Houston Historic Retail

As some of you already know, I visited PlazAmericas, formerly known as Sharpstown Mall, last weekend. I wanted to share what I found in my visit.

If you look up information about the mall online, you often find negative, and sometimes even nasty, comments. They make it out as a place that’s empty and not safe to be around, when in reality, it’s quite the opposite.

PlazAmericas was quite lively when we were there early Saturday morning. The traffic picked up greatly in the hour or so we spent walking around the mall. The building is the most tenanted it has been in years. While you can’t escape vacant space on any mall, there’s what I’d consider less than average here.

Every anchor space is open and in use. Burlington is the only traditional anchor, and honestly, I’m not sure how much longer they’ll be in the mall, since they’ve been leaving malls across the US. The other anchor spaces have been redeveloped by subdividing them.

Jewelry is a common theme at this mall. The former JCPenney and Foley’s have both been reworked as jewelry centers. Many jewelers operate in the mall, and while not directly accessible, the former bank tower has long been home to jewelers.

Most stores in the mall are independent, and beyond a handful, the chains there are local. There are also still many hints of the mall's past. From retail remnants like signage and paint to a somewhat bloated mural of Frank Sharp in the Food Court, it’s all in good taste.

As someone who grew up with a deep connection to the Sharpstown area and went to this mall regularly, it’s quite obvious that the mall is doing better than it has in quite some time. I think the addition of HEB’s Mi Tienda will be quite fitting, as the mall originally opened with a Minimax, which later became a Food Giant.

The area has certainly changed over the years, but the mall isn’t a place to fear.

What’s been going on at the closed Heights Kroger? Not too much. It looks like Kroger is still clearing items out.

At this point, the prevailing theory is that Kimco (the property owner) will tear down the existing shopping center to build something new, presumably taller.