Towne West Mall ||| Wichita, Kansas
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- čas přidán 24. 04. 2024
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Dead malls are becoming more commonplace around this country mostly because of online shopping. Towne West Mall in Wichita is headed that way as well. For a few decades it was a nice compliment to Towne East Mall, but lately it has become the mall equivalent of a ghost town. It was a very strange experience walking around a mostly deserted mall - but a familiar one for those who follow this channel. Glad I went and checked it out!
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God, I remember going to Towne West so often. Sad to see it like this.
😔
We used to get dropped off at the mall in 1980 as high school students. It was a real treat
The east won against the west in the great war of Wichita.
@@gh2687which one because towne west was built in 1981 🤨
I remember going to see frozen and Zootopia there
As a Wichita resident, I have to say, that even though the mall is dead, it's very much worth a stop into. Go to OZ, that little card store, it's really neat inside and they have a lot of cool vintage stuff. The Vintage Stock store also has some neat stuff. All of the employees are really kind in every store. Also, the movie theater has really cheap food and tickets, and it's almost always empty, so it's a nice way to watch a movie.
I agree. I’ll be back!
The theater closed down.
@@SaintZombie1 Lol no it didn't, I just bought tickets to go see the new bad boys movie
Oz is an awesome shop! Ramiro the owner is such a genuine guy, he gives the best deals for pokemon in all of wichita! 10/10 recommend to anyone to check it out
I feel strongly I don't leave post and comments much. I was born in 1977 in Wichita Kansas and I am very familiar with Towne West Mall when it was busy and a bustling business. It does break my heart to see t mall in its current state. When I was younger it was not too uncommon to find me at Aladdin's Castle or watching a movie at the movie theater. I don't know how my Wichita Piers feel. I would love to see you tomorrow West come back again 💗. But I do understand economically why is it so difficult to do that. But it bears saying Towne West Mall will always have a special place in my heart
Thanks for your comment!
As a dead mall enthusiast for several years, I gotta say I really enjoy seeing the unique hobbyist stores in this place. Typically, the only opportunity local hobbyists ever get to have a store is when there are dying malls like this and the rent finally becomes affordable. But many dead malls have management that doesn’t know how (or desire) to connect with hobbyists and they just wind up with junky nail salons, sneaker resellers and flea market type vendors with homemade sale signs before they finally shut down and rot away.
Much respect to these mall vendors in the video, these stores all look very interesting and well taken care of!
This is the type of mall I would love to open a pinball arcade, but unfortunately my two local malls don’t want that.
Great video!
It’s certainly a fascinating place to walk around and explore. It will be interesting to see what happens in the years to come!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy I just looked at the mall webpage and this is a Kohan owned property. Unfortunately that’s not a good sign. I wish good for the tenants of this mall, but Kohan has a well documented record that does not typically trend into good things…. Just my opinion, but you will see multiple posts and videos offering similar opinions about this owner. Sad.
they need to tear out most of its inside and turn it into and indoor cart track that rivals other indoor tracks. make a couple different courses. and have one that is a two tier track with bridge.
leave the theater in and remodel open the food court area back up. and put the old arcade back in that used to be there.
but cherry ontop is now that the casino went in out of town you could try and get a section also open to betting. mayb even have a horse race setup but for the cart races where you can bet on car #'s with a random driver draw so no one can cheat the system. its only after the race is over that the driver knows what # he was racing for.
New Market Square was the beginning of the end of Towne West. The owner needs to relinquish ownership and let a different, more responsible group take control of it. So sad, because this wasn't a bad mall to go to back in the day.
I looked up the current owner. What is happening at Towne East is a pattern for the guy who owns it and other malls across the country. Sad to see it close unless there's some kind of intervention.
I was just about to comment on New Market Square. You beat me to it.
At this point it just needs to be bull dozed.
Or turned into a party district
Actually it was the 4 year closure of kellogg and west, that was only supposed to be closed 1 year
id actually say new market wasn't the beginning but the final nail in the coffin. town west was already dying by that time. infact by 2005 town west was all but done for, it was just a matter of trying to hold out as long as it could.
@@kristiparry2383 yea that certainly didnt help. but even before they started that project town west was well on its way out the door
Ghost mall? I enjoyed this video. It’s a sad story. But you did a great job. Thanks.
Yes basically! Felt like a ghost town of sorts.
I use to take my kids to town West but now it a ghost mall just and the guy refused to pay his taxes and pay his utilities ! That's just a shame on him!
The owner doesn't want it . He is in default at the bank . Basically he is telling the city if they want it take it. He probably is smart enough to legally separate himself from it if it is just one owner. More likely it's a type of co-op .
These things litter the American landscape.
Personally, I don't think there are nearly as many Americans in the USA as we are publicly told. I traveled all over the lower 48 states for 32 years. Even if I squint real hard there simply are not 350 million people in the USA. It's probably well under a 100 million people.
Our nation is being ghosted by its own citizens.
Welcome to New Zombiemerica'.
Yeah. I have only counted 13,213 people in the US. And they're all at adult bookstores...
@wackadoodle12 The owner, Kohan Retail Investment Group, is pulling this "collect the rent, but don't pay the utilities, taxes or maintenance" crap at several malls they own all over the country. They're vulture capitalists. Look up Tulsa Promenade for an example.
It’s actually a big company that bought it out and is known for this across the country. They have a lawsuit for it
I’ve been to the town East mall. My grandparents lived at Pawnee & Hillside. I grew up going to Joyland when I was in town to see them. My Aunt & Uncle had a flower shop at Harry & Clifton streets called Harry Clifton Flowers. They bought the old Cloud 9 strip club and turned it in to a flower shop. My cousin has the old neon sign for Cloud 9.
And those cars at West are probably 90% belonging to the employees there. Would be a great place to film movies, especially a Dawn of the Dead type.
Thanks for sharing, this is absolutely heartbreaking. We were raised with this mall, spent our teenage years hanging out with friends and raised my daughter frequently visiting there too. Soo many precious memories.. makes me so sad. I have tons of memories of this place.. this was such a happening place! It's sad to see it this way..
Hell yeah to the ladies doing Mexican karaoke, good on them for having fun while waiting in the salon.
I..THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA DANCE 🕺 WHEN THE LADY WAS SINGING 😅😅😅
Hahaha I didn’t want people to immediately turn off the video
Thank you for making this video. As a “west sider”Towne west will always be close to my heart. Growing up with many b-day parties at the McDonald’s..had an indoor play area with real wood chips that I can still smell to this day lol. There was a Chick-fil-A as well during the early 80s. I could ramble on but you get the gist.
I have been to Town West numerous times! It is sad to see how much the mall has deteriorated over the years! You are right, it’s a strange feeling walking around that dead mall! Great video!
Thank you! Very sad indeed.
As someone who grew up on the West Side, I cherish the countless memories I have of seeing Santa riding the train, playing by the water fountain in the center, and enjoying the bustling food court. While I hold onto these memories dearly, there's a part of me that longs to experience it all over again.
I remember taking my Daughter and friends out to mall every weekend. Shopping and a movie. 🎶
Used to go to both those malls when I grew up in Kansas. Mostly went to Town West as it was on the side closest to Hutchinson and right off the freeway.
Hutch Mall is this way on the inside (but a lot of businesses facing outwards). Cheers from a moved back Hutch kid.
I was in High School when Towne East opened, and going there was an event! I still have paperbacks I bought at the bookstores! Town West opened when I went to College (Newman University) just down the highway and I rode my bike (didn't have a car yet!) to TW to scope out books and records and issues of "Rod Serling's Twilight Zone Magazine." In the late 80s I worked in a store at Towne East and met my best friend there and 30-some years later we are still best friends! I'll always have a soft spot for that damn mall for that!
Your first shot said it all. The look at that nearly empty parking lot with the blacktop surface decomposing and full of holes and long cracks. On the inside, I was impressed by how well kept and clean it seemed to be. Other dying malls I have been at have had dirty areas where a leak hasstained the floor and fell ceiling tile. And dark ares where several lights are out and haven't been replaced. Our lival mall had reached thar point, and eventually led to the board of public safety shutting it down. It since had sold to a developer. Mist of rhe mall was torn down except a section that was in good shape. That is being made into a large workout shop, as well as other small shops. And the cleared area has an apartment complex being built. The movie theater was in another building with other small shops, and it is being rejuvenated with the theater open now, and a family style diner soon to open.
We have lits of hiusing out here, but have had to run across town to shop for years now. This could be a rather good. Hange for us.
It was a rather good look at the changes happening in our Midwest. It is the same thing as our small communities have been through, just mire recent historically. Very interesting. And I would not of had the foresight to of even seen this as a worthy video to make. Way to go, Wise guy!
Thanks! When I went there for a movie earlier this year, I walked around late at night and it was really dead. That gave me the idea for the video :)
I graduated from Northwest in 2000, so I spent my childhood and teenage years visiting Towne West during its heyday. I'd heard about the issues with power and water, but had no idea things had gotten so bad. It was actually really depressing to see this. Just another part of my childhood disappearing... Still, thanks for sharing this! I might have to go visit before it inevitably gets shut down for good.
I grew up in NW Wichita, and this brought back SO many memories. I remember when Towne West opened - the thing for many of us little elementary-school girls to do was "hang out" there on Saturdays. My friends got to go pretty much every weekend, but my sister and I didn't because Mom didn't believe children that age should be dropped at the mall to wander aimlessly for hours. We were angry at the time, but if I'd had kids I probably would have done the same thing - and, when we were allowed to go, it was a real treat. Great memories of watching "Rocky Horror Picture Show" in that theater (NOT in grade school)! My first job was at a clothing store in that mall. The whole place was always so BUSY, parking was a nightmare. Surreal to see it as it is now, this pristine, deserted little indoor city. So nice that we got your lovely drone shots in this video, they provided interesting contrast between the two malls. This was such a GREAT idea for a video!
Interesting to see how things have changed within our lifetimes - I didn’t move to Wichita until 2006 but even since then the changes have been significant- mostly positive.
@@TravelwithaWiseguy I completely agree. I'm hard-pressed to think of any significant changes that haven't made this an even better place to live and work.
So sad to see Towne West like this. It was my "go to" mall for so long. It was very convenient for us west siders...
I like the comparison between the still successful mall and the last one. It says everything. Thanks!
The drone shots of the parking lots told a lot about that comparison!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy Yes, they did.
The old oil money has always been on the east side.
Towne West holds so many memories for me. Such a nostalgic place despite going like twice a year. The most I remember about it is the smell I can't identify in it that I haven't smelled elsewhere that is super nostalgic
Smelled like a dirty armpit when I worked there.
I grew up in Wichita and Towne West used to be one of my favorite places to go and it's sad to see how much it's changed, but now that I'm back I'd love to visit it as I love exploring dead malls and such :D
We used to wrap Christmas gifts at Towne West from Thanksgiving til Christmas for customers. It was a busy mall back then. Made some pretty good money for our church youth group to help with youth trips. Its hard to believe how empty it is now.
Woah! That’s bonkers! Never thought I’d ever see town west so empty. I can smell the 90’s food court. Even remember the mirrors in Saboros
I believe a lot malls across the country are losing people coming through. In my area se Missouri the mall has really lost a lot of stores. Jc penny, old navy and Barnes and noble are about all that is left. Barnes seems to do well. Thanks for sharing.
I was last there a couple years ago. There were more mallwalkers than shoppers.
As we in the area might remember...there were some lean years over at Towne East, too...but never as bad as Towne West has been.
It did used to be a pretty cool place
THE MINIGOLF AND THE TRAMPOLINES ARE SO NOSTALGIC
It’s so sad, I was at Towne West yesterday. It breaks my heart. I worked in all the malls in Wichita back in the 70’s and 80’s. I worked for a shoe store chain. I helped open the store at Towne West and transferred there from Towne East. Working in malls back then was fun. We all were kind of family, especially in the 70’s.
The JC Penney store was a nice surprise. Clean, well displayed, lots of stock and friendly employees. It felt like I was the only person in the store so shopping was quite pleasant. 😊
Grew up in West Wichita and went shopping at Towne West so much growing up. CRAZY to see it like this!
I remember going to the Vintage Stock in Towne East and getting a copy of Dead Rising for the Xbox 360, then I heard about Towne West declining. Really cemented my fear and morbid fascination of malls like this. It’s so surreal seeing it abandoned
Oh, thanks for the music!
One of my buddies, Terry Jones worked in the Towne West bookstore in 1981. He's been gone for thirty years!
I grew up my whole life in Wichita but have been stationed in California for 5 years. Every time I go home on leave I always stop at town west to see what’s left. It’s a tradition that reminds me of home
I used to work in a decor shop where the mini-golf place is now when I was expecting my son and shortly after he was born. The trajectory the mall has taken since blows my mind.
I live right down the road from the mall. It was so booming back in the day.
This was nostalgic for Alan- he has memories of both of those malls from when he lived there in the 1970s!
He would've seen it change multiple times good and bad!
I remember 6-7 years ago when I was in high school, my friends and I go to the West Mall every weekend to shop or watch movies there and it was so busy.
You could run cross country run indoors there John on a snowy day. Those wheels gave me flash backs to the 60's, psychedelic, peace love and keep the baby faith
Absolutely! I feel like this is a good place for a workout 😊
My dad liked to take me to the old movie theater. Or stop by after the zoo. This is churning up a lot of memories from my childhood.
A very familiar sight all across the USA, dead (or dying) malls and shopping centers.
I used to live on the West side in 1978-1979. This used to be the drive in movie theater. We went there in the 1970's when I vacationed here. I moved away in October 1979. I never experienced Towne West. I used to frequent Towne East. It's nice to see Towne East is still alive. Back in the day Towne West was a great place to go according to my family. I live in PA. We had the third largest Mall in the world here. It is in my neighborhood. We have been here 20 years. Stores started closing about 2017. They have begun demolition in the past month. The owners didn't pay their bills or maintain the property. The parking lot was totally dilapidated. This is sad. Many memories in these malls.
I haven't been back home in like 15 years. Back around that time, Towne East felt like a dying mall. Wild to see that it's thriving. I also used to work at Towne West when I went to Kapaun, and it was considered the greater of two malls at that time. It was bigger and livelier than Towne East at that time. Crazy how things have changed so much since I've been gone.
That was a great mall when it was still alive and kicking. Very nice place to go every morning for a nice walk, especially in the winter when it's nasty outside.
I used to go to towne west almost every couple weeks with my parents and for some school trips and i can remeber some stores closing down but i havent walked around there recently only to watch some movies but i just felt so sad watching this because this mall was my childhood :(
Town West used to be a busy mail, shopping, Food court, and movie theater 🎭 🍿
I went to this exact mall quite a bit when I was a kid, so many nostalgic memories.
I would of thought Wichita was big enough to support 2 malls! Living closer to Topeka, our mall looks like Towne West! Thanks for the video!
It definitely did support it for a while. But malls are hard to keep going these days.
Lots of good memories in that mall. I worked as the projectionist at the movie machine from 2005-2008, still one of my favorite jobs just sitting up in the projection booth. This was also in the days before digital projectors so a lot of memories splicing film reels together. There was a place in the food court called Greek Plus. I went there everyday that I worked and ordered the same thing to the point that the guy that worked there would just ask "the usual?" when I walked up.
Lived at 935 Crestline Dr. in Westlink. Left for Tulsa in 79. Work deal... Lotsa great friends in Wichita from the 60's and 70's. After KU did Grad work at WU...those were the days
So sad! Personally, I'd like to see downtown stores again with 3 or 4 levels. The beautiful windows decorated by professionals for various holidays. I really miss that where I live. I have awesome memories of going downtown with my family.
Reminds me of Bannister Mall in South KC.... I've seen it flourishing as a kid in the late 80s to being demolished in 09...WOW.... I have nothing left to say😢😂😂😂
I lived a 10 min walk from town west, growing up I used to go to town west all the time, mr. Bulkys the candy store was a fav of mine, hot topic was another, it's sad that town west has gone from a thriving mall to a ghost town
Grew in a small farming town south of Wichita. Towne West was the goto mall for my friends and me for movies and shopping in the late 80s/early 90s.
I miss The House of Egg roll. Those were so good
It use to be very busy. There were times it was hard to find parking. I've had to park in the far North west lot next to Maple Street back in the day.
I remember roaming this mall in the 90s. Crazy to see what it has become
Did not expect to see hometown content in my recommended 😭
Used to go town west all the damn time and it was just as popular as town east I really don't know what happened, really wish they'd close down and do a grand reopening or something because everyone knows town west is still open and there but know its dead so no one goes there, so sad to see one of my favorite places as a kid so hollow and a shell of what it used to be
Interesting video. The mall in my hometown went out in the late 80’s. It was a nice mall with many types of shops in its day. I miss it. 😔
Thanks for sharing
:)
Man, I was just in there today looking for music at Vintage Stock. It’s so sad to see what that poor mall has become
I live in witchita, I didn't know there was singing going down, I'm going to give it a shot. 😎
😊
The mini golf is really fun! Also I’d like to add that the local art and music community has used Towne West Mall for vendor markets and concerts :)
I’m a resident of Wichita too. And I remember going there with my family. It’s sad to see it like this. It used to be so busy. Online shopping killed a lot of things and I don’t think a lot of places recovered from Covid
I love this mall. It is great to walk in. It makes me so sad that it has gone this downhill. Every store owner is amazing and I wish things would look up
Did anyone else notice the small detail at 5:23? It’s so cool!
When I was in high school from 2002-2006 the west mall was where it’s at. We always went there because it was something to do. I went a few years ago and there was nothing there. Crazy how much it changed!
Spent a ton of time there as a teen, it was full then. Have a lot of good memories. Sucks to see the West Mall like this.
I grew up going to Towne West in the 90s. I have a great memories of the old cookie shop. Man it's sad how it's fallen off.
Let me begin by saying I love all your work. And I know it doesn't fit your channel 's theme, but I loved you taking the time to visit Wichita's dying mall. I've been to both malls in town and definitely note the wide differences between the east and west sides of Wichita.
I'd really love seeing your channel continue this topic. There are so many struggling malls between KS, NE and OK that haven't been filmed much. Hutchison comes to mind, and Salina. But there's so much else out there.
Thank you very much! I wouldn’t mind doing another one in another town like this.
Towne West Square when I was a kid in the 90s was always busy. Not a vacancy to be seen and especially during the holidays, it was such a fun place to go because of how busy it was. My childhood and teenage years were there almost every weekend just hanging out with family and friends enjoying the old Sbarro's and I really liked visiting Electronics Boutique, Third Planet, and B Dalton books. Many of my family's shoes were purchased at the Payless there and we shopped at the Montgomery Ward and Sears quite often. After I graduated high school in 2007, it just stopped being the place to go. It would be years between visits. I can count on one hand how many times I have been to Towne West in the past 10 years. Anymore it just became a place to go to see how dead it had become.
I've shopped both malls, as well as the former White Lakes Mall in Wichita and the wonderful department store, Henry's. Shopping downtown Wichita used to be grand, but that's changed too. Unfortunately, those days are gone. Thanks for the interesting video, Coach.
never heard of White Lakes Mall in Wichita.
could it be Twin Lakes Mall.
I remember Henry's - loved that store. It seems that the one at (White? Twin?) Lakes had a circular staircase situated around a fountain - was that right?
@@SusanHL twin lakes no, that mall is still there but many chances over the years. . I did a google search there was a white lakes mall in Topeka
You must be OLD I’m 45 and I don’t remember ever shopping downtown.
@@antoniomccoy9451 well that i am.
Sears was at George Washington Boulevard and Lincoln, south side of street the building is still there. and many stores downtown.
eyyyy they got that scheels going on now at town east. I go there all the time.
Awesome addition. That’s a great idea
Thanks 👍
It's so sad what has happened to Towne West I used to go there alot as a kid & used to get my video games at EB Games /Gamestop. / used to shop at Superstars & I was in there a yr ago for 1st time in 10+ years & I left in tears childhood memories gone.
Have a feeling 10 yrs from now Towne West will be extinct atleast we have Towne East which is still in great shape! R.i.P Towne West :(
Use to shop there 25 years when I lived in that area.
I lived in Wichita from 1987 to 2008. I lived on the west side of Wichita. The differences between west and east Wichita are dramatic. Seems like the streets, commercial areas, and landscaping in east Wichita is much nicer.
i’ve lived in wichita most of life, born in very early 2000s and never once stepped foot into the west mall. growing up it was always called a “dead or ghost” mall. even in the early 2000s if i can recall correctly, there wasnt much in the mall.
I sure miss the old vibes of malls. I think all of us who were kids in the 80s and 90s could write a chapter about how malls were a thing and what Gen-z is missing out on! lol There's a couple very active malls in the STL area...one of them you'll be going past on your Route 50 trip in Illinois (St. Clair Square) but most of them dead. I thought about doing a couple eps but it always seems that they're worried about CZcamsrs coming in there. Anyway, great for you to do a video on this subject!
Thanks! I didn’t sense anyone was worried about me but then again there wasn’t many people there! 😂
Damn, this is the one I drive by when I visit friends in Wichita. Never realized it was like this!
They really should put all the Government buildings in this Mall, like the post office and the DMV and such, would be a perfect spot for it!
I live in Kansas and i remember going to Towne west with my parents and grandma all the time. Kinda sad to see it so empty
@5:55 that space in the back used to be an arcade. I played Dance Dance Revolution there a bunch of times!
Manager to aspiring Latino female singer: I finally got a gig for you!
Singer: That's great! Where?
Manager: Towne West Mall in Wichita, KS
😂😂😂
Simon Properties once owned both Towne West and Towne East, plus the Hutchinson Mall in Hutchinson. Today they only own Towne East and you can tell the difference between it and the other two.
That being said, the other two malls dwindled due to both faltering fortunes of anchor stores and demographic changes of the neighborhoods around the malls.
One thing to me that always plagued Towne West was it's seemingly ideal location at the junction of two major highways, but not having any immediate access in or out to either, especially I-235. When the overhaul of the 235/54 interchange was taking place in the late 2010's, it just added complication to an already bad situation.
Me and my grandma used to go over there all the time last year. We watched moves at bolivard in the mall, that and the dillards are the only thing keeping it running. Now the only enterence is Dillards and you can’t go into the open mall area it’s closed off. They should turn it into a cosino because it just needs a little renivation.
i remember begin in wichita kansas in 2013 when i was in fostercare and i went to the towne east mall a couple of times and remember it begin really cool didnt know they had a towne west
I grew up in witchita, Everyone in my familly called both malls Town-e East and Town-e West.
I perosnally have fond memories of Towne West, It was the mall I got some of my first santa pics at as well as wnet to every christmas
I remember I went there all the time when I was a little kid
Sad to see. I worked at the west Dillard's for 17 years before our store closed. I saw the mall slowly dying over those years
Only time I ever went in this mall was for the eye doctor there. Towne East was just always more fun. Big nostalgia hit seeing East, having been away for 4 years at KU.
It really is sad what happened to town west, I remember going there pretty frequently.
Quite different from your usual subject matter, but I enjoyed this. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it! It was a nice departure from the norm 😊
Having grown up in Wichita I can say that the ONLY times my mom ever took me to Towne West was just before the Riverfestival to look at the bathtubs that would be raced in the river before they stopped doing that. Otherwise we always shopped at Towne East and Eastgate. At this point, I don't know what would be the best course of action for the property, but it is just a betting game on when it closes for good.
Walking through Towne West, it reminded me of the mall in St Charles, IL before it was abandoned. Shame that a lot of these places end up being like this.
Sad to see this, when I was in high school this place was still pretty busy and often full of people. (Class of 09) Lots of memories there.
I grew up in Wichita, moved away in 2010, and even then it was apparent it was struggling to maintain stores. Its jarring to see its gotten worse since then. In the late 90s and early aughts when I frequented it, it was fairly lively, but its wild to see that most if not all of the stores I used to shop at are now all gone.
So many memories
I went to Towne West with my buddies for the mini golf place the day before the power went down over there. Wild stuff.
I remember my grandma taking me to Towne West on special weekends. She would smoke cigarettes sitting in the food court🤣
😂