Exploring a Dead Mall | Chambersburg Mall

in today's adventure we're exploring the dying chambersburg mall located in rural south central pennsylvania opened in 1982 near the start of the shopping mall boom in the united states the mall experienced a great deal of success during the first few decades operating at nearly full 75 store capacity including four anchor department stores with the decline of the traditional shopping mall that began in the early 2000s the mall's success began to slow and was eventually sold to a series of real estate investment trusts however neither investor was able to stop the mall's rapid decline as anchor stores and smaller retailers left with no one to replace them today out of the 75 available retail locations the mall sits at barely 10 occupancy we're going to explore what's left of this prime example of late 20th century americana i shot this footage on a saturday afternoon in the summer which would normally be one of the busiest times for a mall however what i experienced was anything but normal join me as we explore what's left of this technically operational yet nearly dead mall despite the impression this directory gives patrons with the exception of the antique store that is now occupying one of the anchor store locations at least 90 percent of these stores are closed who knows when but it's clear that at some point the mall just gave up with updating this directory [Music] that i can see almost every store i walk by was closed in this fashion the metal security gate covered the entrance but the empty store itself was left open to passersby with almost no attempt at improving the visual impression these closed stores were given and somehow the lack of caring got worse the farther along i went [Music] i don't know so literally the first store they'll come across like i mentioned it's still open is this antique mall and for some reason they have a closed off to the rest of the mall even though the mall this part is technically open so i i can't fathom what the logic is behind that [Music] foreign [Music] and all of these are still i'm assuming still plugged in based on that one [Music] [Music] [Music] all right so we come to our first two open stores inside the actual mall both these stores felt incredibly out of place it's like no one told them the party was canceled and everyone went home [Music] bath and body works was especially confusing as they had five employees working more than the total number of patrons i saw the entire time at the mall [Music] the centerpiece of the mall was one of my favorite parts between the giant flag the stage and the lighting that looked to be 50 years old everything about it was so out of place and yet oddly nostalgic [Music] i'm assuming back in the day they used to do plays on this stage that's what the lighting is for [Music] these well-kept tables and chairs still sitting outside of what i'm assuming used to be a restaurant was certainly an odd find i wonder if they've been sitting here for years or if they get put away nightly i should have checked for a layer of dust [Music] i'm shocked by the fact that they have to have a sign that says please dispose of your tobacco products before entering the family fun center [Music] doors three and four open inside [Music] i have no idea if this is actually open or not but if it is i would make number five it looks like it's open except the doors the gate is closed so let's give them some credit five stories so far [Music] well even a gym couldn't make it those christmas decorations wow [Music] i couldn't wrap my head around the mall inception style confusion that was this spot a 4-h club kept behind a temporary wall and what appear to be temporary french doors that are behind the security gate of a former hallmark store [Music] and just when i thought i had reached a high point with the speakeasy 4-h club i came across a commercial boom lift just sitting in the middle of this empty take this store [Music] okay it is just full of junk does that say learning i'm pretty sure it says learning with grammy [Music] there were buckets like this all over the mall but i'm embarrassed to admit it wasn't until now that i realized that they were to catch water from the leaky ceiling [Music] i realize these reddish spots are from dirty water but i couldn't help but think they gave the appearance of blood i was very amused by the dirty blood water dried on the sign about making repairs given the state of the rest of the mall i couldn't help but wonder what could be bad enough at this end to warrant being roped off really if you want to talk about actual stores that are open here that seem to really intend on doing business you have t-mobile and bath and body works that is basically it in the theater i guess everything else those couple other stories we saw clearly don't have much of an interest in actually doing business [Music] so i ended up having to actually cut that a little short because in addition to paying for all the lights and the loud blaring music and the air conditioning uh they also pay for a security guard who felt the need to come out and tell me that i wasn't allowed to film in there i was going down to show you the theater and i guess the security office is right across from the theater so he politely came out and told me to stop filming i just find it fascinating that management is paying for that i cannot imagine the amount of money that they're losing on a daily basis but i mean whatever floats the boat i guess so until next time i will uh talk to you soon bye the chambersburg mall is merely one example of a dying indoor mall movement happening across the world as commerce shifts more and more to online retailers as someone who grew up in the 90s with the local mall being a staple of childhood it's sad to see these once popular establishments quickly becoming relics of a bygone era and almost inevitably just another abandoned building to either be demolished or forgotten [Music]

Channel: Ian Martin

Views: 9,865

Rating: 4.9699249 out of 5

Keywords: dead mall, dead mall series, abandoned mall, dead malls, urban exploring, urban exploration, chambersburg, chambersburg pa, dead mall walking, dead mall exploration, dead malls 2021, travel, travel vlog, exploring, urbex, exploration, abandoned places, dying mall, dead mall pennsylvania, dead mall pa

Id: QomCd9NJ6ak

Length: 12min 47sec (767 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 18 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/Baums_Away]

The tenants have been given a certain date to be out.

[u/deadmallsanita]

I love that blue mall sign, what font is that I wonder?

[u/Ok-Presentation9015]

As for the stage many malls had talent and fashion shows.