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Some of my stories... I may have posted this before, but I worked there in 1987. My first job out of high school was at the DEB Shop. I believe DEB was at this point in your video 4:34. Straight ahead (all glass store front). It looks like it was updated or changed to something else. When I worked there it had ugly mirror-like square bubbles all over the front and big purple lit up DEB in the middle. I remember being told to go dust/windex them once a week. So way back when, the store had yucky purple shag carpet that I vacuumed diligently almost every day. We had a pay phone to make calls because the owners didn't trust us. Seriously, we put money in the pay phone to call customers etc. and put it on a paid out log. Chains hung from the ceiling for purses to clip on with S hooks. We received more cash back then than credit cards. Credit cards required a phone call for approvals. We used knuckle busters to imprint the cards. There were no bar codes only sku numbers on the tags, so everything was hand entry. Some of our biggest Christmas shopping days, brought in $6,000.00 in cash or more. Lori and Dori (Reba) the conjoined twins liked to shop at our store. I helped them a few times. They were on Sally Jesse Raphael once. Oh, we played a local radio station for music through the speakers. Stores don't do that anymore. My car was rear ended in the parking lot there, a guy had put his mother's car in reverse stepped on the gas hard, and crammed my 1969 Oldsmobile right into 2 other cars, then took off. Police found him, never got a dime for it. Nice video thanks Dan! Sad that times change...and malls have to die.

Dead Mall Directory: 1. GNC 2. Bath & Body Works 3. Radio Shack 4. Nail Salon 5. Subway 6. Gum ball kiosk

2015: Let's not recommend this to anyone 2020: Now's a good time

When life hands you lemons, leave the lemonade machine on

Long after the roaches have become extinct you will still be able to shop at GNC and Bath and Bodyworks.

I always wonder how old the candy is in those candy machines.

Geez, Bath & Body Works is a staple on Dead Malls, it's been in almost every dead mall video you've done!

GNC is also a dead mall staple.

That fast food restaurant was an Arby's. I ate there with my Dad after we saw Superman 2 at the theater. Arby's was giving away posters of Superman carrying the American flag. Same theater I saw nearly every one of the great 80's movies I grew up with. The record store I bought my first Sex Pistols album was there. I spent a ton of money at Golden Eagle Comics and the toy section of Bocov's while I waited for my Mom.

I use to hang out at this mall all the time as a teenager. It was such a great place back in the 90s. Fun fact, the mall is supposedly haunted. Some people have claimed to see an old race car driver wandering around underneath that odd clock.

Dan has a very soothing voice. If there was ever panic and chaos in a mall he was in he could get on the PA and diffuse the situation.

Most of my happy life happens here, but that's long gone, and I'm crying, I grew up here...

It does seem a lot in these US malls as soon as JCPenney and/or Sears leaves the building, it's pretty much the nail in the coffin for the place.

Makes me sad when I see the elderly walking through these dead malls. It’s just signifies the passing of a generation. One day things we all hold dear will be gone and the memories in our heads will die with us.

I live near there and I went there as a kid, around 2000-2003, and I absolutely loved it. It was huge and full of stores and neat displays and such, I used to ask my mom to take me there all the time, and now its completely dead. I went a few years ago, I think the same year you shot this, it was so empty I wasn't even sure if it was open. After about 5 minutes of walking around, I decided to go to the Berkshire mall a few minutes away, which was much more cleaned up and actually had stores. I honestly couldn't believe the place I so adored is just barren and dead.

The dynamics of this situation are amazing....and a bit perplexing. There has to be some kind of 'tipping point' where the vendors, one by one, left but were not replaced by fresh businesses, causing an eventual landslide. The only thing that seems to come to mind, is that the complex owners got too greedy and cut their own throats. It's highly unlikely that the entire patronage just decided to never come back.

So many dead malls in Pennsylvania damn.

I have a medical issue and I'm stuck to a recliner for the time being. I've spent all day watching the Dead Mall Series by Dan Bell. These are some really good videos. I'm about to head on to your abandoned playlist. Thanx Dan

"This is something you don't see every day, but here we are... seeing this". That cracked me up.

Like sand through an hourglass, these are the malls of our lives

@7:12 - $0.75 for a refill? No wonder the mall is dead.

Your videos are great! I love the whole presentation of them, the camera angles, the commentary and the distant seeburg sounding music just ties it all together.

I worked here at Boscovs during my high school and college years. The mall was built onto Boscovs, which was freestanding for many years prior. The Reading Fair was held behind the mall for quite a few years. It is sad, because this was once a busy, bustling place and one that I have very fond memories of during my high school and college years. I can probably answer any questions as to what certain empty spaces once held. Very interesting series!

A few other comments... Thanks for showing how sad this mall has become. It was the place to be as a kid in the city of Reading in the late 80's and early 90's. They did refurbish the movie theaters there a few years ago and they are pretty decent and do get some good traffic. Muhlenberg township is pronounce like Mule en berg. Finally, it's not the township that supported this mall with customers, it was the city of Reading (pronounced Redding - think of monopoly and Reading Railroad) that supplied this mall with a constant influx of customers when their were stores like Footlocker, Spencer's, Radio Shack, Burger King, Arby's and a ton of other chains. The Fairground Square mall is a reflection of how broke the city has become over the years with little to no jobs. There was also Boscov's there which is a PA based store like Macy's. As well as many others. Quite sad to see it so empty and leaking. You're right though, that is the worst parking lot/road I've ever seen. So many potholes. Thankfully the Reading Farmers Market next store is still doing well.

The leaky roof problem might be why the trees are doing so well.

The music. THE MUSIIIIICCCC!!!

I have always thought an old mall would be a perfect college or school. That would be a great secondary life for these spaces plus the school districts could save millions by not building new and picking these up for pennies on the dollar. The infrastructures are there, too.

My family always took my brother and I to this store when we were young. The restaurant in question was an old Arbys! There was also a comic book store I went to as a tween in the early 2010s to play competitive yugioh. It's heartbreaking and amazing how whenever I think that mall is dead, it manages to die even more. I hope when the mall eventually shuts down, they don't let it rot away...

All the contactor work that goes into these malls is amazing. The tile/stone/wood/electrical/HVAC/ceiling/glass/painting/plumbing and design. It is sad to see that work waste away.

what do people DO any more? Malls are deserted, parks are empty, bars and nightclubs are tombs. Apart from major league sports, school sports and minor league teams draw small crowds. Actually the whole country seems to be living in a fog of depression. People seem to just go to work and then home.

Man that was a depressing arcade...

I went to visit this mall today...had to see in person how bad it has become since my husband and I used to run a store in there...we left back in 2002 because we saw the mall struggling back then...the store we ran there closed 4 years later. The fast-food place you wondered about was an Arby's when we were there...they were one of our competitors and the place with the crazy fence-like gate was another competitor of ours, Taco Casa. It's really sad to see what has become of this mall...it had a lot of nice shops when we were there. There is still one food place in the mall though...in Boscov's there's a restaurant called "The Greenery"...you can get to it from the outside or through the infants/girls section. Also wanted to say...the mall is even more dead now...THE ARCADE HAS CLOSED. But amazingly the mall had more people in it then when you did your video... most of the people I saw though were in Burlington Coat Factory, Boscov's, and the Comic Book Store...the Comic Book Store actually had an overflow into the food court. By the way, you may want to do one of these videos on the "Designers Palace" at the VF Factory Outlets...only 1 store in there...Reading China and Glass, I guess the Philadelphia Outlets took away a lot of the business from that building .

Love the Muzak version of Song Sung Blue!!! Takes me back!

Man... the music... sure makes these videos!

gotta love the young and restless music

Thanks Dan, my first retail management job was at Fairgrounds Square. I worked at the DEB shop as Assistant Manager, in 1988. From your video, I couldn't quite tell where it had been though. (It's been long time) So sad to see malls dying, and it has an eerie vibe to it, because it's supposed to be full of life.

That empty arcade place was incredibly depressing.

This is the only mall vid I’ve seen on KZfaq where some security guy on a power trip didn’t tell you you couldn’t film here.

Malls nowadays are basically an indoor exercise track for old people

I used to work at Met-Ed/First Energy which is very close to this mall. I watched as it slid into oblivion. I never lived in the Reading area however, I commuted from the Allentown area, 35 miles northeast. Our mall, The Lehigh Valley Mall is actually doing extremely well and is over 90 percent occupied. Reading, PA where this mall is located was declared the poorest city per capita in the country by the federal government in 2012. Reading proper reflects this fact.

This used to be my main mall . its was the best on in Reading PA . its so sad to see how it is now from your vid . I miss Taco Casa & the Arcade 😖😖😖 & btw the ceiling damage is from the serious hailstorm we had , the glass shattered on the roof . now the main mall is Berkshire Mall

Former stores in the mall include a Chinese restaurant, Foot Locker, Spencer's, Hallmark, Deb, and Waldenbooks. Of all the malls in the dead mall series, this is the closest one to me. It began to struggle around 2013 and is just getting worse. Although the new owner, Hull Property Group, is planning to revitalize the mall.

"The Young and The Restless" TV soap opera theme gives it the feeling of good times lost and only memories remain.

Dan Bell has a unique talent of making something out of nothing. Why did i watch this? No clue. I've been to these places.

Some of these malls depressingly remind me of what was once the main mall in my area. They opened in the '70s and did really well... until a bigger mall opened about 10 miles away in the early '90s. Slowly, the old mall lost more and more tenants, and the ones that came in to replace them got lower and lower in quality. The last time I was in there before it closed, they had what almost looked like a flea market table set up in the middle of the mall selling discount watches and other junk. The newer mall is still doing well enough, but I worry that won't be true 5 years down the line...

I live only 5-10 minutes from this mall. The arcade, New York Department Store, and Payless closed. Schuylkill Valley Sports relocated outside the mall. You were right, Subway and the other eatery were walled off.

I cannot believe this has happened. Just 4 years ago, I was there and there were people. I live closer to the Berkshire Mall so it's not that much of a loss, but I really did like this place.

I was just there today (July 19, 2015) and I wanted to add a few observations. As already noted, the Family Fun Center is now closed. Also, the lettering from the closed kickboxing gym has been removed and the closed Subway and neighboring eatery have been walled off. Pretzel Gourmet is still in business. But despite a schedule saying they are open Sundays they were closed today. I guess it's just open whenever the owner feels like it. You can smell cigar smoke outside the cigar shop. I totally forgot to pay attention to the trees and that clock up on the ceiling. Finally, I saw no buckets or wet floor signs despite last night's thunderstorm. Did they really fix the roof??

can anyone tell me why in some of his videos of abandon malls, there is people walking around aimlessly?

Reading PA resident reporting in. Somehow the mall is still open. The Golden Eagle comic shop near the beginning and the Boscov's are pretty much the only places keeping that mall open. The tabled you see in the jewelry store are used for Magic: The Gathering events when the comic book shop needs space. Also, the fast food place you asked about was an Arby's

9:39 "No teenagers on kiddie rides" ≥20 year olds: ( ͡✪ ͜ʖ ͡✪)

Old people: "i come here for the music."

7:13 "Song Sung Blue" by Neil Diamond

They tore down a great dirt racetrack, Reading Fairgrounds speedway to build this thing. Track had a storied history. Legends that raced there were Kenny Brightbill, Dick Tobias, Gerald Chamberlain to name a few. Tear down the mall and put the track back!

My mom worked in the one hair salon here for many years. I used to hang out here all the time and it was definitely a happening place. It’s so sad to me to see what it’s become, especially because of the nostalgia of it all. Used to hang out in the arcade all day. I visited 2 years ago and it was a ghost town. RIP

Man, that lemonade @ 8:20 looks nasty.

The mall of my youth! I could tell you what many of those stores were back in the day. Only 3 or 4 stores that I saw have been there since the early days. The cinema, pretzel place, arcade and "Your Bet" are all original but that wing had a life of it's own thanks to the movies. Boscovs at one end next to the GNC and a Chick Fil-A. The mall had three jewelry stores at one point. Kay's is now "K's" Gold/Pawn apparently. Very depressing but thanks for sharing.

I have been to this mall so many times. That restaurant you were questioning was once a Burger king and even before that an Arby's. I visited this mall about a month ago. I counted and only about 10 stores were left. GNC, New York, Suit Fashion, SV Sports, Le's Nails, Payless ShoeSource, and more have closed. But happily, a kind-of antique shop recently opened in the former FYE.

these shows are oddly addictive,but still can't put my finger on why i keep watching them.

I recall this mall being built. The area was very different back then. As the years went by the clientele went down hill and no one with money to spend wanted to be here. Those with money went to the Berkshire Mall. Now that this mall is dead, the unsavory clientele are infecting that mall too. The whole area is a victim of the cancer that is Reading - which is ironic because the malls were blamed for killing the former downtown shopping district.

The closed fast food place was an Arby's. This was "my mall" growing up. That Subway was a Chick-Fil-A, then a random Mexican place too.

I think that was the saddest arcade I have ever seen.

You made my day with this one Dan... or depressed me beyond comprehension--not sure. I managed the FYE store you show in this video from 2001-2004. Lots of good times there, but even back then it was a struggling mall. Nobody seemed to care even then & there were constant rumors of closing. Most of the stores were budget & even the JCP was an "outlet" store. Somebody dumped a ton of money into the movie theatre, but that was about it. Everything else just kind of existed...nothing thrived & nobody cared. The karate studio was forced to leave when they got that letter you talk about. They would not renew their lease. I am told they moved to a new location, but I don't know where.

They are playing the theme to Love Story... a song from the 70's about tragic loss

LOL 75 cents for refills, I promise you Subway is the grimiest, most greedy place I ever encountered, they are sneaky and sly about it, but they treat their employees terrible, their managers worse, and their practices are borderline illegal.

I used to work at this mall from 1995-2002 during summers in high school and college. I worked at the Keyboard World. At the 9:00 mark, the fast food restaurant was an Arby's. Funny story, I actually worked there for all of 2 hours. On a break, I went over to the piano store directly across, and sat down and played (I actually was going to college for music performance) and the guy who managed the piano store offered me a job for .50 more an hour than the Arby's did. So, I went over and quit the job at Arby's and basically got paid to practice the piano all summer.

I used to go to Kutztown University in the early to mid 2010s, which is about 20 minutes from this mall. My ex and I used to go here to go to the movie theater because it gave student discounts, and then sometimes walk around the mall afterwards. It was such a weird sight seeing it so empty and devoid of activity. And what Dan said in the beginning is true- I have never seen a parking lot with so many potholes. It was treacherous just to navigate it. It's very surreal to see this mall in such a popular KZfaq video. This video is truly the mall's legacy.

This was one of my two childhood malls. The other was the nearby Berkshire Mall, and although they’ve gained the advantage over the Fairgrounds Square Mall, they’re also beginning to decline, particularly due to the loss of anchor stores Bon-Ton and Sears, which left only a few months apart from each other. Unfortunately, they’ve mostly demolished this shopping mall, though I remember visiting here countless times. Golden Eagle Comics & Cards was definitely among the staples, and once the mall closed, they simply relocated to just outside the complex. I recommend that you all check them out, as they’ve got some nice stuff. Also, the once space that Dan Bell questioned was formerly an Arby’s. Also, the Family Fun Center was once the home of the comic book store.

Every closed store is a crushed dream

😩 I used to hang out here every day with my friends. I used to work at the redners across the street. This mall is home.

Did I just hear the "Young and the restless" theme? Hahaha awesome

One thing I've noticed while binging this series: it must cost nothing to run a B&BW because all these malls on their last leg seem to have one

Does anyone know why bath and body works is popular in dead malls ?

I live about 15 miles from this mall, and occasionally when I don't have anything to do I just like to walk this mall for a little while, almost as an escape. I remember as a kid even 10 years ago or so, this place was always busy and still relatively full of stores. And now it looks like this

The tile with the star design in front of the anchor stores is beautiful!!

LOL!!! The Young And The Restless theme 9:21!

Why was the theme song from The Young and the Restless playing in the background? XD

I liked the family "fun" center

It's so cool seeing it still open. It's being torn down now, unfortunately. I remember going here all the time with my family. It used to get super packed.

There are places like this in my city, up here in canada My walmart used to be attached to small mall, so you could walk right through them to one another. But walmart moved down the the street to a bran new place, and now the mall is so dead. Can't believe it's still there since walmart moved in 2007. A big box store has even taken over half of it just recently. All that's left pretty much is a Bell store, miniature model place, and some clothing store that's always been there, no idea why they won't move to our big mall in town which is always packed.

I’m in love with your dead mall series thank you so much for making them!

This makes me so sad. I lived just across Rt 61 behind the WAWA off Reading Crest Blvd. I took my daughter to her first movie at the Cinema Center to see Aquamarine. We raised her there in Muhlenberg Twp from 02 to 11 before moving away. My daughter died in a car accident in 2016. She was 17 and in her senior year of high school. Seeing this mall video really hits me hard with a lot of bittersweet memories.

The music in these is just so perfect. I could fall asleep to this old mall music.

Have you ever been to Midway Mall in Ohio? Its a pretty dead mall. It still has two anchor stores but they lost Sears. Theres quite a bit of small places open but there is also a lot of them missing. The attendence alone to the place is sad. Its mostly always empty and there were even rumors of having it be torn down after it was bought for a childrens hospital of some sort. The mall has passed the rumor and still is here but walking in it is really depressing. It isnt super outdated but its dead. If you ever have the time you should go. Unfortunately its close to the lake so it'll probably be far. Its in Elyria, OH though!

at 9:00 I'm almost positive that used to be a McDonald's. My grandfather used to take me there when I was a kid.

For those wondering, music in this video is "Song Sung Blue" by Neil Diamond, and "Nadia's Theme" by Henry Mancini.

I love the tiling, I love the stars. 🌟

That "abandoned fast food place" was an Arby's back in the day. Since they left, they haven't reused it since.

When you see Radio Shack (5:09), you know this mall has been struggling to get new businesses in its doors.

Love that "Nadia's Theme/Young & the Restless Theme Song" @ 9:22. Vintage, truly.

Missed the thriving Boscovs and Piano store section. Though the mall officially died in May of this year. I found out about it in December of 2017, it's a shame that it died becasue the architecture was beautiful and bright while inside. The leaking problem was not a problem the day I was there.

It's a shame they had to destroy a legendary race track to build this mall.

OH the fast food restaurant you asked about was a Arby's, the mall went into decline due to robberies in the 00's after the renovation in 1996

More malls tend to be struggling because of how prevalent online shopping is nowadays, but I think they do still hold a place for those who like the activity of shopping and people who like to try on or see the products they buy in person.

LOL "be smart prepare I think that's a good message for anyone who has a business in this mall" that got me

The march of progress? My old city had a large, open-air shopping center. Which was then driven out of business by the new enclosed, air-conditioned mall. Which was then usurped by the new mall in a better part of town. Then the old mall expanded and remodeled, and became popular again. Then both malls were bankrupted by new, open-air shopping centers. So we're back where we started.

"The carpark has more potholes than the mall has stores" Tbh having half a dozen potholes isn't that bad.

I still stop by this mall to buy my shoes at the store right at the beginning of the tour. Shout out for them, it's a great store. Thanks for featuring my mall. Enjoyed it.

This reminds me of the mall in Aldershot- (U.K.), six years back. Most of it was dead as a bloody Dodo- (it was a bloody disgrace!)