Fairgrounds Square Mall | Dead Mall (Recently Abandoned) | ExLog 41 

That guy is like the terminator of mall walkers. It can't be reasoned with, it can't be bargained with. It doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear...and it absolutely will not stop. Ever. Until this mall is dead.

"Intense mall walker" That is the most polite term for a tweaker i've ever heard.

Its haunting seeing a mall go from 95% occupancy to 5% to 0%.

That mall walker looks like he's just gonna walk right over top of you and keep on going if you get in his way.

ironically, malls dont have happy endings whenever massage parlors move in

That mall walker is the John Wick of mall walkers. A man of focus. Commitment. Sheer will. Something we know very little about.

"Mall Walkers" would be a good title for a scary movie.

This mall opened when I was a kid. It was so big and modern and awe-inspiring in its day. By the early 2000s it was already in its decline.

The antidote for Amazon package "Same Day" delivery poison is The Greenery at Boscovs. Iconic.

Never in a million years would I have thought this type of video to be of interest to me. Boy, was I wrong! Have a lot to catch up on. Thanks for enriching my viewing on YT!

Great video! That mallwalker looks like that fake old guy in the 6 Flags commercials.. The Venga Boys are Coming...

I love the use of old commercials and vaporwave in your videos. It's so well done!

My boyfriend and I had our first movie date at Fairgrounds Square in 2002. He's now my husband - and living in PA seems like such a lifetime ago. Going through your PA videos has been one heck of a walk down memory lane. There's a part of me that wonders how Berkshire Mall and others (Lehigh Valley, K of P) have fared in the digital age, but I'm not sure that I want to find out. If and when I'm curious enough, it will be your videos I look to for those answers. Stay awesome. :)

seeing that boscovs really unlocked some memories in my childhood

That Boscov's restaurant is the shit! Takes me back to when the department stores all had dinettes and restaurants in them.

It was tragic when the race track was sold off. It has been said that security guards at the mall would sometimes hear the roar of the engines after hours. Berkshire Mall in Wyomissing lost the Sears last year.....

This was the mall I grew up going to. Sooooo many memories in that mall!

The exit/entrance next to the movie theater for years, I'm talking till around 2009, there was a mural style advertisement for Mario Kart on Gamecube... just to give you non locals of how dated the mall became. It eventually got associated with gangs and such so crowds dwindled as well.

The mall Walker is pretty much the crazy part of Reading in a nutshell lmao. Probably still walking as I type this.

As a mall child of the 80s I really enjoyed the boscovs segment. The neon, mirror everything, took me back to my teenage years. Brilliant. I believe these documentaries are recording a life style that in the very near future will have disappeared. It’s very cool work you are doing

Man that burger looks awesome. Boscov's is a rare department store in the USA these days. The charm of the store designs with the mirrors, neon, and fancy lighting is so much better than the bland boxes everywhere else. Great video Sal!

My guess that they are even keeping most of the malls up is in hopes of selling them off to monopolies like amazon or off to some developer for the land to get turned into either a distribution center or overpriced housing.

The Boscov's Restaurant looks amazing. It took me back to eating at the restaurants in Woolworth's, Sears, Woodward's, Hudsons Bay, etc. as a kid in the '80s. It seems they all had the kind of burger you can't get anywhere now. Thanks for more quality content Sal.

It's heartbreaking to hear of once thriving malls shutting down because of Internet sites taking over and ordering online is slot simpler than making a trip out to your favorite stores. When I was fresh out of high school I used to love going to the mall for meeting beautiful women and making a trip to music stores for CD's.

I had that Boscovs burger when I stopped at the Fairlane Village Mall in Pottsville PA, and you are so right, soooo good. I wish every Boscovs had them

I've come to the conclusion, after watching alot of your videos, that these malls meet their end due to one basic thing.......greed. The developers are never happy with the original size. They get so greedy that they feel they have to expand.

The long-defunct Seattle area department store chains Frederick & Nelson (liquidated in 1991) and The Bon Marche(bought up by Macy's in the late '90s/early 2000s) both had in-store restaurants similar to Boskov's Greenery as well as candy counters.

Went there last when Bath and Body Works closed. Took photos since I went there when I was younger a lot. I loved the neon when it was functional.

Part of its remediation if there older malls with asbestos etc and demolishing can be costly too

That burger looked great and a beer would have complimented it. It's good to see the mall walker. There's too many people in Walmart to walk like that. 👍😆

..rumor has it, he's *still* walking laps..

No dead mall is complete without a carnival. I found your videos after watching stranger things season 3 because of the starcourt mall which resparked my interest for “some reason” lol. Idk why but the 80s aesthetics and just the idea of our economy fueling such growth gives me this weird nostalgic feeling. Its like all the early malls are dying and just are husks of our culture, all from the same era, but then again most malls are from a particular growth boom. Its Just such an interesting but sad topic to think about, it’s all going to disappear due to amazon and our new sentiments. Almost makes me sick to think I haven’t stepped foot in a mall in YEARS. I loved your greenspoint mall video because I live in houston and watched all that unfold. Edit: It’s the neon. Got to be the neon.

This is what’s missing from my life; department store restaurants. Our 1972 original JCPenny had one years ago; the store is still open but the restaurant is long gone. My grandfather used to take me to the lunch counter in Woolworth’s too.

When I was a kid I would mostly go to the Cressona, Fairlane Village and Schuylkill Malls, but when I got to go to Fairgrounds Square and Berkshire Mall it was a real treat. I bought my first pair of Air Jordans there and the Taco Casa made me sick.

The Boscov's in the Moorestown Mall in NJ used to have this same style (minus The Greenery) until they "renovated" it last year to be a super bland and generic store. It too had the weird Auditorium turned liquidation center. I was so sad when I walked in and saw what they had done to it. Great video as always, Sal!

Sal, I love that boscovs. It is so vintage and that burger look really good. That vintage taco menu was cool too. I seen the mallwaker 9 times, but he looks kind of angry so be careful sal. Lol

It's a snowy and cold Sunday afternoon. Where is a better place to spend some time than a bight and airy indoor mall? I miss them.

My vote is for Pretzel Dogs. Buttery doughy goodness.

Boscov's makes any mall trip worthwhile. Even if the mall is closed & you can't get in.

Great job documenting this mall. I enjoy your narration and history of the mall throughout the video, you pace it out well.

When I was a kid it was always a big deal to eat at the lunch counter in a store. I remember eating at Woolworth, K-Mart, and Emporium-Capwell. Back in the days before food courts.

This mall walker also goes to the Berkshire Mall. Last time I was there I saw him walking very fast. I worked at this restaurant for a few months back in 89.

I think one big contributor for the demise of the indoor shopping mall is the ease of online transactions without having to leave your home. As a teenager in the 90s, going to the mall seemed like a real treat, since some of the stores present there you couldn't visit anywhere else. Another major drawing point for me was also the arcade, which met a decline due to advancements in high definition TVs and more complex gaming systems. I could see a possible resurgence of malls if they devised a formula to provide services that were not found elsewhere so easily. This could prove challenging in our recent times.

Was watching on the smart tv and had to come here to say that that intro music absolutely SLAPPED

I used to go to the theater that was connected. The first time I went into that mall I never have seen such emptiness until that moment

Man what a year that was. It's been a long time since I've seen an actual gift wrap counter open for service, much less a department store with an eatery inside. Now I want a burger, thanks a lot. Another great production, Sal. Thanks again for the journey. Subbed your other channel too.

Nothing to do The abandonment Is all around Lack of fulfillment Wasted ground Echoes of happiness Were all to blasphemous Sadly My heyday Has just gone away Empty halls With Blistered walls No more commerce For our dead malls

What you are eating is a patty melt and they can be bought almost anywhere. Steak & Shake has great ones.

The very first thing I noticed was the size of the trees in this mall! The mall is dead but the enormous trees are thriving and beautiful.

Just found your channel and have been working my way thru your awesome videos! Your commentary is really informative and well constructed....plus your voice is really soothing!

What a wonderful, if sad, video. I worked at Waldenbooks for 12 years, manager for 9. When I started there, the mall was not light and bright; the floors were an awful dried-blood color, making it dark and drab. The renovation was wonderful and we were hopeful. So many memories here... I got lunch or dinner at that Taco Casa many times and bought snacks at Your Bet, shopped at Boscov's for my clothes almost exclusively (still true), went to movies there, loved a little gift shop called Scribbles, and walked down to that management office to raise concerns about occupancy. Most of all, I loved the Waldenbooks and the wonderful people I worked with. It could be a drag, like any job, but we shared a lot of laughs too. When I saw the demolition, I got choked up. The space where we received and stocked books and talked with customers no longer exists and It's a strange feeling. I truly appreciate your taking the time to make this film. I will watch it again.

I’m a few years late watching this, but I really enjoyed it. I became a Sal subscriber, about 4 or 5 months ago. You do excellent work, and I have enjoyed every one I’ve seen. Thanks for making time to make these videos!

I used to deliver to the Foodlane store in the old Fairgrounds Market Hall. It was only open Friday and Saturday each week. One morning two smartly dressed guys with suspicious bulges under their jackets came round to me at the back of the store and asked me to move my truck. They were security bods escorting Jimmy Carter on his election campaign to be President, and my truck was blocking their access. I moved on to a different territory before this Mall was built so never saw it in its glory days. Great vid. Thanks for posting.

so sad... these poor malls. i remember being a kid and having the malls be a special place.

I swear that mallwalker should have had a theme song playing as he walked along. Also...12:20 that X-Men cartoon theme. XD

wow, I love that 80s style mall, reminds me of the mall in my town in the 80's, but that was already demolished in 99

Its mind numbing to me a 2000 sq ft house in CA can cost over 1 million dollars, and they were able to buy a 725,000 square foot commercial structure with a ton of land for the same price....

It's settled - I am going to come down from Canada SPECIFICALLY to see the Boscovs. It's like Sears (I have no clue what Boscovs is to be honest, I've heard it mentioned before in other dead mall videos but that's it) but cooler and the sheer retroness of this one is killing me! I LOVE IT! Thanks for showing this!

Just drove past it ten minutes ago!

28:13 that guy's like HOLD UP

This was dope! The Boscov’s burger segment brought back memories of eating at the Broadway Cafe in the Broadway department store.

that burger looks similar to what we have in Australia, known as a Steak Sandwich. Which is a thin piece of steak instead of a burger patty but otherwise looks pretty similar to this meal. They're available over here at almost every Pub / Bar

Watched several of your videos last night and subscribed. There are significant differences in your dead mall features as opposed to others, though that isn't meant as snark against others who do the same thing. Your videos have context, timelines, financial details, their own story, rather than just being documents of devastation and failure. Others I have watched don't attempt to explain "why?". I have to say, though, that Fairgrounds Square is one of the dreariest, ugliest malls I have ever seen featured. Not even filled with shops and customers would that be an appealing shopping environment. Thanks for your efforts. You have a style and a way of telling a story that's very effective.

😳 I had no idea how much I've missed those neon accents until I saw this. That's amazing!

I am everyone, I am everything, I am everywhere - I am THE WALKER!

in case no one else remembers phar-mor... think like a walgreens/cvs in size and products, but operates more like a costco, where you'd typically buy things in bulk/private labels. great concept and only failed because of massive embezzlement

Another amazing Expedition Log, Sal! Thank you for doing this mall right, as you always do. I grew up not far from Reading, and in my childhood the Fairgrounds Square Mall was a bright place bustling with shoppers. I moved away from Pennsylvania in 1999 and last shopped at the Fairgrounds Square Mall while visiting family in the summer of 2002. In all of my memories of it, this mall was full of color, light, music and vitality, which gave the place a feel of permanence in my mind's eye. To see it so empty just 17 years later is truly surreal...

OMG the animals are EVERYTHING.....

I'd like a few of those wooden benches!

How can you have only 30K subs? Great narrative and so on. Thanks for all the good work!

Love the animal dude Interlude, so cute, thanks. made the video

The Fairground Mall pushed out one of the greatest Half mile dirt tracks ever. Many big names in racing visited the Fairgrounds. Many fans of the race track hated that Mall. Good riddance to the Fairgrounds Mall. Greed never wins, long Live the Reading Stock Car Association and it's memories.

Im so hungry RN and dam I want that burger/sandwich

20:54 - Those giant kitchen things have been there since at least the mid-90's when my parents used to take me to the mall, and my mom would get me a giant chocolate chip cookie and milk. Such great memories. I'm just sad the mall was demolished.

I really like that you included the burger, fun addition to the video. When i watch dead mall vids i often wish that the person would try the food of the one open restaurant lol

I'm not going to try to change your mind, per se...just offer an alternative opinion: in the days of the Hills snack bar, having that pretzel with a Coke Icee was amazing!!!!

You always give a great backstory to the places and other information. I like that you visit Dead Malls that are still open; seeing malls and other places that are just destroyed by vandals just gets you disgusted. It's interesting to see and imagine how it once was; just looking at broken debris everywhere is just repetitive and boring.

What is wrong with people!? What kind of idiots would give this great video a thumbs down? Thanks for all the work you put into your Mall videos. You do a great job. I really enjoy them all.

I actually have a photo from from 2001 of me & my siblings sitting in that red chair with Santa! Dang, I had some good memories there! I miss this mall so much!

My old hangout back in the mid90’s.

5:15 MF looks determined AF.

I remember spending a lot of time at this mall just having a nice time. Dodging bullets is much more fun now.

Love lemonade and love unsweetened iced tea. Never had them together, but maybe I'll try it.

I recall this being a bustling Mall into the 90's. It was on the outskirts of Reading a little off of Route 61. I traveled in that area a lot on my job and was at this Mall many times to grab a bite. Nice place and busy. And this was in the 90's and early 2000's. Hard to believe it has some focused solo mall walker and that's about it. As you said it though the Mall expanded and it would seem that it got expanded beyond it's reach. Got too big.

Sal, you are becoming a maestro of dead mall documentation! In particular the histories and political information are well presented. I believe this production is your best yet!

That mall walker looks like he used to fit that enormous shirt...that cat was MOVIN! I counted at least 10 maaaaaaybe 11 times? (I counted the reflection too LOL) But MAN did that burger sound good! I need to kick keto for a day JUST for that burger! LOL

The Greenery almost looks like a David Lynch movie man!

I'm pleased to report I'm finally up to date with all your recent video content, Sal. As always the content was entertaining and informative. My favorite out of all the recent uploads is the Burington Mall footage for the obvious reasons. Well done 🙌 Enjoy your Sunday.

I've noticed most of these malls you visit don't have automatic entry doors. I can't remember ever seeing manual entry doors around my way in Australia and I'm 48 years old.

Great video! One could play a drinking game with that mall walker, probably couldn't get to the end of the video before one passed out!

Love your videos. It's sad to hear about what looks like a perfectly good building being torn down. With online industries becoming more and more the preferred option of the public, seems like we are becoming a society of hermits. I hope we never get to the total point of never having to leave our homes to do anything. We work from home, shop from home, we've put in home movie theaters for entertainment. This such a sad thing to see.

My Boscov's got rid of the candy counter a long time ago. This was a time warp. 88mph.

Hi Sal, this was a great video you have kept me so enthralled with these videos that I can't stop watching and listening to that golden voice that describes the history of these places makes me wanna binge watch (but I'm at work 🙊)I wanna say more but I'll catch you in the next video.👋

Loved this video as it reminded me of a store we used to have here in Mankato, MN called Bretts. It was around when we moved to Mankato in the late 1970's. By the early 2000's it was all but gone. The Brett Family was an influential name in the area. The store was very much like the Boscov's in your video. They had 4 floors of department type store and even a cafe in the basement very much resembling the one in this video. Unfortunately, The main buildings for that store, that were part of the downtown Mankato Place Mall, have been torn down. Only a single multistory building remains in use today. Watching your video really brought back memories of shopping in department stores with multiple stores, having an inventory on hand with almost everything you needed. It is really a bygone era. Anyways, great job and thanks for doing quality work.

Wow that store had an old fashion candy counter . Years ago J C Penney had a candy counter like that. Would love the go there !!!! That burger looked yummy.

Oh lordy, that opening sponsor...

X-Men was the best cartoon in those years and the 6 player arcade game is still awesome!

I grew up going here. So many places and things from my childhood are gone, and I’m on my in my late 30s. My parents are already dead, and when I think about my childhood, there are few places I can actually physically revisit. I had so many memories of FSM, and it legitimately makes me super sad it’s completely gone.

Some reasons it takes longer to demolish is asbestos and lead test and containment in older buildings. time to separate materials for salvage and proper disposal.

28:22 - Golden Eagle Comics at their 2nd location / 1st was in the beginning, before the tobacco store, and if I'm remembering correctly, Timeout (arcade) was in the first spot on the left at the same entrance.