1989 Forest Fair Mall Cincinnati Opening

Mini doc with rare footage on the 1988 building and early '89 grand opening of a huge ambitious mall in suburban Cincy, it fell on hard times just a year or two later, was remodeled a couple times to no avail and sadly closed for good last year in 2023

Пікірлер: 65

  • @Bubblun1
    @Bubblun14 ай бұрын

    This might be the greatest time warp to 1989 ever shared.

  • @UniCommProductions
    @UniCommProductions4 ай бұрын

    Oh my goodness I think I might cry because this is the best footage of the OG mall I’ve ever seen. Thank you so so much for uploading this ❤

  • @invisi-bullexploration2374
    @invisi-bullexploration23744 ай бұрын

    1:32 The kinetic sculpture 'Ball Game'. No footage of it was said to exist!

  • @invisi-bullexploration2374

    @invisi-bullexploration2374

    4 ай бұрын

    It was bonkers that something in many people's memories hadn't been filmed much. But these were the days without camera phones I guess.

  • @MrJadePinwheel

    @MrJadePinwheel

    4 ай бұрын

    Oh yes. Now I need the sound of it. Always echoing off the walls every 20 minutes

  • @ROMExPRIME

    @ROMExPRIME

    4 ай бұрын

    There was a matching one or exact replica of it at COSI, I believe. If not there, Indy kids museum.

  • @nightgaunt69

    @nightgaunt69

    4 ай бұрын

    It's shown at least 3 times in this and I'm not even half way through.

  • @wgarbe

    @wgarbe

    4 ай бұрын

    @@MrJadePinwheel kzread.info/dash/bejne/am2amNGLf6eZpLg.htmlsi=ZaMYVDrDkI2Vc3qv

  • @brandonj1139
    @brandonj11394 ай бұрын

    I grew up in Cincinnati...I was 9 when this opened. I'm gonna cry 🥹❤️ So many wonderful memories here. Does anyone remember when Double Dare TV show came through? Great video btw 🥳

  • @chrissmith4878
    @chrissmith48784 ай бұрын

    The piano player as you entered Parisian was very nice and the disco cinema lobby was fabulous. The end of malls was on the not so distant horizon.

  • @MikeKalasnik
    @MikeKalasnik4 ай бұрын

    This is one of the greatest finds!!! WOW!!!

  • @SMTMainline
    @SMTMainline4 ай бұрын

    Sound Track: 0:18 The Wiz LIVE! - A Brand New Day 1:17 Bigger Than Life (specially made) 2:06 Cher - Shoppin’ 3:30 Adam Francis Routh - Positivia. 5:01 Buster Poindexter - Hot Hot Hot 8:05 Stephen Hurd - We're Gonna Have a Good Time? 10:13 The Pointer Sisters - I'm So Excited!

  • @ga301
    @ga3014 ай бұрын

    Game arcade , Movies , Grocery Shop . This was a one stop shop

  • @angeloakes3192
    @angeloakes3192Ай бұрын

    I love love love this. Back to my youth. I cried when I saw this.💖💖

  • @stewartpeeps
    @stewartpeeps4 ай бұрын

    Made my day. I worked at Spencer’s & met who would later be my husband. I was 16 when I started & working at that mall was a blast. Then I worked for mall customer service & when Cartoon Corner stopped paying rent (around 95/96?, probably the beginning of the end) we went in & marked all of their stuff cheap to make back their rent money. So many memories I have of this place & not much you can find online. Thanks for this!

  • @RetailWorld
    @RetailWorld4 ай бұрын

    This is fantastic, I have wanted to see more of what the mall looked like before the Mills took over!

  • @StevieDamnit
    @StevieDamnit4 ай бұрын

    Bro, this video's poppin' off!

  • @yolondayolonda4423
    @yolondayolonda44234 ай бұрын

    Sad that this mall just sitting there empty now😪. I remember our HS after prom was there in 93

  • @TheCubeTube
    @TheCubeTube2 ай бұрын

    This is AMAZING! Thanks so much for uploading!!!

  • @ryandal666
    @ryandal6664 ай бұрын

    A great find! This is amazing

  • @gloriagarrison8055
    @gloriagarrison80554 ай бұрын

    8:23 So many memories of the excitement of that first visit and watching my folks visiting from Montana in disbelief. I just came across the photos they took from there. Thanks for sharing this trip with some great memories.

  • @medic1541
    @medic15414 ай бұрын

    Too bad it has been empty for such a long time and probably in disrepair now.

  • @natalielsc

    @natalielsc

    4 ай бұрын

    It's slated to be torn down by the end of the year.

  • @BananaPoodle2

    @BananaPoodle2

    4 ай бұрын

    @@natalielsctheyve been saying that for the past 3 years lol

  • @juicyhudson513.
    @juicyhudson513.3 ай бұрын

    Oh my goodness gracious I was a little baby when this mall opened wow.

  • @randerson4124
    @randerson4124Ай бұрын

    I remember the big problem that nobody expected was all the epileptic seizures people would have down by the Super Saver Cinema. There were these lights behind glass block that would flash on and off in sequence. They had the lights turned off for a while , then they just posted a warning sign and called it good.

  • @tobyradloff
    @tobyradloff4 ай бұрын

    The mall's decline also led to the bankruptcy of the mall's developer, as well as Bonwit Teller. Some of the stores there closed within months of opening. Probably the fastest dying of a mall on record.

  • @SH-sg8or
    @SH-sg8or4 ай бұрын

    Man. I was 18 and leaving for the Army when that place was opening. What a time warp.

  • @patrick39432
    @patrick394323 ай бұрын

    It's a shame that this mall was so ill-conceived and mismanaged. It never had a chance, but it was so beautiful! My family enjoyed it a lot!

  • @sdrape4964
    @sdrape4964Ай бұрын

    11:29 May be the most cars I've ever seen at that mall. Like, I think there were more cars there that 1 day than all the days combined for the last 5 years.

  • @loanme20
    @loanme204 ай бұрын

    terrible video, i loved it

  • @guitarmanmc2620
    @guitarmanmc26204 ай бұрын

    Kohls is the only store that’s open at the mall. Bass pro shop just closed

  • @lawrencethompson3726
    @lawrencethompson37262 ай бұрын

    Expensive leases ended it. Retailers couldn't keep up with the rent. The lingerie store was my favorite place, #2 arcade, #3 food court!😂😂 and Biggs.

  • @ajpanda4488
    @ajpanda44883 ай бұрын

    I loved that mall as a 90s kid

  • @pocketsizeforyourtravelcon3325
    @pocketsizeforyourtravelcon33254 ай бұрын

    I grew up shopping at that Biggs. So many memories! What a great find! I wonder who the singers are? Someone on another video mentioned they might’ve been performers from Kings Island.

  • @rachelroberts633

    @rachelroberts633

    4 ай бұрын

    I grew up stealing cartons of cigarettes from there🤔

  • @SMTMainline

    @SMTMainline

    4 ай бұрын

    It's hard to find much online about it but here's what one musician said years ago in a post "Always loved producing "The Swing Sisters" with Dawn, Nicole, Kathy and Jason-music of Andrews and McGuire Sisters. We got to sing during performances with The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in Blue Ash and The Guy Lombardo Orchestra at Forest Fair Mall as well as the Opening Cincinnati Goes to War Exhibit at Union Terminal" I'm not sure if they were referring to this or a performance done later on.

  • @mojorisen74
    @mojorisen742 ай бұрын

    Someone correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Biggs open around 1985/86 and the Mall was built around it? I seem to remember going there to Biggs and it was just that single floor. There were some stores outside of Biggs, a record store, some other stores and a McDonalds at the other end. I woul have been 11 or 12 at the time.

  • @jamescorry2164
    @jamescorry216414 күн бұрын

    I was there day one then i was there at the end of the mall

  • @amorrison61227
    @amorrison612273 ай бұрын

    What a bomb - like Randall Park, Century III, Pittsburgh Mills, American Dream & Owings Mills - never should have been built

  • @Jsimms1324

    @Jsimms1324

    Ай бұрын

    Being built between Tri County and Northgate was a big mistake

  • @Qoltar
    @Qoltar4 ай бұрын

    Oh My Gawd - those poor singers and dancers! - The Musicd Loving Klingon (Who lives in Cincinnati...)

  • @dennyr123
    @dennyr1234 ай бұрын

    That mall was great for some time and then went downhill fast.

  • @infamous119

    @infamous119

    4 ай бұрын

    Fairfield/Forest park thugs👎

  • @Scooter4Ever
    @Scooter4Ever4 ай бұрын

    This place should never have been built. Hooker literally bought half of the department stores so they could force them to open locations at the mall. Aside from Bigg's and Elder-Beernam, most Cincinnati residents had never heard of the anchors. Plus the demographics of Forest Park and Fairfield didn't support opening up so many higher end retailers.

  • @Alyssa_M513

    @Alyssa_M513

    4 ай бұрын

    And it was so close to already existing Tri County mall.

  • @SMTMainline

    @SMTMainline

    4 ай бұрын

    I don’t think the mall itself was a bad concept but I have no clue why they didn’t pick a different location. The area was already well served by two successful malls and this one wasn’t suited for the demographics.

  • @jmecklenborg
    @jmecklenborg4 ай бұрын

    Hmmm. I wonder why there was an epic commercial real estate crash in 1990...for several years prior, easy money was being thrown at mindless office towers and duplicative shopping malls like this one.

  • @brianmoore493
    @brianmoore4934 ай бұрын

    Imagine they made several different jingles for a mall. 😂 Did they ever sell the soundtrack.

  • @SMTMainline

    @SMTMainline

    4 ай бұрын

    Sound Track: 0:18 The Wiz LIVE! - A Brand New Day 1:17 Bigger Than Life (specially made) 2:06 Cher - Shoppin’ 3:30 Adam Francis Routh - Positivia. 5:01 Buster Poindexter - Hot Hot Hot 8:05 Stephen Hurd - We're Gonna Have a Good Time? 10:13 The Pointer Sisters - I'm So Excited!

  • @gracefulgaming6774
    @gracefulgaming67744 ай бұрын

    you just casually found the library of alexandria.

  • @ericwillis7127
    @ericwillis7127Ай бұрын

    Taking it to church! Forest Fair: Bigger Than Jesus

  • @stevevaughn5365
    @stevevaughn53654 ай бұрын

    Is that Up With People? I think the developer ended up in prison, BTW.

  • @Jtels85
    @Jtels854 ай бұрын

    I drive past the mall every day. It’s a run down, deteriorating blight on the community. They tried to revive it in the early 2000’s which proved to be unsuccessful. Malls are never coming back. Tear it down and build something useful on the property, like a new jail for the county.

  • @KaffeeSpot

    @KaffeeSpot

    4 ай бұрын

    Ironic it might still be here if Cincinnati made better use of jails.

  • @Jtels85

    @Jtels85

    4 ай бұрын

    @@KaffeeSpot Lol, funny you say that. My parents grocery shopped at that Bigg’s and my Dad had the hub caps stolen from his new Corolla in the middle the afternoon in their parking lot. That was in the mid 90’s.

  • @KaffeeSpot

    @KaffeeSpot

    4 ай бұрын

    The mall really went downhill in the late 90s lots of gang activity. No longer a place you wanted to take your family.

  • @MikeKalasnik

    @MikeKalasnik

    4 ай бұрын

    Care to share more negativity?

  • @stevevaughn5365

    @stevevaughn5365

    4 ай бұрын

    I think the state has earmarked $7m for demolition.

  • @Jsimms1324
    @Jsimms1324Ай бұрын

    This mall should never have been built

  • @user-og9lu2ks2l
    @user-og9lu2ks2l4 ай бұрын

    Winton woods ended it.