Valley View Mall??? (Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano: for sale, crime, neighborhood)

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by mami2emily

Yipeee!!! That's a short skip from my house! Isn't that where they are also building the massive WalMart?

I thought they were building a Sam's there but I've seen a big Wal-Mart at the site. I don't think it's open yet though.

[mysterymachinebl]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I thought they were building a Sam's there but I've seen a big Wal-Mart at the site. I don't think it's open yet though.

It's going to be a two level Wal-Mart & Sam's. Looks like Wal-Mart is on top and Sam's underneath. There are several restaurants going in as well.

CB Richard Ellis - Lease-TimberCreek Crossing (http://www.cbre.com/USA/US/TX/Dallas/property/timbercreek.htm?pageid=4 - broken link)

[reggie182]

I was at Valley View Mall yesterday. It is still open. Why it is still open is a mystery.

But that's not to say I don't remain nostalgic about the place. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of being with my parents in that old Sears store in the mid-70s. It looks pretty much the same inside and out as it did back then. If you happen to go to Goff's hamburger restaurant just south of LBJ and Preston, take a look at the some of the pictures on the wall. There is a photo of the Sears auto center and retail store taken in 1965. At that time there was no mall attached, nor an LBJ Freeway for that matter. Anyway, when when my Dad wanted to buy a tool, television, or what have you, this is where we came. There were no Wal-marts, Best Buys, or Bed, Bath, & Beyonds in Dallas back then.

And then there was the mall. It was redone sometime in the mid to late eighties, and afterward nothing of the look of it's original kitsch modern interior remained. I think this is one of the first major mistakes the center made. For Valley View to try to compete with the new Galleria Mall and look upscale was ridiculous. It was like putting whipped cream on a hot dog. Valley View was supposed to be a MIDDLE-CLASS mall, but one that had a unique look to it. It was also a fun mall. Alladin's Castle, the El fenix Restaurant along with the food court, and a place that sold the best lemonade and ice cream bars (I think it was called Bob's) I'd ever had.

I'd visited VV off and on through the years, and had noticed a gradual decline. Most of the time I'd dropped by was to buy a pair of shoes at Sears or see a movie at the AMC theater (which remains very nice). But when I went yesterday I walked throughout the entire mall and it was quite a site to see. Aside from the fact that only JC Penney and Sears remain as anchor stores, half of the mall's retail spaces are unoccupied. As for those stores that remain, virtually none are part of national chains. The big franchises you see in most malls have packed up and left VV for good. There are a few specialty stores that are worth a visit, but what otherwise remains are ghetto fabulous boutiques, small businesses of the sort you wouldn't normally see in a shopping mall, and spaces that could best be described as quasi-flea markets. A great deal of it reaches a level of tackiness I have never seen in any mall I've visited in my forty years on this earth. The food court isn't what it used to be either BTW.

I should mention that there is a nice Chinese Restaurant that is at the mall entrance next to the west side of Sears. It was once a Luby's Cafeteria. This was the last stop on my visit and was pleasant surprise.

There is also increased security in the mall from what I can tell, so I guess I can compliment those in charge for bothering to shut the barn door after the horse has escaped. There isn't a nice way to say it, but several years ago a decidely ghetto element began to gather at VV, many of whom were ill behaved youths, and the people there who were actually interested in buying things and having a wholesome good time were scared off for good. Yesterday I have to say I didn't see very many unsavory types. They've been driven off by increased security. The problem is, the security isn't going to bring the good customer's, the good individual retailers, and certainly not two anchor stores back.

I would hate see the old Sanger Harris with it's classic mural on all three sides torn down. I'd be equally sorry to see the old Sears go, though from what I understand the entire Sears corporation may go belly up very soon. If that Sears store closes it seems that would definitely be the end of VV. Even with it there, aside from a bit of sentimentality, I don't see much reason at all why this carcass of commerce continues to endure.

[Spree]

The JC Penney is a stand alone store across the street (Skillman) from Home Depot.

[ETex2]

Originally Posted by Grainraiser

Try Redbird (Southwest Center), Collin Creek, Six Flags, Preston Wood (oops), Big Town, Richardson Square just off the top of my head.

I think Collin Creek may still be around, but aren't the rest of those history? I know most of the rest (if not all) have been torn down.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by ETex2

I think Collin Creek may still be around, but aren't the rest of those history? I know most of the rest (if not all) have been torn down.

Collin Creek is still there.

So is Richardson Square, it's just been converted into other retail (Target, Lowe's, etc.).

[dallas90210]

Six Flags mall is 50% occupied, but still around. Southwest Center Mall is probably 80%+/- occupied not factoring in a closed anchor store or two, but has a ton of ghetto type stores that appeal to the surrounding population. Both the Six Flags mall and Southwest Center malls have been hurt by newer and larger shopping centers / malls

Originally Posted by ETex2

I think Collin Creek may still be around, but aren't the rest of those history? I know most of the rest (if not all) have been torn down.

[MurphyPl1]

Actually Richardson Square was torn down other than the Target on one end and the Sears on the other end. And Target was a late addition to the Mall itself. And no access from within the mall itself which I think hurt the mall.

And Collin Creek reminds me of Richardson Square. Richardson Square was in decline until Simon bought it and did a renovation - brought in Barnes and Noble, SteinMart, Old Navy, etc. Then it started to decline again and once Simon built Firewheel I knew it wouldn't be long as those tenants moved over. Which left a whole bunch of fly by night stores that didn't even invest in anything other than some fixtures they probably got from the last tenant.

Collin Creek looks very much the same to me now. I'm thinking 5 years. Which might be generous.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by MurphyPl1

Actually Richardson Square was torn down other than the Target on one end and the Sears on the other end. And Target was a late addition to the Mall itself. And no access from within the mall itself which I think hurt the mall.

And Collin Creek reminds me of Richardson Square. Richardson Square was in decline until Simon bought it and did a renovation - brought in Barnes and Noble, SteinMart, Old Navy, etc. Then it started to decline again and once Simon built Firewheel I knew it wouldn't be long as those tenants moved over. Which left a whole bunch of fly by night stores that didn't even invest in anything other than some fixtures they probably got from the last tenant.

Collin Creek looks very much the same to me now. I'm thinking 5 years. Which might be generous.

Richardson Square had Old Navy and Stein Mart? Must have been before I moved to the area, LOL!

[Dazed&Confused]

Having grown up in Dallas in the sixties and seventies, and being familiar with Valley View (which was the new mall back then) and Northtown Mall, I can honestly say I'm glad I'm not there to see what's become of them. I probably couldn't find my way back to my old neighborhood to save my life since Dallas has changed so much.