Between Security and Owings Mills.... those are the malls of my middle school years. When babysitting my cousins I used to drag them on the bus to the mall and to the movie theater there for like a field trip

I'm gonna call that wig store and fix their little red wagon..

This..... THIS is why you are known as the Werner Herzog of Dead Mall Vlogumentary Expeditions! You are Dali meets Scorsese, combining art with info into a finely crafted finished product! Like a Gourmet Burger Platter with all the fixins, it leaves your viewers satisfied, yet hungry for more.... MOARRR!

This orchestra nerd and lapsed cellist (I haven't played in forever) greatly appreciates your musical choices for these videos.

My home mall - thanks for this. Relived many childhood memories at certain places. Specifically the Sears wing. That corner where Payless was stood a beauty salon, Suncoast, and Dollar Tree. It is sad what has came of this mall though...As you can see, the tenants are very second hand/mom and pop that usually do not hold leases long. It is unsustainable. Macy's upstairs is depressing too. There was buzz around Woodlawn that it was closing soon. I believe it based off the ran down condition the store is in. I never noticed the mold smell. Maybe I am just used to it at this point (sadness)? The upstairs has since been blocked off a lot. As you can see, those were children's sections in that backroom. With Sears in limbo as a company, and Macy's in that state, when they both leave (I hope not, but know they will), it will be the end of the mall... As much as I love this mall, something has to be done about it. I hope it isn't removed, but that is pretty much the trend of the area. Thanks for serving your mission of documenting these malls before they are gone. This one specifically means a lot.

Zanvyl Krieger is such an intense name. Lol

Dude, I've been binge watching for 2 days. Supremely good narrating on these. You're facts on the closed malls near me were spot on. It was cool reminiscing about the "mall days."

Masterpiece. What was up with that wig shop? Do they not want customers?

I love the 'existential angst' in your vlog titles - my new favourite deadmalls channel. I particularly like the fact that you also cover the nearby town, which really puts the state of the malls into context.

Once again, another great video! For those of us out west, we know DeBartolo for the SF 49ers. The money made from this mall and others gave us some of the best years of 49ers football. I don't think too many people in the east that visit the malls mention the link to sports out west.

If any place deserves an upgrade its this place! It's been around for nearly 50 years and still hanging in there. Thanks for the video!

I went to Security Mall (we never called it Security Square) many times back in its heyday, late 70s-early 80s. There were popular restaurants on the parking lot, Bennigan’s and IHOP. I think the mall got its name from the fact that it was located on Security Blvd, which was so named because of the Social Security Administration HQ further down the street. I went to the food court in the 2000s, when I worked at SSA, and the only stores I would even go in were Macy’s, Bath and Body Works, and Old Navy. Even the Sears was sketchy. The daily SSA lunch crowd must have kept that food court open. The rest of the mall had a terrible selection of stores. I’m sorry to see it in such sad shape, because it really was THE mall back in the day.

And the Debartolo sports empire. SF 49'rs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pgh Spirit soccer, Pittsburgh Maulers in the USFL, almost bought the Pirates too.

Sal. There are so many old falling down malls in upstate NY. Need to take an excursion up that way someday.

Sal this video is excellent! I totally agree with that guy who compared you to Werner Herzog. This is high quality filmmaking, right here.

When I was a kid we moved to Woodlawn in '76, i have many good memories of Security. I remember skipping school to go and see Empire Strikes Back.

I worked on top of this mall back in 1985 for months. My employer had a contract to disconnect and reinstall all the hvac systems on the roof as Harford Roofers out of NE removed the old roof, placed foam insulation and re-roofed the mall. Each unit had to be fitted with new duct extensions, electric wiring extensions and gas line extensions. I'd go into the stores turn the electric off go up and disconnect everything for a crane to pick the unit up and set on the parking lot. One day a store clerk decided the temperature in the store where she worked was not suitable and tried turning the breaker back on while I was working on that particular unit, sending me flying across the roof while being zapped by 440 volt 3 phase electric. I bought lock-out breakers after that for all the other stores.

This made me sad. I remember going here in the 80s as a kid. This was THE mall to go to. It had a great arcade, ALL the stores were bustling. I met Davy Jones of The Monkees there at a book signing. It was magic to a little kid to go there. They had a huge movie theater where the food court now is. At Christmas it was decked out to the max. We used to spend a Saturday going to Security Mall and it was a treat. This really depressed me. Seeing your childhood wonderland in ruins.

Wow.Another one bites the dust,lol.When I was in middle and high school( '72-'76) this place was a "go-to" destination.Harmony Hut,Hot Sam,Caramel Korn,Merry-Go-Round (where we would check out the chicks),as well as Sears and Penney's. Hell, even the rich kids from Pikesville and Milford Mill would go here (I'm a native Woodlawnite).What killed this mall was (let me put this gently)demographics.Who wants to shop at a place where you take your life in your hands and have to watch your every move?I haven't been there since 1990 .Great memories but it's gone to the dogs now.Kudos to you for making these videos!

I saw "Star Wars Ep IV" There over 100 times at the old AMC Theater 1977. That was such a glorious time for that mall and everyone that shopped there.

Really Enjoyed some of the A E S T H E T I C S in Security Square. Also great to see the connection to Seoul Plaza as well. Sal, this was a great Expedition. A great experience throughout! Thanks Man!

My husband and I used to hang out at SSM when we were dating (25 years ago). It's sad to remember the mall the way it was then, and see the way it is now. Grab something to eat at the Burger King, hit the Suncoast Video store, then the arcade. Good times.

I really enjoyed the sky light pictures, I love the geometry, fountains, and neon pictures in the exlog, thanks Sal. Makes me want to get back into photography again.

That Colonel Sanders commercial is ridiculous...

You guys are a cute couple! Get married already! :)

Keep up the good work love this video! You deserve SO many more subscribers. I love how you do the history of the mall.That wig shop knows how to run off customers. My husband is a bald guy too I’d ask him to try on wigs just for the fun of it too! If your ever in Akron Ohio check out Chapel Hill Mall. I left Akron 8 years ago but I’ve kept up on the updates from my friends. It’s becoming a dead mall I worked at 2 places there Steve and Barry’s in 2007 and Old Navy in 2008. The death knell was in 2008 when they wouldn’t allow anyone under 18 on the weekends enter without an adult.

this is spectacular! i absolutely love videos like these, and yours set a clear example! they are the true gold standard.

Your commentary is absolutely perfect!

Both C's are silent in Hochschild

In the 80s the Hutzlers was like Lord and Taylor. Beautiful. The had Cigerette Ash Trays that a cleaner would come by and empty then press a thing into the sand that would put a Hutzlers logo into it. Was cool to me. And Hutzlers had a huge restaurant on the 2nd floor that was awesome. You had to walk thru the tv section to get to it. Magic I tell ya as a kid. This just makes me sad.

Perhaps one of the saddest things I’ve seen is the huge visual merchandising storage in Macy’s. As usual great narrative, superb research. Fritz is really lucky he couldn’t try the wigs on, think he dodged a hairy bullet there.

I loved the old KFC commercial. First time I’ve seen it. I was wondering if it may have been a regional commercial? Very good. I also want to say, I’ve been enjoying all of your mall Log series. I grew up in the retail business, and not wanting to follow in my dad’s footsteps, I retired from rExxon Co. USA. I saw what could happen when the people who built a large regional chain of grocery stores sell to a corporate group only interested in a quick buck, lose everything my parents built. 128 stores and shopping centers bankrupt in a matter of a few years. At least my family was paid in full before the demise. It’s still a shame large corporations sometimes get too big for their on good.

I love the history commentary. Don’t stop.

I worked at that mall twice in my lifetime. It was a great place to work at the second time around, as there were always customers coming in during lunch thanks to the Social Security Admin in the area. Seoul Plaza also opened up there around my second stint. The problem though with the mall compared to others in the area was that it only had ONE main entrance into the building. You could enter the mall via the anchors as well, and the occasional back hall that was unlocked. However the one entrance was a bit different compared to other malls in the area. It's been a while since I have been there, but if I recall properly where the Teppanyaki Grill is, it was a Cactus Willie's AYCE buffet before they in turn closed. Lastly, if I recall with Seoul Plaza and it's opening, JCP left the mall as they were looking for a better price point on rent and bigger space for their shopfront. That was settled when they left to take over the space in Owings Mills Town Center when the old Saks Fits Avenue closed due to a rent dispute if I recall. But that is a story for another time....

Sal, I love your videos, hell, they damn near make ME want to own a mall, lol. But, it also makes me think--If I were to own a multi-level abandoned mall---wow...Well, I'd turn is into a miniature village. What I mean is, I'd turn the the upper floor spaces into apartments and offices, while leaving the lower floor(s)s for traditional retail. I'd like for the anchor spaces to be traditional grocery chain stores (I'd figure it'd work due to the sheer retail space)--Lower level would maybe be retail shops, pharmacy, maybe even a bar/club?, barbers, beauty salons, nail shops, movie theatres, and, of COURSE the obligatory food court) , 24-hour security in both the mall proper and in the parking lot, (with police assistance), and the mall tenants pretty much would never have to leave the building. How cool would THAT be? Imagine--never having to leave the building because you LIVE there and you can get VIRTUALLY everything you need there. YES, it would be expensive, but it doesn't hurt to dream.

Man! Somewhere I've actually been....... ok nearly 30 years ago when I used to work over there.........think I've still got a pair of shoes I bought there....🤣 It was either there or Tysons Mall.....

That wig store was very sketchy. If businesses like that are in the mall, and with the rather “cheap” array of stores and the partially-dilapidated state of the mall itself, then yes, DeBartolo would NOT be pleased. EDIT: BTW, keeping an eye on what’s going on with the former Gallery of Market East (Philadelphia)?

Thank you Sal, keep up the good work it is most welcome in these difficult times. Nigel UK.

That was your best intro so far. My daughter was even impressed with the production value

I’m shocked no one has mentioned that this mall (mainly the parking lot of the Best Buy located somewhere near by) played a major role in the case of Adnan Syed featured on the hit podcast Serial.

I had an idea that Macy's had shrunken its second floor and you just proved it for me. Thanks! Also the Sears was two floors but the second floor has been shut down.

Your videos are extremely calming

Always sad to see the decay that some of these malls are going through.

I am finally catching up on your channel. The videos just keep getting better, keep up the awesome content! The open room in Macy's is just like what you see at department store closing sales.

Thanks for the history lesson. Never knew all the transactions that happen behind the scenes. I drive by Security Square almost every day.

Good old Security Mall! My brother and another friend would ride our bikes in the mall and get kicked out by Security personal ! When we were kids. We also played the arcade game pong in the back of Woolworths for hours. Lol I worked at York Steakhouse when I was 16 and met lots of good folks working there I made $2.10 an hour back then. I found a better paying job at the mall making $7.50 an hour working in mall maintenance. The mall was under Mr. Edward Debartolo at the time. The mall was ALWAYS clean and neat inside and out. The mall floors were stripped and waxed with ZEP wax. No cigarette buts, No chewing gum no trash anywhere. The parking lot was swept every day with a special truck that cleaned the parking lot. How do I know this? Well, I worked my way up to management in the maintenance department and was very proud of the guys who worked there with me. Yesterday January 27, 2022 I took a walk back in time to visit the mall. It was very disappointing to see the deterioration of the mall and how things have changed over the years and not in a good way. The beautiful mall floor was gone as well as the water fountain in the center of the mall. It was dark and dim the security guys were all in one spot talking and chatting to each other and not patrolling at all. I don’t expect the mall to be there much longer as the merchants were texting on there cell phones with no customer in site.

I agree with you that malls are hiding the faults and keeping up the facade. I worked at the Meadows Mall in Las Vegas and while it looked nice, if you look closely or behind the scenes there was so much wrong with the place.

Security Square Mall was the spot back in the late 80s and early 90s it’s a shame how bad that mall has gotten

The bath room shot with the under wear almost in the trash can was too funny man.

Love the channel and these malls are becoming a reality for me . Our local mall Valley View lost the Macys , Herbergers and now Sears as of today all this year . The only Anchor store we have left is JCP so it's not looking promising .

Dude, EXCELLENT work!!!!!! I enjoy your documentaries more than the big budget films. You do MORE with less. That's talent. Keep up the great work, you have a fan here.

Hi Sal, I really enjoy your expeditions and commentary you have great ideas and you can tell you enjoy filming as much as we enjoy watching.

cool end song... that 80's feeling cool retro sound selecction. very acurate

Very very enjoyable expedition!! Love your work Sal!

Great video. Lots of information on the mall. Thanks so much for making this video. I hope you do more of these in the future.

Love your series! Keep doing them. Maybe come to PA one day. So many malls that have been shuttered or in such disrepair. I miss going to the malls....😢

In Australia here Sal we also gotten Woolworths in Australia here mate but it is a supermarket chain across Australia here mate cheers from cameron in Australia here mate

This was a cool mall. I went here this week and it was good. Went in the Macy's and took some pics. The entrance to Seoul Plaza from the mall was closed off and I was there around 8pm so most of the mall was closed.

I've worked for that Macys. It does have a third floor but it was never accessible for customers.

Great video. Thank you for sharing. Your work is inspiring. 😀👍❤️

love the entire expedition log series! and I love the documentation of these locations. Can you get to Minnesota at some point,possibly during a month when its not totally freezing here,and document several dead or dying malls we have? Compare them to Mall of America even, and there's other things to film here of interest also,I know where it all is located.most in Mpls /StPaul area,some Northern areas too.we also live right next door to a stand alone Sears,one of few not closing. no one films here and I am trying but I have no actual real camera yet, i cant afford that right now.iPhones cool but it doesn't work right for YT

Your videos are good and your narrative makes them worth watching.

Thanks for the research about the mall history. the insight were interesting indeed. And keep on the good work.

Just an idea. Have you ever thought about doing a version of the cutting room floor? It would be great to here your thoughts on what you think about the place and what goes into the video.

Social Security headquarters is actually about a half mile down the road. When (not if) Macy's closes you can stick a fork in Security Square.

Probably this is unbelievable, it is to me at least, but as a regular patron to SSM between 2001-2003 (I was living in Woodlawn at that time) I visited that mall a lot and I distinctly remember that the mall itself had its own theme song. What I mean by that is that when you were walking around within the mall, eating in the food court or whatever, they would play a song about the actual security square mall that you were currently sitting IN. This was definitely during the period after Montgomery Ward left, and JC Penney TEMPORARILY turned into a JC Penney Outlet Store. (Shortly before going vacant and then Seoul Plaza, which was after my time). Back to the mall's own theme song that would play, the only part I remember was like this "Sucurty Squr Mull, Sucurty Scur Mull, chives oh lives of pull a squeeze, gutcho musko pull-up screen. JAY C PENNEY OOOOUT-LET STORE, find your find your liquor score,". I know that isn't correct, but that's all I can pull from my memory, it would play that song over the PA system and I was like, "what?" You are singing about yourSELF? Okay...? That and other than that mall theme song the other thing I remember is the chicken store in the food court and DAMN do I wish I had a picture of that place because their chicken was awesome. I might have a link about it somewhere and if I do I will follow up on this post. of the

Every Macy’s I’ve been to except for two brand new/renovated stores has had storage areas like that, I’ve never had the guts to look around though.

I remember going to Security Square in the early eighties, and although it had tons of stores, the main mall was on a single level. That always gave it a rather claustraphobic feel that other malls didn't have. Hecht's built a new store around that time, and it was "state of the art." News articles talked about the new open concept department stores were using, and the Security Square store exemplified it. Now, it's a run-down Macy's, filled with moldy carpets. Retail has changed so drastically since then. The best answer: tear the whole thing down and start over. Malls obviously aren't forever. A town center concept would bring a better mix of retailers. The location, right at a beltway exit and near the Social Security Administration's sprawling and employee-filled campus, should make any new concept a desirable destination. Thanks for sharing.

Loved the Vid Sal, your doing a Great job, keep it Jumpin!!!!!

Burlington Coat Factory seems to be popping up every where 2020

This mall was the spot back in the day.

Four words: Mister Ray's Wig World.

Great work Sal. Would love to see some videos from malls in North Carolina.

How the mighty have fallen. DeBartolo used to be the king of all malls. Now it's Benderson, who is basically the king of my town, Sarasota FL, seems like his development company has taken over most.

Well, it finally took Baltimore County until this year (2022) to announce a makeover/renovation...yay?

SAL: im really enjoying your content. You put so much work into these shorts and it shows. Sorry if this was asked before, the Prokofiev piece at the beginning of this video...what is it? Ill probably find it before you answer but wanted to know. Thanks for what you do!

Sears now set to close in October 2019.

Wig Shop attendant: You're not from "Jackass" are you?

Very interesting! I enjoy watching it! The changing nature of retail! Over here in England the High Street is dying and major retailers are going out of business. Shopping malls fall out of favour whilst others are on the rise! People are using Amazon etc. However, there something to be said to go somewhere and enjoy the experience of shopping with friends or family etc. My hometown centre is still doing ok and has a certain resilience etc

Great vlog on one of Edward Js malls he'd be Rollin over in his grave if he saw these malls in the state they're in now😱especially his prize jewel Randall Park in Cleveland area.Site now occupied by a brand new Amazon distribution centre.

Interesting video Sal. I suspect that there is a lower end demographic riding the bus from Baltimore City out to the mall and that the suburban residents in Baltimore County generally shop elsewhere. As a result the mall looks like it is doing better than it actually is.

My mall, Monmouth mall is dying so fast, it’s extremely sad. So many memories there and it’s just dying

I recommend checking out the diamond run mall in Rutland, VT

Didn’t know you were from ocean country. I grew up in Ocean City myself.

The optics of the mall itself looks good, but based on the lack and type of patronage and the decreptitude of the outbuildings, not to mention what's going on with Macy's, I'd say this mall is really struggling.

Any chance of covering Owings Mills? I'm surprised to hear about the Town Center. in 2015 it was definitely dying.

Though this place has some expensive features, the overall "feel" is claustrophobic.

11:48 one does not simply close a Bath & Body Works

U should have been at the Sears in there. They literally closed on 2nd floor off for no good reason. SMH.

The wig shop - my goodness!

Before I continue, I just want to say how terrifying that KFC advert is.

Love your vids! Only one thing, the store you call hokschild? It's pronounced "ho' shill kohn" accent on the 1st syllable.

Where do you get those mall announcement recordings? Be careful recording in Macy's, I tried shooting a police chase through one of their parking lots and security got all up in my face.

I really dig your expeditions. Any chance you can upload in 4K? 1080p's low-bitrate looks a bit too blurry, specially with shaky footage.

I don't know why people assume that shopping outdoors is the future when in fact aurgbly the first malls were originally open-air. Speaking of Owing Mills; I wonder if there has been a bad crime rate and more people getting shot since everything's outside?

How do you know DeBartolo was a Mafioso? Great video. The design reminds of most malls that I went to as a kid. Nice design, but high ceilings are not the most eco friendly thing in the world.

11:30 Someone had an accident.

The Macy's at Polaris Mall near me in Ohio is filthy just like the one in this mall. Carpet super dirty and stained. Floors filthy. The bathroom was so gross and disgusting as well. In fact the mall itself was filthy. No pride at all shown in Polaris Mall. I can only wonder how long this mall will last.

Malls in general are a dying breed.

The KFC spot looks like an episode of Night Gallery