West Oaks Mall

[tstone]

Major expansion set for Baybrook Mall - Houston Chronicle

Many of the individual stores there are #1 in the Houston area for revenue, including the Galleria. The mall is leased at capacity and after the expansion, the only mall bigger (sq ft) will be the Galleria.

I don't think true "upscale" shopping like you find in the Galleria would do very well there. Clear Lake/Friendswood is solidly upper-middle class and long established without the decay that Houston is famous for (see Westwood, Sharpstown, West Oaks, Almeda, etc, etc). IMO that's the clientele that makes a mall successful.

(BTW, the REAL way to know if your mall is any good is if it has a Lego Store.)

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by tstone

Major expansion set for Baybrook Mall - Houston Chronicle

Many of the individual stores there are #1 in the Houston area for revenue, including the Galleria. The mall is leased at capacity and after the expansion, the only mall bigger (sq ft) will be the Galleria.

I don't think true "upscale" shopping like you find in the Galleria would do very well there. Clear Lake/Friendswood is solidly upper-middle class and long established without the decay that Houston is famous for (see Westwood, Sharpstown, West Oaks, Almeda, etc, etc). IMO that's the clientele that makes a mall successful.

(BTW, the REAL way to know if your mall is any good is if it has a Lego Store.)

I agree, that's why I said Baybrook wasn't "luxury." Nordstroms would definitely be upscale, no question, but it's not Neiman Marcus. You're dead on in talking about attracting the type of customer case that a mall needs to be successful, Baybrook has it nailed. You've got to attract the upper-middle / lower-upper class to make the economics work.

You want to read some dying-mall porn, Google search malls like Mall of Memphis, Rolling Acres Mall (Akron), Bannister Mall (Kansas City), Randall Park Mall (Cleveland), and I'm sure there are others. These were the biggest, baddest malls in their regions, and all ended in disaster (either abandoned or torn down) when the more affluent customers quit coming (usually because they were scared or "uncomfortable"). Incredible how quickly it can happen. That's why Willowbrook, First Colony, and Deerbrook need to be vigilant.

[TXbywayof]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

That's why Willowbrook, First Colony, and Deerbrook need to be vigilant.

You are correct about vigilance. Willowbrook is quirky. It lost what I would consider mall basics - Gap, Ann Taylor, Loft, and lost Aveda (not a mall basic). It seems to have acquired a lot of teeny bopper stores. When the basics go away, that is not a good sign. However, there is a Nordstrom Rack being built attached to the mall. That may change things up a bit.

I find First Colony disappointingly unimpressive, at least the enclosed indoor mall, although I do like the outdoor pedestrian section.

[hbcu]

Considering it opened and killed two malls..FC opened in 1995 with a weak lineup - especially the food court...I doubt the plan was to ever make it elaborate like sharpstown or Westwood did in terms of merry go rounds or indoor amusement parks such as phymsical whimsical

[Failed Engineer]

First Colony's upscale retail is all outside the mall, in the Town Center. The mall itself is not somewhere I'd spend much time anymore. It's best days are in the rear view.

[Callo]

West Oaks is in a crap neighborhood with crap access to any better neighborhoods and has nothing that anyone can't get somewhere better.

The end.

[funeral979]

I worked in West Oaks Mall from 1997-2006 and saw a big part of their decline. For the 9.5 years I was there I was a manager at the same store and the decline in sales was simply staggering (and the deciding factor in me eventually getting out).

Just to give some rough estimates:

1997-2002ish weekly sales were approx. 10-12k
2002-2005 saw a steady decline each year
2006 weekly sales were barely over 4k
2008 I heard the store closed

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

Nordstroms would definitely be upscale, no question, but it's not Neiman Marcus.

It remains to be seen whether the new Nordstrom currently under construction in The Woodlands is going to be a luxury store (like The Galleria) or merely upscale.

I visited the South Coast Plaza Nordstrom store 5 years ago and was shocked that it was also full of middle-market stuff that makes them compete with Macy's (the only middle-class department store in the region). I saw $25-50 blouses there instead of the luxury stuff in The Galleria. When I visited The Grove a couple years ago, the restroom was not surprisingly luxurious like the Galleria location; very basic like the recently-demolished Downtown Macy's bathroom on the 6th floor near housewares.

Originally Posted by hbcu

FC also attracts the small towners who have no mall as the next mall out that way is way in Victoria

If you lived in Wharton, you probably would rather go to FC instead of Victoria Mall anyway. That, Post Oak and Brazos Malls are pretty similar in demographics and selection, just like West Oaks. FC is more upscale and closer than the 3 other malls in the region.

Originally Posted by TexasTony

There are only 3 decent malls in Houston

1) Galleria
2) Woodlands
3) Memorial

Rest are all garbage and stuck in the early 90s probably. Stay away from them. I am only talking about regular malls and not outlets.

There's nothing special about the Woodlands or Memorial. Just the boring middle-class stores selling suburban fashions in a newer building with attractive architecture.

Originally Posted by honeyinhouston

A traveling carnival?...seriously?...Obviously they've given up trying to revitalize.

Got to be Family Friendly!!!

Originally Posted by timtemtym

Not everything lends itself to e-commerce.

I do know a few friends who will order a lot of clothes online, try them on when they arrive, and send back what they don't want or what doesn't fit. But for most people, that seems like a major hassle. Many online shopping sites do offer the free shipping both ways and easy refunds, but I think as people abuse this, it's going to tighten up.

Not good for the "instant gratification" generation either who want it NOW! not 2-3 days from now. It also creates more pollution and waste from boxes, tape, labels, and other shipping materials. This negates the carbon savings that it supposedly creates.

Malls may be dying in other parts of the country but remain strong in Texas due to the poor weather (also the reason public transport is not popular here either). The lifestyle center fad has not taken hold here except for a few malls (Premium Outlets, Tanger, and Pearland Town Center) for that reason.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by tstone

Clear Lake/Friendswood is solidly upper-middle class and long established without the decay that Houston is famous for (see Westwood, Sharpstown, West Oaks, Almeda, etc, etc). IMO that's the clientele that makes a mall successful.

I thought the Clear Lake area was not doing well because of the NASA downsizing and declining general interest in space exploration. It reminds me of Sharpstown before it's impending decline; the houses are from the same era! The Westside on the other hand...Oil, Oil, Oil.

League City with its master-plannned communities and new housing stock on the other side of the lake/county line is threatening Clear Lake.