shopping every weekend at ford city it was so alive so packed and full of people I went like a month ago cuz I forgot ford was open and this time it was just dead…….
@grayIn Thanks for sharing! Similar stories for me as well at Northland Mall in Columbus, OH although it did close and was demolished. Thanks so much for watching!
I grew up in this area and still live there. Sad compared to what it was in the 80s and early 90s. There even was a small movie theatre for awhile in the small Ford City East unit. It started going downhill in the mid-90s as a certain demographic gained more prominence and white flight out of the area began in earnest. Interestingly, there is actually thriving businesses right across the street like a Target, supermarket, and other stores. There’s recent development north of there close to the airport. But then you hit the vast dead land of the mall itself and it just feels kind of eerie. Knocking down the mall and re-developing it has been a topic of local conversation for at least 20 years. Bound to happen at some point.
I spent all of the 70s at that mall. I saw Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie there in 1978 while eating pizza slices from Tally Ho. Peacock Alley was connected to the other side of the mall and was full of businesses. I actually got my ears pierced in the middle of that mall in the 80s. They used to have shopping carts at Weiboldts and I learned to tie my shoes sitting in one. We used to go to either the Jack in the Box or Burger King there in the 70s before catching the Cicero bus to go home. I can still smell the Tootsie Rolls. So many memories there.
@TheRealPynkPanther What great memories! Sounds like the same thoughts I have of my childhood mall, Northland Mall, in Columbus, OH in the 80’s. Those were definitely the good old days! I remember learning to tie my shoes in a shopping cart at Gold Circle Department Store before they closed and turned into Hills. Thanks so much for sharing and watching!
OMG! I totally forgot about downstairs in Peacock Alley...In 1983 I was featured in a shopping window ad for a tanning company/health club with an entire spread of pictures advertising the tanning beds and health club...yep, we called them "clubs" (the gyms) at that time. Wonderful, great memories of such an awesome time to have been alive!!
@moonchild-711 That’s awesome! I remember calling them clubs as well. Peacock Alley was such a cool feature! The 80’s were a great time to be alive! Wish I could go back! Thanks so much for sharing and watching!
In the 60's there was a Catholic Mass on Sunday evenings in a conference room in Peacock Alley. It was a 'guitar mass'! Peacock Alley is also where we would buy incense and incense burners. Cinemas I and II were a movie lovers paradise.
This was the first indoor mall I ever went to as a kid in the 60s. Went with my mom and grandma. It had a basement also back then and a Woolworth store. Also went to the movies there. Very sad to see it in such a decline and a dead mall. I probably haven’t been there since the early to mid nineties. Thanks for the nice video. It brought back good memories.
@cynthiarose7534 Thanks for sharing! I guess there was a tunnel in the basement that connected the mall to the adjacent shopping center. Thank you so much for watching!
I use to go there allot during the Early to mid 2000's they closed down the basement around the late 90's they still had a lot of stores back then but ever since Carson Closed back in 2018 things went really down hill. The Mall started to become ghetto after 2010 a lot fights broke out and I remember I riot that happened back in 2012.
@LegoDarkknight-c3k Wow! It’s a shame what has become of this mall and many others in this country. We’ve lost so many great malls. This mall is still surviving for now at least
@@aMuncieChannel I actually live close to this mall it's a 5 min drive and back then we use to go here a lot and Chicago Ridge mall. But since Carson Closed and a lot of other places did we decided to go to Chicago ridge but now a days we really don't go to malls anymore. I use to work at Water Tower place in downtown Chicago and the mall itself is dead when it comes to the stores a lot of places closed down and I heard now the food court closed wondering when both of these places will close. I doubt it can stay open in the condition it is right now
@thoughtsurferzone5012 I wish I could have seen Peacock Alley! Such an amazing and unique feature for a mall. Wish they didn’t close it off. Thanks so much for watching!
The loss of Peacock Alley/Connection hurt the Mall. Ford City was across 3 sites years ago, Smallest was near Pulaski Rd on the east side, fast food and 5-6 small shops. They had a larger parcel on Cicero Ave with Firestone, Sears and Wards Auto repair. Stand alone Burger King, Wendys, KFC and even a small police station, Then the main mall...Main mall was accessible thru some of the larger shops, Sears (and a old KB Toys) via Peacock Alley/Connection (which ran under the parking lot), JCPenny had 3 entrances, A large chain Music store, Montgomery Wards (which I recall had a full floor underground), IHOP, Carsons. Plus 4 doorways into the main corridors. A gas explosion in the parking lot and the Connection flooding, Loss of Sears and Carsons and Wards didnt help. Its not dead, just needs serious help.
@kmartcarol48 Peacock Alley was definitely a unique and great feature for a mall. This whole area had to be an impressive place to shop at one time. I really hope it can make a comeback! The loss of most the anchor stores really hurts a mall but this one is still going. Thanks for the information and for watching!
I was in grade school when this mall opened as the first major indoor mall outside of Evergreen Park on the SW side of Chicagoland. Saw many movies too here when the theaters were on the Cicero Avenue side of the mall separate from the main building. Then when I had kids brought them here with my dad their grandfather every Friday night it was special then. After the first indoor shooting incident, though, never came back.
@JohnArnis Miss those days when are childhood malls were still around. Great story except for the indoor shooting incident. It’s sad to see what has become of this mall. Sounds like it used to be a great mall. Thanks for watching!
Born and raised in chicago. I spent many days back in the day at this mall. Brings back a lot of memories including when the downstairs area was open. There was a jewelry shop down there as well as a place where they would host rap battles. I haven't been in this mall in 2 years now. It was dead then and I can only image even less people show up now. A lot of people either go to Westfield mall (formally called Chicago ridge mall) or orland square mall.
@aaronmelson2887 I wish the downstairs portion was still open. The tunnel in between the mall and shopping center was a unique feature! Awesome there was a place that held rap battles! Sad to see it like this now. Can’t believe it’s still open. I see why people go to the other two malls instead of this one. Thanks so much for watching!
This was the best mall to go to in the nineties. Got my furst comic book from MoonDogs that was tucked away in the lower level. Damn shame to see it like this.
@terrancebragg327 It’s definitely sad to see what has happened to this mall. The lower level was a nice feature they should have never done away with. Wish I could have seen it. Thanks for sharing your memories and watching!
I remember when Ford City opened up in 1965. It was truly the largest and nicest mall in Chicago at the time. I worked part time while in high school at National Tea (a major grocery chain long gone) during 1970 and 1971 before heading off to college. National Tea was next to J C Penny's on the east side of the mall. It's sad to see how so many places across the USA which were nice at one time to simply deteriorate due to changing economics, demographics, bad-disrespectful attitudes of many individuals who simply care about themselves and will steal-vandalize, etc.
@stanleykijek6983 It’s really sad what has happened to a lot of the older malls from the 60’s. My Dad started working at Sears Auto Center pumping gas in 1972 at Northland Mall in Columbus, OH and it had the same fate as what this mall has become although it was closed in the early 2000’s when it became real bad. You are 100% correct. Never heard of National Tea. I will have to do some research on them. Old, long forgotten and closed former stores fascinate me. Thanks so much for sharing and watching!
@@aMuncieChannel Thank you for your response and kind words. If you Google National Tea Company, you'll find that they were around quite a while primarily in the Midwest, particularly in the Chicagoland area.
This mall has brought me so many memories, I remember when me and my mom would throw coins into the fountain and go to stores like FYE, KB Toys and the Disney Store
@smashblaster1-up190 Those are the best memories! The same memories I had at my childhood mall as well! Sad what has happened to this mall. At least the former KB Toys is still a toy store here. I thought that was pretty cool! Thanks so much for watching!
@smashblaster1-up190 Those are the best memories! The same memories I had at my childhood mall as well! Sad what has happened to this mall. At least the former KB Toys is still a toy store here. I thought that was pretty cool! Thanks so much for watching!
Wow, been about 6 years since last I went there and it was really out of curiosity to see how much it had changed that my mom and I decided to drop by. In the 90s I did visit way more with my parents. Usually it was to cool off on extremely hot days since we didn't have AC at the time. LJS and Sabarro were our go to places for eating. Going underground to get to Sears was a neat thing for me at that age. Sad to see it in this state. I drive by a few times from work and wonder how much has changed since 6 years ago, guess that answers my question lol. Oh yeah, that KB Toys (well what use to be KB) there was where I bought my first video game system. Bought a Playstation 1 along with FF7, FF Anthology, and RE1 DC.
@igable82 Definitely sad what happened to this mall. The underground area was such a great feature. Wish they had kept it! I bought my first game console, a Nintendo NES, from KB Toys at Northland Mall in Columbus, OH. It closed in 2003 and was torn down unfortunately. Thanks for sharing and watching!
So sad. 1994 was the last time I went there when there was an Old Country Buffet. Sadly, teen and young adult crime gave Ford City mall a bad reputation which destroyed business.
@AbilityToBeAwesome And it’s crazy this place once had a basement with stores and a tunnel to the adjacent shopping center! Sad a lot of malls are like this now. Thanks so much for watching Krystal!
I used to hang out here in the 70s. Downstairs was peacock alley and they had a Woolworth cafe in the middle of the mall on the main floor the area there is getting very bad not like it used to be too bad Stores get tired of being robbed
@johnr2132 Wish I could have seen this mall in its heyday. Peacock Alley was a great feature! There were 3 car break-ins and a carjacking while I was there on a Sunday morning. You’re right, stores and people get tired of being robbed. Thanks so much for watching and sharing!
Ford City is what you get when you let your mall get a bad rep fro, years of thugs bumming around the mall and an overall ghetto vibe, and the mall next in line to go through this same fate is North Riverside.
@supergremlintripleseven6790 I couldn’t agree with you more. Haven’t been to North Riverside yet. It’s sad and a shame what has happened to Ford City. Thanks so much for watching!
I would add that this virus of usual suspects ruining what was good when they first had EVERGREEN PLAZA MALL and when that went to H3LL, they all sucked the life out of Ford City Mall next. It took 25 years for it to happen. Both are ghetto dumps unfortunately.
This used to be THE SPOT I was actually here about 5 years ago, and noticed that they had added CARPET Which I liked Would've been nice to have that while it was thriving 20 years ago Would've been a nice touch
I was walking around Peacock Alley and going to John’s Garage (restaurant down there) back in 1985 or so as a kid. What a sad state it is in now. I wonder why…. 🤦🏼♂️
@TS-KDMF1777 I wish they would have kept Peacock Alley open. What an amazing feature for a mall! The crime has really hurt this place unfortunately. There were 4 car break-ins and a car jacking while I was there on a Sunday morning. Thanks so much for watching!
@ogzero108 Sad what has happened to this mall. Sounds like it was an amazing place at one time! Can’t believe it’s still open. Thanks so much for watching! The huge arcade would have been a site to see!
@PrettyBrownEyes91 This mall reminds me a lot of my childhood mall in Columbus, OH although it closed in 2002. Sad what has happened to so many malls around the country. Thanks for sharing your memories of this mall and thanks for watching!
This video actually makes it look brighter and livelier than it really is. I walk through there most Sunday afternoons, and it's a lot more grimy and seedy and depressing in person. Literally darker, too. Such a dead place!
@NYKensington You’re right! It is darker than this and I was surprised to see as many people as we did. I was there on a Sunday afternoon so we might have seen each other. Sad what has happened to this place. Thanks so much for watching!
I was there the first day it opened. Rode my bike. Used to bowl there, and take dates to the show. Don't know how many times I had to sit through that piece of crap movie The Way We Were. John's Garage was a pretty good eatery. Lots of my teen years were spent there. Good memories. Been going downhill since the 90's. after the sideways hat people moved in.
@user-iu5vf6us4q Thanks for sharing your memories of this mall. Sounds about the same as me at my old mall in Columbus, OH. It’s sad what has happened to this place. Thanks for watching!
I loved this mall back in the 70s would go bowling or see a movie or have a Orange Julies loved shopping at Chess King Have not been back there ijn 50 years Sad to see it like this
@racing8872 This mall sounds like it was an amazing place at one time! I miss those stores too along with Aladdin’s Castle and KB Toys. Peacock Alley was a great feature! Definitely sad to see this place now. Thanks so much for watching!
@@DaLatinKnightHe promised not to raise property taxes in his campaign and guess what he’s doing now? That means its harder to rent locations and stores instead malls since to cover the increased property taxes rent goes up.
@garsocks I need to find a documentary on the tunnels if there is one. That would be very interesting! An impressive history of this property. Thanks so much for watching!
It use to be a nice mall but people just stopped going to malls especially since Major department stores started closing. Strip malls started popping up and a lot of people started shopping at discount stores. Now that target and Walmart sells clothes and it’s a bunch of fast fashion stores to buy cheap clothes that’s what helped get rid of malls.
@PrettyBrownEyes91 You’re absolutely correct! It’s really a sad situation for many malls nowadays unfortunately. Amazon and online shopping is another killer of these places. I would still like to see a product or try it on before purchasing something online. Never know how it’s going to fit or actually look.
@@728huey I think both have a bit to play in the decline. I loved that mall in the 90s but we also had more than our fair share of scrapes with the bangers that plagued the place even back then. Both things can be true, unfortunately.
Grew up going to this mall, but while Sitting in the food court about a year ago waiting for my family to get out the wash room, while sitting in the benches a roach came out the seat next me to.
I miss Montgomery Wards there... That big closed down store that was there for decades by the food court.... And I use to go to the KB toys that was next door to it.... Ford City use to be vibrant and beautiful in the early 90s... This and North Riverside Mall were my spots in the 90s, now they are infamous for alot of crimes there sadly
@midnitekreapa8372 Montgomery Wards was a great store! Loved KB Toys as well! Definitely sad what has happened to this mall. Reminds me of exactly what happened to my childhood malls in Columbus, OH but they are long gone now. Surprised this mall is still surviving! Thanks for watching!
L27. Thanks so much for sharing this informative video. I’m going to Chicago soon and making an itinerary of places that’s worth visiting. Big like from your new subscriber ❤
The usual suspects had EVERGREEN PARK PLAZA Mall but STILL managed to k1LL both Ford and Evergreen Park Plaza malls in a matter of 25 years. Pathetic and sad.
Kinda obsessing on the shuttered food court, don't ya think? Wish we could've saw what was open down at the other end where people are milling about, and elsewhere, c'mon...
my cousin lives outside chicago and she says evrybody KNOWS why this mall is avoided. Lets say crime, theft, robbery and demographics that attract same.
@chaddallesandro2057 I agree with your cousin. Security at the mall informed us there were 3 car break-ins and a robbery at gun point in the parking lot as we were leaving. Inside the mall however everyone was nice and friendly. Glad our car wasn’t broken into. Thanks for watching!
Ford City looks nothing like I remember it. Evergreen Plaza was my main mall but when we'd go to Scottsdale back in the day we always made a stop at Ford City. Man, that place was always full of people. Now it looks beyond dead.
Used to go here all the time as a kid…but then the 🤷🏿♂️ people started infesting the area, driving up crime with theft, shootings, and gang activity that it’s become a dangerous place to go. My parents were actually threatened to leave because they were the only 🤷🏼♂️ people at the AMC and didn’t feel safe…
@TheGreatSalsaMan From the pictures I’ve seen it looked like an amazing mall at one time! I didn’t realize how dangerous it was while we were there. 4 car break-ins and a car jacking told to us by a police officer as we were getting ready to leave. Luckily our car wasn’t one of them. The people inside the mall were friendly and we didn’t feel threatened or uncomfortable. Maybe because we were there on a Sunday morning. Thanks so much for watching. We didn’t go inside the AMC and now realize that was a good idea
"Ford City Mall is a shopping mall located on the Southwest Side of Chicago in the West Lawn neighborhood at 76th Street and Cicero Avenue. Opened in 1965, Ford City is the largest shopping mall in Chicago outside of downtown" it is not larger than woodfield mall lol? it will never make a comeback, westlawn and cicero avenue make a horrible place for a shopping center that is suppose to bring lots of well off people to spend their money woodfield will remain #1 go check out the peru city mall in peru illinois
@AsoftDolphinn I agree Woodfield Mall is #1! I was wondering the same. Research says it’s the largest mall outside of downtown but Woodfield seems and looks a lot bigger. Thanks so much for watching!
That’s the reason I don’t shop there cause it’s too much violence going on around here in the city of Chicago in here. In this mall I remember I was 9 years old. I used to want to go to the store mall I used to have a toy store KB kids toys when I was 13 I used to have a arcade but it damn they’re closed it & and by the time when I was 16 it us to be GameStop - EB games and I used to have footlocker so I can get some shoes ford city is now a dead end
@31GRoom KB Toys is still a toy store. They left the Toys letters up inside the entrance and just removed KB from it. Sounds like this was an impressive mall at one point! It’s a shame what has happened to it. Thanks so much for sharing and watching!
@michaelreed4744 Absolutely! That and I believe the U.S. was over-malled there for a while. A lot of small towns had malls which really couldn’t support them and many larger cities had too many malls trying to compete with one another. Thanks so much for watching!
@CarnivalCruiseAddicts And dangerous we found out before we left. 3 cars were broken into, a robbery and a car jacking all happened in the parking lot as we were there. Found out from a police officer as we were leaving. Thanks for watching!
So sad. This mall was awesome in 80s so was evergreen pk. And that went down hill to the dump just like ford city.. now Orland pk & Chicago ridge is struggling with ass showing wannabe thugs scaring people away.
@chevycamaro7545 It’s really sad what has happened to this mall and others in and around Chicago. Same thing has happened to the malls here in Columbus, OH. People don’t want to shop scared! Thanks for watching!
Time to close all the malls down. Sadly, they attract the criminal element. Chicago is circling the drain. The downtown area sucks...nothing worth the trip. Nothing there anymore but crime. Haven't been back in 20 years and not sad at all!
@rubencontreras642 It seemed big to me especially for a one floor mall. I bet it seemed bigger when the basement was open too. Thanks so much for watching!
Unfortunately crime has plagued this mall. Fun fact, this mall has multiple lower levels that are unaccessable . Was once a military vehicle build facility thus the name Ford.
@gnieciag Yep, unfortunately there were 3 car break-ins and a car jacking while we were here. I’ve read the first lower level used to have a tunnel over to the adjacent shopping center. Hopefully this mall can rebound but doesn’t look likely. Thanks for watching!
Yea. They named it peacock alley and they had little business downstairs . One was the Alley from downtown Chicago. Use to be a great mall with Carson Pirie , Sears, and JCPenney.
@@gnieciagThe lower level hallway called Peacock Alley, used to connect between the lower level of this mall(which is now closed off), and up to where Sears used to operate. From 1st floor(ground level, the floor you see in this video), you have to walk across the parking lot to get over to where Sears used to operate.
I didn't realize since my last visit(2022 or 2023?), that the food court is down to just 1 place to eat left(Cajun Grill). When I last visited there were several places to eat, including Smokehouse and Subway.
Yes, I remember when "Peacock Alley" was thriving and featured a great variety of smaller stores. I used to go to Ford City mall from childhood into the early 1990's, and worked there briefly in the early 1980s. Back then, there were a few crimes, but not like more recent times.
Gone are the days! Was once a beautiful mall. I remember how beautiful the Christmas decorations were!
@carolynpiersanti5851 Sad what has happened to this mall. I bet it was a great place at one time! Thanks so much for watching!
A few years ago i went to the restroom at the food court. There was a guy shaving at one sink...there were about four sinks but none of them worked. I reported to a security guard that i wasn't able to wash my hands because there is only one sink working. I was shocked that i recently went in there and there is still only that one sink working, I read on Wikipedia that the company who bought the mall buys a lot of dead malls just for the real-estate to sell it for other uses in the future, Very sad that companies do this.
@willyjoerockhead That 1 sink was the only one working working when I was there too. The big corporations are doing the same thing with these malls as Eddie Lampert has done to Kmart and Sears unfortunately. Selling off the property to make a large profit. It’s definitely a sad situation.
Namdar sucks 👎
Yep. Namdar killed Stratford Square in Bloomingdale, too, but the town government seized the property and is now tearing down most of the mall to build a new development.
I remember when this mall was full of people in the 90s and 2000s.
@hueso5071 And this mall is still open. Many malls have closed yet this one is still going. I bet this mall was one if if not the best mall in Chicago back in the 90’s and 2000’s! Thanks for watching!
Yes it was until a certain color became the dominant people there and ruined it
@@brianc4037 I agree
@@brianc4037 agree. THEY had EVERGREEN PARK PLAZA Mall but STILL managed to k1LL both Ford and Evergreen Park Plaza malls in a matter of 25 years.
@aMuncieChannel not even close to Woodfield or Fox valley mall. this was the that mall by tootsie roll company lol this mall had to been the least visited
WOW! Haven't been there in years. Thanks for the update tour.
@Lisa-o8m4o It’s sad what happened to this mall. Can’t believe it’s still open. Thanks so much for watching!
My brother and I used to go here back in the 90's and enjoy food at the food court, see a movie and shop. It was booming then, sad to see it like this.
@jessie7601 I bet this was one of the best if not best malls in Chicago at one point! It’s really sad what has happened. I’m surprised it’s still open. Thanks so much for watching!
This is so sad. I used to hang out here - with family and by myself - in the 90s and 2000s. The arcade, Tilt, was my favorite place to go to on weekends. I'd go school shopping with my mom and grandmother here at JCPenney. And I'd used the Connection to travel to the other side of the mall where Sears was. So sad to see it so empty.
@TheKelsmommy Sounds like this was a great mall at one time! So many memories! The Connection was a really cool feature they shouldn’t have done away with. It really is sad what has happened to this place. Thanks so much for watching and sharing your memories of this mall!
I grew up in Chrysler Village - Clearing neighborhood right by Midway Airport. This mall is rich with history and I pray management etc saves this mall
@reneeleegreco1603 The mall and the site is definitely historic! I hope it makes a comeback along with the neighborhood. Thanks for watching!
I lived in West Lawn from 1970 to 1979,then moved to Chicago Lawn. I went to school at Soutwest Community College,Now Daley and Ford City mall was a definite hang out between classes and drinks in Talley's Pub as well after school. I live near West in the Proviso area now and miss my old South Side. It used to be a safe community,not a gang filled turf. One could walk from Western Ave to Harlem on 63rd or anywhere South at 3 in the morning and be perfectly safe.That is not possible now.
@PC4USE1 Wow! Can’t believe what had happened to this area. It’s really sad. Surprised this mall is still open! Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!
visiting this place with my granny.. i'll never forget. all i have is memories.
Wow, sad to see this downfall. Used to hang out there frequently back in the '90s when it was awesome and full of life.
@scanman975 Sad to see what has happened to this mall. I bet it was a great mall at one time! Thanks so much for watching!
Lived right across Cicero road from Ford City Mall. 7656 south Lavern. Back then it was hard working Italian,Irish, and Polish. I miss when the mall was vibrant. Till them gangs took it over. Haven’t been since the late 80’s.
@Sixstreetdisciples0420 That would be amazing living across the street from a thriving mall! There a few car break-ins and one carjacking while I was there on a Sunday morning. Luckily nothing happened to me or my car. Thanks so much for watching!
You know what's crazy? I live in Chicago and I forgot this mall existed and was still open! I remember my first time there as a kid. I went with my aunt, it was packed and busy! I remember, I got lost, was crying and went to the information desk. Eventually, my aunt came and found me. After that, I remember going countless times, spent my whole teenager years there. The last time I went to Ford City Mall was once again with my aunt and I was 26 at the time. I remember trying to get a job at the Kay Jewelers. I'm now 39 and seeing this footage saddens me and brings back memories. It's been a long time since I've been, like I said I forgot it existed! omg!
I used to to go shopping every weekend at ford city it was so alive so packed and full of people I went like a month ago cuz I forgot ford was open and this time it was just dead…….
@grayIn Thanks for sharing! Similar stories for me as well at Northland Mall in Columbus, OH although it did close and was demolished. Thanks so much for watching!
@leatcravolas-s7k It definitely looks like it was a great mall not that long ago. Thanks for watching!
@@aMuncieChannel it used to be a great mall great for family shopping and spending free time but now ehhh you seen it’s pretty much a ghost town now
I grew up in this area and still live there. Sad compared to what it was in the 80s and early 90s. There even was a small movie theatre for awhile in the small Ford City East unit.
It started going downhill in the mid-90s as a certain demographic gained more prominence and white flight out of the area began in earnest.
Interestingly, there is actually thriving businesses right across the street like a Target, supermarket, and other stores. There’s recent development north of there close to the airport. But then you hit the vast dead land of the mall itself and it just feels kind of eerie.
Knocking down the mall and re-developing it has been a topic of local conversation for at least 20 years. Bound to happen at some point.
I spent all of the 70s at that mall. I saw Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie there in 1978 while eating pizza slices from Tally Ho. Peacock Alley was connected to the other side of the mall and was full of businesses. I actually got my ears pierced in the middle of that mall in the 80s. They used to have shopping carts at Weiboldts and I learned to tie my shoes sitting in one. We used to go to either the Jack in the Box or Burger King there in the 70s before catching the Cicero bus to go home. I can still smell the Tootsie Rolls. So many memories there.
@TheRealPynkPanther What great memories! Sounds like the same thoughts I have of my childhood mall, Northland Mall, in Columbus, OH in the 80’s. Those were definitely the good old days! I remember learning to tie my shoes in a shopping cart at Gold Circle Department Store before they closed and turned into Hills. Thanks so much for sharing and watching!
@aMuncieChannel my pleasure❤
wow , awesome share my friend , big like , have a great day 👏🏼👏🏼 💝🎶💜💛💚💗💗😍👍💰😄💝💝🎶😄💰💰 132
@karimedinburgh Thank you very much my friend and thanks for watching! Have a great day as well!
OMG! I totally forgot about downstairs in Peacock Alley...In 1983 I was featured in a shopping window ad for a tanning company/health club with an entire spread of pictures advertising the tanning beds and health club...yep, we called them "clubs" (the gyms) at that time. Wonderful, great memories of such an awesome time to have been alive!!
@moonchild-711 That’s awesome! I remember calling them clubs as well. Peacock Alley was such a cool feature! The 80’s were a great time to be alive! Wish I could go back! Thanks so much for sharing and watching!
In the 60's there was a Catholic Mass on Sunday evenings in a conference room in Peacock Alley. It was a 'guitar mass'! Peacock Alley is also where we would buy incense and incense burners. Cinemas I and II were a movie lovers paradise.
@MountPindos Wish I could have seen this mall and Peacock Alley back then. What a great feature for a mall! Thanks so much for watching!
The mall of my childhood! Saw batman 1989 there
This was the first indoor mall I ever went to as a kid in the 60s. Went with my mom and grandma. It had a basement also back then and a Woolworth store. Also went to the movies there. Very sad to see it in such a decline and a dead mall. I probably haven’t been there since the early to mid nineties. Thanks for the nice video. It brought back good memories.
@cynthiarose7534 Thanks for sharing! I guess there was a tunnel in the basement that connected the mall to the adjacent shopping center. Thank you so much for watching!
I use to go there allot during the Early to mid 2000's they closed down the basement around the late 90's they still had a lot of stores back then but ever since Carson Closed back in 2018 things went really down hill. The Mall started to become ghetto after 2010 a lot fights broke out and I remember I riot that happened back in 2012.
@LegoDarkknight-c3k Wow! It’s a shame what has become of this mall and many others in this country. We’ve lost so many great malls. This mall is still surviving for now at least
@@aMuncieChannel I actually live close to this mall it's a 5 min drive and back then we use to go here a lot and Chicago Ridge mall. But since Carson Closed and a lot of other places did we decided to go to Chicago ridge but now a days we really don't go to malls anymore.
I use to work at Water Tower place in downtown Chicago and the mall itself is dead when it comes to the stores a lot of places closed down and I heard now the food court closed wondering when both of these places will close. I doubt it can stay open in the condition it is right now
@LegoDarkknight-c3k I don’t see it staying open much longer either. Next time I’m in Chicago I’ll have to visit Water Tower Mall.
MetroPCS in the food court is insane
@davidquiroz1608 I thought that was strange as well. Really weird! Thanks for watching!
Bay Park Square in Green Bay, Wisconsin has The Picture People photo studio in their food court...
131❤
건물안에 걸어다니면 살 빠질거 같아요
오늘 하루 잘 보내셨나요
수고 많으셨습니다 🥰
@vega-cooking-health It really is a big mall! My day is going well so far! Hope your day is as well! Thanks so much for watching my friend!
Thank you very much for sharing! Like 11.
@beautifulflorida Thank you very much! I appreciate your support!
I remember my mom taking me to the Ford City mall to see Return of the Jedi…good memories
@nashshaffer6235 I bet this was an impressive mall and shopping center at one point! Thanks so much for watching!
Such a large and beautiful mall, I really like this place, so luxurious
@vanhainguyen439 Thanks so much for watching my friend!
satire?
😂😂
Ford City was my childhood. Lower level, peacock alley.
@thoughtsurferzone5012 I wish I could have seen Peacock Alley! Such an amazing and unique feature for a mall. Wish they didn’t close it off. Thanks so much for watching!
The loss of Peacock Alley/Connection hurt the Mall. Ford City was across 3 sites years ago, Smallest was near Pulaski Rd on the east side, fast food and 5-6 small shops. They had a larger parcel on Cicero Ave with Firestone, Sears and Wards Auto repair. Stand alone Burger King, Wendys, KFC and even a small police station, Then the main mall...Main mall was accessible thru some of the larger shops, Sears (and a old KB Toys) via Peacock Alley/Connection (which ran under the parking lot), JCPenny had 3 entrances, A large chain Music store, Montgomery Wards (which I recall had a full floor underground), IHOP, Carsons. Plus 4 doorways into the main corridors. A gas explosion in the parking lot and the Connection flooding, Loss of Sears and Carsons and Wards didnt help. Its not dead, just needs serious help.
@kmartcarol48 Peacock Alley was definitely a unique and great feature for a mall. This whole area had to be an impressive place to shop at one time. I really hope it can make a comeback! The loss of most the anchor stores really hurts a mall but this one is still going. Thanks for the information and for watching!
I was in grade school when this mall opened as the first major indoor mall outside of Evergreen Park on the SW side of Chicagoland. Saw many movies too here when the theaters were on the Cicero Avenue side of the mall separate from the main building. Then when I had kids brought them here with my dad their grandfather every Friday night it was special then. After the first indoor shooting incident, though, never came back.
@JohnArnis Miss those days when are childhood malls were still around. Great story except for the indoor shooting incident. It’s sad to see what has become of this mall. Sounds like it used to be a great mall. Thanks for watching!
Born and raised in chicago. I spent many days back in the day at this mall. Brings back a lot of memories including when the downstairs area was open. There was a jewelry shop down there as well as a place where they would host rap battles. I haven't been in this mall in 2 years now. It was dead then and I can only image even less people show up now. A lot of people either go to Westfield mall (formally called Chicago ridge mall) or orland square mall.
@aaronmelson2887 I wish the downstairs portion was still open. The tunnel in between the mall and shopping center was a unique feature! Awesome there was a place that held rap battles! Sad to see it like this now. Can’t believe it’s still open. I see why people go to the other two malls instead of this one. Thanks so much for watching!
This was the best mall to go to in the nineties. Got my furst comic book from MoonDogs that was tucked away in the lower level. Damn shame to see it like this.
@terrancebragg327 It’s definitely sad to see what has happened to this mall. The lower level was a nice feature they should have never done away with. Wish I could have seen it. Thanks for sharing your memories and watching!
I remember when Ford City opened up in 1965. It was truly the largest and nicest mall in Chicago at the time. I worked part time while in high school at National Tea (a major grocery chain long gone) during 1970 and 1971 before heading off to college. National Tea was next to J C Penny's on the east side of the mall. It's sad to see how so many places across the USA which were nice at one time to simply deteriorate due to changing economics, demographics, bad-disrespectful attitudes of many individuals who simply care about themselves and will steal-vandalize, etc.
@stanleykijek6983 It’s really sad what has happened to a lot of the older malls from the 60’s. My Dad started working at Sears Auto Center pumping gas in 1972 at Northland Mall in Columbus, OH and it had the same fate as what this mall has become although it was closed in the early 2000’s when it became real bad. You are 100% correct. Never heard of National Tea. I will have to do some research on them. Old, long forgotten and closed former stores fascinate me. Thanks so much for sharing and watching!
@@aMuncieChannel Thank you for your response and kind words.
If you Google National Tea Company, you'll find that they were around quite a while primarily in the Midwest, particularly in the Chicagoland area.
The shopping center is very big, clean, luxurious and neat. However, there are still few visitors.
@Maman738 Yes it is! Thank you very much for watching my friend!
Very nice and beautiful mall❤❤❤❤
@AasanZindagi It really is although struggling to survive unfortunately. Thanks so much for watching my friend!
I love Chicago!
@Royalluxury491 I do too! It’s an interesting place! Thanks so much for watching my friend!
This mall has brought me so many memories, I remember when me and my mom would throw coins into the fountain and go to stores like FYE, KB Toys and the Disney Store
@smashblaster1-up190 Those are the best memories! The same memories I had at my childhood mall as well! Sad what has happened to this mall. At least the former KB Toys is still a toy store here. I thought that was pretty cool! Thanks so much for watching!
@smashblaster1-up190 Those are the best memories! The same memories I had at my childhood mall as well! Sad what has happened to this mall. At least the former KB Toys is still a toy store here. I thought that was pretty cool! Thanks so much for watching!
Wow, been about 6 years since last I went there and it was really out of curiosity to see how much it had changed that my mom and I decided to drop by. In the 90s I did visit way more with my parents. Usually it was to cool off on extremely hot days since we didn't have AC at the time. LJS and Sabarro were our go to places for eating. Going underground to get to Sears was a neat thing for me at that age. Sad to see it in this state. I drive by a few times from work and wonder how much has changed since 6 years ago, guess that answers my question lol.
Oh yeah, that KB Toys (well what use to be KB) there was where I bought my first video game system. Bought a Playstation 1 along with FF7, FF Anthology, and RE1 DC.
@igable82 Definitely sad what happened to this mall. The underground area was such a great feature. Wish they had kept it! I bought my first game console, a Nintendo NES, from KB Toys at Northland Mall in Columbus, OH. It closed in 2003 and was torn down unfortunately. Thanks for sharing and watching!
So sad. 1994 was the last time I went there when there was an Old Country Buffet. Sadly, teen and young adult crime gave Ford City mall a bad reputation which destroyed business.
@alexcastillo8892 It’s definitely in a sad state right now unfortunately. I miss Old Country Buffet! Thanks so much for watching!
It’s crazy to think this place would be crazy busy once upon a time 😂
@AbilityToBeAwesome And it’s crazy this place once had a basement with stores and a tunnel to the adjacent shopping center! Sad a lot of malls are like this now. Thanks so much for watching Krystal!
I used to hang out here in the 70s. Downstairs was peacock alley and they had a Woolworth cafe in the middle of the mall on the main floor the area there is getting very bad not like it used to be too bad
Stores get tired of being robbed
@johnr2132 Wish I could have seen this mall in its heyday. Peacock Alley was a great feature! There were 3 car break-ins and a carjacking while I was there on a Sunday morning. You’re right, stores and people get tired of being robbed. Thanks so much for watching and sharing!
I stopped visiting Ford City mall after Smokehouse went out of bussiness. Those burgers were delicious! 🍔💔
@KevinBelmontLuna Sounds like a great place! I hate it when places I like go out of business. Thanks for watching!
Ford City is what you get when you let your mall get a bad rep fro, years of thugs bumming around the mall and an overall ghetto vibe, and the mall next in line to go through this same fate is North Riverside.
@supergremlintripleseven6790 I couldn’t agree with you more. Haven’t been to North Riverside yet. It’s sad and a shame what has happened to Ford City. Thanks so much for watching!
River Oaks Mall, too
I would add that this virus of usual suspects ruining what was good when they first had EVERGREEN PLAZA MALL and when that went to H3LL, they all sucked the life out of Ford City Mall next. It took 25 years for it to happen. Both are ghetto dumps unfortunately.
Great vidio my friend ..full support
@dedikfarm1128 Thank you very much my friend! I really appreciate it!
This used to be THE SPOT
I was actually here about 5 years ago, and noticed that they had added CARPET
Which I liked
Would've been nice to have that while it was thriving 20 years ago
Would've been a nice touch
@Syringey A lot of people don’t like carpet in malls but I’m with you! I think it’s a nice touch. Thanks so much for watching!
I was walking around Peacock Alley and going to John’s Garage (restaurant down there) back in 1985 or so as a kid. What a sad state it is in now. I wonder why…. 🤦🏼♂️
@TS-KDMF1777 I wish they would have kept Peacock Alley open. What an amazing feature for a mall! The crime has really hurt this place unfortunately. There were 4 car break-ins and a car jacking while I was there on a Sunday morning. Thanks so much for watching!
I keep adding this video and I finally finished it😂
@AbilityToBeAwesome Thanks Krystal! This is one of my best performing videos! I really appreciate your support!
god such memories of this mall as a kid there used to be a huge arcade inside the mall with many japanese fighting games.
@ogzero108 Sad what has happened to this mall. Sounds like it was an amazing place at one time! Can’t believe it’s still open. Thanks so much for watching! The huge arcade would have been a site to see!
This and evergreen use to be the spot for everything, I got my school jacket from there and my last pair of skates from the skateboard shop.
@PrettyBrownEyes91 This mall reminds me a lot of my childhood mall in Columbus, OH although it closed in 2002. Sad what has happened to so many malls around the country. Thanks for sharing your memories of this mall and thanks for watching!
Very nice good night my friend 👍👍👍❤❤❤❤🌹🌹🌹🌹👋👋👋👋🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
@jamuherbal Thank you very much! I really appreciate your support my friend!
@@aMuncieChannel ❤❤❤❤👍👍👍👍
It’s unfortunate that gang activity has taken down so many Chicago area Malls.
@1960sRICH It really is! Happened here in Columbus, OH as well to a few of our malls.
I live a few block away from this mall. I don’t know how the hell it’s still open people barely go there. Would be great too use for a movie.
@pierrechaidez6516 I don’t know how it’s still open either. That would be a great idea! Thanks so much for watching!
This is were you will find al bundys shoe store😂
@deadpoolongoogle9682 That would be awesome if I did especially if he was actually there😂! Thanks for watching!
This video actually makes it look brighter and livelier than it really is. I walk through there most Sunday afternoons, and it's a lot more grimy and seedy and depressing in person. Literally darker, too. Such a dead place!
@NYKensington You’re right! It is darker than this and I was surprised to see as many people as we did. I was there on a Sunday afternoon so we might have seen each other. Sad what has happened to this place. Thanks so much for watching!
I was there the first day it opened. Rode my bike. Used to bowl there, and take dates to the show. Don't know how many times I had to sit through that piece of crap movie The Way We Were. John's Garage was a pretty good eatery. Lots of my teen years were spent there. Good memories.
Been going downhill since the 90's. after the sideways hat people moved in.
@user-iu5vf6us4q Thanks for sharing your memories of this mall. Sounds about the same as me at my old mall in Columbus, OH. It’s sad what has happened to this place. Thanks for watching!
I loved this mall back in the 70s would go bowling or see a movie or have a Orange Julies loved shopping at Chess King Have not been back there ijn 50 years Sad to see it like this
@racing8872 This mall sounds like it was an amazing place at one time! I miss those stores too along with Aladdin’s Castle and KB Toys. Peacock Alley was a great feature! Definitely sad to see this place now. Thanks so much for watching!
Beautiful Mall!
@sharoncruisingscene It really is although it’s unfortunately dying. Thanks for watching!
Really sad. Ford city used to be the place to go. I used to bowl there in the eighties. Well with new mayor u will see more stuff go away.
@markpolacek7840 It’s really sad. Hopefully this mall can survive somehow. Thanks for watching!
Ford city has been dying for over a decade. New mayor has nothing to do with it.
@@DaLatinKnightHe promised not to raise property taxes in his campaign and guess what he’s doing now? That means its harder to rent locations and stores instead malls since to cover the increased property taxes rent goes up.
Secret underground tunnels for miles, was a government weapons factory then Ford plant, and Mall
@garsocks I need to find a documentary on the tunnels if there is one. That would be very interesting! An impressive history of this property. Thanks so much for watching!
It use to be a nice mall but people just stopped going to malls especially since Major department stores started closing. Strip malls started popping up and a lot of people started shopping at discount stores. Now that target and Walmart sells clothes and it’s a bunch of fast fashion stores to buy cheap clothes that’s what helped get rid of malls.
@PrettyBrownEyes91 You’re absolutely correct! It’s really a sad situation for many malls nowadays unfortunately. Amazon and online shopping is another killer of these places. I would still like to see a product or try it on before purchasing something online. Never know how it’s going to fit or actually look.
Thanks for pointing that out and not using the cop-out excuse of crime for the mall declining.
@728huey I call it how I see it! Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t believe I am. Thanks so much for watching!
@@728huey I think both have a bit to play in the decline. I loved that mall in the 90s but we also had more than our fair share of scrapes with the bangers that plagued the place even back then. Both things can be true, unfortunately.
Interesting place
@nationalparksprincess3216 It really is! Thanks so much for watching!
Grew up going to this mall, but while Sitting in the food court about a year ago waiting for my family to get out the wash room, while sitting in the benches a roach came out the seat next me to.
@user-en8hj5et9h Oh wow! Didn’t see any roaches but there were no places open in the food court. Thanks so much for watching!
The SDs hood in the 2000s would find them there instead on their actual hoods 😂😂😂
i only have a couple memories from childhood in the late 2000s when this place still had life in it. Yeah, now a days it's just sad to see.
@slight3814 It’s really sad what has happened to this mall. Can’t believe it’s still open at this point. Thanks so much for watching!
I miss Montgomery Wards there... That big closed down store that was there for decades by the food court.... And I use to go to the KB toys that was next door to it.... Ford City use to be vibrant and beautiful in the early 90s... This and North Riverside Mall were my spots in the 90s, now they are infamous for alot of crimes there sadly
@midnitekreapa8372 Montgomery Wards was a great store! Loved KB Toys as well! Definitely sad what has happened to this mall. Reminds me of exactly what happened to my childhood malls in Columbus, OH but they are long gone now. Surprised this mall is still surviving! Thanks for watching!
L27. Thanks so much for sharing this informative video. I’m going to Chicago soon and making an itinerary of places that’s worth visiting. Big like from your new subscriber ❤
@soniaprovido1182 Thank you very much! I really appreciate it my friend!
Hard to believe but back in the 70s , this mall cranked with business , wonder what happed, l9l. ???
Bosco and Lil Chocolate Pudding broke their own record and robbed every business at least once
The usual suspects had EVERGREEN PARK PLAZA Mall but STILL managed to k1LL both Ford and Evergreen Park Plaza malls in a matter of 25 years. Pathetic and sad.
@0hffs It really is sad! Same thing happened here in Columbus, OH with 4 of our malls and a few smaller suburb malls. Thanks for watching!
We lose a lot of nice things because of the 13%…
Do RiverOaks in Calumet City, it's even worse
@Tdogmedia I will have to check it out next time I’m in Chicago. Thanks for the info and for watching!
Always drive fast AWAY from that area :(
L33 tamslove sis, 9:25
@luisalifestyleandtravel Thanks so much! I really appreciate you watching! It’s sad what has become of a majority of malls
Kinda obsessing on the shuttered food court, don't ya think? Wish we could've saw what was open down at the other end where people are milling about, and elsewhere, c'mon...
@carlsaganlives4036 I documented the entire inside of the mall and yes seeing a shuttered food court is interesting to me. Thanks for watching!
FIRE CONTENT
@HannahMartin-x7b Thank you very much and thanks for watching!
my cousin lives outside chicago and she says evrybody KNOWS why this mall is avoided. Lets say crime, theft, robbery and demographics that attract same.
@chaddallesandro2057 I agree with your cousin. Security at the mall informed us there were 3 car break-ins and a robbery at gun point in the parking lot as we were leaving. Inside the mall however everyone was nice and friendly. Glad our car wasn’t broken into. Thanks for watching!
Used to go there stickney Illinois
Ford City looks nothing like I remember it. Evergreen Plaza was my main mall but when we'd go to Scottsdale back in the day we always made a stop at Ford City. Man, that place was always full of people. Now it looks beyond dead.
@maryyung1994 It’s sad what has happened to this mall. At least it’s still open though, for now. Is Evergreen Plaza still open? Thanks for watching!
@@aMuncieChannel The old Evergreen Plaza was torn down. It's now more of an outdoor type mall I think.
Used to go here all the time as a kid…but then the 🤷🏿♂️ people started infesting the area, driving up crime with theft, shootings, and gang activity that it’s become a dangerous place to go. My parents were actually threatened to leave because they were the only 🤷🏼♂️ people at the AMC and didn’t feel safe…
@TheGreatSalsaMan From the pictures I’ve seen it looked like an amazing mall at one time! I didn’t realize how dangerous it was while we were there. 4 car break-ins and a car jacking told to us by a police officer as we were getting ready to leave. Luckily our car wasn’t one of them. The people inside the mall were friendly and we didn’t feel threatened or uncomfortable. Maybe because we were there on a Sunday morning. Thanks so much for watching. We didn’t go inside the AMC and now realize that was a good idea
Ghost Town 👻
@ChappysTikiBar It really was! Sad what had become of this mall. Thanks for watching Chappy!
Northfield Mall in Bradley, IL. Now that mall is really dead..
@Laine2539 I will have to visit that mall sometime. Thanks for the info and thanks for watching!
POC ruined it.
5 miles from home
"Ford City Mall is a shopping mall located on the Southwest Side of Chicago in the West Lawn neighborhood at 76th Street and Cicero Avenue. Opened in 1965, Ford City is the largest shopping mall in Chicago outside of downtown"
it is not larger than woodfield mall lol?
it will never make a comeback, westlawn and cicero avenue make a horrible place for a shopping center that is suppose to bring lots of well off people to spend their money
woodfield will remain #1
go check out the peru city mall in peru illinois
@AsoftDolphinn I agree Woodfield Mall is #1! I was wondering the same. Research says it’s the largest mall outside of downtown but Woodfield seems and looks a lot bigger. Thanks so much for watching!
That’s the reason I don’t shop there cause it’s too much violence going on around here in the city of Chicago in here. In this mall I remember I was 9 years old. I used to want to go to the store mall I used to have a toy store KB kids toys when I was 13 I used to have a arcade but it damn they’re closed it & and by the time when I was 16 it us to be GameStop - EB games and I used to have footlocker so I can get some shoes ford city is now a dead end
@31GRoom KB Toys is still a toy store. They left the Toys letters up inside the entrance and just removed KB from it. Sounds like this was an impressive mall at one point! It’s a shame what has happened to it. Thanks so much for sharing and watching!
Nothing but a shell of itself, sad indeed.
@airofmystery14 It’s sad what’s happened to this mall and many other malls. Thanks for watching!
Hello. Do you think that the rise of online shopping, and the status of the economy contribute to the decline of malls in the US?
@michaelreed4744 Absolutely! That and I believe the U.S. was over-malled there for a while. A lot of small towns had malls which really couldn’t support them and many larger cities had too many malls trying to compete with one another. Thanks so much for watching!
It was the 🤷🏿♂️ people more than anything else 😅
Stop shopping there a long time ago
yet they're still advertising apex legends last time i went there
Veryverysad
@davyhoffwurst1824 It really is. Hopefully this mall can survive. Thanks so much for watching!
Yeah, that's pretty dead!
@CarnivalCruiseAddicts And dangerous we found out before we left. 3 cars were broken into, a robbery and a car jacking all happened in the parking lot as we were there. Found out from a police officer as we were leaving. Thanks for watching!
@@aMuncieChannel whoa!
@CarnivalCruiseAddicts Needless to say I will not be back to this mall!
do you see any ghost in your videos from these places? it would be so cool thanks. love the music too.
@cruisenuts2846 No ghosts as of yet but that would definitely add to the spooky feeling! Thanks so much for watching!
Reason, people spending their money on drugs.
@sergeeternal3778 Unfortunately that’s a possible reason
Sooo sad
@mcdpoor It really is. The woman working at the toy store said it was a thriving mall 5 years ago. Thanks for watching!
So sad. This mall was awesome in 80s so was evergreen pk. And that went down hill to the dump just like ford city.. now Orland pk & Chicago ridge is struggling with ass showing wannabe thugs scaring people away.
@chevycamaro7545 It’s really sad what has happened to this mall and others in and around Chicago. Same thing has happened to the malls here in Columbus, OH. People don’t want to shop scared! Thanks for watching!
Time to close all the malls down. Sadly, they attract the criminal element. Chicago is circling the drain. The downtown area sucks...nothing worth the trip. Nothing there anymore but crime. Haven't been back in 20 years and not sad at all!
I done think this is ford city yo
@jjooeegg1 It is and unfortunately it isn’t doing too well. Hopefully it can make recovery because it is a nice mall
Yeah I have to say Chicago in general is not a good place to be in or live in
The outskirts of Chicago are pretty nice though like the Schaumburg area. Thanks for watching!
What part of Chicago are you from?
@saulgood8229 I’m not from Chicago. Ohio. I’ve been visiting Chicago frequently since I was a kid.
Chicago is just fine.
I agree! It could be a lot worse
I remember this place you to seem huge when I was a kid.
@rubencontreras642 It seemed big to me especially for a one floor mall. I bet it seemed bigger when the basement was open too. Thanks so much for watching!