Exploring the inside of the Har Mar Mall in Roseville, Minnesota

It is June 12, 2025 today, and I spent the day running some errands.

My original plan was to head over to the Rosedale Mall in Rosedale, Minnesota, to pick up some cute little Pop Mart toys to add to my collection of nerd accessories, and then head to a glassware store in Edina, Minnesota, to purchase a glass bottle for the hot sauce I’ve been making.

Unexpectedly, however, while in Rosedale, I happened to come across Har Mar Mall on my way to Edina after leaving Rosedale Mall.

I had plenty of free time that day, so I decided to let my curiosity win and explore the mall, documenting my journey as I went.

First and foremost, let’s start with the beginning of my day:

9 AM

At around 9 AM, I left to head to Rosedale Mall. I wanted to leave early because I was planning on reaching the Pop Mart vending machines as soon as possible.

Rosedale Mall is one of those active malls, and not one of those dead malls. It has active stores, and receives a ton of foot traffic, and there are a ton of different things to do. This will be an important concept later to compare and contrast.

I'm genuinely glad that malls like Rosedale still exist and remain active. With the rise of online shopping overtaking many traditional retailers—especially in categories like clothing and electronics—you’d expect malls to have become obsolete by now.

While that shift is partly true, some malls, like Rosedale, have managed to survive the online shopping wave and continue to thrive. Their ability to stay relevant and draw visitors is something I’m genuinely grateful for.

Unfortunately, not all malls have been as lucky. Har Mar Mall, for example, hasn’t seen the same level of success and is solely decaying away.

Malls are like time capsules — they preserve not just architecture and fashion, but entire ways of life. As the world outside shifts, evolves, and accelerates, the mall remains a still point, echoing a moment in time. Its storefronts, music, and atmosphere hold onto fragments of the past, quietly resisting the pace of change. In a world increasingly shaped by screens and algorithms, the mall endures as a physical memory — a place where the past and present coexist in the simplest, most human ways.

Some malls, sadly, fade into obscurity — quiet echoes of places that once bustled with life. Yet we should be grateful that a few still remain, offering us the chance to step back into a world that once was. These spaces carry more than just storefronts; they hold memories, laughter, and the warmth of moments long past. In their corridors, we can still feel the joy they once gave us — and for that, we should cherish them, and never forget about the experiences that they carry.

But there’s also something strangely poetic about dead Malls, and Malls beginning to decay. A dead mall becomes a modern ruin, a reminder that even the most polished symbols of progress can crumble. Some see decay; others see nostalgia, history, or even opportunity for reinvention.

Maybe one day, we can see a return in Malls, and save them from societal extinction.

Anyways, back to the blog.

Lately, there's been a trend around Pop Mart toys—basically these well-made, Funko Pop knock-offs. But the thing is, these Pop Mart toys are actually really well-designed, super cute, and more importantly, more detailed and cheaper than actual Funko Pops.

This summer, they’ve exploded in popularity, and have been in huge demand and have been selling out in nearly every mall. Where I’m at, they’re only available through vending machines, which is why I made it a point to get there early.

I wanted to make sure I could get the one I wanted and avoid having to wait in line—or worse, end up behind some piece-of-shit scalper buying up all the good ones.

Luckily, I made it to the Pop Mart vending machine before anyone else, and all the decent toys were still in stock.

There were a ton of different options to choose from, and I was indecisive when I was determining on what I wanted to get.

I ended up selecting a Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse version of the Pop Mart Toys because; #1. Spider-Man is cool, and #2. Gwen Stacy is hot.

The entire experience of the Pop-Mart vending machine was really cool too. The machine itself is one of those high tech futuristic Japanese, or Korean machines, and not one of those shitty vending machines. I think they affected the physical aesthetic of the machine for gimmick purposes --- still, it's pretty cool to actually see.

Getting the Pop-Mart toy was fine, but fuckin' thing costed me $25 to purchase. I thought about changing my mind, and not buying anything but I reasoned that since I already was out there in the Mall, I decided to just give in, and pay out. Still, the fact that some 4-inch tall collector's item costs $25 to buy , is a bit ridiculous.

Here is the box of the Pop Mart Toy I got:

After I purchased the toy, I wanted to wait until I got home before I unboxed it --- it just makes the anticipation a bit better. Since I was already at the mall, and I was feeling kind of hungry, I thought to try out the food court that the Mall had.

Rosedale Mall has this cool-ass food court expansion that they recently added a few years ago. It's not too big, but it's pretty well-made and aesthetically appealing. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the food court to showcase, and I low-key wish I took a good pic of what it looked like when I was there.

Anyways, that morning, I was kind of craving some Buffalo Wings and luckily, there was an okay spot there that served some wings.

One thing I liked about the mall's food court was that there was plenty of different options to choose from, and not just the generic washed-up, and American options that unfortunately flood the majority of malls. There was Asian food, American food, Hispanic food, hell- even African and Eastern European food there. But I wasn't really craving anything too exotic.

Another thing that I liked about the place was that it didn't have any generic Big-name brands like A&W, Popeyes, B-Dups, or Mickey D's lining up the cafeteria. I honestly prefer smaller, mom & pop culinary brands over the oversaturated big names companies which pollute the food market.

I got me some wings, and fries though, here's a pic:

I forgot which vendor I got these from, but these wings were kind of mediocre, and dry. Nothing too shabby, but they were DEFINITELY not worth the fuckin' $35 they were.

I also got me some Mexican Coca-Cola to quench my thirst:

The main difference between Mexican Coca-Cola and American Coca-Cola is the sweetener: Mexican Coke uses real cane sugar, while American Coke relies on that overly processed, chemical-tasting high fructose corn syrup. People swear they can taste the difference — and honestly, I think Mexican Coke does taste a bit smoother, a bit more natural.

But to be real with you? I’m team Pepsi. Always have been. Coke tastes kind of gross to me, whether it’s Mexican or American. Maybe I just don’t drink enough of it to tell the difference — but if I had to guess, I’d say Mexican Coke is probably sweeter.

Funny thing is, if Mexico focused more on exporting this kind of Coke — the legal kind, the bottled kind with glass and sugar — maybe the world would be a little less chaotic. Just a thought.

ANYWAYS, back to it, and to the actual content of the blog for today:

After I had finished eating, I made my way back to my car, and was prepared to travel all the way to damn Edina to get my hot sauce bottle.

However, on my way there, I coincidentally stumbled across the infamous Har Mar Mall in Rosedale.

According to Wikipedia: Har Mar Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Roseville, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of the Twin Cities.

Har Mar Mall comprises over 430,000 square feet (40,000 m2) of retail space and the mall's anchor stores are Famous Footwear, Michaels, Barnes & Noble, K&G Fashion Superstore, Burlington, Cub Foods, H&R Block, Marshalls, Painting with a Twist, Sport Clips, Waxing the City, Elements Massage, and a Chase Bank branch. The mall contains 45 tenants.

I saw the mall and thought to myself, “Mhmmm... why not check this place out?” So I decided to postpone my trip to Edina and explore this decaying relic instead.

Honestly, I think it’s always worth taking time to explore the ruins of a dead mall. Visiting one feels almost like stepping into an art museum — except instead of viewing curated exhibits of contemporary art, you're admiring the nostalgic remnants of a place that was once a hub for conversation, memories, and commerce.

This particular mall was tucked away, hidden behind a barrier of department stores, barely noticeable to the average passerby. When I entered, the contrast was immediate — it was quiet, eerily still. Compared to the lively foot traffic of Rosedale Mall that same morning, this place felt almost forgotten.

In fact, I think part of the reason this mall doesn’t see much traffic is precisely because of that: it’s enclosed, discreet, and largely unknown to the public. It's not visible from any main road, and unless you know it's there, you'd likely never stumble across it.

This was actually one of the rare times in my life where I dedicated real time to exploring a mall like this — not just walking through it, but really observing it. Taking it in. Feeling it.

Actually, it was one of the only times in which I went inside of the Har Mar Mall. While, I've shopped plenty of times at the department stores outside of it, such as Barnes & Noble, Marshall's and K&G — I never actually took the initiative to inspect the particular mall, and I'm glad this was the first dead mall that I explored.

Anyways, I entered the Mall and waltzed straight through the Famous Footwear entrance:

The atmosphere of the mall was surprisingly calming. It was really quiet, and had limited foot traffic.

Whilst I was there, I made the point to count how many active, and inactive stores I saw with in the mall. According to Wikipedia: The mall has a total of 45 tenants (including the department stores surrounding it).

As I walked further in, it was hard not to feel a sense of sadness. Nearly every storefront I passed was dark, empty, and lifeless — stripped of any sign of retail activity. The mall felt barren, like a hollow shell of what it once was. Each shuttered shop was a quiet reminder of how far this place had fallen — not just physically, but culturally.

Down the hall from the original entrance in which I came from led to the main commerce area. Which was this long narrow hallway which entailed the many stores of the Har Mar Mall. The was the most active spot in the mall, as it was directly connected to the major department stores such as Barnes & Noble, K&G, and Cub Foods.. however, the entrances to the Har Mar Mall were closed off from these stores sadly.

Going the opposite direction, there was a food court that the mall had. Although, I wouldn't really consider it a food court. It was a small cafeteria with backway entrances to differing spots such as Wing Stop, Ichido Ramen, and plenty of empty stores.

Then there was a stairway to a second level, which only had a single body supply store.

There were plenty of differences entraces leading into the mall:

Going back into the main commence hallway, at the end of the way we reached the end of the mall where there lied a closed-off Burlington Department outlet.

And then here is the perspective from the other way:

And finally, another shot of an empty store:

In total, I counted three active vendors in the food court and two that appeared inactive. Within the main area of Har Mar Mall, I found 13 active stores and around 20 closed or vacant ones.

Maybe I miscounted — the numbers don’t add up perfectly — but that in itself says something. The overwhelming presence of shuttered storefronts reflects the mall’s slow decline. The ratio of inactive to active spaces is hard to ignore.

Still, despite the emptiness, I genuinely enjoyed the experience. There’s something strangely peaceful about walking through a place like this — a place that once thrived. I hope one day Har Mar Mall will see a revival, and maybe even regain some of the energy it once had. Until then, it remains a quiet monument to what once was — and maybe, what could be again.

Anyways, I went all the damn way to Edina, and got my sauce bottle. I didn't take any pictures of it though, but here is a pic of my sauce:

I currently attempting to start up a sauce business based around traditionally made Hmong Sauce, however, I'm still in the production phases. I will create another blog post regarding it once it's completed. It's a fun project, and I hope it will see success.

Thanks again for checking out this Blog, I hope you enjoyed exploring the Har Mar Mall as much as I did!

With Love,

- Devv