The Bangor Mall used to be a bustling hub and a destination where people of all ages could come and entertain themselves for hours.
At least, that’s what I’ve heard from those who have lived in Bangor for decades.
In recent years, the Bangor Mall has fallen into disrepair and hemorrhaged tenants. The city has filed two lawsuits against the mall owner, Namdar Realty Group, over the condition of the property and other code violations, and local politicians are debating the mall’s future.
With all these discussions over what the Bangor Mall should be, I decided to see with my own eyes what a full day at the mall is like and share my experience.
Here’s what I learned.
10:15 a.m.: I arrive at the Bangor Mall on a rainy Thursday shortly after it opened for the day, dodging deep potholes on my way to the parking lot. I park between J.C. Penney and Furniture Mattresses and More and walk into the mall through a set of doors, some of which don’t appear to close completely.
The hallway I enter the mall through is entirely silent and the first businesses I see, including Lenscrafters, Lane Bryant and Some Theatre Company, appear to be either closed or vacant altogether.
10:17 a.m.: I see another person after walking deeper into one of the mall’s main corridors, but the first few people I spot appear to be mallwalkers rather than shoppers.
10:21 a.m.: I meet my colleague, Linda O’Kresik, and take a lap of the building to see what businesses are open, taking videos of the mall’s sights and sounds along the way.
It seems some businesses in the building don’t open until later, and I counted at least 25 storefronts that are empty.
Buckets are scattered around the hallway to catch the leaks in the ceiling, and some ceiling tiles are stained or missing altogether.
(I later reached out to Namdar Realty Group to ask when the leaking ceiling would be fixed, but never received an answer.)
10:44 a.m.: We try a few of the kiddie rides in the center of the hallways, but two rides spit out the quarters as soon as I insert them. A few rides at the end of an empty hallway occasionally emit sounds of children giggling, which, when surrounded by the empty storefronts, was pretty creepy. The sound is unmistakable, as there is no background music being piped into the mall’s hallways.
11:01 a.m.: We’re stopped by a mall employee, then the mall manager, and told we can’t take photos or videos inside the building because it’s private property. Linda and I agree and go on our way, stopping into a few stores, such as Claire’s and More Than Just Engraving, as we wander.
11:12 a.m.: We encounter one store manager who tells us how she’s struggling to hire new employees because people are reluctant to work in the mall.
“It’s not a fun place to work — it’s lonely, dark and dingy,” she said. “I come to work and then I go home. I don’t like to eat or shop here.”
11:30 a.m: I’m craving another coffee, but don’t see a coffee shop in the building.
(I later learned there used to be a Starbucks in a standalone cart outside Dick’s Sporting Goods, but that left in the 2010s and the cart now sits vacant.)
11:54 a.m.: We stop in the bathroom and discover half of the 10 stalls in the women’s room are out of order. While there may be other bathrooms in individual stores, this is the only bathroom facility accessible via the mall corridors.
(I also asked Namdar Realty Group when the bathrooms will be fixed, but did not receive an answer.)
12:29 a.m.: Linda and I stop on a couch in a hallway to have a snack that we packed because we don’t want the mall’s singular food option — a pizza place connected to the arcade in the mall.
The mall I grew up going to always had numerous dining options in the food court, but the Bangor Mall doesn’t have a food court at all.
The busiest time in the mall appears to be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. At one point, I see at least a dozen people in one hallway, though half of them appear to be using the mall for exercise rather than shopping.
1:13 p.m.: Linda and I are noting which storefronts are empty and what they used to hold when the mall’s general manager approaches us again to ask who we are and what we’re doing there.
We tell her we work for the Bangor Daily News and she tells us we can’t be in the mall due to the recent coverage of the mall’s decline and subsequent lawsuits. The manager then offers to introduce us to local business owners who rent space in the mall and could speak to how their businesses have thrived there.
1:20 p.m.: Linda and I are introduced to Chip Carson, owner of the Dragon’s Lair Arcade — which has two locations in the Bangor Mall — and the pizza restaurant across the hall from one of the arcades.
The arcade is full of children, teenagers and adults, which Carson credits to the several school departments in the area that canceled school due to weather that morning.
Carson raves about how rent prices in the mall have dropped dramatically since Namdar Realty Group bought the building in 2019, which allowed him to expand his business to fill three storefronts. He also believes his arcades are bringing patrons to the mall, which benefits the other tenants.
Though Carson notes the mall has some leaks in the ceiling, he said that would happen to any flat-roofed commercial building in Maine over time.
Additionally, Carson said he’d hate to see the mall collapse, because “I can’t imagine Bangor without a mall.”
1:55 p.m.: The mall manager brings us to More Than Just Engraving to meet owner Jannet Meister, who tells us how the mall’s affordable rent has allowed her store to stay afloat for more than two years.
Neither Carson nor Meister provided their precise rent fees.
Meister also says business has been good and she still sees new customers discovering her store while visiting the mall.
3:07 p.m.: Linda and I each buy a slice of pizza and continue wandering around the mall after eating, stopping into stores as we walk and looking for ways to entertain ourselves.
3:42 p.m.: We discover a tiny putting green in Dick’s Sporting Goods for testing different golf clubs.
3:56 p.m.: We browse prom dresses in J.C. Penney, even though neither of us are attending a prom.
4:27 p.m.: We revisit the Dragon’s Lair and play a series of arcade games.
5:04 p.m.: We sit on another couch in the hallway, reflecting on the day and wondering what to do for two more hours.
Today, the mall seems to be a place where people come to get exercise or visit one or two specific stores, then leave. If the mall welcomed new businesses to fill the numerous empty storefronts and added a few new food options, those might encourage people to stay longer, explore the building and patronize other businesses.
The building hosts some unique local businesses and organizations, including a theater and a cat rescue nonprofit, but the numerous empty spaces make the mall feel forgotten.
5:26 p.m.: I do another lap or two through the empty hallways and visit stores I hadn’t before, such as Zumiez and Furniture Mattresses and More.
6:53 p.m.: I’m overjoyed to hear a mall employee call, “The mall closes in five minutes,” down the echoing corridor, signaling my cue to leave.
