Plano: Willow Bend Mall

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R1070
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby R1070 » 17 Jan 2021 14:34

The indoor mall needs to be torn down.

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acclar11
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby acclar11 » 18 Jan 2021 11:39

R1070 wrote:The indoor mall needs to be torn down.

If that happens, I hope MAC, Anthropologie, Vineyard Vines, Allen Edmonds, J. Jill, and L'Occitane move to the Galleria. There are over 15 vacant stores on their luxury level (first level). Once Galleria redevelopment happens, that will kill Willow Bend.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 18 Jan 2021 13:49

I think we have pretty well figured out by now Willow Bend was already headed into the ground before COVID just added the last nail. They had a few good things helping them look like there was hope but they were just fingers in the damn.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”

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Tucy
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Tucy » 18 Jan 2021 14:19

acclar11 wrote:
R1070 wrote:The indoor mall needs to be torn down.

If that happens, I hope MAC, Anthropologie, Vineyard Vines, Allen Edmonds, J. Jill, and L'Occitane move to the Galleria. There are over 15 vacant stores on their luxury level (first level). Once Galleria redevelopment happens, that will kill Willow Bend.


Speaking of the Galleria redevelopment... Anyone having any scoop on that? Since the preliminary plans were revealed a year ago, it seems to have been nothing but crickets.

Does Willow Bend really call its first level the "luxury level"? If so, that might be Exhibit A in why they are struggling. :D

Skechers, Lens Crafters, LoveSac, Z Gallerie, Slime Land, Perfume Express, American Eagle Outfitters, Lids, and Foot Locker, etc etc don't exactly scream LUXURY.

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Proquest20
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 18 Jan 2021 16:41

Tucy wrote:
acclar11 wrote:
R1070 wrote:The indoor mall needs to be torn down.

If that happens, I hope MAC, Anthropologie, Vineyard Vines, Allen Edmonds, J. Jill, and L'Occitane move to the Galleria. There are over 15 vacant stores on their luxury level (first level). Once Galleria redevelopment happens, that will kill Willow Bend.


Speaking of the Galleria redevelopment... Anyone having any scoop on that? Since the preliminary plans were revealed a year ago, it seems to have been nothing but crickets.

Does Willow Bend really call its first level the "luxury level"? If so, that might be Exhibit A in why they are struggling. :D

Skechers, Lens Crafters, LoveSac, Z Gallerie, Slime Land, Perfume Express, American Eagle Outfitters, Lids, and Foot Locker, etc etc don't exactly scream LUXURY.


No, but the first level of Galleria Dallas is considered the “luxury level” because that’s where Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co are. Still, I wouldn’t consider it fully luxury because it’s also where Zara, Victoria’s Secret, and Go! Games and Toys are. There’s also a Mac there, by the way, inside of the Macy’s. The post was saying that the Galleria had enough vacant spaces, and I think of some. I don’t expect the old Talbots or J Crew there to be leased because they’re probably going to be used in redevelopment, but The Art of Shaving, Godiva, Bailey Banks and Biddle, along with others have left the “luxury floor” of the Galleria. Coincidentally, some of these stores have also vacated Willow Bend around the same time.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 18 Jan 2021 16:52

acclar11 wrote:
R1070 wrote:The indoor mall needs to be torn down.

If that happens, I hope MAC, Anthropologie, Vineyard Vines, Allen Edmonds, J. Jill, and L'Occitane move to the Galleria. There are over 15 vacant stores on their luxury level (first level). Once Galleria redevelopment happens, that will kill Willow Bend.

I could see Anthropologie working well at The Shops at Legacy. It would put it in the same shopping center as Urban Outfitters, which is their sister brand.Vineyard Vines, Allen Edmonds, J Jill, and L’Occitane would probably work very well in Legacy West, especially because it would still be their only stores in Collin County. As for Mac, I could see them moving to where Sephora moved to, which was Preston Park Village.

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acclar11
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby acclar11 » 18 Jan 2021 18:06

Tucy wrote:
acclar11 wrote:
R1070 wrote:The indoor mall needs to be torn down.

If that happens, I hope MAC, Anthropologie, Vineyard Vines, Allen Edmonds, J. Jill, and L'Occitane move to the Galleria. There are over 15 vacant stores on their luxury level (first level). Once Galleria redevelopment happens, that will kill Willow Bend.


Speaking of the Galleria redevelopment... Anyone having any scoop on that? Since the preliminary plans were revealed a year ago, it seems to have been nothing but crickets.

Does Willow Bend really call its first level the "luxury level"? If so, that might be Exhibit A in why they are struggling. :D

Skechers, Lens Crafters, LoveSac, Z Gallerie, Slime Land, Perfume Express, American Eagle Outfitters, Lids, and Foot Locker, etc etc don't exactly scream LUXURY.

I was referring to the Galleria when I mentioned the luxury level. Sorry for the confusion

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acclar11
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby acclar11 » 18 Jan 2021 18:17

Proquest20 wrote:
Tucy wrote:
acclar11 wrote:If that happens, I hope MAC, Anthropologie, Vineyard Vines, Allen Edmonds, J. Jill, and L'Occitane move to the Galleria. There are over 15 vacant stores on their luxury level (first level). Once Galleria redevelopment happens, that will kill Willow Bend.


Speaking of the Galleria redevelopment... Anyone having any scoop on that? Since the preliminary plans were revealed a year ago, it seems to have been nothing but crickets.

Does Willow Bend really call its first level the "luxury level"? If so, that might be Exhibit A in why they are struggling. :D

Skechers, Lens Crafters, LoveSac, Z Gallerie, Slime Land, Perfume Express, American Eagle Outfitters, Lids, and Foot Locker, etc etc don't exactly scream LUXURY.


No, but the first level of Galleria Dallas is considered the “luxury level” because that’s where Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co are. Still, I wouldn’t consider it fully luxury because it’s also where Zara, Victoria’s Secret, and Go! Games and Toys are. There’s also a Mac there, by the way, inside of the Macy’s. The post was saying that the Galleria had enough vacant spaces, and I think of some. I don’t expect the old Talbots or J Crew there to be leased because they’re probably going to be used in redevelopment, but The Art of Shaving, Godiva, Bailey Banks and Biddle, along with others have left the “luxury floor” of the Galleria. Coincidentally, some of these stores have also vacated Willow Bend around the same time.

Most of the stores that closed at both the Galleria & Willow Bend at the same time, closed due to financial difficulties, so like J. Crew, Cache, Bebe, Crabtree & Evelyn, and Brookstone.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby rono3849 » 21 Jan 2021 22:58

Many of the chain stores are closing due to bankruptcy or downsizing of the number of stores. If the location wasn't performing, they are shuttered.

I suspect the Galleria will eventually start their makeover within the next 18 months. I always wondered why Dillard's never took over the old Marshall Field's spot. Belks didn't have the local identity to pull off a successful run there. I guess they are going to tear it down. I was sad to see several of the restaurants close as well, but if they were on the cusp before the pandemic, they were wiped out because of it.

Would Neiman's abandon Willow Bend? Maybe they relocate to the Galleria. Who knows?

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Addison » 24 Jan 2021 20:38

rono3849 wrote:Many of the chain stores are closing due to bankruptcy or downsizing of the number of stores. If the location wasn't performing, they are shuttered.

I suspect the Galleria will eventually start their makeover within the next 18 months. I always wondered why Dillard's never took over the old Marshall Field's spot. Belks didn't have the local identity to pull off a successful run there. I guess they are going to tear it down. I was sad to see several of the restaurants close as well, but if they were on the cusp before the pandemic, they were wiped out because of it.

Would Neiman's abandon Willow Bend? Maybe they relocate to the Galleria. Who knows?


The Galleria is too close to Northpark. Plus, Dillard's already has stores at both Willow Bend and Northpark.

I'm sure Dillard's and Neimans have already made the calculation that stores at the Galleria would cannibalize sales at their nearby locations.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 26 Jan 2021 19:09

BareMinerals is now gone. I wonder if they’re going to build a new store somewhere else, but Willow Bend has been removed from their website.

The current state of Willow Bend really reminds me of Collin Creek around early 2019, where there were still some major stores open but one after another, they were all leaving quickly.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Tnexster » 27 Jan 2021 12:29

Proquest20 wrote:BareMinerals is now gone. I wonder if they’re going to build a new store somewhere else, but Willow Bend has been removed from their website.

The current state of Willow Bend really reminds me of Collin Creek around early 2019, where there were still some major stores open but one after another, they were all leaving quickly.


That sounds about right. Amazing how quick this has all changed, hope they can successfully turn this into something better.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Addison » 27 Jan 2021 16:42

Proquest20 wrote:BareMinerals is now gone. I wonder if they’re going to build a new store somewhere else, but Willow Bend has been removed from their website.

The current state of Willow Bend really reminds me of Collin Creek around early 2019, where there were still some major stores open but one after another, they were all leaving quickly.


FWIW, there's still a BareMinerals store at Northpark.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 28 Jan 2021 15:17

Addison wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:BareMinerals is now gone. I wonder if they’re going to build a new store somewhere else, but Willow Bend has been removed from their website.

The current state of Willow Bend really reminds me of Collin Creek around early 2019, where there were still some major stores open but one after another, they were all leaving quickly.


FWIW, there's still a BareMinerals store at Northpark.


Yes, but now there is no BareMinerals store in Collin County. They could move to Preston Park Village or The Shops at Legacy to maintain a presence here.

Also, Ann Taylor has closed at Willow Bend. Their Galleria location seems to have closed, as well.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby acclar11 » 29 Jan 2021 09:15

Proquest20 wrote:
Addison wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:BareMinerals is now gone. I wonder if they’re going to build a new store somewhere else, but Willow Bend has been removed from their website.

The current state of Willow Bend really reminds me of Collin Creek around early 2019, where there were still some major stores open but one after another, they were all leaving quickly.


FWIW, there's still a BareMinerals store at Northpark.


Yes, but now there is no BareMinerals store in Collin County. They could move to Preston Park Village or The Shops at Legacy to maintain a presence here.

Also, Ann Taylor has closed at Willow Bend. Their Galleria location seems to have closed, as well.

Zales and Banana Republic closed at Willow Bend recently as well.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby acclar11 » 29 Jan 2021 09:17

acclar11 wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:
Addison wrote:
FWIW, there's still a BareMinerals store at Northpark.


Yes, but now there is no BareMinerals store in Collin County. They could move to Preston Park Village or The Shops at Legacy to maintain a presence here.

Also, Ann Taylor has closed at Willow Bend. Their Galleria location seems to have closed, as well.

Zales and Banana Republic closed at Willow Bend recently as well.

It's also a shame Ann Taylor closed at Galleria, they were an original tenant.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Addison » 30 Jan 2021 02:50

Proquest20 wrote:
Addison wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:BareMinerals is now gone. I wonder if they’re going to build a new store somewhere else, but Willow Bend has been removed from their website.

The current state of Willow Bend really reminds me of Collin Creek around early 2019, where there were still some major stores open but one after another, they were all leaving quickly.


FWIW, there's still a BareMinerals store at Northpark.


Yes, but now there is no BareMinerals store in Collin County. They could move to Preston Park Village or The Shops at Legacy to maintain a presence here.

Also, Ann Taylor has closed at Willow Bend. Their Galleria location seems to have closed, as well.


Per the article below about store closings in Nashville, it seems BareMinerals' parent company is closing underperforming stores all over the country.

https://williamsonsource.com/bare-miner ... -galleria/

They even closed their store in Tysons Corner, VA.

As far as Ann Taylor, their parent company filed for bankruptcy in July.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Addison » 30 Jan 2021 03:01

acclar11 wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:
Addison wrote:
FWIW, there's still a BareMinerals store at Northpark.


Yes, but now there is no BareMinerals store in Collin County. They could move to Preston Park Village or The Shops at Legacy to maintain a presence here.

Also, Ann Taylor has closed at Willow Bend. Their Galleria location seems to have closed, as well.

Zales and Banana Republic closed at Willow Bend recently as well.


There's a Banana Republic at both Stonebriar and Galleria. So in a way, the Willow Bend store was kind of redundant. As far as Zales, it seems the parent company announced they would be closing hundreds of stores across the country.

I'm posting all of this to highlight that these closures aren't necessarily an indictment of Dallas, Collin County or these shopping malls. It's the sad overall state of brick-and-mortar retail in general, and with Dallas in many ways being overstored, there's not much that can be done to stop the bleeding.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby tamtagon » 30 Jan 2021 09:06

Seems like these ailing big enclosed malls would be a great springboard for a hotel resort activity destination like Gaylord or Great Wolf.

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Proquest20
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 30 Jan 2021 19:59

Addison wrote:
acclar11 wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:
Yes, but now there is no BareMinerals store in Collin County. They could move to Preston Park Village or The Shops at Legacy to maintain a presence here.

Also, Ann Taylor has closed at Willow Bend. Their Galleria location seems to have closed, as well.

Zales and Banana Republic closed at Willow Bend recently as well.


There's a Banana Republic at both Stonebriar and Galleria. So in a way, the Willow Bend store was kind of redundant. As far as Zales, it seems the parent company announced they would be closing hundreds of stores across the country.

I'm posting all of this to highlight that these closures aren't necessarily an indictment of Dallas, Collin County or these shopping malls. It's the sad overall state of brick-and-mortar retail in general, and with Dallas in many ways being overstored, there's not much that can be done to stop the bleeding.


In a way, it kind of is. Recently, a company closing underperforming stores typically means that their Willow Bend location will be one of them. To me, this makes me think that Willow Bend is an underperforming mall, and Starwood losing ownership of it doesn’t make things any better and further encourages tenants to vacate the property. Don’t get me wrong, these retail closures have definitely affected malls across the country, even top performing ones, but I think that so much damage has been done to Willow Bend that our only hope is that it gets torn down and turned into something completely new as Collin Creek was.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby exelone31 » 01 Feb 2021 09:33

tamtagon wrote:Seems like these ailing big enclosed malls would be a great springboard for a hotel resort activity destination like Gaylord or Great Wolf.


You know, that's a pretty genius idea. There isn't really anything like that close by (to Plano/Frisco). Even though Great Wolf and Gaylord aren't THAT far, I bet putting something like that where Willow Bend is would do bonkers business. My kids talk about Great Wolf all the time and it's been 2+ years since they've been there.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby The_Overdog » 01 Feb 2021 10:54

Plano has nothing even close to that. Frisco, Allen, Richardson, and others around it have more 'attractions'. So yeah, a mall-version of a Great Wolf Lodge would fill a city need.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 01 Feb 2021 14:53

I remember pretty early on during the Willow Bend redevelopment that there was discussion of adding a hotel to the property. Obviously the redevelopment has been stopped due to Starwood losing ownership of the property, but putting a hotel of some sort on the property would definitely fill a great need, especially a family friendly one like the ones mentioned above. It would be a great compliment to the Crayola Experience.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby CTroyMathis » 01 Feb 2021 18:30

exelone31 wrote:
tamtagon wrote:Seems like these ailing big enclosed malls would be a great springboard for a hotel resort activity destination like Gaylord or Great Wolf.


You know, that's a pretty genius idea. There isn't really anything like that close by (to Plano/Frisco). Even though Great Wolf and Gaylord aren't THAT far, I bet putting something like that where Willow Bend is would do bonkers business. My kids talk about Great Wolf all the time and it's been 2+ years since they've been there.


I agree 100%.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby undefinedprocess » 01 Feb 2021 21:32

I agree, but definitely not what I WANT to see Willow Bend become. Is it probably the best option..? Yes, one of. Good idea.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby rono3849 » 02 Feb 2021 03:35

Was in Neiman's at Willow Bend. It was a virtual ghost town. Very strange feeling there. Such a beautiful store too.

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Proquest20
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 02 Feb 2021 15:44

Decided to visit the Willow Bend website and count the amount of tenants listed. Ended up counting 115 tenants, a significant decrease from the 150+ listed on Wikipedia.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Tucy » 02 Feb 2021 19:00

Proquest20 wrote:Decided to visit the Willow Bend website and count the amount of tenants listed. Ended up counting 115 tenants, a significant decrease from the 150+ listed on Wikipedia.


Interesting. I only count 96 (I suspect part of the difference is that I counted Nieman Marcus, NM's cafe and NM's Louis Vuitton shop as one tenant and Knife's three entries as one tenant.)

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Addison
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Addison » 02 Feb 2021 20:12

Proquest20 wrote:Decided to visit the Willow Bend website and count the amount of tenants listed. Ended up counting 115 tenants, a significant decrease from the 150+ listed on Wikipedia.


In all fairness, I think Wikipedia reflects the amount of available space for tenants, not the actual number of tenants.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 03 Feb 2021 00:03

Tucy wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:Decided to visit the Willow Bend website and count the amount of tenants listed. Ended up counting 115 tenants, a significant decrease from the 150+ listed on Wikipedia.


Interesting. I only count 96 (I suspect part of the difference is that I counted Nieman Marcus, NM's cafe and NM's Louis Vuitton shop as one tenant and Knife's three entries as one tenant.)

That’s a much more accurate way to count tenants. I just counted everything that was listed on the site.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby vman » 03 Feb 2021 07:32

acclar11 wrote:
Zales and Banana Republic closed at Willow Bend recently as well.
+
I went into Willow Bend's Banana Republic last month, not knowing they were having a "store closing" sale. I overheard the sales clerk tell a customer that the Stonebriar store has been "temporarily closed" since the pandemic and no word on if and when it would reopen.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby acclar11 » 03 Feb 2021 08:56

vman wrote:
acclar11 wrote:
Zales and Banana Republic closed at Willow Bend recently as well.
+
I went into Willow Bend's Banana Republic last month, not knowing they were having a "store closing" sale. I overheard the sales clerk tell a customer that the Stonebriar store has been "temporarily closed" since the pandemic and no word on if and when it would reopen.


Both Banana Republic and Gap didn't pay rent at Stonebriar, so their doors were locked.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby R1070 » 03 Feb 2021 13:22

I know that Gap Inc. is trying to move away from mall stores in general.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 03 Feb 2021 17:57

R1070 wrote:I know that Gap Inc. is trying to move away from mall stores in general.

Totally. Gap even closed their Gap location at NorthPark Center, leaving a sign directing customers to visit their Mockingbird Station location instead. The Willow Bend location made sense for the time being as the Stonebriar location hasn’t reopened, but their lease probably expired or business at that location has probably been slow even despite the closure at Stonebriar.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 03 Mar 2021 18:01

According to the directory that is on display in the mall, Geppetto’s Theater will be coming soon. It’s basically a place that does puppet shows for kids. I couldn’t find any information regarding if this is an expansion from their location at the Hilton Anatole, or a relocation.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby eburress » 19 Mar 2021 13:38

Proquest20 wrote:According to the directory that is on display in the mall, Geppetto’s Theater will be coming soon. It’s basically a place that does puppet shows for kids. I couldn’t find any information regarding if this is an expansion from their location at the Hilton Anatole, or a relocation.


I saw a "play" there last week (the kids were all wearing masks making it impossible to hear/understand). It was a fine enough space but it was depressing to see what this mall has become.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 26 Mar 2021 20:34

So from what I’ve seen, some other businesses have been opening up at Willow Bend as well. There’s a place called K&A Treasures inside of the old Justice, a dental place inside of the old Godiva, just to name some. Obviously, these are not ideal tenants and won’t help the mall survive, but it’s at least something... then there’s a Star Wars toys store inside of the old Banana Republic, really reminding me of how Collin Creek used to have a bunch of random small businesses shortly before it was demolished.
Any word on Ohashi? I remember them saying it was going to open in the restaurant district but I guess it isn’t now, it’s been years and nothing has been said about it.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 15 Apr 2021 13:23

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/ret ... ury-shops/

This is a big one— now Louis Vuitton is leaving Willow Bend. One of the biggest draws to the mall since Apple, and possibly the reason why any stores are even left in Willow Bend. I’m starting to get impatient waiting for someone to buy the mall and tear it down...

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby undefinedprocess » 15 Apr 2021 13:42

Proquest20 wrote:https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2021/04/15/planos-legacy-west-is-sprouting-luxury-shops/

This is a big one— now Louis Vuitton is leaving Willow Bend. One of the biggest draws to the mall since Apple, and possibly the reason why any stores are even left in Willow Bend. I’m starting to get impatient waiting for someone to buy the mall and tear it down...

It makes sense considering LV is probably weeks to a month away from opening their Legacy West location. Gucci opens this Friday, so I doubt LV wants to lag far behind Gucci's buzz.

But agreed. I'm ready for someone to buy it, tear it down, and redevelop the site. If anyone has capital, let me know. I'll redevelop it myself. :idea:

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 15 Apr 2021 18:17

undefinedprocess wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2021/04/15/planos-legacy-west-is-sprouting-luxury-shops/

This is a big one— now Louis Vuitton is leaving Willow Bend. One of the biggest draws to the mall since Apple, and possibly the reason why any stores are even left in Willow Bend. I’m starting to get impatient waiting for someone to buy the mall and tear it down...

It makes sense considering LV is probably weeks to a month away from opening their Legacy West location. Gucci opens this Friday, so I doubt LV wants to lag far behind Gucci's buzz.

But agreed. I'm ready for someone to buy it, tear it down, and redevelop the site. If anyone has capital, let me know. I'll redevelop it myself. :idea:


Yep, that’s exactly why they’re leaving... nonetheless, it’s one of the few remaining major draws to the mall, and without it, the mall’s about to be in an even worse situation, kind of like what happened when Apple left all over again...

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Addison
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Addison » 16 Apr 2021 08:36

Proquest20 wrote:https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2021/04/15/planos-legacy-west-is-sprouting-luxury-shops/

This is a big one— now Louis Vuitton is leaving Willow Bend. One of the biggest draws to the mall since Apple, and possibly the reason why any stores are even left in Willow Bend. I’m starting to get impatient waiting for someone to buy the mall and tear it down...


Between the Galleria store and the one at Legacy West, it only makes sense.

I'm just wondering how long Neiman Marcus and Macy's will stick around.

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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby acclar11 » 17 Apr 2021 17:41

Addison wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2021/04/15/planos-legacy-west-is-sprouting-luxury-shops/

This is a big one— now Louis Vuitton is leaving Willow Bend. One of the biggest draws to the mall since Apple, and possibly the reason why any stores are even left in Willow Bend. I’m starting to get impatient waiting for someone to buy the mall and tear it down...


Between the Galleria store and the one at Legacy West, it only makes sense.

I'm just wondering how long Neiman Marcus and Macy's will stick around.

It would be cool if Neiman's moved to Legacy West, but I don't know if LW has enough room to build a store that large.

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Addison
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Addison » 18 Apr 2021 13:54

acclar11 wrote:
Addison wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2021/04/15/planos-legacy-west-is-sprouting-luxury-shops/

This is a big one— now Louis Vuitton is leaving Willow Bend. One of the biggest draws to the mall since Apple, and possibly the reason why any stores are even left in Willow Bend. I’m starting to get impatient waiting for someone to buy the mall and tear it down...


Between the Galleria store and the one at Legacy West, it only makes sense.

I'm just wondering how long Neiman Marcus and Macy's will stick around.

It would be cool if Neiman's moved to Legacy West, but I don't know if LW has enough room to build a store that large.


I think it was mentioned earlier that Stonebriar still has the vacant Sears space.

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Proquest20
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 18 Apr 2021 20:51

acclar11 wrote:
Addison wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2021/04/15/planos-legacy-west-is-sprouting-luxury-shops/

This is a big one— now Louis Vuitton is leaving Willow Bend. One of the biggest draws to the mall since Apple, and possibly the reason why any stores are even left in Willow Bend. I’m starting to get impatient waiting for someone to buy the mall and tear it down...


Between the Galleria store and the one at Legacy West, it only makes sense.

I'm just wondering how long Neiman Marcus and Macy's will stick around.

It would be cool if Neiman's moved to Legacy West, but I don't know if LW has enough room to build a store that large.


The Neiman Marcus at the Shops at Clearfork is under 100,000 square feet large. I think a relocation to Legacy West would be possible if they choose to make a smaller format store. As for the possibility of relocating to Stonebriar, I highly doubt Neiman Marcus is the type of store that would fit into that directory, as it tends to cater towards middle-class families and children, rather than the upper-class clientele Willow Bend initially catered to.

Here’s an article describing the growth at Legacy West, in the beginning of the video, they actually used The Shops at Willow Bend as an example of a dead mall. It’s quite eerie and depressing to see just how empty the mall is, both people-wise and store-wise, in the clips that they included. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/luxur ... t/2608387/

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R1070
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby R1070 » 18 Apr 2021 21:21

NM could stay where it is, if Willow Bend redevelops itself as an outdoor lifestyle center.

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Proquest20
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 18 Apr 2021 21:29

Addison wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2021/04/15/planos-legacy-west-is-sprouting-luxury-shops/

This is a big one— now Louis Vuitton is leaving Willow Bend. One of the biggest draws to the mall since Apple, and possibly the reason why any stores are even left in Willow Bend. I’m starting to get impatient waiting for someone to buy the mall and tear it down...


Between the Galleria store and the one at Legacy West, it only makes sense.

I'm just wondering how long Neiman Marcus and Macy's will stick around.


I’m actually kind of anticipating the Neiman-Marcus to close soon. I don’t think the proximity of the Willow Bend Louis Vuitton to the one in Legacy West is the only factor causing the Willow Bend one to close, as malls like NorthPark and Galleria Houston have the Louis Vuittons inside of the department stores (Galleria with one in Saks and one in Neiman’s) along with stand alone locations in the malls themselves. Maybe this is a reach, but it could be a possibility that designer labels such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton are opening in Legacy West in anticipation of Neiman Marcus closing in order to further serve Collin County?

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Addison
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Addison » 19 Apr 2021 13:38

Proquest20 wrote:
acclar11 wrote:
Addison wrote:
Between the Galleria store and the one at Legacy West, it only makes sense.

I'm just wondering how long Neiman Marcus and Macy's will stick around.

It would be cool if Neiman's moved to Legacy West, but I don't know if LW has enough room to build a store that large.


The Neiman Marcus at the Shops at Clearfork is under 100,000 square feet large. I think a relocation to Legacy West would be possible if they choose to make a smaller format store. As for the possibility of relocating to Stonebriar, I highly doubt Neiman Marcus is the type of store that would fit into that directory, as it tends to cater towards middle-class families and children, rather than the upper-class clientele Willow Bend initially catered to.

Here’s an article describing the growth at Legacy West, in the beginning of the video, they actually used The Shops at Willow Bend as an example of a dead mall. It’s quite eerie and depressing to see just how empty the mall is, both people-wise and store-wise, in the clips that they included. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/luxur ... t/2608387/


With respect to Stonebriar and Neimans, I should note that the mall could easily go the route of SouthCoast Plaza in Orange County. It was originally just a middle class mall as well. As the population density surrounding it was built up with upper middle class residents, it went upscale.

I don't think the comparison with Clearfork is fair because the demographics in the surrounding area are different. I know brick & mortar retail is kind of in flux right now (especially department stores), but with the projected income and population growth in the coming years, I'm still confident Collin County could support a full size Neimans in the right location.

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Proquest20
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 19 Apr 2021 14:27

Addison wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:
acclar11 wrote:It would be cool if Neiman's moved to Legacy West, but I don't know if LW has enough room to build a store that large.


The Neiman Marcus at the Shops at Clearfork is under 100,000 square feet large. I think a relocation to Legacy West would be possible if they choose to make a smaller format store. As for the possibility of relocating to Stonebriar, I highly doubt Neiman Marcus is the type of store that would fit into that directory, as it tends to cater towards middle-class families and children, rather than the upper-class clientele Willow Bend initially catered to.

Here’s an article describing the growth at Legacy West, in the beginning of the video, they actually used The Shops at Willow Bend as an example of a dead mall. It’s quite eerie and depressing to see just how empty the mall is, both people-wise and store-wise, in the clips that they included. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/luxur ... t/2608387/


With respect to Stonebriar and Neimans, I should note that the mall could easily go the route of SouthCoast Plaza in Orange County. It was originally just a middle class mall as well. As the population density surrounding it was built up with upper middle class residents, it went upscale.

I don't think the comparison with Clearfork is fair because the demographics in the surrounding area are different. I know brick & mortar retail is kind of in flux right now (especially department stores), but with the projected income and population growth in the coming years, I'm still confident Collin County could support a full size Neimans in the right location.


I personally couldn’t ever see Stonebriar going upscale, even if Neiman Marcus were to sign a lease there, due to it’s proximity to Legacy West which already has most of the upscale stores Stonebriar would need to attract if it wanted to go “South Coast Plaza.” Furthermore, I don’t even think it is possible for Stonebriar to go “South Coast Plaza” as NorthPark, which is already a pretty upscale mall, isn’t on the same level as South Coast Plaza either. Although I do think that a comparison between NorthPark and South Coast Plaza is much more appropriate as NorthPark was not as upscale as it is now prior to the expansion that added the Nordstrom wing.

As for the comparison between Clearfork and Legacy West, it was only made to show that there are smaller format Neiman-Marcus stores, so Legacy West most likely could make room for it. Nothing to do with demographics.

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luxeshop97
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby luxeshop97 » 04 May 2021 12:20

Proquest20 wrote:
Addison wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:
The Neiman Marcus at the Shops at Clearfork is under 100,000 square feet large. I think a relocation to Legacy West would be possible if they choose to make a smaller format store. As for the possibility of relocating to Stonebriar, I highly doubt Neiman Marcus is the type of store that would fit into that directory, as it tends to cater towards middle-class families and children, rather than the upper-class clientele Willow Bend initially catered to.

Here’s an article describing the growth at Legacy West, in the beginning of the video, they actually used The Shops at Willow Bend as an example of a dead mall. It’s quite eerie and depressing to see just how empty the mall is, both people-wise and store-wise, in the clips that they included. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/luxur ... t/2608387/


With respect to Stonebriar and Neimans, I should note that the mall could easily go the route of SouthCoast Plaza in Orange County. It was originally just a middle class mall as well. As the population density surrounding it was built up with upper middle class residents, it went upscale.

I don't think the comparison with Clearfork is fair because the demographics in the surrounding area are different. I know brick & mortar retail is kind of in flux right now (especially department stores), but with the projected income and population growth in the coming years, I'm still confident Collin County could support a full size Neimans in the right location.


I personally couldn’t ever see Stonebriar going upscale, even if Neiman Marcus were to sign a lease there, due to it’s proximity to Legacy West which already has most of the upscale stores Stonebriar would need to attract if it wanted to go “South Coast Plaza.” Furthermore, I don’t even think it is possible for Stonebriar to go “South Coast Plaza” as NorthPark, which is already a pretty upscale mall, isn’t on the same level as South Coast Plaza either. Although I do think that a comparison between NorthPark and South Coast Plaza is much more appropriate as NorthPark was not as upscale as it is now prior to the expansion that added the Nordstrom wing.

As for the comparison between Clearfork and Legacy West, it was only made to show that there are smaller format Neiman-Marcus stores, so Legacy West most likely could make room for it. Nothing to do with demographics.


Neimans could open a boutique style store that takes up the last 4 spots next to Tory Burch at LW. It would be a nice store front facade on the Headquarters entrance to the property! In Stonebriars case, they would need to down size the Sears building to accommodate more spaces for more contemporary brands that Neimans could anchor. Stonebriar could support a more higher end clientele, without going full luxe like Willowbend did.

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Proquest20
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Re: Plano: Willow Bend Mall

Postby Proquest20 » 06 May 2021 23:18

luxeshop97 wrote:
Proquest20 wrote:
Addison wrote:
With respect to Stonebriar and Neimans, I should note that the mall could easily go the route of SouthCoast Plaza in Orange County. It was originally just a middle class mall as well. As the population density surrounding it was built up with upper middle class residents, it went upscale.

I don't think the comparison with Clearfork is fair because the demographics in the surrounding area are different. I know brick & mortar retail is kind of in flux right now (especially department stores), but with the projected income and population growth in the coming years, I'm still confident Collin County could support a full size Neimans in the right location.


I personally couldn’t ever see Stonebriar going upscale, even if Neiman Marcus were to sign a lease there, due to it’s proximity to Legacy West which already has most of the upscale stores Stonebriar would need to attract if it wanted to go “South Coast Plaza.” Furthermore, I don’t even think it is possible for Stonebriar to go “South Coast Plaza” as NorthPark, which is already a pretty upscale mall, isn’t on the same level as South Coast Plaza either. Although I do think that a comparison between NorthPark and South Coast Plaza is much more appropriate as NorthPark was not as upscale as it is now prior to the expansion that added the Nordstrom wing.

As for the comparison between Clearfork and Legacy West, it was only made to show that there are smaller format Neiman-Marcus stores, so Legacy West most likely could make room for it. Nothing to do with demographics.


Neimans could open a boutique style store that takes up the last 4 spots next to Tory Burch at LW. It would be a nice store front facade on the Headquarters entrance to the property! In Stonebriars case, they would need to down size the Sears building to accommodate more spaces for more contemporary brands that Neimans could anchor. Stonebriar could support a more higher end clientele, without going full luxe like Willowbend did.

In a way, you guys are right. Legacy West can really only accommodate so many tenants, and so there’s still stores like Anthropologie, Swarovski, Brooks Brothers, Allen Edmonds, J. Jill, and others that may find Stonebriar a good fit if they were to do such a thing with the Neiman Marcus. However, I was there the other day and while it was nice to see that they have added new additions to it, like the Hyatt Regency and the Kidzania, I think that Stonebriar did feel really dated and in heavy need of an upgrade, whereas Willow Bend feels much more modern, although this did not stop Stonebriar from being very busy on a weekday. Felt very 90’s-esque to me. Luckily, according to the Omniplan website, there are plans to redesign Stonebriar Mall to give it a more updated look. At the same time, I think that the design works as, unlike malls like Galleria Dallas, NorthPark, and what Willow Bend was initially planned to be, Stonebriar is more like Parks and Town East, which are designed for the people living near them rather than being an attraction for people all across DFW and beyond. Clearly they’re trying to break away from this and become a destination-type mall with the new additions and planned redesign.

On another note, we really need a Zara in Collin County. Initially, when Forever 21 closed at Willow Bend and it still had some of it’s keystone stores which are now lost, I was hoping they’d get Zara in there to replace it as they did with the Forever 21 at NorthPark. I could potentially see Uniqlo going into where A’gaci was, as well, which would’ve made Willow Bend much stronger hadn’t stores like Sephora, Aritzia, Bareminerals, and Hollister all left.