Crossroads Mall

[jedicurt]

man... if i had the money i have thought for awhile that having an Urban Mall themed Paintball facility would have been amazing. sadly, now those dreams will never come to reality.

[Plutonic Panda]

I came across this video and it made me sad:



I really like Crossroads Mall and I feel as if a big investment was made especially turning the area around it into a more upscale type development it could have a chance. It’d still be a huge gamble though. I just hope they don’t tear it out without any solid plans. Give the mall a chance unless something really solid comes through.

I still think this is a prime chance to build a large development here. I know a lot of people won’t like this idea but the soccer stadium with be great here. Build a soccer stadium, Medieval Times, and a lifestyle center. It’s next to I-35 and I-240, great access, near the Hispanic community, and near the proposed rail line which could have a special stop. Hell maybe part of the mall could be saved.

At the very least I’d like to see this idea at least studied and considered. Why not even give it a chance?

[SoonerDave]

I wasn't crazy about that video. The carousel was put in years after it was built, not from day one. Sears was never a tenant. The NBA to OKC didn't have anything to do with Crossroads closing. Just a lot of glopped conjecture. At least the video shows that what security there is keeps the worst of the vandals away.

[HOT ROD]

i hope Prarie Surf Studios can purchase or lease at Crossroads.

[Plutonic Panda]

I wasn't crazy about that video. The carousel was put in years after it was built, not from day one. Sears was never a tenant. The NBA to OKC didn't have anything to do with Crossroads closing. Just a lot of glopped conjecture. At least the video shows that what security there is keeps the worst of the vandals away.

Thanks for the feedback. My only memories of this mall was going to the pet shop when I was a kid. It was a really cool pet store. The once before it closed I had a chance to go back and walk around it and I was really surprised how nice it was minus half of the stores being closed.

The parking lot around it was dreadful. Just a barren wasteland. I’m not saying you can build an extravagant parking lot and then boom the mall will come back to life but it really kills the vibe for me. The parking lot at quail springs sucks as well. At least PS consolidated some of theirs into a structured garage and has landscaping through I think they could use more.

[Bellaboo]

man... if i had the money i have thought for awhile that having an Urban Mall themed Paintball facility would have been amazing. sadly, now those dreams will never come to reality.

Paint ball ? They'd use real bullets down there. j/k

[SouthSide]

Paint ball ? They'd use real bullets down there. j/k

That would be Penn Square Mall.

[BigSully]

This would be a good spot for the not-so-recently-fabled IKEA OKC.

[Jeepnokc]

This would be a good spot for the not-so-recently-fabled IKEA OKC.

I actually had the same thought this morning wondering if they enticed IKEA to build attached to one end whether it would allow the mall to revitalize. Completely wishful thinking though. ( I have never seen an IKEA that wasn't a free standing building either)

[catch22]

IKEA likes to build their own buildings (or lease a building built to spec), I don't think they have any repurposed buildings. They have a very specific building plan.

[Pete]

When they were looking at OKC before, it was on the Memorial corridor.

[Bunty]

When I got my first car one of the first things I wanted to do with it was to drive to Crossroads Malls for my first time there.

[Pete]

The old John A. Brown on the north side was purchased earlier this year (the ownership is separate from the group that recently bought the mall and 2 of the old department stores) and will be converted into a cannabis grow facility.

[oklip955]

I dont know that much about the weed industry. I have never been around weed. With that said, I see so many dispensaries opening up and hear that there are lots of grow houses going in. Is there really that many people that use that stuff? I get that there is a soft line between real medical users and those who use the medical as an excuse to get it for recreational use. Bottom line is how the heck do they all stay in business?? I am sorry but I guess I am a sheltered older lady.

[Rover]

I dont know that much about the weed industry. I have never been around weed. With that said, I see so many dispensaries opening up and hear that there are lots of grow houses going in. Is there really that many people that use that stuff? I get that there is a soft line between real medical users and those who use the medical as an excuse to get it for recreational use. Bottom line is how the heck do they all stay in business?? I am sorry but I guess I am a sheltered older lady.

OK has the most users per capita of anywhere in the US.

[barrettd]

I dont know that much about the weed industry. I have never been around weed. With that said, I see so many dispensaries opening up and hear that there are lots of grow houses going in. Is there really that many people that use that stuff? I get that there is a soft line between real medical users and those who use the medical as an excuse to get it for recreational use. Bottom line is how the heck do they all stay in business?? I am sorry but I guess I am a sheltered older lady.

They don't all stay in business.

[TheTravellers]

They don't all stay in business.

Two that we know of have gone out of business, one on 30th/Penn-ish, one in the Paseo, then one on 36th by the OnCue had coming soon signs and never opened, and one behind the Dunkin on 36th/May has been renovating for months.

[citywokchinesefood]

I dont know that much about the weed industry. I have never been around weed. With that said, I see so many dispensaries opening up and hear that there are lots of grow houses going in. Is there really that many people that use that stuff? I get that there is a soft line between real medical users and those who use the medical as an excuse to get it for recreational use. Bottom line is how the heck do they all stay in business?? I am sorry but I guess I am a sheltered older lady.

Professional grows, processors, and dispensaries do not all stay in business. The large amount of competition in the current medical market is driving out the businesses that can not maintain quality, standards, and seed to sale accounting. The fact is the general populace have a demand for marijuana, just like caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs. While not every "medical patient" utilizing the Medical Marijuana Laws are genuinely using it for "legitimate" therapeutic uses. The demand exists, marijuana use is nowhere close to as destructive alcohol or tobacco for its users. In spite of the low barrier for entry a large amount of marijuana users in Oklahoma are still purchasing and using the black market. In some cases they may be able to find slightly better pricing, some people dont want to reveal their use to the government. Realistically those individuals are putting themselves at risk consuming unregulated and untested marijuana in addition to taking on the legal liability of interacting in a black market. This really highlights the failures of prohibition in our society. Regardless of your personal ideals some individuals will indulge in their own vices. Portugal decriminalized drugs way back in 2001, they saw a decrease in overdoses, drug use, and petty crimes associated with dependent drug use. Like it or not people are going to use drugs, as a society we should insure that they are safe when doing so. Public health is a net benefit to our society and we should take every action we can as a community to champion it. I appreciate your question and hope this response from a young man helps a curious older lady.

[jn1780]

Wonder how the charter school feels about it?

Wonder how much of the space the new owners bought will be used to grow weed. Imagine in the long run this will lead to faster deteriation of the mall since greenhouses usually have higher moisture from all the plants.

[Rover]

W

Wonder how the charter school feels about it?

Wonder how much of the space the new owners bought will be used to grow weed. Imagine in the long run this will lead to faster deteriation of the mall since greenhouses usually have higher moisture from all the plants.

MJ growhouses employ large scale dehumidification equipment. The results of high humidity is very expensive. So, I doubt the growhouses will have any effect on the structural integrity of the building.

Worst side effect is the aroma. It can be very strong and widespread.

[Oski]

You can take a virtual tour inside the mall:

[Ward]

I still have a fine quality leather jacket I bought there at the Dillards in 1993-ish, still looks great and has not deteriorated. I remember when it was the place to go, especially if you lived way out of town rural Oklahoma.

[Roger S]

We drove in almost every weekend from Tuttle when I was a kid. Dad would give me $2 and tell me not to spend it all in one place.\

I would spend the $2 in the arcade and then go hit my grandpa up at the Winchell's (I think it was Winchell's), where he was people watching, and he would give me $2 and tell me not to let grandma know he gave it to me.

I'd spend that getting a praline and cream cone at Baskin Robbins or an Orange Julius and then head to Hickory Farms for all the free samples I could get and then spend my change on the stick candy there.

From there I hit every department store that had an Atari, Intellivision, or Colecovision setup until a store employee would run me off.

[Pete]

I worked at Orbach's at Crossroads while in college, from 1980 to 1982. It was downstairs next to Dillards.

Record Bar was right next door and they let us borrow any albums we wanted, and we'd play them in the store.

Long before Chick-fil-A became a sensation, there was a location at Crossroads that was never really busy. I don't know what changed to create the huge success they have today, because the chicken sandwich is much the same.

Breaks were spent at Le Mans Speedway playing Donkey Kong and eating a soft pretzel which was a new thing in OKC at the time.

The mall was crazy busy back in those days but Orbach's was never the best fit, being an upscale men's clothing store. We did okay but not great and there was a Varsity Shop that was separate but connected. Old man Orbach and his wife would come in once in a while and they were tiny and just the sweetest people. When his son Bob took over, the entire organization went to hell. Bob was brash and obnoxious and expanded Orbach's to multiple stores in OKC and Tulsa (there was one in the First National Arcade along with Harold's in the '80s), added a women's line, and eventually drove the entire business into the ground.

Especially during the state fair, state basketball tournaments and the National Finals Rodeo, the mall was overrun with people from small-town Oklahoma. Crossroads was a huge regional magnet for a long time.

The grisly murders of Syril and his wife Christine in their Belle Isle home are still unsolved. Most believe it was a professional job which is why after all this time they have never found those responsible.

[kzizok]

^^^I have said the exact same thing, to anyone that would listen, about Chick fil A (from my exact same experiences with it at Crossroads Mall). I mean, I don't remember anyone crowding into it or mentioning that had to have it. It was there, and occasionally we would grab a chicken sandwich but I don't remember the same reverence for it as there is today. The food is pretty much the same now as it was then. I keep thinking I'm missing something.