Category: Malls

Post Relating to Malls

The infamous postcard on the wall where stores never opened at the Mall of the Mainland. Nikki's address and hometown is completely made up, but it is interesting to note that 77060 is Greenspoint Mall's Zip code. Perhaps at the time this post card was painted, the Mall of the Mainland did have more worthwhile shopping and entertainment options than Greenspoint Mall. That's not saying much though. I will say that shopping at the Mall of the Mainland was a vacation if you wanted to spend time in a public space and didn't want to see anyone else! It was paradise for those who wanted peace and quiet. (From the Anonymous in Houston retail photo collection)

A Look Back at Houston Retail in January 2014 with Anonymous in Houston’s Photo Collection

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Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a guest submission from HHR’s good friend Anonymous in Houston Happy new year, Houston Historic Retail readers! Today’s topic is a bit of a random retail post. Those of you familiar with my guest blog posts here at HHR know that while I enjoy discussing retail history, I am not much of a retail photographer. The wonderful retail photographers out there deserve a lot of credit for their skill in …

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Pasadena Town Square Mall 2023 Update

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Howdy, folks, and welcome back to HHR. Today, we’re taking a final look for the year at the former Pasadena Town Square Mall. These days known as Marcoplaza Mall, after an ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to rebrand the mall. To recap a small amount of a complex history, Pasadena Town Square took years to come to fruition. The mall was anchored by a Foley’s that was freestanding for years. While the mall was planned …

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Retail News: What’s in the plans for West Oaks after nearly 40 years?

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Update: West Oaks Mall Management contacted HHR with the following statement: Anchors, including Dillards, The Outlet, Fortis College, and Crazy Boss, remain open. In addition, there are inline retailers and restaurants that remain open. These stores have active leases and customers, and access to these stores and restaurants is not restricted. Any questions regarding this mall should be directed to [email protected] Earlier this week, West Oaks Mall shut down interior access to their few remaining …

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Retail News: Almeda Mall down an anchor after Burlington moves North

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Burlington has moved out of Alemda Mall, creating a major anchor vacancy at the regional mall for the first time in nearly 15 years. The space which Burlington occupied at the mall was originally a JC Penney until the chain closed the location in 2006. The anchor spot remained vacant until 2009 when Burlington (at the time) Coat Factory moved in. Burlington never utilized the entire JCP space, leaving the second floor untouched and a …

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HHR a Year in Review

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Howdy folks, and for the last time in 2022, welcome back to Houston Historic Retail! It’s been a heck of a year, 144 blog posts, 6 new blog pages, and in my personal life, a Master’s Degree completed! That being said, before we review some of my favorite things from this past year, let me ask that if you feel like you got any value out of Houston Historic Retail, please consider making a donation. …

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Even Macy's was super busy, except for the Toys R Us department

Return to Almeda Mall to see Toys R Us

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Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail. Today we’re heading back to Almeda Mall, where I haven’t been in a few years. Long-time readers of the blog may remember that HHR’s first “big success” was the Chron republishing some of my photos of Northwest Mall after it had closed. On the advice of readers and my own curiosity, I quickly ventured to Almeda Mall afterward. While I knew the malls were identical twins, …

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Here is a drawing of Houston’s newest ‘mall’ in 1971! The Bellaire Texan via The Portal to Texas History, July 7, 1971

Vintage Ads: Celebrating the 1971 Grand Opening of Braeswood Square

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Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a guest submission from HHR’s good friend Anonymous in Houston This edition of Vintage Ads will take us back to the grand opening of the Braeswood Square shopping center near Bellaire in Southwest Houston. Braeswood Square’s grand opening was on July 8, 1971 and we’ll be looking at various ads from the July 7, 1971 edition of The Bellaire Texan newspaper which is freely available to read at The Portal …

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Here's a sign in the mall advertising the Mainland City Centre redevelopment.

Redevelopment of the Mall of the Mainland continues in 2022

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Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a guest submission from HHR’s good friend Anonymous in Houston with the photos being taken by Mike. The topic of today’s post takes us back to Galveston County for a quick update about a bit of a Houston-area retail comeback story. The Mall of the Mainland in Texas City, TX has long stood for failure and broken dreams. While plenty of malls around the United States, and Houston for that …

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Retail News: Sears at Willowbrook Mall’s last gasp!

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Sears Hometown Store at Willowbrook Mall is having its last gasp this upcoming week. While store employees could not provide a final date, they said this week would likely be it for them, as the store slowly runs out of stock. What little remained in the store largely consisted of fixtures and merchandise that had been purchased but yet to be picked up. Many of the items in the store had been shipped in from …

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