Thank you for doing this. This mall was my world growing up in the 1960's, 70's, 80's and into the 90's. I would ride my bike here as a child as I lived from only a few miles away to hang out, go to the food court, buy a gift, go to TGI Fridays etc. I am so sad whenever I walk through here because of what it used to be. It was always busy, full of life, full of joy and now it's just depressing. The sad part is the building is still in wonderful shape, clean, bright, cheery and full of potential. But the world has changed, not always for the better IMO. Anyway, when this is finally transformed into a business park I can come back and reminisce. Thank you.
Me too. When the Boulevard Mall finally closes, as it has been said is inevitable, there will be a lot of tears in Amherst and Tonawanda. So many memories are attached to this place. First dates, purchases of prom dresses, tuxes, the latest fashions like bastad clogs, bell bottoms. The food court, the carousel. I even remember Dr. Kent had his dental office in there. I had my wisdom teeth removed there! Lol I'm not joking either. So sad.
@@SilentNoMore64 man………….. I’m going to cry now. I remember going to the Boulevard with my dad all the time. He would always take me to the foodcourt to see Santa and the Easter Bunny. I loved riding the carousel every time I went. I remember always getting subway whenever I went to the foodcourt too. I remember my dad would give me pennies to throw in the fountain in front of Macys. I also remember him picking me up and me sitting on his shoulders to watch the Boulevard bears perform around Christmas time. Life has changed a lot my friend. Only in the span of 10 or so years life has changed drastically to the point where I’ve almost forgotten how it used to be. We’ve lost so many retail stores, so many malls, so much humanity. Just yesterday I was 7 and now I’m 17. I’m planning on starting a life soon with my girlfriend and someday I wish to tell my kids or my grandkids about the Boulevard mall and how shopping malls were popular as well as how life once was for all of us.
@@pepsi_man4962 I almost forgot the fountain! I remember the singing bears too. My dad took my son to see them. He was a gruff kind of guy, but he was so intrigued with those bears and the mechanics that made them move, he wanted his grandson to see them. I am 58 years old. I have seen a lot of change in our town. "Progress" is a tricky word. In some ways, it's good. In other ways, it seems cold and unfeeling. At 17, you already seem to have a very good understanding regarding this. Take a lot of videos and pics. The world is changing fast. Your children will be amazed when they see the "good old days".
@@SilentNoMore64 that is true sir. Progress is a tricky word. In the next 10 years American retail is going to be a very very distant memory. It was great hearing about how your father was intrigued by the mechanical bears. The memory of how much time I spent in the Boulevard mall a long even with the Galleria mall is slowly fading and becoming more cloudy of a memory. Hell, you can’t even go in the Galleria anymore if your under 18 without an escort. It’s sad for the children these days and the children in the future. Knowing that they won’t ever experience what I experienced really makes my heart hurt.
Everytime I watch these videos it takes me back to the days I used to go to our local mall in Youngstown, Ohio. I remember seeing that mall boom back in the late 80's to the mid 90's, the days I frequented the Southern Park Mall. These videos make me years for my younger days. You said you'll be 39 in 3 weeks. I'll be 50 in about 3 weeks. Just keep these videos coming.
I’m glad you mentioned about Dicks and the Food Court. The day they took out the food court was when I stopped shopping there. That food court was special and had a lot of nice places in it. I loved taking my son to the little kids playground they had inside the food court too. The other problem I always had with Boulevard was the stores. They had a great mix of the usual 90s and 00s stores, but for the truly unique, bigger name stores you had to go to the Galleria-Apple, Urban Outfitters, Microsoft, later on Lego, Lucky Brand, etc. “The Boulevard” plaza (aka the Target plaza) a couple blocks down the street hasn’t helped the mall either. Game Stop, Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candle were a few of the mall tenants that moved there. That plaza IMO has everything that should be in that mall. I think as long as that plaza is around Boulevard Mall won’t have too much of a chance. What do you think? That plaza is expanding again and taking over the Burlington Plaza next door to it.
As I mentioned in the chat, I used to come here in the 80’s whenever I visited my relatives in Toronto. I was last here in the summer of 1991, and have thought about it from time to time.
This is really a beautiful looking mall. It is really sad to see the majority of malls looking so dead, when at one time, they were places to shop, work, and socialize. Now so many ppl do those things at a keyboard and computer screen😢. If you ever get to travel as far as Massena, NY, you should check out the St. Lawrence Mall. There are maybe a handful of stores left. The mall is barely hanging on. A mall once busy thanks to many Canadians from Cornwall and others who were travelling to the States.
Everything is going into "optimizing life'. So ordering everything online, not looking for a romance but for a partner "as the perfect match with the highest probability of remaining together" (is there even something more boring than this? You'll get someone looking and thinking very similar to you - boredom!), selecting schools based on statistics of how successful the kids will become etc. No more room for random things in life. No more room for romance. No more room for some risk. In Germany back in time there was an era like this, it was called "Biedermeier". Everything was done in private, you did not meddle with fun or common places to go, no you stayed home and organized everything from there. You limited your friendship bubble to the family and perhaps 2-3 other families. That was it. Family was absolutely required otherwise you would have remained alone. And you took the "suggestion" of your parents as husband or wife. That era was the era where the least of progress was made.
@@CaribouEno I totally agree, it’s sad what society has become, especially with dating like you said. Believe it or not, I actually still approach girls in person and try to get their numbers, but yet I get called weird for it. I don’t care though because I find it way more romantic to approach in real life instead of shopping online on stupid apps for girls who may not even be real, anyone can lie about who they are or what they look like on there. With approaching what I see, is what I get and it’s actually how I met my last girlfriend of 2 years, hope that gives other guys hope. But yeah the worst that can happen is they say no and I don’t fear rejection. I go out 2-3 days a week to malls that aren’t dead, targets, Starbucks and college campuses trying to find girls to approach. I’m pretty picky so I usually get around 5-10 approaches an outing and 2-3 numbers typically.
I remember seeing lots of old clothing discarded in the parking area. The trick was.. wear rags going down and put the new expensive stuff on you just bought so you don't have to declare 🤣🤣🤣
The thing about malls is not technology, its the death of suburbs. Malls were big when people were able to afford buying homes in the suburbs, and that's why malls boomed in the 60-80s. I live near an urban mall and its ALWAYS booming. Its the most profitable mall by sq foot despite free parking, and thats because its convenient. No one likes driving like they used to, so malls in result are suffering.
Cross border shopping caused so many malls to pop up right next to the border. When the Cdn dollar went down relative to the US dollar it didn't make sense to make the trek. Unfortunately all the newer malls drew shoppers away from established places like this. Too much retail hurts everybody. Thanks for another great video Ace.
My parents born and raised in Buffalo NY. The last place we lived as a family in Western New York was Pendleton, New York. We left the area in 1965. Anytime they have anything from the area. I like to watch it. I was old enough to traveling Buffalo and Lockport NY. Have some rememberance of the area. With a large portion of my relatives living in the general area.
Omg I’m so excited you’re finally doing a video on boulevard mall!! I’ve requested it more than once in the comments over the years and I can finally say I’ve BEEN THERE 😄 I live in Canada and haven’t been since pre Covid 2019, and even the last time I didn’t bother with the whole mall and only went into JCP for the in store Sephora. Will absolutely be tuning into the premier and cannot wait to learn more about this place!
@@JJ-wk5wy the selection was better than expected, but obviously still pretty small compared to a Full size Sephora. The only reason I really wanted to go was to get the Drunk Elephant Babyfacial. I remember the last time I was there it was during the fall 2019 VIB event, and in Canada it automatically discounted your items after scanning your VIB card. Well in the states that didn’t seem to be the case, and the associate was so patient with me, and was still able to serve other customers, while I tried to figure it out. I had good experiences at Sephora in JCP but I would probably only recommend it if you were looking for something that’s not available in Canadian Sephora 😊
@@Deadwrongallalong I have never been to Sephora, but if I were to ever go, I would definitely take your advice on buying stuff only available in the u.s. We still haven't ventured into the u.s. that far and probably won't go until this damn pandemic slows down a bit. I am glad you ended up having good service at Sephora even though your discount wasn't working.
@@JJ-wk5wy agreed! Unfortunately I missed the window of easy land border crossing in late November/early December and don’t see myself going until federal travel restrictions are eased quite a bit. As far as JCP goes, from what I remember it was like a slightly lower-end/more discounted version of Hudson’s Bay (or Sears back when it existed up here). It’s more so the store layout and fixtures that makes me compare JCP with the two
As a Canadian, my sisters & I would go to Buffalo once a yr. for a getaway and shopping. We always went to the Boulevard Mall. So sad. I really miss having large department stores close down.
Thanks for posting this. This brought back lots of memories. I went to University at Buffalo, lived on North Campus and worked at the Kaufman's that used to be in this mall. From 1998-1999 area.
Great old mall. Me and my family use to go to this mall alot in the 80's and 90's. I live in Niagara Falls, Canada and anyways we use to shop at this mall and the Summit Park mall more times then any malls in Canada. It's so sad knowing that these once great malls around WNY are dying or are struggling to stay open. Man the Boulevard Mall in the 80's/90's had the best arcade for playing video games around. I loved the area where the arcade was located. There was the arcade, Walden Books, KB Toys, a pizza place (in the 80's) and Babbages Video Games store.
Good video! I used to go there a lot with my family! It had all kinds of stores in it! Have not been there in awhile! It sure has changed! I used to like going to the Sears store! And KB Toys and Babbage's etc.
We use to cross border shop in this area a few times a year now its been a few years since going over hoping our restrictions will be lifted by spring. So many of us Canadians really miss coming over to shop & just have a short vacation. Thanks for the update on the mall.
In a small way, I hear you. My partner and I got our passports in 2018 so we could see Metallica in Albany. After that, I Always wanted to check out some stores on the State side. And even the super dead St. Lawrence mall in Massena. We are in Cornwall, so only about 30 mins away from it. Never got the chance, thanks to covid. Have some American friends we would like to visit too.
You film during a snow day that mall is always packed to the gills there’s never any parking and every store is very busy I work at RadioShack there and it’s one of our top stores!!! My brother works down at the chess king and they’re packed every night!!! I’m not sure what you’re feeling this mall is kicking ass!!! 👍😉
It doesn't snow where I live so I guess I don't understand why you would want to change from all indoor to outside shops. If I lived somewhere snowy I would want more indoor places to go not less.
They're not changing the mall itself. Rather, they're building a community surrounding the mall where people live and work. This makes sense. It's very convenient living or working next to a mall and everybody benefits. You can see this trend of mixed uses across the border in the greater Toronto region.
I damn near teared up🥺 when you announced that you will be traveling to my hometown to cover Wonderland of Americas mall (AKA Crossroads Mall). So many fond memories of that mall, can't wait to see the video!
You may want to stop by Rolling Oaks Mall in San Antonio as well. After the Macy's and Sears shuttered that mall has been a quick decline in the past 2 years. It's honestly in far worse shape than Wonderland.
Buffalo Local here, I think the boulevard has a great chance if more unique local businesses keep inhabiting it. There's a decent card game shop there now, they need more of that
This convinces me there's just some kind of curse for malls named "Boulevard Mall" to end up this way. Over here in Vegas, there happens to be another mall called "The Boulevard Mall," that also happens to be around 60 years old, that is ALSO dead as hell and long past it's glory days. Not to mention it also looks strikingly similar to this one as well. The one here in Vegas is maybe a tiny bit better off, but not by much.
My dude! I can’t say it enough. I love your videos. Just perfectly presented. Even the music cues are spot on. It just keeps getting better and better. So excited for what’s next!
great video man. it's been really sad seeing this mall go down hill, was always a nice #2 option in the galleria's shadow. sears's departure, covid, and the destruction of the food court definitely killed the mall. hoping it can hang on for the sake of the local economy
I worked here when I was in college (2018-2020, I had to leave because of the pandemic/another job) in what used to be the Things Remembered (the Photography Studio next to Claire's in this video 7:26) and even then when I was working there and it was dying I would think about how my grandma would take me out shopping when I was a kid and how cool it used to be. Me and my coworkers at the time fully believed that it was Dick's taking out the food court that ruined the place. I can still remember what the stores used to be, the play place, the Taco Bell, the carosel, the popcorn machine, etc. that got ripped out. It breaks my heart a little that a place I have so man good memories of has turned into a shell of what it was. Thank you for making this video though. #Buffalove
Please don't under rate yourself. Your doing a great job with your travels to malls. You and Doomie both have the voice that works well with what you are recording. I have driven by this mall, but never stopped. I didn't realize the mall was that old. Amazing what the loss of Sears, JC Penny, and Macy's will kill a mall. Maybe the stores themselves weren't drawing the customers they use to, but the space was huge they occupied.
I used to go the Boulevard Mall all the time when I was little. I loved it there with the dancing bears in the middle. It's sad to see what the malls have become. I hate what the Galleria has become too
Thank u Ace it’s always great to see u posting new dead mall content with the situation that our nation is going through. Also it’s awesome that you’re coming to my home state of Texas once more I hope u can also cover some rural malls that sometimes are often overlooked.
I graduated high school in 2010, Amherst. Grew up going to the boulevard mall. Awesome that you also have a link here now, too. Amazing content, love it!
Happy Birthday and great video. I will be turning 30 in September. I am a big fan of malls myself. I like how you included the history with current footage of the mall and potential revitalization plans. Good luck with your new job. I am in the process of starting my own company to transition out of what I am currently doing, so I company understand that feeling as well. Keep up the great work with your videos.
Supposedly this is not only the first fully-enclosed mall to open in the greater-Buffalo area; but it is ALSO one of the first enclosed malls to open up in the entire state of New York; if not, maybe THE FIRST... (Although I think Walt Whitman Mall on Long Island which also opened in the same year, might be actually slightly a little older than this one. And that mall is pretty much thriving, as far as I can recall...) FYI: Walt Whitman Mall opened in March of '62. I don't know the exact opening date of Boulevard Mall though; but if it was opened later than Walt Whitman, then that would make Walt Whitman the very first enclosed mall to open in the state of New York.
Not sure if this is a closed business wall as seen later but really thought at 00:40 it would transition to the actual business. Great video as always though. 👏
Great video! I live in Buffalo as well and close to this mall. It is sad to see its decline. It was where I always went as a child and I rememeber how busy this place used to be.
Thank you so much for this video. It's sad seeing what has become of my childhood. I grew up in this mall. My dad owned Bresler's 33 Flavors which was in the mall in the early 70s. My parents would work on the weekends and me and my sisters spent the day there, eating lots of ice cream and watching kids cartoons (Woody Woodpecker) in the little portable 2 person theater my dad would have in store. It was such a great time, too bad my kids will never know this experience.
You are going to love the Wonderland Mall. So much neon, so much 90's aesthetic, and a stunning outdoor fountain. I last covered the mall in late 2020, it is a must stop in San Antonio along with Rolling Oaks Mall.
@@AcesAdventures1 It is getting there, they lost Macy's in 2021 and Sears in early 2020. Lots of empty spaces in late 2020, probably a lot more now. Food court has a tent like roof which was getting really dirty.
Happy early birthday! Enjoy your trip to Texas. Excellent video, as usual. This mall is very well kept, brightly lit. Not like other malls you have visited. Your videos are important markers that we need to support our local retail, that old fashioned retail is important to community building. Look at movies, where do so many scenes take place? Bars, stores, restaurants... Good luck with your new job, I hope this bodes well for the airline industry! All my best!
This is one of those old original malls from the late '50s or early '60s. The way I remember it from the '70s is that it was designed in the old style, which was supposed to be a relaxed and leisurely shopping experience. Unlike the hyped-up, overly bright, noisy style that malls became in the '80s, with all those garish neon signs and loud music coming from the record stores. I remember this mall having a lot more plants and wooden storefronts than it does in this video. It used to have a lot of Buffalo department stores that no longer exist, like Sattler's and Jenss and Kleinhans.
I got engaged at the Boulevard Mall in 1973. My boyfriend and I were looking at engagement rings in Reed's window and he asked me if I wanted to look at them and when I found the one I loved, he bought it for me. I picked out my wedding dress at JC Penney and we all went to some restaurant in the mall, I think it was Gleason's. Best hamburger I ever had. A few years later, we were taking our toddler to see the JC Penney Christmas window. So many great memories at that mall.
Thank you for sharing this - haven't been to Boulevard Mall in ages. It's a bit further from Canada but could well be worth the drive. BTW - miss being able to visit Buffalo. Thanks for sharing video from there
No protests or rallies at the old malls and no protests for the ones that sat falling apart for years. No protests for the ones that got “bulldozed”. But at least we notice and we care. So do you. Thank you for your videos. Keep up the good work it is important!
I grew up going to this mall! I actually remember waiting in line to use the restroom and I'm not kidding. It's actually worse now. People sit there all day trying to sell a calendar
That seems like a massive mistake to have gotten rid of their food court, because in any malls with any life still in them, the food court tends to be the busiest place there. Anyway, I hope the redevelopment works out. I miss "real" malls, but outdoor malls are pretty cool, too. Not sure I'd want to be around one in the harsh winters, though.
I always end up at this mall (or did Pre-covid) when I would cross the border for Black Friday shopping. Even on Black friday, it was always a ghost town. Fantastic mall though with some great stores and stock levels!
I'm surprised that new Gabe's store in the mall can't be accessed via the interior of the mall. The Sears store that was previously in that space had such an entrance.
After the FYE store suddenly closed I really have no reason to go back as i can shop Spencer's and hot topic at the galleria. It's painful watching these places slowly fade away. So many memories.
