That tip about checking the roof drains first probably saved my weekend.

I was exploring the old Kmart plaza outside Akron and a security guard told me to look at the roof drains before anything else when guessing why a mall closed. Turns out the whole property had water damage from clogged drains that nobody fixed for like 3 years. Has anyone else gotten weirdly useful advice from random people at these places?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty14418d ago

@drew_west that's exactly the kind of golden advice you'd never get from a book. Random guy at a 7-Eleven once told me the secret to old buildings is just following the water - he was dead right about a busted down theater near my place.

drew_west18d ago

Got a gem from a retired maintenance guy at the old Sears in Canton. Told me most mall closures in the 90s were just cheap landlords who never fixed the parking lot drains. Said it sounds boring but water seeping into the foundation is what kills these places long term. He was totally right.