Kayla "don't take anything, don't leave anything, wear good shoes"... Wallie : wears flip flops 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Seriously though dude, best ever! A M A Z I N G !!
The best part was I forgot I had a pair of Vans in the trunk of the car. LOL! I mean at least thankfully this place wasn't destroyed and dangerous. Lol
@@WallieB26 At least in this case compared to the other ones, this Ames looks like all they need to do is some simple renovations and they can open a new store in its place instead of possible demolition.
@@comradeeggdog1587 i bevelive so when i was three than ames came to Chicago area again in toward end of 90s in old ventures store and some kmart stores
You know its sad that there is not some sort of organization that preserves these timeless artifacts that are just left behind in abandoned places like here in this Ames video. Like the signage just left behind for over 19 years and will probably be destroyed if that building is demolished, its sad. Amazing video man, I never had an Ames in my location when I was growing up in the 90s, I think the nearest one for me would have been one or two cities away so seeing videos like yours highlighting these department stores that are no longer around are simply amazing.
I was very surprised as well but the more I think about it I wonder if the businesses that took over a big portion of the store paid to have the roof fixed or maintained as to not get water damage and/or mold.
@@WallieB26 I was thinking that too, once I realized part of the store had been taken over. It's too bad you can't divulge the location. I'd love to see it (although clues throughout the video helped me piece it together, and I have a pretty good idea 😉) Btw, saw your Rax segment on Tosh. That's awesome, dude!
Can’t believe Ames has been gone for two decades already this year. I was only 7 when it happened, and I remember going into my local one in its final days and seeing nearly all the shelves empty . In 2008, half of the store became a Tractor Supply though the other half is still vacant. Good video BTW !
Amazing... I was 22 years old when they went out. What a shame. Now it's 2022 (20 years later) and there are rumor's on the internet that it may open in spring of 2023?
This is old commercials add back in day however This Exploring The Remains Of An Abandoned Ames Place Closed in 2002 then you can see lots of Mess Trash bags Everywhere inside the stores the main building there is old sign Nasty Cart with Trash Box pallets backroom And The last part is clean up trash and clean this location at this Place Thanks for Watching everyone and have good Weekend Wallie.
just a suggestion you should go to duglaston plaza in NY, they have an abandoned burger king, abandoned toys R us, an abandoned macys thats 2 floors, an abandoned models sporting goods, and a abandoned movie theater that is on the lower level, i think you will love this place so much!
Please respect that place. I grew up going to that mall in the late 90's/2000's and it means a lot to me. I was there on toy r us' last day in 2017. It belly flopped so quick ever since macy's and toys r us closed. Then in the blink of an eye model's, burger king and the family movie theater were taken down with them too. I call it a 'ghost town' now. Just a shell of what it once was.
@@EthanF175 That would be awesome. The Macy's still had all their counters and everything inside up to 2 years after it closed, but now it's gutted. Same thing with toys r us. All gutted except for the sign outside that's pretty special because it has geoffrey.
Whoa, what a find and what amazing condition it's still in! I absolutely bursted out in laughter when you did all those things to parody your own "Look at the front, where it says Ames real big" along with some of the other silly stuff you guys laughed at!
I have to say, this is a trip back in time. I was a regular at Ames! I also remember ALL those signs like yesterday! Not to mention the electronic section !
That narrow set of stairs with the slanted platform to one side was the way up to the layaway storage area. The slanted area likely had a conveyor belt on it at one point. Those shelves upstairs were likely what people's layaway items were stored on. How do I know that? I worked for Hill's briefly in the 90's in the layaway department and that was the setup we had in the store I worked at in Scranton, PA. Not sure if Ames had the same setup or not.
I think part of the problem was that Wal-Mart had rebuilt many of their stores as big boxes during the previous few years, so a glut of these older style, smaller discount store locations were available in the early 2000s. Also, old Wal-Mart stores were generally anchors in strip malls, while Ames tended to be free-standing, limiting incidental customer traffic for retail stores that couldn't draw as many people in on their own. Finally, the Wal-Mart locations had been well maintained over their lives, while old Hills/Ames stores often deferred maintenance and upgrades due to ongoing financial woes. This is the first former Ames store I've seen with clean ceiliing tile and no obvious signs of roof leaks. It looks cleaner than most of the Ames and Kmarts I remember when they were still open.
That in itself offers a clue as to why they went out of business in the first place. Locations weren't drawing enough customer traffic to where any other store would even want to open up in those locations, so they sit vacant.
My longer answer: There wasn't any store chains left to move into the locations. Looking back from the early 80's, Caldor, Ames, Jamesway, Hills; they took over locations vacated by the original discount chains like, E.J. Korvettes, Two Guys, Gold Circle, Grant City, Woolco. Ames took over Kings and Zayres (whole chain). Then Caldor, Bradlees, Ames, took over Jamesway locations, Ames took over Goldblatts, Hills, and a few Caldor locations when Caldor failed in 1999. Ames was the last Northeast US regional discounter still open for business, so when they went belly-up, there was no one else to move in to many of their locations. Wal-Mart had probably opened up a store nearby by this point, and who would want to move in and go toe-to-toe with them? To be fair, many former Ames locations have been re-purposed by category-killer type stores / grocery stores, etc. (An Ames near me is today a set of doctor's offices.)
That means that someone has been paying the electric bill . . . month after month . . . . for NINETEEN years; to light up a vacant space! (The electric co. doesn't give that stuff away for free, ya know!) I wonder if its the property manager, or the lights are on the same meter as whoever is operating in the rest of the building, and if so, do they even know that they've been paying to illuminate the vacant space next door? Stuff like that is fun to think about at 3:00 in the morning.
I really enjoy your videos. I used to work for Hills for 3 years then i stayed when it changed to Ames and I can tell it was remodeled just like our Hills store was that I worked at.I loved working for both companies. Hills did have more of a selection of merchandise and they were a little cheaper than Ames was for alot of things. I seen that first hand when i was overnight stocking shelves working for our new soon-to-be-opened Ames store. Our store was built in 1981 so its still in good condition. Its a Big Lots now though and i absolutely hate it i wont walk in there.Too depressing for me how the store once looked and what Big Lots did to it now.At least the building is still being used but i dont see Big Lots staying in business too much longer they keep carrying less and less stuff.Now all they carry is furniture. They couldnt GIVE me anything they sell now.They dont carry music,cd`s,dvd`s,no electronics whatsoever.
It's just amazing how this is stuck in time. If you ignore the walled off section to the other businesses, it looks like it just closed a few weeks ago! And I saw the tags of Ohio, and me living in Ohio I am now desperately trying to find where this is! Lol.
This Ames video is awesome, Wallie and Kayla!! Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Your RUclips Channel rocks!! I shopped at Hills and Ames stores in Steubenville,Ohio. I really miss those two great stores. On this video, I saw that really cool ELECTRONICS Sign hanging from the ceiling. I'd LOVE to have that sign!! Oh well, I can dream can't I? Have a Hillslicious/Ameslicious Day! Have a KMartlicious Day! Man, I really miss KMart as well. Eddie needs to be tarred and feathered or painted and feathered and use him as a Scarecrow in a garden.
Awesome video! Great idea not to divulge the location. Never know what someone could do to the adjoining store, even give them an idea of how to get in. Keeping to a whisper was smart, avoid any chance of being heard should someone be in the other store. Keep up the excellent work. This place is in amazing shape. So much different from the last Ames I visited. That one had holes in the wall and the wall is half deteriorated from water coming off the roof. Don’t know if you were ever at the Ames in West Hazelton, PA. The building is in such bad condition it’s a wonder it’s still standing.
That's one catchy number. Sorry had to repeat that. Wallie I highly respect what you do and how you explore 💯. 19 years and those register lights are still there Holy Moley. Thanks for taking us around and Look at the front where it says AMES real big.
Really enjoyed the video Ames seemed like it was a cool place to shop back then to bad my state didn't have them, and plus I would've be to young anyway since was 5 years old when they went out of business.
Wow! This location still had the signs and the marks on the floor where the shelves were. Still nice and clean inside almost like they just packed up and left a week ago!
Wow it is shocking the building still in very nice condition. Hope somebody gets some of the hills and ames memorabilia. 😉 Glad to see the video. Hard to believe those light ballasts have run for 20 years. You would think they switch around what lights to be on. Those old light fixtures can be building burners.
Probably Wallie and Kayla doesn't want to reveal it 'cause they didn't / couldn't had any proper authorization and get arrested for trespassing or something worse (most likely NOT IN PA either). And the building is in "enough good shape" to be patrolled.
We have decided not to drop the location as for the safety of the businesses that took over the majority of the building. So they don't have any issues for if anyone decided to go inside the Ames part and start causing trouble.
@@WallieB26 - OK, Wallie, this is something you've should included AT THE START OF THE VIDEO, but my suspicions were IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. You and Kayla always have THE RIGHT INTENTIONS when doing anything, so I'm not worried about that. (BTW, that front DID SAID AMES REAL BIG... 🤣 Keep the good work you two)
I've been binging on your videos. I love your passion and enthusiasm for these old places. If I were a younger, braver man I might try this. As it is, I've only been in stores that have been closed by the retailer I work for,
I'm pretty sure that TV set has been there since the Ames closed (or possibly a little later). I know that because those Spongebob stickers look pretty old. And OMG, if he were to plug in that TV and it turned on, that would've been unbelievable.
Interesting and brings back memories. I spent a lot of good years with Hills and got out right before all the Ames mess. There's a good chance I spent time in that building if it was previously a Hills.
This is an awesome video guys, it's great to see you go back to your roots and exploring abandoned stores. Also, I have to ask, why are the carts blurred out?
Some carts were blurred out for the safety of the businesses that took over majority of the building. The idea was so that people with bad intentions don't go inside and cause any trouble. We don't condone vandalism. We just wanted to explore, do a video, take photos, walk down memory lane for me personally and leave.
Moment of silence for all the Ames workers who actually had to sit and watch the rapping Granny unironically, with hopes from upper management that those same associates would achieve some form of enlightenment from this LMAO
God did I LOVE this store !!! I remember the liquidation sale it had that I went to as a teen...so sad it went out pf business. I miss Ames. Much prefer it to walmart, target and such.
Hills was very strict about them only taking in 3 items so to see 6 allowed really surprised me. I'm sure they were getting desperate for business around that time.
I had never heard of walmart until after a nearby ames closed down, and walmart used the property to open up a store. That was around 1990. We had a lot of meijer stores, but no walmarts at the time.
This is the very video that deserved THAT phrase that has become Wallie's "infamous" intro (he did found a way to integrate that phrase inside the video).
I know you take nothing. But damn that Star Wars figure card would have been tempting along with taking a few feet of reciet paper. But not the whole roll.
What a coincidence! I just visited an Ames where you visited in the past. It's not doing so well, as I was able to enter the store through a collapsed part of the building.
That chilis bag is from like 2002 - 2005 ish. Chilis started using only the pepper for the logo in like 2009. I used to work there. So neat tho! I love seeing old stuff like this .. I would spend hours in there looking at the old stuff on the floor and in the closet lol 😂
Hi! Where is this old Ames located? So hard to believe after all these years, the product logos are still up on the wall! I'm going to say this like Nate: Pret-ty neat!
I credit the operating businesses that took over a good chunk of the building. Maybe they paid for the roof to be repaired or maintained so they don't get water/mold damage.
Also, I live near , and shopped at the Ames in Horseheads, that you filmed years ago. I worked at the Ames in PennYan, NY that now is half a Dollar General, and half another business. I worked at the Kmart in Ithaca , NY, that became a Hobby Lobby( now closed)
If only I had a dollar for every time you said wow 😂. Great video tho! I remember Hill's later turning into Ames when I was growing up. In my area Ames is now a Gabe's.
Wallie do you happen to have any old/former Service Merchandise stores around you? I'd love for you to be able to find one and get inside one and take a look at it. They went belly-up/bust/bankrupt right around the same time as Ames in 2001 so you'd think there'd be some of their stores left with perhaps some neat finds inside as well. Always loved the look of their stores, they had basements for the employees and then there was the conveyor belt where your order would come rolling out on.
@@WallieB26 Yeah, thanks Wallie! Now I'm gonna be humming that catchy rap all weekend! (Ha Ha, ri-i-i-ght!) I bet that lady is ghostwriting for Kanye today . . . NOT.
I was surprised. I know its not the first time I have explored an abandoned Ames where I found Hills stuff inside but when you figure Ames took over Hills in 1999 and Ames closed in 2002, it's weird that Hills gems would be in there during Ames' run.
Wow it's 2002 19 years they still have the signage up the card shop signage, the electronic signage, customer service, going out of business signs, an old TV with SpongeBob stickers on there I remember he was so popular back in 2004, an old McDonald's cup, and old Star Wars cardboard box from 1999, maybe it's Maybelline maybe it's not, they still have the receipt paper and it still says Ames on it and it didn't fade out, a hills bag wow I think this location used to be a hills as well it's like the one in economy PA.
I blurred out certain shopping carts as for the safety of the businesses that took over the majority of the building. So they don't have any issues for if anyone decided to go inside the Ames part and start causing trouble. I don't condone vandalism and was concerned if I dropped the location or gave hints away that people with bad intentions would start causing trouble inside. So in this case, I would hope this avoids that from happening.
Those investment groups are always scum looking to throw their debt onto the company they acquire and bankrupt them (ie what happened to Toys R Us (Bane Capitol), Chuck E Cheese (Apollo Global), and Sears/Kmart (Transform Holdings), and what they tried to do to Gamestop but Redit beat Melvin Capitol on that one).
Because it's for security reasons for the operational businesses that took over majority of the building. It's in case someone or some people had bad intentions and potentially caused trouble for the open businesses.
Kayla "don't take anything, don't leave anything, wear good shoes"...
Wallie : wears flip flops 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Seriously though dude, best ever! A M A Z I N G !!
The best part was I forgot I had a pair of Vans in the trunk of the car. LOL! I mean at least thankfully this place wasn't destroyed and dangerous. Lol
@@WallieB26 no doubt lol!!
@@WallieB26 At least in this case compared to the other ones, this Ames looks like all they need to do is some simple renovations and they can open a new store in its place instead of possible demolition.
I had to pounce this one ASAP. This is the most pristine Ames you've ever done.
Thank you! It indeed was!
@@WallieB26 they one in Richton park at been abondance since 1990s
@@bartman1238 I'm guessing after the first chapter 11
@@comradeeggdog1587 i bevelive so when i was three than ames came to Chicago area again in toward end of 90s in old ventures store and some kmart stores
Looks like an exciting company to work for and I can't wait to tackle the discount retailing industry of today.
What a treat!!! A another Ames video on my birthday, can't be more happy.
You know its sad that there is not some sort of organization that preserves these timeless artifacts that are just left behind in abandoned places like here in this Ames video. Like the signage just left behind for over 19 years and will probably be destroyed if that building is demolished, its sad. Amazing video man, I never had an Ames in my location when I was growing up in the 90s, I think the nearest one for me would have been one or two cities away so seeing videos like yours highlighting these department stores that are no longer around are simply amazing.
That store is in amazing shape!
I had no idea they could last that long in that condition.
I was very surprised as well but the more I think about it I wonder if the businesses that took over a big portion of the store paid to have the roof fixed or maintained as to not get water damage and/or mold.
@@WallieB26
I was thinking that too, once I realized part of the store had been taken over.
It's too bad you can't divulge the location. I'd love to see it (although clues throughout the video helped me piece it together, and I have a pretty good idea 😉)
Btw, saw your Rax segment on Tosh. That's awesome, dude!
Also of they keep the heat on in the winter and the AC running enough for it not to get to hot. That will save it from getting deteriorated as well.
Especially after seeing Dan Bell's video of the abandoned Ames in the Baltimore area that he explored that looked far worse than this one...
AMES!!!! You sir have found the holy grail of abandoned AMES!
Thank you. I agree this was a good one!
It's a really good one! Hard to believe all those signs and counters have been sitting there for 20 years and still in such good condition!
This needs to continue to stay preserved somehow. There is not much I can say that hasn't already been said about this place. Such a great find!
Can’t believe Ames has been gone for two decades already this year.
I was only 7 when it happened, and I remember going into my local one in its final days and seeing nearly all the shelves empty .
In 2008, half of the store became a Tractor Supply though the other half is still vacant.
Good video BTW !
Amazing... I was 22 years old when they went out. What a shame. Now it's 2022 (20 years later) and there are rumor's on the internet that it may open in spring of 2023?
And I'm going to video one
This is old commercials add back in day however This Exploring The Remains Of An Abandoned Ames Place Closed in 2002 then you can see lots of Mess Trash bags Everywhere inside the stores the main building there is old sign Nasty Cart with Trash Box pallets backroom And The last part is clean up trash and clean this location at this Place Thanks for Watching everyone and have good Weekend Wallie.
Glad you enjoyed! Have a great weekend.
just a suggestion you should go to duglaston plaza in NY, they have an abandoned burger king, abandoned toys R us, an abandoned macys thats 2 floors, an abandoned models sporting goods, and a abandoned movie theater that is on the lower level, i think you will love this place so much!
Please respect that place. I grew up going to that mall in the late 90's/2000's and it means a lot to me. I was there on toy r us' last day in 2017. It belly flopped so quick ever since macy's and toys r us closed. Then in the blink of an eye model's, burger king and the family movie theater were taken down with them too. I call it a 'ghost town' now. Just a shell of what it once was.
@@gymfan0742 yeah and i want him to go there to see what it looks like inside the stores and maybe get a glipse inside the toys R us and macys
@@EthanF175 That would be awesome. The Macy's still had all their counters and everything inside up to 2 years after it closed, but now it's gutted. Same thing with toys r us. All gutted except for the sign outside that's pretty special because it has geoffrey.
@@gymfan0742 maybe there are stuff in the back rooms, or for the macys, downstairs
Right on time to see Ames!!
Whoa, what a find and what amazing condition it's still in! I absolutely bursted out in laughter when you did all those things to parody your own "Look at the front, where it says Ames real big" along with some of the other silly stuff you guys laughed at!
Glad we were able to give you a good laugh. Haha hope you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching!
That is an amazing find!! Thanks for sharing this with us. The absolute best preserved Ames ever!
I have to say, this is a trip back in time. I was a regular at Ames! I also remember ALL those signs like yesterday! Not to mention the electronic section !
This is so cool! I worked a Kmart, then, Ames years ago. I love watching these!!! Thank you!
This is great! Thank you for taking me here!!!
That narrow set of stairs with the slanted platform to one side was the way up to the layaway storage area. The slanted area likely had a conveyor belt on it at one point.
Those shelves upstairs were likely what people's layaway items were stored on.
How do I know that? I worked for Hill's briefly in the 90's in the layaway department and that was the setup we had in the store I worked at in Scranton, PA.
Not sure if Ames had the same setup or not.
Well keep in mind, this Ames location was a former Hills. So they probably just utilized the Hills setup or just left it as is when they took over.
I will always wonder why it seems that there are so many former Ames buildings that *STILL* sit empty after almost 20 years.
I cant even explain it. But it is always incredible to see. It's literally like taking a step back in time to 2002.
I think part of the problem was that Wal-Mart had rebuilt many of their stores as big boxes during the previous few years, so a glut of these older style, smaller discount store locations were available in the early 2000s. Also, old Wal-Mart stores were generally anchors in strip malls, while Ames tended to be free-standing, limiting incidental customer traffic for retail stores that couldn't draw as many people in on their own. Finally, the Wal-Mart locations had been well maintained over their lives, while old Hills/Ames stores often deferred maintenance and upgrades due to ongoing financial woes. This is the first former Ames store I've seen with clean ceiliing tile and no obvious signs of roof leaks. It looks cleaner than most of the Ames and Kmarts I remember when they were still open.
@@herbcraven7146 Why aren't the buildings being demolished for other buildings though?
That in itself offers a clue as to why they went out of business in the first place. Locations weren't drawing enough customer traffic to where any other store would even want to open up in those locations, so they sit vacant.
My longer answer: There wasn't any store chains left to move into the locations. Looking back from the early 80's, Caldor, Ames, Jamesway, Hills; they took over locations vacated by the original discount chains like, E.J. Korvettes, Two Guys, Gold Circle, Grant City, Woolco. Ames took over Kings and Zayres (whole chain). Then Caldor, Bradlees, Ames, took over Jamesway locations, Ames took over Goldblatts, Hills, and a few Caldor locations when Caldor failed in 1999.
Ames was the last Northeast US regional discounter still open for business, so when they went belly-up, there was no one else to move in to many of their locations. Wal-Mart had probably opened up a store nearby by this point, and who would want to move in and go toe-to-toe with them?
To be fair, many former Ames locations have been re-purposed by category-killer type stores / grocery stores, etc. (An Ames near me is today a set of doctor's offices.)
amazing find ....hard to believe that some lights still work after all those years so much good stuff in there ,,,enjoyed the video
That means that someone has been paying the electric bill . . . month after month . . . . for NINETEEN years; to light up a vacant space! (The electric co. doesn't give that stuff away for free, ya know!) I wonder if its the property manager, or the lights are on the same meter as whoever is operating in the rest of the building, and if so, do they even know that they've been paying to illuminate the vacant space next door? Stuff like that is fun to think about at 3:00 in the morning.
I really enjoy your videos. I used to work for Hills for 3 years then i stayed when it changed to Ames and I can tell it was remodeled just like our Hills store was that I worked at.I loved working for both companies. Hills did have more of a selection of merchandise and they were a little cheaper than Ames was for alot of things. I seen that first hand when i was overnight stocking shelves working for our new soon-to-be-opened Ames store. Our store was built in 1981 so its still in good condition. Its a Big Lots now though and i absolutely hate it i wont walk in there.Too depressing for me how the store once looked and what Big Lots did to it now.At least the building is still being used but i dont see Big Lots staying in business too much longer they keep carrying less and less stuff.Now all they carry is furniture. They couldnt GIVE me anything they sell now.They dont carry music,cd`s,dvd`s,no electronics whatsoever.
It's just amazing how this is stuck in time. If you ignore the walled off section to the other businesses, it looks like it just closed a few weeks ago! And I saw the tags of Ohio, and me living in Ohio I am now desperately trying to find where this is! Lol.
Where is it? I gotta check it out too
I miss Ames and Hills! Wal-Mart just took over everywhere! Ugh...😬 Very cool vid guys!👍😃
Dude that was great! And I love the fact it still had some signage left...
Wow, what a find! Still cool to see the old signs still left up after all these years
One of my first jobs was at ames. I checked receipts during the liquidation. The one i worked at was turned into a lowes about a year later.
This Ames video is awesome, Wallie and Kayla!! Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Your RUclips Channel rocks!! I shopped at Hills and Ames stores in Steubenville,Ohio. I really miss those two great stores. On this video, I saw that really cool ELECTRONICS Sign hanging from the ceiling. I'd LOVE to have that sign!! Oh well, I can dream can't I? Have a Hillslicious/Ameslicious Day! Have a KMartlicious Day! Man, I really miss KMart as well. Eddie needs to be tarred and feathered or painted and feathered and use him as a Scarecrow in a garden.
Good video! That Ames store looks like it's in pretty good shape for all the time, that it has been closed.
This will be a must watch.
Fantastic explore. A fine example of an abandon Ames.
Thank you!
Awesome video! Great idea not to divulge the location. Never know what someone could do to the adjoining store, even give them an idea of how to get in. Keeping to a whisper was smart, avoid any chance of being heard should someone be in the other store. Keep up the excellent work.
This place is in amazing shape. So much different from the last Ames I visited. That one had holes in the wall and the wall is half deteriorated from water coming off the roof. Don’t know if you were ever at the Ames in West Hazelton, PA. The building is in such bad condition it’s a wonder it’s still standing.
The fact these old videos can still be found is wild
That's one catchy number. Sorry had to repeat that. Wallie I highly respect what you do and how you explore 💯. 19 years and those register lights are still there Holy Moley. Thanks for taking us around and Look at the front where it says AMES real big.
This is an amazing rare find!!!! Keep killing it guys
Thank you Jay! Hope you're doing well, brother.
Really enjoyed the video Ames seemed like it was a cool place to shop back then to bad my state didn't have them, and plus I would've be to young anyway since was 5 years old when they went out of business.
Look like an cleanest abandoned Ames you found with the signage for the different departments still on ceiling.
Due to vandalism. The location will not be disclosed.
Wow! This location still had the signs and the marks on the floor where the shelves were. Still nice and clean inside almost like they just packed up and left a week ago!
What a great find! Such great condition for sitting over 20 years in abandonment!
Wow it is shocking the building still in very nice condition. Hope somebody gets some of the hills and ames memorabilia. 😉 Glad to see the video. Hard to believe those light ballasts have run for 20 years. You would think they switch around what lights to be on. Those old light fixtures can be building burners.
Oh wow a new Ames video I like your videos all the time and you do a great job on them
Thank you!
@@WallieB26 your welcome
Great video, easy one of your best and i have followed you for years :)
Thank you very much!
Love the content Wallie and Kayla!
Hi! Excited for this one! Happy Saturday!
This Ames is a treasure, a national treasure, it needs protecting at all costs.
You, my friend, deserve more subscribers! You're one of the reasons why I find urban exploring interesting
Probably Wallie and Kayla doesn't want to reveal it 'cause they didn't / couldn't had any proper authorization and get arrested for trespassing or something worse (most likely NOT IN PA either). And the building is in "enough good shape" to be patrolled.
We have decided not to drop the location as for the safety of the businesses that took over the majority of the building. So they don't have any issues for if anyone decided to go inside the Ames part and start causing trouble.
@@WallieB26 - OK, Wallie, this is something you've should included AT THE START OF THE VIDEO, but my suspicions were IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
You and Kayla always have THE RIGHT INTENTIONS when doing anything, so I'm not worried about that.
(BTW, that front DID SAID AMES REAL BIG... 🤣 Keep the good work you two)
I've been binging on your videos. I love your passion and enthusiasm for these old places. If I were a younger, braver man I might try this. As it is, I've only been in stores that have been closed by the retailer I work for,
This was an awesome find dude part of an old ames thats still in tact 👍
That old TV at 12:47 is so friggin' tempting to have. I wonder if it still works, but I doubt it.
I actually feel like if it was plugged in, it would turn right on. That's just my gut instinct though.
I'm pretty sure that TV set has been there since the Ames closed (or possibly a little later). I know that because those Spongebob stickers look pretty old.
And OMG, if he were to plug in that TV and it turned on, that would've been unbelievable.
Man this brought me back. Almost shed a tear thinking about my ames experiences as a kid in 90s. Screw you Walmart and Amazon 😆
Why is Wallie whispering?
@@davidchildress6432 I was thinking same thing 😆
As always Wallie you amaze me!!! Such a great find!! Love the little rap song at the end 🤣 #AmesForever
Another Ames Video! This is probably the best one yet!
Interesting and brings back memories. I spent a lot of good years with Hills and got out right before all the Ames mess. There's a good chance I spent time in that building if it was previously a Hills.
This is an awesome video guys, it's great to see you go back to your roots and exploring abandoned stores. Also, I have to ask, why are the carts blurred out?
Some carts were blurred out for the safety of the businesses that took over majority of the building. The idea was so that people with bad intentions don't go inside and cause any trouble. We don't condone vandalism. We just wanted to explore, do a video, take photos, walk down memory lane for me personally and leave.
Nice video man, I love these old Ames stores!
Thank you! Glad tou enjoy!
good god that employee training rap at the end
Never been to an Ames. I grew up going to K-Mart. But I feel the nostalgia.
The fitting room rap song is something else. Lol. If I had to watch that my first day I would leave at lunch I beleive.
Awesome video!!! It did however give me PTSD from working at my Ames.
Moment of silence for all the Ames workers who actually had to sit and watch the rapping Granny unironically, with hopes from upper management that those same associates would achieve some form of enlightenment from this LMAO
I'd be so embarrassed having to watch this as a new employee.
thanks for sharing this waalie what a great find by one of your buddy wow. :D
God did I LOVE this store !!! I remember the liquidation sale it had that I went to as a teen...so sad it went out pf business. I miss Ames. Much prefer it to walmart, target and such.
The Rapping Old Lady Rapping About The Fitting Rooms At Ames Was Awesome.
Hills was very strict about them only taking in 3 items so to see 6 allowed really surprised me. I'm sure they were getting desperate for business around that time.
I miss legacy retailers Good video WallieB26
Man I miss this store my grandma used to work the fitting room and hills and Ames
Wallie really digging explore with respect
This is your best video yet.
I had never heard of walmart until after a nearby ames closed down, and walmart used the property to open up a store. That was around 1990. We had a lot of meijer stores, but no walmarts at the time.
Look at the front where is says AMES real big.
This is the very video that deserved THAT phrase that has become Wallie's "infamous" intro (he did found a way to integrate that phrase inside the video).
Lol
I know you take nothing. But damn that Star Wars figure card would have been tempting along with taking a few feet of reciet paper. But not the whole roll.
Can’t believe
the light still work!!!!
What a coincidence! I just visited an Ames where you visited in the past. It's not doing so well, as I was able to enter the store through a collapsed part of the building.
That must have been the location I went to in New Jersey. I know the right side of the building collapsed a couple of years ago.
That chilis bag is from like 2002 - 2005 ish. Chilis started using only the pepper for the logo in like 2009. I used to work there. So neat tho! I love seeing old stuff like this .. I would spend hours in there looking at the old stuff on the floor and in the closet lol 😂
Hi! Where is this old Ames located? So hard to believe after all these years, the product logos are still up on the wall! I'm going to say this like Nate: Pret-ty neat!
nicole he did not tell u the location cuz wallie dont want anybody breaking in and being vandals
@@tinoswrld Understood!
Amazing there isn’t water damage most of these stores the roofs have failed .
I credit the operating businesses that took over a good chunk of the building. Maybe they paid for the roof to be repaired or maintained so they don't get water/mold damage.
@@WallieB26 I would have wanted to take one of those mail ins from hills & Ames register lights I miss our hills a lot
Awesome video thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed.
WOW!! This one is amazing
Also, I live near , and shopped at the Ames in Horseheads, that you filmed years ago. I worked at the Ames in PennYan, NY that now is half a Dollar General, and half another business. I worked at the Kmart in Ithaca , NY, that became a Hobby Lobby( now closed)
Eminem went real quiet after this 25:54
If only I had a dollar for every time you said wow 😂. Great video tho! I remember Hill's later turning into Ames when I was growing up. In my area Ames is now a Gabe's.
If you ever head up to New Hampshire, there's a dead Ames with the sign still on the outside in Seabrook. It's in pretty bad shape.
last intact red sign i think
Ames was awesome. No other store comes close
Yes! Eager for this one!
I have a Ames in my town, Still empty too…
Wow Ames huh 🤔 but that’s all but abandoned for many years now
Oh those Ames commercial are so creepy.
Just thought you might like this...on RUclips bring up.... "Don't Bring Me Down" playing at an empty Ames store.... Music by ELO.
Wish you could buy those signs!
Wallie do you happen to have any old/former Service Merchandise stores around you? I'd love for you to be able to find one and get inside one and take a look at it. They went belly-up/bust/bankrupt right around the same time as Ames in 2001 so you'd think there'd be some of their stores left with perhaps some neat finds inside as well. Always loved the look of their stores, they had basements for the employees and then there was the conveyor belt where your order would come rolling out on.
Love the old lady rap at the end. LOL
I had to put her in there. Haha that's the Ames rapping grandma!
@@WallieB26 Yeah, thanks Wallie! Now I'm gonna be humming that catchy rap all weekend! (Ha Ha, ri-i-i-ght!) I bet that lady is ghostwriting for Kanye today . . . NOT.
I so would have taken that hills bag and the receipt roll
Simply amazing!Loved the reaction when you saw the Hills stuff!
I was surprised. I know its not the first time I have explored an abandoned Ames where I found Hills stuff inside but when you figure Ames took over Hills in 1999 and Ames closed in 2002, it's weird that Hills gems would be in there during Ames' run.
@@WallieB26 And it was in that weird walled-off area under the stairs. Great video!
Amazing....ames.
Wow it's 2002 19 years they still have the signage up the card shop signage, the electronic signage, customer service, going out of business signs, an old TV with SpongeBob stickers on there I remember he was so popular back in 2004, an old McDonald's cup, and old Star Wars cardboard box from 1999, maybe it's Maybelline maybe it's not, they still have the receipt paper and it still says Ames on it and it didn't fade out, a hills bag wow I think this location used to be a hills as well it's like the one in economy PA.
Instantly clicked this notification
This is AMAZING
Why are shopping Carts blocked out?
I blurred out certain shopping carts as for the safety of the businesses that took over the majority of the building. So they don't have any issues for if anyone decided to go inside the Ames part and start causing trouble. I don't condone vandalism and was concerned if I dropped the location or gave hints away that people with bad intentions would start causing trouble inside. So in this case, I would hope this avoids that from happening.
@@WallieB26 OK. I was wondering about that. At first, I wondered if there were bad words graffitied onto them.
@@WallieB26 Usually how would you get in trouble what do the other businesses have a RUclips?
Makes sense now. I thought maybe you were concerned about offending people with a Big Lots logo lol.
Private investment company Oak Point Partners acquired the residual assets from the Ames Department Stores, Inc.
Those investment groups are always scum looking to throw their debt onto the company they acquire and bankrupt them (ie what happened to Toys R Us (Bane Capitol), Chuck E Cheese (Apollo Global), and Sears/Kmart (Transform Holdings), and what they tried to do to Gamestop but Redit beat Melvin Capitol on that one).
Why does he keep blurring the shopping carts
Because it's for security reasons for the operational businesses that took over majority of the building. It's in case someone or some people had bad intentions and potentially caused trouble for the open businesses.
Great vid I like it keep up the great work
I watched a lot of your vids 2 years later and still love them!