This is my mall! It’s definitely fallen in the last 20 years, but they still host a comic-con every year in addition to other events. The theater has been reopened and is a HUGE improvement. Also, the food court sunken section was/is way cooler than the raised bit haha. Also, Hot Rice in the food court is an unkillable beast. Its probably how the whole place keeps the lights on! Great video
That was definitely a unique looking mall, and I kind of liked it. The fountain was a very nice touch, and the multi-level food court was very interesting.
As a resident of Defiance, this mall used to be a solid hangout spot. There once was a really nice arcade back by the food court and movie theater. Places were thriving. I never see anyone here anymore.
In 2022 & 2023 The Defiance Library put on a local one day comic con called Def-Com. I had a table there and sold quite a few comics. I was very surprised by how many people came out to this almost dead mall to have fun at a comic con.
Update: The fountain is gone and replaced with planters The movie theater is opened again and the store on the left at 7:19 is now a cool record store.
Interesting. The Cafe inside Koppel 66 here in Hamburg, Germany has an elevated platform similar to the one in the food court. There it's just a regular second level with more tables for guests.
I remember when Trinity Common Mall (an outdoor shopping mall) in Brampton Ontario opened 23 years ago, at the grand opening of Zellers the corporation had Tom Eplin who played Jake on the defunct soap opera Another World be there signing autographs and taking pictures and meeting fans. It was very cool.
Not a bad mall. The fountain is far from my favourite but I love the urban looking set of white lights in this mall. And that's also one big Bath and Body Works store that I would love to shop at.
no way any of those places are making enough revenue to cover the cost of rent/employee salary. There has to be some type of tax incentive/minority loan program to keep these places going. Wish we could find out the monthly revenue of these places still open in all these malls
It’s just stores scraping by, no weird tax loopholes or incentives. Planet Fitness sees quite a bit of traffic, as does Ollie’s and Hobby Lobby (the “anchors”). The revamped theatre also helps. Everything else is pretty much local stuff that has been here forever, like Hawks and the travel agency. The Fine Arts Academy moved in a few years ago to expand from its downtown locations.
Top tier video with one of my fave out of state malls I've visited and my #2 fave Duett song. I wonder when you went? I went last May. At 7:30 that store would become a music store called Last Man Standing. I guess it was across the hall because there was a sign that referenced Total Eclipse of the Heart haha. I'm surprised you didn't mention the travel agency there. In all the malls I've visited that is the only I have been to that had a travel agency lol. Also the Asian restaurant had Crab Rangoon for .50 cents each. I would've OD on those lol but I went to the Planet Fitness there and had a good workout. Such a stunning mall and love the look of it. I assume the food court structure was either extra/private seating. The only history I could find was the dedication plaque located across from the theater that was dated 5/1/1986. Apparently the founder was a guy who brought his family from Syria. Also that hallway had random posters advertising Disney World lol. Perhaps related to the travel agency there.
It's nice to see a video of my hometown! I now live in NY, but back in the 00s, this was a hangout/place to walk spot. It used to be filled with people. I did not venture to the left much, but Hawks used to be located over there along with a pet place. The raised platform was additional seating as the food court used to have a multitude of options within it. There was an arcade right by the theater. When landlines were still the major phone service, there were payphones along the wall where the current movie posters are. Where Dunhams Sports is, there used to be KB toys...I think they may have expanded that space, but I don't recall. Radio Shack was also down to the left as you enter the mall. CVS was where Planet Fitness now is, and I think there was a Dollar Tree there as well. There was also a hair place right next to where the church is now. FYE was down by Claire's, past where the shoe store is now. Many big name businesses. I've been back a few times, but the mall just isn't the same as it was.
I didn't know the Maumee River was a hotbed of kayaking, but what do I know? But seriously, GM recently announced that it was pouring megabucks into its Defiance powertrain plant, so that may well help the economy and the mall.
I didn't realize Ames was a part of the mall. I recall it being named something before... like Hall's. The mall has fallen on hard times. In the '90s and early 2000s, there was the movie theater, a spacious arcade with fantastic video games next to it, the food court still had Hot Rice, and next to it was a fella who filled the court with the scent of charbroiled hamburgers, the Books-A-Million was respectable and the only place to get comic books, there was K.B. Toys to get the latest toys, there was F.Y.E. which was the place to get all of your entertainment and media needs met, I first found Dragon Ball Z here, and various other stores. Speaking on it now, it seems the internet with easy accessibility and Walmart and its competitors have nailed the coffin for the poor mall.
For some context - the raised portion of the food court was just additional seating, nothing special. It was actually closed off long before the mall started to decline because of structural issues, if I remember correctly. The decline in stores has more to do with the owners making in uneconomical for local stores to afford to stay in the mall. After the original owners sold it, rent and utilities were increased in an attempt to push out all the local stores we had in an attempt to open space for larger name brand chains. The problem was that Defiance wasn’t large enough to attract the stores the new owners wanted (this has been an issue with restaurants too), so the storefronts stayed empty.
A mall with a real sporting goods store and sportscard shop gets my vote. This mall is absolutely a strange one, but in a good way. The food court staircase is hard to explain, who knows why it is there.
I remember eating up there when the space next to it was a Sobrerro's that sold big slices of pizza. And near the sporting goods store used to be a Hershey icecream store and near the shoe dept used to be a pretzel shop.
Hey, I live around there! My dad was the manager of the Elder Beerman before it was replaced by Xperience Church. Still think it's kind of a weird spot for a church ha. It's fun seeing somewhere I know and walk around in a video.
My teenage hangout in the 90’s. The lower part of the food court was for performances and the upper part was open to anyone unless reserved. Ames left in early 2000’s
Would recommend a trip back gotta try the hotrice and theirs a lot of new stuff there now since you’ve made this video very surreal seeing a mall i go to for Chinese food being posted as a dead mall 💀💀💀
I remember there also used to be a pet store in the mall! It was when I was little, so late 90’s/ early 00’s. Oh! There was a Deb’s as well!! Edit: I would agree that the financial struggles of normal residents is indeed what’s killing the mall
My mom would always tell me that this mall was way better back in the day. There was a Salad place, burger place and a few other restaurants. The movie theater got completely revamped (for the better). Dunhams kind of saved the mall since not many places besides Marshall was opened there. What really made the mall die after the shut down of the 2 main stores was the closure of Dollar was the removal of dollar tree. Everyone would go there to buy candy and other goodies to sneak it into the movie theater. Every Christmas, Santa Claus would show up to the once used fountain in the middle of the store for people to take their kids to see Santa. Not sure of they do it anymore, but that was a fond memory I had there as a kid. Also everyone keeps talking about the upstairs food court, but never in my almost 20 years of life has it ever been used. Not sure what was used for but I swear my mom said it was used for seating and special occasions.
Might I add, there were also mini waterways where the food court seats were (you can see them because they removed it and put fake plants there at 4:12)
These days it's basically a place that elderly use as an "exercise walking" place. I don't even bother going in the place anymore because it's a waste of time.
I love 20mins away this mall went way down hill once the church took over the big store in the back but if your even around the movie theater has lay down chairs and hot rice is so good and the upstairs in the food court was closed years ago I think because of shit construction
Defiance mall seriously? Ames closed late 80s. I live in Defiance and have been going to this mall ALL my life. The second level in in the food court had tables and chairs up there if you wanted to eat up on that balcony but they have had that blocked off for a long time. That mall used to have Regis hair salon, a tanning salon, Books a Million bookstore and the travel agency has been there since the beginning of time. The mall used to have a really great Mexican restaurant where Marshall’s is and before that it was JCPenny but they split that up on that side and made it Marshall’s and Ollie’s. The church is where Elder Beerman was and they put a brand new movie theater in just a few months ago that serves beer. Sears left and they were there for as long as I can remember. I’m pretty sure Ames is where Sears was and now it’s Quality Farm and home.
What an odd statement. This is a mostly rural area. Not a lot of farmers need the stuff sold in marshals or Claire’s 🙄 You want to see Ohioans shopping, try Tractor Supply or Menards.
This is my mall! It’s definitely fallen in the last 20 years, but they still host a comic-con every year in addition to other events. The theater has been reopened and is a HUGE improvement. Also, the food court sunken section was/is way cooler than the raised bit haha.
Also, Hot Rice in the food court is an unkillable beast. Its probably how the whole place keeps the lights on!
Great video
Hot rice is the best.
That was definitely a unique looking mall, and I kind of liked it. The fountain was a very nice touch, and the multi-level food court was very interesting.
Its weird to be scrolling through RUclips and being recommend the mall I go to in a small town. The new theater is amazing.
This is my local mall, the record store is probably the best place there, always fun to find a few obscure records in there!
As a resident of Defiance, this mall used to be a solid hangout spot. There once was a really nice arcade back by the food court and movie theater. Places were thriving. I never see anyone here anymore.
In 2022 & 2023 The Defiance Library put on a local one day comic con called Def-Com. I had a table there and sold quite a few comics. I was very surprised by how many people came out to this almost dead mall to have fun at a comic con.
The lamp posts used for lighting were really cool. Thanks for filming.
Update:
The fountain is gone and replaced with planters
The movie theater is opened again and the store on the left at 7:19 is now a cool record store.
I'm glad the fountain is still operating. There's just something about a fountain that adds a refreshing feeling.
Nice video! It really looks more like a 70s mall that got a renovation than an 80s mall
Interesting. The Cafe inside Koppel 66 here in Hamburg, Germany has an elevated platform similar to the one in the food court. There it's just a regular second level with more tables for guests.
I remember when Trinity Common Mall (an outdoor shopping mall) in Brampton Ontario opened 23 years ago, at the grand opening of Zellers the corporation had Tom Eplin who played Jake on the defunct soap opera Another World be there signing autographs and taking pictures and meeting fans. It was very cool.
Not a bad mall. The fountain is far from my favourite but I love the urban looking set of white lights in this mall. And that's also one big Bath and Body Works store that I would love to shop at.
I grew up with this mall, should have seen it in the 90's, food court and movies keep it going.
no way any of those places are making enough revenue to cover the cost of rent/employee salary. There has to be some type of tax incentive/minority loan program to keep these places going. Wish we could find out the monthly revenue of these places still open in all these malls
It’s just stores scraping by, no weird tax loopholes or incentives. Planet Fitness sees quite a bit of traffic, as does Ollie’s and Hobby Lobby (the “anchors”). The revamped theatre also helps. Everything else is pretty much local stuff that has been here forever, like Hawks and the travel agency. The Fine Arts Academy moved in a few years ago to expand from its downtown locations.
Top tier video with one of my fave out of state malls I've visited and my #2 fave Duett song. I wonder when you went? I went last May. At 7:30 that store would become a music store called Last Man Standing. I guess it was across the hall because there was a sign that referenced Total Eclipse of the Heart haha. I'm surprised you didn't mention the travel agency there. In all the malls I've visited that is the only I have been to that had a travel agency lol. Also the Asian restaurant had Crab Rangoon for .50 cents each. I would've OD on those lol but I went to the Planet Fitness there and had a good workout. Such a stunning mall and love the look of it. I assume the food court structure was either extra/private seating.
The only history I could find was the dedication plaque located across from the theater that was dated 5/1/1986. Apparently the founder was a guy who brought his family from Syria. Also that hallway had random posters advertising Disney World lol. Perhaps related to the travel agency there.
It's nice to see a video of my hometown! I now live in NY, but back in the 00s, this was a hangout/place to walk spot. It used to be filled with people. I did not venture to the left much, but Hawks used to be located over there along with a pet place. The raised platform was additional seating as the food court used to have a multitude of options within it. There was an arcade right by the theater. When landlines were still the major phone service, there were payphones along the wall where the current movie posters are. Where Dunhams Sports is, there used to be KB toys...I think they may have expanded that space, but I don't recall. Radio Shack was also down to the left as you enter the mall.
CVS was where Planet Fitness now is, and I think there was a Dollar Tree there as well. There was also a hair place right next to where the church is now.
FYE was down by Claire's, past where the shoe store is now. Many big name businesses.
I've been back a few times, but the mall just isn't the same as it was.
I didn't know the Maumee River was a hotbed of kayaking, but what do I know?
But seriously, GM recently announced that it was pouring megabucks into its Defiance powertrain plant, so that may well help the economy and the mall.
I’d guess the kayaks are probably mostly used on the Saint Joe
I didn't realize Ames was a part of the mall. I recall it being named something before... like Hall's.
The mall has fallen on hard times.
In the '90s and early 2000s, there was the movie theater, a spacious arcade with fantastic video games next to it, the food court still had Hot Rice, and next to it was a fella who filled the court with the scent of charbroiled hamburgers, the Books-A-Million was respectable and the only place to get comic books, there was K.B. Toys to get the latest toys, there was F.Y.E. which was the place to get all of your entertainment and media needs met, I first found Dragon Ball Z here, and various other stores.
Speaking on it now, it seems the internet with easy accessibility and Walmart and its competitors have nailed the coffin for the poor mall.
I lived in this area for a while in my childhood, if only you could have seen this mall in its heyday. Great memories.
For some context - the raised portion of the food court was just additional seating, nothing special. It was actually closed off long before the mall started to decline because of structural issues, if I remember correctly.
The decline in stores has more to do with the owners making in uneconomical for local stores to afford to stay in the mall. After the original owners sold it, rent and utilities were increased in an attempt to push out all the local stores we had in an attempt to open space for larger name brand chains. The problem was that Defiance wasn’t large enough to attract the stores the new owners wanted (this has been an issue with restaurants too), so the storefronts stayed empty.
I can't believe my local mall is in a RUclips video 😭😂😂
A mall with a real sporting goods store and sportscard shop gets my vote. This mall is absolutely a strange one, but in a good way. The food court staircase is hard to explain, who knows why it is there.
Yes this mall is definitely strange and outside of the box.
The stairs just go to additional seating, but that raised section was closed a long time before the mall started to decline.
I remember eating up there when the space next to it was a Sobrerro's that sold big slices of pizza. And near the sporting goods store used to be a Hershey icecream store and near the shoe dept used to be a pretzel shop.
Hey, I live around there! My dad was the manager of the Elder Beerman before it was replaced by Xperience Church. Still think it's kind of a weird spot for a church ha. It's fun seeing somewhere I know and walk around in a video.
I totally forgot about this mall. Nice little gem.
My teenage hangout in the 90’s.
The lower part of the food court was for performances and the upper part was open to anyone unless reserved.
Ames left in early 2000’s
Planet Fitness was a dollar tree and next to it was a bulk candy store.
Would recommend a trip back gotta try the hotrice and theirs a lot of new stuff there now since you’ve made this video very surreal seeing a mall i go to for Chinese food being posted as a dead mall 💀💀💀
I remember there also used to be a pet store in the mall! It was when I was little, so late 90’s/ early 00’s. Oh! There was a Deb’s as well!!
Edit: I would agree that the financial struggles of normal residents is indeed what’s killing the mall
I wish this would have gotten a review recently. It has changed for the better.
Looks like another one that has drywalled over their empty stores
My mom would always tell me that this mall was way better back in the day. There was a Salad place, burger place and a few other restaurants. The movie theater got completely revamped (for the better). Dunhams kind of saved the mall since not many places besides Marshall was opened there. What really made the mall die after the shut down of the 2 main stores was the closure of Dollar was the removal of dollar tree. Everyone would go there to buy candy and other goodies to sneak it into the movie theater. Every Christmas, Santa Claus would show up to the once used fountain in the middle of the store for people to take their kids to see Santa. Not sure of they do it anymore, but that was a fond memory I had there as a kid. Also everyone keeps talking about the upstairs food court, but never in my almost 20 years of life has it ever been used. Not sure what was used for but I swear my mom said it was used for seating and special occasions.
Might I add, there were also mini waterways where the food court seats were (you can see them because they removed it and put fake plants there at 4:12)
7:50 I've never seen big yellow vending machines like that. They remind me of the Japanese style Gashapon machines.
Weird, i was just scrolling and I come across the closest mall from where I am.
I've lived 20 miles North of that place all my life and have never been in there.
Needs more diversity in shops. Maybe 🤔 grocery stores, banks or medical centre
I loved that fountain
These days it's basically a place that elderly use as an "exercise walking" place. I don't even bother going in the place anymore because it's a waste of time.
I love 20mins away this mall went way down hill once the church took over the big store in the back but if your even around the movie theater has lay down chairs and hot rice is so good and the upstairs in the food court was closed years ago I think because of shit construction
Before the church came, that part of the mall was empty. The church being there improved that area.
Oh my god that’s my hometown mall
My friend’s uncle owns the Chinese restaurant in the mall his mom is the cashier and his dad cooks the food
Great Video!!! Like the Fountains!!! F+L, Corey
Defiance mall seriously? Ames closed late 80s. I live in Defiance and have been going to this mall ALL my life. The second level in in the food court had tables and chairs up there if you wanted to eat up on that balcony but they have had that blocked off for a long time. That mall used to have Regis hair salon, a tanning salon, Books a Million bookstore and the travel agency has been there since the beginning of time. The mall used to have a really great Mexican restaurant where Marshall’s is and before that it was JCPenny but they split that up on that side and made it Marshall’s and Ollie’s. The church is where Elder Beerman was and they put a brand new movie theater in just a few months ago that serves beer. Sears left and they were there for as long as I can remember. I’m pretty sure Ames is where Sears was and now it’s Quality Farm and home.
Nice video
4:29 Doesn't look like there's anybody in the place for you to bother
I don't get it. There's numerous cars parked in the parking lot, but I saw no one in the mall.
Everyone is hitting Ollies. LOL
Been to this mall before
New places have opened up in there actually it looks like since this video released
Where do you get the music for these videos??
I've been there before
Cute
What is wrong with Ohio people and not shopping. Oh wait that’s right I know. I guess they won’t be happy until all malls close.
It could be that Ohio has a lot of poor towns that don't have the money for botique shopping.
@@DoomieGruntVentures well I guess your right.
What an odd statement. This is a mostly rural area. Not a lot of farmers need the stuff sold in marshals or Claire’s 🙄 You want to see Ohioans shopping, try Tractor Supply or Menards.
@@DoomieGruntVentures I guess your right.
@@jls7114 I guess your right.