Staunton Mall, VA | once a dead mall in extremis, now shuttered at its terminus | ExLog 83
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- Опубликовано: 15 мар 2021
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Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Thanks for coming on this walk through the Staunton Mall with me! Getting to walk around in here, what turned out to be the final moments of this mall being open, it was a treat, but it was also pretty sad. While I strive to film these malls to preserve their history, I don't like seeing the tenants left in the dust, especially by horrible owners.
#exlog #salguido #dmodfam
Hey Dalton, if you're reading this, you were a good ExLog intern. Dalton taught me the correct way to pronounce Staunton, and that if you can't be bothered learning the correct pronunciation for his home town, that you shouldn't say it at all. You rock, Dalton. Great job! Thanks for watching, everyone!
Are you sure it's not "Daughlton of Staunton"?
Wondering if the same Colonial deal that bought this mall also bought my hometown Bel Air Mall in Mobile, AL. It’s now Colonial Bell Air Mall and believe it or not is very far from dead. Most of the store fronts are in operation.
He didn't seem the type to do what you do. But yep. Seemed like a good kid.
That kid would make a great expeditionary sidekick.
I was TOTALLY wondering how you'd pronounce it. I remember getting to UVA as a freshman and seeing that our bedsheets would be laundered by the Staunton Steam Laundry. My roommate had to tell me how to pronounce it properly, as I'd said "STAWN-ton", LOL.
Those old mercury vapor magnetic ballasts are what you hear buzzing. If this was an active mall twenty years ago, they would have been replaced as part of ordinary maintenance. You rarely hear that noise anymore as all lights either have electronic ballasts or are LED.
Thorough and comprehensive historical background.
Most of them look to be Metal Halide, but I did see a few Mercury ones as well. Sometimes the ballasts just need the bolts tightened that hold them to the fixture as the iron laminations vibrating will work them loose, leading to louder buzzing in turn.
That Woolworths is how I got my Nintendo collection up as a kid because they always had them on deep discount .
Yes! I remembered they had the NES games locked in a glass cabinet behind the counter...those were the good o’days
@@geoki4539 yep all the way in the back
Pure coincidence that place shut down the same year the NES saw its final games be released (which now go for a pretty penny)
THAT'S RIGHT I STILL HAVE MY NINTENDO
I remember how great the mall used to be especially around Christmas time. Santa's Village was full of animatronic reindeer, elves and a singing Bear Jamboree. It's sad to see what it has become. Oh and by the way, Hot Wok is still there and they refuse to leave
they moved :(
I just spent an hour watching a documentary about a mall in a city I’ll never visit, in another country. Why? Because you do such a great job of telling the life story of your subjects! From Canada. Stay Safe, Sal.
That’s crazy that the bathroom was in a half torn out storefront. That’s next level weird
Just finished watching it. Amazing how much freedom You had to film, they really had given up caring. No security chasing you about, nothing.
Dalton was great hope he does get in touch with you. Thanks again for all the work you put into these . We do appreciate it. Cheers Mitch
Thanks for watching, Mitch!
@@sal always a pleasure m8 😀
believe it or not, Walmart is literally the only place in Staunton that has security guards, so you can pretty much go anywhere in the city and do anything, because our cops are shit too.
That abandoned merchandise is astounding.
It’s too bad they couldn’t have gotten a local organization that accepts donations to pick the merchandise up while it was still in good condition.
This country as a whole cries broke yet let's millions of dollars of food, buildings, clothing. Thank is why I am glad Sal has this channel to show just how wasteful corporations are.
(Edit: thanks for the like Sal!) Also I can't begin to elaborate how much I appreciate your artwork, I usually keep a few doses of LSD on hand whenever you Premiere a dead mall video. My father and I bond so much over something that seems so simple, but we never take your work for granted. You're always wholesome Sal, there isn't many people that are genuine anymore like you. Thank you so much for what you do and how it brings not just us, but all of the community together. Keep it alive kind sir.
It’s my duty and my pleasure to produce these videos!
@@sal and it will be my pleasure to watch and share them for many years to come.
All those huge boxes of used books...the book nerd in me was totally drooling LOL 🙂😁😀🙄
Know Knew books moved down the road and is doing well.
52 minutes long! Hot damn. Definitely going to put this on the big screen and watch this over a bowl of the good stuff in a couple hours. Thanks again, Sal!
Maybe two bowls
@@sal I like the way you think.
Golly gee, I sure do love me some Cinnamon Toast Crunch!
cereal is the best
The ride to the mall at the beginning was beautiful, stunning, nostalgic, and tragic all at once. The Staunton area is like a throwback in time.
Isn’t that drive gorgeous? I had so much more footage I wanted to use but had to cut for time
Hey Sal, my name is Matt! My mom and I shopped this Mall ever since i can remember. When this was an open air shopping center it was a beautiful place! I loved coming here! My mom worked at the Watsons in the Valley Mall in harrisonburg from 1979 till 1987 that is just 25 miles north of this place. When they enclosed the mall in 86-87 it was poorly done and after that the mall was popular for a bit but I always got the feeling people preferred it as an open air mall. I loved the arcade and theater at this mall. Some of the best times i ever had were days my girlfriend and I explored Staunton and shopped, ate and watched movies here at the good ol Staunton Mall! I am 46 now and I am so disappointed at how our old way of life has been practically been erased! I wonder what else is to change in the future? Its sad that all this is happening and I want you to know I appreciate your videos and I am happy you made such a great video about this mall! Even though this Mall is bieng torn down soon a piece of my heart will always be here at the site of this old place! I bid this place farewell! Your friend Matthew Peale
Hey Matthew! I love the insight. I figured this was always a beloved local joint, and I’m glad to have gotten such an extensive video to preserve the memories!
God there so many memories I had here! I could write more than a few pages about it!
@@sal Thanks again for the Video I wish there were some pics around somewhere of what it looked like as an open air shopping center. It was a really unique looking place then! I also have lived in Miami for a while and The Falls mall off of US1 was like the super duper version of the open air mall this place used to be and reminded me of it!
So on my website I do the “ExBlog”, and I’ll be posting some newspaper articles with pictures when I do the entry for this mall!
Anyone remember the old cement turtles we played on?They built character is you survived :-)
Hey! I'm a native in this area! Glad to see a video about this place before it gets torn down.
I know it ain't much to look at, but this place gave me a lot of good memories.
Sal,, As a young man in the seventies, I can definitely say the mall was the place to be, pretty much every mall was heavily populated with tenants and shoppers, it was a place to hang out at, eat, window shop and catch a movie, it was a magical experience back then, especially the malls in los Angeles and minneapolis, I really miss what used to be, I sure like your vids and the narrative,it's actually one of my favorite things about your vids,Good Up! Staysafe
Full Views ads an all like always, Support your Creator Friends always
Thanks for the perspective!
The buzzing sound from the lights reminds me of the buzzing lights that my high school gym and field house had.
Me too sal, it's absolutely amazing how things used to be and how they are now. It makes me wish I had a time machine to go back to those very simple but good times.
If you ever find that time machine, myself and I am sure, a bunch of other ppl will be more than glad to join you!
@@JJ-wk5wy Haha, forsure I'd take anyone who wants to live the good old simple life.
@@jasoncarskadon6809 I will take it over today.
I hear ya, Jason. I was born in '69 and wish I could've been a teenager or adult in the 70s. I still think about how at my first job in the late 80s, how people would smoke at their desks.
@@Cheryl6912 I was born in 83 but my childhood in the 90s was great and I believe it was even better in the 70s and 80s. I did even have a cellphone till I was 19 years old and now I see 9 year olds with them. It just don't seen right to me. It seems like life was so much better when it was simpler.
I'm afraid I missed this premiere. One can almost hear this mall crying out, "Don't leave me! I wanna live!"
Same.
Dang. Another tear-jerker from The Sal Man. Guess that means I'm a silly old softy. Okay, I admit it. Sadly, nothing stays the same.
Well .. Trump got elected President, didn't he? Says something about our nation. I'll leave the meaning of that statement intentionally vague, as I am sure a number of interpretations are possible, and arguably valid.
I lived in Staunton in the 90's. Walmart put in a store, then within about a year closed that store and built a super Walmart, which hastened the decline of the mall. I enjoyed hearing the history of the mall and appreciate the hard work you put into your research.
Final nail in the coffin was them closing the theater down, dropped mall attendance down instantly, coupled with opening of Zeus theaters really killed it, I remember it fondly as a kid, packed with people and a vibrant place. By the time they reopened the theater, it was too late. I went there in its final days and it was a complete 180 from when I was kid, they tore it down and currently the only thing left is massive piles of rubble. It kind of started opening back up before that but the building had sat so long without any maintenance, the city gave up
The salty PA system announcements kill me every time!
Indeed! Nice touch.
First off Wolfman Jack hosted awesome concerts on the Midnight Special in the 70’s, Secondly the 70’s were a Blast. I can’t recall a mall video where you had such access without interference. Maybe because there were such clear health hazards all over the place. Where were the weed police, guess they didn’t care much about the inside of the mall. Most of the malls you have featured gave a sense that there was still a better level of care. Not this one, their dirty laundry was all over their yard. One of those emptier spaces looked like a Fight Club-Stripper Pole double feature. I loved the two signs on the door and those awesome winding benches. Massive props to Dalton. Great job🌝
Thanks Ma
Clap for the Wolfman!
@@njaneardude The music we had in the 70’s was, looking back now, nothing short of incredible. So many bands, so many classic hits: The Who, Zep, Flloyd, Tramp, Beatles offshoots, Eagles. My best decade ever! I was in my 20’s and had a blast!
Excellent. Thanks Sal for all your work! Crazy that there were still stores open with it like that, so sad the owners of hot wok got needlessly screwed.
I started school at Mary Baldwin in August of 87 and spent quite a bit of time here over those 3-4 years. Great record store but can't remember its name! They'd give away their giant promotional posters every few weeks and I scored some good ones. Very nostalgic piece, thanks for taking the time on it.
I grew up in Staunton. I remember when the mall opened and the fanfare. It was open air and a great place. When they enclosed it, it went down hill. The movie theater was great. I saw Saturday Night Fever there when it came out. I saw Young Frankenstein there, also (I did not really understand some of the humor until I was older.) So sad to see the mall when I visit Staunton and the state it is in.
I loved the intercom announcement
Staunton resident here. 29 years old. This mall was awesome when I was a preteen. But they never updated. A million jewelry stores. A Christian bookstore. A bunch of belk and belk-esk clothing stores. As I got into my real teenage years- The Booksamillion closed. The toy store closed. No music stores, No hot topic/American eagle/Hollister etc. One crappy shoe store. The only reason to go for a long time in my youth was the theater and the arcade. And that wasn't enough to keep it open. They marketed to the heavily Christian/elderly community and paid the price for putting all their eggs in a one demographic basket. It's a pretty sad story really 😞
I don’t think it had much to do with catering to Christians, malls were beginning to take a nose dive in the late 2000s I was a teen then too…
Now this is the kind of visit that makes mall documentations worth all of the time and money it takes to pull things together. Well done Sal and Dalton. Dalton is living a dream of mine to skate in a mall. I never had the guts to try.
I certainly agree that this is the weirdest mall you have visited. Open storefronts with actively leaking roofs, a young man skateboarding inside, and some friendly storekeepers. Not to mention, the restaurant getting screwed over while trying to renovate an old spot for their new location. From an open air center to an enclosed mall with tons of anchor changes over the years. This mall had it all including the poor management of Kohan.
I had my electric skateboard in my car, but the mall closed before I could go get it :( one of these days I’ll do it...
@@sal I have my board running pretty good right now. I bought the deck from That Nate Guy and it has held up well. Even at nearly 43 years old, I still get on the board from time to time.
It is a dream skating in the mall I had me friends there before he started filming
@@dawltoncrawford5242 Pretty badass that you can do that. I spent my younger years in the 80's and 90's getting kicked out of place after place just for skating in the parking lot. Now our community has a dedicated skatepark, I never thought we would see something like that in my lifetime.
I grew up in Staunton, Va most of my life. I used to hangout at this mall with my best buds. We were little mall rats back then. Used to go walk around, hit the arcade, catch a movie, skate around. It was just something to do back then. Staunton is not a very big city and there wasn't much to do or alot of places to hangout, so it was a place you would often find me and my friends being little heathens. We used to pull pranks on people and video tape it.. super hilarious stuff and I wish I could say I still had the videos.. Man I have so many memories from my younger teen years at this mall, sad to see it go. It really has become a dilapidated piece of property over the last 5 years or so, about the time I moved out of staunton. Thanks for the video! It has brought back some good memories and also a lot of history I didn't know.
It’s really funny that RUclips’s caption feature calls the lights buzzing “music “. Here’s hoping that you don’t get a content strike for “buzzing lights at a dead mall”. Lol
Lmao...knowing how busted the platform is, I wouldn’t be surprised
It was a beautiful mall back in the day
I remember they used to have small trees growing out of those black metal squares near the benches
@@redron6327 yes they did , I remember when they first remodel it
The stage was probably used for a fashion show for girls. I remember my sister doing a girl's prep school kind of deal in one of these bigger stores and they did a show of sorts on a stage. It's kind of foggy in my memory, I'll give her a call later on. Thanks for this.
Sal the dead mall niche market from the before times gave me an priceless view into the writing on the wall remember 3 or 4 years ago and the nervous questionable "nope" elevator ... You're pioneer amigo good luck in the future 🤙🍻
I still “nope” out of some elevators lol...thanks for sticking around with me!
@@sal ride together die together .... Just not in sketchy light flicking elevators 👍 ghosts are legit scary.
Casual skateboarding in a mall... reminds me of an 80s movie. 😅
That’s me😂
Dawlton!!!! Is that you??? Shoot me an email:
QuiteStudios@gmail.com
Yeah it’s me!! And ill email you now
Omg no way
I like to think that you may have sparked Dalton's interest in dead malls.
Plot twist: Dalton was a mall ghost...
Great stuff, as always!
This mall was my local mall growing up. Back in the late 80s / early 90s they used to pack a dozen reindeer in there during the Christmas season. You could pet them after you had your picture taken with Santa. That is the one memory that really sticks out about that mall.
Yes!! I remember going to pet the reindeer! I remember the christmas they stopped doing that. I was so sad.
@@meggielamchopade9737 I know. I didn't want to go back after that, lol.
I love love love that you found a companion to come with you along your adventure! nothing better than a fellow curious adventurer!
This video was awesome. I cant believe the Peebles was open. So dangerous. Also with power on in the wet ceiling and floor. That store at the end looked interesting. I love the vintage look of the mall. Thanks for the great video. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Just finished watching, Sal! You are truly a wordsmith. I’m also in awe of your research prowess. This did not feel like 52 minutes. As with all of your videos, I absolutely loved this too! Thanks so much for what you do! Sammy Joy Jeff Patricia 🌸💗
Thanks so much for your kind words!
At first 52 minutes seemed like a long time to watch this and I planned on watching only a few minutes. Before I knew it, I had watched the whole 52 minutes.
I know, right? When he mentioned that we'd stuck around for an hour, toward the end of the video, I was like, "No way," then I checked, and yup, 52 minutes.
Thanks for watching, everyone!
If there were competition amongst other Dead Mall RUclipsrs I'd say Sal just keeps throwing down the gauntlet! Phenomenal research. Steady and thorough footage. Content to rival the best the Dead Mall genre has to offer! Fantastic work Sal! For the first time in my life I'm actually thinking about becoming a patron!
I wonder, what was the last item to ever be sold at that Peebles? All the years it was open and all the sales it made came down to one, last, item. Then decay.
That’s a wild thought...
Rain jacket ?🤔
I lived on North Augusta Street in Staunton in the late 80's. My wife was a sales associate in the men's dept. At Penney's in the Staunton Mall. It's sad to see this mall in this kind of shape. It was such a thriving place when I lived there from 1987-88.
This was a fascinating place back in the day! I would come here with my mom while we visited my aunt for a few days in the summer. GameBoy Color, Bionicles, and no AC! Certainly a particular time. One year we visited the mall had begun its decline, but the rents had fallen enough to have not only a D&D store (dragons hoard, which has since moved over to the lovely downtown area - I'd highly recommend a visit!) and an anime store, but ALSO a sword store! Man, that was great.
So cool!
Absolutely an AMAZING send off to the mall. This is one of the best works ever. Thanks for the detailed history and some of the best walkthroughs of any mall. You continue to bring even more amazing work as you make it to Exlog 100. Thank you, Sal. Thank you, Dalton for keeping Sal company during the walkthrough.
Thanks for the kind words, Dan! While I was sad to see Staunton close, I'm happy to have had the opportunity to give it a proper send off. Cheers!
I'm so stoked to see a video about this mall, even though I've only been there a few times! When I worked in Staunton in 2017 I would go here to play at the arcade and try to win shitty prizes out of nostalgia lol. I was surprised that there was still someone around to run the prize counter in an otherwise silent mall.
The arcade owner was awesome, I talked with him quite a bit. Was always happy to give me a few extra tokens whenever I had an issue with a game! He had been running the place for fifteen years when the mall closed down, he was pretty passionate about keeping it open.
As an Australian, seeing these gigantic abandoned malls never ceaces to astound me. Aus cities tend to always be located closer to the ocean ( with only so much land available at one time for sale) so when one mall closes, the land is quickly overtaken, redeveloped and repackaged.
I have visited dying Australian inland country towns. Malls had not reached them before the towns started dying. The Main Streets have empty and run down buildings instead.
The malls (often known as shopping centres) in the UK also aren’t known for massive declines, since they’ve existed comfortably alongside online retail and high streets for some time (though since the pandemic this is likely set to change), but sometimes redevelopment plans for them can take years to finalise, and may never make it to fruition (especially since the pandemic). This lead to quite a few centres in their stasis declining further and more tenants leaving.
Saddly in usa, they are
Id be nervous that id get locked inside the mall with all the lights going out.
See thats what i miss about pre-pandemic: meeting new people where you didnt think youd meet new people. Dalton seemed like a cool dude.
One thing i hate with masks is that people cant see me smiling.
Your videos are such a vibe bro. You capture the essence of these locations FLAWLESSLY. I first started watching these when you captured a local mall in Atlantic City. Please keep the log series going
Oh man, the pier at Caesars. One of my favorite explores. Hopefully you’re catching up with the other 82 episodes!
@@sal Yesss, a really interesting place! & absolutely am; keep them coming!
This episode was so freaking awesome. It’s now my absolute favorite ExLog episode.
A well documented beginning and ending of Staunton Mall.. thank you
This is by far my favorite ExLog you’ve done. This one just hit differently man.
One big liminal space. This feels like a mall exploration in a dream I would have.
Thank you for documenting these old malls to prove I'm not losing my mind and they were part of my childhood.
Awesome... this may be your best ExLog yet! Thank you so much, Sal!!!!
Exactly what we all needed, thanks Sal. You're the man.
Thanks for what you do! So much to see and share and thanks to you it is documented. 🐺
Bravo! Hardly felt like an hour. Looking forward to your next release. And thanks for bringing back memories of Wolfman Jack!
Thanks for giving us another great mall video. I really like how you give the history of the malls you do. Keep up the great work.
This was fascinating! I’ve watched it three times now.
You rock!!!
LoL, I'm back for the second time.
A great episode as always. Between Dalton, the creepy back rooms, and oh so many buckets of water, this one was really something special. Thank you for doing what you do!
Utterly satisfying in so many ways. Thanks Sal -keep it up! 👾
Hey thanks!! Lots more on the way :)
I miss the Statler Brothers shows in Staunton, VA
Thanks so much for this episode. I really enjoy videos like this. Great work bro
Thanks for this, Sal. Your documentary back-work is excellent.
As with so many, “touring” these spaces with you always makes me think of The Langoliers.
Your descriptions of 2020 keep getting better and more accurate in each log.
Sal, excellent video- I love your work and your style. Still housebound a year later and I miss the malls, but I’ve enjoyed traipsing through them vicariously through your channel. Thank you!
Thanks for hanging around my channel! Much more to come.
Damn, what a sad ending. One of the weirdest malls I’ve seen for sure. What was up with that murder room with the random pole 👀😂. Great video ✌️✨
The footage from the Peebles is easily some of my favorite you ever shot, its quite insane to me that people could just walk in there with the state of the place.
This has to be my favorite ExLog so far!
Thanks for your insight and video and Dalton thank you for your insight. Sal stay safe and amazing and look forward to more videos of yours.
Watched every minute! Loved it!!
24:15 - Everyone suddenly becomes ex special-ops with a Discord server when they start exploring the abandoned Peebles. 😂
Yes.
Great job Sal! I really enjoyed this video.
Your level of reaserch detail is stunning. Thanks.
Thank you, Mark! Lots of work in these...
There is something so saddening about dead malls. All the good times and memories made in this place and now just an empty shell. I feel the same way about abandoned Drive Ins too. Great video!
You are an artist. I wish I could have seen the portrait you would have painted of my long passed home town mall - Memorial Mall in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. I t was tiny, but it held vast memories. Keep up the exlogs. Just started a new job. I'll kick in some cash when I can. Peace Out. And thank you Dalton!
Your comment has made my day..
The 70’s and early 80’s were awesome. The 60’s were pretty awesome as well. And I was there to see it. Things have changed so much.
The「Dalton eating shit」subtitle had me dying~ I'd love the opportunity to skate in an empty mall. I'm jealous.
Lololol
Your descriptions of 2020 are beyond epic!
I lived in Staunton from 2012 to end of 2014 and at that time, I was surprised that this mall was still open! It's so sad to see how bad the conditions had gotten but it's been ready to go for awhile. Between the Super Walmart and everything available in Harrisonburg & Waynesboro, this mall hasn't stood a chance in awhile.
So sad
Just checking in a few days later, another great video Sal, as always
Keep on rockin!
man the memories i have in this place. thank you for including the commercials, i’m glad to see it back from when i was growing up and not just a let go ghost town. it’s been so sad to see this place go, theyve struggled for years but it’s for sure a good thing. they still haven’t torn it down but there is a fence up around 90% of it. the only store that’s still open there is belk. they closed the theater and arcade and are supposed to tear it down and rebuild something similar soon.
This is one of the best videos I’ve ever watched! I absolutely love the intro❤
Thank you Jake!
you do the best mall videos out of everyone
You visited Staunton Mall the day before I visited for the final time. I grew up with Staunton Mall, and it was a bittersweet moment to see it like this. Sure, the mall was never amazing, but I remember when it was much better than it looked in your videos, as well as the photos that I took.
i like your style ... kept me interested. good stuff
I remember the mall in its heyday! When the food court was up beside of JCPenny, Woolworths and their little diner like food court inside. Regal Cinemas was such a fun place in my teenage yrs to meet friends to see movies like Terminator 2 or Jurassic Park. It’s sad to see these malls just die out.
Dang, you did your research! Great video.
Always :)
Something about the buzzing noise fading right into THE vaporwave anthem, Lisa Frank 420, hit pretty hard. Those hallways are surprisingly pretty, too. Good stuff!
Great job , Good pronunation thanks.
I did my homework!
Actually, the concept of no photos/videos in shopping centers is based on a very outdated premise. As late as the early aughts, people from competing stores, and shopping centers would go to their competitors, and take photos of items with their prices, and use those photos to undermine the competition. (This was also illegal.)
Most of the time now (minus Simon Properties in the current days), they don't allow it because it's considered "Harassment", or want people to have "Privacy". Some even use the notion of "Casing the Joint" for criminal activity. (But doesn't a camera mean a criminal may NOT want to do anything, being their likeness could be captured?)
I'm all for this kind of stuff, and have done it myself, even before this genre of video was a thing.
That Peebles stage and chairs...wonder if it was some sort of a mall church ⛪? Nice work as always, you're research is second to none.
Hello Sal . We can tell that always make the best effort to given us this videos plus you are so good on storyteller 😃👍 thank you
Great video
Thanks for the upload !! Steve and Berry's oh boy !!🤣🤣
Sal, you have excelled yourself once more.
Great episode Sal really enjoyed it
Thanks, Joe!
Now its just a pile of rubble.
Thanks for preserving the memories man, i truly appreciate this video
Love the intro visuals for this one💜🌷💜