The Shops at Willow Bend

Coordinates: 33°1′51″N 96°49′57″W / 33.03083°N 96.83250°W / 33.03083; -96.83250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Shops at Willow Bend
Total retail floor area
1,391,000 sq ft (129,200 m2)[4]
No. of floors2 (3 in Macy's, Dillard's, and Neiman Marcus, 1 in Crate & Barrel and Restoration Hardware)
Websitewww.shopwillowbend.com

The Shops at Willow Bend, sometimes referred to as Willow Bend Mall, is a

Farm to Market Road 544) and Dallas North Tollway
in West Plano.

History

The first Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex shopping mall of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, the Shops at Willow Bend opened on August 3, 2001, with occupancy near 75% and four anchor stores: Foley's, Lord & Taylor, Neiman–Marcus, and Dillard's.[5] It faced several challenges from the beginning. The mall opened shortly before the September 11 attacks when nationwide retail sales slowed considerably. Stonebriar Centre previously opened less than a year before on August 4, 2000, just a few miles north in nearby Frisco.[6] Stonebriar was also considerably larger, offered more amenities and entertainment such as a movie theater and ice rink, and offered a wider selection of shops and restaurants with broad appeal. The collapse of the telecom corridor to the east of the centers trade area further hampered the mall’s performance.

Soft seating area
Neiman Marcus Court

The mall was developed and originally managed by

Dallas
.

In 2004, Saks Fifth Avenue was added as a fifth anchor.[5] By 2005, Lord & Taylor shuttered entirely.

In 2006, Foley's became Macy's.

In August 2010, Saks Fifth Avenue announced it would be shuttering entirely as part of a strategy implemented to improve profit margins substantially by electing to shutter nearly thirty five percent of its entire base over the course of several years.[7] In 2011, a new Crate & Barrel opened in the original Lord & Taylor structure which had been reconstructed.

In 2014, the mall was sold as part of a 7 property package to Starwood Capital Group for approximately $1.4 billion.[8]

In 2015, it was announced the mall would undergo a $126 million renovation with the original Saks Fifth Avenue structure being reconstructed with internal and external facing restaurants and entertainment venues.[9]

In March 2018, the 60,000-square-foot

Crayola Experience opened between Macy's and the food court.[10][11]

In April 2023, it was announced the mall would be updated one more time including transforming the northern section of the mall into an open air shopping center featuring additional retail stores, an 18-story hotel, a 7-story office building and three 5-story buildings with 960 apartments. Construction is expected to take place in 2025.[12]

Current Anchor Tenants[13]

Former Anchor Tenants

See also

References

  1. ^ Chapter 3: I Go to the Mall. I Get a Suit. Retrieved Nov 3, 2012.
  2. ^ "The Shops At Willow Bend". Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  3. ^ "Shops at Willow Bend - Plano, TX". Spinoso Real Estate Group. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  4. ^ Taubman Centers: Willow Bend Archived 2007-01-01 at the Wayback Machine Leasing Information. Retrieved Feb 15, 2007.
  5. ^
    Dallas Morning News
    .
  6. Dallas Morning News
    .
  7. ^ "Saks Incorporated to Close Its Saks Fifth Avenue Stores in Plano, Texas and Mission Viejo, California" (Press release). Business Wire. August 17, 2010.
  8. ^ Carlisle, Candace (June 18, 2014). "The Shops at Willow Bend in Plano sells to Starwood". American City Business Journals.
  9. ^ "Plano's Shops at Willow Bend getting a $100 million redo: restaurants, luxury hotel, office tower and entertainment anchor". The Dallas Morning News. October 20, 2015.
  10. ^ "New Crayola Experience Coming to Shops at Willow Bend in Plano". NBC News. June 13, 2017.
  11. ^ "The Colorful Crayola Experience Opens in Plano". March 15, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "Plano gets details of long-awaited overhaul of Shops at Willow Bend mall". April 10, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  13. ^ "Mall Map". Retrieved November 4, 2012.

External links

33°1′51″N 96°49′57″W / 33.03083°N 96.83250°W / 33.03083; -96.83250