Towne West Mall ||| Wichita, Kansas

God, I remember going to Towne West so often. Sad to see it like this.

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.

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!

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

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.

Ghost mall? I enjoyed this video. It’s a sad story. But you did a great job. Thanks.

Hell yeah to the ladies doing Mexican karaoke, good on them for having fun while waiting in the salon.

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.

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!

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..

I..THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA DANCE 🕺 WHEN THE LADY WAS SINGING 😅😅😅

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!

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 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 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.

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!

I remember taking my Daughter and friends out to mall every weekend. Shopping and a movie. 🎶

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!

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.

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.