Grew up going to this mall and it was always a good time. Couldn't wait to get to Kay B toys and pick something out usually a model car. When I first got my license I would drive 40 minutes, park in the parking garage go to FYE and burn a CD and go get something to eat from the food court while I waited for the CD to be ready. The U mall doesn't feel the same as it did in years past especially once the food court changed.

Where you think used to be a fountain was a customer service island/desk. I remember going there to purchase mall gift cards or ask questions in the past.

We still go there occasionally. Every month there is a sports card and collectibles event with a lot of pop up tables. I can remember a lot of stores from when I was a kid. Sears, bon ton, ames, dream machine arcade, babadges, vt toy and hobby, pet store, mcdonalds, taco bell, subway, dunkin donuts, sabaro pizza, kb toys, northern reflections, fye, waldens book store, etc... Some other stores in the surrounding area... Service merchandise and woolworth.

I suppose it's doing ok as far as malls go, but it's a totally different vibe than it had growing up here in the 90s and 2000s

Growing up (mid-late 2000's), I remember the giant flat wall in the food court being McDonald's (on the corner), Dunkin Donuts, Taco Bell, and Subway, then across was Sbarro (now Roman Delight), Fortune Cookie, Quiznos, and Ben & Jerry's (on the corner across from McDonald's; though it's changed restaurants a bunch of times). There was no frozen yogurt stand, and the food court was always full of people. Sometimes you couldn't find a seat near your restaurant of choice. Also, the back side of the mall has a back door with a hallway leading to the food court. That's the entrance I usually went through with my parents.

I still have a token from the old arcade that was in that mall. Pretty sure it was an Aladdin's Castle. Two or three different arcades all went into that mall, into the same spot, and they all had electrical fires.

As a Canadian currently living in Montreal I’ve been to this mall and its counterpart in Plattsburgh a few times. This one is doing much better, I think. Though the food court is clearly awful (esp as someone hoping to try some U.S. chains), the stores have a decent selection and it’s right near Burlington airport, perfect for grabbing the last few things before or after a flight

After you filmed, a Spirit Halloween went into that Sears 2023. One of the busiest days of the year at the Umall is when they have their Halloween festivities called Malloween. There are trading card shows happening often that are very big and bustling. Also the Vermont gaming Center is really impressive. They seem to always have something going on.

The food court hasn't been doing well since they bricked up the windows at the end sometime in the early '00s. The only view it had was of I-89 running right behind the mall, but still it let a lot of light in that the skylights didn't quite replace.

I attended college in vermont from 2019-2021 and went to this mall a few times. The food court was always empty, new vendors would open and would close after a couple months. From what I can tell it appears there are more stores than when I was there. It was cool to get a look at what it is today, post pandemic.

The parking garage was also another way in you could go through the Sears.

The mall definitely had the biggest fall off, especially after Covid. I would say i rarely go there, and the last few times I went, it was dead. I have a lot of memories of the mall, so it sucks to see it fall to irrelevancy.

there used to be a Papa Gino's there when I was a kid.

I used to like the U mall but after they put H&M in they just got rid of all of the food court. This food court used to have dunkin mcdonalds KFC and subway and a couple of other places its just sad to see the food court like this.

I live 5 minutes away from this mall, and yes, it did used to have fountains in the halls during it's heyday. Also, the food court had some 15 different restaurants, including the only Taco Bell in the Burlington area. There was even a few kisosks the would pop up in the middle of the food court to sell different treats. There was a smoothie stand that was there for quite a while. Down the opposite hallway, there was Vermont's largest arcade for many years, occupying 2 storefronts on both sides of the hall. 4:37 5:51

Have lived in the area since '86 and visited quite a bit before that as a kid. Have seen a lot of changes, some good and some bad. I think the biggest negative is definitely the almost non existent food court! I think it's always going to be right on the edge of dying but will hold on for many years to come! Great video!!

This was/is my hometown mall. You caught it during the time it's most busy, around Thanksgiving/Christmas. It's definitely changed over the years, and other than holidays is pretty touch & go with regard to how busy it is. It keeps hanging on somehow though! You're right about the food court. It did used to have a bunch of options...Subway, A&W, Dunkin and McDonald's. Those all moved out over time...before H&M moved in and took over most of the right hand side.

There was a Papa Ginos pizza in there. A large arcade was in the corner. Kaybee toys, FYE, Ames,Wendys all were in there. I remember Zayres. A large hobby store with a train running all day used to be by the Kohls entrance.

I just graduated from SMC with a degree in Neuroscience. I'm staying in the area to work at UVMMC and I LOVE this mall. You definitely did your research! I'm originally from southern VT and would travel to the Mall of New Hampshire or Boston. I have so many good memories of going to the mall twice a week with my friends in college. I even worked at Bath and Body Works over Christmas break one year. I hope VTs keep this mall open for years to come. Great video!

Jersey mikes and daves hot chicken coming to our food court! I would say around 2020 the food court started to look like that due to covid

I've been there many times throughout the years.. The food court is sad, but the rest of the mall looks fairly healthy. One reason I think is Vermont is one of the fittest and healthiest states. People still walk places and Vermont has a solid middle class and a very solid upper class that still have money to spend..

It's pretty dead compared to what it once was. Their use to be an FYE, Boarders, Radio Shack, The Childrens Place, Sabarro, Dunkin, Mcdonalds, Fortune Cookie, a watch repair place, Ben & Jerrys, Gap, KB Toys, Lint Chocolate, After Midnight, icing, A ceramics store where you could paint things, a library, a mall kiosk where youd buy mall gift cerrificates & many others. For a while a nearby town had their library in here & every season a craft store pops up, which is nice. Its probably only kept alive now by tourists & a handful of locals including teenagers, pregnant women, young familys & vintage mall walkers.

I still go there on weekends and it's usually busy. I think that if it weren't for Target, this mall would have shuttered years ago. I do miss the old arcade, the old Kay-B-Toys and the food court! Regarding the Sears space, it was a Spirit Halloween pop up! I went there last fall to look at costumes.Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works space used to be FYE. The Shoe Dept Encore used to be where Victoria's Secret was.

When I was relocating to Vermont in October 2022, I stayed in a rented room in the house of a family in South Burlington for two months, until I found an apartment. I visited this mall on a few occasions. It was lively during November and December. However, during the other ten months it appeared lifeless. Target is the only real source of activity all year long. Next door is a Hannaford supermarket. Across the street is a Barnes and Noble.

Thats my teenage mall. So much love and memories. I even had some excitement in the parking garage with my GF at the time😜. So much love towards you for making this video. Im currently old and live so very far away. But this has warmed my heart...

Jersey Mike's coming to the food court this summer!

That wall used to be filled with McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, subway. They got rid of them when they brought H&M in because H&M took up that whole area. In my opinion H&M is not worth it. They should’ve just kept the food court because the food places were always busy.

I remember a Sabbaro's, Mcdonald's ,a chinese food, Taco bell,a juice bar Coffee shop in the late 90's early 2000's High rents and Penny's and Sear's leaving didn't help.

My name is Chad Rollins, I lived in Vermont my whole entire life, especially in the Burlington area. I was born in Burlington and I’ve been here ever since. I was born in 1979 when the mall was built. I remember the mall being a little bit better than what it is now 20 years ago. The mall is still an iconic spot in the Burlington area. I would recommend anybody to stop by and check it out.

Our mall sucks. We have no clothing stores, the food court has nothing. It’s ridiculous.

i remember the food court use to have places on both walls. it even had a mc donald's. although i don't know when or why they left. i want to say they left anywheres between 2018-2022. around that time i had stop going to the mall. it wasn't until last year when i started visiting again, and noticed the food court.

i got so excited to see this video, as this is the mall i live close to, and go to about once a month! even though i didn't grow up here, i've been going to this mall for a few years, and i do wish there was a better food court, and that it was a two story mall. i do enjoy it still because i go with my friends, and just love going to the mall in general, and it is usually busy, especially on the weekends! i was going to mention if u are able to lower the background volume in your videos, that would be much appreciated! i love every single video i have watched, but it can be really hard to hear you sometimes. thanks for sharing these videos, im excited for more!

There used to be at least eight food options and less chairs. Some time in the mid 2010's, many restaurants like McDonald's and foreign options were closed and more seats were added. I don't know why.

The wall with the restaurants used to be as part of H&M now H&M took over more space

there was a/ still is a mall in st Johnsbury called the green mountain mall, it was pretty decent in the late 90s early 00s but slowed way down after jc penny left. its still somehow going though today allbeit alot more tired

I lived in Vermont with my kids. U mall was the spot for shopping and hanging out for kids, it was full especially on wkends, school shopping or holidays. And now it's shocking to see hardly any food court( which was always packed) and some of the stores that was downtown mall moved in. It's not the same has it was years ago, even down town mall inside is gone. Just shocking.

actually the orginal Zaryes is still standing, if you look at sateilite photos you can see the original building as well as the filler between it and the "new" building

My good old University Mall! I haven't gone there since covid began. Thank you good sir for doing a walk-through how do you know if some stores are still there or not. But I will say the damn covid took my Chinese food restaurant. }:(

2:50 Used to be a sears for 16 years. Used to have an entrance from the parking garage. Was the best way to park and access the mall until sears closed down. 4:00 Karen's location Used to be a bed and bath works 4:05 Shoe store used to be where victoria's secret was 4:10 Used to be customer service for the mall, you could get gifts wrapped there, you could buy gift cards for the mall. You could get wheelchairs or carts for kids for accessibility. 5:00 H&M, That used to be part of the food court. It had a mcdonalds, a dunkin donuts, tacobell, and a subway. When the new owners took over, the food court drastically died. It used to have an EB games in that location next to the food court. iirc 5:00 The new Bed and Bath Works used to be an FYE which was a movie/dvd/music store. 5:22 You can see the tile on the floor, that's the time capsule from when the mall was originally built. 5:55 Roman's Used to be a sbarros 6:00 To answer your question, it was when the new owners took over, all the food places on the HM side were big chains. I would have no idea why. 8:06 is the entrance to the back parkinglot, most locals use this entrance. 8:35 This is the front entrance 8:47 The weird space you see between maurices and kohls is a seasonal space. They will put in spirit halloweens, party city, vr experiences, the gaming academy owned that for 3 years before expanding next to hot topic now. Weird craft stores. This space is specifically held for pop up shops that sell more then what an aisle kiosk would. 9:10 To answer another question, in the 90's this place was packed to the brim. It would have traffic jams that would last a few hours in the parking lot around halloween and christmas. It has died down a lot since with how many people are walking around. The food court was always packed 24/7 and just finding a table in offhours was a challenge. I think the mall is doing fine but the new owners need to fix the food court and get those big name fast food places back in. 11:07 Used to be a huge arcade from 1998 until about 2004 where obriens/kays was.

I currently work at one of the anchor stores at UMall, and I would say its far from dead lol. Also, as to the food court - I didn't see it myself but I've been told that H&M absorbed the right side restaurants. Popular spot with students, especially weekends and surprisingly well-maintained. Staff do a good job.

That's the first mall you have gone to that I have been to. It used to have an fye and a hobby shop and those were the only 2 places I went to in there. It has been probably 12 years since I was last there.

5:47 That wall was a McDonalds, Taco Bell, and a Subway all next to each other! After a selection like that, of course it's going to feel empty.

I *REALLY* think Target should've put minimal resources into running that location as a Bon-Ton with a Target sign in front, and moved into the Sears space once it became available (always a "when" not an "if"). Either that or not waste so much space on grocery; it's actually surprising they weren't prevented from that by the mall having a category-exclusivity agreement with Hannafords.

Man i haven't been there in at least 5 yrs. Last time i went it was practically empty. The only reason the mall is still around is because theres nothing else for shopping. As a kid it was my favorite place because it had the only video game store anywhere remotely close

We need more channels like this that talk about local issues.

There was a shooting here in February 2021, no one was killed but there were 2 injuries. It happened right in front of the game store (the one shown at 9:31), and the entire mall was immediately locked down. The cops came within two minutes of the 911 calls, patrolled the area for a while, and asked questions to all of us witnesses. I had to stand at the bus stop for two hours in the cold without gloves, as no vehicles were permitted to leave the parking lot. It was most likely gang-related, as there are a few gangs in the area (like 'Scrant' and the 'Hoonies', their graffiti can be seen everywhere), and there was a disagreement between some of the members, one pulled a gun on another guy and then they all ran, and the guy getting shot at started running after them. The cops did eventually track down the shooter, who had escaped to Miami, and now he's in prison. This has nothing to do with the mall at large, i just figured I'd mention it because everyone still working there who was present that day remembers it vividly. I still get nightmares from it on occasion, and I envy the people who can just walk in and be like "hmm, a nice quiet dying mall" instead of having immediate PTSD. If we had any other retro game stores in the state that weren't in shithole Rutland, I dont think I'd ever enter the mall again. Aside from that, the Bath & Body Works used to be an FYE, and the food court had a McDonald's, Subway, Taco Bell, and Dunkin, and a really good Chinese place. There was a toy store with mirrored ceilings and a toy train that ran around the perimeter, loved that as a kid. The GameStop recently had a copy of Armored Core For Answer on Xbox 360 for only $55, which is a LOT less than you'll ever see online. And the Sears also has a Spirit Halloween during that season. It used to be great like 10 years ago, covid really hit it hard. But we are getting a Jersey Mike's in the food court soon, so there is hope that we might get new stuff eventually.

Almy’s, one of the two original anchor stores when the University Mall opened on April 5, 1979. Too bad I can't put the Grand opening photo on here.

To be fair, Burlington is very walkable and bikable. People would rather visit and support local stores downtown than chain stores.

Would you do a video on Governor''s Square Mall in Tallahassee, FL?

I really liked this video you did a good job the mall looks cool I would go there

I think the space with the foldup chairs is a spot that will help the general public file during tax season.

Interesting mall! Will you do an another video about JCPenney At Crystal Mall before it closes?

There was a Spirit Halloween in part of the Sears space.

The mall offers special rates for small businesses such as mine - You begin to pass my store (7:08) Eat and Be Hoopy (the big snowman with a hula hoop in the front window) we do hula hooping parties and lessons. As well as art and cooking activities. ! I 😊love being at the mall. We need an indoor place to hang out here!

There’s another indoor mall in VT… the Green Mountain Mall in St. Johnsbury. Though, it’s definitely a dead mall.

I’d say it’s definitely holding steady. The food court is a tad concerning, but generally especially with this weekday afternoon crowd it seems to be doing fine relatively speaking.

I live near the Canadian Border in Vermont and considering there is no shopping in most of Vermont you would think this mall would be on fire. I guess most people are buying on-line. I have to rely on Amazon and others for most things I need.

When they converted the Bon Ton to a Target, they must not have done any work to the celling. Every time I visit, I’m struck by how small/cramed that store feels, probably because the celling is low for a target store. For being so small, it still has a great selection.

I think that the Canadian dollar being so low isn't helping. I'd go to Vermont and that mall often but the exchange rate is so brutal lately.

I expect this mall... along with all the larger brick-and-mortar stores originally seen as anchors, is going away. The price of real estate, the no-revenue parking, and the facts of changed public shopping habits since Covid (not just Amazon!), all contribute to the changes. People just don't gather in such areas anymore.

I dont remeber a fountain but i do remember that being a big round desk area and it was the malls information desk. I used to go buy gift certificates that you could use in any store in the mall! I think that the food court started looking that way about 10 years ago or so give or take. When H&M went it it took out McDonald's, Dunkin donuts and a subway. There was a taco bell on that side but that was already gone by the time H&M came in. There used to be a nice ben & Jerrys spot and a Quiznos and a chinese food spot. When i used to visit the mall 20 years ago it was way better! They had a pet store a kay bee toys!!! Pretty sure there was an arcade and theybwas a giant FYE! Just overall it was better.

Wonder if the time capsule is still in the floor of the food court

Rumors where circulating in 2018/2019 that Sears was set to become a Runnings Farm Supply store but I don't know how true those rumors were Champlain Centre mall in plattsburgh ny does kinda compete with this mall sorta Even though it's across the lake it kinda competes And yes I grew up going to this mall their used to be fountains I think The food court used to have DUNKIN, MCDONALD'S, TACO BELL, Sbarro pizza & a Chinese Restaurant I say around 2014 they started to close cause their was a planned bigger store I heard that never happened that was supposedly going on their Champlain Centre mall, U Mall both my childhood malls of the early to mid 2000s

Seems like a nice clean mall! A bit generic but overall looks good!

Cute how your thumbnail is meant to make it look empty when that's the garage entryway...

You certainly get around!

it had a good food court up until about 2007

Now i think rents are to high, and it's risky, as malls are dying.

The Nail Boutique. The fungus is on us!

Interesting that the food court is like that when the rest of the mall seems to be doing just fine. Also noticed there's not really any entertainment there other than a few arcade games thats in the middle of the walkways

the food court had a taco bell, a dunkin and a mc Ds long ago, over the years they all went away with time starting with taco bell. eventually H&M took the whole wall up to expand and got rid of all of the food court space there. the Chinese resturaunt there was a joke and the owners were really mean. sad really i loved all of the fast food when it was there. the mall is not super super busy during the off season so thats probs why fast food could not stay

I live in New Jersey there's another mall in Woodbridge that is also dying its call the Woodbridge mall it doesn't have alots of people going there like before.

Seeing this was a weekday in the middle of the day, it doesn't seem to be doing badly. Thank you for showing us

It's really Vermont's only mall.

During covid all of the restaurants shut down, after covid most of the restaurants did not return

A typical single floor 1970s era mall. The dead food court usually indicates that a mall has issues and the mixed retail doesn't help. The mall might not have had a fountain in that area but it might have had fake tropical plants which was also common in the 1970s. I think the mall is slowly dying and an anemic anchor store (JC Penney) won't help.

Of course this is in Burlington.

Although small you forgot Burlington Square Mall

the whole time i felt uncomfortable watching this. i visit this mall about once a month.

I remember when Taco Bell was in the Food court

Zayre. Wow that was quite a while ago

In this video the mall looks pretty busy 😕 does that make it a dead mall or not 😮😮

MY FIRST T-SHIRT, THAT SAID"MOVE TO VERMONT, AND SHUT UP! CAME FROM HERE, CINNA BUNN ABD OUTTA THERE

I am always a little bit sad when there are no candy machines or arcades....😢

From the area this nothing like it was 20 0r even 15 years ago. It would be packed and now they got NO good stores. You would leave this mall and go to the “downtown” mall on Church St..O always liked that mall more..

I used to take the Ferry across and just go to the Church St marketplace mall. The mall up by UVM was full of boring stores that are in every mall. in the USA. Hallmark cards and sneakers anyone? I like downtown much better. The main mall uptown is a little too vanilla ice cream for me. Not even Ben and Jerry's.

Hard to say . Is it dying? Also why doesn't Target relocate into the Sears as its a smaller Target in what was once bon ton and turn that into burlington coat and Whole foods.

It can't be a dying mall if it has a 95% occupancy rate can it?

It is a dying a mall.

Dunno. The main part of the mall doesn't look bad, but a nearly dead food court is never a good sign.

Does anybody remember the arcade?

I went to this mall I was a kid it changed they took the McDonald’s out of the food court and target was not there at the but sear was I don’t remember see hm store they.

Who owns this mall 😮😮

When H&M move in that side of the food court was take over by them an that what is killing the mall also a lot of talk about adding apartment and a new movie theater never happen

This mall won’t be going anytime soon despite the lack of food options.

Regarding the food courts, the restaurants seemed spread out instead of just in one location

that mall was too busy not to have more food choices.

Diamond run mall clozed. My fiance whom grew up in Brandon grew up aroumd there.

Surprise, the university mall is still around most everyone. I know shop online. Much easier.

Verizon store dad believes was KayBee toys