I still call it Rotterdam Square Mall. 😂 This was quite a busy mall back in the day, complete with a carousel in the food court. The Time Out arcade, which was in the food court, was pretty sweet. I remember having pictures taken with my cousins at the Sears, which closed in 2016. As far as I remember, this mall didn't really have any real remodeling. The idea when it was taken over was to refurbish the building. That clearly never happened. BTW, The bar/arcade had bowling when we went years ago. I think it was 5-6 lanes.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yeah, I was going to say in the video that they definitely did not upgrade the exterior. It look horrible.
@Garrett-Prod
Ай бұрын
@@fleabittenadventures On the outside you can still see were they had the Big K logo because its 2 different colors. This mall is indeed dead, thats coming from someone whos been in there a million times mainly for the movies 😂. They do out dirt cars and nascars is there sometimes, idk anymore.
@otakurj
Ай бұрын
Used to come here all the time in High School. Quick trip to the food court for lunch and a quick look through EBGames and then back to school
@rjdonohue90
6 ай бұрын
Rotterdam always has fishing and pontoon boats in the middle of its mall, surprised you didn’t see any.
@melissahurt317
6 ай бұрын
If Bath & Body Works closes it is definitely a dead mall
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
For sure.
@AWB-Official-u1b
6 ай бұрын
Bath and Body Works is the Savior of dead and struggling malls @@fleabittenadventures
@IamNiggler
2 ай бұрын
@@Nothinghere0101no
@IamNiggler
2 ай бұрын
@@Nothinghere0101I'm gay too buddy
@Lightsngear
2 ай бұрын
It closed a LONG while ago!!
@ronhoover5516
6 ай бұрын
I predict when the last mall in the US closes, there will shortly thereafter be a new retail phenomenon introduced whereby large enclosed spaces will be populated by stores that were previously only online. Officials will state "people decided they really wanted to see, touch and experience the things they are buying and are tired of the online experience" and, voila, the mall craze will be back. But it'll be awhile yet. Retail is built on sand, and what's in today will be out tomorrow.
@jenniferburchill3658
6 ай бұрын
It may happen sooner than you think. AI images are being used to scam people online by promoting products and services that don't actually exist. At least with in-person retail, what you see is what you get.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
We'll see in about 20-30 years I guess.
@rl8429
6 ай бұрын
Retailers that were exclusively online are already expanding with physical stores at top performing malls
@NinjaRunningWild
Ай бұрын
Everything is cyclical. What’s old is new again.
@doehunter
6 ай бұрын
More mall walkers than shoppers.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yeah, I think so too.
@thuncourt013
4 ай бұрын
the empty spot at 7:58 used to be a friendlys in the mid 90s when i was little. every time i walked by there i always smelled the amazing grilled cheese they had cooking in there.
@kabukimanbrazeetoh5664
14 күн бұрын
From 5:11, the corner/diagonal end store was a Things Remembered... (Gift Shoppe, buy ornaments, pens, trinkets and such for coworkers, family, etc.) ... Next, was what used to be a GameStop, for many years, at least 2001 to whatever time, Broadview seemed to have cut in bigly where what used to be GameStop, and right next to it, was Friendly's restaurant. Was on the same side. Following that, the red beams and yellow walls place used to be Champs Sport Goods store, then yes The Avenue, and I'm not sure what the other stores further, before Filene's/Macy's, were. They were either used as galleries, they had Community Acting/Child's Theatre/Plays, which yeah bounced around the mall depending what year. This to say, Friendly's WAS great, even remembering the days of "Smoking, or Non?", though yeah the Rotterdam Friendly's was awesome! Great staff, great food, and yep great atmosphere, maybe even lucky to bump into your friends, family, sweethearts while finding a seat/perusing the menu. 😂 The storefront you see at 7:58, used to be Gertrude Hawk's, there was also a Yankee Candle shoppe right next to it, but what a lovely wing of the mall!! Scented candle shop, Bath & Body Works down the way, but Gertrude Hawke's (I'm not sure the spelling) was a fancier chocolatier, offering various candies and bagged goodies, as well as FRESH (they had a little bar, behind glass) dipped strawberries, bananas, ice cream, in your choice of chocolates, and... Yeah. Magical place there too. Any wonder why they'd dry up, I have fond memories lasting most of my life there, but yeah, uncanny to see like 80% of storefronts shuddered... Even in the Summertime, walking space was a commodity, never even mind the ideas of Harry Potter launches at Waldenbooks, or movie premieres over the years... Ironic enough the great Time Out arcade spot was replaced by a Trustco Bank 🤣 From throwing quarters out of fun and entertainment, to ... Banking practices 😅🤔 Just wanted to help, where Friendly's used to be seems to be dug out by the big boy Broadview (which is a conglomerate bank that took SEFCU from Schenectady) bank, that ... I'm not sure anybody will rush to, though I'd say food and video games have better place in a mall than banks (which I'd reckon already build branches monthly, it's almost comical how in a deep recession and inflation disaster, here comes shiny new bank!!!)... Definitely rather have our Friendly's, B&B Works, even Spencer's leaving the mall was ominous, since surely even the most calloused of souls could still find a laugh or humor, in Spencer's Gifts.
@teeharris5073
6 ай бұрын
A beautiful but dead mall no doubt bout that ❤
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I agree. It's pretty bad.
@shadow_man_exe4727
2 ай бұрын
There used to be a friendly's, a taco bell, a McD's (Though they closed well before the mall started to fail), Boarders Book store Macy's, Radio Shack, Claire's, TJ Max, Bath and Body Works, Spencers, Verizon Mobile, Sprint Mobile, Zumies, Shoe Dept or Show Warehouse (Fuzzy Memory), Wow arcade, Sabaros, DQ (Ice Cream only), FYE. Those are all the stores I remember being there when I sued to go there. I used to work there at the McDonalds.
@shadow_man_exe4727
2 ай бұрын
Its definitely a Dead Mall. I also used to help that Children's theater there. They do some great work for kids. Debut's is all pretty cool. Also a shout out to that Taco Place that is still there. That guy who runs its basically makes Taco Bell style Food but it all taste way better and doesn't make me feel sick after eating it. I recommend. If you ever do an update video, check that place out, I'm sure he could use the business boost. I'd hate to see him go if its still a struggle there. ( I might go there this evening and grab a bite. Id be more of a regular but the mall doesn't really have anything to attract me there. Though this might be a great spot to have group meetups. (Maybe a good spot of card gamers to meet up.)
@Lightsngear
2 ай бұрын
Excellent memory!!
@TyRoGeRs1o2
Ай бұрын
@@shadow_man_exe4727 Don't forget the huge Carousel they used to have at the food court. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rotterdam_Carousel.jpg
@toykeyper8914
Ай бұрын
Malls are just a reflection of society. Shopping in a mall used to be a fun, hands on experience, you went somewhere, socialized, grabbed a bite to eat, did some shopping and you didn't even need to buy anything to have a good time. Now shopping is done online, alone, in a virtual reality instead of a reality...life is slowly turning into this - a reality based on a screen instead of an actual environment and it is sad.
@motivatingbibleverses
6 ай бұрын
A dead mall with a graveyard. Might be a first!
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Well, Palisades Center Mall in New York also has a graveyard, a much larger one, but it's not quite as close as this one. There are probably others out there, I'm not just aware of them. Thanks for watching.
@jcflyer6213
2 ай бұрын
This mall used to be great. I don't know how they keep it open. The food court had McDonalds, Subway, Arby's, Sbarro, Auntie Anne's, Street Corner News and more I can't remember.
@lizzard71
6 ай бұрын
It always surprises me how nice these malls look inside, such a waste with no customers. Also, I like that you drive around the property at the end.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yes, a waste of electricity too. Glad you liked the video! Thanks.
@MrSgm111
6 ай бұрын
Those Christmas snowflake decorations really add to the festive ambience ... and why bother with that tiny tree !
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I'll bet they put up the exact same decorations every year. They probably don't want to pay for a bigger tree.
@jenniferburchill3658
6 ай бұрын
I remember when this mall opened. I was fifteen years old, hobbling with a boot on a broken foot. And no, there were no real refurbishments at any point.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I didn't think so. Thanks for watching!
@rebeccaponce6767
5 ай бұрын
I managed the Sear’s Portrait Studio in 2004. Every storefront was open and the energy was wonderful. I managed Torrid in Crossgates in 2001 or 2002. I remember how energetic the malls were. I visited Albany just before the pandemic and all the malls seemed lackluster. Broke my heart. Even Colony Center didn’t have the same charm.
@Lightsngear
2 ай бұрын
Spelling correction; it's "Colonie" Center. It's in the town of Colonie.
@haydenlaisdell8926
6 ай бұрын
I was there the other day for my 2nd time. To check out the Aquarium and it was nice. But the place is dead. It used to be owned by Wilmorite.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yes, very dead. If I had more time, I would have checked out the aquarium too.
@mikegallant811
6 ай бұрын
Dead Mall for sure,Tom. Probably also a Haunted Mall.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Could be....
@ajvintage9579
6 ай бұрын
Check out Riverfront Mall in Amsterdam, NY. It’s a repurposed dead mall with NY State offices and other businesses inside, and is quintessential 1970s.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Do you mean Riverfront Center? It looks like a strip mall on Google Maps. Thanks.
@stephenpuliafico8812
6 ай бұрын
@@fleabittenadventures yes, they call it the Riverfront Center now. It was a smaller enclosed mall. They have some offices in there now and I believe they are talking about reopening the cinema. They have also added a few entertainment type businesses there recently from what I understand. My mother worked there in the early 80s. It is definitely a dead mall.
@Lightsngear
2 ай бұрын
15:38 That's kind of a cool store with lots of old memorabilia. They're open limited hours - and have a huge rack of old (used) VHS movies for sale.
@SigmaRho2922
6 ай бұрын
70% of the tenants were vacant
@JO7V7VY
2 ай бұрын
i was born 1992 when i was really young maybe 5 or 6 this mall was CRAZYY BUSY! the movie theaters were packed there were any store you could think of in it top Brands zumies pacsun bed bath beyond ["champs" when they were still in business] footlocker macy sears k mart american eagle there were pop up stands everywhere the Food court was most busy there was mcdonalds subway burgerking wendys even a Huge arcade on a staturday or friday there was an easy 2-3 maybe even 4 thousand people jammed into this mall the only thing keeping it alive is the via port and the aqurium other then that this mall has 110% decade in time there are a few malls in upstate ny that are slowly dieing more farther north but the king that sets them all apart is CROSSGATES MALL easy 20-30 thousand people in and out DAILY! parking lots JAMMED PACKED and the only other mall like that is COLONIE CENTER very close maybe 10-20 thousand people Daily but aot of the other malls like rotter dam have been bought out and converted into OPEN strip malls witch do much better
@jasonwright2066
6 ай бұрын
It's definitely a dead mall. I grew up going to this mall when it was Rotterdam Square with family in the late 80's when it opened & through the 90s. It had all your popular stores all the malls had & stayed current until the early 2000's when it started to show its age. I believe its demise was not keeping up on maintenance & updating as the 2 other malls in the area, Colonie Center & Crossgates Mall did. Added with the fact, that area in general has seen an economical decline over the past decade or so. Sad. Would be interested to see you do a walkthrough of Colonie Center and Crossgates Mall in the future.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Makes sense. And I do have videos of Crossgates and Colonie Center coming up. I have a backlog of something like 20 mall videos.... I'll get to them eventually.
@jasonwright2066
6 ай бұрын
Enjoy your content. Take your time.
@bklyncyclist
6 ай бұрын
I've been to 3 or 4 malls in the last year, after not being in one for at least 10 years, and 2 of those were Colonie Center and Crossgates. And this is because the Tesla Superchargers are there. One of the others was Destiny Mall in Syracuse, which is huge but appears to be dying. The one relatively lively one though was Short Hills in NJ, and every luxury brand store is in there like Prada, Gucci, YSL. etc... Oh, I guess a fifth mall would be Kings Plaza in Brooklyn. Living in NYC though you never went to the mall much anyway, it required a special trip out to the burbs.
@Madness832
6 ай бұрын
There's a radio station in the mall (w/ a parody of the old MTV logo). That's new!
@hahayeahokaynope
6 ай бұрын
Latham Circle Mall in (duh) Latham, NY had WGNA studios upstairs. That, and Mildred Elley school.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yeah, I wonder if they actually broadcast out of there. It looked empty when I walked past it.
@Lightsngear
2 ай бұрын
@@fleabittenadventures There's a small (working) studio adjacent to the main space. They moved (within the mall) at least twice before settling into the space. If you recall, to the left of the original Sears entrance, is an area of marshland, and the reasonably small "antenna" right in the center of it, is where that station (1240 AM) transmits from.
@The_Amazing_Dip
6 ай бұрын
Am I the only one that notices that in almost everyone of his videos there's the same music and a baby crying?
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Good ear. I got a copyright claim for a few minutes of the video, so I had to mute some of the actual audio and replace it with audio from another video of mine.
@BlueWkd2124
2 ай бұрын
I went to Rotterdam Square every single Black Friday with my Mom, Aunt, and Grandma from the late 90's to the early mid 2000's. I didn't do much of the shopping, as I was a young teen at the time and was just brought to be the bag carrier. This place was absolutely full of people year round but especially packed during Black Friday's. Sometime in the early 2000's we didn't go during a Black Friday due to weather and would be the last time I'd be inside this mall. I thoroughly miss the days walking through these places. There was pretty much every staple 90's business in this mall and i visited every single one of them. I bought my first Pokémon game here, Pokémon Gold from KB Toys! Even got a pet Hamster here. There was a cookie place that sold delicious M&M cookies that I've never been able to find any other place that duplicated the taste. From the different smells of the stores you walk past and how the smells would combine with other shops, to the sounds your feet made when you walked on the tiled floor, to the sounds of conversation echoing off different parts of the mall, to the open sound of the water fountains, to the combined rabble of all the people at the food court, there was so many different things you'll only ever experience inside a huge ass mall like this. I've heard others say that if they knew they were doing something for the last time, they would in the moment appreciate that thing all the more, and I really feel that way when I think about the experience's I had with the handful of Malls the capital region of NY had. It greatly saddens me most are gone, a distant memory, and have no video of what they looked like. I'm thankful I had a chance to experience that uniqueness of Malls as a 90's kid. Maybe someday society decides to take a step back and slow down some, Online stores decide to try retro stuff and go back to physical locations and things like Malls can be a thing again. Now that I'm in my late 30's it would be cool experience something like this one more time. Thanks for the video and the brief trip down memory lane
@renardfranse
6 ай бұрын
Kohan, Moonbeam or Namdar, the kiss of death trifecta!
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I haven't run across Moonbeam yet, but Kohan and Namdar for sure.
@jong.7944
6 ай бұрын
"They built the mall right next to a cemetery - you can see it right here." OK, maybe they shouldn't really lead with that as their sales pitch. 🤣
@andysorensen1737
6 ай бұрын
Imagine the missed opportunities, especially around Halloween!
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I think they try to ignore it and hope most people don't notice.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
True.
@BreakTime10101
6 ай бұрын
It’s dead Tom. So sad what has happened to all of these malls. And do they think a sign is going to keep people out of the state offices? They need a secured door there.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yeah, I almost walked in there by accident. Hopefully the doors are locked once you get inside.
@BAMAJiPS
2 ай бұрын
Suburban sprawl doesnt work. Urban works. Rural works. Suburban is a fantasy and the cycle of new retail space (strip or enclosed) gets filled (nowdays its hard to fill a brand new strip mall)... older malls lose tenants because people want to be in the shiny new part of town... then rinse and repeat. There is a life cycle of the suburban mall. If you have to drive to it and cant walk/train/monorail etc, then its just a matter of time before it dies.
@ajvintage9579
6 ай бұрын
I believe there was a Sears here back in the day.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yes, it's next to the aquarium.
@kandy-fv3ir
6 ай бұрын
Its definatly dead it's sad malls are extinct today
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I agree. Thanks for watching.
@AWB-Official-u1b
6 ай бұрын
I miss those good times where Malls used to be packed, but now online shopping has taken malls down.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Pretty much, with a few rare exceptions.
@derryXDINES
6 ай бұрын
I live 5 minutes away and haven't been there in 5 years, and that was for only the aquarium. There are actually more stores operating in your video than I figured were there!
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I didn't count the open vs closed stores, but it's got to be at least 70% vacant?
@bradye21playsIndieHorror
6 ай бұрын
Not sure if 21:36 is clever ("BING-O.K.!") or just too lazy/cheap to repaint. Thanks for the update video although I see absolutely nothing has changed in years.
@chrislaustin
6 ай бұрын
First off, that cemetery is creepy AF, and is a perfect example of money trumping decency any chance it gets, but that being said, back to the mall. It's for sure a dead mall, but I would say it's the most "lived in" mall I've seen that I would say is dead. Most dead malls the planters are empty or gone, tiles are missing from the floor and this mall looks well maintain, so can a nice looking mall still be dead? Even though many shops were closed, they had inventory on the floor and looked ready for business, which is something else not typical of dead malls. With the arcade being closed Mon & Tues, maybe other shops have that same policy as maybe the mall is way empty on those days? It for sure looked more dead from the outside, as it needed paint and the asphalt looked beat, but that aquarium art looked amazing. That fountain was insane, and that's a feature I miss as well, but that one was huge(to big IMO), and I can see why it closed, the up keep had to be massive. Every generation since forever loses something with the passage of time and as a kid of the 70's & 80's, the mall is mine, as they are gone or dying never to return. The only thing better than an amusement park growing up for me was a trip to the mall, and in some cases, the mall was still better. I grew up in Los Angeles, so we had some of the best, one of which was "Old Towne Mall" in Torrance. Not to far from Del Amo which is still open and at one point one of the countries biggest and best malls(might still be). Well Old Towne actually had 2 dark rides in the mall, a shooting gallery, carousel and often felt like a Renaissance fair meets a Sid & Marty Croft fever dream. As it had people making things in real time, like candles, metal work, the planters had trees and old style street lamps, it was truly one of a kind. And a lot of it's best stuff was gone or had stopped by the time I became a regular and it was still insanely awesome. If anyone wants to see it, here's a link: kzitem.info/news/bejne/lJehz4ibkJlkmmk
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching. Yes, I think a dead mall can be well maintained. Monmouth Mall is a good example. Even Hudson Valley mall is well maintained, but it's almost empty.
@chrislaustin
6 ай бұрын
@@fleabittenadventuresYeah, it's just so rare to see, as many "dead" malls have been on life support for ages, so up keep is just not done most of the time(completely understandable). But this place looked great, I wish I was in the area so I could visit as it gives off some of the older mall vibes of my youth.
@josephthrush
Ай бұрын
I remember being 15 thinking how cool it was sad how much it's gone
@Invaderjason123
2 ай бұрын
Since filming this, half if not more of those stores are gone now too. The movie theater, The 99, and the shoe store was the only reason to go. 99 and the movie theater is still there. A great and affordable way to see movies is what's keeping it afloat. The arcade is not bad but it's no Dave & Busters.
@renardfranse
6 ай бұрын
should be called rotting damn!
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Pretty much.
@ChefWood-pc1vu
Күн бұрын
My hometown mall!!! Rotterdam, Mohawk ughhhh 90s Friday nights at these malls 😢😢
@USERNAME1-x5u
2 ай бұрын
Nothing brings me to the mall unless there is an old cemetary inside.
@SergeyKasimov
Ай бұрын
You missed opportunity to go to the aquarium
@fleabittenadventures
Ай бұрын
Yes, I would have loved to visit the aquarium, but I didn't have time. I had to get to something like 7 malls that day.
@SergeyKasimov
Ай бұрын
@@fleabittenadventures can you do this again we need that aquarium covered
@RicksTravelogue
6 ай бұрын
I believe this mall was at one point owned by the same company that owned Wilton Mall in Saratoga, and they too had that kind of water fountain over in the center of the mall.
@whocares8737
2 ай бұрын
I lived in a town Rotterdam Junction near by, this mall dying was like an era dying. When Kmart was gone it was official, and it was very sad.. this mall holds many childhood memories and I still will walk the mall just for fun and the memories sometimes.
@whocares8737
2 ай бұрын
I may add, the movie theater is the best around. Good seats, good prices!
@Lightsngear
2 ай бұрын
Yes... it was very sad when K-Mart left. I did a lot of shopping there. Sears had been dying very slowly for a long time before they finally closed it up.
@lvasquez1123
Ай бұрын
Great content. Get to learn about new england in a different way
@fleabittenadventures
Ай бұрын
Thank you! I appreciate it!
@doug2078
2 ай бұрын
I had friends that worked as security guards their back in the early 90's . Spent many hours walking around during the weekends. The mall has busy back then. The fountain was super cool when it was new . I saw "My cousin Vinny " and Terminator 2 there. Didn't know the carousel was in Florida !! Great job ! You definitely did your homework
@ocsrc
6 ай бұрын
I remember this mall. It existed before 87. I remember going to see movies at the movie theater in the rear of the mall. It was separate entrance but attached to the mall. I remember driving out to the theater because they were an independent theater and they showed the NC-17 and NR films no other theater would show, back in the 80s and early '90s before the Internet. I remember that they only showed the NC-17 and NR movies at Midnight. The movies were never that great, which was a real disappointment. The other theater that was independent the year that the film Showgirls was released was at Exit 2 Central Ave across from Colonie Center. There was a stand alone box retailer around back and the theater was before you got to that retailer. I remember going to see Showgirls, the NR version, at that theater in the middle of the day and there were about 4 older women and 2 younger couples and myself and that was it. It was really cool because the older women all yelled at the same time in one scene that I took wanted to yell. Really awesome There were some movies that were just incredible seeing in the theater. Event Horizon was one of those films that was incredible
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I'm just going off of what I read on the internet and that indicated a late 80's opening date. Could be wrong though. Thanks for all the info.
@Silentbobx
6 ай бұрын
Such a shame to see all those stores closed up. 😢
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
It seems to be happening almost everywhere nowadays.
@ruby055
6 ай бұрын
No refurbishments I can see. I took a co op job while in college at Northeastern University in Boston for 6mo. working in nearby Schenectady at GE in late 88 early 89. That interior looks the same. I lived in Clifton Park but used to go every week mostly at lunch.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yeah, I don't see any indication of refurbishments. Thanks for watching.
@craglabrake6802
6 ай бұрын
Thank you for this video! It was cool and interesting!
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
@craglabrake6802
6 ай бұрын
@@fleabittenadventures you are welcome Tom!
@reizendecamera
6 ай бұрын
Rotterdam? uuhm I live in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yes. It's also the name of a neighboring town in New York.
@chad2787
6 ай бұрын
I wonder when that theater originally closed? I worked at a Loews back in the 90s. We were the only one around that wasn't rebranded Sony. It was subsequently demolished around '03 when Sony built a 14 screen cineplex a couple blocks over.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Not sure. I didn't find that in my research. Thanks for watching.
@doriancarnesi1727
23 күн бұрын
Thanks for an overall look at this mall… I just moved from Long Island to cobleskill… you actually made it that much easier to not come here knowing there are no longer retail stores open… I truly miss hands on merchandise and walking from store to store… Great exercise in between shopping… 😊 definitely got my steps in….now the only exercise you get is you’re fingers ordering on line!!!!😩especially coming from Long Island with so many stores to choose from… I so missed 😢 By watching this it’s looks like a ghost town… Even showing from outside of the mall… Many thanks for sharing this video!!!!🤗
@lisajayne7894
16 күн бұрын
I'm so glad you mentioned the size and depth of the fountains in this video. When the mall first opened, the fountain was so loud (the acoustical architecture around it was poorly executed), and so overly powerful that it was impossible to hear anyone near you and the marble floors became incredibly slippery. I can't remember what the remedy was, but at first they just turned the fountain off. I think they found a way to lower the volume of water to reduce the volume of noise but I don't know if my memories are completely accurate. I can't find any articles about it. The only other memory I have is that they opened up a stand in the food court called "Corn Dog on a Stick", and I laughed every time I saw it. And there was an awesome Ferris wheel in a sunny cove in the food court.
@tjb12309
19 күн бұрын
I opened the GameStop in this mall back in 2001-2002. This mall used to be so busy on the weekends. Sad to see what it’s become.
@JoJo-ie8sl
6 ай бұрын
Looks dead to me. I think I read somewhere under 50% capacity for stores is dying and this is way under that
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yeah, it definitely meets that definition. Thanks for watching.
@BAMAJiPS
2 ай бұрын
I would think SOME income would be better than none and a way to jumpstart/defibrilate a mall is to get several small stores to join at ridiculous low introductory rates... yes the stores already there would revolt but their rents could be renegotiated on and incentives given to stay.. Anyhow... get 10 businesses to sign a lease with super low teaser rates that ramp up over time contingent in mall growth/foot traffic targets... But who am I kidding. You know businesses in NYC remain empty and wont take lower rents because the buildings are in investment portfolios... so ifnrents go down, the building value goes down and wipes out "assets" so its a game of chicken. I dont known what I'm talking about, I'm just a random guy on the internet. Malls are stupid and bad investments which are driven by our car centric society where you have to drive TO the mall, rather than proper urban planning where you exist IN the mall and live above the mall... Suburban cities dont work. All malls (strip or enclosed) decay and suburban sprawl requires neverending growth. Old strip malls die, new same old thing springs up in a hotter part of town only to die the same death 20-30 years later. Rinse and repeat.
@OriginalNethead
6 ай бұрын
If the Bath and Bodyworks pulled out, shutting off the lights was a good call on the power company's part.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I agree. Thanks for watching.
@johnpritchard-sy3ri
6 ай бұрын
I think you need to go back to the mall there's other things going on in this mall than you think it's building itself back up
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Someday, but it's too far for me to go again anytime soon.
@dougbollacker5444
Ай бұрын
It used to have mcdonalds,taco bell,kmart,sears,where the carousel was my friend had a bounce house attraction she ran for a few years. There used to be a arcade near the foodcourt where the bathrooms are. That became a bank after. It had a Friendly's and a Champs all sport. Gamestop was in there until 2014 I think. Used to be a huge fountain by the movie theater. Mall opened in 1990 so it's 34 years old.
@TheWiles200
Ай бұрын
I'm honestly surprised the FYE hung on as long as it did. Back in it's heyday this was a solid mall to go to when you didn't feel like driving all the way to Albany or Utica.
@Thomas-yr9ln
6 ай бұрын
I keep getting the name of it wrong but the mall close to king Road and Tully was my teenage and childhood memories. When I was a little boy it was a Golf course. They knocked a ball over the fence they would give me a dime for everyone I brought back. Then all of a sudden they got really rude and wanted me to hunt them for free. Maybe they thought they would scare a little boy. From that time on every time I found one on the way to school I would hide it in my pocket. After a few months I had quite a collection of golf balls at home 😅😅
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Ha ha. Good times.
@MrHitman73
Ай бұрын
I remember Christmas shopping there back in it's hey day. The old K-Mart is now a Bingo hall (as shown towards the end of your video). The movie theater is still pretty nice and the China Wok in the food court is pretty good too. I have a hard time calling it Viaport and still call it Rotterdam Mall lol.
@throughdude23
Ай бұрын
This was a great mall but starting in the early 2000's people thought it was more fun to drive all the way to colonies and cross gates. Bet folks wish they still had this backyard gem . There was the world of science, KB toys, radio shack, Spencer's, and an fye. The mall now is used in my opinion as a money laundering operation by the Turkish owners. If you look into all three or four dead malls they bought look just as dead. There also used to be an express, structure, Victoria secret, and a champs sports store. They had a finish line, foot locker, Kay jeweler, Hallmark, American eagle, gap and even a dollar store and a CVS. How you see the mall in the video is the busiest it gets. Most of the fly by night shops are only open a few hours a day for a few days a week.
@Ghostrob2023
Ай бұрын
In the video, to your left was either a candle store or a similar store like Bath & Body Works, and on the right was a Champs store. And there was bowling inside the game place.
@pastavahzool
Ай бұрын
Zumies was the store with the stained glass. Then the store with the Statue of Liberty in the window was a spencers..the memories
@juicylee1015
Ай бұрын
This mall was built when I moved to Rotterdam and it was the first this I remember seeing. It had the carousel in the main window and looked amazing! I spent so much time there as a kid and teenager. It was the go to spot. I worked in the food court. The fountain was great! We would always throw Pennie’s in it and sometimes steal quarters out of it😂 Great memories! It’s definitely dead.
@lponm
Ай бұрын
I can imagine removing a fountain also helps significantly with property liability insurance.
@mibik279
2 ай бұрын
This mall has always been a dead mall because of colonie center and crossgates mall. Just look at the northway mall. Not much different.
@KimL1000
2 ай бұрын
Back in the good old days when the mall was alive I did overnight security. Sadly this mall is dead and forgotten. Between Crossgates mall and General Electric the area died.
@8543960
Ай бұрын
Kohan owned the Berkshires Mall in Lanesboro, MA. He ran that one into the ground as well.
@NorthRiverTV
Ай бұрын
Anchor stores leaving / going out of business just killed it. Was nice & modern when it opened, but it's location was not the best - it just sputtered along for years n years. With other offerings in the region, there just wasn't a big reason for anybody to go there. Mohawk Mall had much more visual/stylistic appeal, and even they couldn't survive the classic anchor store closing period. JCP, Kmart, Sears all had better locations elsewhere. Macy's and Filene's also had more central locations, and may have been a bit too high end for Schenectady County back then. The old fountains were really nice, but removed for liability/insurance and upkeep reasons.
@PrAiiSeIVIE
2 ай бұрын
I grew up in Schenectady, I didn’t frequent Rotterdam Square mall, I probably go more now than I did when the mall was at its peak! There’s just a lot of competition in the area, Crossgates, Colonie Center, Latham Circle Mall (now dead and gone) and Clifton Park Center (somewhat dead, but has enough to hang on). All these malls were pretty much within 20 minutes of each other! I take my daughter to the aquarium now, she really likes it. It’s a tad redundant for adults, but for kids it seems like a blast, and looks to draw a good crowd. The movie theater is very modern, with fancy reclining seats and is always empty, which I love! Great video!
@Garrett-Prod
Ай бұрын
Yeah, the omly way is if someone is dumb enough to invest in it. Just go to crossgates it is like 20 minutes and has so much more
@Steve.Cutler
6 ай бұрын
When going into places you might be allowed, sometimes you can say "can you tell me where the bathroom is" as soon as you encounter someone. That was a huge kmart!!
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Good suggestion.
@arosenweig
6 ай бұрын
You are better off going to the Albany area malls such as Colonie Center or Crossgates. Both are much better. Kohan is terrible. They don’t care about revitalizing their malls. They need to pay their bills. If Kohan cannot pay their bills, the cities and towns should shut down the company.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I have videos of both those malls coming up shortly. And yes, they are FAR superior malls, no question.
@arosenweig
6 ай бұрын
It’s good you have videos of the better malls. Some of the nicer and better known retailers and restaurants will leave the dying malls as soon as they hear Kohan or Namdar has purchased their mall because they are concerned about reputation. I know Apple and Cheesecake Factory try very hard to avoid opening stores in dying malls.
@santafredny6575
2 ай бұрын
Unfortunately, the Wintertime Wonderland has closed since you were there.
@ronhoover5516
6 ай бұрын
13:35 What, no candy purchase? LOL
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I know. I forgot my quarters....
@ronhoover5516
6 ай бұрын
@@fleabittenadventures I kid I kid...keep em comin. Good stuff!
@AndrewTarwerdi
Ай бұрын
Used to come here a lot as a kid. Saw “Flight” here at the movie theater. Have not yet been to the aquarium.
@rightousray2
Ай бұрын
I grew up going to this mall. Definitely dead now.
@RamsPatsJags14
2 ай бұрын
This mall was dead like 20 years ago. Feels like they just redid it a few years ago to revive it
@12inch_monster
6 ай бұрын
mom & pop stores in prime spaces are signs your mall is dying
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
I agree.
@rodrickadamginsburg8960
Ай бұрын
I remember the Ninja Turtles coming here in the 80s.
@LaurenGlenn
Ай бұрын
They should just turn these into apartments or condos.
@nonymo99
6 ай бұрын
go to the king of prussia mall or the mall of america!
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Someday
@BoomlandJenkins
6 ай бұрын
"Sears enthusiasts" ... really? Is this a thing?!
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Definitely! There's entire websites and Facebook pages dedicated to Sears and Kmart, etc...
@rodrickadamginsburg8960
Ай бұрын
My mother used to put on Fashion Shows there in the 90s.
@John-tp5eh
Ай бұрын
Super taco still has the subway ambiance tiles
@John-tp5eh
Ай бұрын
I never realized how simular this is to wilton mall
@lancelane217
Ай бұрын
Living in the area, I can honestly say this is a dead mall.
@Queendreamer
Ай бұрын
They actually shifted the mall to accommodate the cemetery
@NELT_
2 ай бұрын
Lived here for 15 years i remember when it was busy
@MeganTeeluckLMTNationallyLicen
Ай бұрын
7:55 Gertrude Hawk Chocolates
@holidaykrazy
5 ай бұрын
Looks like the Avenue may have been a Fashion Bug
@amberperkins9382
6 ай бұрын
It's dead
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Agreed.
@danielnelson5421
Ай бұрын
Compared to Colonie Center and crossgates from the last time I visited Rotterdam square/ via port it’s definitely dead for the sense of shopping. The aquarium and local are the only things that keep people coming to that mall especially on the weekends. Timeline 90s to early 2010s mall was afloat, mid 2010s to 2020 dying, after 2021 onwards died
@danielnelson5421
Ай бұрын
It was definitely a shame this mall was practically dying in front of my eyes, I grew up going to that mall, it sucks seeing the results
@avgjoeavglife
6 ай бұрын
So..... it's not haunted? also the names of towns in New York are wacky LOL.
@ajvintage9579
6 ай бұрын
They’re Native American and Dutch names.
@avgjoeavglife
6 ай бұрын
@@ajvintage9579OK, that explains it.
@fleabittenadventures
6 ай бұрын
Yes. Schenectady is a tongue twister for me.
@cassandrahoward9800
2 ай бұрын
Once the malls die, this channel will die.
@TheCheshireCat1848
2 ай бұрын
There was an american eagle I remember that
@macktheknife4896
2 ай бұрын
this was a banging mall back in thhe day.was always busy
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