Exploring the Abandoned Richland Mall - 80s in Decay

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In this episode we're exploring the Richland Fashion Mall. Opened in 1988, the Richland Mall was struggling from the beginning with vacant anchors and only half of the retail space leased. The mall remained open while mostly empty until 2022 and demolition began in 2024.

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Thanks to Musicbed for providing the music in this video.

0:00 Intro
2:41 Sponsored Message
4:22 Parisian Anchor
9:38 Parisian Concourse
10:45 Food Court
13:12 Mall Concourse
21:07 Cinema
24:09 Main Atrium
28:45 Office Space Conversion
35:44 Dillards Concourse
37:57 Dillards Anchor
43:16 Mall Concourse
51:12 Outro

[SuperMewio]

It's so weird seeing things like "wifi" and "like us on facebook" in a building that is starting to rot and fall apart due to being abandoned.

[sandrajustus]

My husband, a welder, welded up the big marquee at the entrance. The company, Lexco Sales and Engineering has been gone since 2005. My husband retired at that time. He talked much about the round design and all the struts needed. He's been gone for 8 years now. He would have loved to see this.

[scott]

As a Columbia resident, you use to be able to walk through the entire thing until 2019. Barnes and Noble left in December in 2023 and the whole place is now being demolished. When my wife and I were bored we’d walk through it for the vibes on Friday nights

[emilylynn]

This video helped heal me. I used to work in those cubicles for four years when it was pwc/vbo. It was for medical billing by the way. The way you guys talked about how awful it must have been and how we weren’t allowed to see the light of day ALL of it, helped me so much. Because I was so depressed working there (I have so much I could tell you) and we were so gaslit with how decaying the building actually was. You guys actually passed my old cubicle believe it or not, 2337 in the blue side. (It has three sections filled with cubicles I had a cube in every area with how much we moved) anyways. Thank you for going in the office. Seeing it one last time, it helped heal parts of me it was really emotional to watch.

[emilyhubbard]

Yall have no idea how much this means to me! This is in my hometown and since my husband and I are in the military I have not been home in awhile. I remember going to this mall with my grandmother who is no longer alive. My father and I spent many hours at the Barnes and noble. I saw many movies there in college. It was emotional to see this. Thank you so much 🫡🥹

[ChiefBangarang]

I think I'm running around in the back ground with my brothers in part of that Intro no joke!!! That was Our Best Memories in that mall! Skål🍻 Brother! Thank you!

[NicksMadScience]

The fact that they went out of their way to cover up all those high ceilings and natural light in the converted office space makes it extra depressing

[therandomdot]

Watching these is like watching someone walk through a lost fragment of memory in your mind from your youth or childhood. A memory that's decaying, going to be gone soon, maybe to free up space for a new memory or just gone as you get older and your mind is decaying. A memory that started out long ago where you were there in a moment, lots of people around, hustle-n-bustle, maybe you were excited to be there to buy something. But, now, you can't quite remember. You just remember the shape of the place. You don't remember the people, or why you were there. You just know that you were there at some point. Can barely make out the detail. The memory is falling apart, and it's better to let it die than to dwell on how hollow it feels now.

[ashleybrooke]

I have to be in the right mood to watch these because the emptiness of such once lively & occupied places reminds me of being at a funeral. It's this sadness at what has been lost to time.

[TheNewgreatlife]

I could literally cry. It's like all of my hopes for seeing everything about this mall have finally been answered! It's been over a decade since I first discovered this place and I've been extremely intrigued about it ever since. I never thought I'd get to see anything of the original food court (either vintage photos or what it looks like today), but you guys made the impossible come to fruition. Thank you so much! I thought no one would be able to top Sal's video back in 2020, but this is the true ultimate Richland Fashion Mall adventure. You guys covered every nook and cranny of this place. I can't thank you enough! This feels like a proper complete farewell to this extremely interesting, yet cursed piece of Columbia, SC retail history.

[billyswithkerser]

Mate that intro was probably an absolute pain in the ass but the result is spectacular. Bryan and Michael lots of appreciation for your dedication to content, from Australia

[anoldvhstape]

thanks for respecting the space. i see so many explorers just diss on places and move things, but you left everything untouched. exploring is about preserving the space and history, not destroying it.

[JarrettBEdwards]

The animatronic bears were a whole little orchestra they would put out at Christmas and they would play like every 30 min, and each cycle was a good length of time.

[andrewerskine]

Growing up in the 2000s and watching this mall decay has been incredibly depressing, it was very nice mall until the 2008 recession. This video was incredibly hard to watch, but I am thankful to have y'all document it's final condition and include photos and video of what it looked like in it's hay day.

[ozymandias]

It's interesting to see the rate at which a complex deteriorates once abandoned. It gives you an idea of how expensive and time consuming it would be to maintain such a huge complex for decades while it is open. Locating leaks, roof repairs, painting, etc.
I imagine that's why the a/c systems are left on 24/7 to reduce the amount of moisture within the complex and prevent mold and mildew building up.
Great video!

[coleyrolley]

It is so incredibly surreal to see the mall across the street from your high school that housed your best study spaces explored on the internet with over 200, 000 viewers. They started tearing it down about a year ago and have taken about half of it by now it is so odd.

[knightgabriel]

VHS, light buzz sound, moist carpet.. welcome to the backroom

[SuperBuickregal]

Great video, Thanks and Keep em Rolling!

[darbymcmanus]

I used to walk with my grandparents around the mall and we would get to go to the bottom floor to dollar tree and get the grab bags. Good memories at that place. Makes me miss my grandfather a lot.

[alexstronczek]

I’ve lived in Columbia since 2016 and remember walking through this mall before they closed most of it off to the public and before it got so vandalized. I’m glad y’all came and documented it before they demolished it. Loved seeing the areas I’ve hadn’t seen before!