Dead Mall: Columbia Colonnade | You Won't Believe This Place **Now Closed**

This is right in my hometown. I grew up going to this mall, from having a few birthday parties at the arcade from spending the day with my aunt while she worked at CCFNB (First Columbia Bank) back in the 90s. I literally started to tear up during this because of how bad this place has fallen, what I enjoyed there while all the stores were thriving, cease to exist now.

I feel bad for workers in these malls who work at one of the few stores remaining. It must be so depressing to go to work every day set everything up, and almost nobody shows up.

I remember when this mall opened. Hills, (then later Ames), Sears, The Deb shop, Radio Shack, Beneton, JC Penney, Bon Ton, Claires, Hallmark, The Toy store, there were the food shops and shoe shops and Beauty shops and even a Pet shop with 2 giant Mastiffs that amazed us as we entered. I haven't named them all but this was the place to be at Christmas when it was so crowded you needed to stand in long lines. I could go on and on. Just so sad to watch.

What a fascinatingly bizarre place. Between the cold, the emptiness, the nightmare-worthy looping of "YOU HAVE TO ADD MORE COINS", the jumping castle parlour, the oddly-positioned benches outside the former Payless outlet, or "Ladies, skip ur birth control", I can't bring myself to pick a favourite oddity. You should organise an impromptu cocktail party inside (though perhaps not during winter) and see if anyone - management included - actually notices. I'm glad no overly-protective-for-no-reason centre employees got in your way as well, hopefully it stays that way.

This place feels especially dismal to me, even for a dead mall. Couldn't really tell you why. Great video dude

That was fascinating. Another awesome video. Hard to imagine how this place hasn't just locked the doors.

Ironically, in 2000, I filmed a scene for my short film "Bedrick's Fifth" here, and security confronted us and threw us out after only two takes (about 3 minutes of actual filming). Times change, we could shoot a feature film there now with no problems!

I used to live there. First time I went to that mall was mid 2012. It was already dead for years at that point but had all four anchors- Bon Ton, Dunhams, Sears, and I think either JC Penney or Macy's. Victoria's Secret, Godivas Chocolates, a small boutique shoe store, Bath and Body Works, RadioShack, card game shop, a train hobby store (that never seemed to be open), a hair salon/good store, pretzel shop (the only place at the "food court"), and a ballet studio were open (maybe 1 or 2 other things, probably a gift/gift card shop but it's hard to remember). I lived in Bloom until 2019, by that time a few places came and went, such as a Subway and home style family restaurant. The Bloomin Bounce opened up and seemed to actually be decently busy, and Geisinger opened up offices there. I think JC Penney closed first as an anchor, then Sears, then Bonton, then the furniture place took the place of Sears and eventually it appears one of the other anchors was taken by some sort of sports class venue. Gradually it seems covid nuked the rest of what remained, and by the end of it my friends were making skating videos inside it because they had no staff anymore - not even a security guard. I believe Dunham might still be operational and have simply blockaded what used to be their entrance to the rest of the mall.

Bless you for posting. Reading the comments warm reflections never fading.

I made a visit to this place last summer. It was like walking through a tomb. Dark, silent, and I felt like something was behind me the whole time. Great video👍

Thanks for the wildly sad and interesting tour down memory lane. I also grew up going to this mall. I remember being SO excited to take report cards for tokens at the video arcade when it opened (and sometimes getting a fiver from the grandparents to play for a bit). We all shopped at the music, toy, and bookstores. I remember karate demos, singing groups, and all kinds of little community things on that small elevated stage, too.

I remember when they used to have Hills! It was a great department store! I also enjoyed Sears, JC Penney and the Bon Ton. Nice specialty stores back in the day! Loved people watching too back in the 90’s and early 00’s.

Very much reminds me of the twists and turns you'd see in your dreams in some sparcely populated public space, sometimes known as liminal space. You'd almost expect a ghost or some creature to be stalking you throughout it. Anyways cool video. I grew up right around the Bloomsburg area and spent some of my childhood in the early 2000s there. Nostalgia trip.

Happy to find this channel, love the simplicity of the video. Subscribing!

GREAT video! Sad. I have good memories of this mall growing up! My favorite stores were: CAMELOT MUSIC, F.Y.E. (THE WALL), HILL'S and REEL COLLECTIONS. Favorite places to eat were: ARBY'S, AUNT ANNE'S PRETZELS and HILL'S SNACK BAR. During the week or on Sunday's we ate @ WESTERN SIZZLIN' (which is now an ALDI'S). Only trouble was, if you ate the salad bar, you weren't leaving until you went to the restroom...LOL! Catfish Hunter was once @ the mall in the early 90's singing autographs @ a baseball card show that was held there. My Dad didn't want to stand in the LONG line, so he bought someone a couple packs of plastic card sleeves to stand in line for him. Sure enough, we got his autograph! GREAT times...WONDERFUL memories!

Ian another fascinating post. So eerie and sad. Remember the Hunt Valley Mall right down street from me was empty for several years and now you have the vibrant outdoor Hunt valley town center guess that is the wave of future. Remember mall shopping with wife on Saturday nights. We would pick a different Mall to visit Me I buy all my stuff on Amazon 😃 keep up the great work!

Hello Ian I live in this area. I was 8 when Columbia mall opened. It was once a thriving mall. They had a great arcade it was called the boardwalk Blvd. They had jc penny, bon ton, a sears department store with appliances. Sears had a photo studio. Also many shoe stores a GNC. They had many different vendors lining the walkways. My wife worked at one selling sports memorabilia as a teen. They had a wonderful pizza place and much more. The running joke in the area has been about the mall dying. I took my son to the bounce house a few years ago and it was dead then. Did you notice the parking lot? It looks like a war zone that had been shelled. I go to Dunhams from time to time and you have to watch where you step. It is sad that it went south there. I have fond memories as a youngster there. Oh They had an Arby's for years. You could smoke cigarettes in there. There was a bunch of old guys in there in the mornings. Thanks for sharing your video. I may have to go up and take a look some weekend soon.

Awesome man!

I think the saddest part is seeing all of the mom and pops that popped up as the mall died taking advantage of cheap rent but eventually closed themselves. That dance studio might have been someone’s dream 😞

Great video! I can't figure out why I keep watching dead mall videos. They make me really sad but can't stop! Why would any mall walker walk that mall? No way! Please show happy thriving malls too.