I explored a dead mall (sad)

This might be my favorite mall exploration. Besides galleria Houston, this mall was my favorite to see. I only explored it recently, but it was really sad to see everything go. I might come back in the future to see it again, but we’ll see about that. History (because the audio was kind of bad and the video had some misinformation that will be cleared up here): Ridgmar Mall opened in Fort Worth, Texas in 1976. It was around 75 acres in size and featured many luxury stores and shops. Around 1977, Hulen Mall opened up and stole most of the customers from it. At this time, both were thriving and had many people and stores. However, after a few decades, Ridgmar began to decline. It was losing its luxury tenants and it was also being outcompeted in favor of Hulen Mall. While Hulen today remains active, Ridgmar is on the brink of being destroyed. It had an interactive SeaQuest aquarium that closed in 2024 due to health concerns with the animals. You can actually see it in the video. Anyways, after a little while, it was reduced to a JCPenney’s and a Dillard’s Clearance center. I think the Dillard’s might be closed though. Anyways, in summary, Ridgmar was a popular mall when it first opened but declined due to a variety of factors. It wasn’t in a bad location, just not one that was bustling like Hulen. It was a safer mall, but as people began to shift and Hulen opened up, people stopped going, and I think as less people were going, the more people got scared and left. The aquarium kind of saved it for a bit, but it closed too. Now it remains a ghost mall, and mostly urban explorers explore it now. I find it very sad to see, but due to shifting trends and Hulen, it likely died from those. It will be demolished 12-18 months from now, while the JCPenney’s will close November 1, 2026. The other anchor stores will last a bit longer, and it will be a slower, more voluntary decline, unlike Valley View in Dallas (which is now demolished), which basically became a crime hotspot and died very quickly.