Hey guys! Thanks so much for watching! This is the third to last episode in the 2018 NC Chesapeake Dead Mall Tour, with Military Circle and Virginia Center Commons coming up next...then onto ExLog 50!!! Let's see if we can get this video over 1500 likes, and I'll release some amazing New Orleans footage for ExLog 50 for Christmas! Thanks again for watching, and thanks to all my Patrons for the support, and to the entire Legion of Explorers out there! You all rock :) Support the Expedition Log on Patreon, if you like! - www.patreon.com/salvatoreamadeo Twitter - twitter.com/salvatoreamadeo Instagram - instagram.com/salvatoreamadeo Second Channel! - kzfaq.info Join the discussion on Discord! discord.gg/g4tKbpu Facebook Page! - facebook.com/QuiteStudios/ Catch up on the full Expedition Log Series! ExLog Series Playlist - kzfaq.info/sun/PLeveLKZSrsW5yrdr5vZa1-7oq_g-EuzZt

I grew up in Chesapeake just a stones throw away from this mall. I remember when it was woods then the trees were cut down for farmland in the 70's and early 80's before the mall and surrounding development came. It was an exciting time during the building process. We had the mall floor plan for study in drafting class at our high school. I saw many movies at the old Cinemark theater behind the mall. Anyone remember Front Row Joe? I worked at the Family Bookstore and Camelot Music inside the mall in the mid to late nineties and then more recently at the Macy's for a brief time before it closed. When this mall was built it took much business away from another nearby mall in decline called Tower Mall in Portsmouth that pretty much sealed Tower Mall's doom.

When Burlington Coat Factory shows up, a mall's days are officially numbered.

This is my mall!!! The food court is my absolute favorite part. All the neon and palm trees. Back in the early 2000s the water fountains were still working and it was gorgeous.

The first four years of my eight in the Navy were in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area during 1990-1994. I never made it to this mall, but I did frequent the small Pembroke, and the Larger Lynnhaven Mall, which is very close to Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach. At that time, I remember those malls having a good number of restaurants, but have since been replaced with other retail. Lynnhaven seems to be hanging on, but Pembroke looks to be dying, if not dead.

I live right down the street from this mall. It's definitely dead lol Really, the only thing keeping this mall remotely viable is the attached Target store. I used to go to this mall quite a bit when I was a kid and seeing how it has slowly emptied over the years is a bummer. I hope their plan for the future of the mall works out for the sake of both my neighborhood and my nostalgia.

This is so weird seeing my hometown on a video LOL!

What an amazing KZfaq channel. He’s 20 years ahead of his time. Pure genius. He’s documenting how Americans shop. How shopping malls are going extinct, brick and mortar stores going bankrupt. These are the types of creative videos that deserve recognition. Very much a part of Americana, shopping habits and online shopping. Bravo!!

I grew up near that mall and worked at the Sears there for some time in the mid 90’s. Very sad to see it so empty. It used to be packed.

I think the biggest thing that always gets me when watching these walkthroughs is how generic and cookie-cutter so many struggling malls look. It's sort of a physical manifestation of the over gentrification of mall shopping that drives so many people elsewhere to find anything unique and interesting. Sort of a stark contrast to how malls tried to style themselves back in the 90s.... It also makes it far more depressing when one of the few malls that had a unique look to it goes under.

I remember those Chili's commercials growing up! When the restaurant brought their famous ribs back a few years ago, I instantly thought of the "Baby Back Ribs "song.

Really love the dead mall series. Your research and emceeing is impeccable.

I'm so happy a youtuber like you exists!! I moved away from the US in 2012, and visited again in 2018. It was surreal walking through Montgomery mall, a place where I occasionally went to as i was a kid, and seeing it completely empty (except for yankee candle lol) its great that you shine light on this subject even for people like me, who are too far away from the US to experience all the dying malls

I live in Western Branch and this has been my mall for the last 22 years. It used to be a busy shopping area with all sorts of stores. It was bad when Legett left and then Dillard's, followed by all the others. It looks like the mall will close at the same time I'll leave the area to start a new life... so many memories.

I managed a store in this mall called Gadzooks from 1999 till 2003. I live in Virginia Beach. to see the small go like this. I know about Military Circle as well as Pembroke Mall or both dead malls now. Lynnhaven is definitely still staying alive not so sure about Greenbrier in Chesapeake and I haven't been in this mall in years.

This is depressing. I'm so old, I remember the empty field it was built on as seen in the news video. I grew up one neighborhood to the East from commenter Rbsmith down below. By the time this mall opened, I was living in Newport News. I got to visit it on a few occasions when visiting my younger brother and grandmother before I moved to Texas, and then West Virginia. It was hopping in the early and mid-nineties. It's sad to see how it's declined. This is arguably late nineties/early 2000's Beckley, West Virginia Crossroads Mall bad.

I love shopping here, especially during the Christmas season. I can get in, get and get out in a timely manner. There’s a mall 15 miles east, Greenbrier mall also in Chesapeake, and that area is madness after Thanksgiving......no thanks.

This place was a big part of my childhood. I'll never forget the fun n games arcade!

It has nothing to do with Internet shopping! And yes owner’s default on mortgage it happened everywhere. Chesapeake became a city in 1963. Portsmouth’s Tower Mall ( 1973) a place where we shopped until, I learned it was razed. So, I have lived at nearby Western Branch at Green Meadow Point. Chesapeake was a rural city but boring. So, after 3 years in Chesapeake and I returned to Texas in 1982. Mall opened 1989 and when, I visited in that area in July 1991 when driving to Williamsburg. I only remembered seeing this mall with Hess’ department store and I can’t remembered at all. Now, you know how economy really sucks. Housing cost up. Gas up. Foods up. And more and our pay went down and we don’t have much money to buy anything. Sad.

That intro was absolutely priceless...

TLC did a documentary on the funeral of the Baby Back Ribs guy. It was as insane and fun as one would expect.

I use to work at the Chick-Fil-A that was once inside the mall back in 2009 even then the mall was seeing a decline. This video makes me reminisce my childhood and teen years working there. A huge thanks for this.

The second level is gone!!! There was a nice glass elevator in the middle across from the food court. WOW! Other elevators in anchor stores & service areas. I need to go check it out. All that land was nothing but trees then the land where the mall was cleared of trees. I used to ride my dirt bike mall area in 87'-88 (Taylor Rd, Portsmouth Blvd, & Gum Rd on Suffolk side). Trails and mud after trees cut down. Long b4 Rt 664. My Jr High mall days were over b4 this mall was built, but went w/ my little sister. I think kids now are missing out. They definitely wouldn't get how so much happened at the mall in the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"! I really miss malls at the holidays!!! May be biased on my part, but didn't expect this mall to be in 1 of these vids just yet. Thank you for your effort, time, & detailed background! My only disappointed in this video and I haven't been in years; but have to believe there are still much nicer brighter entrances. And one other part tend to make it seem worse off than it is. Others not familiar may think that is the main entrance. That's would not be fair. Thanks Again!

One issue I found with malls was their race towards sameness. When all the malls near you have most of the same stores, it's easy to look for something new and different. And that drive me to Amazon and the like. Amazon's gotten cluttered with cheap Chinese fakes and that's starting to drive me elsewhere, mostly Target. And that's not good for malls, either. Where will those lead us? Mixed use developments with lifestyle centers?

I wish you had been doing these archival videos before Tower Mall (in Portsmouth, VA) had been demolished. Tower Mall's demise was hastened by the opening of Chesapeake Square Mall.

Perfect mall to go to during Quarantine.

The mall was very neon and colorful in the 90s. Way different now

WOW I remember when it was called Military circle mall back in 1984,I use to hang there and the game room that was right next to it.

WTH is that “Mall Entrance”.. about? It looks like an emergency exit, at best 🤨

Check out the Regency Square mall if you're here in Virginia. Regency isn't quite dead but it is getting there.

Sometime in the 90’s, I worked as a seasonal employee at Montgomery Wards at this mall. Very sad to hear that it’s gone down so far.

5:49 hit me a little bit. The last of my 3 childhood sears closed at the beginning of this month and I'm really sad they did. I had many many manu great memories in sears and it just saddens me to wonder about what will they become in the future

At first I misread the title as “Cheapskate” mall 🤣

My dad remembers the mall as a kid in the 80s.

I worked in this mall all through the late 80’s and into the mid 90’s. I remember the large crew of mall walkers. Good times man.

So strange seeing a service hallway used as a public mall entrance.

Hey Sal, just want to say thanks for the great job keeping these not so old places alive for future generations. These started arriving on the scenes when I was in my late teens so I remember the "Mall Lifestyle" and I'm sad to see it go.

This is my home town mall. When I was in high school and college in the late 90s-early 2000s this place was still busy as hell. I worked there in 2003 and the EB Games and it was still rolling. I took some pictures a few years back. It's really died and getting worse. I haven't heard anything recently about the plans to make all those changes you talked about. I hope COVID didn't kill it.

My grandmother lives in the Churchland area, very close to this mall. My mom grew up with this mall in the 80’s and 90’s as a teen. I grew up in Richmond, VA but we still go here sometimes when I visit. Although, it’s nothing like it was when it first opened, it still has some life and vibrancy on the weekends. The food court still has a chick fil a and other restaurants. One of our favorites is Nori Japan which serves Japanese style hibachi. They still have a target, movie theatre, Burlington’s, men’s formalwear, New York & Company (formally Lerner’s) and other urban/atheliesure boutiques like Jimmy Jazz. I remember coming here as a kid when my grandma would do jazzercise and walk with the other seniors in the mall. I remember throwing all my mom and grandmas pennies into the fountain when it was still in operation. I think my whole extended family (mom, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) got formal family pictures done here at ThePicturePeople store. I remember there was also a Piccadilly’s Cafeteria here, where my grandfather would loooove to stop and eat at. Probably the coolest feature as a kid was the mega-sized gazebo-like structure that stood right before you entered the food court. It looked like a castle within the mall when i was little. During Christmas time, Santa’s chair would be set up there. I still have a pic with Santa from this mall. I really believe that if they can land one or two more quality anchors, this mall might have a little more hope. Great memories from Chesapeake Square. BTW I was born in 96.

I'm from this area and I definitely remember when the mall was being built and when it opened. I wasn't there for opening day, as I was out of town visiting my grandparents. This was during my 8th grade year of school.

The anchor stores are all that thrive there now, I work at the target there, the mall no longer owns the target space and Fye just announced they were closing their store. Target is the busiest store there and like I said Target owns their store the mall no longer owns that portion of the mall, so target will stay there if the mall closes.

Your channel has become a favorite of mine. Sal you have the best information and you have a great narrative voice. thanks for taking us on these journey's through these Malls...It leaves you with sort of a Melancholy feeling but an Historic view. Love the the line about "Big Tall Trees Reaching for Sunshine..but out living the open Mall...Take care and stay safe. Blessed Be.

1993 , Blind Melon's No Rain tearing up the radio waves, I remember going and hitting up the Dairy Queen and then heading to Electronics Boutique, and Babbages while waiting for the movie to start.

In September 1990, my 2nd Grade teacher brought a Dual Cassette of Famous Children's songs from the Suncoast, she'd play them during class freetime. In Spring Break of that year, I went to see TMNT at Cinemark 10. Took 30 minutes to get in. Saw Darkman that August. In May of 1990, Mom brought Sweatin to The Oldies 2 on VHS . My Stepfather brought BBD's LP Poison on CD and A Music Video Collection of BBD & New Edition. That Christmas, I got Metal Mech for NES and 2 dozen Turtles action figures at the Kaybee Toys. On December 7,1990, My Stepfather took me, his 9 year old son(my Stepbrother) Mom and my little 2 year old brother to see Home Alone at the Cinemark 10. There were very LONG lines and it took 40 minutes to get in! In July of 1991, my Mom's GF's Husband brought Genesis with Sonic 1 from the Funcoland in there. In September of '91 while at Kaybees, I saw Super Nintendo and asked my Stepfather to get me one for Christmas. He balked at the $200 price tag and ironically suggested Action 52! But I told him the games probably weren't going to be good because of how terrible the box art looked. In July 1992, we went to see Class Act & Bebe's Kids at the Cinemark 10. I saw Bebe's Kids 4 Times! On Saturday August 8,1992, Mom took me and my now 4 year old kid brother to buy the Kris Kross gear at the Montgomery Ward, we were going to a Kris Kross Concert at Scope Arena in Norfolk. So MANY Early 90s Childhood memories were made at Chesapeake Square Mall. I am beyond heartbroken to discover what has happened to it.;(

Ok, this is sad.l lived in Norfolk from 1977 to 2002,had my daughters n raised them there. Last night l saw the video about Military Circle n now this.We use to go to both these Malls,so sad to see them so empty now.

I was just visiting this mall today! That whole first half of the mall, is closed off and abandoned now. Right there by the Spencer's. Has been since the start of Quarantine 2020. One of those vacant anchors is a Spirit Halloween though I didn't get inside to see which.

Its good to see that the current owners appear to be following through with a redevelopment plan. And in the end, it looks like we may still have a mall, or an enclosed commons.

When the sears was open, my dad worked in the Auto center back in 2008-2009. I've Been in the area for 15 years. Literally have watched the decline of this mall. It's kinda sad

I been going to Chesapeake square mall sense I was a little they got rid of some many good stores and the mall just died down.

I've noticed that adding a Target as an anchor store can sometimes breathe some life into a struggling mall. A small mall near New Orleans was going under and having trouble finding companies to buy spaces until the Target and AMC theater opened.

Hi Sal! Loved the ex log as always 💜 thanks for putting out such amazing content so consistently - I really appreciate it. Always look forward to your uploads. Keep up the great work x

Another outstanding production. The attention you pay to establishing context and atmosphere makes every dead mall a beautiful tragedy.

Thanks for another awesome video Sal! Even though I’m from and live in VA a half hour south of Richmond I’ve never been to any of the malls in the tidewater area. But what I’ve heard from friends over the years is that Chesapeake Square Mall was one of the nicer malls in the area back in the 90’s. Thanks again for breaking down the history of the place.

Loved it Sal, another good one!

Always a pleasure Sal!! Your passion shows through on the quality of your logs.

The 'Magic Mile' . .. a mall on Dixwell Avenue, Hamden, CT not long after my birth - 1957. Many companies have 'come & gone' in that time . . . however, it still remains . . . the WHOLE mile. The capitolist realm will have said failures, however . . . one must be cognizant, of all competition. Yes - it's a viscous, viscious cycle ! 😱

The Dillards having two locations at this mall is kind of like that period when there were Two Hudson Bay Stores at WEM after Hudson Bay took over the former woodwards location.

Love your videos man. I feel like the videos you do is so important in capturing the legacy of the malls that were once prominent. It leaves such memories and sadness...

Wolf! Lol reminds me of Cadillac Records. I love that movie.

I grew up in this area but only visited this mall a few times. Really enjoying this VA/NC series, Sal. Thanks for the walks down memory lane. Love the music in this one too!

I love this video. I worked at the Sears here and spent a lot of time at this mall in its glory days. The only correction is you got the Burlington coat factory mixed up. Burlington is the old Leggett store and the movie theater was Hess’s.

Hey cool to see you do a video on the Chesapeake Square Mall. I work at the Pier1 Imports around that mall, and I go in there from time to time.

Interesting point about why malls failed. My own behavior since many years back is that i think stuff is cheaper on the internet than at my local mall, so i mostly go to the mall to watch stuff and if there is something i like i buy it on the internet. I sometimes try out shoes or clothes at my local mall, then i buy them online.

Pretty cool to hear they’re going for the live to work concept. I used to work at the Morrisons now call Piccadilly. Heck, I even see the ruby Tuesday is closed too. Sadly, the golden corral is still open.

Crushed many a slice from the sbarro throughout my childhood.

Wow--- another hometown mall.. It's been 20 years since I've been back but a few memories... Great footage of what the area looks like before it was built. It was literally nothing out there but a 2 lane country road. There was a Kirschmiers country store that was there when I was a kid there at Portsmouth Blvd and Dock Landing Road. WAY back when. Also a Actin animal hospital in front of the mall which may still be there. When the mall opened it was a huge hit-- the closest mall was Tower Mall in Portsmouth and nobody went there. This mall was new and upscale and extremely popular. The auntie Annes pretzels is an original location by the JC Penney. There used to be a tux rental place next door. There was an arcade next door to the Regis hair place . The food court was always packed and nice. I remember everything you mentioned-- even the Montgomery Ward which was the first to close. Walmart built a huge store behind the mall after closing a smaller location across from it. Never went to the Cinemark theatres behind there-- do remember they were closed forever and looked sketchy. Sorry for the length-- just brought back many memories from childhood. Great job as always Sal!

Great video Sal! Love all the mall history you always share.

Yikes! That mall entrance corridor is creepy! The skylights did let in a lot of natural light. Great video!

That Mall . . . the Magic Mile is from my hometown - Hamden, CT.

Great as always. You are a very talented young man! Love your music as well....

I always love the content sal, keep up the good work

Gotta do one of greenbrier mall. It is still open and the roof is leaking everywhere. So many stores are gone, only a hand full of stores left

It's always dark and empty inside. They don't even bother to turn on the lights in the daytime. BTW this mall ran Tower Mall in Portsmouth out of business.

this reminds me of our Mall .When I was a kid in the 80s we used to hang out in and now it is been sitting here deteriorating like all these other malls that you're mentioning and yeah there's a lot of reasons why these malls are going away The Mall here .Went out in the mid 90s .It is sad to see Malls disappearing . Especially for people that live in the North and cold climate like myself.

Another awesome vlog well done! Kudos for the simulated VCR tracking effects, definitely don't miss that aspect of video tape!

Oh thats a throw back on channel 15. Whro was the channel back in the day. Makes me miss Williamsburg

I loved pure elegance so much, I bought their label.

Thank you very much for the video Sal , you always do great commentary for your videos.

Another absolutely Beautiful mall! Security can be painful sometimes. Good that the mall was filmed none the less for an amazing video!

Nice, finally one that isnt closing.

It closed completely since the video. I’d love to see Greenbrier, McAuthor, Patrick Henry, Lynnhaven, Coliseum which was destroyed for the now slow business of Peninsula Town Center and you’d have to go way back for Tower Mall I believe to be the first mall to end business in the Portsmouth Va area. The bank loans explained a lot! It’s a shame it came to this as malls use to be a place where the entire family could enjoy! The ones I mentioned above that are still open are sadly dead. 😞

My high school memories hanging here. I'm coming home in a month, I wonder if there will be any ruins for me to walk around

Thank you so much for this video, it was nice hearing the history behind this mall.

Well done again Sal. Looking forward to the next Ex Log.

im watching this while in the malls bathroom, which btw feels like a gmod map lmao

The Dillard’s at this mall at one point was a partial clearance store although not designated as such.

I grew up a few miles from this mall and worked there in the early 90s. I moved away in 94 and came back for a reunion in 04 and saw the remodel. However, by then the mall was basically a ghost town. That opening shot of the back hallway was one of my smoke break spots, lol. One major point of contention when this mall opened was the separate movie theater. It was not in a convenient area as you not only have to walk over a quarter mile to the mall, but the grassy area in between was full of mosquitos as that whole area had been a giant field with little streams and ponds in it. The mall had HORRIBLE traffic patterns as nearly every light was out of sequence and it could take you nearly 10 minutes just to get through a light to get out of the parking lot. Also, some mental midget put these 4 ft high shrubs all around the mall. It looked nice but made turning very dangerous as there were devastating blind spots all over. Also, for anyone who is from Va you know well and good that the police like to hide and try to catch people doing any small traffic infraction and these police would literally back their cars into the shrubs (destroying them in the process) and then go shooting out into the road with their lights blaring. This made driving around the mall, even following every traffic law on the books, very stressful as you were bound to get pulled over at least once a month if you worked in the mall. Someone in another comment mentioned the plants as well as the video creator. There was a woman that was in charge of those plants who would literally yell at anyone, customer, employee, little old lady, that got too close to the plants. She had a special water dispenser for them and would go nuclear when people would dump ice from drink cups in them. One more thought. If anyone goes exploring in the back halls of the mall and finds a bottle of vodka stuffed in a wall panel, we had to hide it fast and it has been there since 93 so I could not recommend drinking it.

I used to come here once every blue moon in the 90s. It was so colorful and dope. Now it’s sad

Heyyyy this is my city wow didnt know u were coming here. You should go to Hampton Va to the Newmarket mall while your in close range thats the true dead mall that was once great

Well worth the wait Sal keep them coming 👋👋👋

Your videos....BEST!

I remember coming thru the same entrance and life was everywhere girls girls girls so sad

It's 2023 now...nothings changed

I have been to this mall with my mom and my brother twice once to the target and once to the jcpennys or it was Macy’s and this mall is really sad and dead nothing and nobody is there

Keep us updated on this mall . Nice to see Target and Penny’s still holding on . Maybe the future not so bad for it .

What an odd entrance. 🤔🤨

hey Sal! Love your videos, as always. I don't know if you remember me, but I'd really like to see you do an expedition log on a mall we have here in Harrisburg, PA called the colonial park mall. It's the perfect example of a dead mall, but it's gorgeous--in a classical sense of architecture. Try it, I promise you wont be sorry.

Great production as usual !

This mall is doing just fine

thank you sal. another great one