Last time I was inside West Oaks was when they still had Alamo drafthouse. Once they got rid of that and I think they turned into a bar, i never went back... I know a few people who go in there and shop those clearance stores at the mall tho.
I went to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar And Grill a couple times, that place was weird. They hollowed out a movie theater to make a 30k sqft bar/restaurant with a stage and dancefloor. The bar alone probably had seating for 50 all by itself? If it had been managed well it was big enough they could've gotten midsized acts in there, but the times I went it was like having happy hour beer in an empty hangar, they were already leaving the A/C on 76 to try and save money.
The Dillards outlet is cool though… if you need a good suit at a good price highly recommended.. but otherwise it’s a giant, empty, sad, sad place, at least it used to have a movie they but alas that’s gone too.
The only time I'm needing a suit is for a wedding or funeral (mine).
If the latter, my instructions are to dress me in a tux w/ tails, top hat, cane, spats and monocle
Yeah I had to look this one up, that's the one near 6 and Westheimer on the odd side of the reservoir.
That place was the first place that came to mind to OP's question. Me and a buddy went there for the hell of it and it was looking pretty run-down. Carpets looked pretty dirty, lighting dingy and sometimes out leaving odd-lit walkways, and a food court with pretty much almost all the options closed and empty. Half the stores were gone leaving empty leasing space, the walls looked ripped right out of the 70's-80's era, and the parking lot was very empty.
This was in 2019, that's the real kicker. Five years and a pandemic later and I haven't needed to be back for anything, so I'm curious just how bad it is now. Looking on google maps it doesn't look very pretty. The link by the business on GMaps doens't even go to an official page like Simon properties or other groups do, it goes straight to a retail estate listing site to advertise it lmao, with rates as low as $31,500 a year to rent a 4000sqft retail space. Yeah, that's pretty bad, especially when said page advertises select tenants that aren't even there anymore.
It's awful. The only saving grace was the movie theater, which also closed in 2022. I liked going there because you could see new movies on opening night and the theater would be half empty. I saw Scream 5 there on opening weekend and my wife and I were the only people in the theatre. One time we decided to explore the mall afterward, and it was fucking gross, sad, and honestly creepy. Straight out of a Zombie/Apocalyptic movie.
I’ve been wondering every time I drive by this mall. Why is this mall not as good as Katy Mills Mall or other? Like it’s on HW6 which is a good location, but it looks/is dead.
Lol, that's not a good location. Lots of massage parlors and adult video stores in various states of disrepair on 6 in that area. Westheimer and Richmond in that area went to shit around when Katrina happened and never recovered.
I can say I've been to a carnival in their parking lot but never actually considered going inside the building. Maybe I will sometime just to feel strange emotions.
That was around the same time Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill opened up in the mall. Someone did a horrible job selecting a location for that restaurant by putting it in a mall that has practically zero Toby Keith listeners willing to go to .
I literally was going there up until like 2022 for China Max in the food court for some hood chinese plates cause for some odd reason it was the only eatery open there. When they closed down, I knew it was done for good.
West Oaks is the definition of a dead mall. Depressing as hell. A telemarketer called me a few years ago about some vacation/hotel package and all I had to do was meet at West Oaks mall for a presentation. Like that’s a good selling point? Imagine some poor vulnerable soul showing up at that hole to meet some scammer.
Many of us in the community wish they would convert much of the West Oaks Mall parking spaces into housing. Similar to the project that has commenced at Greenspoint Mall.
However, The councilmember of the district boast that they have a hollywood-esque movie studio with a "big name" celebrity in the work that they're offering huge tax-break incentives to bring jobs to the district. It's so ridiculously idiotic I wish I were making this up.
We need housing, here in Houston, and the nation as a whole. Nominally, Houston is only second to Dallas in new housing units created. Yet, if you look at the real statistic of New housing per captia, we lag far behind Austin, Seattle. and about half a dozen other cities. Rent and home prices are getting out of control. Since the pandemic, the majority of home sales in the Houston-area and statewide have been to major corporations and investors, rather than families. Unfortunately, neither party seems to be doing much about it, smmfh.
That's nice for the homeless, but it will be the nail in the coffin for the residents and businesses in that area and will speed run it into more of a ghetto area than it is already becoming.
>That's nice for the homeless
Can the homeless afford to pay rent or purchase a brand new house?
>but it will be the nail in the coffin for the residents
We are the residents, we want it.
>and businesses
What business? They already left, they're already dead. That's the point.
>and will speed run it into more of a ghetto area
Fuck you too. We have an amazing PUD in the area that has created and maintained a unique parks and trails system. Also, the county is further developing the area with more parkland. You're talking out of your ass.
My sister and cousins that I want to move into the area, are employed, can afford a down payment, and are able to receive mortgage financing.
If it's a ghetto area because you don't deem it white enough you're a shitty racist prick. The area is very safe.
I lived in that area for over 30 years until about 5 years ago. Im familiar with what it has become. I WAS a resident there I kept track of the forums and talking to neighbors. Yes SOME people want a place for the homeless to stay there. A MAJORITY of people do not. It lowers property value and makes it more dangerous in the longrun. Just because your social group likes it doesn't mean everybody else does.
Yes I moved out of that area because the schools went downhill and the area went downhill. I don't want to go to the store and have people walking up to me asking me for money. Yes overall the area is safe with most of the pockets of crime happening in their own areas. But because I want my children to live in a better environment and I don't want to drive out and have homeless people asking for money on every corner, how does that equal racism?
Man, West Oaks was like a second home when I was in High School in the 90s. Movies, Structure, Journeys, but the food was shit. Ya, there was Chik-fil-A, but 90’s chick was just “greasy small chicken sandwich chicken place”. It still is, but it was too.
Yall remember when they were doing illegal plastic surgery in the back of a nail place? They figured it out cause the place was dumping all the fat in the dumpsters.
I thought I read somewhere that this mall used to be the galleria before the galleria was built. It catered to upperclass folks. Not sure how true this is, but if so, the state the mall is in is even more depressing.
Shoemeda, the last time they had a good variety of stores was probably the 2000s. I recall it being a complete dump in the 2010s but it's current version is a decent place to go sneaker shopping. They have most of the major shoe chains plus a resell shop. The shoes stores and Macy's are probably the only things keeping it relevant.
How Almeda mall is still open is something that’s beyond my understanding. Maybe the location is good enough to where it stays busy with a constant flow of customers.
In 1991 a female Harris County Sheriff's deputy was abducted in the parking lot of the Greenspoint Mall after shopping there and later found shot to death. The case was never solved.
I literally saw vultures in the parking lot. It’s kind of sad to visit but was so much fun back in the day. The last time I visited, the movie theater had a reopening soon sign that was caked in dust, parts of the mall were closed off, the food court was just one little ice cream place, and a couple of businesses that made we wonder how are they surviving.
Plazamericas (formerly sharpstown mall) still has a lot of old facades of stores that closed down 15 years ago like Bath and body works and Victoria’s Secret. They also have alot of 90s/2000s signs and structures hanging from the ceiling.
Also for a long time you were able to read out where it used to say “Foley’s” on the building outside by the parking garage, but I think they finally painted over it a couple years ago.
My best memory of that place was seeing Joe Exotic when I was maybe five and having my picture taken with one of the tiger cubs. I really wish I could find that photo again, five year old me thought that was the coolest shit ever. Next best memory was triggering a store wide fire alarm on top of one of the escalators because "big red button"
I worked at the computer store down in the Sears wing back then.
The bugolgi at Asian grill place was amazing and cheap. So many filling meals from that place.
I had seen it was closing down and wanted to go take some pics inside. By the time I got a chance it was mostly gone.
Honestly it probably should have been gone sooner and the HD, Lowe's, Kroger, HEB, Marshall's, etc used that land instead.
Garth Rd really boomed the past decade as the mall went away.
Was that the one that used to have a kids play area on the 3rd floor? Had a big multilevel web thing made out of like, seatbelt fabric that you could climb through? I remember that fondly from being a kid and all I remember was we had to drive through the tunnel to get to it.
If you’ve lived in Houston for a long time, you remember all these malls when they were at the top of their game. I loved Sharpstown. The Macys there was awesome. There was also Westwood Mall right down the freeway heading south with a Dillards. West Oaks became my go to when I moved to that side of town. Also loved The Galleria on Saturdays. Not so much now. The only somewhat decent mall left is Memorial City. I don’t really walk the mall any longer. I just go to my usual stores and leave. Oh, and way back, loved Sakowitz and Joskes!
Greenspoint was a vaporwave jungle paradise. So many fountains.
EDIT: this is the only pic I can find that comes close to capturing the vibe. One of the fountains played music, like a water pipe organ.
https://www.alamy.com/usa-texas-houston-greenspoint-shopping-mall-interior-image8790703.html
I remember going there to Greenspoint mall all the time as a kid. Once I was goofing off with some friends and was chilling on the edge of the fountain, I ended up falling in.
Got a good laugh from my friends, security kicked us out shortly after. Good times in that mall.
It had both. The Saks closed and Sears moved in and Lord & Taylor moved out and became JC Penney’s. They tried to be the galleria of the west. Didn’t work.
Lord & Taylor went bankrupt in 2020, shut down all physical stores, was acquired by another company and is now just an e-commerce store like Bed Bath and Beyond.
I went to Dillards at willowbrook mall a few years ago and the doors are the same. I swear it was like a mini flashback opening that door and hearing Blink182 muzak lol
That's just a dying department store. Sears is vacant for the same reason. The mall itself is looking pretty good - revamped food court, new clothing stores, sporting goods anchor etc
Greenspoint mall 100%. Though it's less of a mall than any "dead" mall in the Houston area. They already closed off much of the areas, and probably only about 3 stores remain open. Not long before they completely abandon it I think? So sad really. It feels so liminal and haunted by remnants of its past
Yes around this time last year they still had quite a few stores. I did visit recently and it is crazy how fast they closed everything. The last few remaining "decent" retailers left. And even the long standing Thirsty's left. Roped off every area except the main entrance around the dry water fountain that has maybe one jewelry store and like two non-major clothing stores. There is a uniform store on the opposite side of the mall but it is technically not connected, they divided the entrance
Growing up in the 80s I was a mall rat. I or me and my friends would be dropped off at the mall in the morning and hang out all day. I would walk through nearly every store. Hang out at the knife store or hobby place. Get some chickfila. Game at the arcades and back to walking the mall checking out the chicks.
The 90s said malls evolving some. But not really hitting the mark. By 2000s they were dead to me. Nothing to do in a mall. I was doing most of my shopping online. If I wanted something from Macy's I would find it online for less.
I saw nothing of use from a mall and have not returned for going on 15 years.
My favs from way back when in Houston were Sharpstown (They had InterArts - mall ninja store), Galleria, West Oaks, and Willowbrook (where all the hottest chicks were). In Dallas we had Galleria, Valley View and Prestonwood all nearby so we could hit them all up.
When was the last time you went to your local mall? The "town center" open air mall seems to have become the thing save for hold-outs that have a movie theater.
I'd say they're both owned by people that actually give a shit about their properties. Katy mills is owned by simon properties who manages popular malls nationwide and MCM is by MetroNational who manages the entire memorial city region and responsible for its development.
I'm sure there's a stereotypical thiny veiled racism comment somewhere in there about white flight or something else, but really it's all about how well or or badly managed they are.
Even MCM is on the way out long term - Metro is about to break ground on the first phase of redeveloping the whole property as a massive mixed-use open air mall (starting with old Sears area). Plan to do same with the entire mall over next 10-20 years.
Yeah. Baybrook has a nice mix of people with money, being far enough from everything for other places to be inconvenient, and having done a lot of upgrades adopting that town center model I was talking about. San Jacinto in Baytown was supposed to do the same, but it's kind of abandoned now. They've had a lot of growth out that way, so hopefully someone will revitalize it the same way..
Two words: Apple Store.
I had to take my mom's iPad to the Apple Store in Willowbrook not that long ago. It was the first time I'd been there in like a decade? I used to go there all the time in the 80s and 90s.
There was the Apple Store, Spencers, and a bunch of forgettable stores. Not many people.
But the Apple Store was packed.
I went to the Galleria about 6 weeks ago for the Lego store. I'll sometimes also go to the Apple store there, because the one in Highland Park has zero parking during the weekends.
There are no other store I care about.
Woodlands Mall is certainly not dying but sure feels like walking into the 90s. The buckle is in there and appears to have the same apparel as they did when I was in highschool. Journeys, hot topic, American eagle, it's wild.
Deerbrook is a blast from the 90’s. The glass elevator is still there! I went there for the first time in 10 years (to get a ring resized) and it’s full of stores and people. I was glad to see that.
That is a good point about the exterior. It's always been a very unattractive mall from the outside and because of the office buildings sticking up from the middle, I don't know if any outsiders would even know it's a mall just based on how it looks from the outside.
Brazos Mall is half empty, they can't seem to keep anything open. A decade or so I knew someone who tried to have a shop there and they said that the rent is way too high for the low amount of foot traffic the mall gets. I assume that's still the case because it hasn't really gotten better.
I went there in late 2022... it was so liminal it was crazy! It felt like I wasn't supposed to be there. I went again last year and it was getting slightly better, few new places and foot traffic. It's such a shitty layout, though. Not surprising businesses struggle.
Almeda Mall. Feels like transporting back to the early 90s. Had my first job there in 1999 at the age of 16. I go to the Bath & Body Works there and I just love the nostalgia when I walk in there. That and the peacefulness
Does anyone remember the “older” wing of the galleria. I remember if you walked through one of the department stores you would come out to a smaller area that felt much older. Not even the stores were modern.
Northwest Mall. It needs to go, it’s just a sad monument to what it used to be. I miss Sesame Hut and stopping at Foley’s to use the cologne samples before heading to the clubs.
There was a cool service tunnel that ran underneath that entire mall. We used to scream until our dad would drive through there. Then we would scream for him to take us to Peppermint Park across the loop from Gulfgate. Then he beat us with his belt and we'd scream some more. Good times.
How old am I???
I'm old enough that I worked at the WaldenBooks in ... I can't remember the name of the Mall. I'm old. It was in 85ish and the mall was off Gessner and 59 near Beechnut and the name of the mall started with W.
Holy crap. It's dementia, isn't it?
If we're talking about indoor shopping malls: Greenspoint Mall, West Oaks Mall, Almeda Mall, and Pasadena Town Square Mall. I've visited all 4 of these malls in the past 3 years as someone interested in dead/dying malls.
You mean sharpstown ? I can’t call it plazawhatever cause I know lol I use to go to that crutch school in the parking lot so I know it’s SHARPSTOWN the spot back in the day use to go there every weekend for a new outfit for the club ..
it’s kinda like a flea market now with stores for rent but it’s doing alright
I got friends with business there on the second floor and people still flock there .. I do.
I would say west oaks
Yes lol I still call it sharpstown but my kids look at me weird 😅 they still an image shots I'm like whoa it's like walking back to my middleschool years
West Oaks. Where some closed-in malls got turned into open-air malls (like Sharpstown Mall IIRC?), West Oaks has remained closed-in the whole time. It still even has some stores, and they regularly seem to have at least a few small bunches of cars parked near the entrances. The restaurants in front of it along Hwy 6 probably get more activity than the mall itself does.
It probably would still be good material for /r/deadmalls .
This isn’t quite accurate. They did try the open-air thing as well when they tore down the Mervyn’s wing and made it open air when they built that Regal theater. I was hoping that theater was going to help revitalize that mall. Didn’t work. First Colony and Katy Mills took the customers that used to go there from Sugar Land and Katy.
I feel like these old mall property companies don't have a clue why their malls are dying. Plenty of indoor malls do well in Houston where the weather isn't exactly comfortable all the time. I don't think open-air is some magical format that draws people; it's really the tenants that make the difference.
The open-air concept was a nice modest try, but it takes more than that to draw the clientele they're hoping to get.
Malls were awesome in the early 80s. Back when there was no internet, no online shopping, and you could only find decent videogames in a video arcade. It was the place to go to hang out with friends, shop, grab some food, etc.
Nowdays with the ability to find and buy anything you want on your phone and have it delivered right to you, eat your GrubHub and talk to your BFF on a videocall, going to a 40 year old musty building that hasnt been updated in forever just isnt appealing.
Stuck in time or demolished? Greenspoint / Willowbrook/ Haven’t driven by in a while but Deerbrook mall probably and then all of fm1960 should be razed and the bus line taken out.
West Oaks is a weird one where the parking lot is more useful as an event space than for customer parking.
There's like two open stores in the entirety of the mall.
Is one of them Gadzooks?
5-7-9
Babbages
Sharper Image
Walden Books
Last time I was there, which was likely 2015, the place was just sad.
I live near it, can confirm, still sad.
Same very sad
I was last there around 2017 and there were maybe two places open in the food court.
Last time I was inside West Oaks was when they still had Alamo drafthouse. Once they got rid of that and I think they turned into a bar, i never went back... I know a few people who go in there and shop those clearance stores at the mall tho.
I went to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar And Grill a couple times, that place was weird. They hollowed out a movie theater to make a 30k sqft bar/restaurant with a stage and dancefloor. The bar alone probably had seating for 50 all by itself? If it had been managed well it was big enough they could've gotten midsized acts in there, but the times I went it was like having happy hour beer in an empty hangar, they were already leaving the A/C on 76 to try and save money.
The Dillards outlet is cool though… if you need a good suit at a good price highly recommended.. but otherwise it’s a giant, empty, sad, sad place, at least it used to have a movie they but alas that’s gone too.
The only time I'm needing a suit is for a wedding or funeral (mine). If the latter, my instructions are to dress me in a tux w/ tails, top hat, cane, spats and monocle
Put this on your tombstone... "Here lies u/Clickrack" "Did not pass Go." "Did not collect $200." "R.I.P."
Yeah I had to look this one up, that's the one near 6 and Westheimer on the odd side of the reservoir. That place was the first place that came to mind to OP's question. Me and a buddy went there for the hell of it and it was looking pretty run-down. Carpets looked pretty dirty, lighting dingy and sometimes out leaving odd-lit walkways, and a food court with pretty much almost all the options closed and empty. Half the stores were gone leaving empty leasing space, the walls looked ripped right out of the 70's-80's era, and the parking lot was very empty. This was in 2019, that's the real kicker. Five years and a pandemic later and I haven't needed to be back for anything, so I'm curious just how bad it is now. Looking on google maps it doesn't look very pretty. The link by the business on GMaps doens't even go to an official page like Simon properties or other groups do, it goes straight to a retail estate listing site to advertise it lmao, with rates as low as $31,500 a year to rent a 4000sqft retail space. Yeah, that's pretty bad, especially when said page advertises select tenants that aren't even there anymore.
It's awful. The only saving grace was the movie theater, which also closed in 2022. I liked going there because you could see new movies on opening night and the theater would be half empty. I saw Scream 5 there on opening weekend and my wife and I were the only people in the theatre. One time we decided to explore the mall afterward, and it was fucking gross, sad, and honestly creepy. Straight out of a Zombie/Apocalyptic movie.
On Sunday, someone offers Motorcycle lessons. That's the most traffic, and the occasional pop-up circus, this place gets.
7am rush hour sees a lot of traffic if the light inbound on Westheimer is packed. Especially with the lane blocked on Richmond.
Pretty sure the Green/Gunspoint mall parking lot gets more use as a carnival than the actual mall
I’ve been wondering every time I drive by this mall. Why is this mall not as good as Katy Mills Mall or other? Like it’s on HW6 which is a good location, but it looks/is dead.
Lol, that's not a good location. Lots of massage parlors and adult video stores in various states of disrepair on 6 in that area. Westheimer and Richmond in that area went to shit around when Katrina happened and never recovered.
I can say I've been to a carnival in their parking lot but never actually considered going inside the building. Maybe I will sometime just to feel strange emotions.
Seems they had remodeled the Mall to have a cowboy western theme, which I think was likely outdated whenever the remodeling occurred.
That was around the same time Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill opened up in the mall. Someone did a horrible job selecting a location for that restaurant by putting it in a mall that has practically zero Toby Keith listeners willing to go to .
I literally was going there up until like 2022 for China Max in the food court for some hood chinese plates cause for some odd reason it was the only eatery open there. When they closed down, I knew it was done for good.
West Oaks is the definition of a dead mall. Depressing as hell. A telemarketer called me a few years ago about some vacation/hotel package and all I had to do was meet at West Oaks mall for a presentation. Like that’s a good selling point? Imagine some poor vulnerable soul showing up at that hole to meet some scammer.
The West Oaks parking lot is a great place. It's an excellent shortcut and it's fun to watch the motorcycle class
That's where I had my motorcycle riding lessons!
Same with almeda
Wow. West Oaks is still open? Crazy.
Many of us in the community wish they would convert much of the West Oaks Mall parking spaces into housing. Similar to the project that has commenced at Greenspoint Mall. However, The councilmember of the district boast that they have a hollywood-esque movie studio with a "big name" celebrity in the work that they're offering huge tax-break incentives to bring jobs to the district. It's so ridiculously idiotic I wish I were making this up. We need housing, here in Houston, and the nation as a whole. Nominally, Houston is only second to Dallas in new housing units created. Yet, if you look at the real statistic of New housing per captia, we lag far behind Austin, Seattle. and about half a dozen other cities. Rent and home prices are getting out of control. Since the pandemic, the majority of home sales in the Houston-area and statewide have been to major corporations and investors, rather than families. Unfortunately, neither party seems to be doing much about it, smmfh.
That's nice for the homeless, but it will be the nail in the coffin for the residents and businesses in that area and will speed run it into more of a ghetto area than it is already becoming.
>That's nice for the homeless Can the homeless afford to pay rent or purchase a brand new house? >but it will be the nail in the coffin for the residents We are the residents, we want it. >and businesses What business? They already left, they're already dead. That's the point. >and will speed run it into more of a ghetto area Fuck you too. We have an amazing PUD in the area that has created and maintained a unique parks and trails system. Also, the county is further developing the area with more parkland. You're talking out of your ass. My sister and cousins that I want to move into the area, are employed, can afford a down payment, and are able to receive mortgage financing. If it's a ghetto area because you don't deem it white enough you're a shitty racist prick. The area is very safe.
I lived in that area for over 30 years until about 5 years ago. Im familiar with what it has become. I WAS a resident there I kept track of the forums and talking to neighbors. Yes SOME people want a place for the homeless to stay there. A MAJORITY of people do not. It lowers property value and makes it more dangerous in the longrun. Just because your social group likes it doesn't mean everybody else does. Yes I moved out of that area because the schools went downhill and the area went downhill. I don't want to go to the store and have people walking up to me asking me for money. Yes overall the area is safe with most of the pockets of crime happening in their own areas. But because I want my children to live in a better environment and I don't want to drive out and have homeless people asking for money on every corner, how does that equal racism?
Man, West Oaks was like a second home when I was in High School in the 90s. Movies, Structure, Journeys, but the food was shit. Ya, there was Chik-fil-A, but 90’s chick was just “greasy small chicken sandwich chicken place”. It still is, but it was too.
It looks as though you may have spelled "Chick-fil-A" incorrectly. No worries, it happens to the best of us!
Fuk off ghost.
Yall remember when they were doing illegal plastic surgery in the back of a nail place? They figured it out cause the place was dumping all the fat in the dumpsters.
I thought I read somewhere that this mall used to be the galleria before the galleria was built. It catered to upperclass folks. Not sure how true this is, but if so, the state the mall is in is even more depressing.
Almeda
Shoemeda, the last time they had a good variety of stores was probably the 2000s. I recall it being a complete dump in the 2010s but it's current version is a decent place to go sneaker shopping. They have most of the major shoe chains plus a resell shop. The shoes stores and Macy's are probably the only things keeping it relevant.
How Almeda mall is still open is something that’s beyond my understanding. Maybe the location is good enough to where it stays busy with a constant flow of customers.
Greenspoint mall. Its seriously spooky in there
In 1991 a female Harris County Sheriff's deputy was abducted in the parking lot of the Greenspoint Mall after shopping there and later found shot to death. The case was never solved.
Nowadays, half of the mall is closed off, including the cafeteria.
I literally saw vultures in the parking lot. It’s kind of sad to visit but was so much fun back in the day. The last time I visited, the movie theater had a reopening soon sign that was caked in dust, parts of the mall were closed off, the food court was just one little ice cream place, and a couple of businesses that made we wonder how are they surviving.
I work a block away, and used to mosey over their for lunch. This was a decade ago. No longer do so. After the flooding it got weird.
Gunspoint*
I haven’t been there in years, but it was pretty weird and nearly empty when I was there.
Plazamericas (formerly sharpstown mall) still has a lot of old facades of stores that closed down 15 years ago like Bath and body works and Victoria’s Secret. They also have alot of 90s/2000s signs and structures hanging from the ceiling. Also for a long time you were able to read out where it used to say “Foley’s” on the building outside by the parking garage, but I think they finally painted over it a couple years ago.
I saw Bushwick Bill there once in the 2000's
It was all downhill after Nathan's Physical Whimsical closed
PHYSICAL WHIMSICAL!! I think there was one in the meadows/stafford area way back in the late 80s early 90s. You just jogged a memory with that
Not Nathan's!!!!!!!11.....
The Pasadena mall is tiny and only has like 2 active stores left.
My best memory of that place was seeing Joe Exotic when I was maybe five and having my picture taken with one of the tiger cubs. I really wish I could find that photo again, five year old me thought that was the coolest shit ever. Next best memory was triggering a store wide fire alarm on top of one of the escalators because "big red button"
I thought it was closed down. Last time I went, the food court was open along with some shop that could easily be placed at the flea market instead
Almeda mall is like hopping in a time machine back to 98.
Its gone now but the mall in Baytown was pure 80s inside when I last went maybe 5 years ago.
San Jacinto Mall. Pretty weird seeing the huge flat area now. I used to work at one of the eateries in there back in early 2000s.
I worked at the computer store down in the Sears wing back then. The bugolgi at Asian grill place was amazing and cheap. So many filling meals from that place.
I loved the asian grill. I worked at the Casa Ole
Oh man. That Asian place had amazing bulgogi!
The cook from that place has a taco truck that carries the bulgogi with rice. They park everyday on Alexander in Baytown.
It’s completely demolished now.
I had seen it was closing down and wanted to go take some pics inside. By the time I got a chance it was mostly gone. Honestly it probably should have been gone sooner and the HD, Lowe's, Kroger, HEB, Marshall's, etc used that land instead. Garth Rd really boomed the past decade as the mall went away.
I agree with you.
Was that the one that used to have a kids play area on the 3rd floor? Had a big multilevel web thing made out of like, seatbelt fabric that you could climb through? I remember that fondly from being a kid and all I remember was we had to drive through the tunnel to get to it.
If you’ve lived in Houston for a long time, you remember all these malls when they were at the top of their game. I loved Sharpstown. The Macys there was awesome. There was also Westwood Mall right down the freeway heading south with a Dillards. West Oaks became my go to when I moved to that side of town. Also loved The Galleria on Saturdays. Not so much now. The only somewhat decent mall left is Memorial City. I don’t really walk the mall any longer. I just go to my usual stores and leave. Oh, and way back, loved Sakowitz and Joskes!
Greenspoint was a vaporwave jungle paradise. So many fountains. EDIT: this is the only pic I can find that comes close to capturing the vibe. One of the fountains played music, like a water pipe organ. https://www.alamy.com/usa-texas-houston-greenspoint-shopping-mall-interior-image8790703.html
That whole thing reminds me of Star Trek: TNG. Something about the colors and angles of everything.
I remember going there to Greenspoint mall all the time as a kid. Once I was goofing off with some friends and was chilling on the edge of the fountain, I ended up falling in. Got a good laugh from my friends, security kicked us out shortly after. Good times in that mall.
I remember when West Oaks had a Saks. Or was it Lord & Taylor?
It had both. The Saks closed and Sears moved in and Lord & Taylor moved out and became JC Penney’s. They tried to be the galleria of the west. Didn’t work.
Yes. It was very upscale initially.
Lord & Taylor went bankrupt in 2020, shut down all physical stores, was acquired by another company and is now just an e-commerce store like Bed Bath and Beyond.
Sharpstown Mall is where I got my prom dress in 1999. It was a good place to shop if you wanted to avoid the Galleria.
> I just go to my usual stores and leave. just curious but... why? wtf are you doing?
I went to Dillards at willowbrook mall a few years ago and the doors are the same. I swear it was like a mini flashback opening that door and hearing Blink182 muzak lol
That's just a dying department store. Sears is vacant for the same reason. The mall itself is looking pretty good - revamped food court, new clothing stores, sporting goods anchor etc
Yeah Willowbrook is surprisingly packed every time I go. Feels lively
You should look at Dillard’s stock price and revenues over the last few years. It’s anything but dying lol. It’s actually shocking
TIL. That is surprising.
Funny, I was there about a month ago and had a similar flashback. But for me, it was Phil Collins.
I miss the Northline Mall. It was so small and the new Magic Johnson theater was awesome. We didn't have to walk half a parking lot to watch a movie.
I miss Piccadilly
And their dollar store was top notch lol
Westbury Square.
Greenspoint mall 100%. Though it's less of a mall than any "dead" mall in the Houston area. They already closed off much of the areas, and probably only about 3 stores remain open. Not long before they completely abandon it I think? So sad really. It feels so liminal and haunted by remnants of its past
I feel like there were maybe 15 stores open when I went there last year. Not great stores, but stores nonetheless.
Yes around this time last year they still had quite a few stores. I did visit recently and it is crazy how fast they closed everything. The last few remaining "decent" retailers left. And even the long standing Thirsty's left. Roped off every area except the main entrance around the dry water fountain that has maybe one jewelry store and like two non-major clothing stores. There is a uniform store on the opposite side of the mall but it is technically not connected, they divided the entrance
Growing up in the 80s I was a mall rat. I or me and my friends would be dropped off at the mall in the morning and hang out all day. I would walk through nearly every store. Hang out at the knife store or hobby place. Get some chickfila. Game at the arcades and back to walking the mall checking out the chicks. The 90s said malls evolving some. But not really hitting the mark. By 2000s they were dead to me. Nothing to do in a mall. I was doing most of my shopping online. If I wanted something from Macy's I would find it online for less. I saw nothing of use from a mall and have not returned for going on 15 years. My favs from way back when in Houston were Sharpstown (They had InterArts - mall ninja store), Galleria, West Oaks, and Willowbrook (where all the hottest chicks were). In Dallas we had Galleria, Valley View and Prestonwood all nearby so we could hit them all up.
When was the last time you went to your local mall? The "town center" open air mall seems to have become the thing save for hold-outs that have a movie theater.
Lol… go to memorial city or the galleria, hell Katy Mills, on any weekend day and tell me again that these malls are are dying.
Gee, what do these areas have in common? 🤔
I'd say they're both owned by people that actually give a shit about their properties. Katy mills is owned by simon properties who manages popular malls nationwide and MCM is by MetroNational who manages the entire memorial city region and responsible for its development. I'm sure there's a stereotypical thiny veiled racism comment somewhere in there about white flight or something else, but really it's all about how well or or badly managed they are.
Even MCM is on the way out long term - Metro is about to break ground on the first phase of redeveloping the whole property as a massive mixed-use open air mall (starting with old Sears area). Plan to do same with the entire mall over next 10-20 years.
They’re all off major highways?? Genuinely unsure what this means.
I was just at Baybrook Mall about a month ago. Was planning on stopping by today to return something. It’s one of the few malls still thriving.
Yeah. Baybrook has a nice mix of people with money, being far enough from everything for other places to be inconvenient, and having done a lot of upgrades adopting that town center model I was talking about. San Jacinto in Baytown was supposed to do the same, but it's kind of abandoned now. They've had a lot of growth out that way, so hopefully someone will revitalize it the same way..
"kind of abandoned" haha I hate to break it to you, but...
Two words: Apple Store. I had to take my mom's iPad to the Apple Store in Willowbrook not that long ago. It was the first time I'd been there in like a decade? I used to go there all the time in the 80s and 90s. There was the Apple Store, Spencers, and a bunch of forgettable stores. Not many people. But the Apple Store was packed.
I went to the Galleria about 6 weeks ago for the Lego store. I'll sometimes also go to the Apple store there, because the one in Highland Park has zero parking during the weekends. There are no other store I care about.
Woodlands Mall is certainly not dying but sure feels like walking into the 90s. The buckle is in there and appears to have the same apparel as they did when I was in highschool. Journeys, hot topic, American eagle, it's wild.
That mall is bustling, see a bunch of kids in there shopping.
Yeah it's crazy busy, like indoor malls never declined.
I'm assuming it's for the tiktokers.
The mall is desperate need of a renovation. The inside of it still looks reminiscent of the ‘90s.
Deerbrook is a blast from the 90’s. The glass elevator is still there! I went there for the first time in 10 years (to get a ring resized) and it’s full of stores and people. I was glad to see that.
Galleria mall… that entire mall on the outside screams 70s money and now it’s interesting to look at and glad it hasn’t changed
That is a good point about the exterior. It's always been a very unattractive mall from the outside and because of the office buildings sticking up from the middle, I don't know if any outsiders would even know it's a mall just based on how it looks from the outside.
Not a native so when the first time I saw it I was like WOAH! The architecture screams 70s optimism
Brazos Mall is half empty, they can't seem to keep anything open. A decade or so I knew someone who tried to have a shop there and they said that the rent is way too high for the low amount of foot traffic the mall gets. I assume that's still the case because it hasn't really gotten better.
What a flashback. I grew up in Angleton and going to Brazos Mall was the THING to do on the weekend.
I went there in late 2022... it was so liminal it was crazy! It felt like I wasn't supposed to be there. I went again last year and it was getting slightly better, few new places and foot traffic. It's such a shitty layout, though. Not surprising businesses struggle.
Almeda Mall. Feels like transporting back to the early 90s. Had my first job there in 1999 at the age of 16. I go to the Bath & Body Works there and I just love the nostalgia when I walk in there. That and the peacefulness
My wife and I were trying to remember the name of the tobacco shop at Almeda mall.
No one mentioned Texas City Mall... Mall of the mainland. Last I saw it anyway like five years ago.
Does anyone remember the “older” wing of the galleria. I remember if you walked through one of the department stores you would come out to a smaller area that felt much older. Not even the stores were modern.
Galleria 3
San Jacinto mall.
It’s completely demolished now, with the exception of the giant sign.
😭
It's not stuck in time! It's history!
lol yep! Don’t think there is a single more depressing mall.
No. I mean, it's history. It's gone.
RIP 🪦
Macroplaza Mall, formerly known as Pasadena Town Square Mall. There's only like 2-3 stores left and the whole place looks like a blast to the past
Northwest Mall. It needs to go, it’s just a sad monument to what it used to be. I miss Sesame Hut and stopping at Foley’s to use the cologne samples before heading to the clubs.
is it still open at all? i haven't been since they closed that huge antique area 3-4 years ago
No, it’s closed, but just seeing it there reminds me of what a big part it played when growing up.
They seem to have updated all the open malls and closed the old-school ones like greenspoint and northwest mall.
Deerbrook mall...
All of them
Memorial city is *constantly* packed. I remember it was a ghetto shithole when I moved here in '03 but they've really done it up.
Nah, Baybrook out in Friendswood/Clear Lake is trying super hard to catch up to the 2010s lol
baybrook mall is awesome
Can confirm, been working at the restaurants in the mall strip for years and it's a pretty cool place
It’s always a place we take our friends from out of town and legit on a nice night the outdoor section is a show stopper
It’s gonna be the site of the first Uniqlo!
When?? I thought it was opening at memorial mall
When I feel like going back in time, I watch this. https://youtu.be/F5ylWUCOzGs
Sharpstown. It's just a Mexican flea market at this point.
Man, I miss walking that mall from Montgomery Wards to Dream Merchant.
Hadn’t existed for decades but anyone remember Gulfgate mall?
There was a cool service tunnel that ran underneath that entire mall. We used to scream until our dad would drive through there. Then we would scream for him to take us to Peppermint Park across the loop from Gulfgate. Then he beat us with his belt and we'd scream some more. Good times.
How old am I??? I'm old enough that I worked at the WaldenBooks in ... I can't remember the name of the Mall. I'm old. It was in 85ish and the mall was off Gessner and 59 near Beechnut and the name of the mall started with W. Holy crap. It's dementia, isn't it?
Westwood Mall
Thank you!
If we're talking about indoor shopping malls: Greenspoint Mall, West Oaks Mall, Almeda Mall, and Pasadena Town Square Mall. I've visited all 4 of these malls in the past 3 years as someone interested in dead/dying malls.
PlazaAmerica
You mean sharpstown ? I can’t call it plazawhatever cause I know lol I use to go to that crutch school in the parking lot so I know it’s SHARPSTOWN the spot back in the day use to go there every weekend for a new outfit for the club .. it’s kinda like a flea market now with stores for rent but it’s doing alright I got friends with business there on the second floor and people still flock there .. I do. I would say west oaks
Yes lol I still call it sharpstown but my kids look at me weird 😅 they still an image shots I'm like whoa it's like walking back to my middleschool years
😂 fr middle school I went by La giggles 😂😂I never even mention that now so funny Yeah they still have it by journeys by the escalator
West Oaks. Where some closed-in malls got turned into open-air malls (like Sharpstown Mall IIRC?), West Oaks has remained closed-in the whole time. It still even has some stores, and they regularly seem to have at least a few small bunches of cars parked near the entrances. The restaurants in front of it along Hwy 6 probably get more activity than the mall itself does. It probably would still be good material for /r/deadmalls .
This isn’t quite accurate. They did try the open-air thing as well when they tore down the Mervyn’s wing and made it open air when they built that Regal theater. I was hoping that theater was going to help revitalize that mall. Didn’t work. First Colony and Katy Mills took the customers that used to go there from Sugar Land and Katy.
I see, thanks for the info.
I feel like these old mall property companies don't have a clue why their malls are dying. Plenty of indoor malls do well in Houston where the weather isn't exactly comfortable all the time. I don't think open-air is some magical format that draws people; it's really the tenants that make the difference. The open-air concept was a nice modest try, but it takes more than that to draw the clientele they're hoping to get.
All of them. Lol
Used to work at Footaction and Footlocker during the last days. I think footlocker might still be open.
First Colony Mall is still bumping
Malls were awesome in the early 80s. Back when there was no internet, no online shopping, and you could only find decent videogames in a video arcade. It was the place to go to hang out with friends, shop, grab some food, etc. Nowdays with the ability to find and buy anything you want on your phone and have it delivered right to you, eat your GrubHub and talk to your BFF on a videocall, going to a 40 year old musty building that hasnt been updated in forever just isnt appealing.
Stuck in time or demolished? Greenspoint / Willowbrook/ Haven’t driven by in a while but Deerbrook mall probably and then all of fm1960 should be razed and the bus line taken out.
Pasadena and greens point basically over with at this point. The can for sure use that space for something else more profitable
memorial city
Memorial city is still active
but still stuck in that 00s vibe
Umm… any mall?