Wow the fountain is still there! The last time I was there It was when the movie ET was released in the 80s . Wow o can’t believe Boscovs is still there! I’m 53 so that Mall is old school man.
I remember them building the mall. It was really a big deal when it first opened. It was THE place to hang out when we were kids. I hope we don't loose this one to.
This was my mall growing up. I haven't been there in many years as I live far away now. I never appreciated/noticed these details when I was younger and it was nice watching this and hearing someone's genuine excitement over them. The storefront you were at that looked like a house was a Coventry Corners, I believe.
This is my childhood mall! Those rounded seats at the base of the columns- when I was a kid, those seats were ALWAYS full, & I never got to sit in them! There used to be a huge fountain in that courtyard, right in front of BonTon below the food court.
I really enjoyed your take on this mall. The old school design elements and tons of neon make this a rare site in 2021. I hope this mall stays intact, they need to fill at least one of the two empty anchors.
This made me so happy to see. When I was little, malls were THE hang out spot. The food court had neon lights all over the ceiling, and plants everywhere! Long before we had smart devices and social media, we had stuff like this. It was so great shopping there. Especially during Christmas time when it was all decorated. Now my local (Des Moines, IA) malls are empty shells. It breaks my heart to see them like that because I remember what they used to look like.
Great video, I still go to this mall occasionally. It certainly is a time capsule to my youth, the only thing missing is there used to be a fountain in the center court that shot up over the balcony. I was bummed when that was removed in the mid/late 90's but fortunately, the other 2 remain.
I was born in 87 but still remember stuff like this. I wish I was born in the 70s. I tried going with the times but 80s and 90s just feels so good. Some early 00s too but I want to continue the these classic vibes. Im buying some real neons signs soon.
Thanks for visiting the Berkshire Mall--I grew up here, been visiting since the 70's. Those seats integrated into the columns are original to the Mall. Thanks too for appreciating the aesthetic, good thing it was never really renovated. I hope it can be redeveloped into mixed-used but keep the retro style. The fact it looks so good now is a tribute to the original quality of the build and decor I think. The central court used to have a 3rd fountain but that was removed probably before 1990.
I hope that whatever happens to this place that they maintain the charm. It was still a busy and well maintained mall. I hope they can fill the anchor space and leave the rest alone.
I never seen a bridge like structure over a fountain before. Definitely enjoyed the retro feel of this mall. Didn't know you had a pizza shop lol. Thanks for bringing us back in time.
Seems like they just “owned” it and full on embraced the aesthetic instead of trying too hard to keep up with modern times. Seems like more of a tourist attraction or something. Pretty cool
The food court wasn't original to the mall. Upstairs was originally a mixture of sit down restaurants, stores, a bank, Radio Shack, an art gallery and at one fall, a haunted house that I'm surprised my parents let me go in. LOL.
I grew up with that mall. My first part time job was in York Steak House which was down near where Boscovs is now. The original anchors were John Wannamaker (now Boscovs), Lit Brothers (Pomeroys/Bon Ton) and Sears. There was a Woolworths w/restaurant, an arcade upstairs, later a Looney Toons themed restaurant and arcade upstairs called Gadgets. The food court came later. (maybe late 80s / 90s?). The escalators were added later also. There was originally a large staircase there. And someone else mentioned the large fountain at center court that shot almost up to the 2nd floor with lighting under the water.
I appreciate you making this video. I grew up with my parents taking me to this mall as a kid. My dad and I would go to the arcade that used to be on the top floor behind the food court. It was called, "Aladdin's Castle", and the tokens were like these golden Arabian coins. It's certainly not what it used to be (the mall in general). But for those of us who can recall good memories, it feels like a time we can't get back. But, oh well .. On to better days.
It's quite amazing to see so many videos about this mall. ...where back in the late 80's and 90's I and many others could be found there every freaking weekend. Hitting up the arcade and just roaming around and socializing. It was basically the internet in real life. Oh! Where the customer service desk is (was) at, that whole floor used to be a huge fountain (bigger than the other 2) and it would shoot up water near the ceiling. You could stand on the second floor and watch it shoot up past where you were standing. You would walk into the mall and the first thing you could smell would be the chlorine they would use to keep it clean. A bit about the elevator, being a kid we all do dumb stuff. Well, I remember purchasing Fart Spray from Spencer's Gifts and "covertly" spraying it in the elevator and then watched and laughed when people would get in it, holding their noses and once the doors opened, they could get out of it fast enough. We of course had to experience it ourselves and yep, it was horrible. 🤪🤮 🤢 Ah good times. I'm really glad I grew up in that time.
Great video sir. I am not a big fan of new malls where everything is modern but i really do appreciate retro malls and those times when the family would go to the mall and then we would go to dinner and then lastly the movies which had the neon lights and stuff. I have a love for old retro malls but they are just completely gone over here in nj. I would love to find a retro mall that has still managed to do well even to this day.
1:50 - This was the fountain where a woman was caught on a security camera FALLING head first into it! I'm old enough to remember the 70's when the mall was still new; there was a very impressive fountain below the food court that shot water WAY up to about the height of the second level! Memories...
@@RayOutThere The story with the fountain lady is she was texting on her phone and wasn't watching where she was going. Even more, she had an arrest warrant for shoplifting on her head!
Memories too! I grew up in this area and remember the Berkshire Mall center fountain too. Many, many visits, was there little more than a week ago while visiting family in the area. It's still a lovely mall despite its recent troubles.
I work at a dead mall. When Sears went away, a lot of people went away. There’s still 3 anchor stores (JCPenney’s, Macy’s, Target) but the problem is that about 5 miles away, they built a new open-air strip mall. All of the mall’s shops went to the new strip mall, leaving the main mall nearly empty. There’s still about 14 shops open (it’s a two-story mall), so you’ll be walking past a loooot of empty shops.
You would think someone would be smart enough to open up mall or skating rink with the 80s theme. Everyone would gravitate to it and they would make a killing, but I guess not. If I had money, that's exactly what I would do.
We have a nice one up in Syracuse called Carousel Mall. I mainly go for a drink and a comedy show with friends but sometimes do shopping. Your mall is beautiful.
Thank you, and thank you for subbing (RU-vid deleted your other comment). I actually subbed to your channel last week and I've been planning on watching your stuff.
Used to come here every weekend in the mid 2000s with my dad. There was an arcade on the second floor by the food court. We would ride the glass elevator, split a salad, play in the arcade for a while, then get a cookie and toss a coin in the fountain before we left. It was a blast. We moved away but visited PA around 2012 and tried to take my brother to the arcade (he was too young before) but the arcade was gone. They opened one downstairs that wasn’t quite as good, not sure if that is still there. Really wish I could’ve gone back to that arcade again.
I love your intro. Especially that retro music! The mall was cool too, of course. Do people ever look at you funny because you're filming with a camera?
It's funny, I remember in NY the Sangertown Square Mall had fountains and a couple wooden walk way areas over gardens as well. As a kid I remember pretending I was in Mr. Miyagi's backyard because I'd just seen Karate Kid lol.
The only way to save malls from destruction, is to take them back to their heyday, if i thought my local Shopping centre was back in it's 80's glory days, i would move in and live in it, . Modern malls are cold and lifeless in comparison, think Stranger things, who wouldn't want to go there and spend all day. totally Rad.
I agree, malls need to be visually appealing to be worth going to. I know the American Dream is unpopular with some people but I appreciate the effort they put into the visuals
@@jenniferburchill3658 My local Mall used to have Palm trees and water fountains, and it was full of iconic shops. People treated it as a place for spending the whole day hanging out with friends. Today this same Mall now looks like a gray metal dungeon. Always empty, people strutting around looking miserable.
Yes! I would do anything for every mall to look like starcourt... Malls now are just boring and characterless. Such a shame online shopping has taken over.
As someone who grew up in the 1980’s in the UK , although you say this is 1990’s it’s similar to 1980’s design. I can appreciate this mall with its Neo signs, plants and fountains. One thing if this was in the UK.. first it probably would have been replaced but definitely it wouldn’t be in this superb condition. In the UK we are dirty!!!!!!!! The plants soil would be used as litter bins, graffiti and rubbish.
Great video Ray! I always have been a fan of neon signage and lights so this mall seems like a dream to visit! Also, I love watching your mall videos! They’re my favorite. Keep up the great work 👍
@@RayOutThere yeah I think thT was the name of it. Didn't know they tore it down. Last I was there the only thing that was open was boscovs and they had the gates down to get to the mall.
Sup Ray, nice video. I really like the retro look of this mall, I been in Wyomissing before but never filmed this mall. I got a question, how do you film your videos in the mall? I just got a 4k camera similar to the GoPro but I want to hide it so people don't see me holding it
I usually keep my Gopro in my jacket pocket and hold it in the palm of my hand when I use it. I usually get my shots quickly and put it back in my pocket. Two important things: Never disturb anyone by filming, don't film people shopping or working, just film the building. Second, just keep an eye out for security, don't film when they can see you. I've never been bothered by them because I try to be discreet as possible. I hope that helps, let me know if I can help with anything else!
@@RayOutThere Nice. My plan is to probably put a hole thru my jacket pocket by my chest and put my lens thru the hole. And try to film early when no one is at the mall lol
I have another comment. I like the 80s neon, but the floor with the pentagonal brown tiles and terrazzo screams 1970s. A true 80s mall has those beautiful polished shiny floor tiles. They stopped doing that in the 1990s and put those cheap, dull, flat tiles. Very unattractive in my opinion. The 80s malls had skylights but they didn’t over do it like in the 90s and early 2000s. The all vanilla coloring and overdone sky lighting and the warehouse look and feel of the 1990s and early 2000s got old real quick and I think gives off a cold, impersonal, and steely vibe. It was just too bright. The 80s style gave off a warm, comforting, and cozy vibe.
