Metcalf South Shopping Center

Needless to say I am rating Metcalf South 5 stars for reasons other than its apparent vacancy. I have been shooting footage there off and on for a video art project, (in case you walkers wanted to know). I have been telling my friends that it is ‘video’ gold. I wish I would have been alive to see its heyday. I remember begging my mom for candy and buying earrings from Claire’s in the 90’s, but it had already experienced an almost complete demise. I fell in love with the space after exploring the interior further. The funky pink accents, gauky yellow lights, and waterfall that my brother and I used to throw coins in, told me that this was one of the most interesting places in Overland Park. Unlike other abandoned malls throughout the U.S., this one has definite personality and flavor. As if when you are inside it whispers to be left alone, but as you approach the exit it grins and waits for your return. It reminds me a little bit of the Ka De We in Berlin, which was destroyed in 1943 by an American plane and went through a re-​opening in 1950. Perhaps Metcalf South Mall will experience a triumphant return, I hope. What I’d give to see the cast of fast times at ridgemont high sulking around in a shiny new version of Metcalf South. Har-di-har…harr…

It’s 1990. The Zombie Apocalpyse has begun. Kansas Citians who have survived the first wave are scattered around the metro area, taking refuge where they can. I am holed up in a mall, surrounded by the eerily cheerful reminders of life before the end: hopeful Lane Bryant storefronts, the happy Krigel’s frog, a stage with boy band and fashion show scuff marks. My eyes wander to the Mr. Bulky’s sign longingly, dreaming of the days when I could walk in and fill my belly with sweet delights. Sadly, I pace in a mall walker’s circle, staring into the multi-​story fountain into which no child will ever throw another coin… what’s that? A noise! Is it another human, seeking refuge with me in the old Victoria’s Secret? Or is it a zombie, sniffing out my living flesh…
Seriously. How could anyone hate this mall? Pull up your big boy high tops and appreciate this place for the throwback it is. Let you imagination run wild. Shop at Macy’s, hike across to Sears, adopt a cat on the way, and whip out your wholesale card.

In terms of being a mall, there’s no way this place deserves any more than one star. But if you’re looking for a place to walk around where you can feel like you’re in an episode of The Twilight Zone, 5 stars all the way, baby!
Metro South Shopping Center is the epitome of the dead mall. For some reason, Sears and Macy’s still operate as anchors tenants, but they’re holding up a creepy haunted 1980s ghost ship of a mall. Come check it out, it’s eerie as all hell.
At three floors, this place is probably the epitome of late 80s mall life. It’s all mauve and turquoise, with still operating fountains and shut down escalators. Most of the storefronts and signage are still visible, and it’s like a trip down mall memory lane. Remember Waldenbooks? How about KG Mensear? This place is spotlessly clean, but empty except for the random mall-​walker, who glides through the halls like a lost ghost of consumer past.
There’s no legitimate reason to go to this mall (other than the Glenwood Arts theater, see me review of that!) but if you find yourself here, I’m sure you’ll find it fascinating for about 15 minutes.

It’s just sitting here, waiting for the time to come when it can make it’s move.
Walk around this place.
Eerily clean. Frozen in time. A floor glistening from one side to the other.
Every time I come here for some reason, I ponder the eternity of eternity. I become painstakingly aware of time and how unstoppable it is. It makes my palms sweat.
I think this mall might be the center of the universe or something.
Anyway, go weigh yourself for a quarter on an old fashioned scale.

This video sums up how you will feel after walking the six miles in between stores that are still open in this sad ghost mall.
My feet hurt.

It’s a dead mall. Basically, there is a Macy’s which has the old persons fashion names. Yes, I was here because I was taking my grandmother shopping. :)
On the plus side, you will not have any problem finding a parking spot.

Metcalf South is the holy grail of ghost malls in the KC area. As other area dead malls face the threat (or execution) of a trip to mall purgatory, Metcalf South stands tall– 80s décor beaming, accent lights glowing, and floors sparkling clean. We can thank remaining anchors Sear and Macy’s for the fact the almost entirely abandoned interior is still preserved– just as you would’ve expected in 1991.
Perhaps the most startling and interesting aspect of Metcalf South compared to other dead malls is the seemingly abruptness of closure which can be noticed in the corridor shops. There are few temporary construction walls that went up. Peer into the Victoria’s Secret store and you’ll notice promotional signage still hanging. In fact, dozens of MS tenants still have the original façade and signage exposed. It seems the owner had no intention of repurposing or refurbishing many of the tenants.
If you’re into dead malls… this is a must-​stop while in KC.

Whoa. This used to be a vibrant, popular mall and now it’s literally a haven for geriatric walkers and those who actually shop at Sears. I was pleased to see the Glenwood Theatre relocated to part of its concourse level (and brought their vintage signage along with them), but in general, stopping by here was a huge mistake, as it felt like attending the funeral of a high school friend.

Sad reminder of a once glorious past.
Metcalf South Shopping Center is the physical camel-​toe of JoCo and Overland Park.
The only thing you notice immediately about this palce is it most likely has the cleanest and I mean the CLEANEST & SHINIEST floors you have probably ever seen. It’s kinda sad that a mall so empty has floors so clean.
Besides that, Sears and Macy’s are the only important things here. In my case, I went for some training at New Horizons, hence my post.

Oh man — I thought Ward Parkway Mall was bad — this place is in DIRE STRAITS. Walking around today, I wanted to take some photos of the inside of the mall — but what mall? There were four, literally four businesses open: Macy’s, Sears, Glenwood Theater, and Purrfect Pets (the latter two I’ll be writing reviews for shortly).
But I can’t forget the one store that was selling everything at 90% off because they were shutting its doors permanently in a week or so… I think the store name was «Gifts.»
Oddly enough, today, October 22, was advanced voting day at Metcalf South, only one of three satellite locations set up in Johnson County (strange). Because of this, I pulled into the half-​full parking lot with false hope (seeing as I hadn’t been there in years, I was hoping for some surprising business finds inside). But what I saw was mostly shadowy storefronts barricaded by metal gates, stripped away store signs that left eerie impressions of what the original name had been (like the Topsy’s photo included in this review).
Everyone parked out front was lined up to vote towards the north entrance — but I was at the south end and could only hear their faint echoes traveling through the ghost mall. It was very much like a ghost mall, the lights were still on, the fountain still circulated water, even a custodian swept the un-​walked upon grounds (when I asked him if the mall was closing, he sardonically responded that all the shops’ owners had all run far away and then kept on sweeping).
I wasn’t surprised to find the two headlining stores of Metcalf South still open: Sears and Macy’s — those places will never die, they’re like cockroaches — but I was surprised to find Purrfect Pets, a randomly situated cat adoption clinic (literally in next to tens of dead storefronts). The Glenwood Theater, although well-​known to KC art buffs, was not to me — and in the time I spent there, I grew strangely attached to both establishments.
What I DO hope, according to the Glenwood employee behind the counter (who knows, he could have been the owner…) is that Metcalf South starts fresh, tears down the strip mall, already stripped of its businesses, and rebuild anew. The nearby traffic is insane — it would attract the Oak Park crowds, tired of having to drive all that way to Oak Park (ironically true — I meant to drive to Oak Park today to take photos, but stopped short here to save a few miles of gas.)
Metcalf South as potential to be a a shopping center people actually want to shop at! As it stands now, Glenwood and the cat store are the only strings that have attached themselves to me — but how many more feel this way? Probably not enough to keep it going in an empty mall. The dying Metcalf South is like a cancer to these two establishments, trying to stay afloat and to be discovered by people like me, who didn’t know they existed.