Mall in Cleveland Ohio

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - Randall Park Mall wasn't just a place to go in 1976, it was the place to go. For a short time, it was the largest shopping center in the world.

Opening night was such a success there was hardly any room to walk. It was exciting, grand and just the thing to bring attention to the small village of North Randall. But the excitement didn't last.

In 2014, Randall Park officially shut its doors, now a portion of it is in rubble.

So how did a once famous mall die, only to be remembered by former patrons through eerie photos floating around the Internet?

"It could be management, demographics, competition, it really just depends on the situation, " he said.

Thomas and two of his partners, Peter Blackbird and Brian Florence, have made a living finding dead malls and sharing facts about them on the Internet. They started their website in 2000 in Glen Falls, N.Y. The site also allows for people to share their stories of beloved malls.

The fascination with dead malls has been steadily increasing as the icons of American retail increasingly cease to exist.

"It fascinates a lot of people that these places that we take for granted can go away just like anything else, " Thomas said.

Memories of first dates, first jobs, sitting on Santa's knee, shopping and fun times had at the mall begin to creep up on people when they look at the empty, decrepit buildings.

The rise of Randall Park Mall

Charles Horvath, chief building official for North Randall, said his biggest memory of the mall was holiday shopping.

"In its heyday, 8, 000 parking spaces, " he reminisced, "and during the holidays you had trouble finding a spot. Even just getting in was difficult."

The original mall was two levels with more that 200 stores in 1.6 million square feet of space for lease. It cost $40 million to build.

It was a hit and people couldn't get enough.

"Malls had a certain sort of period in time when they met a need, and now they don't meet the same need, " said David Kaplan, a professor of urban studies and planning at Kent State University.