20+ Texas Malls That Used To Call Texas Home
(Mix 93-1) The mall of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s was the center of teenage life.
It was the place to meet friends, try on the latest fashions, grab a cassette or CD, catch a movie, grab a bite at Corn Dog 7, Chick-fil-A, or Orange Julius—or drop countless quarters into the arcade.
While malls still exist today, they’re nothing like they were during their prime.
Tyler and Longview residents are fortunate that their malls still stand. They may look different from what they did in the 90s, but they’re still part of the community. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for other parts of Texas, including Palestine, the Dallas–Fort Worth area, and Houston. Once-thriving malls are now empty shells—or gone altogether.
Teen Life at the Mall
Before entering the radio industry, as a teenager, I worked at a men’s clothing store inside the now-defunct Six Flags Mall in Arlington. This mall had it all—shopping, movies, arcades, and even a place called Safety City, where kids pedaled tricycles through a miniature town complete with buildings, traffic signs, and lights.
Like so many teens, I spent weekends hanging out at the mall with friends, eating food court favorites, and playing in the arcade. Sadly, the malls I grew up with—Six Flags Mall and Forum 303 Mall—are no longer standing.
Residents in the Palestine area likely remember the Palestine Mall at Loop 256 and Hwy. 287/19. The building still stands, but today it’s only a shadow of its past. The old JCPenney sign still clings to the facade, though the space now serves as an education center and a VA outpatient clinic.
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Texas Malls That No Longer Exist
Online shopping changed the way we shop. Many stores that once lined mall corridors have since gone out of business or shifted entirely online.
Here’s a look back at some Texas malls where thousands of teenagers spent their weekends in the 80s and 90s—malls that no longer exist (DeadMalls):
- Big Town Mall: Mesquite (Dallas), TX
- Collin Creek Mall: Plano (near Dallas), TX
- Denton Factory Stores: Denton, TX
- Forum 303 Mall: Arlington, TX
- Greenspoint Mall: Houston, TX
- Highland Mall: Austin, TX
- Mall of the Mainland: Houston, TX
- Manor East Mall: Bryan (College Station), TX
- Midway Mall: Sherman, TX
- North Hills Mall: North Richland Hills, TX
- Northwest Mall: Houston, TX
- Pasadena Town Square: Pasadena, TX
- Prestonwood Town Center: Dallas, TX
- Richardson Square Mall: Richardson, TX
- Ridgmar Mall: Fort Worth, TX
- Sharpstown Mall: Houston, TX
- Six Flags Mall: Arlington, TX
- San Jacinto Mall: Baytown, TX
- The Shops at Willow Bend: Plano, TX
- Sunrise Mall: Corpus Christi, TX
- Town & Country Mall: Houston, TX
- Valley View Mall: Dallas, TX
- Vista Ridge Mall (now Music City Mall): Lewisville, TX
- Western Plaza: Amarillo, TX
- Windsor Park Mall: San Antonio, TX
Why Did Texas Malls Disappear?
Many of these malls have been demolished or repurposed into something else. The rise of online shopping, changing retail trends, and declining foot traffic made it nearly impossible for many malls to survive.
For a deeper look at their history and what led to their demise, visit DeadMalls.
Nostalgia for a Lost Era
For those of us who spent our teenage years shopping, playing arcade games, watching movies, and hanging out at the mall, the memories will always live on—even if the malls themselves don’t.